Posted by tkf:

Listen to yourselves, Penny is not what he used to be but he is and can still be a talented player off the bench, his salary is what it is and we took it to get marbury, my point is penny is a better player at what he is getting paid than eisley is. Penny still has skills, can shoot, dribble, and at his size causes matchup problems still. No one cpomplained about LJ when he was getting paid 17 mil a year and he was just a shell of his old self, but we loved his contributions and what he bought to the team, give penny a chance the guy can still play...

Posted by OldFan:

Hardcore - why so down on KVH? Sometimes I think you'd rather lose then have KVH help us win. You know even last night the Knicks were winning before KVH left the game. If Penny gives us a better shot at winning I'm all for playing him over KVH. But if KVH gives us a better shot I'm all for that to. It seriously seems like you'd rather lose - then win with a player who doesn't fit your ideal of what a baller should be.

Posted by tkf:

Listen to yourselves, Penny is not what he used to be but he is and can still be a talented player off the bench, his salary is what it is and we took it to get marbury, my point is penny is a better player at what he is getting paid than eisley is. Penny still has skills, can shoot, dribble, and at his size causes matchup problems still. No one cpomplained about LJ when he was getting paid 17 mil a year and he was just a shell of his old self, but we loved his contributions and what he bought to the team, give penny a chance the guy can still play...

January 12, 2004
Hardaway an Afterthought? Think Again
By STEVE POPPER

GREENBURGH, N.Y., Jan. 11 — While Madison Square Garden was filled to capacity once again last week for the homecoming of Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway slipped into a Knicks uniform almost unnoticed.

The descriptions used for Hardaway in last week's trade with Phoenix — a "throw-in" or a "salary dump" — seemed a harsh way for him to arrive in New York, especially for a player who was the third overall pick in the 1993 draft, a four-time All-Star, an Olympic gold medalist and an all-N.B.A. selection in his second season in the league.

But knee injuries derailed Hardaway's career seven years ago, and he has never reached the same level of performance.

It took a knee injury — a hyperextended right knee sustained by Keith Van Horn early in the second half — for Hardaway to surface in the unlikely role of game-decider in the Knicks' 94-88 victory over Milwaukee on Saturday night.

By scoring 14 points, including 7 down the stretch, in 27 minutes, Hardaway showed that he might have something left, and, as important, that he has something to prove.

"I think he's rejuvenated," Marbury said. "I think this is the best thing that ever happened to his career because he lives to play in a place like Madison Square Garden. He thrives off of this. Penny is a money player. Despite all his injuries, he knows how to play the game and he's been in these situations. He's been in the championship, he's been in the playoffs, so he knows what it takes to get there."

The 32-year-old Hardaway agreed that he had been rejuvenated, saying: "I came in with a clean slate. Everybody already has their minds made up about my game. In Phoenix when I got injured, I didn't come back the proper way the first time. They basically gave up. They basically moved on and tried to go younger and more athletic. Coming here, the coaching staff being excited, the team, the fans being excited, it's giving me that rejuvenation I needed to show I can come here and still play."

In 1996-97, Hardaway missed 23 games, starting a long fall from stardom. He played 19 games the next season and missed 21 games in 1998-99, then played only four games in 2000-1, recovering from off-season surgery on his left knee. But he played 80 games the next season, and although he missed 24 games last season, it was for a thumb injury.

Hardaway could be thrust into a big role again Monday; Van Horn is questionable for the game against Dallas after missing practice Sunday. Van Horn had a magnetic resonance imaging exam late Saturday. Knicks Coach Don Chaney said that if Van Horn could not play, it would be Hardaway, not Shandon Anderson, who would start.

"I'll start Penny," Chaney said. "I saw a guy out there who wasn't afraid to hit big shots. I saw a guy who has the skill level in terms of making the right plays, and he's a good passer. I can't just move him ahead of a guy. He has to earn it. I thought he earned it last night."

On Saturday, Hardaway entered the game with 6 minutes 53 seconds to play and the score tied, 80-80. Nineteen seconds later, he hit a jumper to give the Knicks the lead. He delivered two free throws with 11 seconds remaining to put the game out of reach.

"It felt good to give contributions to this team to help us win," Hardaway said. "That's what I want to do when I come off the bench or start, just go in, be aggressive and try and make plays for the team."

REBOUNDS

KEITH VAN HORN said he thought he could play Monday, but he described his right knee as stiff and sore. "I didn't think I tore anything," he said. "My knee popped out and went back in. It's a hyperextension. It kind of inverted in and came out.

"They told me all the ligaments were stable, so I'll have to take their word on it."

Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company