It Appears T-Mac Will Be A Bull

There's nothing sports writers love to romanticize more than symmetry, and in T-Mac-to-Chicago, it has been located. It was 10 years ago that the Bulls pitched cap room to fans and insiders alike, and McGrady was the centerpiece of the plan. Who could forget his red carpet entrance at O'Hare? There was Benny the Bull, cheerleaders, even a horn section belting out "Sweet Home, Chicago".

T-Mac would eventually landed in Orlando to form SuperTeam Version 1.0 with Grant Hill, and nothing ever materialized for the Bulls' grand summer free agency dreams -- unless you count Ron Mercer and a youngish Brad Miller. So it's fitting, isn't it, that this is the year McGrady arrives: pitching cap space again, spurned by the biggest talents available again.

Of course, it doesn't all fit. McGrady was at the height of his powers as the 21-year old Jerry Krause coveted, looking like some sort of weird Jordan-Pippen hybrid set to dominate the universe. 10 years, lots of first round playoff exits, and one microfracture surgery later, it goes without saying that this isn't the same player. He's still a name, sure, but there's no bidding war this time around: the Bulls appear to be the only team with real interest here, and that's caused some to wonder if this is more of a favor than a business decision.

It is a curious move, to be sure. High risk-high reward has never been the Bulls' calling card, and it's hard to see McGrady as a safe investment. He's earned the "cancer" tag over the last two years -- fair or not -- after whining his way out of Houston and into New York. Though, we must remember, he's only allowed to be a Bull on two conditions: a) he must come off the bench, and b) he must be healthy. The later may be less of a concern, to be honest. Microfracture surgery is often thought of as an injury that takes more than 12 months to recover from, and enough time has passed at this point that if T-Mac will ever be fine in the health department again, he should be fine now.

But you have to wonder if the former scoring champ will willingly take a backseat to Ronnie Brewer, a man who couldn't crack double-digit points per game last year. In fact, T-Mac hardly even seems like a sixth man on this roster: Korver and Taj should see more minutes than him; C.J. Watson and Kurt Thomas could, too. Tracy McGrady: 10th man. It it entirely possible, if not likely, that this happens, and that this doesn't fly.

It remains to be seen where T-Mac is at in his life. Does he still think he has something left in the tank, and that his past credentials should speak the loudest? Or has he been humbled by the last few years -- injuries and doubt and Darfur and everything else? Because, if he's willing to play mentor to D-Rose and be a good solider, this could be a fine signing.

While McGrady's athleticism has surely diminished, if not completely eroded, this was never a player who's success was totally dependent on finishing alley-oops. The T-Mac of yesteryear was a gifted playmaker, a point guard in a 6-8 frame. Those skills shouldn't disappear because of a knee injury. He was also Derrick Rose's favorite player before Derrick Rose became Derrick Rose's favorite player. Surely, this has to count for something.

In the end, T-Mac is a flyer, maybe a favor. If he cries, the Bulls should have no hesitation to cut him. In a year when they're only offering three-year deals to Korver and Redick, it's hard to imagine McGrady taking home anything more than a one-year deal, two at the most. And that's fine: he won't cost much, he's easy to let go. But if it works out, and McGrady can turn in a Grant Hill-worthy renaissance, the Bulls may have found something here.