FanHouse PennyHardaway

It's hard not to like Shaquille O'Neal, the most compelling NBA player of his era and arguably the best center in history. His love of the spotlight, his often-outrageous, sometimes-egotistical, always-entertaining behavior made him a must-see attraction since he entered the league with Orlando a long, long time ago.

It's why there will be some sadness in seeing him get destroyed on his former home court Wednesday night by Dwight Howard.

HOUSTON -- Unexpected achievement in the face of incredible adversity isn't quite how the Houston Rockets saw their playoff run unfolding.

But that was certainly the theme that carried the Rockets, minus injured stars Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady, to within one game of reaching the Western Conference finals this season. One amazing night by McGrady or just the presence of aging Dikembe Mutombo in the paint might have been all the Rockets needed to avoid a Game 7 Semifinals in Los Angeles and overcome the Lakers.

It wasn't meant to be, but still it was enough to re-energize a franchise that seemed in serious trouble a few weeks ago because of it's often-injured stars and nondescript supporting cast. The Rockets hadn't been out of the first round of the playoffs in 12 years prior to this season.

That last post got me severely bummed out about Penny Hardaway, so I sought out some clips of his pre-surgery wizardry. Unfortunately, that just made me even more depressed. Not that anyone's forgotten that Penny was once supremely sick, but if you haven't watched him in a while ... do yourself a favor and do so now. The original microfractue casualty might still be the most tragic.

When it comes to Greg Oden's surgery, I'm on the frontlines of hope. In large part, that's because of how far the procedure has come. Amare Stoudemire defied history and came back nearly good as new; for the public, this was proof that recovery was possible.

However, we also need to acknowledge the pioneers, those athletes who lost their careers to a lesser form of the surgery. Few of these are are sad as that of Penny Hardaway, who, as he tells the Miami Herald, didn't even know what had been done to him:

"[The doctor] mentioned to me before he went in that there might be a procedure he could do to prolong my career, and would I mind if he did it," Hardaway said. "I was like, `Anything to help me.' He didn't explain microfracture. He actually did the microfracture, and after he did the procedure, I asked him what it was."

"He said he had to drill two holes above the area where it was bone-on-bone, and it would bleed an artificial cartilage onto it. That was my first time ever understanding what it was. I had it actually done without even knowing."

Nowadays, players know exactly what this surgery means. And while it's usually done because it's necessary, they do at least know what could lie ahead when they're put under. In Hardaway's case, though, it was like something out of The Twilight Zone: He went to sleep an All-Star, and woke up a shadow of himself.

While Pat Riley vacationed, the Heat did nothing -- unless you call signing Smush Parker "something," which is more than a stretch. Now that Riley has returned, what does he do? Sign Penny Hardaway. From the Sun-Sentinel:

Nearly two full seasons removed from his last NBA action, Hardaway, 36, signed a make-good contract Thursday with the Heat.

The 6-foot-7 guard has been working this offseason in front of Heat scouts and coaches and apparently has shown enough to alleviate concerns about arthritic knees that have limited him to four games since the 2004-05 season.

It's not a guaranteed deal, which is a wise move by Miami considering there's at least a decent chance that the rigors of training camp and the exhibition season will land Hardaway in a full-body cast.

Of course, it's impossible to talk about Hardaway's arrival without bringing up the fact that he's being reunited with Shaquille O'Neal, his former teammate with the Orlando Magic. But it's been over 10 years since those two last played together, and time hasn't been all that kind to either one, especially the last few years.

Reggie Miller and Allan Houston are contemplating comebacks, but even though they've yet to garner a contract it still seems a bit more believable that they might succeed. Why? Because those two players are deadly sharp-shooters, and you don't need much athleticism to stand in the corner waiting for the ball. Hardaway needs to prove that he still has his wheels -- something he appeared to have lost two years ago. If you remember, he worked out with the Sonics last year, and the Sonics decided to pass.