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LOTS OF NBA THOUGHTS

-- Cleveland fans shouldn't feel bad that the Cavaliers failed to make the playoffs. Instead, they should feel good about the future. I'm stating the obvious here, but I actually know some followers of the team who are angry about how the young Cavs played awful in March and the early part of April.

-- Granted, it's not very difficult to qualify for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference (about 35 wins should do the trick). But remember, besides rookie LeBron James and second-year wonder Carlos Boozer, NO ONE on this team was very consistent. The Cavaliers were also in flux most of the season, hiring a new coach in Paul Silas last summer, and unloading athletic swingmen like Darius Miles and Ricky Davis prior to the trading deadline in February.

-- Other than James and Boozer, the best news for Cavs fans is the arrival of point guard Jeff McInnis. He came to Cleveland with a reputation as someone who couldn't get along with teammates and who often whined about playing time, but McInnis has been nothing but a pro's pro in his new setting. He's also been a point guard in every sense of the word, not to mention a positive influence in the locker room.

-- Cleveland will be back in the lottery, which isn't all bad. Especially when you consider the Cavaliers will most likely do the smart thing and trade their pick (perhaps along with second-year scorer Dajuan Wagner) for veteran help in the frontcourt. The last thing they need is another young player.

-- The Cavaliers' lone mistake was signing reserve point guard Kevin Ollie to a four-year contract before the season. Ollie is a decent player, but he hasn't found a niche in Cleveland. He couldn't even earn a starting spot when McInnis went down with an injury, as the Silas instead inserted Mateen Cleaves into the lineup. Cleaves was signed to a 10-day contract, and has since been released. You would hope Ollie would be better than a guy like that.

-- By the way, I know Cavaliers management hates it when I refer to the team as the Cavs, but I have a hard time agreeing with the concept of taking the moniker away from fans. It's what they had been calling the team for years, and now all of a sudden you just want them to stop?

-- My last two newsletters have been about the amazing seasons had by the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat, respectively. In case the fact both will make the playoffs doesn't surprise you enough, think about this: One of them will still be alive in the second round, as it appears they will play each other in the first.

-- I was one of those people who took a lot of grief by suggesting that Chris Webber's return might have a negative affect on Sacramento's chemistry. Well, since Webber returned, the Kings offense has come to a halt, and at the very least, he's partially to blame. But that's only because he's still rusty, and not even close to the Webber of old. My next prediction: By the time the playoffs arrive, Webber will realize he doesnt need to carry as much of the load and finally understand Sacramento would be better off with him as a second option (next to Peja Stojakovic).

-- Please hold the e-mails about Bobby Jackson and Brad Miller being injured as reasons for the Kings recent struggles. If the Kings managed to compile the league's best record without Webber, they sure should be able to do it without Jackson or Miller, or even both. And I just watched Sacramento lose at home to Minnesota WITH Jackson AND Miller in the lineup.

-- As for the Timberwolves, I think they have a great shot at reaching the Finals, especially now that Wally Szczerbiak, Troy Hudson, and yes, Michael Olowokandi are healthy and fitting in well. At the same time, the Wolves need to be very careful if they meet Houston in the first round of the playoffs. For whatever reason, they've really struggled against the Rockets this year.

-- What is possibly left to say about the Memphis Grizzlies, who compiled their 50th win April 7? All I can think of is how the majority of the NBA experts said Jerry West was nuts for taking over the Grizzlies basketball operations two seasons ago. Next year, in fact, there's a good chance the Grizzlies will be better than the Lakers. The Grizzlies are already deeper, and quite possibly, as balanced.

-- I write the above assuming that Phil Jackson will resign as Lakers coach at the end of the season, Kobe Bryant, Karl Malone, and Gary Payton will all sign elsewhere, and Shaquille O'Neal will retire. If that happens, which from what I hear is fairly likely, the Lakers will suddenly turn into the West's version of the Chicago Bulls.

-- As usual, I feel obligated to write at least a little something about the Utah Jazz. Perhaps no coach in NBA history has done more with less than Jerry Sloan has done this season, and the fact Sloan IS Utah basketball has plenty do with it. In other words, unlike a lot of other NBA cities, none of the players ever questions Sloan's decisions. At least, they better not do it publicly.

