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SAVING THE NBA (AND THIS NEWSLETTER)

A few notes before we get started …

First, I wanted to let you know that I’ve received your many e-mails on how to save the NBA, and I’ll be sending them off to commissioner David Stern and players’ union head Billy Hunter within the next few weeks. I’ll also be publishing most of them in a special edition of this newsletter soon.

You should also know that this was a record response for the newsletter -- never in my life have I had so many people agree with me. Apparently, there are a lot of people out there who love the game and think it could be a lot better. And I hate to keep bringing this up, but almost everyone who wrote in said the league desperately needs to set an age limit. Funny, because just two months ago I did a newsletter on that very subject, and most of those who responded said an age limit wasn’t necessary -- or legal. Believe it or not, it is perfectly legal with the right judge. Just ask the NFL.

Anyway, that’s a subject for another time, as this newsletter is all about giving you something to look forward to (other than the fact that, each week, it ends).

Secondly, several readers have inquired about my announcement three months ago that I had sold an ad for the newsletter, and are wondering why they have to see the ad. It’s really nobody’s business -- but since we’re all friends here, I’ll be happy to share.

Basically, there will be no ad. The reason? I’ve decided I don’t want one. I have a full-time job that I love, and this newsletter, while I take it very seriously and enjoy it more than anything but actually playing the game, is a hobby. At this point, I don’t want it to be anything more than that. When money gets involved, it suddenly goes from being a passion to a chore. It becomes something that I need to … well, WORK at.

More than anything, there are only two people who I ever want to have a say in what goes in this newsletter. Me, and you. (Disclaimer: Since the newsletter is named after me, I will make all final decisions as to what goes in it; but I do promise to consider your input).

Finally, just one more announcement …

In seven-to-10 weeks, I’ll be experiencing a really cool thing: Fatherhood.

It’s really starting to hit home, as my wife, Carley, finally has a bigger belly than I do. I’m very excited and very much looking forward to having my life altered in every way imaginable. In fact, my daily routine of shooting baskets in the morning and watching playoff games at night has already taken a hit, as everything I once did without thinking twice must now be squeezed in while I await the next baby shower or diaper-spending spree.

The reason I tell you this is because once the little one arrives, the newsletter will be on hiatus. I may publish one or two during the summer, I may not. It all depends on how life is going, how this column fits into the grand scheme of things. I do plan on bringing it back when next season starts, beginning with the 2004-05 preview in October. That could change, and if it does, I’ll let you know.

I definitely will be sure to make you aware of when the future author of the Junior Amico Report has arrived, and will give you a clearer explanation of the newsletter’s status at that time. Now, on to the NBA …

LOTS OF RANDOM STUFF

-- Nobody in the NBA plays with more intensity than Minnesota forward Kevin Garnett. At least, nobody I can think of off the top of my head. I’ve always been impressed with Garnett’s passion and dedication, but never more than this season, or more precisely, these playoffs. He is everything a professional athlete should be: Aggressive with a great attitude, confident without acting like a jerk, a completely unselfish superstar who encourages his teammates and shows them how to act on and off the court. The league and fans everywhere should be proud that he is the MVP.

-- It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a playoff series with as much runnin’ and gunnin’ and all-around fun as the one taking place between Minnesota and Sacramento. Sometimes, you give me a hard time for not writing about the Kings enough, or simply not being all that impressed with them. But even I have to admit they have been extremely brave since the start of the NBA’s second season. Chris Webber is saving his best play for the most meaningful part of the year, as has been the case with Mike Bibby (as usual). Thanks to guys like Sacramento’s Webber, Bibby, and Brad Miller, and Minnesota’s Garnett, Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell, I can say without a doubt that I have enjoyed this series much more than the Lakers-Spurs waltz.

-- Arnie Williams (Raleigh, N.C.) wrote: “You criticized Webber for his play during the regular season, but it’s obvious that he’s still trying to heal from an injury. If anything, Webber should be applauded for trying to play through it.”

-- Dear Arnie, give me a break. If you’re on the court, you had better be ready to play. To Webber’s credit, he’s never once used his injuries as an excuse. And besides that, I never “criticized” Webber. All I said was that the Kings would be worse when he came back, simply because they were due to cool off. Webber’s return just coincided with that, although part of me thinks that, yes, he disrupted team chemistry. Anyway, we’ve been over all of this, and none of it will matter if Sacramento can get to the Finals.

-- As for the Lakers-Spurs series, Game 5 had the best finish of any playoff game since Michael Jordan‘s ‘The Shot’ stunned Cleveland in 1989. In this case, the two baskets in the final .04 seconds were pretty much garbage baskets, with very little skill involved. San Antonio’s Tim Duncan was falling down and just heaved the ball toward the hoop, and L.A.’s Derek Fisher had his eyes closed on his game-winner. But they were still exciting shots, and it’s games like this one that make you love the NBA.

-- Fisher’s shot, by the way, should not have counted. No way can you catch a pass, turn toward the basket and release a shot in .04 seconds. Not possible. It was just shoddy clockmanship. But since the Spurs were down by 16 at one point, and Duncan’s shot was so lucky, I think Spurs fans can live with the non-call.

