[abriggs06Participant]

Its no secret that Tracy McGrady (because T-Mac is gone forever) would be a high-risk signing for any team, let alone the Bulls, but can anyone see him possibly be a high-reward for the Bulls?

In my rough opinion, I think that if the Bulls signed him, he would be more of a liability than a good addition. He can pass, no doubt, but health is an issue, and the question is whether he actually will accept a role as a complementary player or bench guy? Then again, I could be wrong, given the fact that he wont have much pressure on him. With the Bulls, hed be on a team with two all stars, and the scoring load will not be on him like it has in the past.

Thoughts anyone?

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

whut do they have to lose? he’s not the cornerstone of the team..he’s not a guy that interupts a locker room..
they have signed brewer to be the starting shooting guard..anything mcgrady does is an added bonus..

[DanEboyParticipant]

Yeah…I would assume Mcgrady knows coming in that he is not going to start so I think he would be a low risk high reward guy.

Not sure what the contract would look like though.

[Tyreke JohnsonParticipant]

He is a high reward because if he is able to come back healthy and give them a good 20 minutes every night then he provides the Bulls with scoring which leads to success, worse comes to worse they will play him 10-15minutes per night if he can’t really provide them with much and he would just be used to give other players some rest, I doubt he is deemed useless though, I actually believe he could be a solid bench player/contributor for a playoff team he still has talent to provide a team with, I wish him the best of luck.

[TyroberParticipant]

i dont see how on earth he is a high risk guy. He is definitely a low risk high reward. When people dont expect much out of you then you usually arent going to disappoint anyone. He does have a little left in the tank but nobody is thinking he is going to be an allstar again.

[bullsfan121212]

expects a lot outta him. he expects to start and wants more than the veteran minimum. theres a lot of factors in it.

he would be nice to have tho. the risk is worth the reward who else is there left to sign

[RUDEBOY_Participant]

if he plays well..he will start..

but he’s going to start the season coming off the bench

[bobforteParticipant]

he is high risk in my opinion because of the shots he takes and settles with, yeah when he is playing good he is a damn good player but too many times have i seen him take terrible shots and i dont think thats what the bulls need personally im not a fan and i wouldnt sign him but i know a lot of fans do like him.

[GrandmamaParticipant]

Exactly what rudeboy said, what do you have to lose? It’s not like the Bulls would be signing him with the idea that he’s going to play 82 games and average 20ppg. I think everyone including Tracy realizes that the old McGrady doesn’t exist anymore. If they can get him at a reasonable salary there is really no risk involved, and anything that you do get out of signing McGrady is all reward. There is an outside chance that he comes back and is somewhat healthy. If he can play 20-25 minutes a night and give some much needed scoring off the bench then it’s all reward. If he is injured most of the year and doesn’t contribute it doesn’t really matter if you sign him for cheap. It’s a roll of the dice, but a roll of the dice worth taking.

Possibly the Bulls or whoever that signs him gets lucky and he ends up playing significant minutes….If you don’t have to pay him much I don’t see any risk involved, especially for the Bulls.

[omphalosParticipant]

I disagree that Tracy thinks T-Mac doesn’t exist anymore. I think he just realises that people don’t perceive him that way anymore. He has said he’ll take a paycut, and I fully expect him to sign for the veteran’s minimum, but at the back of his mind he will be looking to start and will play with a chip on his shoulder and don’t forget that this Bulls roster is probably the best team he has ever been on.

Call me an optimist if you will, but I think McGrady will come good if the Bulls sign him and see him as a very high-reward type guy. They have decent depth at the 2-guard anyway with Korver and Brewer that a McGrady signing is low-risk. I’m really looking forward to seeing what Rose can do with such a potent roster around him.

[marcusfizer21Participant]

“This was a great team, a pretty good team, without adding myself and Carlos Boozer, and some of the key players that they added this offseason,” said McGrady. “I won’t have a problem (with a reserve role), but that’s not what I’m really shooting for. I think if I was the player that I was in a Knicks uniform, I would have no problem coming off the bench. But I’ve worked extremely hard and I’m far from being that player.

