A little more than 9 months ago Tracy McGrady took it upon himself to announce he was getting microfracture surgery and would miss the remainder of the 2008-2009 NBA season. The Rockets’ organization was upset because T-Mac opted for the surgery without discussing it with the front office and chose to announce his decision on ESPN before the team was fully aware of the situation. 9 months later the Rockets have taken the decision making out of T-Mac’s hands. For today’s Reebok Still Talkin’ Quote of the Day we take a look at Tracy McGrady’s take on the situation.

I feel I can play, but the coach and the GM obviously feel different, they run this team and until they feel I’m ready to play, then I guess I’ll be watching……..When did wanting to play basketball become a problem, a bad thing, I’m ready to play basketball. Everybody is making a big deal because I say I’m ready.

Houston is doing to T-Mac exactly what T-Mac did to them back in February, they are making all of the decisions. No one can blame the Rockets for wanting to make sure Tracy is completely healthy. The team is playing beyond everyone’s expectations this year and chemistry has been key to their success. Bringing in T-Mac completely changes the makeup of the team and if he isn’t 100% playing on again off again would wreck what the Rockets have going now.

What about Tracy McGrady? We’ve seen lately with Allen Iverson, that players always believe they can play even if their body tells them they can’t. Thats not to say that T-Mac is done but it does mean we should take his take on being ready with a grain of salt. Tracy is itching to get back on the court and has some extra motivation to play, being in a contract year, but he has to remember that Amar’e Stoudemire came back from microfracture surgery too early and his game suffered. T-Mac was one of the best scorers in the NBA but injuries hampered him severely over the past two seasons. Waiting a few extra months can only help him return to his old form and allow him to contribute at a high level to a team. T-Mac might feel like he is ready to play basketball but his body might tell a different story.

Hit us with your favorite basketball quote or favorite basketball trash talk in the comments section below or send it to us via our Twitter page and we’ll post the best ones we get every day … with a special twist. Over the course of the next month, we’ll pick the best of the best, and lace that reader with a brand new pair of Reebok’s Still Talkin’ kicks (pictured above).

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