Face it sports fans, even though LeBron James’ “Decision” was made well over a week ago, all related stories about King James and the Miami Heat will continue to flow faster than obscenities out of Mel Gibson’s mouth.

The latest story is surrounding Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway and the fact that he’s expressed interest in joining LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami.

This is NOT the Miami Heat trio that Penny Hardaway wants to play ball with - but it may be yours.

Upon hearing this tidbit of news, two thoughts immediately came to mind:

1. Well, DUH – who wouldn’t want to join these three superstars in Miami?
2. Wait, Penny Hardaway is still playing in the NBA?

The answer to the second question is, “No, actually.”

Hardaway hasn’t played in an NBA game since the 2007-08 season where he managed to get into 16 games for – you guessed it, the Miami Heat.

In fact, Hardaway has only played in 57 total games dating back to the beginning of the 2004-05 NBA season.

Not only that, but Penny hasn’t been relevant since 2001-02, when he managed 12.0 points per game playing for the Phoenix Suns.

Hardaway also hasn’t been of superstar status since his 1996-97 campaign with the Orlando Magic, when he scored 20.5 points per game.

Throughout the ‘90’s in Orlando, Penny was a part of a talented team that once made the NBA Finals in 1995 and featured players such as Shaquille O’Neal, Nick Anderson and Dennis Scott, among others.

Does former NBA superstar Penny Hardaway want to ride the coat tails of the Miami Heat's elite trio of LeBron, Dwyane and Bosh?

Now, he wants to return to Miami to play for the Heat – in what many can only assess as being a desperate attempt to finally wear a ring and hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy.

Only, when a player itches for something like this – I personally can only point out that winning a championship in this manner would feel completely and entirely watered down.

“Desperate” is the word that comes to mind.

Seriously, does a guy like Adam Morrison go around bragging about the fact that he’s wearing two rings – when any sports fan in their right mind would know that his butt is likely molded into the shape of the bench that he sits on all season long in Los Angeles?

As for the Miami Heat, it’s safe to say that Pat Riley and company are most certainly doing some “penny pinching” due to the fact that they already have three major contracts in place.

But that doesn’t mean that they would want to be doing some “Penny pinching”.

Miami has a number of other affordable options in NBA free agency that take the form of athletic 20-something bodies that are not injury prone or – gasp – washed up.

Even if the Heat wanted to think outside the box and search for seasoned veterans to ink a deal with, I would first consider players such as Reggie Miller or Allen Iverson before Hardaway.

My advice to Pat Riley: avoid the desire to consider Hardaway and instead focus on bench depth that would be able to provide valuable minutes over the course of a full season.

But hey, that’s just my TWO CENTS on PENNY – and you can take that to the bank.

Originally posted to KP’s Blog (via Fox Sports) on June 5, 2009

Usually the tomato throwing is a piece of cake.

While playoff games have reached a boiling point with both the NHL and NBA reaching finales, the rest of sports has been tepid at best.

Even with the drama down, there are plenty of situations up and available for discussion over the last week. Take the following lycopene-enriched examples…

Throwing Tomatoes: June 5, 2009

NBA Finals Not Final Yet

Keep Your Brooms in the Closet - Let’s not all jump the sweep bandwagon just yet. The Magic got a ton of open looks in Game 1, missing most of them.

Orlando Magic - Rashard Lewis admitted they “stunk it up”, and if Orlando can improve on the glass, along with getting hotter from the field, they could get right back into the series.

LeBron James - Yes, all the talk is still surrounding King James and how he bailed on the end of the Eastern Conference Finals. But the side story…

Recently, it was reported that James had a growth removed from his mouth. Fortunately, it was benign. I think it’s safe to say that whatever it was, he didn’t get it while swallowing his pride.

Twitter & Tony

If you haven’t heard, Tony LaRussa sued Twitter due to a case where someone created an account and impersonated the Cardinals coach, saying inappropriate things about his past and “causing emotional distress”. Hours ago, Twitter and LaRussa have come to a settlement.

The biggest tomato obviously goes to the idiot who had no life and felt the need to impersonate someone else in a negative way. Meanwhile…

Twitter was having trouble issuing a statement on the matter, because they’re only allowed 140 characters or less to send a message.

Big Papi’s Big Slump

Boston is still reeling as David Ortiz continues to struggle. It’s tough when a legend begins what appears to be a decline, especially one this rapid. And the latest…

I heard Ortiz is going to be getting an eye test. The good news, apparently he got a recommendation from one of the umps. Fine, it’s true, that last part Is fabricated.

Four Scores, Maybe Seven Years Ago?

Also mentioned via a Yahoo Sports blog a few days ago, if you haven’t heard, the Notre Dame Stadium scoreboard is up for sale. One can buy it here… get it while it’s hot!

Either way, it could be a bargain. After all, the scoreboard has been barely used in recent years. Dang, it’s like shootin’ fish in a barrel – just couldn’t resist.

That’s all for now, friends. Enjoy the NBA Finals, the Stanley Cup Finals, etc. As always, audience tomato participation is encouraged.