---

By Sam Amico / Amico Report

HAWKS ON THE ROCKS

Random thoughts following the NBA trading deadline:

Say this much for the Atlanta Hawks: They won’t stop until they’re REALLY, REALLY bad. In fact, after trading Rasheed Wallace to Detroit in a three-team deal that landed them Bobby Sura (Pistons) and Chris Mills (Boston), the Hawks are the worst professional outfit this side of the Montreal Expos.

Of course, the Hawks don’t mind being horrible for the rest of the season, taking comfort in the fact they have lots of room under the salary cap -- the plan being to lure a big-name free agent over the summer (read: Kobe Bryant). All of it is more proof that the NBA now consists of two types of organizations: A) Those that want to compete for a championship today, even if it means paying a hefty luxury tax tomorrow; B) Those that know they have no chance of going anywhere in the postseason, so they shrug and ask, Why not just gut the team and start building for the future?

As you know, Atlanta obtained Wallace and Wesley Person from Portland two weeks ago for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Theo Ratliff and Dan Dickau. Wallace played one game for Atlanta, scoring 20 points and blocking five shots in a close loss to New Jersey, before the Pistons pried him away. As Hawks coach Terry Stotts said, “It was nice while it lasted.“ Today, the Hawks’ starting lineup looks something like this: C Joel Przybella, F Alan Henderson and Stephen Jackson, G Jason Terry and Person. Not exactly a cast that will draw the interest of Atlanta’s already apathetic fan base.

This isn’t intended to trash the Hawks, who probably wouldn’t have made the playoffs WITH Wallace. After all, they are undergoing an ownership change and will likely have a new coach before the start of next season -- as Doc Rivers is rumored to be the frontrunner to replace Stotts on the sidelines. But it won’t be easy convincing Bryant that the team is headed in a positive direction, no matter how many dollars you flash in front of him.

I’ve been over this before, but it’s worth repeating: I don’t envision Bryant leaving Los Angeles. Granted, it’s been a troubling year for the Lakers’ All-Star guard, from his ongoing sexual assault trial in Colorado to questions regarding his mysterious finger injury to his wishy-washy comments about wanting to test the market this off-season. Still, Bryant HAS to know that L.A. remains the best place for him -- even if he says different in private, as reports recently claimed. And if he does leave the Lakers, he’s more likely to wind up with the Clippers than the Hawks, seeing how he wouldn’t have to move his wife and child across the country (or at all).

By the way, do you ever wonder how much a basketball card featuring Wallace in a Hawks uniform will be worth?

A poll on the Atlanta Journal-Constitution website asked, “Who won the Rasheed Wallace sweepstakes?” The Pistons received 35 percent of the votes, with the Hawks second at 31 percent. My vote went to Wallace himself, who was third (21 percent), followed by Portland (12 percent).

The bottom line on Atlanta is it has now become pro basketball’s Devil’s Island -- and shedding that image isn’t something that will take place overnight. Just ask the Chicago Bulls. At the same time, I have just become even more of an avid Hawks fan, as I’ve always preferred watching a broken team try to rise from the ashes, as opposed to seeing an already powerful club bring in future Hall-of-Famers like Gary Payton and Karl Malone. Where’s the drama in that?

POTENT PISTONS

Imagine being an NBA general manager and having someone offer you Wallace and steady Boston point guard Mike James -- and saying all you need to give up is Sura, Chucky Atkins, Lindsey Hunter, and Zeljko Rebraca. You can bet Pistons president Joe Dumars must feel like he’s been livin’ right.

Pistons fan Malik Peters (Saginaw, Mich.) wrote: “The trade for Rasheed couldn’t have come at a better time, considering Indiana lost Ron Artest for a few weeks with a thumb injury. I don’t mean to wish ill will on Pacer fans, but the arrival of Rasheed, coupled with the loss of Artest, will definitely allow Detroit to surge ahead of Indiana in the Central Division.”

Dear Malik, not so fast. While I agree Detroit is greatly improved, it will take time for Wallace to blend in with his new teammates. Even the Pistons realize there will be an adjustment period, and they’re just hoping the team peaks when it means the most -- in May. What happens between now and then is almost beside the point. Also, Wallace brings the same issues to Detroit that have dogged him everywhere else. Will he get along with his coach? Can he stay out of trouble? Would he better off changing his first name to “T,” as that’s what referees tend to call him?

I still see Indiana winning the Central, mainly because the Pacers are more familiar with each other. As for Artest, while Indiana will undoubtedly miss his extraordinary defense, his replacement would be a regular starter for most teams. I’m talking about Al Harrington, a powerful, athletic, 6-foot-9 small forward who has a game very similar to that of Rasheed, as Harrington is a good perimeter shooter and decent passer.

The Pistons’ starting lineup now looks something like this: C Ben Wallace, F Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince, G Richard Hamilton and Chauncey Billups. Throw in one of my favorite NBA players, scrappy forward Corliss Williamson, who comes off the bench, and the Pistons definitely have the potential to reach the Finals.

Is it just me, or has Prince not improved much since last season? Part of it has to do with the fact he surprised everyone as a rookie and opposing defenders have adjusted in his second year, and part of it probably has to do with first-year coach Larry Brown’s ultra-intense defensive philosophy. But part of it also is the result of Prince’s laid-back style. At any rate, Prince should be the Piston who benefits most from Wallace’s arrival, with Wallace becoming the consistent low-post threat Detroit had previously been lacking. That means Prince’s man will often leave him to double-team Wallace on the low block -- freeing up Prince on the perimeter. And he’s one kid who can bury the outside shot when left open.

