Kidd to Nets: Scott must go
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Thursday, July 10
Updated: July 10
8:47 AM ET
The New York Post is reporting that Jason Kidd has given the New Jersey Nets the mother of all ultimatums.
Either head coach Byron Scott goes or he goes.
"Jason expressed concerns, ranging from team personnel, to life after basketball to the current coaching situation," said an unnamed source to the Post. "This has been brewing for some time."
For his part, Scott said he was shocked and refused to acknowledge any rift between him and his star player. He immediately sent his agent, Tim McInerney, to talk to Kidd's agent, Jeff Schwartz.
"I talked to Jeff Schwartz frequently and we both believe that whatever is decided should be decided in a professional manner and not in a public debate," McInerney said. "I doubt the validity of this meeting without an official comment from Rod Thorn. These releases harm the franchise, harm the players, harm players' families. Everything should only be released through Rod Thorn."
Rumors of the rift between Scott and Kidd surfaced shortly after the San Antonio Spurs defeated the Nets in the NBA Finals, with Kidd reportedly saying that his son T.J. could have done a better job of coaching.
This week, Kidd was in San Antonio discussing a free-agent deal that would put him on the Spurs roster and leave the Nets without their franchise player.
Gilbert Arenas, who?
Lon Babby, the agent for restricted free agent point guard Andre Miller, is saying that it is his client who the Denver Nuggets really want and not the Golden State Warriors' Gilbert Arenas.
"We certainly came away with the idea that (Miller) is someone they are very anxious to have here," Babby said in the Denver Post. "Obviously, that makes an impression. We had a chance to look around the city, and it was a very impressive trip. But he promised himself that he wouldn't make relative judgments until he visits all the places. . . I won't get into the financial point, but it's obvious they want him here. He just has to decide. He has to go through the process. I wouldn't imagine if he decided to come to Denver that working out a financial deal would be an issue."
Miller, who played collegiately in Utah and for the Clippers last season, still has a scheduled visit with the Jazz, his agent saying he will take as much time as he needs to make a decision.
Mulling over Mourning
The Dallas Mavericks and New Jersey Nets seem to be in a tug of war over Alonzo Mourning and it's left Miami Heat coach Pat Riley stuck in the middle with little more than $1.5 million to offer his free-agent center despite having $11 million in cap space.
"There are five guys I really have targeted [and] I don't believe I'm going to get any of them," Riley said in the Miami Herald. "I'm not saying the next level is mediocre, but I'm not sure it's going to be the right player that's going to get us over the top. . . . We'll have to make some decisions, or we'll just preserve the [cap] room."
Meanwhile, both the Mavs and Nets are reportedly offering Mourning four- year deals worth $22.5 million.
"I want to win and Jason wants to win," Mourning is quoted in the Herald. "Who wouldn't want to play with Jason Kidd?"
He also had some nice things to say about Dallas.
"You know Mark (Cuban's) swagger," Mourning said in the Ft. Worth Star Telegram. "He wants to win at any cost, so that's what he's about. He's going to do what it takes to make that a winning franchise. You've got to respect him for that, because he's dedicated in doing it. He has the ability to do that."
But even with that, Mourning still hasn't made up his mind.
"Obviously I want to be paid for my services, but it's not just about the money," Mourning said. "It's about winning, trying to get to the Finals and having an opportunity to win. I want to be here, but I understand Riles has to make the right decision for this franchise. He's already explained to me that he has to rebuild, and I told him I want to win . . . I understand my value and what I bring to the game, and I know that a lot of teams are trying to get to that championship level and they're a piece or two away from doing it. I'm still trying to filter some things through my overall decision-making and hope that I do make the right one for the future."
Newble to the Bulls?
Ira Newble isn't sure if he'll be playing for the Atlanta Hawks, his current team, or the Chicago Bulls next season, but either way, it could be under coach Terry Stotts.
The free agent was in Chicago this week to discuss a deal that would pay him about $1.8 million this season while the Bulls also try to sign small forward Scottie Pippen to the $4.8 million mid-level exception. Of course, other teams are looking at Newble, which could drive his price up, but he seems to be already looking forward to the Windy City.
"I can bring toughness, energy and I'm a defensive-minded player," Newble said to the Chicago Tribune."If they double-team Eddy Curry, who will demand a lot of attention now, I can score too."
The only difference, though, could be the job title of Stotts. Currently, he is officially the head coach of the Atlanta Hawks. But with ownership of the franchise up in the air, he was in Chicago and actually bumped into Newble while interviewing for an assistant coach's position with Bulls GM John Paxson.
"There's real chaos down there right now," Newble said in the same article. "It's confusing. That is the team I played with the past two years and I would like to be there too. But the situation doesn't seem too positive. They may want me, but their hands might be tied with the ownership."
Byron Goes, Or I Go!
Fred Kerber / New York Post
Miller has Denver job offer, agent says
Marc J. Spears / Denver Post
Riley meets with Zo, holding off on other free agents
Stephen F. Holder / Miami Herald
Alonzo coming to Mavs?
Dwain Price / Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Bulls woo journeyman Newble
K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune
O'Neal prefers easy East over wild West
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Thursday, July 10
Updated: July 10
9:07 AM ET
The Indiana Pacers gave Jermaine O'Neal 120 million reasons to forget about far away places like San Antonio, Miami and Denver, but it doesn't take too much of a reach to think that only three little letters may have been just as persuasive.
