Retired NBA Vets We'd Love to Have Back in 2016-17
Following the San Antonio Spurs' announcement that Tim Duncan is retiring from the NBA, we have three options.
Option 1: Wallow in incurable sadness. Option 2: Wax nostalgia over all things Duncan. Option 3: Playfully talk about other NBA absentees we'd love to see play again.
From personal experience, Option 1 isn't fun. There is a place for Option 2, but this isn't it. Alas, we'll roll with Option 3, in hopes of commingling any residual sadness and/or painful pangs of nostalgia with good old-fashioned whimsy.
Our fantasy has just a couple of ground rules: Selected players must be under the age of 45 by the time 2016-17 tips off (apologies, Michael Jordan fans), and we're focusing on players who would be fun to watch and could function at a high level in today's NBA (nothing personal, Allen Iverson stans). Those who walked away after this past season also won't be eligible (rules are rules, Kobe Bryant apologists).
Perfect health is assumed. Access to a time machine is not. These players will be the best possible version of themselves for their age bracket.
Now, let's fire up the what-if machine.
Honorable Mentions
1 of 6
Okay, I know we just said they can't get in, but it's worth wishing they could...
Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant's farewell tour was equal parts fascinating, satisfying and exhausting. But boy, if you could guarantee he would play every game as if it were his last, and unabashedly launch 50 shots in under 43 minutes, it becomes a no-brainer.
Years from now, Bryant will definitely be on a list similar to this one.
Tim Duncan
"Tim Duncan never missed the playoffs, never gave up on his teammates, never left his franchise," wrote Pounding the Rock's Quixem Ramirez. "He was Mr. Reliable until the very end."
Excuse me while I go grab all the tissues.
Allen Iverson
Allen Iverson is an undersized superhero. But, at 6'0", with serial inefficiency issues (42.5 percent shooting for career) and a propensity for chucking long, ill-advised twos, his game doesn't fit the contemporary mold.
Tracy McGrady
Look, I really wanted to include Tracy McGrady in the actual list. But his final go-rounds with the Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Houston Rockets, New York Knicks and Spurs were nothing if not uninspiring.
Should we ever rewrite this list with a time-machine caveat, he totally makes the cut.
Ray Allen
2 of 6
Age at Start of 2016-17: 41
Last Appearance: June 15, 2014
Career Per-Game Averages: 18.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.1 steals, 0.2 blocks, 45.2 percent shooting
League sources told ESPN.com's Chris Broussard that Ray Allen is exploring a possible comeback, specifically with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers or Spurs.
Quite obviously, this needs to happen. It doesn't matter the team. Allen last played during the 2014 NBA Finals and has yet to officially retire. A return, no matter how brief, allows fans opportunity to bid farewell to an all-time great.
It's also a chance to watch Allen effortlessly stroke threes for at least one more season.
This, of course, assumes he has kept himself in game-ready shape over the last two-plus years (he has). Otherwise, there would be little point in his even entertaining a comeback.
Besides, Allen shot 40 percent beyond the arc for his career. He has drilled more threes than anyone in NBA history. He can probably turn in one last season of 100-plus three-balls on a 37-plus percent clip in his sleep.
Oh, and whatever job he accepts would be made exponentially easier by an otherworldly cast of running mates. Imagine Allen spotting up behind the three-point line, being fed passes from Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green. Picture him trailing Chris Paul's drives. Envision him lurking in the corner, catching and firing off LeBron James' and Kyrie Irving's kick-outs.
I've got chills. Did anybody else just get chills?
Baron Davis
3 of 6
Age at Start of 2016-17: 37
Last Appearance: May 6, 2012
Career Per-Game Averages: 16.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, 7.2 assists, 1.8 steals, 0.4 blocks, 40.9 percent shooting
Baron Davis has basically been flirting with an NBA comeback since he played his would-be final game, as a member of the Knicks, during the 2012 playoffs.
Most recently, he spent time in the NBA Development League, making six appearances for the Delaware 87ers. Yes, the D-League. The land of flight connections and buses and small-scale gyms and dismal salaries.
“It’s almost like being a rookie again,” Davis said in March, per the New York Times' Scott Cacciola. “You almost have to give yourself amnesia and not even think about anything you accomplished or anything you did before. For me, it’s really like a clean slate.”
Davis plans on continuing his return attempt this summer, per ESPN.com's J.A. Adande. And his time with the 87ers, though limited, was borderline impressive. He averaged 12.8 points and 3.5 assists per game...in under 23 minutes of action. That's 20.5 points and 5.6 assists per 36 minutes, folks—which almost negates his 35.5 percent shooting.
Don't beat yourself up if you're having trouble figuring out why we'd want him back in today's league nearly a half-decade after his last appearance. We understand. It's been a while. You're entitled to forget how good he was at full strength.
Here's a reminder: Davis is one of eight players to tally at least 13,000 points, 6,000 assists and 1,500 steals through 13 (or fewer) seasons. His company? LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Jason Kidd, Chris Paul, Gary Payton, John Stockton and Isiah Thomas.
No, Davis was never particularly efficient. He shot under 41 percent for his career. But when he was on the court, it was like watching someone who had been blessed with Jason Williams' flash and Russell Westbrook's vertical.
Surely some team (Philadelphia 76ers, please) has room to let him show off his made-for-Drew League chops one more time.