-- Here's one example of Sloan's absolute power: He ripped point guards Carlos Arroyo and Raul Lopez in the newspapers, saying the two of them pouted while they sat on the bench and watched rookie Maurice Williams run things for 30-plus minutes of a recent game. Then the next night, Williams didnt even play.

-- On that note, after giving it a lot of long and painful thought, my Coach of the Year award would go to Memphis' Hubie Brown, with Sloan and Milwaukee's Terry Porter tied for a close second. And while Denver had a better season in the rugged West, I'd still take Cleveland's LeBron James over Carmelo Anthony for Rookie of the Year. James is a worse defender (among the worst in the league, in fact), but he is a better leader with more polished offensive skills.

-- Despite the success of James, I still can't understand why anyone would consider using a lottery pick on the latest class of high schoolers, other than Atlanta prep center Dwight Howard. After watching the McDonalds All-American game, I am positive not one teen-ager will help any NBA team next season. And if I'm a general manager, next season is the only one I care about.

-- I'm not sure NYC point guard Sebastian Telfair would even start for most top Division I teams next year. He has every right to enter the draft, but there are at least three other point guards I would select before Telfair in the draft. That's something NBA GM's seem to have forgotten: Just because a high school player declares for the draft doesnt mean you HAVE to draft him.

-- Last week I listed some names of top Americans playing overseas. Mete Aktas, who covers basketball for a newspaper in Istanbul, Turkey, wrote to let me know that Trajan Langdon, Khalid El-Amin, Stephen Pelle, and Miles Simon are also playing overseas. Thanks, Mete!

-- Linda Smith of Coppell, Texas, wrote: I couldn't agree with you more in stating that Dallas Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash were all but ignored even though they were the high scorers, rebounders, and assist men of the Mavericks game against Cleveland. But here in Dallas, we are used to the TNT and ESPN snubs. They are still repeating cliches that were true about the 2001 and 2002 teams, like all they do is throw up 3-pointers, which is far from the truth this year. We'd all like a new set of sportscasters that know their stuff about our team. Steve Nash remains the unsung hero on the Mavericks, and the MVP when it comes to running the show.

-- Former NBA guard Brent Price will be playing professionally this spring with the Oklahoma Storm of the United States Basketball League. Good for him. Check out the story here.

NBA PRE-DRAFT CAMP NEWS

-- The most-hyped player entering the Portsmouth Invitational in Virginia was someone named Josh Allen, a 6-foot-6 guard from Division II Alderson-Broaddus (W.Va.) College. No less than NBA director of scouting Marty Blake told Basketball Times, "Allen will get drafted. We are also bringing him to Chicago for another pre-draft camp. He could be a big-time player." The Portsmouth camp runs from April 7-11.

-- Pitt swingman Julius Page had nine points, seven rebounds and six assists in his first Portsmouth game. While no one figures Page will be an NBA star, a few scouts are already comparing him to San Antonio's Bruce Bowen, an athletic defender who can do a little bit of everything.

-- Virginia Tech forward Bryant Matthews, who led the Big East in scoring, has also looked good, drawing comparisons to New York's Kurt Thomas.

-- Another big name is Jaeson Maravich, the son of the late Pistol Pete Maravich . Jaeson played for an NAIA school, William Carey (Miss.), and scored 16 points in his first game. He is a possible second-round pick.

-- Just to give you an idea of the importance of the Portsmouth camp, four players from last year are currently rookies in the NBA: Willie Green (Philadelphia), Travis Hansen (Atlanta), Ronald Dupree (Chicago), Brandon Hunter (Boston)

-- Other names on this years rosters you may know: Andre Barrett (Seton Hall); Darius Rice (Miami); Nick Jacobsen (Utah); Corey Violette (Gonzaga); Brandon Mouton and Royal Ivey (Texas); Bernard Robinson Jr. (Michigan); and my personal favorite, Jon Edwards (Kent State).

-- I'll provide more Portsmouth Invitational stuff next week. Until then, enjoy what is sure to be an exciting finish to the end of the NBA's regular season.

CONTACT ME

You can e-mail your thoughts to me at amicoreport@hotmail.com. You must include your full name to be considered for publication. Also, please include your hometown, as I love to see where the e-mails are coming from.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!