What if Penny Hardaway never got injured?

[JohnnySic]

No, it wouldn't.

Good luck getting the ball into the post with the shittastic ball handlers the Magic had. Teams would just dictate the tempo against a Webber/Shaq front line.

Any team that had the personnel to pressure the ball and force turnovers could beat that team. Hell, when the Bulls swept the Magic in 1996, they put Pippen on Penny to make it harder to entry pass and often pressured the ball to take advantage of Dennis Scott and Nick Anderson's inability to really handle the ball.

A team with Webber and Shaq would have no go-to-guy, the worst foul shooting out of any team in the league and would have a hard time just getting the ball to them. Those two won't have much time left on the clock when they get the ball and would get double teamed right away putting more pressure on those shooters to create off the dribble under pressure.

It looks like a decent fit because Webber can play from the high-post, elbow region and Shaq can dominate the low block but on paper is vastly different than what would happen on court.

They'd have Skiles in place of Penny on a team with Webber and Shaq. Hate to tell you that Skiles isn't exactly the creative ball handler or athletic PG or offers the size Penny did that's going to have a lot success against traps or the press. He was a great passer though and could space the floor with his shooting.

The Magic made the trade and it was a smart move until Shaq bolted and Penny got injured.

LOL, you can aquire a decent point guard for ball handling and distribution duties. You cannot recreate a frontcourt like Shaq/Webber. They would have been better than Duncan/Robinson. Considerably so.

[NugzHeat3]

LOL, you can aquire a decent point guard for ball handling and distribution duties. You cannot recreate a frontcourt like Shaq/Webber. They would have been better than Duncan/Robinson. Considerably so.

That's easier said than done. Scott Skiles could handle and distribute as well.

But against a press at a high level? No.

It's not like one guy is automatically going to solve their problems either. Even with Penny, they struggled because Chicago would just trap Penny, force him to give it up and then rotate and hound guys like Anderson and Scott.

You still didn't address who'd be the go to guy on the team or their foul shooting woes.

And no, Duncan and Robinson at their combined best (1999) would be better than Shaq and Webber as a duo. They're not as flawed and better defensively by a mile.

[ShaqAttack3234]

Another factoid in Penny's legacy is that he was involved in what was probably the worst trade in NBA history. Had the Magic kept Chris Webber, they would/could have dominated the NBA for 10 years.

People forget how good Chris Webber was, or they just dont know. They think of the Sacramento Kings Webber, who was just a shadow of the younger, more explosive one. Maybe Webber never gets injured had he played in Orlando, and kept his athleticism, rather than becoming a grounded player.

Shaq + Webber would have been too much for anyone. They probably take 2-3 rings from the Rockets/Bulls, and maybe Shaq decides to stick around. The Shaq/Kobe thing never happens, the Sactown Kings dont happen, and its Shaq/Webber vs Duncan/Robinson and against who knows what else?

The history of the league was turned on its head, all because of one baffling, unnecessary, and ultimately gawdawful trade.

Ignoring the what if about Webber never getting injured....

An inside/outside combo is better in general, especially since Webber wasn't a better player than 2nd/3rd year Penny until 2000-2002.

Many knew Shaq wanted to leave Orlando before '96, and ignoring the fact that Penny was healthy in '95 and '96 while Webber played just 69 games in those 2 seasons combined...when they were on the court, you'd have 2 of the worst free throw shooters in the league. We all know about Shaq's free throw shooting, but Webber himself didn't shoot 60% until 2000.

But knowing that Webber did get injured earlier, and using common sense that the duo wouldn't have complemented each other as much and then factoring in that Orlando got a really good PF in Horace Grant to go with Penny/Shaq.

There's zero chance that they win in '95 or '96 and zero chance that Shaq stays. The trade was a very good one for Orlando, especially since they got Horace Grant.

Penny also showed in his short career that he was a much better playoff performer than Webber. I like Webber, but he was one of the superstars who shrunk the most in big games.

I saw an all-star level player, perhaps a slightly better Brandon Roy or Joe Johnson - basically that level.

No, Penny was much better than Johnson. Not only was he a more capable player, but he was the opposite of Johnson in big games. Johnson is a choker, while Penny often played better in the playoffs.

Penny was the best guard not named Michael Jordan in '95 and '96, maybe a couple of other guys have a case, but Penny was a damn good player. He could post up, get to the basket and finish, had a very good mid-range game, he was maybe the best passer/playmaker above 6'6" at the time and he was unselfish and had no problem taking a backseat to Shaq, but could step up when needed.

[eliteballer]

Originally Posted by JohnnySic

I saw an all-star level player, perhaps a slightly better Brandon Roy or Joe Johnson - basically that level.

LOL..........................making two all nba FIRST teams and lighting up some of the greatest defensive squads in the playoffs ever like the Bulls and Heat says otherwise

[Whoah10115]

Unfortunately, Orlando were stupid enough to move Penny to SG after being 1st Team All-NBA his 2nd and 3rd seasons. So it's hard to say.


He wasn't an elite passer (yet) but had great court vision, kind of a combo guard...kind of...but he was a point and he would have been a hall-of-famer...one of my favorites.




Penny for Webber one of the worst trades ever? I don't know what that means. Penny became the best PG in the league. Come on now.