ESPN NBA Insiders 1/7/03 & 1/6/03 West & East Trade Rumor Specials

빅딜이 일어나려면 좀 일어나든지, 소문만 무성하고 일어나지는 않으니........ 저의 바램은 마이티 마우스가 뉴욕으로, 페니가 포틀로, 스프리가 피닉스로 같으면 하는건데 이루어질지....2월말이 기대됩니다. (내년에 핖의 계약이 끝나면 그가 현재 포틀에서 수행하는 역활을 페니가 그대로 물러받았으면 하는 맘에서 나온 생각입니다. 페니는 역시 1번을 봐야 어울린다고 생각하기에) Tuesday, January 7 Updated 2:19 PM EST West Coast Trade Talk by Chad Ford Send an Email to Chad Ford Also Below: Will the Warriors finally clean house? | Jerry's Big Deal | Will the Clips abandon ship? | Sonics dilemma: Now or Later? | Will Trader Bob strike again? | Peep Show Monday, we broke down five teams in the East that are looking to wheel and deal before the Feb. 20 trade deadline. Now it's time to turn our gaze to the West, where the Warriors, Clippers, Grizzlies, Sonics and Blazers must make some crucial decisions about the future of their franchises. Last season saw several blockbuster trades happen right before the trade deadline. Of course, the prevailing sentiment right now is that teams want to wait to get closer to the Feb. 20 trade deadline before making commitments. But expect to hear a lot of wild stuff over the next six weeks. Insider has been poking around the league for the past week, looking for where the trade action will be this winter. . . Will the Warriors finally clean house? It's tough to be a fan of Garry St. Jean and the Warriors after years of ineptitude, but last summer, the franchise finally got something right. Hiring new head coach Eric Musselman has almost single handily revitalized the franchise. Without any major personnel additions, the Warriors are showing signs of life. Antawn Jamison is rebounding nicely from a woeful campaign last year. Erick Dampier finally is resembling the center the Warriors hoped he'd be when they traded for him six seasons ago. And Gilbert Arenas has developed into a potential star and, more importantly, into a pretty nice point guard. Most of the credit has to go to Musselman, whose combination of unorthodox motivational techniques and tireless effort have inspired a team that was in desperate need of inspiration. The Warriors are no longer the Washington Generals. And, if you're a long suffering Warriors fan, right now that's enough. But Musselman is capable of much more. He was a successful GM in the CBA and has a good feel for what it will take to take this team past respectability into contention. Will St. Jean listen? The Warriors, with their boat load of young talent, could be one of the most active teams at this year's trading deadline if Musselman gets his way. But St. Jean will have to eat a rather large slice of humble pie to make his coach happy. The truth is no one on this team is safe. Jamison is a base-year player, making him almost impossible to move. And Musselman has no desire to move either of his big men, Dampier and Adonal Foyle. Together, they are one of the most lethal shot blocking duos in the league. That's tough to replace. But after that, anyone is fair game, including the team's last two lottery picks, Mike Dunleavy Jr. and Jason Richardson. The problem with Dunleavy is that his style of play doesn't fit the team, and as long as Jamison is around, he isn't going to see much time at his natural position, small forward. Richardson is more complicated. The team still believes that he has wonderful upside, but the more he plays, the more the flaws in his game are exposed. Richardson spends way to much time trying to knock down jumpers on the perimeter. He rarely puts the ball on the floor and doesn't get to the free throw line like the team would like him too. He's a poor man's Vince Carter, but given the state of Carter and the Raptors right now, that's really not saying much. And then there's Arenas. The team loves him but knows it may be difficult to re-sign him this summer. Arenas will be a restricted free agent, and because the Warriors are over the cap, they can only match an offer up to the mid-level exception. If he is offered more, and the Nuggets seem to be hot on his trail, the Warriors will lose him for nothing. Danny Fortson Forward-Center Golden State Warriors Profile 2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 15 3.1 4.3 0.7 .390 .625 Of course, Danny Fortson can be had for a just about anything. Bobby Sura and Chris Mills have relatively cheap contracts if they need to be included for salary-cap reasons. So what can the Warriors do? Priority No. 1 one is finding a home for Fortson. He's racking up DNP's with regularity now. For a guy who was ranked fourth in the NBA in rebounding, he's been very patient. He won't stay that way forever. If the Warriors can't get something done by February, he could start causing a ruckus. With five years remaining on his contract, that's the last thing the Warriors need. The Warriors will have to sweeten the pot to get a deal done for Fortson. Where could he wind up? The Bulls might be willing to part with Jamal Crawford, Marcus Fizer and Eddie Robinson in return for Fortson and Dunleavy. The Sonics need low-post muscle and would consider swapping Calvin Booth straight up for Fortson. The Blazers have shown interest in Fortson as well, though with their recent hot streak, they may be loathe to add another combustible personality to the mix. The Grizzlies could be another potential trading partner. Jerry West coveted Dunleavy during the draft and could be able to piece something together that would send Stromile Swift and Shane Battier to the Warriors in return for Dunleavy and Troy Murphy. Battier fits Musselman's frantic style, and Swift is the type of athletic low-post player the Warriors have been searching for. St. Jean's gamble is paying off Ailene Voisin / Sacramento Bee Dunleavy still holding hope Brad Weinstein / San Francisco Chronicle Jerry's Big Deal Jerry West promised us some big draft-night wheeling and dealing, but when the smoke cleared the Grizzlies had promising rookie Drew Gooden in the fold and a couple of international free agents few had heard of. The additions of Gooden and rookie Gordan Giricek have both proved to be savvy moves, but we expect more from Jerry. Now that he and new coach Hubie Brown have had some time to eval‎uate the talent on this team, will the Grizzlies stumble out of hibernation and get more aggressive as the trade deadline hits? There's very little incentive for the Grizz to under-perform this season. The Pistons will get Memphis' first-round pick unless it happens to be the No. 1 pick in the draft. The Grizzlies do pick up Houston's first-round pick, but the way the Rockets are playing, that probably won't be in the lottery. The Grizzlies are capped out for a couple more years, meaning if they want to make a major jump in the standings, they'll have to do it via trade. There are plenty of candidates. Stromile Swift Forward-Center Memphis Grizzlies Profile 2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 30 8.5 5.2 0.7 .447 .733 Stromile Swift has been on the block since the moment West walked in the door. Despite all the nice stories you keep reading about Jason