Tracy McGrady Returns for the Playoffs; Skylar Diggins Shows Off; NBA Draft Shocker

On a night where the two NBA games on the schedule featured a slew of missing starters and some ugly-ass basketball, the big news of the day came early on with word of two huge free agent signings … if we were currently living in 2005.

It started with this tweet (and a collective “Whaa?” from the Twitterverse):

Q played previously with the Knicks from 2005-09 and despite the fact that he is 33 years old, will actually somehow be on the younger side of the Knicks’ roster. This what Mike Woodson had to say on a radio show about the signing:

“I figured when we get some of our bigs back… it gives us one more perimeter guy that can defend a little bit, that can make shots and space the floor like we play. I just think it adds to what we’re trying to do.”

[Q played a big part in our Top 10 Basketball Marketing Campaigns Since 2000]

And then in the late afternoon Eastern time, word broke that T-Mac was officially back. Also 33 years old, McGrady has spent the last few months handing out buckets in the Chinese Basketball Association (25 points, seven assists, five rebounds per game), and will be looked to play the offensive role of the jettisoned Stephen Jackson (if he can).

Yesterday also saw lots of images of the new-look WNBA uniforms to be worn by the top picks in the draft. Darren Rovell‘s point here is accurate – can you even tell what team Brittney Griner plays for?

Head to the next page for pics of Skylar Diggins and Elena Delle Donne modeling their new gear and did Nate Robinson just take a shot at the Miami Heat?

There was some good stuff posted by the second and third picks in the WNBA Draft during the day. We can’t tell what team drafted Skylar Diggins either, but we’re on board.

No. 2 pick Elena Delle Donne Instagrammed this:

And then she started posting pics of her in new Nike gear on her Twitter feed:

This Andre Iguodala Instagram post making fun of Kosta Koufos was the first thing we saw yesterday morning. It had us laughing right away:

Did Nate Robinson take a shot at the Miami Heat with this post?

On the next page, a huge NBA Draft shocker and the Clippers run a layup lines all over an opponent…

There were a few NBA Draft-related announcements, with guys like UCLA’s Shabazz Muhammed and North Carolina’s leading scorer Reggie Bullock declaring (to go with Monday’s haul of Nerlens Noel, Otto Porter, Jr. and Alex Len). The shocker came last night though when Oklahoma State guard Marcus Smart decided to return for his sophomore season. Smart’s decision flies in the face of the notion that if you’re guaranteed to go in the Lottery, let alone Top 5 like Smart was projected to go this summer, you’te decision is made for you. Now while we’re glad Marcus loves school, if you’re a lock to be taken that high, you have to go.

Here’s how Chad Ford sees Smart’s decision potentially altering the Draft:

The two NBA games on the schedule were both pretty brutal, boring affairs. Game 1 featured the Toronto Raptors – grizzled vets of playing out the string – against an Atlanta Hawks team just looking for the playoffs. Atlanta’s play was so “whatever” that at one point in the first half Reggie Miller went into a commercial begging them to show a little effort. They didn’t and lost 113-96.

Clippers/Blazers was better, if only slightly, because of the dunk/layup lines being run by L.A. in the first half over the likes of Victor Claver and Co.

Line of the night: Charles Barkley, talking about how he thinks the Clippers are soft and not a legitimate title contender: “”The Clippers are like a real pretty girl … then you find out she’s dumber than a box of rocks.”

We’re out like Shabazz.

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