McGrady to have microfracture surgery, out for season

Feb 18, 2009 - 6:25 AM BRISTOL, Connecticut (Ticker) -- Houston Rockets swingman Tracy McGrady will have microfracture surgery on his bothersome left knee, according to ESPN on Tuesday night.

McGrady, who has missed 19 games this season thanks to the injury, will be out for the remainder of the campaign, the report said. He had arthroscopic surgery on the knee last May and has not been healthy in the wake of the procedure.

"The last couple of games, I've regressed," McGrady told ESPN during halftime of the Rockets' 114-88 win over the New Jersey Nets on Tuesday. "I've felt pain."

The two-time NBA scoring champion, who missed most of January while conditioning the knee, had played in seven of eight games since returning from those two weeks on the sideline. He missed one game with a sprained ankle.

However, he apparently cannot shake the knee problems.

McGrady, who has yet to make it past the first round of the playoffs in his NBA career, has averaged just 15.6 points this season while shooting a career-low 38.8 percent from the field.

In his fifth season with the club, the perennial All-Star has yet to play a full campaign with Houston thanks to a myriad of injuries. He came the closest in his first season with the team, when he appeared in 78 contests.