THE BOX OUT |
PICK AND POPS |
1. Jeff Bzdelik deserves an early Coach of the Year honorable mention for leading Denver to five wins. For those who have NBA League Pass, watch the Nuggets sometime. You'll understand.
2. Kudos to Scott Layden for letting the Knicks' salary exception deadline pass into the night Monday. Now only if Layden can unload Latrell Sprewell to officially commence LeTanking for LeBron James. |
QUOTE OF THE DAY |
“He's the smallest guy on the court. But he has one of the biggest hearts I've ever seen in my life.”
—Antawn Jamison on 5-foot-5 Earl Boykins, the Warriors' new backup point guard and fan favorite. |
NUMBER OF THE DAY |
.200
Mark Madsen's free-throw percentage after air-balling not one but two from the line in the Lakers' win Tuesday. |
TRASH TALK |
You had your say. So here are the best comments: To all of you that thought the Sixers would suck this year, and that the trade was "the worst tade ever," look at them now. FIRST PLACE!!! I guess Larry knows what he is doing and A.I. is not the punk that everyone thinks he is.
Jeff Simon, Philadelphia, Pa. How sorry are the Nets for that trade? For all the talk from K-Mart after the Finals, he isn't much of a player. He is a below-average rebounder for a PF and his offense is ridiculously simple -- get the ball the ball in the post, turn around and face the basket and either jack up a line-drive brick or drive to the basket with his head down like a mad dog. If he did not have J-Kidd, he wouldn't average even 10 points.
Zachary Datikash, New York, N.Y. After a month of Warriors basketball, we have learned ... Arenas can and must play the point effectively for the team to win, Jamison's offensive potential is near max and Coach Muss is the right coach for the job.
Alvin Garabiles, Okinawa, Japan Why is it that when anyone talks about MVPs for the season, Kobe Bryant is always mentioned at least in the top five? Am I wrong or haven't the Lakers been playing terrible and losing?
Mike Riordan, Elk Grove, Calif. Through that whole month you didn't see the East become more dominant, you didn't see the Mavs have an unbelievable beginning and you didn't see a Jazz team that came from the dust and surprise even themselves? If you didn't see all that, then get your head out of Shaq's backside and start watching some basketball. NOTE TO JOE: It's not all about the Lakers anymore.
Dan Taylor, Rexburg, Idaho
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Yes, Yao Ming can ball with the world's best. No, Michael Jordan can't sit still. And yes, Isiah Thomas can coach.
After one month, we've found answers to some of those pressing preseason questions. On Thursday, we'll see if Glenn Robinson and Ray Allen will kiss and make up. In three weeks, the bell sounds on Round 1 of Lakers vs. Kings (the undercard being Round 2 of Fox vs. Christie, of course).
Here's what else we know about the NBA 36 days into its 2002-03 season:
Keith Van Horn and Allen Iverson can co-exist. Is everything copacetic with the 76ers, or what? Other than Iverson's admittance that he fears Philly's finest, things have been rosy so far in Sixersland, with Larry Brown wasting no time in molding the team into the Atlantic Division front-runner. Moreover, Mt. Iverson hasn't blown its top even once at Van Horn, who figured to be covered in ash of A.I.'s wrath by Thanksgiving. Van Horn hasn't even been fresh meat for the Roman Coliseum better known as the First Union Center. "They've been great," Brown said of the Philly fans' reception of Van Horn. "All he had to do was make a 3-point shot and our fans adopted him." Better keep makin' them, Keith.
Dikembe Mutombo is not 36 years old. He has got to be older, the way the decrepit Deke has creaked around the court for the Nets. Mutombo's body no longer agrees with the abuse of an 82-game season; a torn ligament in his right wrist will force him to sit for at least two months. Mutombo's presence has hurt New Jersey's flow on offense because more responsibility has been placed on Jason Kidd, who has had to do more shooting than creating. "We have to find someone to get it going offensively," Kidd said. Funny, who would've thought the Nets would miss Todd MacCulloch -- and Van Horn -- so much?
The Vin Baker trade is good for the Celtics. Oh, Baker is still getting roasted on talk radio and postgame shows in Boston. But the shocking offseason deal that hung Baker's albatross of a contract around the Celtics' necks has been embraced somewhat only because the trade also brought Shammond Williams to town. Williams has formed quite a tag team at point guard with Tony Delk, averaging 11.1 points, shooting a team-best 44.4 percent and taking Rodney Rogers' spot as 3-point bomber off the bench.
Hubie Brown once coached in the NBA. Kids had no idea the dude on the NBA draft telecasts used to yell at referees for a living. The old schoolers had no idea Brown had the desire to coach again. However, no one knew Jerry West was desperate enough to throw $10 million at a 69-year-old commentator to come out of retirement and teach his young Grizzlies how to set screens and box out.
L.A. would have two teams languishing in lotterydom. It's not surprising that Andre Miller hasn't kept the Money Clips from focusing on their impending offseason bling-bling in free agency. But the Lakers playing .368 ball seven games into Shaquille O'Neal's comeback? That wasn't expected even in the Kings' wildest dreams. We know Phil Jackson will push the right buttons and get the Lakers' swagger back in time for the playoffs. But will we get to see Mark Madsen's championship boogie again? That's no longer a certainty.
The kids at the head of the '01 class aren't all right. Much was made of what Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry did over the summer. They worked on their games and toned up their teenage bodies to prepare them for impact sophomore seasons. However, Brown has regressed since brightening the Wizards' hopes with an impressive first week, Curry has lost his starting job with Chicago for being too passive, and Chandler might get benched as well if he doesn't show Bulls coach Bill Cartwright more consistency. The real lesson here for general managers, especially the ones who expect to sit in Secaucus praying for Ping-Pong balls in May: Don't draft LeBron James if you don't have the patience to let him grow.
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| Jefferson |
Clutch!
He scored a game-high 22 points and collected a career-high 14 rebounds in the Nets' 87-72 win over the Hawks on Tuesday. But all Richard Jefferson wanted to do afterward was apologize for his two missed free throws that allowed the Sonics to win Sunday on Brent Barry's last-second 3-pointer. "That was 100 percent my fault," Jefferson said.
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| Williams |
Clang!
Jason Williams' ugly numbers from Tuesday's 101-91 loss to the Lakers at Staples: zero points on 0-for-6 shooting, including 0-for-4 on treys. Stinkers like that will test the bond that quickly formed between Williams and Hubie Brown. Then again, what other alternatives does Hubie have? Play Earl Watson? JWill wasn't the only culprit: The Grizz shot only 37 percent from the field (34-for-91).
Joe Lago, NBA editor for ESPN.com, writes Morning Shootaround every Wednesday and Friday.
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