A headline in the Feb. 19 Detroit Free-Press read, “Trade for Hawks’ Wallace Unlikely.” The story went on to say that “Pistons fans hoping to see Rasheed Wallace in a red, white, and blue uniform before the end of the week likely won’t get their wish. Atlanta general manager Billy Knight has said unless he receives a blockbuster offer for the power forward, he might keep him for the rest of the season and use him as trade bait over the summer.” Later that afternoon, Wallace was traded to Detroit. See, I’m not the ONLY one who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.

Then again, I would hardly consider Sura and Rebraca “a blockbuster offer.”

A poll on the Pistons’ website asked, “How far will the Pistons go into the playoffs with Rasheed?” A whopping 71 percent said the NBA Finals (apparently, our friend Malik voted repeatedly), with my vote of the Eastern Conference finals finishing second at 21 percent. Five percent said the Pistons wouldn’t get out of the second round; three percent said they wouldn’t make it out of the first.

OTHER DEALS

The trade that sent Gorden Giricek from Orlando to Utah for DeShawn Stevenson will be good for both teams, and players. Giricek and Stevenson are young and talented, but were bad fits in their previous locations. That’s especially true of Stevenson, who came to the NBA straight out of high school and never took to Jazz coach Jerry Sloan’s intense approach. But the stuff Stevenson learned in Utah, not to mention his overall athleticism, will serve him well in Orlando. Even if playing the same position as Tracy McGrady cuts into his minutes. My question is, what will become of Magic rookies Keith Bogans and Reece Gaines?

Meanwhile, Giricek is the kind of deadly outside shooter and fundamentally-sound hustler whom Sloan just loves. Giricek should move right into a starting spot, giving Utah an international lineup that rivals Dallas’. The Jazz’s starting five: C Greg Ostertag, F Andrei Kirilenko and either Raja Bell or Aleksander Pavlovic, G Giricek and Carlos Arroyo. It doesn’t seem like much, but it’s worked so far.

Utah also picked up power forward Tom Gugliotta from Phoenix (for Keon Clark and Ben Handlogten). Gugliotta is at the end of his career and is just a contract waiting to expire -- although he may offer limited help when Kirilenko needs a breather. Clark is the most valuable player in this deal, and he might actually contribute from time to time in Phoenix, assuming he ever gets healthy.

In another deal, Orlando sent Shammond Williams to New Orleans for Sean Rooks in what may be the most worthless trade since Golden State sent Uwe Blab to San Antonio for Christian Welp in 1990.

Dan Stendle (Gainesville, Fla.) writes: “This may sound crazy, but the Celtics could have done worse than acquiring Chucky Atkins and Lindsey Hunter for what turned out to be Mike James and Chris Mills. Point guard was their weakest position, and they sure weren’t going anywhere with James. I’m not trying to convince you that Atkins is the next Cousy, but he does push the ball and always plays hard.”

FINAL THOUGHTS

A number of readers took issue with me suggesting that Denver rookie Carmelo Anthony should have been named to the Western Conference All-Star team instead of Utah’s Andrei Kirilenko. “How can you consider Carmelo a better all-around player than Kirilenko?” Quincy Chen wrote. “Kirilenko is perhaps the finest defender in the league, and while he scores three less points per game than Carmelo, AK-47 shoots a much higher percentage, rebounds more, and tallies more assists. At least the people who actually know basketball (the coaches) valued Kirilenko’s substance over Carmelo’s hype.”

Ben Tsujimoto (Elma, N.Y.) was equally aggravated. He wrote: “Saying Carmelo is better than Kirilenko is ludicrous. Kirilenko has become one of the NBA’s best defenders, while Carmelo has already been chastised by Nuggets coach Jeff Bdzelik for not doing anything other than scoring.”

As much grief as I took for my Kirilenko comments, I took even more for saying Denver big man Nene has just two good qualities: Height, and strength. “We’re talking about Nene and not DeSagana Diop, right?” asked Christian Neumann (Hanover, Germany). “Nene is a physical freak, sure, but he can do it all -- pass, steal, and block shots. All this at the age of 21. A closer look at Nene reveals a poor man’s Chris Webber.”

Landon Powell (Brooklyn, N.Y.) chimed in with, “Nene is a lot more than just tall and strong. He has fantastic footwork (from being a futbol player), and considering he couldn’t do anything when he came into the league, is developing quite an offensive repertoire. When all is said and done, the three best players to come out of the 2002 draft will be Yao Ming, Amare Stoudemire, and Nene.”

I’ve seen Nene play twice since writing my previous comments, and he showed me a couple of incredible fundamentally-sound spin moves and finishes in the low post. He also completely shut down Portland’s Zach Randolph, and he even ran the point a couple times on the break -- which resulted in nice passes for easy baskets. Good showings.

Finally, there’s no doubt that Utah’s Jerry Sloan deserves serious consideration for coach of the year honors. I mean, did anyone out there expect the Jazz to win even 12 games? But what about Miami’s Stan Van Gundy? Here’s a guy who got the job on the first day of the season, yet he has the feisty Heaters playing hard and contending for the playoffs. Something to think about until next time.