NBA icon Tracy McGrady’s career has been a somewhat tragic one.

Blessed with tremendous size, skill and talent, he was destined for stardom when he left Mt. Zion Christian Academy for the riches of the NBA in 1997.  After spending a couple of years playing second fiddle to his slam-dunk champion cousin Vince Carter in Toronto, he bolted for the sunny skies of Orlando – - expecting to play alongside megastar Grant Hill.  But a funny thing happened – Hill was injured then and never fully recover, thrusting T-Mac into the “go-to-guy” role for the Magic.  And immediately, he became noted as one of the best players in the league. 

McGrady developed into an All-Star during his tenure in Orlando.

During McGrady’s Orlando days, I frequently recall defending the fact that I believed Tracy was the best player in the league.  And from a performance perspective, how could that have been debated?  During a time when Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’ Neal were bitterly winning championships, T-Mac was doing it all by himself – putting up ridiculous figures and compiling an unbelievable set of highlight reel material. 

Upon coming to Houston, much was expected of McGrady.  Playing alongside 7’6″ Chinese import Yao Ming, T-Mac should have been able to lead the Rockets deep into the playoffs.  He was unable to do so.  And the even bigger part of T-Mac’s troubles have been his injuries.  McGrady has seemingly missed as many games as he has played during his tenure with Houston. 

So, a career that was certainly destined for the Hall of Fame has become derailed – can it get back on track? 

Possibly, but it’s clear that the Rockets have had enough and are ready to turn the page. 

Right before the weekend, the Houston Rockets announced that they would not be playing the NBA All-Star in their upcoming contests. 

That wasn’t much of a surprise given how upset the organization was at how T-Mac decided to have his season-ending surgery last year.  The Rockets have moved on – and it’s a shame because the McGrady-Ming dynasty never fulfilled any of the potential greatness that many analysts felt they had in store.

So, with the organization’s recent decisions surrounding T-Mac, it’s a given that the Florida native will be dealt in the very near future.

But what teams are still in need of a T-Mac attack?  And where could McGrady rebuild his reputation as a do-it-all superstar performer?  Let’s take a look at some mutually beneficial destinations for the routinely injured guard-forward:

New Orleans:  Chris Paul is the smallest workhorse I have ever seen.  He controls the rock during every possession, and makes all of the plays for this team.  If the Hornets were able to nab a versatile playmaker like T-Mac, their franchise player might get harassed a little less.    McGrady would be a great addition for an organization and a community which has perservered through so much during recent years.

Charlotte swingman Gerald Wallace could use help from a superstar caliber player like T-Mac.

Charlotte:  Since it’s inception, the Bobcats franchise has not had a superstar player on its roster.  Also, it’s no secret that they have struggled to score with any degree of consistency.  T-Mac could help Charlotte on both accounts.  It would be interesting to see how McGrady and Bobcats head coach Larry Brown would mesh.  Regardless, a healthy McGrady would allow guys like Gerald Wallace, Raymond Felton and Boris Diaw to be the role players that they should be.

Toronto:  With Chris Bosh already in tow, McGrady would combine with him to provide the Raptors with three versatile players (including Hedo Turkoglu).  There wouldn’t be any unbearable pressure on T-Mac, since the Raptors have been underachieving for the past couple of years now.  But adding him to the roster could easily solidify Toronto’s chances at grabbing a top 6 spot in the Eastern Conference.

Chicago:  The Bulls haven’t had a true All-Star caliber player since Michael and Scottie left town, and perhaps the stars shy away from the city due to the inevitable comparisons.  However, McGrady needs to excel in the worst way – and the Windy City would be a great fit for him.  Depending on what resources Chicago would have to give up in the deal, T-Mac would still have a great deal of complimentary parts remaining to exhibit his playmaking ability.  With the Bulls faltering after last year’s compelling playoff series against the Boston Celtics, they are desperate for someone or something that can make a difference for them.  A healed superstar like McGrady would be just the addition that could bring consistency to their team. 

More importantly for McGrady, these three spots should give him the opportunity to start making a (good) name for himself again.  He’s the highest paid player in the league this season and he has garnered over 500,000 votes in this year’s All-Star ballots – both of which he is undeserving of based on his current performance.  And the fact that his name isn’t even mentioned among the great players any more is a travesty of its own.

But if Tracy can (a) latch onto one of the teams above and (b) stay healthy for an extended period of time, he has a chance to unleash a T-Mac Attack on the rest of the league.

T Lamont is the owner, administrator and author of all content for Ball or Nuthin\'. Feel free to contact T Lamont with a question or comment at ballornuthin@gmail.com.  All created Ball or Nuthin' content is the sole property of T Lamont. Read more from this author