Each week, ESPN analyst Dr. Jack Ramsay delves into his mailbag and answers questions from users. Here is his latest installment. Send your e-mails by clicking on the file to the right!

	You think the Pacers are a legitimate sleeper? Not with Isiah Thomas on the bench.

Why is nobody holding Isiah Thomas accountable for the Pacers' underachieving this season? I can understand that last year was the first with, to be put bluntly, an essentially new team. This year, they were arguably the most talented team in a weak East, with veteran leadership and a solid man at every position. And yet they were still unable to get off of the ground. Jalen Rose and Travis Best took the blame, and the roster got a new influx of talent. Yet now, 20-plus games after the trade, they are still astoundingly mediocre. What is left to blame other than the coaching?
Nathan Wilson
Cicero, Ind.

Dear Nathan,
You are not alone, Nathan. There seems to be growing concern among Pacers fans that the team has not progressed as expected during Isiah Thomas' brief coaching tenure. Isiah contended that last season (41-41) was a period of adjustment and growth for his young team -- and would pay dividends this year. As you observe, it hasn't happened. The Pacers have been out-raced down the stretch and are in danger of missing the playoffs altogether. Particularly frustrating is their trend of blowing sizeable leads and losing games in the closing minutes.

Team president Donnie Walsh, who hired Thomas, has been his staunchest supporter. But there are rumors that Walsh may be leaving the Pacers to take over the reins with the New York Knicks. If Walsh stays, I would expect Thomas to have another year to prove himself as a coach in the NBA. If Walsh goes, Thomas may be leaving as well.

Since the Kings will likely clinch the No. 1 seed this week, do you think that the remaining games against Dallas and L.A. become insignificant? On the one hand, Rick Adelman doesn't want to risk injury for any of his star players, but on the other hand, don't the Kings still need to send a message to Dallas and L.A.? Both of them have beaten the Kings twice this year. Even if for no other reason, don't the Kings need to beat these two teams to prove their "commitment to winning?"
Eugene
Davis, Calif.

Dear Eugene,
The Kings need one win -- as I write this -- with four games remaining to clinch homecourt advantage for all of the playoffs. It's more important that they have that than it is to win remaining games with Dallas and the Lakers. Those three teams have mutual respect for each other and know what it takes to win. Wins or losses against those teams at this time of the season are insignificant. The important thing for the Kings to accomplish with the remaining games is to get their team-play to its highest level. They've proven themselves with the recent string of road wins down the stretch. Players need work to keep fine-tuned. I doubt that coach Adelman will sit out players for fear of injury. That can happen at practice.

I am a big fan of Kevin Garnett and I can see that he IS the Timberwolves. I feel that for the Wolves to succeed he needs to score around 30 points per game. Many of the games that the Wolves lose is when KG only has around 10 shots and people like Anthony Peeler and Chauncey Billups has 15-plus. During there recent slump only KG has remained consistent while the rest of the team has wavered. Do you thing KG has to pick up his game offensively instead of being too unselfish?
William
Sydney, Australia

Dear William,
Kevin Garnett is the focus of the T'Wolves' game at both ends of the floor. He's scoring over 21 points a game, grabs about 12 boards and dishes five assists. He takes about 17 shots a game. That number may increase or lessen depending on how he's defended. If he's double-teamed a lot, he'll take fewer shots while those of his perimeter teammates (Anthony Peeler, Wally Szczerbiak and Chauncey Billups) will increase. The Wolves need more production from the other forward -- Joe Smith and Gary Trent -- and more help from Marc Jackson. It's time for those players to step up. KG is a team guy all the way. He's also the Wolves' best defender. The only stat he's interested in are the Ws. I wouldn't change him.

	Gasol

We feel that, finally, a truly NBA great has arisen from Spain. Memphis' Pau Gasol is posting numbers most NBA greats did not post in their first season. Does he have the potential? And if yes, what does he need to do? Look for a better team?
Rafael
Valencia, Spain

Dear Raphael,
Pau Gasol is indeed a very bright prospect in the NBA. He will probably receive this year's Rookie of the Year award. He has a complete game on offense. He runs the floor very well, shoots with accuracy from the perimeter, has a nice low-post game, is a better than average passer and is strong rebounding the offensive glass. He needs more muscle on his lean frame and must become a better individual and team defender. That means a lot of off-season work in the weight room and practice to improve his defensive skills.

The Grizzlies are a good team for him. Shane Battier is another solid, young talent who will help make the Grizzlies an improved team. No need for him to think about going to another team. He should think about how he can help the team he's with.

As a life-long Utah Jazz fan, I'm beginning to think that it's time for Karl Malone to pack it in and retire. Until this year, he had been remarkably consistent and kept his field-goal percentage up near 50 percent. This year, his field-goal percentage has fallen off dramatically and the Jazz have fallen off with him. He's no longer able to control the game down low and relies on a fallaway jumper that is getting progressively less effective. Thus, I hope he and John Stockton announce their intentions to retire at the end of next season, have their farewell tour and move on. Is there any chance that will happen, or is Malone bound and determined to break the scoring record even though he will be a shadow of his old self when he does it?
Adam Korfhage
Chapel Hill, N.C.

