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Wade the front-runner at point By Terry Brown NBA Insider Tuesday, October 21 Updated: October 22 4:23 PM ET Who would have ever thought that a Pat Riley-coached team would start a rookie at point guard a year after starting a rookie at small forward while the starting power forward who is naturally a small forward is actually taller than the starting center. Next thing you're going to tell me is that a Pat Riley-coached team hasn't been to the playoffs in two seasons. Miami Heat Point guard Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Dwyane Wade R 6-4 -- Last year, no one on this team averaged more than 4.1 assists per game -- they shot a collective 41 percent and scored only 85 points a contest. Why shouldn't a strong-willed rookie get a chance? Rafer Alston 4 6-2 7.8 ppg, 4.1 apg Last year, no one on this team averaged more than 4.1 assists per game -- they shot a collective 41 percent and scored only 85 points a contest. Why shouldn't a strong-willed streetballer get a chance? Bimbo Coles 13 6-2 4.4 ppg, 2.1 apg Veteran NBAer just in the case the strong-willed rookie and strong-willed streetballer turn out to be little more than strong-willed. Shooting guard Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Eddie Jones 9 6-6 18.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg An all-star when an All-NBAer was needed now coming off an injury that limited him to a career-low 47 games last year. But it's almost as hard to blame him for scoring only 18.5 per game last year as it will be for him to make amends for a season in which he did score a team-high 18.5 a game. Rasual Butler 1 6-7 7.5 ppg, 2.6 rpg Good rookie campaign could all be for naught if he concentrates more on his preseason 4-for-8 shooting from long range rather than 15-for-38 mark from the field. Small forward Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Caron Butler 1 6-7 15.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg Remember all that supposedly good, young talent they had stockpiled up in the Clipper locker room. Well, Riley just grabbed the one with the most potential and Butler forced that same one to move to power forward. This kid's that good even coming off an injury. Lamar Odom 4 6-10 14.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg Small forward, power forward, point forward. At $10 million a pop, you find ways to get your money's worth (see below). John Wallace 6 6-9 5 ppg, 1.8 rpg Points, rebounds and minutes have declined for four straight seasons. Do I hear five? Sean Lampley 1 6-6 4.8 ppg 2.4 rpg If only every day was January 6 and Sean was playing against the Golden State Warriors. Power forward Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Lamar Odom 4 6-10 14.6 ppg, 6.7 rpg Riley is betting his highly-versatile enigma of a basketball player can cause greater match-up problems between baselines for opponents than his opponent's bulky power forward can cause Lamar Odom. And he's basically got the house riding on this one. Samaki Walker 7 6-9 4.4 ppg, 5.5 rpg This guy has played for the Lakers and Spurs for the last four years, the only two teams to win an NBA title in the last five years, and has a playoff scoring average of 2.6. More of a trivial pursuit answer than power forward. Malik Allen 2 6-10 9.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg Not a great player, but good will do at this point, especially after seeing him nearly double his numbers from rookie season. Jerome Beasley R 6-9 -- North Dakota's finest. Center Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Brian Grant 9 6-9 10.3 ppg, 10.2 rpg Cannot possibly hope to earn the $11 million Miami is paying him to be its starting center. But, then again, a stocky 6-foot-9 guy could not possibly be asked to play starting center in this league. I guess we'll agree to disagree so long as he stays at double-digit rebounds per game. Cherokee Parks 8 6-11 6.3 ppg, 4.4 rpg Suddenly realized he might be able to carve out some kind of niche in this league last year with the Clippers (almost quadrupling his output in points and rebounds over the previous season) and earn all those tattoos on his arms. Loren Woods 2 7-2 2.1 ppg, 2.2 apg He's 86 inches tall on a team with only one other player taller than 82 thereby fulfilling, I guess, some kind of requirement only a handful of very powerful people in the league know about.

Refs are also known for calling things certain things on Rooks much tighter during the preseason, just to get a feel for how they'll react and handle the situation...if those were most of Diaw's to's, I can deal with it for now. I've said before that one thing I like about Theo playing C with the rest of the squad is his mobility and ability to run the floor, something I'm not certain (just dont know) if Nazr can do as well. Theoretically, we could be a pretty athletic, up and down team with vets...if we can run those breaks...

It all starts with Vince's knee By Terry Brown NBA Insider Monday, October 20 Updated: October 21 7:23 AM ET The sooner Vince Carter gets back to being Vince Carter, the slower the Raptors will be to to rush Lamond Murray back from injury, Chris Bosh into the starting line up and Antonio Davis and his family to the airport with their bags packed. And, the sooner the Raptors will get back to being Eastern Conference contenders. Toronto Raptors Point guard Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Alvin Williams 6 6-5 13.2 ppg, 5.3 apg When the Toronto Raptors needed Alvin William most, he was never more productive. The problem, though, is that Williams was shining because Vince Carter's knee was flickering out, and we're not sure yet if we've gotten a better point guard or just more of the same one. We've seen what he can do with more minutes, more shots, more responsibility. Now, with Carter back, we'll see if he can have the same impact with less of all three. Milt Palacio 4 6-3 5 ppg, 3.2 apg Eight starts spread out over five teams in five years. Rick Brunson 6 6-4 3.5 ppg, 1.1 apg Twelve starts spread out over six teams in seven years. Shooting guard Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Vince Carter 5 6-6 20.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg Love Vince Carter or hate him, the NBA is that much less of a league without him on SportsCenter every other night. And if you don't think so, take one look at the boxscore and realize that, when injured to extent unknown, he still has averaged 23 a game over the last two shortened seasons while we've been reading him his last rites. We want more than just the numbers. Michael Curry 9 6-5 3 ppg, 1.6 rpg Started the last three seasons for the Pistons and never averaged more than 5.2 points in a season. But four years ago, he came off the bench for them and scored 6.2 points a game on a career-high 48 percent shooting. Good defender should do well in reserve. Small forward Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Mo Peterson 3 6-7 14.1 ppg, 4.4 rpg Like Williams, numbers jumped when Carter staggered. But unlike Williams, they expected to get more production out of this guy with or without Vince, anyway. Remember, fair or not, he was supposed to fill Tracy McGrady's shoes when the disgruntled cousin bolted. Let's hope he can fit both feet in at least one of them this year. Chris Jefferies 1 6-8 3.9 ppg, 1.2 rpg Young gun will spend more time fighting for minutes with the guy behind him than he will fighting the guy ahead of him for starting nods. Lamond Murray 8 6-7 injured It has been almost a year since Murray busted his foot and was forced to sit out the entire season, meaning it's been almost two seasons since he began the most productive season of his career. From the Clippers to the Cavs, this guy is either cursed or long overdue for something good to happen. Power forward Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Jerome Williams 7 6-9 9.7 ppg, 9.2 rpg Best season as a pro was last season, but even so, a better reserve than starter and happy to be playing in the Eastern Conference. Lot of heart, lot of hustle, and will need all of it just to keep the position warm for Chris Bosh. Michael Bradley 2 6-10 5 ppg, 6.1 rpg Do-or-die season with team holding next season's option. We'll send flowers. Chris Bosh R 6-10 -- You've heard of LeBron, Darko and Carmelo. The Raptors hope that by the end of the season, you'll only need one name to recognize this kid, too. Averaging almost 12 points and 8 boards during the preseason, placing him third and first on the team, respectively, in those categories. Jerome Moiso 3 6-10 4 ppg, 3.5 rpg Eleventh pick gone bust. Is playing for his fourth team in four seasons and still looking for his second start. Not in this lifetime. Center Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Antonio Davis 10 6-9 13.9 ppg, 8.2 rpg Not sure if it's the city or the coaching staff or the front office that makes this guy want to ditch this team so bad, or if it even matters since he voluntarily signed up for the gig and the $60 million that came with it two years ago. Numbers aren't bad, but could be better if he just smiled every once in awhile. Mengke Bateer 2 6-11 0.8 ppg, 0.8 rpg The good news is that he played an entire season with the San Antonio Spurs last year, supposedly learning under Tim Duncan and David Robinson. The bad news is that those guys didn't even think he was valuable enough to put him on the playoff roster. Ken Johnson 1 6-11 2 ppg, 2 apg Hoping to play the 157th minute of his career at any moment.

