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THE AMICO REPORT newsletter

Today, I’ve decided to write about a couple of teams I haven’t been writing about much.

Of course, if you've seen the teams I‘m writing about -- the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors -- you’ll probably understand why I haven’t been writing about them. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like ’em.

Let‘s start with the Hawks:

• I admire how Antoine Walker has continued to play hard in a no-win situation. Walker remains one of the top two or three passing forwards in the game, and continues to do an underrated job of handling the ball and rebounding.

• Mostly, Walker reportedly has become a strong locker room presence and right-hand man for first-year Hawks coach Mike Woodson.

• Have you noticed that Walker no longer does his little shiver dance after making a 3-pointer?

• I guess the better question is, have you noticed the Hawks at all this season?

• If not, just know that the frontcourt of Walker and power forward Al Harrington are two good building blocks. I also like Woodson and his relaxed, patient approach.

• Woodson owns a championship ring, something he won as an assistant under Larry Brown in Detroit last season. Like Brown, Woodson believes in shutting down the opponent first, asking questions later.

• If Woodson can convince Walker and Harrington to even pretend to play defense on every other possession, he’s really accomplished something.

• Like so many young NBA players, Harrington also needs to learn that numbers don’t make a man. By that, I mean scoring lots of points and pulling down tons of rebounds isn’t enough. If you want to be great, you gotta be clutch. But believe me, this kid has remarkable ability.

• I’ve always had a take-him-or-leave-him attitude toward point guard Kenny Anderson, but now that he’s old and coming off the bench for a bad team, I absolutely love him. Maybe that’s because I’m my rec league’s version of Anderson. At any rate, the Hawks seem to like having him around too -- as Anderson is said to be very helpful in tutoring rookie find Royal Ivey.

• Rookie swingmen Josh Childress and Josh Smith should be good players in this league for a long time. Both are exceptional athletes with winning attitudes. And by all indications, neither is afraid of working hard to improve his game.

• Nothing against Jason Collier or Ivey and Anderson, but it’s clear that the Hawks need an upgrade at center and point guard -- which just happen to be the two most important positions.

• Finally, at the rate things are going, look for the Hawks to wind up with a top three draft pick. Rumors are already flying that they will use it as trade bait to obtain Detroit guard Richard Hamilton. That’s especially true if Brown leaves and the Pistons fail to repeat.

On to the Warriors

• I love Jason Richardson. I love Troy Murphy. I love Derek Fisher. I’m just not sure they should all be playing for the same team.

• But there is hope, Golden State fans. This team is far from a finished product. I know, you’ve been hearing that for years -- and it’s probably hard to believe the Warriors aren’t cursed when you see how Larry Hughes, Antawn Jamison and Gilbert Arenas are having tons of fun in Washington. But the decision to get rid of those guys was NOT made by Chris Mullin, who’s in his first year running the team.

• I’m not trying to convince you that the Warriors are on their way to hanging another championship banner. They might not even make the playoffs for another five years. But there are some pieces in place. Mullin just has to decide which pieces to keep and which to discard.

• In that sense, I don’t envy him.

• If it sounds like I’m being wishy-washy and not really making a point … well, welcome to my newsletter. Actually, welcome to Warriors basketball, as only Richardson has played with any type of consistency this season. And even that’s iffy.

• I’m still not completely sold on Mike Montgomery as coach, although he’s already having more success than I predicted. Still, I’ll never understand the logic behind letting Eric Musselman go. The players didn’t always like it, but he pushed them to get better.

• There’s a reason I haven’t mentioned Mike Dunleavy yet. It’s because he drives me insane. I like Dunleavy and he has nice potential, but when is the unpredictability ever going to end? What bothers me most about Dunleavy is he seems to play scared. He too often takes the court with the look of an 8-year old who’s about to step into his first haunted house.

• So where does all of these leave the Warriors? I can’t be sure. Richardson and Murphy are probably keepers -- but other those two, Mullin ought to consider gutting the team.

• This will be a big off-season for Golden State. Like the Hawks, the Warriors are probably going to try to deal their draft pick for a top-flight veteran.

• With that in mind, Golden State fans had to be delighted when New Jersey point guard Jason Kidd said he embraces the idea of returning to his hometown of Oakland to play for the Warriors.

Talkin’ Knicks, Part II

Michael Pradt (Brooklyn, N.Y.) wrote: “You said in your previous newsletter that the Knicks should give Herb Williams a chance before deciding on Phil Jackson as the new coach. I agree. But what about getting some new players?”

Dear Michael, that sounds like a good idea -- but it won’t be easy.

Shooting guard Allan Houston has scrambled eggs for knees and is still owed $40 million over the next two years. The Knicks just placed him on the inactive list for the SECOND time THIS season.

Swingman Penny Hardaway is also injury prone, and he’s due $15.7 million next year.

As for trading either of those guys -- forget it. Nobody wants damaged goods at those prices.

And as long as the fat contracts of Houston and Hardaway are chewing up salary cap space, it will be nearly impossible for Knicks president Isiah Thomas to make a major deal.

So the Knicks are pretty much stuck with what they’ve got.

Improving from Within

That’s not to say the Knicks can’t get better with their current personnel, or make a few minor adjustments.

They have a good starting guard in Jamal Crawford, who was a nice off-season acquisition. Crawford could use an entire seminar on the fundamentals of defense -- but he’s a reliable perimeter shooter and knows how to get to the basket.

He’s also one of the few true scorers who isn’t selfish.

Point guard Stephon Marbury, forward Kurt Thomas, and center Nazr Mohammed should also be kept on the team -- but somehow, Thomas will have to find a way to improve the bench.

