McGrady needs to shut up and play 2008-10-02 News Orlando Magic

Let's start by saying Tracy McGrady has always been a good guy to be around and one of the most gifted basketball players of this generation. No major issues there, save the temporary insanity he had quitting on the Orlando Magic some time ago, or this thing about not getting out of the first round in the playoffs, or his love of sleeping, or even the sleepy eyes that go along with the demeanor.

He's always proven to be a gracious star and his teammates tend to love him for it.

But after the way the Houston Rockets' training camp began this week, you have to wonder.

Is he the guy that blows out somebody else's birthday candles?

Will he walk in on a roommate who happens to be alone with the girl of his dreams for the first time?

How many times has he ratted out a Christmas gift?

There's no other way to explain what came out of his mouth on media day with the Rockets this week. Keep in mind these are the same Rockets, who on the heels of their surprising 22-game winning streak last season, welcome the healthy return of Yao Ming and have added Ron Artest to slip into the conversation when it comes to favorites in the NBA's Wild West.

And then McGrady responded to a question about his health with a diatribe about his body that was the ultimate buzz-kill. The arthritic left shoulder will need surgery after the season. The surgically repaired knee still hurts. That's before he even got to his chronic back.

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Indications are that Artest, always on the best of his always bizarre behavior in his first season with a new club, won't make any waves. He'll help tremendously on defense, on the boards and on the break.

So that brings us back to McGrady, he of the marvelous array of shots, increased ability to get easy shots for his teammates, and penchant for making the big play when it matters the most during the course of the NBA season. But we're not talking about snapshots during the regular season here. And that's not something he should be concerned with either, unless we're just talking about setting the tone early.

This is about the big picture. It's about McGrady obliterating the ghosts of first-round playoffs past, and leading this team toward the conference finals. And to do that — shoulder, knee and back be damned — if you can lace up your adidas, don't talk about it, don't think about it, and just do it (so to speak).

Over the next couple of seasons, you have a chance to become one of the top five in NBA history to reach 20,000 points in fewest games, so your status as one of the great scorers of all time is set. It's about winning now. You know and so does everybody else.