Alexander's injury creates opening for Lynch By Chad Ford NBA Insider Send an Email to Chad Ford Monday, October 20 Updated: October 20 9:02 AM ET The Hornets have one of the most stable rosters in the NBA. Their starting five has been together for three consecutive years and, when injuries don't get in the way, they've been one of the best teams in the East. Now with a new coach, a new offense, in a new city, can some new life be injected into a veteran club? There aren't any real camp battles of note to argue about after Courtney Alexander went down with a torn Achilles on Tuesday, but the depth of the club is still impressive. New Orleans Hornets Point Guard Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes 1. Baron Davis 4 6-3 17.1 ppg, 6.4 apg in 37.8 mpg Back and knee injuries limited him to 50 games last season. This year he's fully healthy and in the best shape of his career. His early, dominating performances in the preseason could indicate a special year for the Baron. 2. Darrell Armstrong 9 6-1 9.4 ppg, 3.9 apg in 28.7 mpg The little point guard that could is the perfect backup for Davis. Expect Tim Floyd to play Armstrong and Davis together in the backcourt at times. 3. Bryce Drew 5 6-3 1.5 ppg, 1 rpg in 6.1 mpg Should have retired after that nice run in the NCAA Tournament. Shooting Guard Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes 1. David Wesley 10 6-1 16.7 ppg, 3.4 apg in 37.1 mpg He's awfully small to play this position, but with Alexander's injury, they have little choice. Wesley is a top-notch shooter from the perimeter, but he doesn't do much else. 2. George Lynch 10 6-8 4.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg in 18.5 mpg With Alexander out six months, look for Lynch to move over to the two and get big minutes backing up Wesley. He's the team's top perimeter defender, but his offense stinks. Lynch will also get minutes backing up Jamal Mashburn at the three. 3. Courtney Alexander 3 6-5 7.9 ppg, 1.8 rpg in 20.6 mpg Alexander looked much better this preseason before tearing his Achilles against the Magic. He's expected to miss six months. Small Forward Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes 1. Jamal Mashburn 10 6-8 21.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg in 41.7 mpg Probably the best year of his career last season. His big improvement was on the defensive end. If he and Davis can stay healthy (always an issue with both players) they'll be as good as anyone in the East. 2. Stacey Augmon 12 6-8 3.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg in 12.3 mpg Does Plastic Man have anything left in the tank?. 3. Kirk Haston 2 6-9 0.5 ppg, 0.6 rpg in 6.1 mpg Bust. Can't even get minutes in the preseason. Power Forward Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes 1. P. J. Brown 10 6-11 10.7 ppg, 9.0 rpg in 33.4 mpg He's underrated. One of the most consistent big men in the game. He won't score a lot, but he's a tough defender and excellent rebounder. 2. David West R 6-9 -- The rookie has been a rebounding machine in the preseason and coach Tim Floyd thinks he's making a case for a place in the rotation. Is he the second coming of Brown? 3. Robert Traylor 5 6-8 3.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg in 12.3 mpg If he attacked defenses the way he attack an all-you-can eat buffet, the Hornets would be set. Center Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes 1. Jamaal Magloire 3 6-11 10.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg in 29.8 mpg He improves every year. Tough defender, solid rebounder and an excellent shot blocker. If he ever gets the offense going, watch out. 2. Sean Rooks 11 6-10 4.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg in 19.2 mpg Gets paroled from the Clippers just in time to play for a winner. 3. James Lang R 6-10 -- Has talent, but weight, height and experience are big issues with him.

By Chad Ford ESPN.com Editor's note: Here's a glimpse of the good -- and the bad -- that could happen to the 2003-04 New Orleans Hornets. Baron Davis averaged a team-best 18.6 points in his first five preseason games. Best Case Scenario Three things need to happen for the Hornets to compete for the top seed in the East this season. 1. Jamal Mashburn and Baron Davis stay healthy. It was nice to see Mashburn play a full 82 games last season. Can Davis, who played just 50, do the same? The Hornets seem to get snake bit every year by a major injury. Right now, Davis claims he's as healthy as he's ever been and he looks very sharp in the preseason. Mashburn, on the other hand, has yet to play in the preseason due to a sprained knee. If just those two had stayed healthy last season, the Hornets would've easily won 52 games. If they stay injury-free this year, there's no reason the Hornets couldn't compete with the Nets and Pistons for the top seed in the East. 2. Jamaal Magloire takes the next step. The Hornets dumped Elden Campbell in part last season to give Magloire a starting job. He recorded career highs in just about every category, but the Hornets think he's still only scratched the surface. No one questions his work on the boards (he ranked fifth in the league in offensive rebounds last season), shot blocking and defense. But the Hornets think he's capable of much more offensively. Look for new head coach Tim Floyd to force-feed the ball to Magloire in the post. If he could averaged 15 points a game, it would really open things up for the team's perimeter game. 3. Floyd's motion offense gets the Hornets running. Laugh all you want about the Hornets' hiring of Floyd. Freed from Jerry Krause's clutches, he is motivated to prove that the media blamed the wrong guy in Chicago. He's already scrapped Paul Silas' offense and put in a faster-paced, motion offense based on what the Nets run in New Jersey. It should maximize the talents of players like Davis, Mashburn and Magloire who can run the floor with anyone in the league. Worst Case Scenario The Hornets will take a small step back if the following three things happen. 1. The Hornets run out of Geritol. The team is filled with aging veterans who will eventually slip a notch or two. Darrell Armstrong and Stacey Augmon are 35. P. J. Brown and Sean Rooks are 34. George Lynch is 33. David Wesley is 32. All six of these players will play a big role in what the Hornets do this season. If a couple of them hit the wall (especially Armstrong, Wesley and Brown), the Hornets will be hurting. The good news is that all of the players appear to be in excellent shape as the season opens. 2. The Hornets don't find help at the two. Courtney Alexander ruptured his Achilles last week, weakening the Hornets' backcourt significantly. Their other three lead guards -- Davis, Wesley and Armstrong -- are all undersized. Floyd can use Lynch at the two for stretches, but he's a better fit backing up Mashburn. The Hornets still have a couple million left of their midlevel exception. They may need to use it. 3. Familiarity breeds apathy. The good news is that this Hornets team hasn't suffered from the massive turnover that most teams undergo every season. The Hornets' starting five has been together for years. That could be a huge advantage. However, every year the Hornets always seem to underachieve just a little. Has the team fallen into a rut? That's one of the reasons the team let Silas go and hired Floyd -- to inject some life into the squad. The early indications are that it's working. But if the team hits a midseason lull, it may be time for a trade to shake things up in New Orleans. Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN.com's ESPN Insider.

Nets return intact, but are they better? By Terry Brown NBA Insider Wednesday, October 22 Updated: October 22 12:59 PM ET Participate in 40 playoff games in only two seasons and you pretty much know, at the beginning of the third year, who and what you have in terms of starters, subs, shots and distribution of minutes. But what do you think will happen to this roster if the New Jersey Nets don't make it to the NBA Finals for the third year in a row? Or, worse yet, what will happen if they do make for the third year in a row and still have no jewelry to show for it? New Jersey Nets Point guard Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Jason Kidd 9 6-4 18.7 ppg, 8.9 apg Jason Kidd averaged 16 points and 10.1 assists per game in his last three seasons in Phoenix. Entering his third season with the Nets, he's averaged 16.6 points and 9.3 assists in New Jersey. Yeah, he's the best point guard in the league. But is he really a better player than before? Is he really a better point guard than before? Is he really the one player who can get the Nets an NBA title? Zoran Planinic R 6-7 -- Let's just hope Jason doesn't get injured -- or even winded -- for another year or two. Doug Overton 10 6-3 -- No proof that he's scored a single regular season basket in last 18 months. Shooting guard Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Kerry Kittles 6 6-5 13 ppg, 3.9 rpg Honestly, he never turned out to be the player the Nets thought he'd be when they skipped over some high school kid named Kobe Bryant to select him. But truth be told, the team didn't make it to the NBA Finals two years in a row until Kittles came off the injured list to play 147 games over the last two seasons after playing only 62 in the previous two. Lucious Harris 10 6-5 10.3 ppg, 3 rpg Perhaps the best seventh-man in the league over the last two years. Brandon Armstrong 2 6-5 1.4 ppg, 0.2 rpg Not even sure if he'll survive his rookie contract. Small forward Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Richard Jefferson 2 6-7 15.5 ppg, 6.4 rpg To add six points, three rebounds and an assist to your totals is one thing. To do it for a contending team in between NBA Finals is quite another. To do it one more time would actually justify his selection to the USA National Team, even if that justification does come after the fact. Rodney Rogers 10 6-7 7 ppg, 3.9 rpg Drilled 88 3-pointers the year before coming to the Nets and only 44 for them last season, even though only one New Jersey player made more than 78. Tamar Slay 1 6-8 2.6 ppg, 0.9 rpg Peaked at his name. Power forward Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Kenyon Martin 3 6-9 16.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg In his mind, he is a 20 and 10 guy, which can be a good thing. On the floor, he is a 16 and 8 guy, which can be a good thing, too, unless you're arguing monetary compensation with management on the basis of being a 20 and 10 guy. Can be a dominating player. Hopefully, will be a dominating player. Not yet a dominating player. Aaron Williams 9 6-9 6.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg Sturdy back-up who's starting to show miles. Brian Scalabrine 2 6-9 3.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg Hard worker with many miles to go. Center Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Jason Collins 2 7-0 5.7 ppg, 4.5 rpg His increase in minutes was substantial last season. His increase in production was not. The five more minutes wasn't nearly as important as the 57 more starts, because, quite frankly, if you can't shoot better than 41 percent from the floor you share with Jason Kidd, you'd better be blocking a heck of a lot more shots than 0.5 per game. Alonzo Mourning 10 6-10 injured Completely understandable why they'd bring him off the bench to preserve him for more important moments (playoffs, end of games, etc.). But do you really think they said the substitute word while recruiting him for exception money? In his last year of actual action, 'Zo averaged 15.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.4 blocks in 2002. The Nets are hoping the key number doesn't turn out to be 2002. Jonathan Kerner 1 6-11 -- Will get in the game right after Collins trips on Mourning's dialysis machine.

