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By Sam Amico / The Amico Report

THE NBA IS BACK

Lots of random summer thoughts:

-- Don't you feel more excited about the NBA than at any time since Michael Jordan was still a Chicago Bull? I sure do. I mean, when was the last time there was this much buzz surrounding the league in July? The answer is a long, long time. There's Karl Malone and Gary Payton in L.A., Alonzo Mourning and Jason Kidd in New Jersey, and yes, LeBron James in Cleveland. Or how about the coaches? Larry Brown is in Detroit, Jeff Van Gundy in Houston, Tim Floyd in the Big Easy. In other words, there are already a lot of good stories to follow, and they'll only become more interesting as we get closer to the season. No doubt, this is something the NBA has needed since Jordan's shot sunk the Utah Jazz in the 1998 Finals.

-- Another question everyone seems to be asking: When was the last time a team became as star-studded during the off-season as the current Lakers? My first answer usually is the 1982-1983 Philadelphia 76ers, who stole Moses Malone from Houston for Caldwell Jones and a No. 1 pick. Those Sixers featured Malone, Julius Erving, Andrew Toney and Maurice Cheeks, and lost just one playoff game on their way to the championship. But as far as a team picking up TWO future Hall-of-Famers who are as established as Payton and Karl Malone are ... well, I'm not sure it's EVER happened during an off-season, or even any other time.

-- Some readers have e-mailed wondering if the current Lakers have TOO MUCH star power. They wonder how well Malone and Payton will fit in with Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal, and how well the incoming veterans will adjust to taking less shots and being the third and fourth options. Those are good questions, and if they were playing for any coach other than Phil Jackson, there might be a reason for concern. But we all know Jackson is a master when the idea is handling large egos, helping them mesh into a team in the truest sense.

-- Plus, let's not forget that Payton and Malone took large pay cuts to play for a championship. That alone shows a lot of unselfishness, and proves they're willing to do whatever it takes to hoist the trophy.

-- I'm still not sold on the idea of LeBron James playing point guard in Cleveland. One thing I'm absolutely sure of is that James cannot guard opposing point guards, as Boston first-round pick Marcus Banks made LeBron look silly during their summer league game, as did second-year man J.R. Bremer. And as much as I like Banks and Bremer, they're not exactly Payton and Kidd.

-- That's not to say James can't ever run the point on offense. It's clear he is an excellent passer and handles the ball better than anyone his size since Magic Johnson. But I envision James as more of a shooting guard, or better yet, a point-forward, a la Scottie Pippen with the Bulls. A lot of people compare James to Magic, but I like to think of him as a more-athletic Larry Bird when the idea is hitting teammates for easy baskets from the forward position. Obviously, James doesn't have Bird's outside shot, but he is extremely bright and always seems to make the right decision with the ball.

-- Yes, I realize that Bird and Magic weren't great one-on-one defenders, so hold those e-mails. But they weren't horrible, either. Both had some nifty tricks to make up for their lack of lateral quickness, and both were very good in the team concept. They knew how to play the passing lanes and put a body on their man. James has plenty of time to develop in this area, and it will all come down to how hard he's willing to work at it. Since no one's ever questioned his work ethic, you have to believe he'll figure it out eventually. Right now, though, his defense is just plain bad.

-- It's also clear that LeBron is indeed further along than either Kobe or Tracy McGrady were when they came out of high school. LeBron is much more fundamentally sound than either of those two were. Heck, LeBron may be more fundamentally sound than either of those two NOW -- and that's no knock on Kobe or T-Mac. It's just to show you how far along James already is.

-- The Cavaliers really should try to trade Ricky Davis and Dajuan Wagner for an experienced point guard. James could start at off-guard in place of Davis, leaving the small forward slot for Darius Miles, who has been playing with renewed passion in the summer leagues. I know, I know, Davis averaged 20 points per game last season, and he truly is a remarkable athlete. But almost anyone in the NBA can average 20 points if they take enough shots and play selfishly. And weren't Davis' 20 points pretty much irrelevant considering the Cavs won just 17 games?

-- As for Wagner, maybe I'm giving up on the second-year guard too early, but he's always injured and reportedly has a less-than-stellar work ethic. He can't the handle the ball well enough to play the point, and he hasn't exactly shown a penchant for filling it up from the two guard spot. Wagner could still become a poor man's Allen Iverson, but I just don't think it'll happen in Cleveland.

-- Do you ever wonder if LeBron James will make the All-Star team next season even if he only averages 10-12 points per game (which is quite possible)? Let's face it, you just know the guy is gonna lead the Eastern Conference in votes, no matter how well he plays.

-- Having said all of that, here are my final thoughts on LeBron for the week: He's GOOD. Really good. I never expected to see an 18-year old have an excellent chance of being one of the top five players in the league -- but that's exactly the type of potential James has for his rookie season. A lot of times, players like LeBron are creations of today's over-the-top society, but that's not the case here. I think we're looking at a future Hall-of Famer, and that's coming from someone who despises jumping on the bandwagon.

MORE SUMMER STUFF

-- This has nothing to do with the summer leagues ... but second-year Houston center Yao Ming just might steal the spotlight from the NBA's other young players next season. Yao is reportedly practicing up to 12 hours a day, and you can be sure he'll be much more aggressive with heavy-handed Jeff Van Gundy as his coach. I don't think anyone will be beat the Lakers, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Rockets replace San Antonio and Sacramento as L.A.'s biggest threat.

-- It's hard for me to envision Washington forward Kwame Brown ever being anything more than a solid player off the bench. I'm not sure what made Michael Jordan choose Brown over Chicago's Eddy Curry or Tyson Chandler in the 2001 draft, but you have to think those two will ALWAYS be the better players. Brown still spends too much time standing, watching, and just generally acting like he doesn't care. One general manager told me, "The money has gone straight to Kwame's head. It appears he's pretty much lost interest in basketball."

