NBA BASKETBALL
Around the NBA in the Amico Report
<February 8, 2002>

By Sam Amico

IN MID-SEASON FORM

It's the middle of the NBA season, and you know what that means. It means guys like me, guys with no lives, are making lots of stupid lists. Why? Because we can.

Every once in a while, I'll write one of these newsletters and a friend of mine will say, "Boy, you really mailed it in this week." My wife prefers a more direct style. "Honey," she might say. "This stinks."

Actually, she's never said that. But just know this could be classified as one of those newsletters. Disclaimers aside, here is my list of the best and worst of the first half of the NBA season:

-- Worst First Round Draft Pick: Kwame Brown, Washington. I usually have nothing but praise for the Wizards, and Brown may still pay off. But I have a feeling this poor kid will never be worthy of the No. 1 overall pick. And could you imagine how good the Wizards could be if they had drafted Pau Gasol instead?

-- Worst Offseason Move: Golden State matching Houston's offer for center Marc Jackson. The Rockets sign Jackson for way too much money. The Warriors match it -- then refuse to play him. Now, the Warriors are mad and hoping to trade him. Jackson is extremely miffed, and the Rockets sure could use a center. Everyone loses. I just don't get it.

-- Teams Still in Need of New Uniforms: Again, Golden State. What does a lightning bolt have to do with being a Warrior? Every summer I hope the Warriors go back to their great old logo of California inside of a basketball, and every October I'm disappointed.

-- Rookie Who Would Be Really Good with Another Team: Gerald Wallace, Sacramento. This young man plays with a ton of confidence and can really leap. Unfortunately for Wallace, he's on a very good team with a loaded frontcourt. As it stands, the Kings are just going to be patient -- and maybe use him as trade bait.

-- Hottest Rumor Involving a Sportswriter: New York Post columnist Peter Vecsey is expected to be named an NBA general manager next season, then hire current New York Knicks point guard Mark Jackson as coach. I'm not making this up. And believe it or not, this rumor wasn't even fueled by Vecsey. At any rate, after hearing this, I immediately had two thoughts: 1) Could you imagine having Peter Vecsey for a boss? 2) Maybe sportswriters aren't so dumb, after all.

-- Worst Hair: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas. With his pasty white skin and newly-shaved head, Nowitzki looks like a 7-foot light bulb. Grow it back, Dirk. Please.

-- Best Hair: (tie) Steve Nash, Dallas, and Ben Wallace, Detroit. Nash and Wallace are two guys who understand that the length of your hair can still really mean something. Of course, when it comes to these two, just don't ask what.

-- Most Disappointing Team: New York Knicks. Last week, I received the following e-mail: "You picked the Knicks to finish second in the Atlantic Division. Hope the lobotomy goes well." Hey, I had no idea Jeff Van Gundy would finally say, "I punt." Nor did I have any idea Allan Houston would be the most overpaid player this side of Jim McIlvaine. Or who ever thought Marcus Camby would be so injury-prone. OK, OK. I'll fill you in on that lobotomy.

-- Most Surprising Team: Minnesota Timberwolves. Who would have guessed that the Timberwolves could be so good so early? Especially when you consider everything about them has always seemed so average (with the exception of Kevin Garnett). But Garnett has become more team-oriented, Wally Szczerbiak has become an All-Star, and Flip Saunders has become a worthy candidate for coach of the year.

-- Team That Must Have Lost More Close Games Than Any Team in NBA History: Houston Rockets. Every time I tune into an NBA game, the Rockets are losing on a last-second shot.

-- Team That May Still Improve During the Second Half: San Antonio. The Spurs are good, but they still seem to be finding themselves, maybe getting used to each other. David Robinson isn't nearly the player he once was, but Tim Duncan has a better supporting cast this year than last.

-- Five Old Guys Who Can Still Get it Done: 1) Michael Jordan, 39 on Feb. 17, Washington; 2. Karl Malone, 39 soon, Utah; 3. John Stockton, 40 soon, Utah; 4. Terry Porter, 38, San Antonio; 5. Sam Mitchell, 812, Minnesota. (Actually, Mitchell is 38).

