| Thursday, January 6
By Mitch Lawrence
Special to ESPN.com |
|
NEW YORK -- Charles Barkley isn't the only good guy who will retire
without winning a championship.
|  | | Derek Harper made a good name for himself as a steady NBA point guard. |
Derek Harper, in limbo since his trade
to Detroit from the Lakers, also will go out without a ring. The classy
Harper had a few interesting observations about the league as he bowed
out after 16 seasons:
On the Kobe Bryant-Michael Jordan comparison: "Kobe could turn out to be
that player, I'm serious. Being around Kobe last year and seeing how he
works on his game, he has a great chance. Besides having all that
talent, he's always picking your brain and looking for an edge. All he
needs is to learn how to help his team win. I'll go out on a limb and
say that when it's over, he'll be one of the greatest players ever to
play."
On the state of the NBA: "What bothers me is that there are all these
supposed stars, and they're all paid like stars, but they don't come
through. You look at the problem with the shooting in the league, and
because of the money guys make now, there's no urgency to get better. I
don't know how much guys love the game, if they're willing to take 400
or 500 shots a day. When I came in, I was making only $150,000 as a
rookie. Now, with guys making so much more, you have to wonder if
anybody wants to get better."
Harper expects to land in Dallas' front office by next season, but
eventually might try his hand at coaching.
Rim Shots I
Look for Clips to definitely deal Maurice Taylor by the Feb. 24 trading deadline. While Chris Ford is getting Taylor all the shots he
wants, in an effort to keep him happy and in L.A., Taylor's agent, David
Falk, is busy trying to get his client out of Clipper-land. Falk's
latest strategy, according to one Eastern Conference GM, is to promise he'll
deliver Taylor, free this summer, or Larry Hughes, way down the road, if
you trade for Glen Rice.
Another GM viewed that promise with a heavy
dose of skepticism: "I wouldn't trust Falk as far as I could throw him.
He could always go back on his word." Buyer beware: While Taylor has
proven he can score, he's one of the worst rebounders at his position in
the league. Whatever team gets him, it had better have a good board man
at the other forward spot.
Speaking of Rice, Pat Riley is still
reluctant to part with P.J. Brown because Brown always has to cover the
opponent's top big man. As much pub as Riley has gotten for juicing up
his offense this season, he still thinks defense first.
We can
definitely see the Knicks making a run at Howard Eisley, a free agent
this summer. Some Utah voices think that the Jazz, burned by Shandon
Anderson's defection to the Rockets, would be willing to trade Eisley
this winter, rather than lose him without getting anything in return. In
the meantime, the Jazz are very disappointed in Pete Chilcutt and want another
shooter, so they're talking to the Pacers about Chris Mullin.
They also know
they don't match up with the elite teams in the West size-wise up
front, so they're talking about getting Detlef Schrempf to help on the
boards. Their interest in Schrempf is a waste of time. There's no way
that Portland gives up on a player they signed only last summer, and the
Blazers certainly aren't going to help their conference rivals.
One
of Pacer assistant coach Rick Carlisle's primary responsibilities is
working with young players, namely Al Harrington, Jonathan Bender and
Austin Croshere. That's why if you're wondering who succeeds Larry Bird,
Carlisle heads the list.
Rim Shots II
Prediction: Despite rumors about him resurfacing with next
season's Nets, P.J. Carlesimo has coached his last NBA team. It's not
just his record. He still can't explain why he screams at players.
I
know Magic Johnson played in only 190 games (three seasons) in the
'90's. But if you're gonna pick the top point guards of the decade, as
the NBA asked its fans to do recently, he still has to make the list.
Ridiculously, he didn't even place among the top five. Has everyone
forgotten that he was only 32 when he was forced into HIV exile?
Troubles in Clipperland: Besides a series of unexcused absences from
practices, involving Michael Olowokandi, Derek Anderson and Lamar Odom,
Maurice Taylor has been sniping at Olowokandi about not playing defense.
Clips have been shopping Olowokandi, which is amazing considering his
only other year in the league came during the lockout. Regardless, Chicago
and Milwaukee have talked to the Clips about the former No.1 overall pick.
The Pacers are thinking this season is definitely it for Rik Smits.
Wally Szczerbiak has replac'ed Terrell Brandon in the Timberwolves' doghouse. Team doctors think the rookie can play, despite having a sore knee. Word is, the club wasn't too thrilled when he went for a second opinion, at his agent, Gary Wichard's, suggestion, and that he was told he needed to rest.
Several pro scouts are already predicting that Missouri prep star Darius
Miles, drawing comparisons to Lamar Odom, won't be academically eligible
to play at St. John's, forcing him to make an early jump right to the pros.
"If he'd go to college, he'd definitely be a lottery pick," said one
Eastern Conference GM, whose team has scouted Miles.
What a surprise:
Celtics in market for point guard. "Every time you talk to Boston, Kenny
Anderson is the reason when anything goes wrong," said an Atlantic
Division executive. The Celtics have been looking for a big point guard as a
backup, too.
CBA commish Isiah Thomas' new dress code is not going over
big with players, especially after Thomas slashed salaries for top
rookies and instituted salary-slotting for all players.
Mitch Lawrence, who covers the NBA for the New York Daily News, writes a regular NBA column for ESPN.com. |  |
Lawrence: Carter's just taking his time