Time is now for Chandler and Curry By Terry Brown NBA Insider Monday, October 20 Updated: October 20 1:31 PM ET This is the year Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry become the devastating tandem the Chicago Bulls envisioned when they traded away former franchise player Elton Brand in 2001 to put the two preps together. Right? Then that would mean that this is also the year the Bulls decide what to do with power forward Marcus Fizer, drafted in 2000, and power forward Lonny Baxter, drafted in 2002, and whatever power forward they choose to select in next year's lottery that reminds them most of Elton Brand. Chicago Bulls Point guard Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Jamal Crawford 3 6-5 10.7 ppg, 4.2 apg Time to uncork this kid and see what he can really do. In the final six games of last season, he averaged 25.3 points, 6.8 assists and 4.8 boards. In the first six games of this preseason, he's averaging 18.5 points and 6.8 assists. So, either the Bulls did a great job of developing this guy, or they forced out their old GM, fired his original coach, wasted a No. 2 draft pick and waited way too long to hand him this job. Kirk Hinrich R 6-3 -- The truth of the matter is that Jamal Crawford and a first-year Hinirich will be much more productive than Jamal Crawford and a rookie Jay Williams ever were. Roger Mason Jr. 1 6-5 1.8 ppg, 0.7 apg He's getting a lot of minutes in the preseason, but if they really thought this guy could make it, why draft Hinrich after drafting Jay Williams after trading for Jamal Crawford on draft day? Shooting guard Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Jalen Rose 9 6-8 22.1 ppg, 4.8 apg Now, we all know Jalen Rose can score 20 a game in this league. But what the Bulls really want to know is if he can, once again, average 6 or so rebounds and assists a game. He still needs to carry this team somewhat, but not necessarily in the scoring column anymore. And let's not forget, in his first 30 games with the Bulls, he shot 47 percent. In his last 82, he shot 40 percent and actually scored one fewer point per game. Trenton Hassell 2 6-5 4.2 ppg, 3.1 rpg Second-round pick in his second season has been more than serviceable, but since when has that ever been a compliment in this league? Kendall Gill 13 6-5 8.7 ppg, 3 rpg Veteran guard should have more than enough in the tank to fill this role, even if this is his fourth team in the last four seasons -- especially since his last season was better than the previous two. Small forward Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Donyell Marshall 9 6-9 13.4 ppg, 9 rpg If you didn't know that he was once the fourth overall pick of his draft, you'd swear he was one of the most underrated players in the league. Doesn't cause distractions, cleans up after himself on the boards and you never have to run any offense through him to get his points. Scottie Pippen 16 6-8 10.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg The last time he was in Chicago, he was putting up numbers superior to Jalen Rose's and was still the second-best player on the team. This time, he's putting up vastly inferior numbers and, at times, will still be the second-best player on this team. But isn't it nice to finally feel wanted. Eddie Robinson 4 6-9 5.7 ppg, 3.1 rpg On August 7, 2001, Eddie Robinson signed a free-agent contract with the Chicago Bulls, and both sides have wanted to hit the reset button ever since. Power forward Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Tyson Chandler 2 7-1 9.2 ppg, 6.9 rpg A 20 percent increase in minutes last season resulted in, roughly, a 30 percent increase in points and rebounds with a shooting percentage that jumped from 49 percent to 53 percent. Do that this year, and he'll be averaging 12 points and 9 boards with a lot more room still to grow, and just in time to start renegotiating those rookie salaries. Marcus Fizer 3 6-8 11.7 ppg, 5.7 rpg It's a pretty good stretch to think that you can draft two high school kids and develop them into a starting power forward and center combo in the NBA. It's a really big one to hope that you can do it with another young power forward already in the stable (who averaged the same number of minutes in his third season as he did in his first) ... Lonny Baxter 1 6-8 4.8 ppg, 3 rpg ... And nearly impossible to think that you can do it after adding another one (who averaged half as many minutes as any of them) the very next year. Center Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Eddy Curry 2 6-11 10.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg There are times I think we're actually boring him. And there are times I firmly believe he is boring us. He shoots 58 percent on the season but can't seem, as of yet, to convince his coaches that he deserves more than 20 minutes a game over an 82-game stretch. Nonetheless, we keep watching and waiting. Or is it him doing the watching and waiting? Corie Blount 10 6-10 3 ppg, 4.1 rpg Gotta be ticked to look up at this depth chart and realize he can still out-rebound Curry.

By Sam Smith Special to ESPN.com Editor's note: Here's a glimpse of the good -- and the bad -- that could happen to the 2003-04 Chicago Bulls. Eddy Curry's next lesson: learn how to pass out of double teams. Best Case Scenario The Bulls will make the playoffs for the first time in six years if these three things happen. 1. Eddy Curry gets an assist. OK, maybe more than that. But the point is, Curry needs to think more like a point center on occasion. The 6-foot-11, 300-pounder is one of the rare, true low-post centers to come into the NBA lately. Barely being noticed last season after the Bulls fell 2,000 games out of first place, Curry ended up leading the NBA in field-goal percentage. The NBA will notice this season. Curry is going to see a steady diet of double teams and various junk defenses, and he better be prepared to find teammates after averaging fewer than a half assist per game last season. Curry has exceptionally soft hands and quick feet and is a natural scorer. The Bulls' triangle offense puts the ball in the center's hands first, and he has to make decisions for the offense. Curry needs to be unselfish. 2. Jamal Crawford begins wearing a John Stockton mask. With Jay Williams' motorcycle accident, he'll miss at least all of the 2003-04 season. That leaves rookie Kirk Hinrich the only backup to Crawford at point guard. Crawford is a good shooter and excellent scorer who often has a playground mentality about the game. He has the talent to lead the league in assists, but tends to be more offensive minded. He is being asked to run the offense and direct an inside/outside offense. Those rarely work when the perimeter players shoot quickly. The Bulls' hopes ride on whether Crawford can play strong defense on the ball and distribute since his scoring comes naturally. 3. Scottie Pippen is able to play 70 games. Having veterans is nice, says coach Bill Cartwright. Having them play is even better. The Bulls brought back Pippen to provide guidance and experience for their young core of players. It's hard to do that from the bench. Pippen has had back and knee problems the last three years, missing at least 18 games in each season. The Bulls know Pippen, at 38, doesn't have much left. But they are counting on him to get the team into the offense, calm the young players during crunch time and help them make the right decisions. He cannot do it in a pin-striped blazer. Worst Case Scenario The Bulls will miss the playoffs -- a goal being demanded by managing partner Jerry Reinsdorf this season after the departure of former general manager Jerry Krause -- if the following three things happen. 1. They get off to a poor start. Winning and losing become habit forming, especially for young players. This young Bulls' core of Curry, Crawford, Tyson Chandler and Marcus Fizer has known nothing in the NBA but losing and failure. Management wonders if they've become comfortable collecting checks and losing. The Bulls get a break to open the season with a schedule filled mostly with home games against lesser teams. After the first three weeks, they go on a Western Conference trip and they were 3-38 on the road last season. If they don't take advantage the first three weeks and again fall into a deep hole after their big West road trip, it could be a long, unfulfilled season again. 2. If they think DE-fense is something they have to paint in the summer. They're not built for defense. No team is after it spends five years accumulating high No. 1 draft picks. Those guys are picked there because they can score. They tried to recruit some role players in Pippen and Kendall Gill, but they are aging veterans more suited to mentoring than doing dirty work. And starting shooting guard Jalen Rose is an offensive-minded player. Who'll set the hard picks? Who'll get the tough rebounds? Who'll pressure up court and get into the passing lanes? Who'll give up their body? Especially when no one has their first contract extension yet. 3. Curry gets hurt. He's the key. They traded Elton Brand in 2001 for the rights to Chandler, the No. 2 overall pick in the draft. But their offense is going to revolve around Curry, the No. 4 overall pick in that draft. They're deep on the perimeter with additions Pippen and Gill, but they failed to protect themselves up front. Many in the organization feel Chandler eventually will be a small forward and that Fizer and Donyell Marshall are better suited for small forward. Perhaps only perpetually injured journeyman Corie Blount can play any backup center minutes. Sam Smith, who covers the NBA for the Chicago Tribune, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.