Williams being Hubie's right-hand man, the Grizzlies would move Williams in a heartbeat. Shane Battier is expendable. Lorenzen Wright is available if they can get another big man in return. And there's even suggestions around the league that Pau Gasol is available if someone is willing to take Williams with him in a package deal. The most talked about potential deal of the summer, Swift for the Magic's Mike Miller, doesn't look like it's going to happen. With Grant Hill day-to-day for the rest of the season, the Magic feel that they can't afford to lose Miller. Swift for Mike Dunleavy makes more sense, but right now the Warriors would want more than just Swift. The floodgates really open if West and Brown decide that Gooden, not Gasol, is their power forward of the future. Gasol is so coveted, one GM told Insider, that West likely would have his pick of any top young prospect in the NBA with the exception of Yao Ming and Amare Stoudemire. Why would the Grizzlies move him if he's so good? The problem is the Grizzlies need help almost everywhere, but their two-most promising players happen to play the same position. Eventually, Gooden may be able to move to small forward (he's struggled there so far) or Gasol may be able to move to center (he'll need to add another 30 pounds). Is West that patient? In six weeks we'll know the answer. J-Will's new way a key to success Ronald Tillery / Memphis Commercial Appeal Will the Clips abandon ship? How high were expectations for the Clippers this season? GM Elgin Baylor had to address the media Monday to explain that coach Alvin Gentry's 12-22 record wasn't enough to get him fired. In any normal Clippers season, 12 victories by Jan. 1st would be considered a coup. But this year is different. The Clippers have as much young talent as any team in the league. They have three all-star-caliber starters and three other players who have that potential. The Clippers came up just short in its bid for the playoffs last season and most experts felt that the addition of point guard Andre Miller would put them over the top. The Clippers' poor play prompted Baylor to address the team Monday. He even went over some videotape with the players to point out what the team is doing wrong. "We brought up certain issues, certain things, that we're not doing as a team," Baylor told the L.A. Daily News. "I think they're basic, fundamental things. There is nothing extraordinary that they have to do. They have to defend the pick-and-roll, block out, a lot of basic things." Isn't that supposed to be Gentry's job? Baylor was quick to dispel rumors that the organization is considering firing Gentry and replacing him with assistant Dennis Johnson. However, he didn't let Gentry off the hook completely. When asked if he was considering any coaching or personnel changes, Baylor responded, "At this point and time, no. We expect to get better." "When you look at your rotation of eight and nine guys, and each game you have three or four guys out, of course it makes a difference," Baylor said. "But I just think we have enough depth to be able to cover for the injuries. That's why we have those players here. We're just not playing well. We're not playing good basketball." While Clippers aren't mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, they will have to go 33-15 the rest of way to finish 45-37 and have a legitimate chance to make the postseason. As talented as this team is, that may be too much to ask. All of this leaves Baylor in a very difficult position. Almost every key player on this team is hitting the free-agent market this summer. Owner Donald Sterling has never forked out the cash to re-sign a top player. Baylor was hoping that a stellar performance this season would convince Sterling it was time to pay up. Now that the Clipps are stumbling, does anyone honestly expect Sterling to start writing $80 million checks to guys like Michael Olowokandi and Miller? If Baylor is lucky, Sterling will pay to keep one or two of these players around. The top candidate to get the cash is Elton Brand, the Clippers' steady center. Ironically, right behind him is the Clippers' most enigmatic player, Lamar Odom. Odom is a Sterling favorite. Baylor feels that he has more talent than anyone on the team. Off-the-court issues and injury problems have limited his effectiveness the past year, but now that Odom's back, it's clear who the floor leader of the team is. If Odom stays healthy and drug free, expect them to do what it takes to keep him around. Andre Miller Point Guard Los Angeles Clippers Profile 2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 33 15.9 3.8 7.6 .416 .781 That leaves Miller, Olowokandi and forward Corey Maggette as the odd men out. In Olowokandi's case, his fate was probably sealed last summer when the two sides couldn't come to terms on a long-term deal. The Kandi man was furious with the Clippers' offers and has sworn that he won't be back. Olowkandi took the Clippers one year tender, meaning that he can't be traded this season. Unless the Clipps can work out a sign-and-trade this summer, he's gone. Miller and Maggette will both be restricted free agents this summer, which makes things a little more interesting. Sterling won't have the money to give them the big contracts they'll likely command. The Clippers could try to orchestrate a sign-and-trade this summer, but it's risky. If Miller or Maggette get an offer sheet, they could bolt and leave the Clippers with nothing. That scenario has led to speculation that Miller and Maggette may be available now. With the strong play of rookie Marko Jaric, Keyon Dooling and the ball handling skills of Odom, some in the organization feel that Miller is expendable. Maggette's game has also blossomed, but he's a man without a position as long as Odom's healthy. Quentin Richardson's name has also come up in recent trade speculation. The question on everyone's mind is not whether Miller and Maggette are available, but will the Clippers actually pull the trigger? The organization has a reputation of dangling players, but never committing to anything. If Baylor can get a promising young big man to replace Olowokandi, he'll more than likely pull the trigger. If he can't, this year's Clippers, like so many teams before them, will never be anything more than a big tease. Baylor: No plans to replace Gentry Joe Stevens / Los Angeles Daily News 'Season in hell' puts Gentry in peril Art Thompson III / Orange County Register Clippers are a sinking ship Mitch Lawrence / New York Daily News Sonics dilemma: Now or Later? The Sonics are stuck in neutral. Whether they hit the gas or throw it in reverse is a question on just about everyone's mind these days. The team was supposed to be in rebuilding mode this season, but strong play by Gary Payton, Rashard Lewis and third-year guard Desmond Mason has them winning games. Enough games, in fact, to qualify for the playoffs. But not enough to make them a serious threat to the top contenders in the West. With Payton getting older, and several of