Shareef Abdur-Rahim retires

[RondoIsAPimp]

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/basketball/nba/09/22/abdurrahim.retires.ap/index.html?eref=sircrc

This guy was one of the best young prospects coming up with the grizzlies. Sad to see his career end this way.

[Redz]

Yeh, that is too bad.  I always loved his game.  Quietly efficient.

[JSD]

Wow, I wonder if the Kings get cap relief. He has a terrible contract...

[jgod213]

"He has had an exemplary career as a player and citizen," said Geoff Petrie, the Kings' president of basketball operations. "It is unfortunate for any productive career to be felled by injury. However, no one can ever doubt Shareef's effort, commitment or desire to excel."

The Kings plan to hire Abdur-Rahim to fill a yet-to-be-determined job with the organization, Petrie said.

Classy stuff right there.

[ACF]

Thanks for the memories, Reef.
Good luck in the future.

[Redz]

ShaREEFER MADNESS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCVEQEjlQPk

Sweet nutmeg pass on KG at :28

[iowa plowboy]

"He has had an exemplary career as a player and citizen," said Geoff Petrie, the Kings' president of basketball operations. "It is unfortunate for any productive career to be felled by injury. However, no one can ever doubt Shareef's effort, commitment or desire to excel."

The Kings plan to hire Abdur-Rahim to fill a yet-to-be-determined job with the organization, Petrie said.

Classy stuff right there.

By a lot, the worst defensive 4 of his era.  You could make a case that he retired defensively after his first season with the Grizzlies.  His effort defensively could and should have been doubted.  There's a reason Shareef never played on a good team.  NBA games can't be consistently won playing 4-on-5 defensively.  So it's a safe assumption that the Kings won't hire him in a Thibodeau-type role.

But always seemed like a good guy.

[Prof. Clutch]

Good luck to him.  I hope he moves on to something satisfying after his career in basketball.

I will always remember how he used to kill us single-handedly every time we played against him a few seasons ago.  At least that won't happen anymore (though he'd have a tough time of it against the team we've got now.)

Which makes me wonder...was he healthy enough and actively playing at any point this past season when we played against Kings?

[crownsy]

this means that him and shirley could be done the same year. For those who haven't read "can i keep my jersey?" paul says shareef was one of the best people in basketball he ever met.

good luck to him in whatever he does.

[freshinthehouse]

Yeh, that is too bad.  I always loved his game.  Quietly efficient.

Agreed.  And all reports seem to say this guy was a class act.  Too bad his health had to go.  I couldve seen him settle into an offensive 4 off the bench a la Antoine Carr later in his career.

[dmorrison22]

Reef was a great player, but he never got in the right situation at the right time, he will be missed. But looks like he might be a big man coach? Check out this article.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/60482-shareef-abdur-rahim-retires-big-man-coach-next

[Finkelskyhook]

Reef was a great player, but he never got in the right situation at the right time, he will be missed. But looks like he might be a big man coach? Check out this article.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/60482-shareef-abdur-rahim-retires-big-man-coach-next

His name seemed to come up in C's rumors every year and I always wondered why.  A great offensive player?  Absolutely.  But an absolute defensive liability.  He would have fit into Rivers' pre-Thibodeau teams like a glove.

[Brickowski]

He retired in 2003-04, when he stopped rebounding.  He's not a player who seemed to care much. Tom Van Arsdale played on alot of bad teams too, but at least Van Arsdale hustled. Abdur-Rahim played at half speed.