Penny Hardaway’s comeback trail has apparantly come to an end - at least momentarily anyway. After missing nearly two full seasons with repeated knee problems, the 36-year-old Hardaway was able to make the Miami Heat’s Opening Day roster. But after struggling to find his way offensively through 16 games, Hardaway was let go in order for the Heat to make room for Luke Jackson, a former first round pick of Cleveland.

Hardaway cracked the starting lineup eight times, but after going scoreless twice, he was replaced by Dorell Wright last Thursday in Portland. In his 16 appearances, he averaged just 3.8 points on 36.7 percent shooting, 2.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists.

In other news, former Grizzly Dahntay Jones finally found employment. Jones, who was wasn’t re-signed by the Grizzlies this past off-season, attempted to make it with Boston but was one of the last players cut out of training camp. On Monday, he was picked up by Sacramento. Jones, who was a first round draft pick of Boston in 2003 before immediately being traded to Memphis, played in 221 games with the Grizzlies. He averaged 5.1 points and 1.6 rebounds.

Looks like Christmas came a little early for Cleveland Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry. And he can thank the Charlotte Bobcats for playing the part of Santa Claus. The Bobcats signed restricted free agent Anderson Varejao, the Cavs disgruntled big man who had been holding out, to an offer sheet worth $17.4 million over three years. Today, Ferry matched that offer, ending the stalemate between the two sides.

Varejao, who’s agent Dan Fegan had been reportedly demanding a six-year, $52 million dollar deal, had turned down previous Cleveland offers. He rejected a one-year, $1.2 million qualifying offer that would have made him an unrestricted free agent after this season. He also shot down a three-year, $20 million deal

Although he will be making less money than the Cavs initially offered, Varejao, 25, can opt out of the third year and become an unrestricted, where he will likely find once again that no one is willing to pay him the nearly $10 million a year that he covets.

The Grizzlies were briefly interested in Varejao this summer, but opted to go with the Darko Milicic. Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said the Grizzlies were not interested in making a second run at Varejao, citing the team must save money in order to re-sign Juan Carlos Navarro this summer, and Rudy Gay and Kyle Lowry the following year.

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Well, with no more talk of the Los Angeles Lakers trading Kobe Bryant to the Chicago Bulls, Chicago Tribune NBA writer Sam Smith has resorted back to last year’s season-long quest to convince Bulls’ fans why it makes sense for the Grizzlies to trade Pau Gasol to Chicago.

It’s true last year that then-team president Jerry West explored the trade possibilities once Gasol requested to owner Michael Heisley that he wanted to be traded to a winning team. With Gasol clearly disgruntled, it made sense for West to see what he could get for the former All-Star. But the Bulls were unwilling to part with the players West wanted.

A lot has happened since then, though, which is why Smith’s latest dreaming makes no sense. He points out how Gasol’s numbers are down and that he is having a hard time fitting into new coach Marc Iavaroni’s system. True enough, Gasol’s numbers are down, but there’s a reason for it. Instead of running nearly every play through Gasol, as was the case in the past, Iavaroni’s quick-tempo has the ball moving a lot more, making shots available to a lot more players which is why the Grizzlies have four players averaging in double figures (before Saturday’s game against Minnesota there were six in double figures).

Smith concluded his latest proposal to land Gasol by noting that Grizzlies rookie guard Juan Carlos Navarro, Gasol’s best friend from Spain, would be available for the Bulls to pick up after the season when his one-year deal with the Grizzlies is up. Aside from Navarro’s skills as a player, one of the reasons Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace traded a first round draft pick to Washington for his draft rights, then spent two weeks negotiating a buyout with FC Barcelona and FIBA, was to please Gasol. So what sense would it make to bring Navarro here, only to trade Gasol a couple of months later? On top of that, Navarro will be a restricted free agent after this season, meaning the Grizzlies will have the right match any team’s offer. As long as Navarro keeps shooting like he’s been shooting, which is better than 40 percent from 3-point range, you can be assured he’ll be in a Grizzly uniform next season.

And so will Pau Gasol.

Before the season started, the Grizzlies first road trip was one rookie Mike Conley was looking forward to. With tonight’s game at Seattle, Conley would have loved the chance to show Sonics rookie Kevin Durant that he was going to give him a run for the money in the chase for rookie of the year honors. Then, on the team’s next stop in Portland, he would have gone up against childhood best friend Greg Oden, the top pick in June’s NBA draft, marking the first time the two would be opponents rather than teammates.

Now it’s highly unlikely none of that will happen. Oden’s season ended before it began when he underwent season-ending knee surgery. And when the Grizzlies face Durant and the Sonics tonight, the chances are slim that Conley will see the court. While Durant, the No. 2 pick, has been as good as advertised, averaging 24 points a game, Conley is still waiting to make his NBA debut.

Conley did not appear in the Grizzlies first two games. It’s the first time in his life he has had to learn how to sit on the bench. So far, the 19-year-old point guard who was the fourth player taken overall last June is taking things in stride.

“It’s pretty tough,” Conley said. “There’s two ways you can handle it. You can take it hard and pout about and sit in the corner, or something. Or you can just keep working, and I decided to just keep working. I’m not worried about it. I’m still trying to keep my head up and do the things to get out there on the court.”

There were plenty of people who thought Darius Washington was a fool for leaving the University of Memphis early to enter his name in last year’s NBA Draft. Those doubters were proved right when Washington went undrafted, then failed to make the Dallas Mavericks roster.

Washington headed overseas, then returned this season to try to make the world champion San Antonio Spurs team as a non-roster invitee. Washington clearly was a long shot with the Spurs returning point guards Tony Parker, Jacques Vaughn and Beno Udrih.

But with preseason injuries to Vaughn and Udrih, Washington took advantage of his playing time to not only get the attention of coach Gregg Popovich, but to make the Opening Day roster. His second game in a Spurs jersey will be Wednesday night at FedExForum when San Antonio comes to town for the Grizzlies home opener.

Another player with Memphis ties wasn’t so lucky. It was mind-boggling enough that former Vanderbilt star Derrick Byars lasted until the second round of this year’s draft. But last week, the former Ridgeway High player was cut by the Philadelphia 76ers. Last year’s Southeastern Conference Player of the Year is still hoping to be picked up.

Memphis Grizzlies forward Pau Gasol sprained his ankle in the first quarter of tonight’s game at Indiana. Gasol was going in for a layup when he was fouled by Indiana’s Danny Granger. Gasol went crashing to the floor with 9:36 to play in the quarter, grabbing his left ankle. He continued to play before heading to the lockerroom with 7:23 to play. The injury didn’t appear to be too serious. It was classified as a mild sprain. He will not return to the game, and still hasn’t come out of the lockerroom.

Sometimes blessings come in disguises. It wasn’t that long ago that Grizzly fans were depressed for not landing the top pick in the NBA lottery, a pick that would have landed them the rights to 7-foot center Greg Oden. Instead, Portland landed the top spot and swiped Oden.

Unfortunately for the Trail Blazers, they won’t be seeing their coveted star in uniform anytime soon. Arthroscopic surgery today revealed much more damage to Oden’s knee than what was originally thought. It was announced that Oden will be out for the season.

Meanwhile, Grizzly fans have since gotten over not getting Oden, and after a strong summer league showing, are looking forward to seeing what point guard Mike Conley can add to the team - knock-on-wood.