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The AMICO REPORT

Three teams that didn’t make the playoffs but have really impressed me this off-season: Phoenix, Utah, and Cleveland.

Yes, Cleveland, which lost rebounding machine Carlos Boozer to Utah.

But let’s start out West -- and how does this sound for a starting lineup: Steve Nash at point guard, Joe Johnson at shooting guard, Shawn Marion at small forward, Amare Stoudemire at power forward, and either Jake Voskuhl or Keon Clark at center.

As of today, that would be the Suns’ starting five, and you’ve gotta like the looks of it. A big reason is Nash, one of the league’s most unselfish and productive players who was stolen away from Dallas. Nash plays like he belongs on a soccer field, continuously running, dribbling, and finding the open man, then doing it some more. He can bury the 3-pointer and occasional trick shot in the key, and he’s the type of underrated guy Phoenix’s roster is full of.

Speaking of undervalued, Johnson just might be the quietest killer in the NBA. He’s definitely one of my favorite players, as the 6-foot-7 swingman is skilled at putting the ball in the basket and hustling on defense. He’s also an ideal guy to bring off the bench -- which is what Phoenix might do if the Clippers don’t match the offer for free-agent swingman Quentin Richardson (they probably will, though).

You already know all about Marion and Stoudemire, two of the most athletic players in an NBA jam-packed with athletic players. Marion is also a self-starter with a good attitude, having gone from a total bricklayer to a steady jumpshooter in less than two seasons. Meanwhile, Stoudemire is clearly one of the strongest post men around. And the bad news for everyone else is his desire and fundamentals are only getting better.

As someone who lives in West Virginia, I am also a big fan of Suns coach Mike D’Antoni -- one of the greatest players to come out of the state. You may not have heard of D’Antoni the Point Guard, but all you need to know is he’s considered the Michael Jordan of Italy, where he starred following a disappointing career in the old ABA.

D’Antoni also seems to know what he’s doing on the sidelines, teaching the players without getting in their faces in practice, then pretty much letting them do their own thing during games.

Finally, the Suns’ bench is solid, with veteran point man Howard Eisley, and young guards Leandro Barbosa and Casey Jacobsen, leading the way. Granted, Phoenix could use a couple more quality big men -- but what team in today’s NBA couldn’t?

ON TO THE JAZZ

Utah’s starting five looks like this: C Jarron Collins, PF Carlos Boozer, SF Andrei Kirilenko, SG Matt Harpring, PG Carlos Arroyo.

That lineup is young, talented, and most of all, a perfect fit in Jazz coach Jerry Sloan’s disciplined, ball-sharing offense. And that’s the most important thing -- Sloan is returning to run the team for at least another season.

There may be some coaches who are as good as Sloan, but no one is better, as no one this side of Memphis’ Hubie Brown receives the type of unwavering support from the front office that Sloan does. He’s in charge, and the players had better realize it. That’s why Sloan can say things like he doesn’t care how much money a guy makes -- if the guy doesn’t impress Sloan, he’s not going to play (consider that an early message to Boozer, who reportedly thought he had it tough under Cleveland coach Paul Silas).

Anyway, Utah’s current roster matches the system that’s been in place for more than 20 years. It consists of passing, cutting, taking the best available shot, and keeping your mouth shut.

I really like the Jazz’s bench, which includes another free-agent signee and possible starter, forward Mehmet Okur (from Detroit). Shooting guard Gordon Giricek and swingman Raja Bell could start for most teams, and second-year players Curtis Borchardt and Raul Lopez -- a center and point guard, respectively -- looked good in summer-league play.

Also, rookies Kirk Snyder and Kris Humphries should contribute right away. I really like Snyder, who reminded me very much of a young Steve Smith during summer league games, as Snyder has a nice touch from anywhere and a super quick release. He’s also tall enough to shoot over most guards. Meanwhile, Humphries sat out most of the summer games with a sore ankle, but considering he led the Big Ten in scoring and rebounding last season as a freshman, he must be doing something right. He needs to become a better passer and more of a team-first guy -- but that won’t be a problem under Sloan. At least, it won’t be if Humphries expects to play.

FINALLY, THE CAVALIERS

It’s been my opinion all along that Boozer stiffed the Cavaliers. Whether he agreed to re-sign with them or not is irrelevant. Cleveland general manager Jim Paxson and owner Gordon Gund tried to give Boozer a better contract by making him a free agent, and he slapped them in the face. He played what’s known as dirty pool.

The worst part is, he keeps telling everyone that he did it for security reasons, that he needs to take care of his family. I only wish a guy who was offered $41 million by Cleveland could realize how offensive that sounds to the rest of us. Boozer claims that it’s all in the past, that his dealings with the Cavaliers are history and it’s time to move on. That too is doubtful, as Cleveland fans have a tendency to make folks who they view as traitors feel horribly unwelcome upon their return (just ask former Browns owner Art Modell, who’s been too terrified to even set foot in northeast Ohio since moving the NFL team to Baltimore 10 years ago).

But know what? The Cavaliers have recovered nicely by trading for super-steady guard Eric Snow (from Philadelphia) and up-and-coming power forward Drew Gooden (from Orlando).

If LeBron James continues to improve, and center Zydrunas Ilguaskus continues to stay healthy, there’s no question that the Cavaliers will be better than last season.

