Hey, guys, it's not the year 2003 anymore.
Tracy McGrady and Shaquille O'neal have been struggling to find a home in the hottest free agency summer in NBA history.
Shaq can't find a home because he still thinks he deserves a contract in the 5-7 million range. Clearly, he's delusional. Several teams are interested in him but two have emerged as the frontrunners. The Boston Celtics and the Atlanta Hawks are both said to be seriously considering the once dominant diesel. If the asking price was a bit lower I think the Celtics would jump on it but it's just too much to justify.
Tracy McGrady is willing to accept 1.35 million and his dream destination is to go to Chicago. The Bulls front office said they would sign him on two conditions: 1. He needs to be healthy and 2. He needs to be willing to accept a bench role. According to numerous reports, his workout went fine, but it was his interview that was a disaster. Apparently T-Mac refused to acknowledge that he would be a limited minutes bench player. Just so you have an idea, these were McGrady's words following his day with the Bulls.
"I'd bring what I know about the game and my athleticism and versatility. Knowing my smarts for the game, leadership, anything I can add to help these guys over the edge. Without me, without Boozer, they were a .500 club. With the guys that they added, and if you add me, I think we'll be 30 points better."
When asked if he would be willing to accept a bench role, the former scoring champion had this to say.
"I won't have a problem, but that's not what I'm really shooting for. Yeah, if I was the player that I was in a Knicks uniform, I would have no problem coming off the bench. But I have worked extremely hard and I'm far from being that player. Trust me. It's up to me in training camp to prove I'm a starter."
Does that sound like someone who's ready to accept playing 7-12 minutes per game?
The Bulls already have the cornerstone's of the franchise in Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah. Adding post scoring threat Carlos Boozer, 3-point marksman Kyle Korver, and defensive specialist Ronnie Brewer puts the Bulls in contention for the Eastern Conference crown. Why would they want to jeopardize the team's success by bringing in someone who could and almost definitely would cause a distraction?
Both of these players need to understand that in order to continue their careers, they will need to sacrifice to do it.
