Deja Vu: Heat Sign Another Hardaway

Anfernee Hardaway. Wow. Almost like dusting off an old relic out of the garage.

The Heat finds new ways to confuse this offseason as they sign Anfernee Hardaway to a contract today, terms not disclosed.

It is an interesting consideration with this signing because essentially, the Heat have replaced Gary Payton with Smush Parker, which is an upgrade, and now is looking to replace Eddie Jones with Anfernee Hardaway.

There was a time when this would have been a ballyhooed move, but that was probably about 10 years ago. What can we expect from Hardaway? His last time on the court in an NBA game was in November of 2005: Gas prices were under $2.50 back then. Still, he has been working hard on his conditioning and getting himself back into game shape after succumbing to knee injuries in 2005, his final season with the Knicks.

There might be more to prove off the court, too, as Ira Winderman seems to suggest. Shaq and Hardaway have grown apart and based on some of the things Shaq said, there might have to be an agreement just to move forward without reconciliation.

Yet for the Heat this is a value move. They get a guy who can play the 1, 2 or 3 and offer more depth at SF and offer competition to the pool of players that are chasing that starting spot. In other words, this is a signal that Riley is still not sold on Dorell Wright but would Penny help this Heat team regain its foothold atop the East? Not likely, unless he has been a real revelation behind closed doors.

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