It took some time but Tracy McGrady finally not only made it out the first round of the playoffs but he made it all the way to the NBA Finals. Unfortunately he’s made it as bench player who probably won’t see a minute on the court which led him to reflect on his time in Toronto and what could have been. Read more after the jump.
via Jacob Eisenberg of SheridanHoops.com
The Toronto Raptors possessed one of the most dynamic and electrifying scoring tandems the league had ever seen at the turn of the century. The only problem? Nobody knew.
Now, nearly fifteen years and six NBA teams later, Tracy McGrady is playing in his first NBA Finals with the San Antonio Spurs. Yesterday, McGrady admitted that he and his cousin, Vince Carter, had squandered an opportunity to build a dynasty by not staying together north of the border.
At the Spurs’ press conference yesterday, McGrady told the Toronto Suns’ Ryan Wolstat:
“At that time, I think Toronto probably could have competed for championships with the Lakers, that’s what I think.”
However, the Raptors never had an opportunity to realize their full potential. In 2000, McGrady, who was tired of playing in Vince Carter’s shadow, left the Raptors in a sign-and-trade for a max contract in his hometown of Orlando.
McGrady does not blame himself nor the Raptors for the premature ending to what could have been a championship team. Looking back, McGrady admits that he was never sure he would amount to the two-time scoring champion and seven-time all star that he became.
“Toronto, they didn’t know I was capable of that type of performance as far as scoring. I didn’t (even) know I had that in me,” he admitted.
