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🏀 Tim Hardaway's Journey to the Hall of Fame

🏀 Tim Hardaway's Journey to the Hall of Fame

Chris Lesiak
September 09, 2022

Wondering where Carmelo Anthony should go, Gary Payton II explains his Warriors' exit, and Tim Hardaway's journey to the Hall of Fame.

Have a fantastic weekend!

CARMELO ANTHONY

Wondering Where Carmelo Anthony Should Go.

Future first-ballot Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony is still without a team for this upcoming season. Despite being 38 years old and approaching his twentieth season, it would be a surprise to see him not on a roster for the 2022-23 season. Here are the best places for him:

The Brooklyn Nets:

Reportedly KD wants the Nets to go after Melo, and given the temporary truce the two sides signed, it might be in their best interest to let KD get his way here. Even with the recent addition of Markieff Morris, the frontcourt could use the extra depth.

The New York Knicks:

Could a homecoming be in order? The Knicks could use the scoring and floor-spacing ability from the savvy vet to lighten the load on Barrett and Brunson. While the Knicks are the least likely contenders on this list, their shared history makes this a plausible play.

The Chicago Bulls:

The Bulls need three-point shooting and help at the four; enter Anthony. The Bulls are a frisky team in the East, but would, in theory, have the most minutes to offer Anthony if that’s what he’s looking for.

The Boston Celtics:

This makes the most sense for both sides. The defending Eastern Conference champs are arguably the best team left and could also use his skills after Danilo Gallinari’s unfortunate ACL injury.

The Celtics are also one of the better defensive teams in the league and should be able to more than make up for Anthony’s shortcomings on that side of the ball.

GARY PAYTON II

Gary Payton II Explains His Warriors' Exit

Gary Payton II recently appeared on "Truth & Basketball With George Karl" and explained why he left the defending Golden State Warriors in free agency. Candidly he said it was "for the money."

Payton II added: "I had to take the money, I had to take the money coach. It didn't work out, I would have loved to gone back to Golden State, but it just didn't work out, just the timing and everything, just a business deal and I just had to take the money."

Payton II played a key role for the Warriors last year, averaging 7.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in 71 regular season games but opted to join the Trail Blazers, a team that didn’t make the playoffs last season.

Payton II's three-year $26M Blazers contract represents a massive increase from his just over $4M in total career earnings. Can’t blame a guy for not passing up his first big NBA paycheck, especially after he got a ring.

TIM HARDAWAY

Tim Hardaway's Journey to the Hall of Fame

Tim Hardaway is barely 6 feet tall and was never the most hyper-athletic man in the world, but this man could dribble the ball like no other. His crossover, dubbed in college as the “UTEP two-step,” created an unbreakable link between Hardaway and NBA history.

This crossover was so effective that the likes of AI, Kyrie Irving, and Jamal Crawford adopted it. Today it’s taught at the grassroots level. However, Hardaway wasn’t just an incredible dribbler; he was also a tenacious defender, a brilliant leader, and a trustworthy scorer.

Here’s what the man himself had to say about how a kid from a rough part of Chicago made the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: “I just had a lot of handles and I worked on my handles because I was short and needed to get around people. When we grew up, the game was physical, they could put their hand on you and steer you this way and that way. I could always dribble and avoid that. It was my ticket to basketball.”