their younger players maturing, Wally Walker and company have a difficult dilemma in front of them. The team is probably a power forward away from being a serious threat in the West. However, if they pull the trigger on a trade in February, the team will lose some much-needed cap flexibility this summer. The dilemma, as does most things in Seattle, centers on the future of Payton. The Sonics decided to ignore Payton's requests for a contract extension this summer, and Payton's agent, Aaron Goodwin, has promised that they'll pay. The team maintains that it wants Payton to retire as a Sonic, but owner Howard Schultz has been wooing free agent Jason Kidd for over a year. If the Sonics are convinced that they can land Kidd, they'd be crazy to do anything now. If they're not (and they shouldn't be), it makes sense for them to start thinking about this year. The Lakers are vulnerable. The Kings and Mavs are great, but they aren't unbeatable. A tough low-post rebounder and defender would solve almost all of the team's problems. And the Sonics wouldn't have to give up much in return. Kenny Anderson Point Guard Seattle SuperSonics Profile 2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 21 3.7 1.9 2.9 .420 .900 The Sonics have the silver bullet when it comes to trade talks. They have Kenny Anderson, a $9 million a year point guard, sitting on the bench. Anderson is in the last year of his contract, making his trade value as high as just about any all-star in the league. Teams like the Heat, Pacers, Bucks, Raptors, T-Wolves, Warriors, Grizzlies and Wizards would bend over backwards to get their hands on him. Not only does Anderson have the ability to help a team in the playoff hunt right now, he almost guarantees that it'll be a player in the hot 2004 free-agent market. Decent low-post veterans like Brian Grant, Lorenzen Wright, Kurt Thomas, Danny Fortson and Antonio Davis or young studs like Kwame Brown, Stromile Swift,and Tim Thomas are there for the taking. All Walker has to do is make up his mind. McMillan stands by roster changes Percy Allen / Seattle Times Will Payton hang around with Sonics? Frank Hughes / Tacoma News Tribune Will Trader Bob strike again? The Blazers are here on reputation alone. Over the next six weeks you'll see the Blazers attached to almost every trade. Why? Paul Allen can afford to make stupid deals and Bob Whitsitt has a history of pulling the trigger before Allen comes to his senses. But, finally, the team is living up to its potential. Rasheed Wallace and Bonzi Wells have emerged as leaders. Players such as Derek Anderson, Dale Davis and Scottie Pippen have accepted their roles. Young players like Zach Randolph and Qyntel Woods are emerging. And even Damon Stoudamire has managed to keep his mouth relatively shut on the end of the bench. Coach Maurice Cheeks said he no longer worries about doling out playing time, a task that had become a chore earlier in the season, when he found himself spending more time calculating who had played how many minutes than coaching the game. "It's not about how hard it is to figure out," Cheeks told the Oregonian. "We have guys who can play, and even the guys who don't play can play. We have found a rhythm and we are sticking with that." Why mess with a good thing? Because that's what Whitsitt does. Damon Stoudamire Point Guard Portland Trail Blazers Profile 2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 21 6.1 2.7 3.0 .331 .700 The Blazers certainly have an excess of talent to move. They'd love to be rid of Stoudamire once and for all. Stoudamire told N.Y. reporters on Sunday that he was still holding out for a trade. "That would be great," Stoudamire told the N.Y. Post. "I would love to play here. New York has always been the Mecca of basketball to me, and if that would happen, I would look forward to that." He's not the only weak link on the team. Jeff McInnis and Antonio Daniels have managed to underwhelm just about everyone. Dale Davis is more trouble than he's worth. And Ruben Patterson is about one more stupid move away from jail time. Do any of those guys have enough juice to spur any type of major trade interest? Hardly. The guys everyone wants, Wallace, Randolph and Wells (he's a base-year player), aren't available. Given Stoudamire's huge contract, McInnis' major ego and Patterson's enormous rap sheet, the Blazers, for once, may just stay pat. In Daniels, Blazers get yet another contributor Jason Quick / Oregonian Stoudamire: Bring Me To NY Mark Hale / New York Post Peep Show Knicks: Forget about the latest report in the New York Daily News claiming that the Knicks are in hot pursuit of Mavs big man Raef LaFrentz. LaFrentz signed a seven-year, $69 million contract last summer, making him a base-year compensation player. For trading purposes, LaFrentz makes $7.2 million this season, but the Mavs can only take back $3.6 million in return. Lakers: Phil Jackson said he's working with GM Mitch Kupchek to see if there's a trade out there that would help the Lakers get more athletic up front. "I've been saying this for as long as I've been a coach," Jackson told the L.A. Times. "At this time of year, you have to be ready to help our ballclub. If we can help ourselves, we'll help ourselves. We feel like we need to be more athletic." Raptors: GM Glen Grunwald said the team isn't contemplating a coaching change or a trade at this time. "Obviously, as a team we're not getting it done," Grunwald told the Toronto Star. "As an organization we're not happy where we're at, we have to identify what the issues are and how we can fix them." The Raptors have lost 11 straight games. Mavs: The Nelsons are at it again. The most cosmopolitan team in the league is on the verge of adding a second Frenchman to the roster. This time it's veteran swingman Antoine Rigaudeau, a 6-foot-7 shooter. Rigaudeau, 31, is technically a free agent, meaning he can sign with any team. The Mavs are working to buyout his contract with Virtus Bologna in Italy. "Having faced him in the Olympics and overseas, he's a 6-7 player with versatile skills, and he can handle the ball," coach Don Nelson told the Dallas Morning News. "I don't think it's any secret that we have great respect for his ability." Rigaudeau is averaging 10.6 ppg on 57 percent shooting in Euroleague play. Rockets: Glen Rice is bumping heads with Steve Francis over the number of shots Rice is getting in the Rockets' offense. "We have great players on our team, and like I've always said, for this team to get to that next level, we have to use each and every individual on this team, because right now we're not that good yet," Rice told the Houston Chronicle. "When we're that good [a legitimate playoff force], then yeah, we can just rely on two or three guys. But right now, we can't." Francis doesn't see it that way. Francis said the last thing the team wants to do is interrupt the flow of the offense by getting bogged down in setting up specific players for a certain number of shots. "You can't do that. I have to make sure everybody gets the