T-Mac Out for the Season

From Tracy's official web site http://www.t-mac.com/:

Wed, Feb 18th 2009, 09:28
Season has come to a close
Hey everyone,As some of you may have heard, my season has come to an end. 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. 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. 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. It has been extremely frustrating dealing with the knee injury this season. 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. As I’ve said before and will say again, I have the best fans in the world. Thank you for all your continued support through the good times and the bad. I will make sure to keep you all posted on what’s happening with me.
Peace
T-mac

Microfracture surgery is serious and risky. From Jonathon Feigen of the Houston Chronicle:

In a microfracture procedure, a surgeon creates small fractures in underlying bone to form replacement cartilage known as a "super clot." Rehabilitation can take from between six months to a year, depending on how much cartilage must be replaced.

That means that a year from now, the Rockets could be in exactly the same situation in which they now find themselves. But at least then there will be light at the end of the tunnel. With McGrady's contract expiring after next year, over $20 mil of cap space will be cleared just in time for the 2010 free agent sweepstakes.

Some players have returned to play well after microfracture surgery, but others have had their careers ended by it. Love Tracy or not, he is a talented player that is fun to watch when he is healthy. I hope he comes through the surgery ok and returns to entertain us for years, whether with the Rockets or not.