As 'Zo goes, so will Nets David Aldridge Special to ESPN.com Wednesday, October 22 Updated: October 22 1:02 PM ET Editor's note: Here's a glimpse of the good -- and the bad -- that could happen to the 2003-04 New Jersey Nets. Best Case Scenario For the Nets to make the NBA Finals for a third straight season -- and win this time -- the following things must happen. 1. Good Mourning, East Rutherford. No one knows how long Alonzo Mourning will be able to play as he continues to battle focal glomerulosclerosis. So far, the results are encouraging. Mourning practiced just once a day during training camp -- Byron Scott would like to limit Mourning's time during the regular season to 20 to 24 minutes a night to save him for the playoffs -- and believes that he's found the right combination of medicines to allow him to play while keeping the anemia which is a common side effect of the kidney disease at bay. Mourning's nephrologist, Gerald Appel, works in New York, so Mourning will be able to visit him once a week instead of once a month. 2. The Jeffersonian Ideal. There are nights when Richard Jefferson is unstoppable. And there are nights when he's ... stoppable. RJ has game, but he has to raise that game at both ends to a more consistent level. A guy that shot 50.1 percent from the floor last season wouldn't seem to need much offensive improvement, but that stat is misleading -- a lot of Jefferson's buckets were dunks and layins. He has to develop a more consistent jumper to go with his explosiveness. On D, his quickness and length could make him a shutdown three -- if he brings focus every night. 3. Rodney Rogers does not get misshapen. The Nets were terribly disappointed in Rogers last season. He came to camp overweight and spent most of the year slowed by the extra girth. This summer, he dropped a good 20 pounds and looks like he's ready to be an every-day contributor off the bench. He's still a tough matchup for most fours with his perimeter ability and quick first step. Now he can help the Nets on the glass and in the paint, too. Worst Case Scenario But the Nets could be a victim in the second round if these things happen. 1. Internal bleeding. Scott tried in vain to get a contract extension earlier this year but was rebuffed, and that's never a good sign for a coach with a 25-15 career playoff record in three years. Martin remains irked that the Nets didn't give him a max deal. Mourning was upset that the Nets dismissed his good friend Mutombo to save money. And the impending sale of the team has created expected feelings of uncertainty throughout the locker room. Even during their runs to June the last two seasons, the Nets weren't exactly Camp Harmony. Some of those pressures are still there, and could build as this season goes on. 2. Poor marksmanship. The Nets' Achilles heel was exposed in the Finals -- they don't shoot it consistently. The Spurs sat in the paint and dared New Jersey to fire away from the outside. The Nets didn't add a zonebuster in the offseason (Zoran Planinic, the Nets' first-round pick, is not a great shooter), and while Kidd's jumper is much improved, teams will still be fine with him scoring from the perimeter. Of course, most teams don't have the size inside and athletic wings that the Spurs had last season, but those who come close can give New Jersey problems. 3. A Kiddnapping. Part of being great is showing up every night, and Kidd has embodied that since coming to Jersey, missing just two regular-season games in two years. He's got a pretty high threshold for pain, having played through more than his share of ankle sprains. But like every NBA team, the Nets are one injury to their superstar away from being vulnerable. David Aldridge, who covers the NBA for ESPN, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.

