Teams are permitted to bring 20 guys into training camp. By the beginning of the season, rosters must be trimmed down to 15. The Knicks currently have 19 men under contract, 13 of whom are guaranteed. (I'm a very poor counter and my staff of calculator-wielding badgers had to be cut during the recession, but I've been repeating these numbers without anyone correcting me, so I'm just gonna keep assuming they're true).
With that in mind, the Knicks have reportedly been looking to add one more player. Yesterday, fuhry alerted us to the Knicks' workout of 23 year-old big man Malcolm Thomas, which might very well be taking place as I write this. Today, I saw the following tweet from Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski:
Y! Sources: In search of a deal, Tracy McGrady works out for a Western contender and plans another in the East. tinyurl.com/8m5dgvq
I clicked that URL being like, "well, as long as that East team isn't the Knicks", only to find:
Still searching for an NBA franchise willing to guarantee a contract for next season, seven-time All-Star Tracy McGrady worked out for the San Antonio Spurs this week at the team's practice facility, league sources told Yahoo! Sports.
Next up for McGrady on Thursday is a workout for the New York Knicks, league sources said.
Aw, poop.
Of course, it's just a workout, and signing McGrady wouldn't do much either way to the Knicks' chances of winning many scores of championships (about 94%). McGrady isn't a terrible player now, either. He's kind of depressing to watch and his knees simply can't manage a full schedule of games at this point, but he can still hit jumpers and pass and whatever. It's just that I really don't like Tracy McGrady. The dude was in New York for a few months back in 2010 and, even given the circumstances, I was amazed at how few shits he gave. I don't think I've ever seen someone loaf that much, and I'm a Knicks fan. I've seen my share of loaves. On offense, the guy'd just putter around until someone gave him a ball, then take a bad shot. When it missed-- and it usually did-- he'd get back on defense with the urgency of a clam. A napping clam. Didn't he complain about his role with the team, too? Maybe I made that up, because I can't find confirmation of it, but whatever.
Yeah. I hold a dumb grudge against Tracy McGrady for his slights against my beloved 2009-2010 29-win Knicks. I don't want him back. Malcolm Thomas is way cooler and younger (though, at 33, McGrady would probably drop New York's average age), and he fits better. For what it's worth, Alan Hahn suggests that it was McGrady, not the team, who pushed for the workout, and questions the fit, so I'm feeling good about this not happening.