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Friday, August 10, 2007

Former Magic guard Hardaway gets shot at comeback with Heat

Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O' Neal are together again.

The 36-year-old Hardaway, who last played an NBA game in November 2005, signed with the Miami Heat on Thursday and is reuniting with O'Neal - his former Orlando Magic teammate back in the mid-1990s.

"Penny is a player who has been an All-Star and has enjoyed an illustrious career," Heat president Pat Riley said. "We have been impressed at his hard work and dedication this summer to get back in shape and return to the NBA. He is a skilled player who can help us in multiple positions."

The team said Hardaway wasn't available for comment.

O'Neal, who has occasionally offered less-than-glowing comments about his time with Hardaway in Orlando, told the Heat he supports the move to sign his former teammate.

Hardaway, a four-time All-Star starter, has averaged 15.4 points in his career, but hasn't finished a season averaging double digits in scoring since the 2002-03 season with Phoenix. He played in four games with the New York Knicks early in the 2005-06 campaign before succumbing to knee injuries.

Hardaway figures to be a candidate to inherit the role Eddie Jones held with the Heat at the end of last season, someone who can play either shooting guard or small forward. Jones signed a two-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks last week.

Hardaway and O'Neal teamed to average nearly 48 points per game in their three seasons together with Orlando.

Hardaway was sent to Phoenix before the 1999-2000 season in a sign-and-trade deal for forwards Pat Garrity and Danny Manning, along with two draft picks. The Suns shipped him to the Knicks midway through through the 2003-04 season, and another trade brought him back to Orlando in February 2006 - for five whole days before the Magic waived Hardaway and his $15.8 million expiring contract.

At the time, Hardaway said he planned to continue playing. A year and a half later, he's getting that opportunity.

-From CBS SportsLine.com wire reports

posted by Mike from Illinois @ 3:40 AM  

7 Comments:

  • At 3:59 AM, Blogger Mike from Illinois said…

    Isn't it kind of ironic that the two young stars who helped the Magic get to the 1995 NBA Finals are now teammates again 12 years later with another Florida team and nearing the end of their careers?

    A healthy Hardaway could help the Heat, but can he stay healthy? I still like the Magic roster better than the aging Heat roster, especially with DWade missing at least the first month of the season for the Heat.

    Even with the current lack of depth at PF and C for the Magic, I still expect the Magic to win the SE.

    On a side note, I really enjoyed the 1994 movie "Blue Chips" that starred Shaq and Penny. That remains one of my favorite movies.

     

  • At 6:15 AM, Blogger OVERWADED said…

    It's an intriguing move; desperate but intriguing.

    I'll be a little more interested in watching the Heat, just for the chance to see Shaq and Penny on the same court once again.

    But it'll probably turn out depressing, because neither of them will play anything like they once did.

    As for Penny, I'd really like to see him run the point, like he did back here when Shaq was around, but I doubt that will happen.

    I also read that Reggie Miller, Allen Houston, and Charles Oakley, are all considering comebacks this season. You could probably add Shawn Kemp to this list also.

    Danny Ainge is apparently going after Reggie Miller. As for the rest of them, the Heat should just give all of them a job. They'll fit right in with their current roster.

    Let me just say; I'm happy to be a Magic fan.

     

  • At 8:02 AM, Blogger Matt said…

    You can call Pat Riley all you want but can't call him a fool. Penny must have been working hard. I have always liked Penny although he never matured into a leader. I wish him well but I don't see where Miami is going with this except in the history book. As for SE division, depending on which pieces they keep, I don't overlook WAS. A team with Arenas, Butler and Jamison coached by Eddie Jordan could not be taken lightly. CHA has gotten better also adding Richardson but I think losing Brevin Knight may hurt them a lot more than one may think.

     

  • At 9:37 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    How about Lil' Penny? Can we expect a return on some seriously awsome Nike commercials? Oh wait, those days are longggggggg over.

    www.clutch3.com

     

  • At 1:43 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Hey,

    As an intern at FanHouse, one of the things I have been working on this summer is improving our outreach to other great blogs on the web. The FanHouse would like to let you know that we are linking to your blog on our blogroll and we would really appreciate it if you would link back to us on yours.

    Thanks,

    Mike Diamond
    FanHouse Intern

     

  • At 2:03 PM, Blogger Mike from Illinois said…

    I agree that WAS with their big three shouldn't be taken lightly. However, unless they strenghten their depth elsewhere on their roster, I think they'll have a hard time overtaking the Magic.

    If the Celtics can somehow sign Reggie Miller, I think that would be another good move for them. At age 42, I'm sure Miller can still shoot with the best of them, and can probably still play 15-20 minutes a game.

     

  • At 11:41 AM, Blogger Ziola said…

    if anyone is interested, I found this page that has up to date Magic news feeds

    http://www.mysportsscoop.com/magic/

     

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