---

By Sam Amico / The Amico Report

IT’S A BIRD, IT‘S A PLANE, NO -- IT’S SUPER MURRAY

I take great pride in being totally aware of everything that’s going on in the NBA. I can name nearly every player on every roster. I know way more about the league than any man should.

I admit, when it comes to pro basketball, I’m flat-out peculiar.

But after someone e-mailed something about Seattle guard Ronald “Flip” Murray this past summer, I just shrugged my shoulders and hit the delete key.

It pains me to type this sentence, but I‘m not so sure I even knew who Murray was. Apparently, he was the “throw in” (read: player nobody wanted) in the trade that sent Gary Payton and Desmond Mason to Milwaukee for Ray Allen and … Murray.

As ESPN analyst Tim Legler said on NBA Fastbreak, “This guy was so under the radar, he played high school ball in my backyard, and even I had never heard of him.”

Well, everyone knows who Murray is today. If not, they should.

Murray has been magical in filling in for the inured Allen, scoring 20-plus points per game and hitting a couple of game-winning baskets.

I like Murray because he doesn’t appear to be overly obsessed with the weight room, placing more value on basketball skills than basketball brawn. He was a gymnast in college, hence the nickname “Flip.” He’s athletic and fundamentally-sound, and from the looks of things, a winner. It‘s obvious he has plenty of determination, having made the NBA out of Division II Shaw (N.C.) University. (Today‘s lesson: Whenever you have to use the word “university“ after writing the name of a school, it‘s small).

Anyway, here is what Murray said in USA Today: “I feel like I can drive around anyone in the league.”

Cleveland fans might remember Henry James, a sweet-shooting forward who came out of nowhere to lift the injury-depleted Cavaliers in the early 1990s.

Murray is that guy and more for the quick-starting Sonics. Most of all, he will be a wonderful sixth man when Allen does return.

Murray epitomizes the Sonics, an underrated bunch that plays very hard and is this year’s sleeper in the Western Conference. The Sonics have some outstanding shooters -- Murray, Brent Barry, Vladimir Radmanovic, Allen -- and always seem to find the open man. It’s beautiful basketball.

On defense, the Sonics bend their knees and shuffle their feet, and they battle for every rebound. They were built in the image of their coach, Nate McMillan, a former Sonic himself who appears to be on his way to becoming this generation’s Lenny Wilkens on the sidelines.

And whoever thought much of the Sonics’ success would begin and end with some guy who was previously on NBA life support?

One thing’s for sure: This Flip is no flop.

BIG MEN ON SMALL CAMPUSES

Murray is just one of 10 players currently in the NBA who came from a small college. According to USA Today, fewer players have taken that road to the big leagues than any other (major college, international, high school).

Here’s the complete list:

Division II -- Darrell Armstrong, New Orleans, Fayetteville (N.C.) State; Ronald Murray, Seattle, Shaw (N.C.); Moochie Norris, Houston, West Florida; Scottie Pippen, Chicago, Central Arkansas; Eddie Robinson, Chicago, Central Oklahoma; Ben Wallace, Detroit, Virginia Union.

Division III -- Devean George, L.A. Lakers, Augsburg (Minn.).

Junior/Community College -- Chris Anderson, Denver, Blinn (Texas) JC; Kedrick Brown, Boston, Okaloosa-Walton (Fla.) CC; Qyntel Woods, Portland, Northeast Mississippi CC.

All-time greats who played small-college ball:

Elgin Baylor, Seattle U.; Maurice Cheeks, West Texas State; World B. Free, Guilford (N.C.); Buddy Jeanette, Washington & Jefferson (Pa.); Sam Jones, North Carolina Central; Shawn Kemp, Trinity Valley (Texas) CC; Vern Mikkelsen, Hamline (Minn.); Earl Monroe, Winston-Salem (N.C.) State; Terry Porter, Wisconsin-Stevens Point; Dennis Rodman, Southeastern Oklahoma State; Jack Sikma, Illinois Wesleyan.

REALIGNMENT STUFF

NBA owners are expected to approve realignment early next week, and these teams will make up one of the divisions in the Eastern Conference: Washington, Miami, Atlanta, Orlando, and expansion Charlotte.