Who's still on the trading block? By Chad Ford NBA Insider Send an Email to Chad Ford Wednesday, October 22 Updated: October 22 10:20 AM ET Now that the shock of the Antoine Walker-Raef LaFrentz deal has worn off, inquiring minds want to know -- will more big deals happen before the start of the regular season? Several NBA GMs told Insider on Tuesday that there has been a lot of talk the past week about potential moves. "I just think it's natural," one GM said. "Once you get to camp, you want to sit back for a few weeks and see what you've actually got. You watch the practices, analyze a few preseason games and you start to form opinions about what the team still lacks. Then you pick up the phone and see if you can't make something happen before the regular season gets underway." "I don't think you'll see a flurry of trades, like at the trade deadline," he added. "But I know there are a few guys out there that are getting shopped pretty hard." Now here's the fun part. Figuring out who those guys really are. GMs, for the most part, always claim that they never shop players. Ever. However, they usually have a laundry list of players who are being shopped to them. Here's a look at a few players who could be on the move before the start of the regular season. GriffinEddie Griffin and Cuttino Mobley, Rockets New head coach Jeff Van Gundy is trying to lay down the law in Houston. Griffin's decision to go AWOL on the team lowers his trade value significantly, but moving him now would send a strong message to the rest of the team. If the Rockets could package him with Mobley for an upgrade at the four, it may be worthwhile. Van Gundy has gone on record as saying that he wants to surround Yao Ming and Steve Francis with role players willing to play their part. It's still unclear whether Griffin and Mobley will ever buy into that. Tony Battie and Eric Williams, Celtics With Raef LaFrentz in the fold and Vin Baker looking decent, the Celtics have a decision to make. They could try to move Battie and get some extra cap relief in return. Or, Danny Ainge could try to hit a home run and package Battie with Williams (whose contract comes off the books next summer) and get another solid player in return. It all depends on what the Celtics philosophy is going to be. If it's just to cut costs, then moving Battie and Williams for someone like Tom Gugliotta or Toni Kukoc would give them an additional $10 million in cap room over the next two years. If they want to win, then prying away young players like Mo Peterson and Michael Bradley from Toronto could be a real possibility. ThomasKurt Thomas, Charlie Ward and Travis Knight, Knicks Their names came up again as part of the Walker trade. Apparently, Scott Layden offered Thomas, Ward and Knight to the Celtics in return for Walker. Layden also offered this combination to the Mavs for LaFrentz and to the Warriors for Nick Van Exel. Clearly all three are still in play. Ward has a $2 million buyout on his $6 million contract this season. Knight is in the last year of his deal. The Knicks need to trim a roster spot or two, so expect Layden to keep working the phones to make something happen. With Dikembe Mutombo in the fold, apparently Thomas is now expendable. Marcus Fizer and Donyell Marshall, Bulls Fizer and Marshall appear to be the odd men out in Chicago with the emergence of Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry, Lonny Baxter and the signing of Scottie Pippen. GM John Paxson would love to move Eddie Robinson and his terrible contract, but right now there aren't any takers. However, Fizer and Marshall both have value. Fizer has logged several solid games for the Bulls this preseason and appears to be completely healthy. Marshall is a versatile veteran who knows how to score and rebound. The best part? Fizer's contract is up after this season and Marshall has just two years remaining on his. Antonio Davis, Mo Peterson, Michael Bradley and Jerome Williams, Raptors Davis wants out, but the Raptors are having a tough time finding a team willing to swallow the last three years of his deal. Peterson appears to be in coach Kevin O'Neill's doghouse. Williams is struggling to find minutes with the emergence of rookie Chris Bosh. Bradley figures to fight a losing battle there as well. Can the Raptors parlay a couple of them into a decent center to back up Antonio Davis? Peterson is in the last year of his deal, making him the most attractive. Bradley could also be a free agent next summer if no one picks up his $1.9 million option for next season. Williams is a much bigger problem. He still has five years, and $30 million remaining on his contract. Toni Kukoc, Bucks The Bucks have been discarding veterans at an alarming rate. They just paid Anthony Mason and Jason Caffey millions not to play for them this year. While the team loves Kukoc and what he brings, his expiring $9 million salary might fetch them a few more pieces to the puzzle. BarryBrent Barry, Sonics Barry has looked solid in the preseason, but he doesn't have any long-term future with the Sonics. He's in the last year of his deal and plenty of teams covet him. If they could package him with one of their overpaid centers (like say Calvin Booth or Vitaly Potapenko) and get a starting point guard or power forward in return, they'd have to seriously consider it. Around the League Raef LaFrentz may not play great defense. But Danny Ainge sure can. He went defensive on Tuesday against accusations that he didn't get enough for Antoine Walker in Monday's trade. "I honestly cannot base how I do my job on how fans are going to react or how people in the media are going to react," Ainge told the Boston Herald. "I have to do the work and make the best decisions I can. If I worry about what people are going to say afterward, then I'll never get anything done." "I kind of expected this reaction because I don't think that, first of all, the average fan and even the people around the league like ESPN.com and all the people that write that stuff have as much information as I do about this trade," Ainge said. "I'm not saying that I'm more of a basketball expert than they are, but I feel like I have a better grasp on the pulse of our team, our future, our chemistry, our personnel - everything - and how it all fits. So I kind of expected a negative reaction because Antoine's an All-Star." Ainge appears to be basing much of his optimism on the acquisition of Jiri Welsch, who he's touting as a Peja Stojakovic-type of player. I've always been high on Welsch and think he has a chance to be a star -- though comparing him to Peja may be pushing it a bit. Welsch is a combo guard who can play a little one, but is mostly a two. He's an excellent shooter (though he's still struggling to find his range on the NBA 3), good ball handler and a smart, fundamentally sound player. If Welsch is ready within the next year to claim the starting two guard spot, and Raef LaFrentz puts up numbers similar to what he did in Denver (15 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 2.5 bpg on 46 percent shooting), we may be judging the deal too harshly. One overlooked part of the equation? With Chris Mills likely out for the year, insurance will pick up 80 percent of his $6.6 million salary this season. If that isn't enough to pacify the wary Celtics fan, Ainge evoked the names of Rick Pitino and Red Auerbach in his final defense. "I don't have the same kind of clout that Rick Pitino had," Ainge said. "I'm not just coming in here doing anything I want. I have an experienced staff and coaching staff and owners that run the business side, and we discuss everything we're doing in great detail. And when it's unanimous, those are easy. I trust my instincts, but I communicate with a lot of people and I see if my instincts are right. And then it has to make sense with the plan you have in place. This was unanimous. This wasn't just me. We have checks and balances built into our organization. I talked with Red (Auerbach) about this deal about three or four days ago in detail. When I laid it out for him, Red was 100 percent for it. He thought it was a great trade." Why aren't the Bulls willing to offer Jamal Crawford an extension? Crawford is averaging 17.1 ppg, 7.1 apg and 3.7 rpg in the preseason. CrawfordEven with the progress, GM John Paxson prefers to wait on Crawford. It seems like it would be much cheaper to lock him up now. If the Bulls wait, and Crawford blows up this season, it could cost them a fortune to keep him when he becomes a restricted free agent next summer. Right now Crawford is playing so hard, in part, because he's got something on the line. The Bulls fear that if they pay him too soon, they won't be able to get the type of effort they need from him this season. "Jamal has to be able to balance what we want with what he wants," coach Bill Cartwright told the Chicago Tribune on Monday. "We want him to be a penetrator, and he wants to be a shooter. For us, it's best that he penetrates. Then he creates for himself and others. When he does that, he is very formidable. When he settles [for a jump shot], he's not." Crawford responded with nine assists and nine points in the Bulls victory over the Raptors on Tuesday. The effort pleased Cartwright. "He did a great job of organizing us," Cartwright said. "This was a confidence-builder for our young guys because we were 1-8 in overtime last year in these types of games." "I'm still learning how to balance scoring and getting guys involved," Crawford said. "I'll let my scoring take a back seat and just really concentrate on passing the ball. But it's very tough. It's something that will be an ongoing battle." Three weeks into the preseason, Flip Saunders is already losing his patience. Injuries, not chemistry issues, are the problem of the moment in Minnesota. Latrell Sprewell played his first game on Monday. Wally Szczerbiak is expected back tonight. Everyone's still waiting to get a look at Michael Olowokandi. SzczerbiakThe frustration is boiling over. On Monday, Saunders took a shot at Szczerbiak for missing so much time on the court. "Wally's not in a situation where rest will make him better," Saunders told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "It's a nuisance injury. You basically end up playing with it. You have your good days and bad." Saunders' frustration isn't with the actual injuries. It's Wally's reluctance to play through "nuisance" pain, a source in Minnesota told Insider on Tuesday. "Flip wants Wally to toughen up," the source told Insider. "That's all there is to it. Wally has the tendency to nurse things too long. Sometimes you have to suck it up and play." Looks like things are off to a beautiful start in Minny. LeBron James is back playing the point in Cleveland. Originally, coach Paul Silas said he'd throw James in the deep end and start him at point guard. After watching him struggle a bit in the preseason he decided to take some pressure off James and moved Darius Miles into the position. However, James' stellar play at the point against the Lakers appears to have changed Silas' mind again. "I'm rethinking things a little bit, just a little bit," Silas told the Akron Beacon Journal. "I knew that as this thing unfolds and he got more aggressive that this was going to happen." "I put the ball in his hands against the Lakers, and he looked much more fluid," Silas said. "He was not ready for that early on." "After six preseason games, maybe he's ready to take the next step." That's what I'd call serious progress. Peep Show By Terry Brown NBA Insider Wednesday, October 22 Updated: October 22 9:06 AM ET Houston Rockets: Rumor had it Steve Francis wasn't listening to Jeff Van Gundy and Eddie Griffin wanted nothing to do with him and the Rockets were ready to fold because they couldn't relate to their new coach. Hogwash. "Communication is the most overblown thing in all of sports," Van Gundy said in the Houston Chronicle. "I'm so sick of hearing about communication. If they're playing right, my communication with them is good -- if we're doing what I think we should do. That doesn't mean we should sit down and sing Kumbayah together. It really is meaningless. Results tell you about communication, truly, and I mean that honestly. I've seen some of the most stoic personalities have great communication with their teams, and the team plays right. Then I've seen other coaches, whatever, they seem like they're talking, and their (team) seems disorganized. I would say my communication was poor early, because we were the most disorganized team I've ever seen. Then lately we looked like a professional basketball team, so communication is better." MartinNew Jersey Nets: Kenyon Martin thought he deserved a hefty raise. Byron Scott thought he deserved, at least, an extension. The Nets thought otherwise. "Guess we're in the same boat. I guess what we've done around here, it hasn't been what people expected," Martin said in the N.Y. Post. "Making it to the Finals twice, winning the East, winning the division twice, I guess that hasn't been good enough. Guess we'll both see at the end of the year whether we did our jobs well enough or not." Martin requested a max deal this year before becoming a restricted free agent but was rejected. "That's the way it is sometimes," Martin said. "I'm fine. My kids don't miss meals. My family appreciates me. I know what I can do, I know what I mean to this team. My team, they know the same thing." New York Knicks: If Keith Van Horn so much as winces at practice, coach Don Chaney is going to sit him on the bench and have him rest his sore groin. "If it's still bothering him he should shut down and heal. I don't see where he should practice [today]," Chaney said in the New York Post also noting that Allan Houston has yet to heal completely. "Those two guys are still trying to learn each other. It could be devastating, to a degree." Cleveland Cavaliers: Dajuan Wagner has a busted knee, but before doctors can do anything about that, they've got to wait until the swelling in his liver and pancreas go down. "If we can get him for the second half of the year, that's when we'll need him," coach Paul Silas said in the News-Herald. "We'll battle up until then without all of our main weapons, and he's certainly one of them. Once he fits in, I expect good things from our club. It's unfortunate he's going through this. He wants to play so awfully bad. The Lord works in mysterious ways." RiceLos Angeles Clippers: The Orange County Register is reporting that Glen Rice did not completely blow out his right knee and will return in two weeks. "I'm glad it's only two weeks," Rice said. "It was good news to hear that it's not completely torn. And it's feeling a lot better . . . It was really sore and really tight. I knew something was wrong, I just didn't know what." Miami Heat: Heat owner Mickey Arison is absolutely giddy over the acquisition of Lamar Odom, the idea that coach Pat Riley may coach beyond his current contract and the overall look of his team on the court and on the balance sheet. "I think it's the most athletic team we've had maybe ever," Arison said in the Miami Herald. "Dwayne Wade's going to be a tremendously exciting talent. Lamar Odom looks great. Eddie Jones looks rejuvenated. We've sold more season tickets this summer than in many, many years, and that is very encouraging. I'm excited. They're fun to watch, even in practice. . . . And I rarely enjoyed'' watching practice in the past." Rockets are getting Van Gundy's message Jonathan Feigen / Houston Chronicle K-Mart Discounting Snub Fred Kerber / New York Post Van Horn May Be Out Till Opener Fred Kerber / New York Post Wagner might not return to Cavs until early '04 Bob Finnan / Willoughby News-Herald Rice's good news: only out two weeks Al Balderas / Orange County Register Season excites Arison Barry Jackson / Miami Herald

