| Wednesday, February 23
By Mitch Lawrence
Special to ESPN.com |
|
NEW YORK -- So many rumors, so little time to the trading deadline. With
the trading deadline Thursday at 6 p.m., we're hearing:
That John Starks will be heading from Chicago to Miami, where Pat
Riley hopes his ex-Knick can spark the anemic Heat backcourt. With the
Heat playing only .500 ball since a 15-4 start, Riley has to shake
things up. All Jerry Krause wants is a draft pick (or maybe Tim James).
|  | | Isaiah Rider is likely on his way out of Atlanta for any deal. |
The Bulls are just trying to get lower and lower under the salary cap,
so they want to cut Starks' $4 million from their books and use it
toward a free agent this summer.
That the Timberwolves rejected the Knicks' latest efforts for Terrell
Brandon. When Minnesota said that it would take Latrell Sprewell to get
the deal done, the Knicks backed way off. Even though GM Scott Layden
keeps looking for a top point guard, don't look for the Knicks to make
any moves, unless they try to deal off excess big men (read: Andrew
Lang, who suddenly has been getting playing time).
That the Hawks are not dealing Dikembe Mutombo, but are intent on
making moves with the idea of again rebuilding around their center. As
for Isaiah Rider, they're seriously considering suspending him for a few
games for repeated violations of team rules. But they have no plans to
waive him.
That in the wake of Andre Miller's emergence, the Cavs are actively
shopping Brevin Knight. The Mavs are interested, with the Celtics and
Raptors still looking for point-guard help.
That Maurice Taylor will be headed out of Clipper-land, with Orlando
and Detroit mentioned as possible destinations in sign-and-trade
scenarios.
That Charlotte has decided to stand pat, even after Toronto offered
Doug Christie for David Wesley. Paul Silas is definitely gambling that
his team's chemistry won't blow up.
That Shawn Kemp's $100 million contract, back-loaded with $73 million
left and a definite luxury-tax killer, will probably force the Cavs to
keep him.
That Danny Fortson, the most shopped player in the past few days,
could be going to the Lakers or Sonics. Like the rest of the league, the
Knicks were approached but had no interest.
That Glen Rice is still out there, if Miami wants to send the Lakers
P.J. Brown.
Rim Shots I
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, back in the league as an assistant
coach with the Clippers, traces the problems in the NBA today to players
leaving college far too early.
"The players don't get to spend enough time in college learning how to
play with each other, learning the team aspects of the game and the
fundamentals," he said. "They're incredible athletes. They have size
and agility and they can do all kinds of things, physically. But it's
the mental aspect of the game that makes you a team player or makes a
team effective, that's what suffers."
Abdul-Jabbar, whose main job is working with Clipper big men, including
former No. 1 overall draft pick Michael Olowokandi, points to the
success that Tim Duncan has had as evidence. Duncan, of course, stayed
for four seasons at Wake Forest.
"He did the right thing," the NBA's all-time leading scorer said. "I
remember all the pressure that was on him to leave early. But he stayed
and learned what he needed to learn and it enhanced his value. He's very
efficient. He plays within an area that he knows and has perfected. He
doesn't try to step outside of that. His team knows what they're going
to get from him. It's easy to coach people like that."
Easier, say, than trying to get Olowokandi to start resembling the first
player selected in the 1998 draft.
"I don't want him to pattern his game after me," Abdul-Jabbar said.
"I'm not making him shoot the skyhook or forcing him to do anything the
way I did it. He has his own unique talent and abilities and he can use
those to be effective."
But in about 100 games, Olowokandi hasn't shown too much. In fact, if
you look at a list of the players taken after him -- starting with Vince
Carter and continuing with Paul Pierce, Antawn Jamison, Mike Bibby,
Jason Williams and Raef LaFrentz -- the Clippers didn't fare very well.
Yet, you still hear that Olowokandi needs more time to develop, since he
didn't start playing basketball until he was at the University of the
Pacific.
"To get a feel for the game, he's just got to go out and bang heads with
people and put up with the negative aspects of it," Abdul-Jabbar said.
"Then, he can eventually get to where he needs to be."
A long way from where he is now.
Rim Shots II
If Lenny Wilkens is forced out in Atlanta -- that's the
latest buzz, coming from people close to GM Pete Babcock -- don't be
surprised if Kentucky's Tubby Smith bolts Bluegrass-land for the Hawks.
Atlanta's brass knows Smith from his days at Georgia and hold him in
high regard.
The Magic isn't giving up on getting Tim Duncan via free
agency this summer. Some members of Orlando's front office root against
the Spurs on a nightly basis, hoping that San Antonio's problems will
cause Duncan to leave.
Dick Versace says he's merely consulting the
Grizzlies' new ownership. But we hear that once new owner Michael
Heisley Sr. gets approved, in the next few weeks, Versace will be tabbed
to coach or run the Grizzlies starting next season.
No truth to the
rumor that the Magic turned down Tracy McGrady for Darrell Armstrong.
If the NBA starts a minor league, it'll debut in 2001-2002. Wonder
if Dennis Rodman would consider demotion.
It's still early, but Toni
Kukoc would rather go home than re-sign with the Sixers.
The luxury
tax doesn't go into effect until the season after next, but already it's
causing major headaches. The Lakers' Jerry Buss and Minnesota's Glen
Taylor -- two owners with two players apiece who nearly account for $200
million -- want player contracts signed before this last collective
bargaining agreement to be grandfathered, so that their teams are not
penalized millions via the new tax, which would kick in somewhere around
$15 million over the cap. "It's been discussed," deputy commish Russ
Granik said recently. "But we need to talk about it more and find out
what the owners want to do." The union would love any reduction in the
tax. But it remains to be seen what David (Cost Certainty) Stern wants.
Mitch Lawrence, who covers the NBA for the New York Daily News, writes a regular NBA column for ESPN.com.
|  |
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