That's not arduous; that's preseason.

This format destroys the flow of a series, the adjustments made almost on the fly because there's a game tomorrow. In a really good playoff series, one game segues into another. The Celtics got dirty in Game 4 of the '84 Finals because they'd been punked in Game 3 just a couple of days earlier. Not a week earlier.

I know it's better for the league when its best teams and star players advance. The truth of life is that more people are likely to watch Celtics-Lakers than Hornets-Jazz. And with all these days off, the aforementioned star players are all more likely to get better and help their teams. And we all want to see everyone at their best, I guess. (Ironically, this won't be a problem next season, when the first round goes to a best-of-seven format from its current best-of-five. Modesty forbids me from pointing out that you can see those wonderfully exciting series next year on ... gosh ... ESPN and ABC!) But it just seems kind of forced, somehow.

If a hammy is meant to be torn, let it tear.

Grizzlies look West for GM
Michael Heisley is blunt.

"We've got to build our team over the next three years and be a playoff contender," he says. "I'm 65 and I don't want to wait 10 years to have a good team."

I do not agree with Memphis' firing of general manager Billy Knight, who orchestrated the trade that netted Pau Gasol last June. If you're going to fire Knight, you might as well fire Dick Versace and his cronies as well. But if Heisley's quarry is Jerry West, well, you have to respect that reality. If West is available, go after him. Although I can't imagine West couldn't have worked with a guy as bright and hard-working as Knight.

Heisley says he's not blaming Knight for Memphis's 23-59 record. But as we speak, he's the only guy who has been fired.

"I'm trying to put together a front office, or an organizational staff, that can help us get a championship team in Memphis," Heisley says. "In a month or so, I'm hopeful we can put together an organization that can get us where we want to go. I did this last year. We gave up an All-Star player (Shareef Abdur-Rahim) and he played fantastic this year, but we needed to change our team."

Heisley -- clearly, and correctly, spooked by West's near paranoia about media coverage of himself -- will only say that the Grizzlies have talked to West and await his word. "He would play a major role in our operations," Heisley said. "That's all I can say ... obviously, what I'm trying to do is put an organization together that can get things done. Obviously, Jerry is a very private guy. But I have not talked to Jerry in over a week."

Meanwhile, I figured Heisley, whose team moved southeast from Vancouver last year, would know a thing or two about New Orleans' prospects to land the Hornets. NOLA courted Heisley heavily last year, after all. For what it's worth, Heisley thinks the Hornets would succeed if they moved.

"I think that team can be very successful there, because there's no other place where the political leaders -- state, local and county -- are more committed to making that team successful there," Heisley said. "The only reason we picked Memphis over Louisville and the other cities is (corporate partner) FedEx. Period."

D'Antoni's overseas scouting report
Good to hear from one of the truly good guys, former Nuggets coach Mike D'Antoni. He spent the year coaching in Italy for Benetton and he has perhaps the top international prospect on his team, 6-foot-11 Georgian forward Nickoloz Tskitishvili.

"He just turned 19, and he's not ready for the NBA, but he might be ready to get drafted," D'Antoni said from Italy this week. "He's almost seven feet tall and he has a lot of talent. He's just got to put it together, get a butt on him and he'll be great. Talent-wise, I don't see why he wouldn't be better than (Pau) Gasol."

	“	He's almost seven feet tall and he has a lot of talent. He's just got to put it together, get a butt on him and he'll be great. Talent-wise, I don't see why he wouldn't be better than (Pau) Gasol. ”
		— Mike D'Antoni on Nickoloz Tskitishvili

D'Antoni figures Tskitishvili, who went to Benetton midway through the Italian League season, could add and hold 25 pounds to his current 220-pound frame without losing his quickness.

"He shoots the hell out of it," D'Antoni said. "He's great coming off of picks. He has NBA 3-point range. He can put it on the floor. And he plays hard for a European. He needs a little personality in terms of coming in and trying to dominate instead of being a nice guy."

Tskitishvili's American agent, Marc Fleischer, will put his client's name in the draft but will take it out if he's not certain Tskitishvili will be a top-10 pick. Tskitishvili has a buyout with Benetton after next season for $350,000, but Benetton may allow him to leave after this season for a significantly higher price. "The vibes are that that may be a possibility," Fleischer says.

Another potential problem: The Italian League season doesn't end until June, so it's unlikely that Tskitisvili will be able to come over to the States for workouts. But more than 20 NBA teams have already been or are on their way to Italy to see him.

Meanwhile, D'Antoni -- forced out by ex-coach Dan Issel in Denver three years ago -- is waiting to see if he'll be back in the league next season. "It's fun just working with these kids, because their dream is the NBA," he says. "It's been refreshing. But you miss the NBA, because the NBA is still the best league. It's fun and it's comfortable and these kids are great. But the NBA is the NBA."

Around the league
Doc Rivers reveals that the Magic almost put Grant Hill on the playoff roster, just in case Orlando went on an extended postseason run. "We did give it a thought. Serious thought," Rivers says. "He's 100 percent healthy. But because he hadn't played all year ... I just didn't think it was worth the risk." ... Qyntel Woods, the junior college player expected to be a top-10 pick, will be in Washington, D.C., over the next six weeks working with local hero Adrian Dantley on NBA low-post moves. ... The Commish told a radio station in Orlando last week that he was "already moving toward" bringing another team to Charlotte when the Hornets move. The amount kicked around during this month's Board of Governors meeting, a smart person says, was between $220 and $240 million for an expansion team in Charlotte when and if the topic gains traction.

David Aldridge is an NBA reporter for ESPN.