this year is a point forward, esp in the mold of Walker (aka an established player who's going to want to ball a lot). We just invested three years in JT and he appears to know that he's now an NBA pg through and through ~ he needs to develop those skills. Diaw's great in spurts for helping out (possibly) this year... We may make the playoffs this year if everything goes well...we won't go far, but we might make them. But next year, we'll have major question marks and have to decide on whether or not to keep such players as Reef, SJax, and Theo... I'm pretty much against any risky "major" moves this season ~ this franchise has too much on the line, and too much to determine in the next year that will greatly impact it's immediate future shortly thereafter...

By Ric Bucher ESPN The Magazine Editor's note: Here's a glimpse of the good -- and the bad -- that could happen to the 2003-04 Houston Rockets. If he does get to play again, Eddie Griffin must accept a complementary role. Best Case Scenario These three things have to happen for the Rockets to make the playoffs and take their first step toward the title-contending future owner Les Alexander envisioned with the acquisition of Yao Ming. 1. Get comfortable with the program. Jeff Van Gundy's level of accountability on every front has a team that's used to rolling free and easy now feeling a little locked up. Cuttino Mobley, Eddie Griffin and Maurice Taylor all must grasp -- and quickly -- that the team now consists of a two-man showcase and their role is to polish the brass, take tickets and man the velvet ropes. In short, Steve Francis and Yao Ming are the decision makers and everyone else is expected to get them the ball, play defense and make shots when left open. It sounds easy and all three have demonstrated the ability to play such a role -- but only occasionally. Doing it, and doing it well, night after night, is a matter of discipline, not talent. Don't be surprised if one, or all three, are gone by next season should they struggle getting with the new program. Van Gundy believes in this quote he got from Lou Piniella: "Patience is a good thing. Too much patience is utter stupidity." 2. Yao becomes as tough as his touch is soft. Yao has developed some particularly bad rebounding habits, perhaps from his years competing against centers smaller and weaker in Asia. He tends to simply go after a missed shot rather than use his body to create space and then chase the ball, a must for someone who isn't a quick leaper. His endurance also can't be an issue, as it was last year after playing a full summer with the Chinese national team and then conducting at least two interviews a day for most of the season. Van Gundy is certain to protect him from overextending himself off the floor and, although Yao showed last year he's already a disciple of the weight room, will make sure he's as fit as can be on it. 3. Houston fans, media and ownership demonstrate the necessary patience. Van Gundy was asked after the Rockets' preseason win over the Kings if his team could take the Western Conference. What he said: "That's putting the cart before the horse." What he meant: "Are you freakin' nuts? Didn't you just see us shoot 5-for-17 and commit six turnovers in the fourth quarter?" But the clock began ticking with the arrival of Yao and no one seems to care that a roster built for Rudy T isn't necessarily what you want for Van Gundy. The Rockets should make the playoffs, but they will be a work in progress throughout the season and the roster will have to be reshaped to fit Van Gundy's style. In particular, they must deal for more perimeter shooting and a legitimate blue-collar defensive power forward of the Kurt Thomas-Tyrone Hill-Troy Murphy variety. Worst Case Scenario The Rockets will not make the playoffs if these three things happen. 1. The Rockets are hamstrung by the players union from punishing Griffin or they drag their feet moving him in search of the perfect deal. A player missed a flight; so what, right? It happens. Wrong. Getting players to buy into a new system -- particularly a new, more rigid system -- is like building a dam: one leak or gap, particularly in the initial stages, and the whole thing will never stand up to the tougher challenges sure to come. Griffin, unwittingly, has given the Rockets the perfect means by which to drive home how important it is to be professional. It's understandable that personal issues will occasionally arise and get in the way of work. But the Rockets still didn't know where Griffin was or why he wasn't with them when he went AWOL before the Oct. 16 game against Sacramento. No phone call, no e-mail, no page. That simply doesn't fly, especially with career 38-percent-shooting power forwards. If Mobley, Griffin and Taylor all balk at their new roles -- and that's certainly not inconceivable -- this team doesn't have the depth or personality to overcome their defection. 2. Yao's summer of labor for the Chinese national team causes him to hit the same wall as last year. Such a development would leave the Rockets to survive on the postup games of Taylor, John Amaechi and Kelvin Cato. Yao looks improved on all fronts compared to last season, but he will play more minutes and draw more attention. The West is tougher than ever and while Utah's anticipated slide opens a playoff berth, Houston won't be alone chasing it. 3. Francis doesn't stay healthy. All the hoopla surrounding Yao and the fact that Francis played in 81 games overshadowed the fact that Francis played with a variety of injuries that would have sidelined a lesser leader. He is their go-to guy and the perfect counterpoint to Yao. Ric Bucher covers the NBA for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ric.bucher@espnmag.com. Also, send a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.

Mobley has starting status, but different role By Terry Brown NBA Insider Tuesday, October 21 Updated: October 21 2:11 PM ET Super-slick all-star point guard . . . check. Savvy veterans at shooting guard, small forward and reserve . . . check. Combination power forwards with offensive and defensive specialities . . . check. Physically dominant all-star center . . . check. But if it was really that easy to get into the Western Conference playoffs, then the Houston Rockets wouldn't have had to drag Jeff Van Gundy out of retirement to put the sum of these parts into one greater whole. Houston Rockets Point guard Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Steve Francis 4 6-3 21 ppg, 6.2 apg You go from the scoring column to the assists to the rebounds to the game-winning shots to the steals and you wonder how you're going to tell this kid that he's actually got to do less in the statistics for the Rockets to win more in the standings. But, then again, you can always point out that the only thing he hasn't done in this game yet is win. Moochie Norris 6 6-2 4.4 ppg, 2.4 apg It's hard enough to find a reliable sub to pick up the crumbs for a player who does it all. It's even harder to keep that backup around for too long. Well, Moochie's entering his fifth season with the Rockets and everything seems copacetic. Mike Wilks 1 5-11 3.2 ppg, 2 apg Series of 10-day contracts end with bench gig in Houston. Shooting guard Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Cuttino Mobley 5 6-4 17.5 ppg, 4.2 rpg Averaged 16 a game as a sub for the Rockets until he became a part-time starter averaging 19 before becoming the full-time starter and averaging almost 22. Won't score that much with both Francis and Yao Ming in the lineup now but isn't it nice to know he can when needed. Eric Piatkowski 9 6-7 9.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg Did a nine-year stretch with the Clippers and still came away shooting 40 percent from 3-point range in over 1,835 guarded attempts. Small forward Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Jim Jackson 11 6-6 7.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg Jim Jackson hasn't started in four years but when he did, 16 a night was easy. Once averaged 25 a game and still sports a 15.5 per game career average. And remember, last year's starting small forward was named Glen Rice. He lasted only 62 games at nine per contest. Jackson could do that without coming off a single screen. Adreian Griffin 4 6-5 4.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg CBA, USBL and Italian League veteran could teach these young kids a thing or two about the blessings of playing in the NBA and in between lessons log some important minutes. Bostjan Nachbar 1 6-9 2.1 ppg, 0.8 rpg Left groin strain. That's his story and he's sticking to it. Power forward Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Eddie Griffin 2 6-10 8.6 ppg, 6 rpg From what we know, the young, able-bodied power forward on the Houston Rocket roster blessed with uncompromising athletic ability (see 154 triples and 245 blocks in two quarters time over 150 games) no longer wants to play basketball . . . Maurice Taylor 5 6-9 8.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg . . . while the bulky veteran with skills galore (see 17 ppg average in last 100 games before signing with Rockets) is already prepared to add to the 145 missed games he's amassed to injury. Center Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Yao Ming 1 7-6 13.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg Never has a savior had it this easy. Now comes the encore where 1.79 blocks per game simply will not suffice. The fact that he is already the second-best center in the NBA already says as much about he state of centers in the league as it does about Yao. But he is big, he is smart and by all indications he is willing, the last part making him most endearing. Kelvin Cato 6 6-11 4.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg Once scored 27 points against Boston and grabbed 17 boards against Indiana and blocked eight shots against Utah. I keep saying that to myself every time I see him on the bench or on the floor twiddling his thumbs. John Amaechi 5 6-10 2 ppg, 1.5 rpg Could go the entire season without having to wash his uniform whether he actually plays or not.