M. V. P.
O'Neal
"I admire Tim Duncan, because he put on his hard hat and said, 'I'm going to stick it out,'" O'Neal told the Indianapolis Star. "He was dedicated to one team and to winning a championship. Now he has two. That's what makes the really good players great. That was the difference. I said, OK, it would be easy for me to run to a team. Me and Tim Duncan could be an unbelievable partnership for years to come. It was a tough decision, but when it came down to it my love for my city and my team was more important than chasing a championship with another team."
And let's not forget that Duncan also has two MVP trophies to go along with his two titles.
In 2000, Jason Kidd averaged 14.3 points, 7.2 rebounds, 10.1 assists and two spg on 40 percent shooting.
In 2002, Kidd averaged 14.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 9.9 assists and 2.1 steals on 39 percent shooting.
Now, we can split hairs all day and run a lot more quotes out of the local paper on how O'Neal made his decision to stay in Indiana based on honor, respect, loyalty and in doing his best to do his duty to God and to Country.
But the reason Kidd went from 2000 all-star to 2002 almost MVP (he came in second that year to Duncan) had nothing to do with Kidd and everything to do with Phoenix and New Jersey. His points, rebounds, assists, steals and shooting percentages were nearly identical. But in the Western Conference, he was just another good player on just another good team in a great conference. After the trade that sent him to New Jersey after the 2001 season, he became the best player on the best team in a less-than-good conference.
The pond got smaller and, all of a sudden, the fish looked bigger.
O'Neal knew that Kidd might end up in San Antonio. He knows Alonzo Mourning might end up in Dallas. If things go right, Antoine Walker is traded out of Boston, Kenyon Martin gets his fill of New Jersey and P.J. Brown ditches New Orleans. Then, all O'Neal has to worry about is an undersized power forward who is content to grab 10 times as many rebounds as points in Detroit and, before you know it, the Pacers are in the Finals and he's on the MVP ballot.
Who's going to stop him in the paint?
Shareef Abdur-Rahim in Atlanta? Kenny Thomas in Philly?
At least Kidd had to compete with Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady in backcourt voting every all-star weekend. O'Neal has no peer in the paint in the Eastern Conference unless you're counting the ever-brittle Zydrunas Ilgauskas in Cleveland.
Which gives us, and him, at least 10 other reasons to stay in Indiana.
Here they are in no particular order: Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett, Elton Brand, Yao Ming, Pau Gasol, Chris Webber, Rasheed Wallace, Amare Stoudemire, Antawn Jamison and possibly, Michael Olowokandi, Karl Malone and Alonzo Mourning.
Only six or seven or maybe even eight of those 13 players are going to make the all-star team next season. Only two of them are going to start in that game. And only one of them is going to the NBA Finals.
Ooops.
Did we forget to mention the other O'Neal?
Shaquille O'Neal.
When he won his only MVP trophy in 2000, Shaq averaged 29.7 points per game. The following season, his scoring went down to 28.7. In the last two seasons, he's averaged 27 points per game. Also during that MVP season, he averaged 13.6 rebounds per game. Since then, his average has fallen to as low as 10.7.
This year, he's older, perhaps even heavier, and may be surrounded by two Hall of Famers not counting Kobe Bryant.
His numbers aren't getting any better.
On the other hand, Jermaine O'Neal went from Portland to Indiana three years ago and in less than one summer, went from averaging 3.9 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game as a Blazer to averaging 12.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game as a Pacer.
He was voted the league's Most Improved Player the following season.
In his three years in Indiana, his scoring has gone from 12.9 ppg to 19.0 to 20.8. His shooting percentage has gone from 46 percent to 47 to 48.
Do the math.
His numbers are getting better.
This is the season in which, statistically speaking and all things considered, he becomes the pre-eminent O'Neal. The pre-eminent big man. If all things work out, the pre-eminent player in the NBA in the not too distant future.
But don't believe me. Ask San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.
"He said he would have loved for me to play for him, but he agreed that what I'm trying to do for my career, I'm better off with Indiana," O'Neal said in the Star. "He thinks I have the capability of doing what Tim Duncan has done."
In another article on Jermaine O'Neal in the very same paper, get used to this, he talks, again, of truth, liberty and being able to assume control of an entire NBA Franchise . . . the American way.
"I'm not at that level, but that's something Isiah did, Michael Jordan, and talking to (Spurs coach) Gregg Popovich, that's something Tim Duncan has always done," O'Neal said. "I didn't know how to do that until after Game 6, and a lot of that was out of anger. I should be able to go to them (management) when I'm not angry . . . The important thing is, we have to get to a point where we have guys you don't need to talk to about doing their jobs in the playoffs. Why should they play here? They're not only being selfish to the team, but to the city and the organization. People pay good money to watch us play. I just can't accept losing again in the first round."
And, if he ever really needed one more reason, as an Indiana Pacer, Jermaine O'Neal may never have to worry about losing in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs ever again.
True to his team
Mark Montieth / Indianapolis Star
Pacers get their man -- and Reggie's successor
Bob Kravitz / Indianapolis Star