The Bulls Could Be The Team That Rescues Tracy McGrady
(photo. Marc Morrison)
Word on the street is the Chicago Bulls could be interested in acquiring a certain disgruntled former All-Star out in Texas. The Tracy McGrady saga in Houston has gone from bad to worse last week when the team sent him home in the middle of an Eastern Conference road trip. T-Mac has been at odds with the Rockets ever since he announced he was getting season-ending surgery without telling the team first back in February. Since then, the team has flourished without him and have not welcomed him back now that he’s healthy.
In the six games he’s suited up for the Rockets this season, McGrady has only averaged 7.7 minutes and 3.2 points per game. Things boiled over after coach Rick Adelman told the league’s highest paid player that he would not increase his minutes or role. Yesterday, the Rockets granted McGrady permission to leave the team while they facilitate a trade. Now that both sides have agreed on parting ways, the problem now is: Are there any suitors for an aging former superstar with a $23 million contract?
The good news on taking on McGrady’s enormous contract is that it goes off the books after this season. So far, no championship contending team is interested in his services. The Knicks rumor has been circulating for over a month and the T-Mac to the Pistons rumor has also been making the rounds on the internet. One team that has popped up in the last few days has been the Bulls. Like we’ve seen with the Vinny Del Negro situation, Chicago is going through a tumultuous time as well. Trading for T-Mac actually makes some sense for both sides.
This season, John Salmons has been unable to pick up where he left off after his impressive playoff performance. The Bulls definitely need somebody who can take some of the scoring load off of Derrick Rose. Is T-Mac that guy? Even though he is a few years past his prime, he can probably still score the ball and give you 15-18 points on any given night. He is also extremely motivated right now and he can’t possibly do worse than Salmons, who is shooting under 40 percent from the field.
“Whoever gets me is going to get a hungry player,” McGrady told the media recently. “I don’t care if I go to the moon. It doesn’t matter.”
If this trade would go down, it would probably be McGrady for Salmons and two other players with expiring contracts: Jerome James and Brad Miller. Miller is another player who is having a poor season after a good playoff showing. McGrady would not only free up some salary for the Bulls (Salmon’s is owed $5.8 million next season), but he might actually provide a spark to a team that desperately needs it. Remember, despite having a dismal 12-17 record, the Bulls are in seventh place in the East. If McGrady can be even remotely effective, he can help the Bulls secure one of the last playoff spots in the East. But let’s not get carried away. A lot of people (including myself) speculated that Allen Iverson to the Sixers would make a difference, and obviously that hasn’t been the case so far.
On Houston’s side, they would rid themselves of the distraction and drama of having an unhappy McGrady on the roster. Now they can focus on just basketball. Though he’s been horrible offensively, the Rockets would welcome Salmons’ defense. And with Yao out, it doesn’t hurt to have another big man on the roster like Miller.
Would the Bulls be a good fit for T-Mac?
December 31st, 2009 at 9:42 am
stupid says:
nice trade..if it would happen..it could be beneficial to both teams
December 31st, 2009 at 9:43 am
PWEEZY says:
Raptors Trade
Turka Turka for TMAC
NICE!!!!
December 31st, 2009 at 9:48 am
QQ says:
Rescue?
As in ‘get a soft player who never works hard to add to our once promising young lineup’?
Say bye bye to the future, Chicagorilla, if this happens!
December 31st, 2009 at 9:59 am
clay says:
Perhaps it could work
Both James’ and Miller’s contracts expire this season as far as i’m aware and Salmons has another two years at about $6mil a year?
If I’m the houston GM i’d wait and see what happens before the trade deadline tho
December 31st, 2009 at 10:04 am
LoBezn0 says:
This trade does make sense for both teams, but maybe the Bulls add another piece so they can take back a big man from the Rockets as well?
December 31st, 2009 at 10:06 am
Mid says:
WHO WANTS TMAC? THE GUY HAS NEVER WON ANYTHING AND NOW HE CAN’T EVEN DO THE ONE THING (SCORE) THAT HE USED TO DO WELL
(YAWN)
December 31st, 2009 at 10:21 am
Heckler says:
problem is, the rockets gonna want more than just salmons and miller. they gonna want tyrus thomas too.
but for chicago, it makes sense. they wanna be able to offer dwyane wade a contract this summer, so they need to shed payroll. they should give up whoever the rockets want to make this happen. and so they can at least have a chance to offer wade a contract. if not, they’ll have the money to offer a big (bosh,boozer,stoudamire) a nice contract to play with noah, deng and derrick rose.
for houston, they might wait until the allstar break or trade deadline to make a deal for mcgrady. however, i dont see how waiting helps them. the offers they get are just going to get weaker the linger they wait.
not only that, but if they are looking to get a new player (and not just draft picks), then wouldnt they want that player with their current players more sooner than later?
it seems to make sense for both sides.