-- There are plenty of good reasons why Gregg Poppovich is coaching the two-time champion Spurs and I’m writing free newsletters, but his substitution patterns drive me nuts. Namely, why does he stay with center Rasho Nesterovic for so long? Nesterovic seems like a nice guy and all, but he plays with all the passion of a toad. Not only that, but 41-year-old backup Kevin Willis is still effective in limited minutes, and defends Shaquille O’Neal better than anyone in the NBA.

-- Sports Illustrated and ESPN.com both came out with stories saying that the Lakers will be broken up after the season …and both media giants did it just less than one week after I wrote the same thing and proclaimed, “You read it here first.” For once, I was right! Still, the Sports Illustrated piece is worth checking out, as writer Jack McCallum is one of the best in the business. Meanwhile, I would never recommend believing anything on ESPN.com. Most of those guys do even less research than I do, and they’re getting paid.

-- Speaking of getting things wrong, I’m not sure when I told you the Chicago Pre-Draft Camp is, but I don’t think I told you the correct date. It starts June 8.

-- Geoff Donovan (Anaheim, Calif.) wrote: “Are you beginning to think non-American players are as overrated as I do? Sacramento’s Peja Stojakovic typically folds in the playoffs, Dirk Nowitzki is an atrocious defender, and Manu Ginobili and Hedo Turkoglu always mess up when they have the opportunity to give San Antonio a comfortable lead.”

-- Dear Geoff, you’re using sweeping generalizations there, but yes, I agree to an extent. As much as I complain about high schoolers getting drafted, the trend of drafting European players who aren’t ready troubles me more. The Pistons’ choice of Darko Milicic in last summer’s draft was an absolute embarrassment to basketball, I don’t care how they try to spin it. Why not just draft a kid out of junior high? As far as anyone can tell, Milicic isn’t any better than that. Also, remember when Denver used the No. 5 pick on Nikoloz Tskitshvilli two summers ago? Why, why, why?

-- Don’t misunderstand. There are plenty of very good foreigners in the NBA, my favorite being Utah’s Andrei Kirilenko. But just like the rest of American society, so much of what takes place in the NBA is based on fads. As Jason Kapono said prior to being drafted by Cleveland last summer, “I should have moved to Yugoslavia, grown a beard, and changed my last name to Kaponovich (to improve his standing in the eyes of scouts).”

-- I am honestly looking forward to following the Atlanta Hawks this off-season. I know, I need help. But the Hawks are undergoing a lot of changes, and I think observing their moves will be intriguing. Namely, who will they hire as coach? Who will they draft? Will they keep Bob Sura, Stephen Jackson, Joel Przybilla, Chris Crawford, Jason Terry, and everyone else who overachieved for them in the season’s final two months? Or will they trade the entire roster in an attempt to create enough cap space to sign free-agent-to-be Kobe Bryant?

-- My favorite line of the playoffs comes from Detroit’s Rasheed Wallace, who was sitting in front of his locker after the Pistons’ loss in New Jersey, politely answering questions to a group of reporters. The reporters, of course, had their microphones and notepads shoved right in Wallace’s face. As he answered one of the questions, he paused and got the look of a man who was ready to put on a pair of boxing gloves: “Y’all give me three feet now,” Wallace demanded, referring to his rule (not the league’s) that he get three feet of space to finish getting dressed. Sometimes Wallace is everything that’s wrong with the NBA. Sometimes, though, he‘s a real hoot. And I like him OK enough because he’s ALWAYS one or the other, never anything in between.

-- One rumor reported by the St. Paul Pioneer Press is that Boston will draft the University of Minnesota’s Kris Humphries with the No. 15 pick, then trade him to the Timberwolves for Wally Szczerbiak, or something to that effect. Wishful thinking, Wolves fans. Actually, as much as I like Humphries, he did little to show me that he’s ready for the NBA. He has potential, but as I’ve said 10 million times, if I’m an NBA general manager, I never, ever use my first-round pick on “potential.”

-- The Rockford Lightning of the CBA have offered former NBA point guard and current TNT analyst Kenny Smith a chance to play for them. “This is a legitimate offer,” Lightning GM Michael Neville said. “We feel Smith could become a piece to our championship puzzle. Salary may become an issue, but we are willing to talk.” Is this one of those things that should be filed under Sports Illustrated’s regular heading of, “This Week’s Sign of the Apocalypse”?

-- The Denver Nuggets are holding open tryouts again this summer in what is the greatest marketing tool ever conceived by an NBA team. Seriously. It’s just a great way to keep people involved with the organization without being obnoxious. Great work.

-- I’ll be attending a basketball camp for adults next summer, and if the Nuggets are still holding open tryouts after that, I’ll be there -- and probably looking a lot like Jim Carrey in The Cable Guy (mouthpiece, headband, knee pads and knee-high socks). Honestly, though, I’m not kidding about the basketball camp or tryout part. Let me know if you want to join me. We could enter an entire team.

-- Several readers e-mailed to say the link I gave out for the new World Basketball Association last week did not direct them to the site. Here is the correct link: www.wbaball.net.

READ ME IN BT

Just a reminder that I will be writing a regular column for Basketball Times beginning with the next issue. Real experts like Dick Vitale, Dick Weiss, and Bob Ryan also write for the publication. You can subscribe to Basketball Times by calling 910-295-5559 or sending an e-mail to hoopgroup@aol.com.

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!