Tracy McGrady Heads to New York

With the trade deadline looming, the New York Knicks made their highly anticipated move to bring 7-time All-Star Tracy McGrady to the Big Apple.

The move was made hours after an agreement was reached by the Houston Rockets to send McGrady, along with forwards Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey, to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for high-scoring shooting guard Kevin Martin, guard Sergio Rodriguez, forward Kenny Thomas and center Hilton Armstrong.

The Knicks then pounced to grab T-Mac and expand this swap into a three-team deal. Jared Jeffries and Jordan Hill have been named as Knicks who are now headed to Houston, guard Larry Hughes is Sacramento-bound, and New York will also be surrendering two draft picks (2011, 2012).

What will be the outcomes when the smoke clears?

Like McGrady, Kevin Martin has battled health issues over the past few years.

That’s a very intriguing question. The team hurt the most in this trade may end up being the Rockets – but not for obvious reasons. The Rockets had learned to play without McGrady long ago, but the loss of Carl Landry is huge for them. Houston is basically a team by committee. They’ve played undermanned all season (with Yao Ming out as well), and the area where they were particularly thin was in the big man department. On top of being a candidate for the Most Improved Player Award, Landry was their work horse. His explosiveness and strength enabled him to excel against taller players – to the tune of 16.1 points per game. His power will be sorely missed by a team that is extremely short-handed. Jeffries basically does what Trevor Ariza does – so his acquisition didn’t address a particular need. Jordan Hill has done absolutely nothing to grab anybody’s attention this season. I couldn’t even remember who New York drafted after they were crushed by not being able to nab Stephen Curry.

Kevin Martin (when he’s healthy) and Aaron Brooks make a good backcourt, but with no frontcourt presence they’ll work extra hard for each and every shot. When Ming returns, Martin’s shooting will then make a difference (assuming he’ll still be around).

The Knicks have put the youth movement to a screeching halt. Tracy McGrady’s not old – and it remains to be seen as to what level he will perform at – but he likes to have the ball in his hands as much as possible. And that means less ball movement – and more isolation basketball. Maybe McGrady and David Lee will run a little two-man game. But the wide-open, run-and-gun style that D’Antoni likes to employ is not a fit for the pace at which McGrady excels.

Further evidence that suggests New York is ready to change gears is the potential trading of Sprite Slam Dunk Competition winner Nate Robinson. Robinson has been a vital sparkplug during his tenure with the Knicks, and is in the midst of being dealt to the Boston Celtics for reserve guard Eddie House. Not too much of a surprise with this trade. Boston is craving someone to ignite them off the bench, and once again it is New York that is attempting to be the supplier (last year, former Knick Stephon Marbury was terrible as a Celtic). The Knicks’ removal of Robinson seems to keep pace with the arrival of McGrady, as the veteran House is a knock-down shooter from anywhere on the court.

There’s not much going on in this deal for the Kings. Landry will be a force and should get a chance to have more consistent playing time. He knows how to finish around the rim and should therefore help foster the development of Rookie of the Year probable, Tyreke Evans. There were rumblings that Evans and Martin were not exactly complementary to one another (on the court, that is), so more than anything the move simply hands the keys over to the Memphis product who has been a solid 20-5-5 guy – as a rookie.