A DINOSAUR "North of the Border"...then back near home in MOUSE Town as Numero UNO with one GRANT HILL...joining the MING Dynasty in CLUTCH City with YAO...what happened to TRACY "T-MAC" McGRADY as it's over after Sixteen Seasons in the LOGO #TMacWasABAAAAAAAAAAAADMan

Tracy McGrady's Hype Macbine started when he left his home Auburndale, Florida (just west of Mouse Town) and played at now defunct Mt. Zion Academy Academy in North Carolina (Drop Mount Zion in the Search Box at Bluedude Sportstalk and check out the notable Alum). This is where the man they would eventually call "T-Mac" moved up the Hit Charts on Scholastic Scene nationally. He would forgo entering College and enter the NBA at age 18 and was the 9th overall pick by the Toronto Raptors in the 1997 NBA Draft.

There T-Mac struggled like most do skipping college and he was also dealing with living in Canada which Toronto is a Top 10 City in the World but for a Floridian at 18 years of age...not good! McGrady struggled as he was trying to learn on the fly in fist season until the Raptors drafted 3rd Cousin Vince "Air Canada" Carter of the Tar Heels of UNC by way of Daytona, Florida Mainland HS where Carter was the best Hooper and best Drum Major but that is another story.

In 1998 things started to change when T-Mac and Carter became teammates as T-Mac was a defensive stopper as he was relatively raw offensively and having Carter there was a huge plus as was Carter. One thing they had was they were supremely-athletic and could jump over the Shot Clock. They both flourished and all of a sudden the Raptors were a Hit in Toronto and T-Mac and VINcanity were fast becoming the "Cape Crusaders". It wouldn't be though as T-Mac wouldn't stay with Vince and bolted off to Mouse Town for a chance to play back home in 2000.

It wasn't just T-Mac as he was joining forces with then Piston Free Agent Grant Hill as the O-Magic tried to put things back post-Shaq and Penny Era. T-Mac dazzled as it wasn't meant to be as Grant battled that chronic ankle injury his whole stay in Mouse Town. T-Mac carried the Magic for four seasons and he just couldn't get it done without Grant or major help.

In 2004 T-Mac and the Magic agreed for him to be traded to the Clutch City for then Franchise-type PG Steve Francis and T-Mac was joining Chinese Center Yao Ming and big things were expected. The Rockets played well following T-Mac and Yao's Lead but again as they exited a few playoff series early T-Mac and Yao both would succumb to Injuries. T-Mac Story will forever be known as his Star Teammate or Him being injured at some point at every stop or T-Mac by his lonesome doing work.

Was T-Mac a bonafide Superstar..you bet. Does he have Springfield, Mass-like credentials...Borderline! His impact on the game wasn't on a large scale because he played in a time where the Black Mamba rose up and King James was behind that as T-Mac started to head South because of injuries. Let's take a look at some key numbers for T-Mac to get that NBA HOF Conversation simmering:

2G Tracy McGrady

938 Games played (703 started)
18,381 Points (60th All-Time)
5,276 Rebounds (198th All-Time)
4,161 Assists (89th All-Time)
1,136 Thefts (96th All-Time)

Just looking at some of these numbers McGrady needed at least three to four more seasons of Career-like Years to get over the hump. As much as he impacted the game his numbers are above average but they are not Springfield, Mass-like digits. It's a really tough call as many would say in the early part to the middle of the 2K's it was a T-Mac World as the Scoring Leader. At 6-9 with a handle and a skill set that was above and beyond. Looking at Kobe and even his cousin Vince carter he just wasn't consistent enough over the long-haul.

Many NBA Defenders would tell you though who was tougher to guard when Kobe and T-Mac were both going...over half would say T-Mac with that size and skill set like the Black Mamba. No matter if he gets in or not T-Mac in his Era was one of the best if not the best pure scorer period.

Note: Numbers from Basketball-Reference.com  
 
hit www.t-mac.com to get at Mr. McGrady....