McGrady says shoulder arthritic, knee slow to heal

HOUSTON (AP)—The Houston Rockets, buzzing about the arrival of Ron Artest, already have injury concerns with Tracy McGrady.
Houston’s leading scorer said Monday that his left shoulder is arthritic and will require surgery after this season. He also said his left knee is healing slower than expected from surgery in the spring.
McGrady sprained his shoulder against Sacramento on March 24, and wore padding to protect it for the rest of the season. He had surgery in May to clear loose tissue in his shoulder and knee. He said his knee is “probably 75-80 percent” healthy and will take another two months to fully heal.
McGrady said an MRI revealed the arthritis in his shoulder.
“That’s something I’ve got to deal with again this season,” said McGrady, who averaged 21.6 points last season and was selected third-team all-NBA. “My knee should be ready to go by opening night.”
McGrady said the shoulder injury was not going to keep him out of practices or games, but added that, “it’s going to bother me.”
On Tuesday, the Rockets hold their first practice with Artest after picking him up in an August trade with Sacramento. Houston went 55-27 last season, but lost in the first round of the playoffs for the sixth straight year.
Artest adds versatility on both ends—a lockdown defender who can match up with guards or forwards and a multidimensional scorer who should take some of the offensive burden off McGrady and Yao Ming.
McGrady had to handle more of the offensive load when Yao broke his left foot in late February. He’s averaged more than 21 points for the last eight seasons, but is 0-7 in playoff series.
In Artest, he may have finally found the perfect offensive complement.
“I know I get criticized a lot for not leading my team out of the playoffs,” McGrady said. “It’s hard when you don’t have those pieces that you need to elevate you to that next level. Now, I have that and we’ll see what happens.”
Artest can also step into the role Shane Battier played for the Rockets last season, defending the opposing team’s top scorer. Artest said he was asked to score more for the Kings last season and that coach Reggie Theus told him to ease up on defense to conserve energy.