Dear Adam,
It's hard for me to criticize Karl Malone. His skills may have dropped off a tad, but he still puts up strong numbers game after game. The only big forwards in the league who exceed his points and rebound stats (about 23 points and nine rebounds) are Tim Duncan, Chris Webber and Dirk Nowitzki. He stays in great physical shape, still runs the floor hard, is a tough post defender and is a very good passer.

I'm not sure how much longer Karl wants to play but, understandably, he'd like to leave the game as its greatest scorer. He would surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record (38,387 career points) with two more seasons averaging about 23 points a game. He's soon to be 39 and can't go on forever, but I think he can play productively for a couple of more years. Look how well John Stockton is playing at 40. Both are remarkable players and have had Hall of Fame careers.

What has happened to Dikembe Mutumbo this season? All of his stats are down, and his scoring hasn't improved despite the massive amount of injuries that the Sixers have had. Any thoughts?
Adam Lazewski
West Allis, Wis.

Dear Adam,
Actually, some of Dikembe Mutombo's stats are up this season. He's scoring a bit more than last year (11 points per game to 10), both his field-goal and free-throw percentages have improved, and his assists are about the same. Although his rebounds and blocked shots are down, he's still a double-digit boardman and rejects over two shots a game. (He ranks sixth and fifth, respectively, in the league in those categories).

Mutombo is never going to be a player that you can build an offense around. He'll score occasionally from the low post, but essentially he's best at finishing plays from hand-offs in the basket area and with offensive putbacks. The team's injuries have hurt his overall game -- especially on defense. Without Derrick Coleman's presence and the irregular availability of the perimeter players, Mutombo has had the responsibility of defensive coverage from the free-throw line to the hoop, and from there to both corners. It's too big of a load. But if the Sixers get everybody back for the playoffs, Mutombo will return to his former self, and his team may win the East again.

With the new rule changes in the 2001-2002 season, I expected to see drastic changes in defense in the NBA. In the collegiate level, it seems that most teams use some type of zone, but in the NBA, the zone has yet to become popular. Why hasn't the zone become popular when it seems to be an effective defense in collegiate ball.
Teddy Sauer
Ontario, Canada

Dear Teddy,
The new rules in the NBA this season were not adopted with the intent of fostering the play of zone defenses. The real purpose was to do away with the maze of illegal defense restrictions, decrease the number of isolation offensive schemes, quicken the pace of the game and generate more ball and player movement. In the process of reaching those goals, it was possible to play a zone defense -- but with one restriction. Teams are not permitted to place a defender in the lane for three seconds without actively guarding an offensive player. Most NBA teams have experimented with various zone formations without much success. Zone defenses, with the NBA restrictions on the presence of a defender in the lane, offer too many good shooting opportunities -- in the basket area and from 3-point distance -- to players of NBA skill level for the zone to be an effective defense.

	Payton

Why isn't the Sonics' Gary Payton mentioned in more MVP debates? The fact is that he has a declining finesse forward, no center, a small forward who said he won't create shots and a collection of young, inexperienced players and role players around him. Still, it seems like he can match Jason Kidd in terms of numbers, and only slightly behind in defense. I understand that he will probably never win an MVP award, but it seems that he should never be left out of the debate.
Niko Hoskins
Juneau, Alaska

Dear Niko,
Gary Payton will receive much deserved consideration for this year's MVP award. He's had his best season ever in my opinion and is mostly responsible for the Sonics' surprising season. Unfortunately for him, Jason Kidd and Tim Duncan have been able to lift their teams to higher success and will probably be the finalists in the award. But GP has been terrific.

What was Orlando trying to do when they gave away Ben Wallace? He's doing primarily in Detroit what he did in Orlando. Bo Outlaw and Ben would have easily lead the league in rebounds. If Doc Rivers would have had this starting lineup, Orlando would be in first or second place in the East.
Henry Young
Chicago, Ill.

Dear Henry,
Hindsight is always 20/20, Henry. Ben Wallace, ever an intriguing player because of his rebounding skills, has blossomed with the Pistons. I don't think even Detroit knew what it was getting. But the Magic isn't the only team that traded Ben away. Think if the Wizards had kept him (and Jeff McInnis) instead of trading for Ike Austin? Of course, the Magic got Grant Hill for Wallace and Chucky Atkins and everybody thought it was a steal for them. Now, with Hill's injury problems and the development of both Wallace and Atkins, it's the Pistons who are gloating. That's life in the NBA ... you win some and you lose some.

Jeff Van Gundy is on record saying he will only coach a team that has a chance of contending now (a la Phil Jackson). I interpet this to mean taking over for an "underachieving" team. Thus here is my list of seven possibilities: Bucks, T-Wolves, Heat, Raptors (all talented teams with a tuned-out coach), Pacers (a talented team with questionable coaching), 76ers (a talented team with a tired coach) and Clippers (a talented team with a better coach available). I feel JVG takes over for one of these teams next season. What do you think?
Sid Walker
New York, N.Y.

Dear Sid,
Jeff Van Gundy will have success wherever he goes because he's an outstanding coach. I can understand why he wants to go with a team that has the potential to contend for a championship. Coaches who take over a team that's rebuilding are seldom there to see the finished product. I'm not aware of Jeff's options right now. After the season is over, franchises will assess where they are and where they want to be. Then if they decide a new coach is what they want, JVG's phone will start ringing in earnest. The caller might be from one or none of the teams you mention.