Tracy McGrady, who has played only 65 games in the past two NBA seasons due to knee injuries, signed a one-year free agent deal with the Detroit Pistons worth 1.3 million dollars on Monday.
The 31-year-old guard struggled last season in 24 games for the New York Knicks, averaging only 9.4 points as a starter after averaging 22.1 points a game in 12 prior NBA seasons.
"I was coming back from an injury and I wasn't healthy enough to play the way that I will be able to play this season," McGrady said. "The difference between my knee last year and this year is night and day."
McGrady's stops have included three seasons in Toronto, four in Orlando and five with Houston. McGrady has never played on a team that advanced past the first round of the NBA playoffs.
McGrady won NBA scoring crowns in 2003 and 2004, averaging a career-best 32.1 points a game in Orlando in 2003 and 28.0 points a game the following season before being traded to Houston.
In recent seasons, the playmaker has struggled with back woes and microfracture knee surgery.
"It's not like I'm 41 or even 35," McGrady said. "I just turned 31. No one has come down and stolen away my talent. I still have a lot in the tank."
Copyright 2010 AFP American Edition
