Penny Hardaway could be back in an Orlando Magic uniform. There was bitterness when the Magic traded him to the Phoenix Suns in 1999 -- blaming him for the team's playoff collapse that season --but Hardaway said Monday he would love to finish his career here. "Of course I'd like that," he said before Monday's Magic/Knicks game. "It's a crazy business. It all goes around 360 degrees sometimes, and you end up where you started. I still love this area." Although he expects to return to action shortly after the first of the year, he still isn't sure if he fits in the Knicks' long-term plans. They have veteran starters Allan Houston and Stephon Marbury. And they also like backups Jamal Crawford (out with turf toe) and rookie Trevor Ariza, making Hardaway the fifth guard in the rotation. He is averaging just 6.6 points and 2.1 assists, the lowest output of his 11-season career. There is one more year remaining on the seven-year $86 million contract he signed in Phoenix, but there also is talk that the Knicks will buy out the final year, making him a free agent this summer. Because he is under contract, Magic officials were unable to comment on his possible free agency. O'Neal left as a free agent after the 1995-96 season. Hardaway struggled with knee problems the next two seasons. In five of the last seven seasons, he has missed numerous games with injuries. "It's like I haven't played much in the last five years. But I'm ready to play again," he said. "We'll see what happens." "I'm going to build a home here," he said. "It only makes sense that coming back [to play] would really interest me." 来源 http://www.orlandosentinel.com/ --

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