By Sam Amico

ON MASHBURN, McGRADY, AND MORE

Random thoughts on the NBA playoffs:

-- I know Jamal Mashburn is sick, but how bad can it possibly be?

In case you missed it, the Charlotte forward was carted off the court with a virus during the Hornets' opening-round series against Orlando.

All I keep thinking about is how Magic Johnson had a virus during the 1988 Finals against Detroit, and how Magic had not eaten for days, and how he had to have an IV at halftime.

Yet Magic played, despite looking more like a ghost than The Greatest Point Guard Ever. And the Lakers went on to win the series in seven games.

So come on, Jamal. Get on the court -- this is the playoffs!

-- When the Portland Trail Blazers are on, there's no team I enjoy watching more. But let's face it, it's just not working.

That much is evident after watching the Blazers self-destruct for a second straight season against the Lakers.

Granted, Portland isn't the only team that will lose to Los Angeles in the playoffs, but this goes beyond wins and losses.

In other words, these guys are kind of hard to like. Actually, I like them all ... just not when they're together.

I say start by trading Rasheed Wallace, and end by cutting Shawn Kemp and eating his contract. Why keep Kemp when the best you can hope for is 12 points once a month?

In the Blazers' defense, the front office got off to a good start by hiring Maurice Cheeks as coach. The only thing management needs to do now is accept that the team must take a few steps back before it can move forward. May as well dump the dead weight.

-- After watching Utah's John Stockton in the Jazz's series against Sacramento, I think the 40-year old should not consider playing another season. I think he should consider playing two.

Seriously, Stockton is still among the top 10-15 point guards in the league, and has shown only minimal signs of slowing down.

I'm still convinced that the Jazz would have won that evenly-played series had someone besides Rusty LaRue been Stockton's backup.

-- Did anyone else notice that Pistons forward and NBA Sixth Man of the Year Corliss Williamson was wearing a shower cap during an interview on TNT? Well, at least Corliss doesn't PLAY like my grandma.

-- I agree with Orlando swingman Tracy McGrady -- he's a better player than Charlotte's Baron Davis (most of the time).

But now that McGrady is in the business of publicly comparing himself to others, let's ask him how he stacks up with Shaquille O'Neal? Kobe Bryant? Allen Iverson? Tim Duncan? Heck, Dirk Nowitzki?

Just play and win, Tracy. No need to be insecure. Better yet, win a playoff series or two before you start claiming to be better than everyone.

-- I don't know if high school phenom LeBron James is really heading to Italy to play professionally next season, as reported in Dime Magazine. James and his parents deny it, but what else are they going to say?

I wouldn't be surprised -- or fault James -- if he had at least looked into the idea.

Anyway, if by some chance it's true, I have two words for LeBron -- Danny Ferry. Remember how Ferry opted to play in Italy rather than for the Los Angeles Clippers in 1989? Well, it was a mistake.

While in Italy, Ferry hurt his knee and those close to the situation say the injury never received proper treatment. Then Ferry went to Cleveland, where he failed to fit in with those good Cavs teams of the early 1990s.

In fact, Ferry just never seemed comfortable until he landed in San Antonio. It's rare for an NBA player to peak in his 30s, but that's exactly what has happened with Ferry.

And that's something James -- or any other young player -- should consider if he is serious about playing overseas. Especially when the sole purpose is to kill time until the next draft.

-- Say what you will about New Jersey's Kenyon Martin, but it's about time somebody made opponents pay for driving to the basket.

I'm not excusing Martin's flagrant fouls -- he deserved the fines and suspensions. But he'll foul you hard and make sure you think twice about entering the lane. And the league needs someone who isn't constantly coddling his millionaire peers.

After watching this year's first round, two thoughts came to mind:

"When did NBA players become such wimps?" and "I never thought I'd say this, but golly, I kind of miss those Detroit Piston Bad Boy teams."

Martin needs to tone it down a notch, and make sure he's not playing dirty. But I admire his toughness.

-- Speaking of New Jersey, my favorite Net is reserve Aaron Williams. He puts the power in power forward, and he doesn't feel the need to get tattoos or tell everyone how rugged he is.

Williams is one guy who doesn't care about image -- he's just a guy who you want on your side. The NBA could definitely use more players like him.

-- Speaking of tattoos, I've written in past newsletters that they don't bother me -- and they don't. Tattoos are fine, cornrows are great, and Ben Wallace's wild hairdo is even better.

So what NBA fashion statement do I despise? Headbands. They looked stupid in the '70s, they look even worse today. And why wear one when everybody else is doing it? I cannot wait until this fad ends ... again.

-- Don't forget, I'll be handing out my NBA awards soon. In case you can't wait, I give you this early sample.

Most Annoying NBA Mascot: Sacramento's Mateen Cleaves.

-- I still don't understand why Indiana forward Austin Croshere can't be another Kiki Vandeweghe. Maybe Croshere just needs to get with the right team.

Of course, the right team would be one that's willing to take a big risk, as Croshere is arguably the league's most overpaid player (with apologies to Shawn Kemp).

-- It's good to see that recently-retired NBA players such as Muggsy Bogues and Detlef Schrempf have found work in those IBM commercials. Everybody needs a second career, even if you do have to go by the name "Downtime."

