Rockets star Tracy McGrady practiced with his teammates on Monday for the first time in nine months.

He had microfracture surgery on his left knee in February.

It isn't known when McGrady will play in an actual game. He claims he's ready to go, but Houston coach Rick Adelman and the organization are being more cautious.

"I'm ready to play basketball," McGrady said. "Everybody is making a big deal because I say I'm ready and GM and my coach say I'm not ready. Everybody wants to make a big deal that I'm this diva ... It's crazy."

He was set to undergo an MRI on his troublesome knee on Monday, but McGrady called that "irrelevant."

Rockets assistant coach Elston Turner says that the team doesn't want to bring the star back too quickly.

"He's gone through a major surgery and it's a process to get him back on the court full-time," Turner said. "When you're building a team there's chemistry that players develop. So when he does come back we would like him to be back instead of in a week, out a week, in a week. It messes up our chemistry."

The Knicks have been trying to engage the Rockets in talks regarding Tracy McGrady since the summer.

Multiple sources told Newsday that New York could try to contact Houston again, this time with greater success, in the wake of reported issues between McGrady and the Rockets.

There was a reported confrontation between McGrady and coach Rick Adelman, which both denied, this week regarding the star's return from a knee injury.

The Rockets are denying reports of a shouting match between Tracy McGrady and coach Rick Adelman.

Yahoo! Sports reported on Friday that the pair "engaged in an emotional and sometimes loud closed-door confrontation" after McGrady dressed prior to a game earlier this week.

McGrady wants to return from knee surgery, but the Rockets are being more cautious.

"It's not even an issue," McGrady said. "If coach tells you something different, I'd be surprised. I'm here to play basketball. I'm not here to be a distraction. I've been through enough of that drama last year. I'm not going to let it start this year, at all."

Adelman said Friday that when they met, the conversation did not get loud but that McGrady did not want to wait for next week to play.

"He wants to play," Adelman said. "He's not ready to play. It's as simple as that."

Tracy McGrady wants to return, but the Rockets are being cautious about his return from microfracture surgery on his left knee.

"Right now, I could play," he said on Friday.

Houston believes that McGrady would risk re-injuring his knee if he came back right now. The next step in his recovery is an MRI on Monday.

"We have a difference of opinion," coach Rick Adelman said. "He wants to play. He's not ready to play. It's as simple as that."

Tracy McGrady and Rockets coach Rick Adelman had a heated closed-door meeting on Wednesday night, sources told Yahoo1 Sports.

McGrady dressed in his uniform and underwent his pregame routine in Minneapolis on Wednesday even though he wasn't activated for game.

Adelman was surprised to see McGrady dressed when the star returned to the locker room and a meeting between the pair took place in the coach's office soon after.

Sources said the exchange was so loud that it could be heard in the locker room at times.

McGrady reportedly feels as though Adelman has been uncommunicative as of late.

"Tracy was just determined to make Rick talk to him," a source close to McGrady said. "That?s why he put on the uniform and went through all that. ... He wanted to get his attention. He'd like to know if he's wanted back or not."

McGrady had major knee surgery in February and has been itching to get back on the court.

"The trust has broken down between them," a source close to McGrady and Adelman said. "There's some work to be done there."

Rockets star Tracy McGrady is hoping to make his season debut as soon as possible.

Houston is being cautious with McGrady, who had knee surgery back in February.

"I'm dying," said McGrady. "Just sitting there is tough. Last year, I did it because I had no choice. I couldn't play. I was hurting.

"Now, after putting in all the work this summer, I'm so eager to get back out there. I'm hungry. I'm so ready to play, man, it's not even funny. It's tearing me apart to sit here and watch my guys go out and playing and I can't do anything but watch."

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said that McGrady will next be evaluated on Monday.

Steve Nash nearly single-handedly gave the Suns a thrilling win against the Raptors to highlight Sunday night?s action.

