Penny for your thoughts, Bulls All-Star Scottie Pippen?
`I love to watch him play," says Pippen of Orlando's Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway. "I've heard it said he plays like me, but he's got more energy than I do. He's a feisty guy, a big guy who hustles and is very, very unselfish. That's what I like about him. He's got the skills to be a big-time scorer, but he sacrifices for the team."Penny for your thoughts, Bulls coach Phil Jackson?
"He's quick and, at 6-7, has great hands for defense and makes quick, instinctive passes. We've had a number of good guards come into the league the past five or six years, but I haven't seen one with quite the moxie or poise of this kid."
Penny for your thoughts, former Lakers superstar Magic Johnson?
"Watching him is a little like looking in a mirror for me."
Penny for your thoughts, Seattle coach George Karl?
"He's got a complete game. Few players come in with the ability to do everything he does offensively and also be a defensive stopper."
Penny for your thoughts, Portland All-Star Clyde Drexler?
"We basically have the same game. He could pass or drive, but he looks to pass first."
Penny for your thoughts, Orlando general manager Pat Williams?
"He does one thing a night that leaves you kind of limp. You're saying, `How did he do that?' Five years from now, he'll be the most exciting athlete in the game. Like with Magic Johnson, every time he touches the ball, you'll hear the crowd ooohing and aaahing."
Penny for your thoughts, Magic center Shaquille O'Neal?
"Me and Penny are going to be the Magic and Kareem of the '90s."
Hardaway, the star rookie point guard, has come a long way since he was booed in Orlando when the Magic acquired him and three No. 1 picks in a dramatic draft-day trade that sent Chris Webber to Golden State.
He also was booed in his first two home games. But Hardaway, 21, has turned the jeers to cheers with a thrilling all-around game that has helped the Magic move into the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference.
While O'Neal gets the big headlines, it is Hardaway who delights the purists with his talents.
He's averaging 15.7 points, 6.2 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.4 steals. Orlando is 10-5 since he replaced Scott Skiles at the point, thus allowing the Magic to move Nick Anderson back to shooting guard and long-distance shooter Dennis Scott to small forward.
The rangy Hardaway also plays tenacious defense, unusual for top rookies, and handles the tough point guard job with rare aplomb.
Even now, some say Orlando should have kept Webber, the dominant power forward, maintaining he would have made the Magic a contender to the Finals.
"A great power forward allows a center to expand his game," says Hall of Fame center Bill Walton, "and it allows teams to physically attack opponents and get them off balance."
The notion was that Orlando already had a serviceable point guard in Scott Skiles - and still needs a power forward.
But the Magic are building for the future, which did not include Skiles, and the two most important positions are said to be center and point guard. The Magic are covered there now for the next decade.
"Every move we make has to be related to how it impacts Shaq," said Williams.