Unbelievable, but one of these teams will be a division champion at the end of next season.

That’s not meant to trash those organizations -- if you’ve read this newsletter long enough, you know I love ALL NBA teams equally.

But there’s a reason Jerry West is already making a push to have Memphis placed in that division. Instead, it appears the Grizzlies will continue to stay in the Western Conference, and will be stuck in a division that also consists of Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and West newcomer New Orleans.

Ouch.

Anyway, here is what each division will look like next season:

Eastern Conference

Atlantic -- Boston, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Toronto. Comment: These guys are really gonna miss Miami.

Central -- Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Indiana, Milwaukee. Comment: Geographically, this one makes the most sense.

Southeast -- Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, Orlando, Washington. Comment: If this division existed today, the Bobcats would have as good of a chance to win it as anyone.

Western Conference

Southwest -- Dallas, Houston, Memphis, New Orleans, San Antonio. Comment: It’ll be runnin’ and gunnin’ and havin’ lots of fun in this one.

Northwest -- Denver, Minnesota, Portland, Seattle, Utah. Comment: I must have missed Minnesota in my previous visit to the Northwest.

Pacific -- Golden State, Los Angeles Clipper, Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix, Sacramento. Comment: Still the best division.

RANDOM STUFF

-- It’s been a long time since I enjoyed watching a game as much as the Detroit-Sacramento game Nov. 11. And that’s coming from a guy who has a blast taking in a Clippers-Hawks tilt (told you I was peculiar). The Kings-Pistons game was a wonderful matchup of contrasting styles, as both are well-coached and run offenses that are remarkable when well-executed. The Kings prefer an up-tempo faster-paced type of game, while the Pistons like to pound the ball on the floor and wait for the opposing defense to make a mistake. I just wish I could see these two square off more often. Perhaps the Finals?

-- That leads to the question, Can the Kings reach the Finals? Not without Chris Webber. Granted, Webber isn’t a great clutch performer, but he is good for 20 points and 10 rebounds a night, and his size and passing skills make him a natural fit in Sacramento’s Princeton offense. If Webber is finally healthy when the Kings need him most, then yes, they have as good of a shot at the Finals as San Antonio and the Lakers.

-- As for the Pistons, well, nothing against Rick Carlisle, but I like watching them more under Larry Brown. For the casual observer, they were just too darn boring under Carlisle. They seem to be playing with more fervor on offense, and as we’re all finding out, the Pistons do have the ability to score some points. Richard Hamilton is one of the league’s best when it comes to slashing to the basket, and Chauncey Billups one of its deadliest perimeter shooters. But what I like most about Detroit is that none of the players has ever cared about who leads the team in scoring. The Pistons are old-school in that they just want to win, period.

-- Having written all of that, the Pistons and Kings should start preparing for massive losing streaks.

-- By season’s end, I think the Clippers will have earned your respect. That sounds like crazy talk, but it’s obvious new coach Mike Dunleavy has these guys believing in something good. I can’t get enough of the Duke duo of Elton Brand and Corey Maggette, and when Brand is healthy, this team could really take off. That’s especially true when you consider how well Chris Wilcox has played in Brand’s absence.

-- When Maggette first came into the league, I thought he might become just another Duke dud. But is there a more underrated guy in the NBA today? He can drive, he’s automatic from 12-to-15 feet, and he’s a pesky, athletic defender. Meanwhile, I’m not completely sold on Quentin Richardson as a complete player, but even I’ll admit he’s starting to become more than just a guy who stands near the 3-point line, frantically waving his arms and calling for the ball (which, truth be told, is about the extent of MY game).

-- You have to be thrilled for Boston forward Vin Baker. He looks great, he’s playing great, and he has done nothing but exhibit a great attitude. Sometimes, you have to hit bottom before realizing your potential. Everybody messes up, and it’s kind of sad that we haven’t heard a peep from most of the sportswriters who were kicking Baker in print when he admitted his problems with alcohol.

-- It was good to see the entire Celtics team wearing white shoes in their game Nov. 13. Hopefully, it’s a new trend. There’s nothing wrong with the black shoes, other than the fact they make the players look like they’re just gonna play a little ball before heading off to Sunday School. But I don’t expect the Celtics to keep wearing the white shoes -- as that was the game they lost to Chicago at home.