“I fit in well,” McGrady told gathered media. “I just bring what I know about the game and my athleticism, my versatility, knowing my smarts for the game, my leadership, just everything I can add to help these guys get over the edge. Without me, without Boozer, they’re a .500 ballclub. And with the guys that they added, if they add me, I think we’ll be 30 points better. I think we’ll be a better defensive team with Thibodeau, who I played with for three years. I had the opportunity back in 2000, but I chose to go home. It’s a full circle. I’m definitely a long ways away from what I used to look like. But I’m very confident what I’m going to be in this coming season. I have worked extremely hard and I’m far from that player (with the Knicks). It’s up to me in training camp to prove I’m a starter.”

– all I can say is, wow… He didn’t even acknowledge guys like Derrick Rose (the face of the team), Joakim Noah and Luol Deng… It could be a mess thinking that he is still capable of putting up All-Star numbers… I’m not here to bash McGrady but he needs to get his head straight… He could’ve responded well to the interview… Not brag about something that he was capable of back in 2000-2006… H ecould have said that he’ll do whatever he can to help the Bulls win instead of showing off the things he was capable of doing, maybe he quite forget that he went to a major surgery… I think Chicago are still weighing in their options to give T-Mac a shot, well, T-Mac did snub them during the Jerry Krause era where he was invited by Chicago amongst players like Grant Hill and Tim Duncan… maybe it’ll comeback to haunt him? I don’t know but whatever the decision the Bulls make, I’m supporting them all the way…

[joecheck88Participant]

i think he is more than low risk, mcgrady would be a guy to add to a team missing a piece to be a legit contender, we dont know how this team is going to mesh yet and mcgrady would probably only complicate that more. this is a very young team and i think they should play together first before adding a guy like mcgrady. i just dont think he fits well on a young team right now. let rose, noah, brewer, korver, johnson and gibson get some confidence as players before you bring in a former star who may not be willing to say he has lost his best steps in the game. just like in the nfl, terrell owens doesnt fit with a young team like the rams because of his attitude and over confidence, i think mcgrady is very similar to that. i think mcgrady would be a good risk to take for a team like dallas or san antonio.

[ShekiruBoomParticipant]

He is definitely a low risk and high reward type of guy. From what I’ve heard, it seems like hes gonna get a 1 year non guaranteed contract. Thats like the lowest risk you can take lol. On the contrary, if, IF he returns to the TMac of the old after his knee is healed, the Bulls become a legit contender with Derrick Rose, TMac and Boozer. Theres nothing to lose but a lot to gain.

[StF616Participant]

I think Hes a Low Risk – High Reward Player
Obviously Nobody Expects Much From Him Anymore
And He was Injury Plagued In New York
If He Goes This Season And Is Healthy
I think He Can Give good 20-25 mins off the bench, Maybe Through The Season, Start Over Brewer
Of Course Im A T-Mac Fan So I Might Be biased but I believe he still has something left in the tank.
Passing,Basketball IQ, and Shooting Doesnt Leave You As You Get Older You Know

[Toronto16Participant]

I don’t see what they have to lose. Give him the Veterans minimum, barely touching your cap, and worst case scenario he has a 15 point game here and there.

[NashyMingParticipant]

Depending on the money on the contract.

If he’s paid vet min, there is absolutely no risk and definitely a bargain.

If he’s paid 3mil a year (for 3 yr), there is still not much risk but high reward.

If he’s paid 5mil a year (for 5 yrs), then it can be high risk, high reward.

T-Mac ain’t done yet. If he can get his body together (which he should be able to with the right trainer and a lower workload), he should still be a very solid player. Just check out good old Grant Hill.

That’s why TMac should try to get himself to the Phoenix Suns where he will find the fountain of youth.

[PureshooterParticipant]

One of the reasons Grant Hill has lasted so long is that he has never looked heavy. You have to keep your body weight down to keep the stress off your joints over the years. McGrady could stand to shed about 20-25 pounds. It would help every facet of his game.

[omphalosParticipant]

Thats a good call there Pureshooter, its probably one of the reasons KD will likely have a longer career than say, LeBron. He doesn’t look like he’s putting on lots of weight anytime soon.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

Sam Smith takes the knife to the McGrady to Chicago stuff at Bulls.com
————————————-
Anyway, McGrady came, the Bulls saw him and sources indicate no one was all that impressed. Obviously, he’d long ago lost his explosiveness. He had little lift and seemed an ordinary player.

The word from inside the Bulls camp was the team has made no commitment to McGrady and still is evaluating its options. The general feeling around the Bulls was McGrady had brought his own media circus, for a change, and his attitude wasn’t exactly that of a guy willing to play a role.