-- Team We Still Can't Figure Out: Phoenix Suns. The Suns are kind of like last year's ... well, like last year's New Jersey Nets. Not so coincidentally, Suns point guard Stephon Marbury ran the Nets much like he does the Suns. And like Marbury, the Suns are either very good or very flat.

-- Player Who We All Hoped Would Make a Strong Comeback, But Hasn't: Shawn Kemp, Portland. Poor Shawn is still very overweight and out of sync. Thankfully, his glory years aren't the only thing that are in the past -- his drug problems appear to be, too.

-- Player Who We All Hoped Would Make a Strong Comeback, And Has: Alonzo Mourning, Miami. He's not the Alonzo of old -- yet. But it's starting to look like all Mourning needs is another few months, and before you know it, the Heat will be back in the playoffs.

-- Five Best Second-Round Draft Picks: 1) Jarron Collins, Utah; 2) Trenton Hassell, Chicago; 3) Loren Woods, Minnesota; 4) Will Solomon, Memphis; 5) Terence Morris, Atlanta (immediately traded to Houston).

-- Team That Has Best Shot of Knocking Off the Lakers: New Jersey Nets. Everyone else says Sacramento, and that certainly isn't a bad pick. But New Jersey is even better, as the Nets are a little more well-rounded than the Kings. And if you ask me, they have more weapons than anyone in the league. The only thing the Nets lack is playoff experience.

-- Ten Best Teams: 1) New Jersey; 2) L.A. Lakers; 3) Sacramento; 4) Dallas; 5) Milwaukee; 6) Minnesota; 7) Boston; 8) San Antonio; 9) Toronto; 10) Philadelphia.

-- Ten Teams On the Verge of Joining Top 10: 1) Washington; 2) Detroit; 3) Orlando; 4) Charlotte; 5) Portland; 6) Seattle; 7) Phoenix; 8) L.A. Clippers; 9) Utah; 10) Indiana.

-- MVP: Michael Jordan, Washington. Put Jordan on any team in place of that team's star, and the team would be just as good (with the exception of Shaquille O'Neal, but including Jason Kidd) But take Jordan off the Wizards ... and we all know what happens. He still does more with less than any player in league history.

-- Still My Favorite Guy to Watch: Allen Iverson, Philadelphia. When it matters most, Iverson will stop acting annoyed and lead the Sixers to a top four playoff seed. Nobody plays with more guts. Philly is 25-15 with him, 0-7 without him (through Feb. 5).

PACER PERCEPTIONS

Scribbles in my notebook while watching the Indiana Pacers:

-- We all witnessed why Jalen Rose isn't an All-Star on Super Bowl Sunday. Yes, Rose had an awesome game against the Washington Wizards, scoring 28 points. But he also was thrown out after being nailed with two technicals, and it's obvious his temper is what keeps him from becoming the consistent pro everyone thought he would. Plus, Rose doesn't even try to guard anybody.

-- I was glad to see former Hofstra scoring machine Norman Richardson getting some playing time as a guard with Indiana. I've always thought Richardson could contribute to the right team, and if Travis Best really is on the trading block, Richardson could move right in.

-- Boy, am I tired of hearing trade rumors involving Travis Best. Who cares? It's Travis Best! Every time I read that Best may be traded, I start to think, "Ya know, there are way too many people writing these days."

-- How does Reggie Miller still do it? He's 36 and he hasn't missed a beat. Perhaps because Miller's game has never been based on athleticism (has anyone ever seen him dunk)? And why have the other Pacers suddenly stopped passing him the ball? I always look at the box scores to see how much Reggie shoots, and I always come away saying it's not nearly enough.