ball. ... You just have to analyze the situations, the match ups, and take it from there." Pacers: Coach Isiah Thomas has dropped second-year point guard Jamaal Tinsley out of the starting lineup in favor of veteran Erick Strickland. "It's not about Jamaal, it's about our team," Thomas told the Indianapolis Star. "I just feel we need a little change to get us through this period. Change is not always bad and change is not permanent. . .I like Jamaal Tinsley. I like him a lot. He's good for our basketball team. We can go a long way with him. We'll protect him when he's having a hard time and when he's doing good we'll roll him out there." Sonics: Starting center Predrag Drobnjak will opt out of the final season of his three-year, $1.6 million deal, his agent, David Bauman, confirmed to The News Tribune on Monday. Drobnjak is making $526,000 this year, and is scheduled to make $639,000 next season. "He's definitely opting out," Bauman said. "If he had only one leg that was healthy, he would make more money next year in Europe than he would if he stayed in his current contract. I am certainly planning to send Wally (Walker) and Rick (Sund) a letter in June to let them know that Peja will be opting out of the third year of his contract." Magic: Grant Hill missed his fifth consecutive game Monday night, still struggling through pain in his left ankle. When Hill does come back, there will be a new set of guidelines to try to ensure he can make it through the season. The team will limit him to 20-25 minutes each game. Hill has averaged 30.4 minutes in 26 games this season. "Right now, I do believe we should try and limit his time and use him as a 20-25 minute player," coach Doc Rivers told the Orlando Sentinel. "Even if it stayed at that for the rest of the year, if doing that kept him out on the floor, we'd take it. It's not what we want, but we'd take it." T-Wolves: The team activated Wally Szczerbiak on Monday. "Wally went full-go and felt pretty good. Knock on wood, he might be over the hump as far as the foot [and] the pain," coach Flip Saunders told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Now it's just about getting his wind back." How soon? Don't be surprised if the fourth-year swingman plays this week. He and Saunders consider his status "day to day," and Szczerbiak said Monday: "I'm certainly not ready to play [tonight] or the next day. I want to get some more practices in." Bucks: Toni Kukoc, who has missed 17 games after having surgery on his right thumb, is keeping his fingers crossed that this might finally be the week that he can return to practice. "I'm hoping," Kukoc told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I'm hoping to be close. Somehow, I'm hoping that it will be less stiff so I can practice." Kukoc could be ready to play again as early as Friday. Pistons: Center Zeljko Rebraca will remain on the shelf for at least another week, as the team placed him on the injured list Monday. The move was made to allow Rebraca time to adjust to a third change in medication to help regulate his heartbeat. "What he has is atrial fibrillation, a very common irregular heartbeat," Ben Paolucci, the Pistons' team physician, told the Detroit News. "Not only is it very common, it's compatible with life. You aren't going to die from it. But you may not be able to play basketball, because it leaves you feeling tired and without energy. The primary treatment is medication, but the problem is, for the medication to be effective and alleviate the medical problem, it has a side effect. It makes you drowsy and lethargic." Knicks sizing up LaFrentz for deal Frank Isola / New York Daily News Jackson Sure of a Glaring Problem Tim Brown / Los Angeles Times Grunwald standing pat Doug Smith / Toronto Star Frenchman close to signing on Eddie Sefko / Dallas Morning News Rice wants Rockets to spread out shots Michael Murphy / Houston Chronicle One more big worry for Sonics Frank Hughes / Tacoma News Tribune Lineup shuffle puts Strickland on court Mark Montieth / Indianapolis Star Hill's balky ankle still pain for Magic Jerry Brewer / Orlando Sentinel Wolves activate swingman Szczerbiak Steve Aschburner / Minneapolis Star Tribune The Buck report Tom Enlund / Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Rebraca sits a little longer Chris McCosky / Detroit News The Good, the Bad, the Kitchen Sink By Terry Brown Monday, January 6 Updated 12:20 PM EST Still picking confetti out of my hair wondering if Elton Brand, Ben Wallace, Erick Dampier, P.J. Brown and Zydrunas Ilgauskas (at an average of 397 games under each of their belts) know that they are the only players in the entire league to be grabbing more offensive boards per game than rookie Amare Stoudemire, who celebrated his 34th game Sunday night with six more of them. The Good Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks Week's work: 2-1 record, 29.6 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.3 spg, 2.3 bpg, 4 triples, 47% shooting The only three times all season that Nowitzki didn't get near 20 points and 10 boards was when he tallied a combined 22 points and 13 rebounds against the Nuggets, Clippers and Pistons and the Mavericks ended up winning by a total of 71 points. Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs Week's work: 2-2 record, 31.7 ppg, 13.2 rpg, 4.2 apg, 0.7 spg, 3.7 bpg, 51% shooting Individual numbers are staggering yet Duncan's team was four points on the wrong night from going 1-3 this week and five points on the right nights from going 3-1. You would think, at least hope, that 127 points and 53 rebounds spread out over four games would result in more than two wins. Tracy McGrady, Orlando Magic Week's work: 1-2 record, 34 ppg, 7 rpg, 5.6 apg, 3 spg, 7 triples, 51% shooting We mean this in the most respectful of ways, but the last time T-Mac averaged similar rebound and assist numbers on the year, he played for Toronto and came off the bench. Which shows you what we think about in between his 40-point games. Larry Hughes, Washington Wizards Week's work: 3-1 record, 17.5 ppg, 5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.7 bpg, 3 triples, 49% shooting I know Kobe Bryant would probably slit his wrists on a dull shot clock if he put these numbers up on a bad night. But, then again, the next time Kobe Bryant wins three games in a row this season will be his first. Which only makes you wonder what Brent Barry is going to do once he finds out that Mr. Hughes is now shooting better than him from the field, free throw line and long range. The Bad Brian Grant, Miami Heat Weak work: 2-2 record, 6.2 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 0.2 apg, 1.5 spg, 0 bpg, 44% shooting For a million a month, Riley might expect more than 6.75 shots per game last week from his power forward, which is about 1.7 per quarter (that's not makes, mind you), especially when the team struggles to 86.1 points a night but are giving up only 88. Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs Weak work: 1-2 record, 1.3 ppg, 0.6 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0 spg, 0.3 bpg, 66% shooting Not counting Sunday night's four-point explosion against the Clippers, Baja Magic scored zero points in two minutes against the Knicks on Dec. 30, zero points in one minute against the Wizards on Dec. 31 and zero points in zero minutes against the Warriors on Jan. 3. How do you spell DNP-CD in espanol? Raef LaFrentz, Dallas Mavericks Weak work: 2-1 record, 4.3 ppg, 5 rpg, 0 apg, 0.3 spg, 2 bpg, 0 triples, 33% shooting Don Nelson can grab the 7-footer by the ear and walk him to the dog house all he wants by playing him only 21 minutes per game last week. But on the season, LaFrentz is averaging only 22.3 after getting 29.1 last year with the Mavs and 32.7 in Denver before the trade. Michael Olowokandi, Los Angeles Clippers Weak work: 0-3 record, 9.3 ppg, 10 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.3 spg, 3 bpg, 25% shooting The sad thing is that at the end of the season, he's still going to get a multi-million dollar, multi-year contract based solely on the fact that he is a healthy 7-feet tall of which we have Mr. and Mrs. Olowokandi to solely thank for. The Ugly ... The Indiana Pacers losing to the Washington Wizards by three points in double overtime for their second loss in a row to drop them out of the No. 1 seed in the East . . . or Michael Jordan scoring 41 points for the first time in 343 days in that same game because the guy who was supposed to be guarding him was suspended for three games . . . or the suspended player, Ron Artest, being fined $35,000 by the NBA to go along with the approximately $60,000 he's going to forfeit in lost pay as well as the bill he's going to get from Madison Square Garden for busting up a television monitor and $100,000 high definition camera with $60,000 lens after throwing a tantrum in the first loss . . . Or that he did it in New York, the place where he grew up and starred as a collegiate, against the team that passed him up in the draft for Frederick Weiss . . . The Kitchen Sink RICH MAN, POOR MAN, BEGGAR MAN, STAR Michael Jordan. Michael Davis. Ricky Jordan. Ricky Davis. What's in a name? Last week, Cleveland Cavalier coach John Lucas said that his shooting guard could very well be the next No. 23 if he ate his vegetables, got back on defense, set up teammates and the such. He backtracked a bit this week by saying that Davis could very well be the next poor man's Michael Jordan with little or no mention of lettuce or carrots or celery. Ricky didn't say much. He did, though, average 23.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 2.3 steals this week while drilling six triples. Act surprised if you like, but he's been doing this all year . . . more or less, give or take a rebound or two or an assist here and there. He's the eighth-leading scorer in the entire league and the fourth among shooting guards. Tracy McGrady, first. Kobe Bryant, second. Allen Iverson, third . . . And among those three, Davis averages more rebounds than Iverson, more assists that McGrady and Iverson and more steals than McGrady while making more three-pointers than Bryant. He leads the Cavs in points, assists and steals and is second in three-pointers made and free throws while leading all starters in field goal percentage. He was benched for two games after dressing down a few slacking teammates and, still, no Cavalier has played more minutes than him. Not too bad for a late first-round pick who was traded twice in four years before ever averaging more than 4.6 points per game. Zydrunas Ilgauskus was in Cleveland long before Davis ever was. DaJuan Wagner got a much bigger reception. Dasagana Diop was a lottery pick. Cleveland gave away their best player to get Darius Miles. As one of the worse teams in the NBA, the Cavs may be on pace to win only 17 games this season. But don't blame that on Davis. Or his coach for mixing metaphors, rabbit food and NBA legends. NO FREE LUNCH Once upon a time, the New Orleans Hornets were happy and content with their 19-10 record as their franchise player shot 44 percent from the field (186-416) and 34 percent from long range (53-155) but only 64 percent from the line (40-62). Now, they're 19-15 as Baron Davis has shot 28 percent from the field (26-93) and 26 percent from long range (6-23) in the last five games but has managed to go 11-for-12 from the free throw line for 91 percent in that same span of time. FIRST TEMPTATION Forgive Lamar Odom his New Year's Eve game (when he scored five points on 2 of 10 shooting) and the recently returned small forward is averaging 21 points and nine rebounds per game while shooting 47 percent from the field with four triples in four games. Now what could he possibly have had on his mind that Dec. 31 night to distract him so? THE BEST OFFENSE During their current nine-game win streak, the New Jersey Nets have held their opponents to 84.8 points per game after those very same teams had been averaging 93.9 on the season. HOT AND COLD The Portland Trail Blazers, who have won nine of their last 10 games to go to 20-12 and fourth in Western Conference, are 12-3 when they score 90 or more points in a game. The Toronto Raptors, who have lost their last 10 games to go to 8-26 and second to last in the Eastern Conference, are averaging 88.5 points per game and have gone 2-19 when scoring less than that. DR. JASON AND MR. WILLIAMS In his last 10 games, Jason Williams has averaged 9.7 assists per game as the Grizzlies have gone 6-4. In the 10 games before that, J-Dub averaged 4.7 assists per game as his team went 1-9. THE LITTLE THINGS In his last 15 games, New York Knick shooting guard Allan Houston has totaled a pitiful six steals and one block over 471 minutes. In that same number of games, Golden State Warrior backup point guard Earl Boykins, a full 5-foot-5 after leaving the chiropractor's office, has totaled eight steals and one block over 342 minutes. NET DIFFERENCE Keith Van Horn, former New Jersey scapegoat Current Numbers: 15.