Trade & FA 2023-24: Stein-Ingram Trade Inevitable| LAL Want Lebron Back On Any Terms

[StrandedOnBeauboisHill]

I feel like Hardaway gets treated around here like Jason Terry used to… interesting to me. Want to talk about a guy who didn’t play defense? Jason Terry didn’t play defense. Hardaway does. Compared to Terry, THJ is Tony Allen.

I think Terry was the better offensive player, but he wasn’t nearly as creative as Hardaway. It was always either a catch and shoot three (with less variation in the footwork than THJ), an off-the-dribble three (not as often as THJ, but it was a different era) or that relentless two-dribble pull-up jumper from mid-range (this was more lethal than anything Hardaway has).

I bring it up because I remember back then, for many years leading up to the title, Terry drew nothing but hate from the majority of Mavs fans. They wanted to trade him, too. He was in trade rumors a lot back then, too. The dude ended up being the second best player on the championship team. There are arguments to be made that other players contributed more, and honestly, they were all super important. I’m not trying to have a debate here. Nor am I trying to suggest that Hardaway is definitely headed towards that outcome, because I don’t think he is (again, I think he’s gone soon). I am just saying that five years of Terry hate went by and then, all of a sudden, he was the main ball-handling offensive player for a title team. The Mavs would not have a title  without him.

I just wish we weren’t so quick to hate these guys.

The JET convo was WAY different than the Hardaway conversation in my opinion.  The conversation around JET was always is he good enough to be the second best player next to Dirk although I acknowledge there was certainly a lot of hate thrown his way.  I also think you're doing him a great disservice saying he wasn't nearly as creative as Hardaway.  The guy was our starting PG the first year we went to the finals, just imagine asking Hardaway to fill in for any time at PG, it would be a complete disaster.

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I also find it odd that you always talk about having an offense where everyone touches the ball but continuingly defend the biggest ball stopper on the team. Hardaway has his moments and I feel the skill set of taking and making contested shots is vital but he is easily the most selfish player on our team offensively, even when he doesn't have it going. He wins us game but he also shoots us out of a lot of games because HE, NOT LUKA, plays too selfishly at times (now that definitely sounds like a JET conversation).