Didn't see a post on this with all the other FA stories going on. Glad to see ZO back again, still my favorite non-rocket. Hopefully he can end his career deeper in the playoffs or winning it all if the Rockets don't. LINK
He already had the chance to stop after a championship. I really do not want him to win a second. Let me rephrase that, I do not want the Heat to win a second. I like Zo as a player, and hope he will have a good year. I just do not like the heat.
Some are taking this as a major sign Riles is returning since that was required for Zo not to retire.
If the Rockets don't win they would be on my short list of palatable teams. Heck of lot better than the Mavs, Spurs, Jazz, etc. I'd prefer them over the Cavs and Pistons too. That said I think the Heat have little chance. They had a major talent and athleticism deficet last year in their cast around Wade and Shaq. I don't see that getting fixed or Shaq returning to 30 year old form where they would have a good chance.
sorry but you should be in hall of idiots... Zo was wrong in forcing Toronto to pay him most of the contract for leaving as he did not want to play there but he cannot be blamed/criticized for wanting out of NJ and Toronto. Dude was betrayed by the Nets who were hoping and even tried to convince him to retire just so they could get him off the books even though he was busting his ass trying to come back and proved he could. Anyone in his situation would have forced a release from the Raptors who were awful- You don't have kidney surgery and come back to play for the lottery. To call him a cry baby is simply idiotic. By the way, after Mutombo, he probably raises and donates the second most money to his causes.
yeah over the years i have read a lot of good stuff about this guy. its not always the easiest to find actual good people in pro sports. but this is one of them.
Yeah, he's big in the Miami community. When I lived there, he had a section called the Zo Zone, where he invited a bunch of underprivileged kids to each game. He also did a lot of fundraising for the Children's Hospital, among other charities.
Unfortunately, giving toys to homeless kids doesn't get you into the hall of fame. I think he was on track for the hall of fame before his health problems, but now I'm not so sure. He was a solid 20/10 guy his first 8 seasons in the league, but he never really had any stretch where he was dominant. He really didn't have that go to move, either. He was a great weak side defender, probably second to Hakeem in this era. He was also a great shot blocker. For a guy that was known for his defense, however, he was a mediocre rebounder. For his size, you could argue that he wasn't very good at rebounding. He barely averaged 10 rebounds per game in his prime, and he finished top ten in rebounding only twice. He got two DPOYs, but only one all NBA first team and one NBA second team. Playing in an era with such dominant post players like Hakeem, Shaq, Malone, Barkley, Robinson, and Duncan probably hurts his HOF chances, also. He'll have to wait for those guys to get in before he gets his chance. He's possibly a third or fourth ballot hall of famer, but definitely not first ballot...
