| Sunday, February 6
By Mitch Lawrence
Special to ESPN.com |
|
NEW YORK -- After his Wizards defeated the Cavs on Saturday night, coach Gar
Heard was told that executive VP Wes Unseld was looking for him. So
Heard walked into Unseld's office in the MCI Center.
"You know why I'm calling you in here, don't you," Unseld said.
"No," Heard said. "Why?"
"Michael wants to make a change," Unseld said.
|  | | Gar Heard really had no shot to continue on as Washington coach, and he knew it. |
The surprise wasn't that Michael Jordan fired Heard after a win. The
real surprise was that he didn't relieve his coach as soon as he came
aboard as major leader of the sad-sack Wizards. Or, at least, immediately
after the Wizards were buried by Dallas in the first night of the Jordan
regime. Jordan had no patience as a player and certainly isn't going to
sit tight through a bunch of losing.
"I knew I was going to get fired," Heard said. "I was not Michael's
guy. The only question was when. But I knew it would come at some
point."
Heard knew it early on, when Jordan worked out with the team last week
and afterward didn't say a word to his coach about what he thought of
the personnel. Heard knew it when Jordan never uttered a single word to
him in the other rare times he's been around his team.
Jordan has every right to bring in his friends, as he is trying to do
now with Darrell Walker, and as he was unsuccessful in doing with Rod
Higgins. His friends might not be the best people for the job, but they
will do what Jordan wants. They will say yes to everything he demands.
As for Heard, it's sad that a class act waits patiently for 15 seasons
to get a crack at a head coaching job, finally gets the chance to lead a
team, and then gets treated so shabbily by a neophyte manager.
Wonder why Jesse Jackson didn't come to Heard's defense?
Rim Shots I
As entertaining as the Kings are, the cold hard facts are
that they're one of the worst rebounding teams in the league -- ranked
28th today -- and think that playing defense solely consists of taking
the ball out of the net.
In other words, the Kings' game isn't going to translate well once the
playoffs roll around, even if they have fewer home losses than the
the Lakers and Spurs.
"Defense is a part of our game we really need to pick up for the
playoffs," said Bill Wennington, the reserve center currently on the
injured list. "In the playoffs, teams know who they play and have time
to prepare for you. It's more defensively oriented. When it's the fourth
quarter and games are on the line, you have to be able to stop teams. In
Chicago, we had three or four guys on the floor who would consistently
do it. We're still learning that here. We need to get that attitude
here."
But with so many of the Kings being offensive-oriented players, you
wonder if they'll ever get that attitude. Incidentally, when the Kings get
held below 100 points, they're 1-8.
Rim Shots II
During the Pistons' recent slide sans Grant Hill, the front office
was split on whether or not Alvin Gentry needed to go. Those who want
Gentry to stay are cognizant of the not-so-minor fact that Hill is
a big Gentry fan. With Hill still undecided about where he'll play next
year, why risk getting him angry?
Penny Hardaway went into Monday's
game in Orlando expecting some rough treatment in his first game in the
O-rena since getting traded to the Suns. "I expect to hear some boos,"
said Hardaway. "I don't hate the Magic or have any bitterness toward
them. But I'm sure some of the fans will see me as a villain. Booing
happens to everybody who goes back to play their old team." Just ask
Latrell Sprewell.
Patrick Ewing's body language and facial
expressions strongly suggest he is not adjusting well to a new lesser
role. Can't say we're shocked.
Magic Johnson is opening up some of his
movie theatres in Landover, Md. in the USAir Arena, where Michael Jordan
just happens to be the landlord.
A Wizards insider says Rod Strickland
will remain a handful for Jordan or anybody else who demands he
practices, gets to team functions on time, etc. "Rod ain't gonna change
for nobody," said the source.
After seeing Jason Williams play
Broadway for the first time in his NBA career, we have only one question
regarding the over-hyped playmaker: Does he have to throw a behind-the-back
pass every time he wants to get the ball to a teammate?
Isaiah Rider's one-season audition in Atlanta is d-o-n-e. His "tryout" was supposed to last
the entire season, at which point the Hawks would decide if they wanted
to re-sign the problem child or let him walk away as a free agent.
But
team officials sent word quietly out last week that he's been so
difficult, he's out the door at season's end if they can't deal him by
the Feb. 24 trading deadline. One GM who got the word directly from
Hawks' GM Pete Babcock also was told that everyone on the roster is
expendable, except for Dikembe Mutombo.
Rim Shots III
Mavs new owner Mark Cuban is expected to call Isiah Thomas,
now CBA commish, to run his basketball operations and/or coach whenever
he gives Don Nelson the gate. Cuban went to Indiana the same time as
Thomas. In the meantime, Cuban is bringing Dennis Rodman aboard to help
woeful attendance. According to team spies, the Mavs are among the
bottom three teams in gate receipts. Right now, any publicity is good
publicity.
Jordan did work the phones last week, shopping Juwan
Howard. And you didn't think MJ would peddle any of David Falk's fellow
clients, did you? The Wizards also want Isaac Austin out the door ASAP. As
badly as Detroit needs a big man, the Pistons declined. Austin's rep,
Dwight Manley, wants his client in L.A. playing for the Lakers.
You
know it's getting close to the trading deadline when Don Nelson is again
shopping Shawn Bradley.
Now comes word that Falk will steer Maurice
Taylor to Jordan and the Wizards, if Mike can trade Howard, Austin or Strickland to get some cap room.
Such is the miserable state of the
Eastern Conference that the top team, Indiana, has a losing road record.
Spurs reserve Chucky Brown, miffed at going on the injured list, is looking
to get out of Alamo City. He might be beaten out the door by Samaki
Walker, though.
Mitch Lawrence, who covers the NBA for the New York Daily News, writes a regular NBA column for ESPN.com. |  |
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