It’s time for Emeka Okafor to call it a career

Now that the New Orleans Pelicans have released Emeka Okafor, it’s time for the center to hang up his sneakers, and call it a career.

After being out of basketball for four years, Emeka Okafor made a comeback with the New Orleans Pelicans.

That comeback officially ended on Wednesday, when the Pelicans decided to waive the aging center.

This should honestly be a blessing in disguise for Okafor, who is 35 and coming off of battling a herniated disk in his neck, which was the reason why he was M.I.A. from the league for four seasons.

He needs to take the hint from the Basketball Gods and call it a career.

Okafor never really lived up to the expectations that were bestowed upon him when he was drafted by the then-Charlotte Bobcats in 2004. Yes, he was a solid center during his career, but he never became that “force in the middle” that teams thought he would be.

He was the NBA’s equivalent of eating a burger when you were promised a steak dinner. Sure, the burger was fine, but when you had your taste buds set on a nice, juicy, flavorful steak, no matter how good that burger was, it was a disappointment.

That was Okafor’s career.

He never averaged over 15 points a game, and he tailed off in the rebounding and blocks departments after being traded to the then-New Orleans Hornets in 2009. Then came his herniated disk after the 2012-13′ season, and from that point on, it should have been clear to him that he needed to walk off into the sunset.

He deserves praise for trying to give it a go last season, but his effectiveness as a center has long passed him by. He may still try to play this season, but he really should think about that condo in Florida instead.