- Dallas 95, Detroit 90

Team FIC Differential: Mavericks +28.5, Pistons -28.5

The Dallas Mavericks (7-3) used an 11-point edge in the third quarter to defeat the Detroit Pistons (5-5) on Sunday night. Dirk Nowitzki starred with 25 points, six rebounds and five assists, Drew Gooden posted 11 points and 11 boards and Jason Kidd added 10 points and seven dimes. Detroit won the rebounding battle by six, but Dallas turned the ball over just eight times. Rodney Stuckey scored 28 points, Charlie Villanueva tallied 13 points and 10 rebounds and Will Bynum chipped in 27 points on 11-for-16 shooting in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Ben Wallace, Detroit ? 18.5

Will Bynum, Detroit ? 18.0

Rodrigue Beaubois, Dallas ? 15.8

Shawn Marion, Dallas ? 14.8

- L.A. Clippers 101, Oklahoma City 93

Team FIC Differential: Clippers +17.8, Thunder -17.8

The Los Angeles Clippers (4-7) used a strong fourth quarter to knock off the Oklahoma City Thunder (5-5) at the Ford Center. Chris Kaman led with 25 points and seven rebounds, Al Thornton scored 20 points on 7-for-16 shooting and Baron Davis stuffed the stat sheet with 24 points, six assists and five boards. Los Angeles held Oklahoma City to 38% shooting, including 3-for-20 from three-point land. Kevin Durant starred with 40 points and eight rebounds, Nenad Krstic tallied 10 points and five boards and Russell Westbrook contributed 17 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.

Game FIC Scores

Kevin Durant, Oklahoma City ? 23.1

Chris Kaman, Los Angeles ? 15.6

Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City ? 14.8

Baron Davis, Los Angeles ? 14.0

- Phoenix 101, Toronto 100

Team FIC Differential: Suns +4.1, Raptors -4.1

Steve Nash converted a three-point play with under a minute remaining to give the Phoenix Suns (9-2) a thrilling win over the Toronto Raptors (5-5). Amare Stoudemire led with 30 points and eight rebounds, Channing Frye tallied 20 points and seven boards and Nash put up 23 points and nine assists. Phoenix outrebounded Toronto by seven and went 23-for-27 from the foul line. Chris Bosh had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Hedo Turkoglu posted 20 points and six boards and Amir Johnson added seven points and nine rebounds off the bench.

Game FIC Scores

Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix ? 19.6

Channing Frye, Phoenix ? 17.5

Steve Nash, Phoenix ? 16.8

Chris Bosh, Toronto ? 16.4

- Houston 101, L.A Lakers 91

Team FIC Differential: Rockets +15.5, Lakers -15.5

The Houston Rockets (6-4) used a stellar second half to shock the Los Angeles Lakers (7-3) at the Staples Center. Aaron Brooks scored a career-high 33 points, Carl Landry posted 15 points and 10 rebounds and rookie David Anderson totaled 19 points and six boards. Houston outrebounded Los Angeles by 22 and held the home team to 38% shooting. Ron Artest led with 22 points and six rebounds, Andrew Bynum tallied 22 points and 11 boards and Kobe Bryant struggled through a groin injury to score 18 points on 5-for-20 shooting.

Game FIC Scores

Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles ? 21.4

Aaron Brooks, Houston ? 18.1

Ron Artest, Los Angeles ? 16.0

Carl Landry, Houston ? 12.9

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.? Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

The Rockets waived forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu on Friday.

Mensah-Bonsu played a total of 12 minutes in four games this season, averaging 1.3 points. He signed as a free agent on Sept. 3.

The Houston Rockets today assigned Joey Dorsey to the team?s NBA D-League affiliate Rio Grande Valley Vipers.  The assignment is the first of the NBA D-League season and the second time Dorsey will join the Vipers in his two-year NBA career.  

Dorsey, a 6-8 forward/center, re-joins the Vipers following a seven-game assignment last season, when he averaged 9.7 points and 9.0 rebounds in five starts between Dec. 26, 2008 and Jan. 9, 2009.  With Dorsey?s assignment to the Vipers, who open their 2009 training camp tomorrow, he becomes the second Rocket to spend the NBA D-League preseason in Rio Grande Valley, following Steve Novak?s stint in McAllen, Texas in 2007.

Rockets coach Rick Adelman doesn't believe that star Tracy McGrady is close to making his season debut.

McGrady caused a stir on Monday by claiming that he'd return next week against the Timberwolves, but the Rockets refuted his claims.

"He's been able to practice and doesn't have the pain he had last year," Adelman said Tuesday. "He still has a long ways to go as far as running the court and moving defensively."

McGrady has since backed off his statements, saying that Nov. 18 is just a "target date."

He is scheduled to have an MRI on his surgically-repaired knee on Nov. 23.