Hill was a better defender than Penny. Penny was below average in that regard. He had a lot of trouble guarding smaller, quicker guards and even the wings though he did a solid job of contesting shots. He was extremely quick on the offensive end in regards to getting to the lane but that quickness was hardly on display on the defensive end. I'd say lack of effort was the biggest problem. He was a good team defender, though. Most of the steals he got were NOT from playing the passing lanes and his weakside defense was solid as well. Hill wasn't a spectacular defender, either but I'd say he was a notch above Penny.
Getting stuck next to one of the best centers ever doesn't make you a better winner, it makes you fortunate.
Penny proved he could lead a championship contender without Shaq when he was healthy. He did better--much better--when Shaq was hurt than young Kobe or young Wade did. The Magic without Shaq remained an elite team thanks to Penny; LA and Miami without Shaq played .500 or worse ball. If Orlando was all Shaq how could they compete so well without him?
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Of course it matters, he made the teams when the best player was sitting out.
Jordan also must be why Penny was 3rd in MVP voting in 96', right? What is VC's top MVP finish? 10th or 11th? Penny was a guy you could go to war with; prime Carter was a guy who could sell tickets.
Jordan being retired means nothing. Is Drexler's all-NBA first team selection in 92' illegitimate because Magic retired?
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He played 5 games in the 97 playoffs. Anyone can have a great stretch or series...
at this coming from a Heat fan. You do realize the Heat had some good teams before Wade, don't you?
Last edited by Roundball_Rock : 02-21-2010 at 09:37 PM.
Penny proved he could lead a championship contender without Shaq when he was healthy. He did better--much better--when Shaq was hurt than young Kobe or young Wade did. The Magic without Shaq remained an elite team thanks to Penny; LA and Miami without Shaq played .500 or worse ball. If Orlando was all Shaq how could they compete so well without him?
Jordan also must be why Penny was 3rd in MVP voting in 96', right? What is VC's top MVP finish? 10th or 11th? Penny was a guy you could go to war with; prime Carter was a guy who could sell tickets.
Jordan being retired means nothing. Is Drexler's all-NBA first team selection in 92' illegitimate because Magic retired?
The thing about Penny's peak is that we never really saw Penny's true peak considering he started to get with injuries by his 4th season. With Hill, we saw the numbers he was capable of in his peak since he started to get with serious injuries by his eighth season while with Penny we only really saw flashes of it like in that two game stretch against Miami in the playoffs.
Anyways, Penny was a really skilled offensive player. He was great at passing and could throw up some nice lobs as well. He could score from every part of the floor and had a nice stroke. He had some nice footwork and could play in the post as well. He had nice body control as well and could finish de3cently at the rim. He was a bit turnover prone and he was fairly decent on D, but there was never a serious flaw he had on the offensive end imo.
Penny was always taking people off the dribble ... the hell are you talking about?
Yeah, Penny was one of the more complete perimeter players offensively back then. Great mid-range and post game, but definitely skilled and explosive off the dribble. Only thing lacking compared to some was maybe a bit of extra range on his shot, but not really an issue. I have no doubt he could've been one of the league's leading scorers had he wanted to or not been on a team that had that much scoring and ran so much of their offense through the post.
Really a different player than Magic despite the comparisons, though one thing he did like to do that Magic did often was protect the ball when taking the ball up with his back to the basket and if there and if it was open, spin off his defender quickly and get right to the basket.
Yeah, Penny was one of the more complete perimeter players offensively back then.
Yet in retrospect, even as a rookie in '94 ... GREAT footwork and post up skills.
Shows the total drop off in fundamentals compared to today's players.
Hell, Penny's post game coming out the game was better than Kobe's ... especially considering Penny wasn't trying to imitate someone else's move set and style.
Pretty impressive.
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Originally Posted by ShaqAttack3234
Really a different player than Magic despite the comparisons, though one thing he did like to do that Magic did often was protect the ball when taking the ball up with his back to the basket and if there and if it was open, spin off his defender quickly and get right to the basket.
Yea, notice this as well.
I just love the attacking style, why settle for long range shots when you can get to the rim or near the rim with your skills and basketball intelligence?
It compromises the defense, and even if you're intentions are to score ... it makes all your teammates a threat at the same time. By driving and getting inside, it doesn't let the defense off the hook.
Re: Penny Hardaway appreciation thread
at this coming from a Heat fan. You do realize the Heat had some good teams before Wade, don't you?
Nice post, Roundball.
than Grant Hill.