GRIZZLIES, PART 312

Remember the last newsletter, the one in which I admitted the Memphis Grizzlies are getting too much mention in this space? Well, it hasn't changed. Here are more thoughts on Memphis:

-- Last week, I laid in bed and thought two things: "Wouldn't it be great if the Grizzlies changed their name to the Showboats, just like the old USFL team?" That was followed with, "Perhaps I should seek counseling for thinking about these types of things at this hour." But fear not, I hear the Grizzlies ARE actually thinking about changing their name to the Showboats. If not, my second-place vote is the Tams, which is what the old ABA team was called (in an effort to draw fans from Tennessee, Arkansas, and Mississippi).

-- Pau Gasol reminds me a lot of Kevin McHale -- except Gasol has a more range on the jump shot. I think Gasol will be better than Dirk Nowitzki and Peja Stojakovic, currently the NBA's best Europeans.

-- I still am a big fan of Stromile Swift. He is the league's top scoring reserve (13.4 ppg), and only needs to put on some weight and polish his fundamentals to become All-Star material.

CBA NAMES

Here are some names you may recognize in the Continental Basketball Association (player, team, stat):

Miles Simon, Dakota, 24.0 ppg; Jeff Sanders, Rockford, 22.6 ppg; Randy Livingston, Sioux Falls, 5.7 apg; Ken Johnson, Dakota, .540 FG; Khalid El-Amin, Gary; Chris Porter, Dakota; Sean Lampley, Saskatchewan; Reed Rawlings, Grand Rapids.

YOUR E-MAILS

FROM JOE HANLON
Q: I have a question about Kobe Bryant and Allen Iverson. Who do you think has proven more, has a brighter future, is more valuable to their team and to the league, and is the better player?

A: Joe, I think Bryant has proven more, simply because he's won two titles. He's also been a model citizen and would probably be "more valuable to the league" for that reason. Bryant may also have a brighter future, although he's in trouble once Shaq leaves. But if I'm a general manager and had to pick one, I'd take Iverson. He's better.

FROM STAN CHANG
Q: Do you know who holds the record for most steals in a game?

A: Stan, I do not know the answer. Fortunately, the 2001-02 Official NBA Guide does: Larry Kenon and Kendall Gill each have 11 steals in a game to tie for the record. Kenon as a San Antonio Spur on Dec.26, 1976 (vs. Kansas City); and Gill as a New Jersey Net on April 3, 1999 (vs. Miami, the team for which he now plays).

FROM BRADY WILLIAMS
Q: Chicago center Brad Miller scored 32 points Jan. 27 versus Memphis. When was the last time a Bulls center scored at least that many points? It has to have been a long time.

A: Brady, you're right. The last time a Bulls center scored at least 32 points: 1982, when Artis Gilmore did it.

WEB SITE STUFF

Believe it or not, The Amico Report Web site will be up and running soon, and I will e-mail all subscribers the link before the All-Star game. It will feature the entire weekly newsletter, as well as fresh material not found here, photos, links, and more. Also, the plan is to publish reader e-mails that are simply too long to run in the newsletter (only letters in good taste will be posted).

At any rate, check your inbox for the complete Web site announcement.

SAM'S SLAMS

I recently saw a picture of the 1979-80 World Champion Los Angeles Lakers. It consisted of 11 players, the head coach, the team owner, and an assistant coach. Then I saw a picture of last year's Laker team. It consisted of 15 players, six coaches, the trainer, the massage therapist, the "athletic performance coordinator," the strength and conditioning coach, and the equipment manager. Does it really take so many guys to win a championship in the modern era? I highly doubt it. ... Former NBA great and current Bulls broadcaster Johnny "Red" Kerr recently spoke the following truth during a Bulls game on WGN: "The NBA is a league with 4,000 power forwards, 3,000 guards, and about three true centers." ... L.A. Clippers rookie Harold Jamison got the start for the Clips' lone game in Boston. Watch out for this kid. He wasn't drafted, but word is he can really play. ... It's nice to see Boston forward Walter McCarty finally getting some playing time. He was once the Celtics' forgotten ma, but that honor now belongs to rookie Joe Forte. ... Told you the Patriots would win.

CONTACT ME

E-mail questions and comments to me at amicoreport@hotmail.com. I will try to answer all questions in the newsletter, but you must include your full name.

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