-- Speaking of the Celtics and Bulls, why do I get the feeling that everyone in the Eastern Conference will finish 41-41?

-- Have you noticed that second-round pick Keith Bogans has been contributing more for Orlando than first-rounder Reece Gaines? Granted, Yours Truly did call Bogans a steal following the draft, but I didn’t expect him to better than Gaines. It’s just another example of the downright weird season being had by the Magic.

-- The Lakers fined Gary Payton and Shaquille O’Neal for showing up late for their game against Toronto Nov. 13. The Raptors should have fined them for not leaving early.

-- What on earth is going on with Golden State guard Calbert Cheaney? The guy has been phenomenal for the Warriors, even making 12-of-16 shots in a game. It’s nice to see, as Cheaney barely TOTALED 16 shots in stints in Washington, Boston, Denver, and Utah. Not really, but it sure did seem that way. Like I said before, watch out for the Warriors -- especially once Troy Murphy returns from injury.

-- Roy Tarpley is back … in the CBA. Tarpley, banned from the NBA for substance abuse in the mid-1990s, signed on with the Sioux Falls (S.D.) Skyforce. Good for him.

-- According to the New York Daily News, talks of a New Jersey-Portland trade that would send Kenyon Martin to the Trail Blazers for Rasheed Wallace “could be revived.” Could be revived? Sounds like unadulterated speculation to me.

-- Craig Rudnick, John Maynard, Martin Porter, Todd “Sweetwally” Walker, and a host of others e-mailed to correct me for calling San Antonio’s Manu Ginobili a “European” in the previous newsletter. Ginobili, of course, is from Argentina, which is as European as Minnesota is Northwest. Please accept my apologies. There’s a reason this newsletter is free.

-- Finally, last week I wrote that ESPN’s Greg Anthony needed to tone down his act on NBA Fastbreak, particularly when it came to disagreeing with every little thing uttered by Tim Legler. Otherwise, I wrote, Anthony is a fine analyst. I don't know if Anthony reads this newsletter, and if he does, I’m betting that never adheres to my advice. Still, he deserves credit for doing a total about-face, disputing Legler without acting like he’s gonna reach over and slap him during the commercial break. Much better, Greg. Excellent work.

READER FEEDBACK

From Tim Stutzman (Doylestown, Ohio)

Q: I don’t like the way the NBA is marketed, and I couldn’t care less about dunks. But I love pro basketball -- even if it is a Wednesday in January and Cleveland is playing Atlanta in front of a crowd of 7,500.

A: Dear Tim … finally, a man after my own heart! And Cleveland versus Atlanta in front of 7,500 in mid-January is actually the type of NBA action that I PREFER.

From Steve Stinder (Toronto)

Q: We all know that Karl Malone is wearing No. 11. So what, you say? Well, it should be noted that Bob McAdoo wore No. 11 for the Lakers from 1981-86. The coincidence here is that both guys were former league MVPs who made a sacrifice to move to L.A. And McAdoo won two titles with the Lakers!

A: Dear Steve, again, I am always grateful for basketball junkies who come forth with this type of information. It makes me feel like I’m not alone in the world.

From Forrest Matthews (For Collins, Colo.)

Q: I just moved to Colorado from the East Coast, and am surprised at how much I enjoy being force-fed the Nuggets. With Carmelo Anthony, Earl Boykins, and Andre Miller, I think they’ve put together an exciting team. Do you think they have a shot to make the playoffs this season?

A: Dear Forrest, I agree that the Nuggets are much-improved and the Miller-Voshon Lenard backcourt beats the pants off the Junior Harrington-Vincent Yarbrough combo the Nuggets were forced to use last season. And Anthony is absolute gem, as he and LeBron James are bringing the fundamentals back to pro basketball. But no, they won’t make the playoffs -- this season, anyway.

SIGN UP FOR THE AMICO REPORT

To receive the Amico Report in your inbox, just send your name and e-mail address to me at amicoreport@hotmail.com. Questions can also be e-mailed to the above address, although you must include your full name to be considered for publication. Please include your hometown too, as I love to see where the e-mails are coming from.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!