-- Speaking of guys who seem to have lost interest in basketball, maybe the only thing Michael Olowokandi needs is a fresh start and to have Kevin Garnett screaming in his face. If so, I really like what the Timberwolves have done this off-season, as Olowokandi and Sam Cassell are nice additions.

-- As for Rasho Nesterovic in San Antonio, well, he's big and he takes up space, and that's about it. I still think the Spurs could've spent their money on someone with a little more toughness, but word is, Tim Duncan is pleased with the acquisition. And don't you think 90 percent of winning in the NBA is keeping your superstar content?

-- Look for the Clippers to match Miami's offer to Elton Brand -- and probably Utah's for Corey Maggette, and Denver's for Andre Miller. They probably won't be so quick to match another team's offer for forward Lamar Odom, assuming he gets one. But Clippers owner Donald Sterling and GM Elgin Baylor don't want to let Brand get away, and they also realize Maggette has improved drastically each season and is on his way to becoming an All-Star. As for Miller, the Clips seem like they want to give him another chance in L.A. Granted, these are the Clippers we're talking about, but it's all true.

-- Vince Carter will be happy to know forward Chris Bosh has been playing very well for Toronto's summer league team. In fact, so far, Bosh is quietly having the best summer of any first-round pick (including LeBron James). Veteran point guard Mateen Cleaves and rookie free-agent forward Matt Bonner have also been faring well for the Raptors. By the way, don't you think forward Jerome Moiso was a very underrated free-agent pickup for Toronto?

-- Rookie forwards Brian Cook and Luke Walton have proven to be everything the Lakers hoped for when they drafted them -- as both are acting unselfish and displaying a strong feel for the game. Former troubled high school star Leon Smith hasn't looked so good, and will be forced to try to land someplace else.

-- Golden State's Mike Dunleavy and Jiri Welsch have been two of the best players in the L.A. summer pro league. Those two usually combine to score more than half the Warriors' total points. Also, first-round pick Mickael Pietrus has looked great, prompting one scout to tell me, "Had Pietrus played high school ball in Akron, Ohio, rather than professionally overseas, people might be asking, 'LeBron who?'" And no, the scout doesn't work for the Warriors.

-- Charlie Bell, Greg Stempien, and A.J. Bramlett are some of the names you may know on the Nuggets' summer roster.

-- New York rookie forward Michael Sweetney is one of my absolute favorites, but even I have to admit there are times he's looked overwhelmed in the Boston summer league. I love how Sweetney has the ability to get to the free-throw line, but he clearly has little idea of what it takes to defend in the low post at this level. Still, I think the guy is gonna be awesome in a few years.

-- The Wizards' starting guards this summer are pretty familiar with each other, as we all know how Juan Dixon and Steve Blake played together during Maryland's NCAA championship run two seasons ago. Blake looks like a nice addition, even if he did go 0 of 8 from the floor in his first game. Also, first-round pick Jarvis Hayes has been spectacular, practically scoring at will.

-- One guy I'm really pulling for who's playing with the Wizards is point guard Marcus Taylor, a second-round pick by Minnesota last summer. Taylor hasn't done very well, but he has loads of potential, and I'm just amazed that the kid hasn't gotten a real chance to be a backup somewhere. (Are you listening, Utah and Milwaukee?)

-- A couple of Bucks fans took exception to my note about rookie point guard T.J. Ford last week, when I stated that he'd be all alone in the backcourt. Reader Steve Melch e-mailed, "Obviously, you've forgotten about Michael Redd, who has proven he deserves a chance to start at shooting guard. Also, Desmond Mason can play in the backcourt if needed." Steve is right -- Redd is indeed ready. Another guy who might help is Norm Richardson, the former Hofstra star who spent some time with the Indiana Pacers. Richardson is a hard worker who is currently playing well for Milwaukee's summer team.

-- Second-year guard Dan Dickau has played very well for Atlanta, and draft picks Boris Diaw and Travis Hansen have also looked good. Diaw probably won't ever be much of a scorer in the NBA, but he could turn into a defensive stopper and hustler along the lines of Indiana's Ron Artest and Dallas' Eduardo Najera. Two of my other favorites on the Hawks' summer roster are Corey Benjamin, an exciting swingman, and Chris Porter, a former second-round pick who definitely should find a roster spot some place.

-- I really like watching Philadelphia's summer team, as all five starters have a shot to contribute next season. The regular starters: John Salmons, Sam Clancy, Efthimios Rentzias, Kyle Korver and Willie Green. I especially like watching Green, who's very good at slashing to the basket and pulling up for quick jumpers in the key. He kind of reminds me of former Detroit guard Vinnie Johnson. I know, I'm old.

-- Ex-Boston guard Chris Herran scored 19 points to lead the Mavericks in a summer league game against Atlanta. One of my favorite veteran free agents, forward Marcus Goree, added 11.

-- Udonis Haslem has been very good for the Spurs' summer entry, grabbing rebounds and hitting shots near the basket at will. He'd be a nice, young addition off the bench. A.J. Guyton and Devin Brown are two other names you may know with the Spurs.

-- Finally ... sorry, Pitt fans, I have no idea what's become of little point man Brandin Knight. As far as I can tell, he's not been invited to try out for any NBA team. But stop sending those angry e-mails to ME. I'm not his agent, ya know.

-- As usual, thanks for reading and e-mailing your questions and comments. I promise to get back to printing your feedback next week. In the meantime, enjoy the summer leagues and keep sending me your NBA thoughts!

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HAVE A GREAT DAY!