What was seemingly a lock yesterday now appears to be in jeopardy, as the 'Tracy McGrady to the Bulls' momentum has slowed considerably as of this morning.
ESPN sources say (emphasis mine):
One source close to the process told ESPN.com that the prospect of
Chicago signing McGrady was downgraded to "unlikely" after the workout
and interview, with the Bulls saying they wanted more time to consider
other options. Another source confirmed that the post-workout meeting
between McGrady and Bulls' decision-makers did not clinch a deal, as
McGrady had hoped.
The question now is "why?" Did McGrady not show enough in his workout? Or was it his potential unwillingness to come off the bench that did him in? We don't know for sure right now, but my gut feeling says the latter.
By The Horns dropped the hammer on T-Mac super optimists today with this:
I know there's strong pro-McGrady sentiment among some Bulls fans, but
as bland as those comments may seem right now, they could easily (and
quickly) become toxic. Remember: T-Mac has appeared in only 249 out of a
possible 410 games over the past five seasons. He's a volume shooter
who connects on a disturbingly low percentage of his shots. Furthermore,
there is strong reason -- make that strong reasons -- to suspect his skills are in decline.
Looking for a
different 2-guard candidate?
Ball Don't Lie's Kelly Dwyer gives his endorsement to the recently traded (and probably waived?) Delonte West.
I wouldn't hesitate for a
second in hoping that West joins up with Chicago
Players, lock up your mothers!
It was never going to work for him here. T-Mac needs the ball. He wants the ball. Trouble is, he's not very good at putting it in the hoop anymore, and his defensive skills aren't worth the price of the bricks he'll hoist towards the net. I have no doubt that he still considers himself to be a first string, All Star caliber, starting point guard, when in fact, he's not.
But even at that, I'd still take a flier on him if he signed for the minimum, and took a blood oath swearing that he'd be willing to help Rose, and come off the bench for short spurts. The fact that Rose likes him is a plus, in and of itself.
I just don't think he'd sign for the min., though.