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.8 bpg, 27 triples, 46% shooting Richard Jefferson, current New Jersey small forward Current Numbers: 15 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.2 spg, 1 bpg, 5 triples, 52% shooting SLOPPY SECONDS SPECIAL Sacramento Kings (24-9) versus New Jersey Nets (25-9) Thursday, Jan. 9, 2003 Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey, 7 p.m. EST on TNT Since our Christmas Special didn't live up to expectations, maybe a matchup between last season's best regular-season teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences will, considering that both teams could very well end up being this season's best-regular season teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences. THE END "I tell all the guys: 'You can be an ax murderer by day, but if you can play, Flip will find a way to play you, because everybody's job is dependent on you playing. Ax murderer by day, great player by night, you play by night. Average player, ax murderer by day, you don't play - you lose your night job.'" — Timberwolves VP Kevin McHale advising suspended forward Loren Woods not to quit his day job. Tuesday, January 7 Updated 6:53 AM EST East Coast Trade Talk by Chad Ford Send an Email to Chad Ford Also Below: Time to blow up the Hawks? | Bulls play Let's Make a Deal | Wizards face Kwame conundrum | Is George Karl losing it? | Miami feeling the Heat | Peep Show The old year is out. The new year is in. The Hawks, Bulls, Wizards, Bucks and Heat are all worse than anyone could've expected. Panic is starting to set in ... Warm up your hot stoves, ladies and gentlemen. The NBA silly season is about to get under way. Last season saw several blockbuster trades happen right before the trade deadline. Of course, the prevailing sentiment right now is that teams want to wait to get closer to the Feb. 20 trade deadline before making commitments. But expect to hear a lot of wild stuff over the next six weeks. Insider has been poking around the league for the past week, looking for where the trade action will be this winter. Today we'll break down five teams in the East that are looking to make a move before the deadline. Tuesday we'll comb through the Western Conference. Time to blow up the Hawks? Obviously, the Hawks' phone operators don't check out the NBA box scores each morning. Give the Hawks' front office a call and you'll still hear their operators refer to the lowly Hawks as "the playoff-bound Atlanta Hawks." That damn playoff promise (the brain child of ousted coach Lon Kruger) may end up costing just about everyone in Atlanta their jobs. Hawks GM Pete Babcock has been working the phones for weeks trying to figure out how to inject some life into a franchise that's lost 10 of its last 12 games. The Hawks thought they did that when they pulled the trigger last summer for Glenn Robinson. While Robinson has played well, the rest of the team has gone to hell. Theo Ratliff isn't even a shadow of his former self. Shareef Abdur-Rahim plays largely uninspired basketball. Jason Terry has played better at the point this year, but not well enough to keep NBDL upstart Michael Wilks from stealing his job. And Nazr Mohammed has completely disappeared. The dilemma for Babcock is in deciding who goes. The Hawks have a talented team on paper. But on the court, the pieces just aren't fitting. "When you are assembling a puzzle and two pieces don't fit, because either they are bad guys, or they don't buy into what you are doing, or they don't work hard, then it's easier to identify," Babcock told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "In our situation, each individual player -- they're good guys. They're working hard. They're doing the extra things. They take the program seriously. But when you put the pieces together, it's like they don't have faith in each other. They don't quite believe in each other yet. "That's the job of this staff, to get them believe. If they can't, then you've got to reassemble the puzzle. You've got to change the pieces to get that mix that believes in one other, because this is a team sport." Jason Terry Guard Atlanta Hawks Profile 2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 32 16.8 3.2 7.5 .397 .900 Insider reported on Friday that Terry would be the Hawks' primary trade target for several reasons. First, his contract, (1 year, $2.15 million) makes him easy to deal. The two sides were unable to come to terms on a contract extension this fall, meaning he'll be a restricted free agent this summer. A team would basically get four months to audition Terry, and then have the inside track on resigning him. Second, despite public pronouncements to the contrary, the Hawks still aren't convinced that Terry is a point guard in the pros. Despite his better assist numbers this season, one of interim coach Terry Stotts' first moves was to move Terry back to two guard and bring in NBDL point guard Mike Wilks. With rookie Dan Dickau waiting in the wings, the Hawks will be better off trying to land a bigger, more versatile two guard in return for Terry. Rumors this weekend had the Heat (dangling Eddie Jones) and Blazers interested in Terry. While Babcock denied on Sunday that they were shopping Terry, he didn't rule out the possibility of trading him. "No question, we're talking," Babcock said. "Anything that makes us a better team now and for the future and makes sense financially will be considered and is being considered. But I can tell you that we do not feel that we have to move certain players. "And certainly Jason is not being shopped." Hawks are getting nowhere Michael Lee / Atlanta Journal-Constitution Not seeking Terry trade, Hawks claim Jeffrey Denberg / Atlanta Journal-Constitution Bulls play Let's Make a Deal The Bulls pulled off the biggest mid-season trade of 2002 last February when they dealt Ron Artest, Brad Miller and Ron Mercer to the Pacers in return for Jalen Rose and Travis Best. The move pushed the Pacers into the playoffs last season and on top of the Central Division this year. The Bulls, meanwhile, continue to struggle. By now you know that the Bulls play like a bad soap. Jamal Crawford keeps his bags packed by the door. Marcus Fizer spends his time on the road flipping through the want ads. Eddy Curry is the official playing time keeper of the team. Eddie Robinson wants the go-to role he was promised when he signed as a free agent last summer. Jay Williams stashes the ball under his pillow every night. Rose sneaks through Williams' window and steals it while the rookie is sleeping. Pretty standard stuff actually. Jamal Crawford Point Guard Chicago Bulls Profile 2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 31 6.6 1.8 3.0 .376 .750 The latest rumor picking up steam, reported on Insider on Thursday, has the Cavs and Bulls talking about a Crawford-for-Darius Miles swap. The trade would likely include another player like Fizer and/or a Bulls protected first-round draft pick. The Chicago Sun Times was the latest to report it on Saturday. What's interesting about it is that it would give the Bulls an all-high school front line: Miles, Curry and Tyson Chandler. Whether that makes them better or worse is a question I think you already know the answer to. Crawford, as we mentioned, isn't the only on who can be moved. There is a growing interest around the league in Fizer. He's not going to net an all-star in return, but several GMs told me over the weekend that they're seriously considering making a bid. Despite his lack of size and rebounding, he's tough and can score in the low post, two rare commodities these days. Rose is also available, though his $12 million a year price tag will scare just about everyone away. GM Jerry Krause is ready to trade Robinson for a season pass to the local all-you-can eat pizza buffet. And the latest, courtesy of Bulls assistant GM and Chicago Tribune writer Sam Smith, has the team dangling Curry and Crawford to the Wizards for Kwame Brown. Will two wrongs make a right? Smoking out trade winds Roman Modrowski / Chicago Sun-Times Bulls can put smile on