Jonathan Bender Retires
Well it was inevitable… back in 2000, the future of the Indiana Pacers franchise wasn’t suppossed to rest solely on the shoulders of Jermaine O’neal… it was suppossed to be with Jonathan Bender and Al Harrington’s help… two straight from highschool players traded and drafted by the Pacers…
As a pacer fan, I saw with my own eyes how O’neal and Harrington flourished… with O’neal starting and eventually cementing his reputation as an anchor on the low post… taking over what Rik Smits left behind when he retired… Whilst Harrington did well coming off the bench and keeping the scoring momentum alive once the starters rested… he never won a 6th man award though…
Bender however… showed flashes of brilliance but never lived to his potential because of injuries… for a 7 footer, he could play the shooting guard spot… you couldn’t leave him alone on the top of the key because he could bury you with a 3… he also had the quickness to drive past by you for a slam… not to mention that he could posterize you if you decided to drive past him for a layup… even in NBA Live he moved like Kevin Garnett, which made me wonder why his stats were configured as such given that he had such a not so spectacular total rating…
Knee injuries were what kept him grounded and benched… and finally after playing only two games this season, he decided to retire…
What a sad fate for a man who you knew could have been spectacular in the NBA… Thanks and Goodluck JB in your next endeavor after the NBA…
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