McGrady to have microfracture surgery, out for season

Feb 18, 2009 - 7:23 PM HOUSTON (Ticker) -- Houston Rockets swingman Tracy McGrady will have microfracture surgery on his bothersome left knee and miss the remainder of the season, he announced on his web site Wednesday.

McGrady, who has missed 19 games this season thanks to the injury, had arthroscopic surgery on the knee last May and has not been healthy in the wake of the procedure.

"As some of you may have heard, my season has come to an end," McGrady said. "My knee hasn't been right all year, and we can't seem to get the pain to go away. We've tried just playing through it, taking back-to-backs off, and extended periods of rest, but none of it has really been effective in limiting the discomfort and allowing me to just go out there and play."

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.

"I've met with numerous doctors and gotten a number of opinions, and unfortunately I will be undergoing microfracture surgery on my left knee immediately," McGrady said. "Microfracture surgery is a serious procedure, but I'm confident that I will be able to return next season with the same strength and explosiveness you are all used to seeing from me."

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.