Knicks: Hardaway leaves an impression Saturday, April 10, 2004 BY DAVE D'ALESSANDRO Star-Ledger Staff GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- The boss could have mentioned anyone, but he chose Penny Hardaway. This cannot be overlooked or understated, because Isiah Thomas was on national TV, he was glowing with that triumphant smile of his, and when he was asked about his playoff team, the only guy he chose to applaud publicly was a broken-down 32-year-old swingman who keeps winning games for him. "The guy I'm most pleased with is Penny Hardaway," the Knicks president said on TNT Thursday night. "With the injuries he's had and the level of play he's at, for him to be the type of person and player he's been with us, I'm really impressed with this guy." Hardaway's reaction: "Wow," he said. Okay, go with that, Penny. "Wow," he repeated yesterday, just before the team hopped a plane for D.C., where they'll play the Wizards tonight. "That means a lot. That's a huge compliment. That's a humongous compliment. I think Isiah, by bringing me here, he feels like I have game left, which I know I do. "And the second part is, I feel I still have a lot of game to give. Even though I'm not averaging 18, 19, 20 points, I can give a team so much in many areas, whether it's defense or making shots or rebounding or making plays. I'm battling for us every single night." There is nothing dazzling about Hardaway's game anymore, and it is not a game that can be measured by arithmetic. He's averaged only 9.6 points (.389 shooting) and 4.6 rebounds since becoming a Knick. But he sacrifices for the team every night, plays in pain, fills in the blanks in a box score, and makes plays in the fourth quarter. Make no mistake, sometimes he wishes it were different. He wishes he could turn back the clock 10 years, when he was the most feared shooting guard in the league outside of Chicago, when he could win games by himself by running past and jumping over people. He was a superstar of the highest order in those days, before five leg surgeries made him a role player. "That's something I still have in the back of my mind, all the time," he admitted. "It was so easy back then. Athleticism, man, that just takes it to another level. That's why so many young guys are in the league now: They're just so athletic, they don't have to think the game. They just jump over everybody. Yeah, that bothers me, that I can't just dunk on everybody. Especially playing in New York -- this is a place where you really want to show people you can do that. "It's not getting the opportunity to do it, that's what bothers me most. I understand it's Allan (Houston) and Steph's (Stephon Marbury's) team, because they'll get the majority of the shots. But a lot of nights, I get the urge to go out and say, 'Hey, give me 15 or 20 shots, and see what I can do.' It's not that I can't, it's about opportunity. But I'm a team player. On a nightly basis, I make the extra pass instead of trying to show someone I can do that." --

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