NBA: 5 veterans who need to retire
When they came they brought the world to their knees, making records, creating unstoppable duos, winning championship upon championships, helping NBA globalize, each player played elegantly in their era.
Yes their era, but their time is up, someone needs to tell these legends to retire. They need to be told they have made a notable mark in the history of NBA. They need to realize as to why they are still on the market and have yet to be offered a reasonable contract, they need to stop competing and enjoy the millions of dollars they have earned through years of sweat.
Here is a list of few of the players who are worshipped by many and called legends but need to retire:
Tracy McGrady, might be only 31 but due to his various injuries over his 13 year career he has slowed him down immensely. He has broken his knee, injured his ankle, shoulder and elbow. He might have been the LeBron James of summer 2000 free agency but the athlete does not have much left in him. His body might have deteriorated over the years, yet Tracy somehow remains stubborn and does not want to retire from the league. Now the time has come barely anyone refers to him as T-Mac which was a famous abbreviation for his name.
Joe Smith is a 34 year old player who came in 1995 and was the 1st draft pick overall. Since then Smith has changed over 9 teams, finally landing into Atlanta Hawks this year. The player recently joined the Hawks and is already on the market again, on the prowl for his 11th team. Despite changing so many teams the championship hungry player has yet to win one. Now rumours have it that Joe is willing to accept the minimum contract just so he could be a part of Miami Heat, who experts say have a chance of winning the 2011 season championship title. It is understandable why the title hungry veteran does not want to quit, but he needs to realize his time is up. He had 15 years to win the championship but could not manage to do so.
Kevin Ollie is yet another player who is now 37 years of age. He came to the NBA 15 years ago and has yet to win a championship title. Statistically he is one of the poorest veterans in the NBA at the moment with a career scoring average of 3.8 points per game. The only exciting thing that this player has to offer in this year’s free-agency is what team he will end up in and what team will want him. Experts say it is about time Ollie realizes he sucks and needs to retire.
Michael Finley who is 37 years old now was once known as a lethal player, he was renowned to be a wonderful swingman, but his days came to an end after the San Antonio Spurs welcomed him aboard in 2005. Since then the player has yet to perform like he used to in his Dallas Maverick Days. Although he won his first NBA championship title in 2007 with the Spurs, it was not because of his efforts. He was just the lucky player who happened to be on their roster at the right time. He signed on a contract with the Boston Celtics for a year but was not given more than 6 minutes in the playoffs. Experts’ verdict: Michael needs to retire.
Shaquille O’neal a man who is just not only known as an athlete around the world but also as a role model. His resume is amazing with a career average of 24.5 points per game till date. He is a man with a big personality, he has been features in Video games, reality TV shows, and he has also appeared in several movies. O’Neal has 4 championships underneath his belt and was inducted into the New Jersey Hall of Fame in 2009. However all that does not change the fact O’Neal is 38 years old and has slowed down over a period of years; he hit the wall last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Experts argue the fact that it is the best time for him to retire from the league because he is in his prime, now he does not want to be remembered as some who fell from grace or does he?
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