Davad Dalati of Sportsradio610 (radio home of the Rockets) had a quote from Drexler stating that he "had no intention" of coming out of retirement, and that someone must've misunderstood him "joking around on the radio this morning." (presumably the 560AM Denver interview that started this mini-tempest.) In another article, he left the door open slightly, but says more or less the same thing: "I get offers all the time, a couple of teams call from time to time to see if I am interested, but I have been retired six years now and I love it. I played 15 years and even though I am a young man around the same age as Karl Malone, it would have to be a very special offer from a contender for me to even consider it." http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=1883275
I If he comes back,I predict it will be here. Yes his game was all about athleticism,but later in his career,he excelled in half court sets.Clyde can D up,handle the rock,and post up smaller guards. I loved Clyde,at UH,and in the NBA..The guy can still play. I want to see it....20-25 min/game as a role player He would be welcomed by me with open arms...He can play the 1,2and3. NO PSJ guy could ever tarnish their place in history for me.(esp,including Dream!)
Wouldn't happen. JVG doesn't want any former Rockets, and Clyde doesn't want to play in an offense where scoring is a dirty word.
Well, first we have to accept that we have no control over whether or not he decides to come back. I don't think he should, but it's really up to him and the Drexler family. Assuming he does decide to come back, I can't imagine a team that WOULDN'T be interested in a experienced, playoff-tested, hall-of-fame guard known throughout the league as one of the classiest players ever. Even if he is good for only 15-20 min a night. As long as he's not your primary offensive weapon, I think an older guard can still contribute. Assuming the price is right, of course.
Granted, he has no experience as a Knick, but he would be the best PG on our team if we brought him in.
if drexler comes back i will lose a lot of respect for him. it will just be horrible. he will get schooled, then get hurt trying not to get schooled, and that will be the end of it.
Clyde was great, but his game (as others pointed out) relied on athleticism. He never made the Jordan-like transition from being predominantly a driver to predominantly a shooter. All of the other players who have played at 40+ have been big men, with the most prominent examples being the always-looking-for-a-Scooby-snack Robert "Chief" Parrish and Charles "Six Fouls" Jones. Unless he has suddenly become a much-better shooter, Clyde will not be very effective if he comes back. Have you ever tried to shoot the way he did? I usually hit the rim about 10% of the time. That said, if he decides to come back, good luck.
I thought Drexler became a terrific jump shooter in his last few seasons with the Rockets (especially from the 3 point-line). And yes, I've tried shooting jump shots the way he does, the "wrong footed jump shot". Not to boast, but I've become a quite effective jump shooter and an even better one when utilzing Clyde's manner of jump shooting. That being said, Clyde can do whatever he wants to do. He's my favorite player of all time; nothing can ever change that. I'd rather see him suit up for the Rockets than the Nuggets? Drexler in red and silver; almost as cool as red and gold - Houston should make it happen.
He was only a 33% 3-point shooter with the Rockets, but maybe he has been working on shooting during his layoff.
I may be a little late but I had the great fortune of actually playing tennis with Clyde Drexler tonight. He is definitely one of the nicest men I've ever met. Me and two friends were just standing around waiting for our court at memorial tennis center when we saw him come out. Appeared he had dropped off his racket for stringing or something. We said hi and asked if he wanted to hit. We needed a 4th and he asked if we had an extra racket. He went to go jog first and we didn't think he would come back but he was definitely a man of his word. Came back hit some shots with us and then him and one of my friends proceeded to whup us 6-2 in a set. I even got hit by one of drexler's balls and he hit the ball hard enough to pop one of my strings. Anyway, I asked him about the news of him coming back and he was like "Can you believe that? I get an itch for a second and look what happens" He indicated IF he came back it would be as a player/coach like Avery Johnson. I told him I would support him if he came back and then he proceeded to make fun of me when he hit me with the ball. . Good night. I'll try to post the picture as soon as my friend sends it to me from his camera phone. My new favorite player .
I did. I'm surpised to see so many still hanging on to the original story of him coming back. I just couldn't see Clyde jeaopardizing his HOF status for a token comeback.
I think the only reason he even thought for a second of coming back was because it would have been a good way for him to get his foot into coaching in the NBA which he made it sound like something he wanted to do in the future.