And whoever thought we’d be saying that after they lost Boozer for nothing?

So the bottom line on the Suns, Jazz, and Cavs is they are three teams who needed a slight upgrade this off-season, but ended up with something that looks more like an overhaul. Mostly, they’re three teams who made all the right moves -- and three teams who must now be considered contenders in their respective divisions.

SUMMER LEAGUE QUICKIES

-- The bad news for Orlando fans is No. 1 overall draft pick Dwight Howard looks like he’ll need lots of time to develop, as he appeared soft and overmatched against post players who won’t even be in the NBA next season. That’s not meant to trash Howard, as he clearly has some solid skills … but again, I don’t understand the logic of paying a guy millions for two years when he clearly won’t be much of a contributor until at least year No. 3.

-- The GOOD news for Magic fans was the play of middle first-rounder Jameer Nelson, who showed he already knows how to run a team and should be the perfect backup for Steve Francis. In fact, if you ask me, Nelson will be starting AHEAD of Francis in a few years. Nelson doesn’t have the star power or athleticism that puts 12-year olds in the seats like Francis does, but he’s already a better passer, at least as good of a defender, and much more of a winner. Yes, it sounds crazy to the untrained eye, but I believe Nelson will be a better NBA player than Steve Francis. Nelson simply has more tools and greater desire.

-- As I said last week, I especially enjoyed watching Chicago rookies Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, and Chris Duhon. All three looked like the college all-stars they were, as even Duhon was abusing people in summer play. Not bad for a guy who was drafted in the second round and never really impressed any pro scouts while at Duke. Meanwhile, Gordon looks like he could start for the Bulls at shooting guard THIS season, and Deng could provide some quality minutes off the bench.

-- Former University of Iowa standout Luke Recker was impressive as a member of Indiana’s summer team, while second-year Portland swingman Qyntel Woods looked good for the Trail Blazers. Woods might have better luck if he found a new team, though, as the Blazers are overloaded with guys who play just like him.

-- Rookie-to-be Damien (nephew of Dominique) Wilkins may have secured a spot on somebody’s roster with inspiring play for Seattle’s summer team. Journeyman point guard Mateen Cleaves also played for the Sonics -- and I never would have believed it if you told me five years ago that Jeff McInnis would turn out to be a better NBA player than Cleaves. Shows you what I know about scouting.

-- Finally, fans angered by the whole Carlos Boozer fiasco will want to check out this Web site: www.carlosloozer.com.

READER FEEDBACK

From Alan Poon (Hong Kong): “The NBA should force players to play four years in college before they can enter the draft. That’s really the only way to make sure guys are ’NBA-ready’ when they enter the league, as well as improve the quality of entertainment. And if a foreign player wants to enter the league, he should have to been a member of a professional team (overseas) for four years. This way, the most skilled NBA players won’t be taking a backseat to ’potential.’”

Dear Alan, you make a very valid point -- although again, I do NOT support an age limit. All I want is for GMs and owners to wise up and start drafting the best players.

-- From Tomasz Jakubek (Nysa, Poland): “As for high schoolers like Sebastian Telfair, I know he wanted to help his family and went for the money. But the NBA is not a charity organization -- it needs proven, mature, and mostly, GOOD players. It shouldn’t have to worry about developing guys.”

Dear Tomasz, the sad thing is, the NBA IS becoming a charity organization. Why else would GMs continue to draft people on what they might become -- and not on what they are?

-- From Hugh Austin: “Last week you wrote ‘Darius Miles has been in the league for four years and all he knows how to do is dunk.’ Well, I'm sorry, but I guess you didn't watch Darius Miles last year. I suppose averaging 12.6 points a game and shooting 53 percent isn't enough for you? He also displayed the ball-handling abilities you want in a point-forward (such as Lamar Odom), AND increased his increased his scoring average -- what more do you want from the kid?”

Dear Hugh, don’t get me wrong, Miles is indeed a solid player in today’s NBA. But that’s just my point -- when people like Miles are having success in the league, it’s clearly gone downhill from the years when I started loving it. He never would have posted his current numbers, say, 12 years ago. But today, he’s a solid pro. And that’s a little sad.

It reminds me of a question from Phil Miller (Sacramento), who wrote, “If Steve Francis played in the late 1980s/early ’90s, who do you think he’d be most similar to?” My answer, without hesitation, is Harold Miner. If you’ve never heard of Miner, well, then you understand what I mean.

OK, enough. If you’ve read this newsletter for the past three years, you know the preps-to-pros topic has been a major point of discussion. I PROMISE to lay off for a while, if for no other reason than to appease my pal Ryan Jones at SLAM. Ryan once wrote, “Hey, Sam … Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett. What’s there to discuss?” He makes a valid point, and that’s just one reason why Ryan is paid to write about the NBA, and why I do it for free.

On that note, keeping e-mailing your thoughts, and I’ll talk to you next time.

READ ME IN BT

If you enjoy reading this newsletter, you might want to check out my columns in Basketball Times. I write about anything and everything involving the game for the publication, which also includes columns by real experts such as Dick Vitale, Dick Weiss, and Bob Ryan. You can subscribe to Basketball Times by calling 910-295-5559 or sending an e-mail to hoopgroup@aol.com.