December 31st, 2009 at 10:31 am
Reddi Red says:
i’m no big TMac fan, but i think a healthy TMac, even at his age, is gonna give you 18-5-5. i think he’s gonna give you some clutch shots. I also think he’s gonna shoot too much sometimes and his defense all in all is not so good, BUT, I think he can contribute more than what I’m hearing today.
If my Pistons were to acquire him, I would not want to give up more than Rip for him…..
Then we can start TMac at the 2 and have BGordon off the bench……not alot of defense but I would say an avg +7 from that position.
December 31st, 2009 at 10:40 am
ab_40 says:
yes it helps he’s motivated. knows what it’s like to be the man on a team in which he can help D-Rose and Deng those two and him would be the crunch time options for the bulls. I hope they do it he’d do great at the two. My eyes still start to bleed when joakim noah takes a shot but Tmac and Rose in the backcourt is something I’d like to see. remeber that Tmac is one of the greatest playmakers at the 2 in the last ten years. easy shots for noah, thomas, deng, gibson is always good because most of these guys have trouble creating their own shot. plus his D will be so so he’s gonna work hard you just know it but with athletic bigs behind him he can up the intensity. oh and he’s a beast in the playoffs… check the numbers
December 31st, 2009 at 10:41 am
Reddi Red says:
for the Pistons….
1. Stuckey – 16pts
2. TMac – 16pts
3. Tayshuan – 12pts
4. Jerebko – 12pts
5. Big Ben – 6pts
…BENCH
1. WBynum – 8pts
2. BGordon – 14pts
3. Summers/Daye – 5pts
4 Villanueva/Maxiell – 14pts
5 Kwame – 4 pts
Pistons could possibly avg up to 107pts a night.
If we can keep other teams around 92pts……
December 31st, 2009 at 10:55 am
rangerjohn says:
the 2 reasons this will not happen:
1, the rockets want young talent included in the trade, and salmons is not exactly young talent. the rockets are going to want miller, and james contracts and thomas plus a little cash.
2, this trade makes them MORE over the salary cap, and the rockets know they are not winning a title and will be lucky to even make the playoffs, they want salary cap room to not have to pay tax. this is also the ONLY reason tracy might get a buy out later in the season WHEN a trade they would like doesnt happen.
tracy gets bought out right after the deadline. the rockets might wait until he cant join a contender to buy him out just to give him one last F-off. they dont want that slacker to join a contender and win a ring and all that. they keep his salary, pick up scola for about 7-8 mil next season and make a push for bosh in the off season. oh and they sign landry to an extension, and lowry also. they might even go ahead and offer shane the MLE type money.
December 31st, 2009 at 11:13 am
madhouse says:
Deng and Jerome James for T-mac sounds more realistic.
December 31st, 2009 at 11:17 am
Mid says:
@Reddi Red
-How can your Pistons have $100 mill on the bench in Gordan/Villa…that ain’t right
December 31st, 2009 at 11:20 am
eyes says:
Tmac needs to go to Denver & get his grant hill. It would further rehab him back 2 normal. Shed some weight & give the nuggs a legit starting 2. With Chauncey it would. Either phx or Denver is where both Redd and Tmac need to go. To win & be 100 healthy.
The blazers just signed SHAVLIK RANDOLPH DUKEEE. One of the best players available. They needed help & didn’t get. LMAO. BRYANT REEVES WANTS TO MAKE A COME BACK.
December 31st, 2009 at 11:22 am
nerditry says:
Tracy to Chicago makes sense and yeah, the Bulls are gonna have to include someone not named Rose. Buuuuuuut, the only way they make that gamble is to free up the cap space to get Wade.
If they don’t think that Wade is gonna go there and would like to play with Rose, this is a bad trade.
December 31st, 2009 at 11:31 am
Reddi Red says:
@ Mid:
yeah, I kinda don’t get that one either…….esp Villenueva. BG, I can see, because he can come off the bench and be a serious game changer, but Villi…..I don’t know, I really do not see his worth coming off the bench. As a starter, i do not see the defense in Villi that I see in Jerebko, but I see more scoring…for now. I actually think we are seeing more in Jerebko than expected and this is making Villi a little expendable, though its tough to see someone picking up 5yrs @ 50mil !!
December 31st, 2009 at 11:33 am
Heckler says:
DOES TRACY McGRADY MAKE YOUR PERSONAL ALL-DECADE TEAM?!!?
if not, then who is on your all-decade team (2000-2009)
December 31st, 2009 at 11:51 am
BiG ShoT BoB says:
@Heckler:
All Decade:
5) Shaq
4) Duncan
3) Lebron
2) Kobe
1) Nash
Best players at each position over the course of the decade.
