Minute limits on Yao Ming and Kobe Bryant garnered a lot of attention, but quietly the Pistons have done the same thing for Tracy McGrady, to even a greater extreme.
When the Pistons take the floor tonight in Dallas, that will be the third consecutive game McGrady has not played, according to the Detroit Free Press. He has played all of eight minutes this preseason.
McGrady has been working out and team officials say he will be there in a couple weeks when the season starts. But there is no way to truly prepare for the season without playing.
It’s hard to buy that McGrady will be in shape to make any serious contribution once the season starts. At least at the outset.
He is coming off microfracture surgery and after a few days of the rigors of camp coach John Kuester noticed that McGrady was not moving as well. So they have scaled back the demands on his body, including game play.
That does not bode well for the season, despite what the Pistons say.