Jan 17, 2001
NBA BASKETBALL
on InsideHoops.com - - - - -
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Penny's
Body Doing it the Hard(a)way
By INSIDEHOOPS.COM
Looks
like Penny is out for the season after just 4 healthy games this season
as a Sun. His surgically repaired left knee did not heal properly, and
there is now serious speculation that Hardaway's career may be in jeopardy.
Penny
went through a procedure on his knee on May 26, and it did not rehabilitate
as hoped.
Suns
president and general manager Bryan Colangelo recited this statement to
the media: "Penny Hardaway has done everything possible to get himself
ready to play basketball this season... Quite clearly, he is not able to
perform on a level that he or the team expects to effectively contribute
to our success. It became apparent that only time and continued therapy
will allow for his productive return..."
When
asked for a prediction as to when Penny might return (a ridiculous question
to ask right now since there the answer is clearly sometime between next
season and never) the Suns had no response. Scott Skiles pointed out that
the club doesn't want to deal with such questions right now.
The
thought of Jason Kidd at his current level playing with a healthy, effective
Penny Hardaway and the emerging Shawn Marion is a fantastic one for Suns
fans and a scary one for the rest of the league. Unfortunately, as of today
it's impossible to determine whether we'll see that next season or ever.
