Tracy McGrady will be checked out by the Houston Rockets' medical staff Thursday to determine when he'll be able to return from his left knee injury.

"We certainly are missing him," Rockets' Coach Rick Adelman said before Tuesday night's game at the Washington Wizards. "But it's important that he's healthy when he does start playing."

McGrady, sidelined by strained tendons, tendinitis, and a bone bruise in his left knee, last played Dec. 23. He's the Rockets' leading scorer at 22.8 points per game.

"I'd love to see him come back on Friday, but it's really going to be up to the medical people and Tracy as far as how he works out, how he feels before we get him back on the floor," Adelman said.

Once McGrady does return, his time on the court will have to be monitored.

"He's not going to be able to play a full quarter in a row or anything like that," Adelman said. "We'll have to get him in and out and see how this thing responds."