Mavs use starters in many ways By Terry Brown NBA Insider Tuesday, October 21 Updated: October 21 9:38 AM ET How about a power forward who's led his team in assists the last two years. And a point guard who scores more than 17 a game. Or a starting center who shot 390 3-pointers last season and made 38 percent of them. Not to mention a starting lineup that, on paper, would average 104.4 points if it simply duplicated its numbers from last season. Sounds like a Don Nelson team to me, and on a Don Nelson team, there are no position battles. In fact, sometimes, there are no point guards or shooting guards or centers, making way for funny things like point forwards and 7-foot swingmen and three- or four-guard rotations. Just wait until the NBA gets a load of these Dallas Mavericks. Dallas Mavericks Point guard Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Steve Nash 7 6-3 17.7 ppg, 7.3 apg All this talk of high-scoring small forwards and all-star power forwards has almost made us forget that Nash can opt out of his contract at the end of this season and become a free agent. Of course, he's a max-type player but so are, arguably, four other guys on this team. But what point guard in his right mind would give up this kind of opportunity? Tony Delk 7 6-2 9.8 ppg, 2.2 apg Poor man's Nick Van Exel. Travis Best 8 5-11 8.4 ppg, 3.8 apg Guys who can average two assists per quarter over their careers don't usually have to beg for jobs, but Best is now playing for his fourth team in three years despite a better than 2 to 1 assist-to-turnover ratio. Could be the best third-string point guard in the league. Jon Stefansson R 6-5 -- Might not even know there's a game going on from where he's standing. Or sitting. Shooting guard Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Michael Finley 8 6-7 19.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg Hard to imagine when the Mavs were winning about 20 games a year and Finley was the only one on the team who could score 20 without having to take off both shoes to count that high. Now, the wins are plenty, scorers are plenty, but there's still only one Michael Finley. Josh Howard R 6-7 -- Actually, we could list Delk here but with Nellie, we could probably list Nowitzki, Bradley and little Donnie here, too. Spot minutes in spot situations at best. Tariq Abdul-Wahad 6 6-6 4.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg Defensive specialist who really could have helped this team if he hadn't dropped off the face of the earth a few years ago in a flurry of knee pains and DNP-CDs. Small forward Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Antawn Jamison 5 6-9 22.2 ppg, 7 rpg Being the new kid on the block didn't last long. Neither did the novelty of being a 20 point per gamer on this team or this league. Last year, there were only 25 players who averaged that much in the entire NBA. Well, Michael Jordan retired and the Mavs, by themselves, now have four of them. Sure, he could rebound better, play defense better, but we're missing the point, er, points. Eduardo Najera 3 6-8 6.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg The role of tough man will be played by the second Mexican-born player to play in the NBA who has logged time in the middle when an elbow was needed there, too. Power forward Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Antoine Walker 7 6-9 20.1 ppg, 7.2 rpg The five potential starters for the Mavs shot 1,772 3-pointers last season. That's almost 22 a game. More than five a quarter. That's one every two minutes in the 24-second shot clock era with alternating possessions. Of course, Walker accounted for 582 of them himself along with 1,225 assists in the last three seasons, too. Danny Fortson 6 6-8 3.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg Twice in his career has averaged more than 11 rebounds per game over an entire season not counting the year he pulled down 16 a game before getting injured in the first month. And just in case you're wondering, he's shot only 11 triples in his six-year career. Center Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes Dirk Nowitzki 5 7-0 25.1 ppg, 9.9 rpg He's not a center. There are those who'll argue he's not a power forward. But Nellie is content to let opponents' try to figure out who will try to guard him on the floor so long as no one argues that he is a legitimate MVP candidate. And no one will. Shawn Bradley 10 7-6 6.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg Nellie's pet project is now the only legitimate center on the entire team. Could be key to this whole thing.

By Marc Stein ESPN.com Editor's note: Here's a glimpse of the good -- and the bad -- that could happen to the 2003-04 Dallas Mavericks. Eduardo Najera is a key component of the Dallas bench. Best Case Scenario Three things need to happen for the Mavericks to keep their top-four slot in the West and perhaps even sneak past San Antonio for the Midwest Division title. 1. Develop a passing game to go with the run. Strange as it sounds, given the Mavericks' standing last season as the league's most potent offense, they actually regressed in the passing department since trading away Nick Van Exel. That's one of the main reasons Don Nelson wanted Antoine Walker. It's not just Nelson's long-standing obsession with the notion of a point forward. It's because Dirk Nowitzki, whose passing skills are still in the developmental stage, was this team's second-best passer until Walker arrived. "That's why Nash has the ball all the time," Nelson said. If Walker plays the way Dallas envisions, now they have someone else besides Nash to make plays. 2. Ride the benefits of a deep bench. Mavs insiders chuckle at how they managed to be classified as a deep team last season, because they weren't deep at all. Dallas' reserves last season were generally no better defensively than the starters, and they compounded that shortcoming with an ability to score. Dallas was only going as far as Nowitzki, Nash, Van Exel and Michael Finley were going to haul them, and when Nowitzki went out in the San Antonio series, that was their season. Now, though, Nelson has beaucoup options. Antawn Jamison has volunteered to fill the sixth-man role, and there are a variety of handy reserves behind him: Eduardo Najera, Travis Best, Tony Delk, Tariq Abdul-Wahad, Shawn Bradley and promising rookie Josh Howard. It remains to be seen what kind of playoff team this will be, but the Mavericks have plenty of firepower to get through 82 games. Having so many able bodies also doesn't hurt Dallas' ability to make more trades down the road. 3. Someone new steps up to regularly fire up the squad. Van Exel and Avery Johnson were the Mavericks' vocal leaders last season, but they're both in Golden State. Nowitzki, Nash and Finley are Dallas' new tri-captains, but none of them is a fiery sort like the two departed lefties. "Usually you can't lead without playing," Nelson said, "but Avery did it about as well as anyone could do it." The in-house hope is that Walker can help in this area, too, whether it's getting in the faces of teammates or opponents. Worst Case Scenario The Mavericks will lose their spot in the top four to Minnesota and win closer to 50 games than 60 if the following three things happen. 1. The defense rests. Easily forgotten amid all the jokes about the Allas Mavericks (No D) is that they actually improved their resistance significantly last season. Opponents shot only 43.8 percent from the field, a franchise record. They also dropped from 101 points per game allowed in 2001-02 to 95.2 in 2002-03 ... all while leading the league in scoring. Of course, none of that means anything if the Mavericks don't continue to make defense a priority, starting with Nowitzki. Problem is, with so many new faces -- and two more new guys arriving this week -- the Mavericks have considerable work to do just to get their defense up to last season's standards. They run more zone schemes and combo defenses than any team in the league, and they change looks within a game more than anyone else. It's a lot for newcomers to learn, especially since none of the newbies is a defensive specialist to start with. Rebounding, likewise, remains an area of major concern, because it's usually the concession of an offensive rebound that leads to Dallas' defensive breakdowns, after the Mavs make the first stop. We're curious to see how much Danny Fortson, Walker and Jamison can help the Mavericks on the boards. 2. 'Toine or 'Twan can't handle the pressure. If the Mavs do slip, or merely start slow, the blame will undoubtedly be placed on the new guys. Fair or not, Walker and Jamison are going to be compared to what Gary Payton and Karl Malone are doing in Los Angeles, and to Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell in Minnesota. For Walker, a cocky veteran who fell just a couple wins shy of an NBA Finals berth two years ago, this is probably less of a concern. Jamison, though, knows he's going to get this question a lot, given that he's never appeared in a playoff game. "When we start the playoffs, that's when it's going to hit," Jamison said. "But it won't be a problem." 3. Something bad happens to The Big Three, injury or otherwise. Nash is too selfless to let his uncertain contract future -- he will opt for free agency at season's end -- affect his play or the team's. Durability is a more likely source of trouble for each member of the Dallas core. Nowitzki's bad luck with ankle sprains has resurfaced already. Nelson, meanwhile, says he will continue to scale back the minutes for Nash and Finley, who will both be thirtysomethings next spring. Nelson insists that he won't let Nash play more than 32 minutes a game, even though Van Exel is no longer available to spell him, and the coach wants to lessen the load on Finley's hamstrings after playing him non-stop in the early years of the Nellie Era. The good news? With as many offensive weapons as the Mavericks have now, easing the 82-game burden on the Big Three should be easier than ever. Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here. Also, send Stein a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.

