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More Magic NewsMagic LinksJerry Brewer of the Orlando Sentinel reports: Tracy McGrady is beginning to wonder when the Magic will finally become a title contender. When asked "How much longer can you wait?" McGrady replied: "The clock is ticking". "I don't know how much longer," McGrady said. "Right now I'm really not thinking about that. Right now I'm just thinking about trying to get wins and trying to get my team to the playoffs. The Eastern Conference right now is real tight. That's really all I'm concentrating on, man. Hopefully, that frustration won't settle in any time soon this year." No one wants the frustration to settle in. McGrady can opt out of his seven-year $93 million contract after the 2004-2005 season. He's likely to opt out of his deal after two more seasons, anyway, because the collective-bargaining agreement will be up, and depending on how negotiations go, he could stand to make more money in a new deal. McGrady is being patient now but how long he can maintain it is anybody's guess. "I'm still going to continue to have patience," he said. "I'm going to give this thing one more shot. Obviously, Grant is going to have a lot of time to do what he has to do to get healthy. If he comes back healthy next year, then we'll see what happens. But if not, then something's got to give." Ever since, the Magic started relaunching their team three years ago, besides McGrady and Miller, they have made some pretty bad decisions. From letting Ben Wallace go, to selecting Jeryl Sasser instead of Jamaal Tinsley, Tony Parker, or Gilbert Arenas, Then, trading Brendan Haywood away for a draft pick, and finally trading away a draft pick that turned out to be Amare Stoudimire. Did I mention that they also dealt away a pick that they had from the clippers,which now figures to be a pretty good one in 2006 when it becomes unproteced, just to dump Don Reid's $1.1 million salary to avoid the luxury tax? Luck also hasn't been kind to the Magic. The team has finally conceded that Grant Hill's career may indeed be over. In yesterday's Orlando Sentinel, Magic COO John Weisbrod was quoted as saying the following: We finally have moved forward as an organization -- that he isn't coming back, and if he does it's icing on the cake. Then it's an unbelievable bonus," Weisbrod said. "The way we got ourselves in trouble was believing he would be back soon." Weisbrod said one of the Magic's biggest miscalculations is that they kept believing the doctors who said Hill eventually would recover. They believed it after the first surgery. They believed it after the second surgery, and they even believed it after the third surgery when he returned and played well at the start of this season. It wasn't until his latest return to the injured list that they no longer believe. With Hill likely done and T-Mac almost two years away from free agency, the clock is certainly ticking on the Magic to surround him with the necessary players to win a championship. |
