A Penny For Your Thoughts

I was not quite sure what to think when I was watching ESPN last night and the news of Anfernee Hardaway signing with the Miami Heat came across the ticker. I had to rewind the TV a few times to make sure that I was reading it correctly. Heat fans have been waiting all off season for roster help, but all they have ended up getting are Smush Parker and now Penny Hardaway. These signings to do not bring fear to opposing teams, nor do they bring confidence to the Heat fans, unless somehow Pat Riley can channel the 1999-2000 version of Penny. This was the last time in his bumpy career that he was an all star caliber player.

Penny was the 3rd pick in the 1993 NBA draft and took the league by storm, drawing comparisons to such great players as Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson, for his overall play from the point guard position. Penny could control the game on both ends, never was that more apparent than when he and Shaq led the Orlando Magic to the 1995 NBA Finals. They ended up losing to Houston that year, but Penny came back the following season to finish 3rd in the MVP voting. The union between Penny and Shaq though had begun to crumble from the inside and Shaq soon left for Los Angeles, where he won 3 NBA championships.

Meanwhile, Penny bounced around the league chasing that same level of competitive play that he had early in his career. Much of this can be blamed on his arthritic knees that robbed him of his athletic superiority and turned him into a slow jumpshooter. Penny never was a great outside shooter, but he was able to hide that by getting to the hoop with ease. As those knees got worse, it became harder and harder for Penny to stay on the court. In his final two seasons in the league he only played in 41 of the possible 164 games, but here we are today with Penny attempting a comeback for a team that is in desperate need of a guy like the young Penny. One thing the Heat do have on their roster is veteran know-how, yet that is all they are adding here. I would never say it is a bad thing to bring in a guy that has a history of winning, but when your team is in dire need of some athleticism and outside shooting, is Penny really the right guy? C'mon he was not even on an NBA roster last season.

The most amazing thing about this signing to me, is not the fact that Penny was last seen by NBA fans having a hard time getting up the court, but that he is reunited with Shaq again after all these years. Shaq has gone on the record numerous times claiming that Dwayne Wade was the only sidekick he has had that truly understood him. Yet, here we are today looking at a roster that includes both Wade and Hardaway, so maybe time can truly heal all wounds.
What's next a trade for Kobe Bryant?