Jason Kidd
4 of 6
Age at Start of 2016-17: 43
Last Appearance: May 18, 2013
Career Per-Game Averages: 12.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 8.7 assists, 1.9 steals, 0.3 blocks, 40 percent shooting
Jason Kidd has a pretty comfy gig as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. He gets to impart his Hall of Fame-bound wisdom unto Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton and Jabari Parker. It would be tough to pry him out of retirement at this stage.
And even if we could, there's no such thing as a player-coach anymore. The Los Angles Lakers would have promoted Kobe Bryant over Byron Scott in 2015-16 if that distinction still existed.
But we can dream of Kidd spurning the Bucks and turning in his clipboard for basketball kicks and bleached-blond hair. He didn't give us much time to process his exit after all.
One minute, he's missing what would be the final 17 shots of his career for the 2012-13 Knicks; the next, he's head coach of the (wildly disappointing) 2013-14 Brooklyn Nets.
Kidd's skill set remains money by today's standards though—assuming he can still move. He passed better than your favorite point guard, rebounded like a big, added a consistent three-point touch toward the end of his career and collected triple-doubles as if they were pogs. He has at least 17 more triple-doubles (107) than anyone else since 1983.
Just one other player, meanwhile, has ever eclipsed 17,000 points, 12,000 assists and 2,500 steals for his career: Utah Jazz legend/perennial "Dad Haircut of the Year" award winner John Stockton.
By the way, if you're wondering whether Kidd can even still make an impact, ask yourself this: How have the Knicks been doing since he closed up shop in 2013?
Steve Nash
5 of 6
Age at Start of 2016-17: 42
Last Appearance: April 8, 2014
Career Per-Game Averages: 14.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 8.5 assists, 0.7 steals, 0.1 blocks, 49 percent shooting
While constructing this list, I posed the following question to Bleacher Report's Adam Fromal: "How much would you pay to see a healthy Steve Nash play again?"
"All of my money," he promptly responded. "Which isn't a very large sum, but the sentiment still stands."
Indeed it does. Watching Nash play basketball was that worthwhile. He was a magician with the ball in his hands. And he churned out 50/40/90 seasons as if he only shot uncontested layups and free throws.
In reality, though, close to 30 percent of Nash's field-goal attempts came from three-point land. More than half came from beyond 16 feet. He has still, somehow, enjoyed more seasons (five) of shooting at least 50 percent overall, 40 percent from three and 90 percent from the charity stripe than anyone else in league history.
Nerve damage in his back ruined the final two seasons of Nash's career, but anyone doubting his capacity to dole out assists now, at full strength, is kidding themselves. He's still dishing out dimes to this day, albeit off the court, as an ambiguously functioning player development consultant for the Warriors.
"Without Steve Nash," one anonymous Golden State executive or coach admitted to Sports Illustrated's Lee Jenkins, "I’m not sure if we get Kevin Durant."
It's now only right that Nash be magically inoculated against all future injuries, join the Warriors and be able to sling one-handed, off-balance lasers to a wide-open Ray Allen, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson.
How much money would you pay to see that?
Larry Sanders
6 of 6
Age at Start of 2016-17: 27
Last Appearance: December 23, 2014
Career Per-Game Averages: 6.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, 0.7 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.8 steals, 48 percent shooting
Larry Sanders, at the age of 27, should still be in the NBA, not quasi-retired. But, in the event he changes his mind, there are plenty of peeps who would welcome his return—despite all his unanswered questions.
"Before stepping away from the NBA 20 months ago to confront mental health matters, he had established himself as perhaps the league’s best paint defender, rebounding and blocking shots with equal aplomb," CSNBayArea.com's Monte Poole wrote. "In his best season, 2012-13, Sanders averaged 9.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.83 blocks per game."
According to Basketball Insiders' Alex Kennedy, Sanders is apparently warming up to a return. He is "working out in California," and "several teams have shown interest in him."
Sanders, to his credit, is doing little to veil his own personal interests: On Saturday, he tweeted a picture from the 1979 film The Warriors. Shortly after that, he posted a photo of an actual Cavalier.
Get it? He's clearly going to Cleveland or Golden State—or maybe not. The Cavaliers are targeting Chris Anderson to join their frontcourt platoon, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin, while the Warriors haven't held talks with Sanders, according to Poole.
Still, Sanders seems adamant about taking the hardwood next season, also tweeting: "I know where ever [sic] I decide to go, we gettin [sic] a ring."
Sorry, Sixers fans. That means your dream of starting Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel, Jahlil Okafor, Dario Saric and Sanders, with Ben Simmons coming off the bench, is officially dead. But the idea of Sanders returning at all is just fun.
Anytime a promising career is cut short by extenuating circumstances, it just plain sucks. Sanders was good for highlight blocks and rim-rocking jams. He was rarely a threat to score outside three feet of the basket but works in today's game as a pick-and-roll diver.
Failing everything else, he remains a tantalizing paint policeman. Since entering the NBA in 2010-11, he is the lone player to clear 4,000 minutes and notch a block rate better than seven. He is worth a flier to some team.
And we deserve the chance to watch him troll the referees, post-ejection, all over again.
Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com unless otherwise cited. Salary information via Basketball Insiders.
Dan Favale covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter,@danfavale.
