McGrady not committing himself to specific return date

DALLAS -- Tracy McGrady is closer to returning, just don't put a date on it. An Internet story published Monday said the Rockets guard planned to play Nov. 18 at Minnesota.

McGrady said Tuesday that wasn't exactly the case.

"It's a target date. I didn't say I was coming back," he said, referring to the Yahoo! Sports report. "I said it's a target date, just like there's a date for me to have an MRI on the 23rd. Everyone is blowing it out of proportion like I'm guaranteed to come back. It's a target date. I want to play, so that's what we're targeting."

McGrady attempted to clear up the situation after the Rockets' shootaround for tonight's game against the Mavericks. T-Mac has been rehabbing since microfracture surgery in February and he said while he's ahead of schedule, getting back on the court next week is hardly certain.

"It still won't be a setback for me if I don't make the 18th," McGrady said. "I'm not even supposed to come back until January or February. If I come back before then, I've really accomplished something of working my [tail] off to get back on the basketball court before my doctors really thought I would come back."

Houston general manager Daryl Morey had said in a statement Monday that a date for McGrady's return hadn't been set.

"While we are all encouraged by the fact that Tracy's rehabilitation has been ahead of schedule, we must remain vigilant through the next stages of his recovery," Morey said. "No timeline has been set for his return. He will return when team doctors, officials and Tracy all agree it is best."

Adding to the confusion, the Rockets announced in late September that McGrady wouldn't play before undergoing an MRI exam on Nov. 23. The seven-time All-Star isn't worried about the test slowing anything down.

"The MRI is not going to reveal anything," McGrady said. "I even talked to my doctor in Chicago. It's not going to say anything as far as where I'm at. It's not going to tell anything. I'm not worried about the MRI. I don't even care if I get it. It's just how I feel."

His body will let him know when he's ready.

"It's all about how I feel and how I'm progressing," McGrady said. "I'm not regressing. Talking to [the team's medical staff] and letting them know every week how I'm feeling after a hard workout. Everything is pretty much on schedule."

What he hopes to avoid is a situation like season. In an effort to keep him serviceable, T-Mac was shut down at different points during the early part of the season. He ended up seeing action in just 35 games before deciding on surgery.

"I'm not in a hurry to get back on the basketball court by any means," McGrady said. "I want to make sure when I do get back that I'm there ready to compete at a high level. I don't want to rush it back and go through what I went through last year. I want to take my time and when I get back out there I want to be consistent on my level of play."

The Rockets have exceeded most expectations this season, starting 4-2. Houston is also missing All-Star center Yao Ming.

Art Garcia has covered the NBA since 1999. You can e-mail him here and follow him on twitter.

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