McGrady made some comments to reporters upon leaving the Berto Center Monday which led one friend of his to shake his head and mutter, “He still doesn’t get it.”

“This was a great team, a pretty good team, without adding myself and Carlos Boozer, and some of the key players that they added this offseason,” said McGrady. “I won’t have a problem (with a reserve role), but that’s not what I’m really shooting for. I think if I was the player that I was in a Knicks uniform, I would have no problem coming off the bench. But Ive worked extremely hard and I’m far from being that player.

“I fit in well,” McGrady told gathered media. “I just bring what I know about the game and my athleticism, my versatility, knowing my smarts for the game, my leadership, just everything I can add to help these guys get over the edge. Without me, without Boozer, they’re a .500 ballclub. And with the guys that they added, if they add me, I think we’ll be 30 points better. I think we’ll be a better defensive team with Thibodeau, who I played with for three years. I had the opportunity back in 2000, but I chose to go home. It’s a full circle. I’m definitely a long ways away from what I used to look like. But I’m very confident what I’m going to be in this coming season. I have worked extremely hard and I’m far from that player (with the Knicks). It’s up to me in training camp to prove I’m a starter.”

I’d, frankly, be shocked if McGrady got the chance.

McGrady’s problem is the same one that still haunts Shaq and Iverson.

It is understandable and many people go through it in their lives without all the attention.

Though few endure it in their 30’s, which makes it that much more difficult.

McGrady was one of the elite stars of the NBA, a world wide figure and a leader of his team wherever he played.

Suddenly, with injury in his case, and the loss of skills, he has to accept not being the most important guy or the guy everyone relies upon.

It’s a difficult transition in life—and seen more lately with the recession and job cuts—to go from being depended upon every day to no longer needed.

You want to fight it because it is too tough to accept, and that’s where McGrady seems.

Even his comments seemed surreal, that he and Boozer can change the team. He quickly forgot about Korver, Thomas, Brewer, even Noah and Deng. He’s some teammate already.

Sort of a follow me and Carlos, which should have set off alarm bells for the Bulls.

Theres been a lot of sentiment among fans to at least give McGrady a shot at a minimum, non guaranteed contract and then cut him if it doesn’t work out. So here he is already talking about starting and leading the team.

Sorry, but is he nuts!

It’s why it’s risky to bring in a player like that and not so easy to get rid of him if things go badly. Guys like McGrady tend to go kicking and screaming, which is how things got so bad in Houston that teammates wanted him off the floor. Iverson probably cost Memphis the playoffs with their horrible start they took weeks to recover from even after he was gone. There is a residual effect with a former star who won’t accept his decline, and the Bulls have primarily a young team.

Who’s going to speak up to McGrady? Yeah, maybe Noah, but who needs that to open the season?

It probably was a mistake to even entertain McGrady as it already became something of a media event with erroneous reports on ESPN of an imminent signing, McGrady announcing in tweets his appearance and media gathered waiting his words. It’s not often there’s a press conference for a guy going for a 14th spot on a roster.

But that’s also the issue with veterans like McGrady, Shaq and Iverson, sort of Barry Bonds of basketball.

No matter what they do overshadows their teammates, and, at least in the case of the NBA guys, they love to talk about it.

Steve Nash refused to resign with the Suns until they got rid of Shaq. Even his home town 76ers couldn’t wait to get rid of Iverson. The Rockets eagerly waved goodbye to McGrady, and the roster depleted Knicks seem to want no part of him.

Anyone get the hint here? I believe the Bulls did. I doubt we’ll be hearing much about McGrady again this season around the Bulls.

The team still has about $3 million remaining under the salary cap and still is on the lookout to add a wing player or shooter. It could be through free agency or a trade, though sources say nothing is imminent and the team may not add anyone until closer to the beginning of training camp.

[FDAPO]

I’m starting to question whether he is even a high reward guy…..

He’s been dreadful the past few seasons and seems to get worse every year. His body clearly just can’t do it anymore…. Not only is his health a concern, can TMac even shoot over 40% from the field anymore??

[IknoBall12Participant]

i see a good chance of mcgrady being good for the team. i mean its never a bad idea 2 have aguy on the court that can win u a game. at the same tim eim wondering if he will be hindering rderrick roses progress of becoming agreat player. i think the bulls should go ahead and get him tho

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