-- You had to love the way Toronto played after Vince Carter went down with an injury. As usual, Raptors coach Lenny Wilkens did an extremely underrated job.

It's good to see Wilkens will get another chance with Carter back next season, as Wilkens is one of pro basketball's finest citizens. He's one of those guys who will really be missed when he retires.

As for Carter, don't worry Raptor fans, he's not going anywhere. Rumor has it Vince is out to prove he's more than a manufactured superstar -- that he's a winner. Stay tuned.

-- Michael Jordan recently wondered aloud (in the Washington Post) whether Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry will ever be anything more than two guys who spend their entire careers averaging 20 points for a last place team.

I can't help but wonder the same thing.

-- I think it would be a mistake for Minnesota to change just for change's sake. That's especially true when the idea is trading Kevin Garnett.

Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune reports that Garnett may be headed to Milwaukee for Ray Allen and momentum-killer Anthony Mason. Interesting.

But what the Timberwolves need to do is try convincing Garnett that he can't do it alone, that he needs another guy. It wouldn't hurt if he learned how to play with his back to the basket.

As for Wolves guard Wally Szczerbiak, let the trade rumors begin.

-- The Eastern Conference team that has the best shot at beating the Lakers in the Finals? Right now, I'd say Boston. The Celtics are a feisty bunch, led by Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker.

I also like the fact that they take -- and often make -- three-pointer after three-pointer, something most defenses have a hard time dealing with. Even defenses as good as the Lakers.'

Plus, could you imagine? Celtics versus Lakers? It wouldn't exactly be Bill vs. Wilt or Bird vs. Magic, but it would still be a lot of fun.

-- Ever notice how NBA coaches never really answer the question that's asked during those stupefying press conferences?

Example:

Reporter: "Coach, what color is your hair?"

Coach: "Well, we need to do a better job of taking care of the basketball. They killed us on the boards. We'll just take it a game at a time."

-- I'm one guy who's thrilled that Jerry West has been hired to run the Memphis Grizzlies. It's always nice to watch gifted people take on what seems like an insurmountable challenge.

Phil Jackson ought to try it some time.

-- I'm thrilled about two other things: The Houston Rockets are reportedly changing their uniforms, and at this writing, Chris Mullin is expected to be named the Golden State Warriors' director of basketball operations.

I know, I need professional help.

BOB RYAN SPEAKS

Longtime Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan also writes a regular column for Basketball Times, and I thought he brought up some very interesting points in the latest issue.

"You care about the NBA? Fine. Start rooting for Sacramento or Dallas to win it all," Ryan wrote.

He explained that we should root for the Kings and Mavericks because of their style of play, because they believe in fastbreak basketball.

"Starting with the Bad Boy Pistons in 1989, the league has had a succession of safety-first champions," Ryan wrote. "You can rhapsodize about Michael Jordan all you want, but the Bulls were never a particularly interesting team. It was always about Him, and trying to stop Him. It was 90 percent halfcourt, pound-the-ball stuff featuring Him.

"It was nowhere near as interesting as watching Bird's Celtics or Magic's Lakers. Those two could dominate long stretches of games without ever taking a shot. In the universal rush to the judgment anointing Michael Jordan as the greatest player of them all, few consider that fact. Michael Jordan had to score in order to be Michael Jordan. Bird and Magic didn't have to score in order to be Bird and Magic."

As for the current Lakers?

"Get serious," Ryan wrote. "It's all about Shaq, and that gets artistically old pretty fast."

Ryan concluded, "We need the cloud lifted in this league. The NBA has been held captive for a decade and a half by ultra-conservative fraidy-cat coaches. We must break their grip. The NBA needs life. The NBA needs to see either the Kings or the Mavericks crowned as champion."

USBL IS BACK

The United States Basketball League has begun its 16th season -- and what other minor league in any sport anywhere can say that?

Simply an amazing job done by league founder and owner Dan Meisenheimer, the most regular guy of a commissioner that you'll ever meet.

Here are some current USBL scoring leaders:

Corey Hightower, Pennsylvania, 27.2 ppg; Greg Jones, St. Joseph's, 22.8; Raphael Edwards, Florida, 22.4; Kwan Johnson, Brevard, 22.3.

Other names you may know include Fred House (Adirondack); Jimmy King (Dodge City); Doug Gottlieb (Oklahoma); SirValiant Brown (Pennsylvania); and Justin Love (St. Louis).

Also, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is a coach in the USBL, and his son, Kareem Jr., plays for the Brooklyn franchise.

Former Cleveland State coach Kevin Mackey coaches the Florida team.

MY EXCUSE

Some of you actually noticed that there was no newsletter last week -- and a few of you actually e-mailed to complain.

My explanation?

Well, one month ago I was hired as the sports editor of the local daily newspaper. I'll be honest, for a couple of days, I considered putting The Amico Report to rest.

At first, the responsibility of appeasing management, a community, a staff, AND readers of a newsletter seemed like it would just be too overwhelming.

But today, I am comfortable in my new job and feel good about the idea of continuing the newsletter. It may not come every week, it may not come every month during the offseason. But it will come, and I hope you will continue to give me your feedback.

Now, stop staring at your computer and go enjoy the playoffs.

CONTACT ME

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

HAVE A GREAT DAY!