McGrady out for season with knee injury

HOUSTON -- Houston Rockets star Tracy McGrady will have surgery on his left knee and miss the rest of the season.

The star forward said on his Web site Wednesday that the pain has been persistent and he will have microfracture surgery. He's confident he'll return next season.

McGrady is Houston's third-leading scorer. He had arthroscopic surgery in May and has missed 18 games this season because of his sore knee. He said before the All-Star break he wanted to consult with doctors before deciding on the best course of treatment.

ESPN.com first reported that McGrady was out for the season after the Rockets beat the Nets on Tuesday night.

Rockets spokesman Nelson Luis said Wednesday morning that the team had no comment. But Luis said McGrady met with a doctor in New York on Tuesday and had another out-of-state doctor's appointment scheduled Wednesday.

McGrady said he would have the surgery "immediately."

"It has been extremely frustrating dealing with the knee injury this season," McGrady said. "It's been tough on me both physically and mentally and while we've come to this conclusion after much deliberation, we truly feel this is best for both me and the Rockets in the long term."

The Rockets have won their last two games without McGrady and 13 of 19 without him this season. Houston is 33-21 overall this season and in fifth place in the Western Conference.

Houston acquired McGrady in June 2004 in a trade with Orlando, but the seven-time All-Star has been a disappointment here in four seasons. His scoring numbers have steadily decreased while his health issues have increased.

McGrady missed 34 games in 2005-06 and 10 in 2006-07 with back pain, then sat out 12 games last season with a bone bruise and tendinitis in his left knee, prompting him to have the procedure in May.

McGrady said on the day before training camp began in late September that his knee was not healed from the surgery and was still painful.

By December, McGrady was skipping the second games of back-to-back sets and took two weeks off in January to rest his knee. He returned and played seven games, then stopped playing after going 1-for-9 in the Rockets' 124-112 loss to Milwaukee on Feb. 9.

Two days later, McGrady said he was going to seek doctors to discuss his knee, but expected to play again this season. He added that he would only consider surgery as a last resort.

"We've tried just playing through it, taking back-to-backs off, and extended periods of rest," McGrady wrote. "But none of it has really been effective in limiting the discomfort and allowing me to just go out there and play."

McGrady is due to make $23 million next season, the last year of his contract. Considering the expectations, he's been a bust in Houston as the Rockets have gone winless in three playoff series.

But team owner Les Alexander said before Tuesday's game that the Rockets would not try to deal McGrady before Thursday's trade deadline. Alexander also said he still believes the 29-year-old McGrady is a key component to making the Rockets contenders again.

"I always thought he was injured and had (health) problems," Alexander said. "He's a great player when he's healthy, and a great competitor."