December 31st, 2009 at 12:13 pm
Heckler says:
@Big Shot Bob–
if you had a 2nd team, bench team, who’d be on it?
December 31st, 2009 at 12:30 pm
Tom says:
Raptors trade Bosh, Bargnani, and Turkoglu
Houston trades TMac, Scola, Landry, Lowry, and about a decade worth of draft picks
Reasoning for Houston: The team improves dramatically right now, and they have a very good chance of re-signing Bosh (they’d probably want to negotiate a contract extension before the deal went down).
Reasoning for Toronto: We suck. If we lose Bosh at the end of the season, we’re going to suck even more. Toronto gets rid of two big long-term contracts and adds some toughness, which is what we need. With lots of young, athletic players and tons of cap space, we build up the team over the next 3 years through the draft and free-agency.
December 31st, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Itsakademiks says:
I’d take Kidd over nash yea he got 2 Mbps but kidd led the nets to 2 straight finals appearances.
December 31st, 2009 at 12:56 pm
yeahokayguy says:
isnt tmac around vince/kobe’s age? man how injuries can really hamper ones career…dude was hella sick wit the scoring but was known as a loser…now he’s just a walking expiring contract and still known as a loser..as a lakers fan, its weird to see kobe who’s a 96s still be on top of his game, but guys like tmac (97 draft)..A.I. (96) are somewhat struggling now later in their careers…i do pull for tmac, he needs to get himself wit a contender next yr..i think when he gets traded this season, he’ll try to prove people wrong that he is still the real deal, not sure if he will ave 20 per, but hopefully he realizes he’s at the tail end of his career and not overdo things…happy new year dime and keep up the great work!
December 31st, 2009 at 1:16 pm
DT says:
I think its a great trade for chicago. The kind of shots that salmons takes are kinda ridiculous at times..I would rather have TMAC taking those shots. With a lineup of rose, tmac, deng, thomas, and noah, that could be scary. Houston doesnt want anybody else really cuz tmac isnt playing anyway so its not like they’re gonna lose some production. They can waive Jerome James or jus store him on the bench. Salmons can provide some defense and Miller can come in a produce some fouls and hit an open 15 footer..I think it makes sense for both teams.
December 31st, 2009 at 1:26 pm
POPPI GEE says:
I didn’t enjoy this one to hot.
“T-Mac has been at odds with the Rockets ever since he announced he was getting season-ending surgery without telling the team first back in February.”
At odds makes it sound like there has been a rift between him and everyone else with the Rockets. That is certainly not true. There is actual video of T-Mac being cool and understanding where he is at, and taking whatever they give him. To say been at odds ever since is wrong.
You also said the team flourished without him. Flourished is a pretty big word. Granted they are doing well but they are a mid-grade team at least. Even in DIME’S rankings to have them close to 10 is a bit much.
“Things boiled over after coach Rick Adelman told the league’s highest paid player that he would not increase his minutes or role.”
Things boiled over? Was there a fight? Were guns pulled? I mean come on, you are trying to create a big rift between them and it ain’t one to the degree your reporting is making it.
Mind you it wasn’t even Rick’s decision. The GM actually made the decision that T wouldn’t get a bigger role or minutes.
“Yesterday, the Rockets granted McGrady permission to leave the team while they facilitate a trade.”
It was before yesterday that he was granted indefinite leave as the parties got together and reps for T asked that he be traded in light that his role is not increasing.
“On Houston’s side, they would rid themselves of the distraction and drama of having an unhappy McGrady on the roster. Now they can focus on just basketball.”
Quotes from players on the squad say it hasn’t been a distraction at all and that they are letting that situation work it self out as they “focus on just basketball”.
Again to make it sound like the l’s the Rockets have taken this season is due to T is incorrect or even to make it like he is all in the media saying stuff or fighting with guys on the team or in office is incorrect.
To me this is the type of reporting where a it’s 3 guys running a race and in reporting about the guy who finished last you say he got third place instead of saying he finished last or vice versa.
I am just saying to me this article is trying to make the situation seem more horrid than it is and also it seems that much of it was reported with your personal twist rather than what is.
Granted you already know I am bias and a little disgruntle at Houston trying to get rid of T instead of giving him more minutes. Still I feel this could be more accurate and written for what it is instead of what you feel.
December 31st, 2009 at 1:44 pm
BNZA says:
i like that a lot!
may the force be with you in 2010 and forever!
December 31st, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
@QQ
If this trade were to go through it doesn’t really screw up Chicago’s future. McGrady comes off the books so it would give us cap space next summer to sign a big name free agent. Plus we can’t do any worse as far as this season is concerned. And remember T-Mac is still hella popular (might be fan voted into all-star game despite not doing jack all season). He could at least bring the fans to the games.
