Former NBA Stars We'd Love to See Make 1 Last Comeback Attempt

When the NBA bug bites, it creates a powerful itch that's nearly impossible to scratch.

No matter the damage caused by Father Time, some players just can't shake the feeling that they still have something to give.

So there they find themselves, former pillars of the sport battling never-were prospects for the chance at one last trip across the hardwood. Admittedly it's painful to watch at sometimes; that forced examination of mortality overtakes those of us who eat, breathe and sleep sports.

But there's an unmistakable beauty at its core.

This isn't about cashing checks or earning top billing at some of the world's greatest venues. This is simply the love of the game, as pure as what you'd find among the hoop dreamers pounding the pavement across the globe.

Players like Mike Bibby for example. Despite having 105 games of postseason experience, he's now joining "a bunch of guys" at a San Antonio Spurs minicamp in hopes of grabbing a training camp invite, per ESPN New York's Jared Zwerling.

Some might laugh at the notion, others may celebrate the news. But a different crowd, myself included, might use this as a springboard into thoughts of who else we'd like to see out on the comeback trail.

Gilbert Arenas

I know, I know. We've seen this happen before and the results were disastrous.

But somewhere inside of that shell of Gilbert Arenas that played for the Memphis Grizzlies at the end of the 2011-12 season, the one that shot just 40.6 percent from the field over 17 games, lies Agent Zero.

From the 2004-05 season through the 2006-07 campaign, few players could light a scoreboard hotter than The Hibachi. He averaged 27.7 points over that three-year stretch, which included 26 40-plus-point outings and a 60-point eruption on Dec. 17, 2006.

When Arenas was in a groove, there was no way of getting him out.

Granted a lot has changed since that time. Between his armed dispute with then-teammate Javaris Crittenton inside the Washington Wizards locker room, subsequent misguided attempt to make light of the situation and series of knee problems, he's likely damaged his NBA reputation beyond repair.

But that doesn't mean that we have to stop wishing for one more Arenas sighting, one more scalding performance from The Hibachi.

Baron Davis

Baron Davis deserves the chance to end his basketball story the way he wants.

So many of the middle chapters of his illustrious career were marred by injury.

The two-time All-Star started his career with a string of three 82-game workloads. Over the next 10 seasons, he played fewer than 68 games in all but two.

The final season of his career ended in an all-too-predictable manner. The injury-prone point guard suffered a gruesome tear of his ACL and MCL during the first-round of the 2012 postseason.

He's been a no-show ever since, although the former UCLA star told MSG Network's Alan Hahn that he's still working on a comeback.

I'm not sure what the market is for a 34-year-old point guard who used his elite-level athleticism to compensate for the lack of a jump shot (career 40.9/32.0 percent shooter), but I certainly hope he finds one.

Michael Finley

Michael Finley was the NBA's forgotten superhero.

He was an electric athlete who rarely met a rim protector he couldn't posterize. To top it off he was a heady playmaker with a silky smooth shooting stroke.

But many of his peak performances were lost as he shined brightest for some bad teams. He missed the playoffs in each of his first five seasons and by his sixth, 2000-01, he had to share the spotlight with a young Dirk Nowitzki.

Finley's not going to be printing posters anymore. Father Time has long ago canceled the 40-year-old's flight plans.

But that form is probably as good as ever. In his last NBA sighting, he buried 50.6 percent of his field goals and 46.3 percent of his triples in 21 games for the Boston Celtics in 2009-10.

He was having his own comeback talks less than a year ago, via ESPN's Marc Stein, and should consider rekindling the conversation. The next team that couldn't use a high-character, battle-tested sniper would be the first.

Steve Francis

Never mind what the writing on the wall says, I'm not convinced that a 36-year-old Steve Francis has lost all of his NBA game.

At his best, Francis dazzled with the same elite-level athleticism seen among today's top floor generals. With tight handles and serious springs, his highlight reel could hold its weight among all the greats of his era.

Ultimately, knee injuries and his inability to adjust to the restrictions on his body forced his departure from the league after only 10 appearances for the Houston Rockets in 2007-08.

