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Mike Monroe
Wednesday, December 22
Nuggets, Rockets among the good, bad and ugly



With Christmas nearly upon us and the NBA season already at the quarter pole, it is time for the first assessment of the good and the bad around the Western Conference.
Ron Mercer
Mercer, who may or may not be a Nugget for long, is on a winning team.

Oh, yeah ... and the ugly, too.

In fact, let's start with the ugliest start of any Western team.

Not so fast, Grinch breath. We are not talking about the Grizzlies or the Clippers. None of us really expected those teams to climb out of the depths of the conference standings in which they have resided for so many years.

No, the ugliest team in the West thus far has been the Houston Rockets. Fact is, the Rockets were awful even before Hakeem Olajuwon and Charles Barkley went down with injuries. And since those two superstars got injured, the Rockets have done nothing but lose.

It is so bad in what once was called Clutch City that coach Rudy Tomjanovich already has relegated himself to a non-playoff season, focusing squarely on the future.

"We really have made a big change. It's just a tremendous opportunity for our young guys. There's a lot of responsibility, a lot of leadership situations they're going to have to deal with.

"Things like this happen. Sometimes you get an upset win early, sometimes you don't. But then you get into acceptance of this is what we have, this is what we have to work with. I've seen it a lot of times where you develop a lot of chemistry that's successful. That's what I hope happens."

Rudy T., one of the most competitive coaches on the planet, has done his level best to convince those around him he relishes the chore of rebuilding his team, almost from the ground up. He insists he is having fun trying.

We suspect he will not think the task such fun, oh, around the All-Star break, when the Rockets are about 20 games under .500.

Best start in the West?

Has to be the Denver Nuggets.

Go ahead: Try to convince me you thought the Nuggets would be 13-11 after a three-game home stand against the Kings, Spurs and Trail Blazers.

On second thought, don't even try. Not even Dan Issel thought the Nuggets would win all three of those games. Right now the Nuggets look like the sixth- or seventh-best team in the West, on a fast track to the playoffs as long as they can stay relatively healthy the rest of the season.

Worst start in the West is a push. The Warriors were so awful through the first month of the season that P.J. Carlesimo was one loss away from dismissal. In fact, it's surprising he wasn't fired -- on the spot -- when his team fell behind the Timberwolves by 20 in a Dec. 11 game before staging an amazing rally for a 23-point win. Subsequently, the Warriors have been more than competitive, and Carlesimo's job security has stabilized. Nevertheless, the Warriors' first-quarter start has been dreadful.

From what we hear, the Grizzlies all but quit on Bob Hill, which explains why he isn't on their bench anymore. For that, they have to share equal billing with the Warriors for worst start in the West through the first quarter of the season.

Wandering the West
  • By now you've heard all the speculation about additions and deletions to the next Dream Team, the 100 percent NBA team that will represent the U.S. in the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. Trouble is, none of the speculation has come from inside the committee. SuperSonics general manager Wally Walker is a member of the committee, and he insists nothing at all has been discussed regarding the three remaining spots on the team.

    "We're going to have a meeting in January," Walker said last week. "Nothing has been discussed yet, certainly none of this stuff I keep hearing. This is all speculation from you (media) guys. Where are you getting it? Absolutely nothing has been determined, and it won't be until we meet. As far as I know, everything is still open for full discussion."

  • Speaking of speculation, all the idle talk that Denver's Ron Mercer, a free agent in July, already has determined this will be his one and only season as a Nugget is just that: idle talk. Recent reports that Mercer is on his way out of the Mile High City misstated the case, according to Mercer, who told The Denver Post he would like to remain in Denver if it makes business sense next summer.

    Percy Miller, better known as Master P, head of the sports agency that represents Mercer, went so far Monday as to say he believes the Nuggets have the makings of a championship team he would like to see Mercer remain a part of.

    "That's on him," Miller said of the free agency decision. "But I think it's a great team. I think they have a good chemistry. They have all the pieces to be a championship team.

    "They play hard and with a lot of emotion. He and Nick Van Exel play well together."

  • Something to think about as All-Star voting heats up: Sacramento point guard Jason Williams is so popular he is certain to make a run at being the West's starter in the All-Star game, scheduled for Feb. 13, in Oakland. But for all his flash and dash, Williams is hardly having an All-Star season. In fact, I offer this as the most shocking statistic of the season, to date:

    In back-to-back games, Williams and fellow Kings backcourt starter Nick Anderson were outscored, 111-12. Give Williams this much, though. He had all 12 of those points. Anderson went for the bagel in both games.

    Mike Monroe, who covers the NBA for the Denver Post, writes a Western Conference column for ESPN.com. You can e-mail him at monroe128@go.com

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