With all the off-season talk about various dinosaurs making comebacks — from Scottie Pippen to Charles Oakley, from Reggie Miller even unto Dennis Rodman — only two previously retired players have actually laced them up. Penny Hardaway and Allan Houston, a pair of micro-fracture pioneers.
So, let’s take a closer look at these two comeback-oldsters and see which one can have the most impact on his respective team.
HARDAWAY
In his prime, Penny was an exceptional catch-and-shoot player with streaky 3-point range. He was also comfortable driving both ways (but favored going right) and could be counted on to execute as many head-fakes as he needed to create an open space. Spinning to the middle was another favorite ploy, and when he was able to do so, he was an exceptional passer. In the low-post, he could spin either way to fire up a dead-eye turnaround jumper.
At age 36, Hardaway should still be able to rely on these parts of his game plan. Although the physical task of fighting for post-up position might be beyond his current capabilities.
It’s unlikely Penny Hardaway will be able to defend well enough to satisfy Heat coach Pat Riley. (Issac Baldizon / Getty Images)
What he will undoubtedly lose, however, is his previous ability to run the court and finish in traffic. And Hardaway always had difficulty shooting with any degree of accuracy after pulling up his dribble.
Before his various injuries, he also used to thrive in one-on-one situations from mostly the right wing, but this agility/ability should also be in decline.
If Hardaway never could guard anybody — he was especially troubled by screens — there’s no reason to expect that he can play enough defense to satisfy Pat Riley’s demanding standards.
Look for Penny to be more of a standstill jump shooter than ever before. A driver who will mostly depend on his up-fakes to get his defenders off-balance. A runner who will shy away from contact. And a profound defensive liability.
If he can play well enough to see 10 minutes of daylight per outing, and if his body stands up over the long haul, then Hardaway will still be only a bit player in the Heat’s season.
HOUSTON
Once upon a time, this guy was always looking to score — and he had a variety of ways to accomplish this. He could catch-and-shoot, drop 3-balls, drive and pull either way (looking to spin right-to-left), use screens with maximum efficiency, and cross-over both ways.
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To neutralize Houston, defenses wanted to force him to drive left and then jump his dribble with quick help.
Like Hardaway, Houston is 36 and was always a soft touch on the defensive end. If his arthritic, surgical knees manage to hold up, then Houston should still have sufficient leftover strength and skills to be a considerable factor for the Knicks. But that’s a huge “if.”
Another problem is the Knicks’ filled-to-capacity roster.
Can a revivified Houston beat out Fred Jones? Probably not.
Can he outplay Mardy Collins? This is a definite possibility.
Another way to create room for Houston would be for the Knicks to buy out Jerome James. This would leave Malik Rose and Randolph Morris to back up the center spot — not a bad parlay. What with all the millions of dollars that the Dolans have been eating since Zeke arrived on the scene, this option might be the easiest to swallow.
All right. But given that both Hardaway and Houston can maintain a semblance of health, which has the better chance of being a meaningful asset?
In this corner of the basketball world the pick is Houston.
That’s because he’s stronger than Hardaway, never relied nearly as much as Penny did on quickness and speed, and because Houston has many more ways of unleashing his deadly jumper.
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