To get back into the league he'd have to be willing to accept a second-team role, something he avoided like the plague toward the end of his career. Maybe the fact that his varied business portfolio could keep him from needing NBA paychecks would help control the ego that's probably the biggest reason a three-time All-Star left the league at just 30 years old.

Take his dunks away if you must, but his combo of talent and swag would be a long-overdue welcome sight.

Allen Iverson

At this point, hoping for an Allen Iverson return is more self-inflicted torture than anything.

With reports that the 11-time All-Star is ready to announce his retirement, it sounds like he's ready to leave his career in the history books.

So why can't the rest of us accept reality the same way he's been forced to do?

Because Iverson was more than just an all-time NBA great. He was a cultural icon—the source of inspiration for those denied physical gifts or socioeconomic advantages.

On and off the court, he confronted adversity and battled his way through it.

The four-time scoring champion who never found a reliable three-point stroke (31.3 percent for his career) compiled the sixth best career scoring average in NBA history (26.7). During his MVP season of 2000-01, he led a grossly undermanned Philadelphia 76ers squad to the NBA Finals, then stole Game 1 on the home floor of the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

History says he'd never accept a reserve spark plug role, but I'm not ready to give up on the 38-year-old. I hope one NBA team eventually agrees.

Stephon Marbury

Between 13 wildly productive NBA seasons to reaching statue-status in the Chinese Basketball Association, Stephon Marbury has seen it all over the course of his playing career.

The fourth overall pick in the loaded 1996 draft, he was an electric scorer and playmaker.

Only five players in NBA history have a spot in both the top-20 career assists averages and top-70 scoring averages: Jerry West, Isiah Thomas, Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson and, yes, Marbury. The first four players in that group are Hall of Famers.

Marbury has a compelling statistical case for enshrinement in Springfield, but his lack of team success (his only trip out of the first-round came as a reserve for the 2008-09 Boston Celtics) and individual accolades (just two All-Star selections) probably leave him on the outside looking in.

It's too late to change that fact—ring chasing doesn't exactly excite voters—but not too late to give the basketball world a last look at Brooklyn's finest.

Antonio McDyess

Few players have handled the effects of aging as well as Antonio McDyess.

A high riser of the Shawn Kemp/Blake Griffin mold, he kept poster printers in business in the late 1990s. But there was plenty of substance to go along with that style, as he averaged better than 20 points and 10 rebounds in two of his first six NBA seasons.

By year seven, though, the wheels started falling off. He suffered a patellar tendon rupture, then underwent a series of setbacks and surgeries. After missing a total of 28 games in his first six seasons, he missed 72 in 2001-02 and 40 more the following year.

Rather than sulk at his misfortune, McDyess redefined himself as a scrappy defender and potent pick-and-pop marksman.

From 2004-05 through his last NBA season in 2010-11, nearly 70 percent of his field-goal attempts (67.7 to be exact) came from beyond 10 feet. Considering he converted those looks at a 44.6 percent clip, the move was as productive as it was necessary.

Throw in the fact that he has 100 postseason appearances on his resume, and championship hopefuls should be lining up to help the 38-year-old capture that elusive ring.

Tracy McGrady

Until injuries sapped his effectiveness and prematurely ended his playing days, Tracy McGrady was headed for an historically dominant career.

As it is, the seven-time All-Star still stands as the 57th most potent scorer in league history with 18,381 career points.

At 6'8" he had the skill set granted to only the elite of the elites. McGrady, LeBron James and Larry Bird are the only players in NBA history with 15,000 points, 4,500 rebounds, 3,500 assists and 500 3-pointers in their first 11 NBA seasons, via NBA.com.

For everything that he accomplished, though, basketball fans were always left wanting more.

Before handling mop-up duties for the San Antonio Spurs last season, McGrady had never made it beyond the opening round of the postseason. Injuries had plenty to do with that fact—both his own and those of his teammates (namely Grant Hill and Yao Ming)—but players are rightly or wrongly judged by their postseason success.

McGrady needs another shot at a ring, but not as badly as fans need another chance to witness one of the greatest players of his generation.

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