December 31st, 2009 at 2:17 pm
the cynic says:
Rockets should ask for the bulls draft pick protected #1-3
December 31st, 2009 at 4:28 pm
BiG ShoT BoB says:
Decade team reserves:
Nowitski
Garnett
Wade
Kidd
Horry
Billups
Ben Wallace
The Palace at Auburn Hills
December 31st, 2009 at 4:33 pm
BiG ShoT BoB says:
@Itsakademiks: I’d always take Kidd over Nash better defender and my favorite player. But nothing beats 2 MVP’s back to back.
December 31st, 2009 at 4:47 pm
son#1 says:
whats the over/under on how many games TMac plays before he’s injured for the rest of the season?
December 31st, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Arrogant says:
U guys are saying its uneven like everyone doesnt know hat they dont want him… whatever they get, its sumthin more than they would have… Brad Miller is just what they need, a big man and still gets to keep the expiring contract.
for the bulls it gives u a scorer as long as he is HEALTHY.. keyword
December 31st, 2009 at 6:41 pm
quest??? says:
imagine this… The knicks starting lineup next year could be: Iverson, Mcgrady,Lebron, Lee, Bosh……sounds good doesn’t it? They can get Lebron with a max deal, they can get Bosh, sign Iverson and Mcgrady for cheap, retain David Lee, and have Danilo, Wilson Chandler coming off the bench. Sounds like a great team. With that run and gun system D’antoni has, there will be more than enough touches for everyone. We all know Iverson is a great passer, he just doesn’t pass because he doesn’t trust his teammates. Everyone that has seen the All-Star games, know that Iverson is a willing passer. Iverson running the break with Mcgrady and Lebron on the wings, and Bosh and Lee running, sounds like championship. Too bad i am not a GM.
December 31st, 2009 at 10:46 pm
QQ says:
@ quest:
Nothing like waking up to your AI man love.
AI and T-Mac as the backcourt of the Knicks? Two of the best players today, and I’m…. Damn, where not in 2003 anymore? DAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMN.
Over the Hill players FTW!!!!
January 1st, 2010 at 9:51 am
Spliff 2 My Lou says:
I want whatever quest??? is smoking.
January 1st, 2010 at 2:47 pm
jvedo says:
if im danny ferry i trade mo williams boobie gibson and z for tmac and aron brooks gives them great cap releav this summer and a better team this year t mac would shine in half court sets in playoffs for cavs personnaly a brooks is abetter fit for cavs than williams c last years playoffs did williams play?plus tmacs 23mil shaqs 20+ gone they can max lebron and stiil get wade bosh joe johnson manu its goes on and on
January 1st, 2010 at 11:18 pm
Urban says:
@ BiG ShoT BoB
I’m suprised Marion isn’t on that list, nobodys done more of the “other” things than him. Poor Shawn, forgotten again.
January 1st, 2010 at 11:26 pm
Benny The Bull says:
Here’s the perfect trade opportunity for the Bulls – Luol Deng and Brad Miller for T-Mac. Houston doesn’t want/need McGrady anymore, and the 2009-10 salaries match up. (McGrady $22.9 million vs. Deng 10.4 million + Miller 12.3 million) Even if McGrady never plays a game for the Bulls, it’s a win-win deal for both teams.
The Bulls would have the remaining 4-1/2 years of Deng’s huge contract off the books and McGrady’s deal would be done after this season, leaving tons of $$$ available for the Bulls in the offseason for D-Wade, Chris Bosh, etc….. The bulls could even have the cap space to sign Wade and Bosh together, or Joe Johnson and Bosh if they can’t get D-Wade. Luol is having a decent year, but this is his 6th season already, and he’s never going to be any better than he is right now, which is not worth the remaining 4-1/2 years left on his contract at $11 – $12 million per season.
I believe that even with Deng’s high contract, Houston would jump all over this deal. They’re (surprisingly) having a great season so far without McGrady, and Deng could provide them with another offensive threat alongside Ariza, Brooks, and Scola. Additionally, Brad Miller could help them in a backup roll for Scola, as well as be a good veteran leader for the playoffs.
January 15th, 2010 at 2:39 pm
Meko says:
Cmon Dude! Do you watch basketball? The Bulls are not trading Deng for nobody! U cant be serious…Salmons and Jerome James and maybe Aaron Gray for T-Mac is the reality. Not Brad Miller. Not Kirk Hinrich. C’mon guys, get it together. That will be the trade and It’s the only one that works. Houston gets a young center and some defense from Salmons and an expiring contract in James. Good trade for both teams. See, the Bulls have to trade Salmons if they want to play in the free agent game coming up. So getting T-Mac’s contract is really why we trade for him. Mark my words!!