Phoenix Suns: Can Rubio and Booker be the next “Backcourt 2000”?
By Ronald Agers
Suns ended up getting Hardaway after knees were on the decline
The Phoenix Suns knew that they were getting one of the most skilled players in the NBA in Penny Hardaway. His court vision and basketball IQ was on par with Jason Kidd. With the combination of these two on the court, every player on the roster was going to be made better.
Penny’s health let him and the Suns down.
In the first season, injuries to Hardaway’s foot and Kidd’s ankle allowed them to play just 45 games together. Hardaway missed 22 games but still averaged 16.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists, and 1.6 steals. Despite injuries to both stars, the Suns finished the season with a 53–29 record.
The ankle injury to Kidd forced him to miss most of the first-round series against the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. Thanks to Hardaway, the Suns disposed of the Spurs in four games. The Suns fell short to the eventual champion Lakers in five games.
Hardaway averaged 20.3 points, 5.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks per game during the nine playoff games.
The Backcourt 2000 era was over before it started. The next year, Hardaway’s downhill journey with knee problems began with two microfracture surgeries on his left knee. Penny played only four games and averaged a career low 9.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.5 steals.
By the time Penny Hardaway saw the court again, Jason Kidd had off-court issues and was traded to the New Jersey Nets for Stephon Marbury.
it was another trade for Joe Johnson that sent Penny Hardaway to the bench off and on for a couple of seasons and then he was eventually traded to New York effectively ending Backcourt 2000.