Curry's face: Deal him Sam Smith / Chicago Tribune Wizards face Kwame conundrum Here comes Mr. Jordan. A three-game win streak and a 41-point night for Michael Jordan have the Wizards talking playoffs again. Their closest competition for the eighth playoff seed, the Bucks and the Hawks, are both floundering. So forget for a second that the Wizards have no point guard and absolutely no low-post presence. Jordan and Jerry Stackhouse, barring an injury, should be enough to push the Wizards into the door. Of course, Jordan isn't pushing that 40-year-old body every night to have that same door slammed in his face in the first round. Kwame Brown Forward-Center Washington Wizards Profile 2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 32 7.8 5.8 0.8 .453 .744 But the Wizards aren't going anywhere in April and May without biting the bullet and making a move for either a legitimate point guard or, more important, some low-post muscle. The problem for Jordan is that to win now, the price will be the future. Kwame Brown, despite all of his flaws, is still the Wizards' most valuable asset. You have to be 30 years old before GMs will quit talking about your upside. Right now Kwame, who turns 21 in March, has as much trade value as almost any young player in the league. How much? Could Jordan steal away a top-notch veteran and make one last run at the playoffs? The question surely haunts him and the franchise. Forget about Jordan's promise, last fall, that he was there to help the young kids develop. Most of those young kids are wearing different uniforms now, replaced by veteran mercenaries looking for playoff bonuses. If Jordan's title drive comes up empty, the Wizards will pay a terrible price. Kwame, Jared Jeffries and Larry Hughes won't be enough to carry this team into the next century. What could the Wizards get for Kwame? The Chicago Tribune's Sam Smith suggested Jamal Crawford and Eddy Curry. It's doubtful that either of those players would help Jordan in his playoff run. There's talk the Grizzlies are willing to part with Pau Gasol if any team is also willing to take Jason Williams (and his six-year contract) off their hands. Given Williams' base-year compensation status, doing any deal this year would be tough, but not impossible. Given Donald Sterling's thrifty ways, there's always a chance that Andre Miller or Elton Brand might be available once Elgin Baylor moves out of denial and realizes that Sterling is never going to fork over the cash to keep together a team that can't even crack the playoffs. The Wizards could lessen the long-term blow by trying to package Etan Thomas and Brendan Haywood, but in the end, would it really change anything in Washington? Jordan's Number Is Not Up Yet Steve Wyche / Washington Post Wizards' Brown Sees Red Steve Wyche / Washington Post Is George Karl losing it? There are no temper tantrums. No outrageous comments after a tough loss. The dog house sits vacant two months into the season. The Bucks are 13-19 and George Karl says he's feeling groovy. What's wrong with this picture? "For me, this has been a great year," Karl told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Sunday. "Maybe it hasn't been my best year basketball-wise, but personally, I'm great with my family and my off-the-court life. I've had more support and more strength there than I've probably had in my life." OK. Karl promised last season that he learned his lesson after some comments that he made about his three star players — Glenn Robinson, Ray Allen and Sam Cassell — backfired. But this is ridiculous. Karl, always one of the most outspoken coaches in the business when his team is winning, won't really say a word about the Bucks' woes. The team expected big things from Tim Thomas this year and hasn't gotten much. Ditto for third-year big man Joel Przybilla. Allen is nursing a nagging ankle injury and Anthony Mason may go down as one of the worst free-agent signings ever. The Bucks are in disarray. The Bucks' window of opportunity to make a serious run at an NBA title seems to have passed them by. Is it time to start selling off the assets and rebuild? Ray Allen Shooting Guard Milwaukee Bucks Profile 2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 26 22.3 4.1 3.2 .446 .907 Only GM Ernie Grunfeld knows the answer to that, but if you watch what he did last summer, you get the idea that the Bucks are headed in a different direction. The team has three rookies on the roster — two of them playing prominent roles. Third-year guard Michael Redd is also making his mark. Is a youth movement in the works? It may be. Allen, the team's best player, happens to play the same position as Redd, the team's second-best player. Cassell has kept his mouth shut, but recent comments made to the Salt Lake Tribune make it pretty clear that he doesn't believe the Bucks have it anymore. Thomas is available to the highest bidder, and, of course, Mason can be had. But the big question mark is Allen. While the team would certainly prefer to parlay Thomas or Cassell into the missing piece, Allen may be the only guy with enough trade value to get a big piece in return. Reports out of Milwaukee have the superstar fighting with his coach again. Sooner or later, one of them will probably have to go. Believe it or not, Karl feels fine Tom Enlund / Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Cassell Knows What's Needed for Title Phil Miller / Salt Lake Tribune Miami feeling the Heat Pat Riley was quick to shoot down this weekend's rumor that had the Heat talking to the Hawks about Jason Terry. "Bulls---. That's all I'm going to say. It's absolute bulls---," Riley told the Sun Sentinel on Sunday. "You can quote me on that." Brian Grant Forward-Center Miami Heat Profile 2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 33 10.0 11.2 1.3 .516 .756 But that doesn't mean that Riles isn't desperately trying to get something done before the February deadline. The Heat, right now, are slated to be about eight or nine million under the salary cap this summer. Miami has been trying to put a deal together for either Eddie Jones or Brian Grant to get further under the cap. Eight or nine million is nice. But it won't be enough to lure the top free agents like Tim Duncan, Jason Kidd and Michael Olowokandi. While Riley knows the Heat will have to take back similar salaries for both players, he's hoping to get at least one player at the end of his deal to help get them around twelve million under the cap. Terry would've fit that bill. The Mavs, Sonics, Knicks and Blazers have all shown interest in Grant in the past. The Bulls and possibly the Hawks are intrigued by Jones. Riley, however, won't pull the trigger on any deal unless he gets young talent or immediate cap room in return. In this market, that's not an easy proposition. The most prominent rumor making the rounds in front offices around the league has the Heat and Sonics talking about a swap that would send Grant and Anthony Carter to the Sonics in return for Kenny Anderson (in the last year of his