Today in the Orlando Sentinel I read something that shocked me to my core as a basketball fan. Especially as one that loved hoops in the 80’s and 90’s. Anfernee ‘Penny’ Hardaway has announced publicly (with a serious face) that he would like to come out of retirement and play for the Miami Heat next season.
Penny feels that he would be the perfect compliment to Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh by coming off the bench to run the point. Penny was last seen in the NBA for the Miami Heat back in 2007 before being released by the club mid-season. In the early 90’s Penny was an All-Star caliber player but really only had 4-5 good seasons before having his career derailed permanently due to knee injuries. Here’s what Penny has been saying about his desire to rejoin the Heat:
“Mentally I was retired and physically I was retired. I was playing recreational ball,” Hardaway said. “But when the decision happened with Chris Bosh and LeBron, I felt like I could really be good in that system.”
“I can understand where Michael Jordan was coming from coming out of retirement a couple times, I can understand where Brett Favre is right now,” Hardaway said. “When you still have something in the tank it’s really hard to let it go.”
He has not been in contact with Heat President Pat Riley.
“I love basketball and I didn’t get a chance to finish my career the way I wanted,” Hardaway said. {via}
Wait a minute right there. Did Penny Hardaway in some odd way just try to compare himself to Michael Jordan and Brett Favre. Hells no!! Hold up right there Penny. The difference is that when Michael Jordan says he might still have something left in the tank, teams pay attention. Why? Because if he only has one drop of gas left in the tank he’s still probably better than three quarters of the players in the league. If Penny Hardaway only has a drop of gas left in the tank, he’s not even making it all the way to the arena in that vehicle.
I have a sneaking suspicion we WON’T be seeing Penny or Lil’ Penny in the league any time soon.