Division Dreams

For Knicks fans, the fact their favorite team is playing in the Atlantic Division should at least provide a little hope.

With the way things are going, somebody is going to win the division title with a sub-.500 record.

That possibility had reader Shawn Andersen (Charleston, S.C.) wondering if it had ever happened before.

The answer is yes -- teams with losing records have won a division title on two occasions since the league went to an 82-game schedule in 1967, according to a report by Sean Deveney on Sportingnews.com.

“The 1971-72 Baltimore Bullets won the Central with a 38-44 mark, and the 1975-76 Milwaukee Bucks won the Midwest at 38-44,” Deveney wrote.

Deveney added that neither of those teams advanced in the playoffs.

“This would be of interest to the Bulls, Pacers and Magic, who figure to be involved in the scrum for the sixth seed in the playoffs,” he wrote. “The sixth seed will face the worst of the three Eastern Conference division champions, which is likely to be the Atlantic winner.”

More NYC PG Talk

Jim Metz (Boston) and a host of others wrote to add to my statement about New York City point guards.

Last week I said that Kenny Smith was the only one I could think of who has won an NBA title.

“Bob Cousy has a few, and Nate Archibald got one here in Boston,” Metz wrote.

I was talking about recent history, but thanks for adding them on.

Talkin’ LeBron, and $$

Nick Prevenas wrote, “Do you think LeBron James will stick around Cleveland when his rookie contract expires? From what I hear, his agent negotiated some kickers in his endorsement deals that take hold if he signs with a big-market team (L.A., Chicago, or New York). If the Cavaliers can’t snag a guy like Michael Redd or Amare Stoudemire to improve their chances of winning a title, I’d expect LeBron to take a below-market-value contract with one of the major market clubs at his agent’s request.”

Good question, Nick.

A few answers:

• There are no “kickers” in James’ endorsement deals. That’s nothing more than a baseless Internet rumor.

• I can’t think of one agent in the history of professional sports who asked his client to take a “below-market-value” contract -- for ANY reason! If it has happened, I guarantee you the agent’s client list isn’t very long.

• James has never indicated he wants to play anywhere else. He’s a northeast Ohio native and has reiterated that he wants to bring a championship to Cleveland.

• Granted, pro athletes say that sort of stuff all the time -- but they also like to be the focus of their team and their city. In Cleveland, LeBron will always be The Man. In New York or Chicago, he’d have to share the spotlight. He is well aware of that.

A Deeper Look

For a better idea of James’ future in Cleveland, I am printing part of a recent article by Akron Beacon Journal columnist and good friend Terry Pluto:

“Under the current NBA salary-cap system, the Cavaliers can offer James more than any other team.

“He is under contract for two more years, through the summer of 2007. The first-time rules permit the Cavaliers to offer him an extension in the summer of 2006 -- when they will be able to offer him a ‘maximum deal’ of a six-year contract worth about $80 million or whatever the league will allow under the rules.

“If James declines that offer in 2006, he still is under contract until the summer of 2007. Once again, the Cavaliers can offer him the ‘maximum deal.’ They also can match any offer he'd receive from another team -- making sure he remains with the Cavaliers.

“The only way for James to leave the Cavaliers would be to sign a one-year deal in the summer of 2007, play out that season and then go anywhere he desires.

“Bottom line, the rules favor the Cavaliers keeping James. And even if he is determined to go somewhere else (and there's no indication that's the case), he will be in Cleveland through the 2007-2008 season, which is three more years.”

All-Star Picks

• My Eastern Conference All-Star starters: C Shaquille O’Neal, Miami; F Jermaine O’Neal, Indiana; F LeBron James, Cleveland; G Dwyane Wade; G Allen Iverson, Philadelphia.

• Eastern reserves: F Antawn Jamison, Washington; F Paul Pierce, Boston; G Steve Francis, Orlando; G Richard Hamilton, Detroit; C Zydrunas Ilguaskus, Cleveland; F Vince Carter and G Jason Kidd, New Jersey.

• I realize I’m doing an about-face on Carter, but he has been phenomenal since being traded to the Nets. And I mean GREAT.

• My Western Conference starters: C Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix; F Tim Duncan, San Antonio; F Kevin Garnett, Minnesota; G Ray Allen, Seattle; G Steve Nash, Phoenix.

• Western reserves: F Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas; G Tony Parker, San Antonio; G Tracy McGrady, Houston; F Chris Webber, Sacramento; G Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers; F Shawn Marion, Phoenix; C Brad Miller, Sacramento.

Five Final Thoughts

1. Utah did the right thing in unloading Carlos Arroyo to Detroit. Arroyo is a talented point guard, but if you don’t get along with Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, you’re a goner. This is the way every pro sports team should be run.

2. Milwaukee’s Michael Redd has been splendid and would be a deserving replacement for Kidd or Carter on my Eastern All-Star team. But Redd has no help -- as all Desmond Mason can do is score, and the rest of the Bucks have been maddeningly inconsistent.

3. I’m having a lot of fun watching the Charlotte Bobcats. Rookie Emeka Okafor is a ball of hustle and reminds me of Utah’s Carlos Boozer with more potential. Coach/GM Bernie Bickerstaff is doing his best work, too.

4. New Orleans point guard Dan Dickau gets my early vote for Comeback Player of the Year. This is a guy who was one more stint on the injured list away from the NBDL. Now, he’s the darling of fantasy team owners everywhere.

5. Thanks for reading and bombarding me with e-mails. It’s more fun than one guy should be allowed to have.