contract) and Calvin Booth. Sources inside both clubs would not confirm‎ the talks to Insider. The Sonics don't really miss Vin Baker, but they do miss having a tough defender in the paint. Grant, one of the all-time NBA nice guys, would fit in perfectly into the Sonics system. Carter only has one year remaining on his deal after this season, and would provide backup for the Sonics should Payton come up lame. The Heat, by pulling the trigger on the deal, would clear an additional nine million off the books for this summer. The only downside for the Sonics at this point, is the loss of flexibility. If the team keeps Anderson, they'll clear the nine million off their books and be in a position to make a run at a top free agent like Kidd of Elton Brand. However, if the plan is to re-sign Payton anyway, why bother. He's use up any additional cap room the team would have anyway. Riley: No Hawks talks Harvey Fialkov / South Florida Sun-Sentinel Peep Show Blazers, Knicks: Point guard Damon Stoudamire, who's buried at the end of the bench in Portland, is praying that the Knicks come and rescue him. "I would love to play here," Stoudamire told the N.Y. Post. "New York has always been the Mecca of basketball to me, and if that would happen, I would look forward to that." During a break in Sunday night's Blazers-Knicks action, fans behind the Portland bench began begging for Stoudamire to get traded to the Knicks. "I'll stay in your dog house to get here," Stoudamire reportedly said. Stoudamire told the Oregonian this weekend that he believes his benching is a directive from the office of team president Bob Whitsitt, not coach Maurice Cheeks. Clippers: The team, in the midst of a six-game slide, says the finger needs to be pointed at the players, not the coach. "You can't blame the coach," Corey Maggette told the L.A. Times. "Everybody always blames the coach, but we [the players] have to take responsibility. Of course they'll come down on the coach. He's the coach. But it's our fault we're not hitting our shots. He can't go out there and shoot them for us." The Clippers rank 26th in the league in three-point shooting percentage at just 31.8 percent from the field. Magic: Grant Hill is expected to play tonight after missing the past four games to calm the tendinitis in his left ankle, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Hill has not played since exiting four minutes into a game in Memphis on Dec. 27. That's the good news. The bad news is that until the Magic get a good low-post player, the team will struggle to stay above .500. "The team we have is a good team when we're playing defense, knocking down shots," guard Tracy McGrady said. "But we need somebody to give us a presence in the post. With Grant out, I'm probably our only post player. We need someone in the post, making it tough on other bigs, getting guys in foul trouble." T-Wolves: It looks like agent Bill Duffy made the right decision when he told center Rasho Nesterovic to turn down the Wolves' contract offer last summer and instead take their one-year tender. Nesterovic is having a career year and should be able to cash in big time this summer. "Name better centers in the East who are playing right now," Wolves coach Flip Saunders told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "He's become much more consistent. He's playing with a lot more confidence. That's attributed to, one, that the players and staff have a lot more confidence in him. He's a year older. Offensively, some of the things we're doing, he gets more opportunities. And not having Wally [healthy] allows him to be more of a focal point. You put all those things together, and he's shown good production." Pacers: The team is learning the hard way that the road isn't always easy when you have a second-year point guard running the team. Jamaal Tinsley's play has been erratic this season. He's shooting under 40 percent from the field and several costly turnovers at the end of games have the Pacers frustrated. "It's an issue," coach Isiah Thomas told the Indianapolis Star. "If there's one thing he needs to correct in his game -- and I'd say it's the only thing he needs to correct -- he has to take care of the basketball. When he wants to, when he does, we're a really tough team to beat." Celtics: The team made its highly anticipated signing on Sunday -- former Pistons center Mikki Moore. Moore, who has been dominated his fellow minor leaguers down in the NBDL, was the Celtics' second choice. "We had a desire to bring in Grant Long, but Grant has a broken hand, so we are not going to sign a player with a broken hand," coach Jim O'Brien told the Boston Globe. "He's coming in to have our medical people examine the break and give us the best understanding as to when [he'll] be ready to play. We are in a situation where if Mikki Moore is the guy, then there will be no Grant Long. If Grant Long is able to play 20 days from now, and we don't think that what Mikki is giving us is [good enough], then we'll look at our options and they may or may not include Grant. My hope is that we don't have to be in a position to sign Grant, that Moore will be everything that we want, that he will be the guy that will be our 13th man. If Long was healthy, he would be coming in right now, but he's not, so we're bringing in the next-best thing." Nuggets: Coach Jeff Bzdelik believes that Rodney White is starting to live up to his potential. White had 18 points and eight rebounds Saturday night against the Kings. "I've been pretty tough on Rodney, and he's responded," Bzdelik told the Rocky Mountain News. "He really had his every level high [against the Kings], although I'd like to see him give up the basketball more. . . . He responded with eight rebounds. Earlier in the year, I had made some reference in that he played 30 minutes and had no rebounds. His energy level is getting better and he's trying to do the right thing." Cavs: Rookie point Smush Parker got some good news on Sunday. The team informed him that it would be keeping him on for the rest of the season. "He's going to have lapses because he's a rookie but he's really trying to grow into a professional," assistant coach Jerry Eaves told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "The only way to learn is from experience and the only way for rookies to gain that is from playing. And he's done well at times." Stoudamire: Bring Me To NY Mark Hale / New York Post Stoudamire claims benching is not Cheeks' decision Jason Quick / The Oregonian Players: Gentry Is Not to Blame Elliott Teaford / Los Angeles Times Magic still struggling with the terrible truth Jerry Brewer / Orlando Sentinel A pivotal year for Nesterovic and Wolves Steve Aschburner / Minneapolis Star Tribune Pacers need Tinsley's full attention Mark Montieth / Indianapolis Star With signing, Celtics will have Moore to work with Shira Springer / Boston Globe Bzdelik has White's ear, hope for future Chris Tomasson / Rocky Mountain News Parker's contract worry disappears Branson Wright / Cleveland Plain Dealer