They play pretty darn good "team defense," Webber's certainly not a "bad defender"...Bibby, well, yeah, he blows one on one...but they're all on the same page...

so Sacramento, who had the best fg% against last year (but allowed quite a bit) was NOT a good defensive team...mmmk. go do the homework and see all the reports and breakdowns about the Celtics D last year in comparison with the year prior.

Good defense? It seems that our friend Hotlanta has a selective memory...for during the 01-02 season, under OBrien, they did play good, solid D, including Walker...but if you followed things last year, this DID NOT HAPPEN, despite quality, good play from Battie in the middle...whether because Walker was too overweight, was back to playing the 3 and not the 4...I'm not sure, but it didn't happen last year Is Raef going to play the 4 for them? What about Battie? What about Baker? They now have a logjam somewhat in the middle (Baker may = Hendu with a MUCH worse contract) None of the others you mentioned, Kedrick Brown, Jones, etc have shown anything worthy of being full fledge starters, heck they've shown less than SJax and Dion... and theyr'e going to continue to make PP play somehwat out of position at the 2. Of all the up and coming/superstar backcourt players right now, from Kobe, to TMac, to PP to whomever, PP is by far the truest SF.

The first move makes some sense...but you have to remember that A Davis isn't a center either, having never played the position until he was forced there (unlike Theo, who, though undersized, was pretty much always a C). Stealing this from the RealGm Board... A Theo for Finley trade would make some sense (so would a lot of trades involving Finley really).

Well, Barry's down right now and they don't trust White or Yarborough, so that's the lineup they're probably trying to "tinker" with, this being the preseason and all...

No one here knows what to expect from CC ~ I barely remember what he "brought" as a bu several years ago and no one's gotten to see him play much in recent years...he can't be counted on. Hendu's health is on the rocks right now... Nailon scores off the bench. He's not good for much else, and certainly shouldn't be starting, not with that D, no three range, etc...but he's a nice o-punch off the bench...

a) we know it's still the preseason and this team is still trying to figure each other out. b) Reef is still playing only limited minutes and is not the focus of the offense or touching the ball first in many sets c) SJax's flaws (to's. out of control play at times) were well documented...his drop in 3pt% is most likely due to rushing thigns and not seeing quite as sweet of passes out of the post/double team (from duncan). d) he's still got the potential and attributes that excited me when we signed him... e) more than anything, if there was one thing I could chnage on this team it'd be Dion...for someone more like David Wesley or Kerry Kittles...a vet nice, run of the mill two guard with handles, height, range, and decent D...

Can Van Gundy help Rockets avoid disaster? By Chad Ford NBA Insider Send an Email to Chad Ford Monday, October 20 Updated: October 20 1:49 PM ET Chat wrap with Chad Ford Welcome back to the NBA, Jeff Van Gundy. It was a little less than two years ago that Van Gundy took a walk after practice, came back awhile later, and suddenly and unexpectedly resigned as the head coach of the Knicks. He cited fatigue, discouragement and a lack of passion for the job in his resignation speech. Just below the surface, you knew that Van Gundy kept looking at his aging, declining Knicks team and wondered to himself, why bother? Fast forward to this weekend, when Van Gundy had to indefinitely suspend one of his best young players, Eddie Griffin. It was the last in a long series of indignities in Rockets camp that has to have VG asking himself yet again -- is anything worth this? Why bother? Weren't the Rockets that hip, up-and-coming team with a young all-star point guard and center? Weren't they the team that was just one step away from being a real playoff contender? Wasn't Van Gundy's tough approach supposed to be the perfect medicine for what ailed this soft, but talented team? While I'm a firm believer that the preseason means nothing (see Around the League), if this were NASA, the engineers would be screaming "Abort!" right about now. What's Houston's problem? Start with injuries that have kept key players like Cuttino Mobley, Eric Piatkowski, Maurice Taylor and Adreian Griffin on the bench this preseason. Injuries and an AWOL Eddie Griffin have slowed Jeff Van Gundy and the Rockets this preseason. Mobley is expected back today, but the loss of four key players has hindered Van Gundy's ability to put in his new offense. "It is important," Van Gundy told the Houston Chronicle. "We need to have our guys back so we can figure out our rotation and how we're going to play. So that's important." Next, put a dash of tired Yao Ming, who was worn ragged by the Chinese National Team this summer. False news reports out of China this summer breathlessly reported that Yao was suffering from some sort of fatigue syndrome. That's bogus. But he is exhausted and the Rockets are genuinely nervous about how their star center is going to hold up this year. Throw in an AWOL Griffin, who skipped the game on Wednesday and then didn't show up for practice Thursday morning either. The Rockets are trying to play down Griffin's absence, claiming that he'll be back with the team soon enough. "We're going to see this as a very short-term blip on the radar and get Eddie back as soon as he's ready to conform to what he is expected to do, which starts with showing up to work every day, on time, ready to play and perform well," Van Gundy said. However, he didn't show up to camp in shape and struggled when he was with the team. Something else is going on. This weekend, the Philadelphia Inquirer (Griffin's from Philly) claimed that Griffin was considering quitting basketball. "All anyone cares about right now is that Eddie is all right so he can play," a Griffin confidant told the Inquirer. "He wants to quit playing basketball. He doesn't want to play anymore. He's just drained by all the responsibilities in his life and he can't take it anymore. Some, you just know he'll get past. There's too much to lose. But that doesn't mean he isn't going through some tough times right now." If Griffin really did pack it up this season (physically or mentally) the Rockets will really struggle in the paint. With Taylor out and Griffin on vacation, the team would be forced to play Yao more minutes and pair him alongside Kelvin Cato in the frontcourt. Cato? Here's all the proof that you need that Van Gundy is losing his mind. "I keep talking about this -- when you're surrounding Yao and Steve, all you need are tough, smart, hard-working professional players who know who they are. They're not confused," Van Gundy told the Chronicle. "So he (Cato) is not going to jack up perimeter shots. He's going to shoot a high percentage, he's going to rebound, he's going to know coverages, and he's a very smart player." Then to top it off, Van Gundy is already butting heads with star point guard Steve Francis about the team's new inside-outside offense. Van Gundy wants Yao to be the team's first option in the paint. Van Gundy's experience, from his days with Patrick Ewing, is that big centers get higher percentage shots than shot-happy point guards. "Steve offensively, right now, is trying to hit the home run every time down," Van Gundy said. "Steve is sometimes so great he can hit a home run. To shake somebody and take on another guy and take tough shots . . . the game's got to be easier. We're not playing team offense the right way. Blown play after play, assignment after assignment." "We're not adapting to change. There are a few pockets of resistance." Francis' experience, forged in the infamous Kelvin Cato era, is that you never, ever give the big guy the ball. "I've been playing the same way for five years," Francis said. "The part of me going one-on-one when the shot clock is going down, that's what I've got to do. I'm not going to throw the ball to a 7-foot guy on the three-point line if I can do something at the end of the shot clock." Van Gundy also wants Francis to step up and set the tone on the team. Every coach needs a star player who buys into the offense and sells his teammates on it. Of course, Yao's on board. But Van Gundy needs Francis to set the example to get the others to follow. "It wrenches my gut to say that right now we don't play hard," he said. "Until we do - and that's the foundation for every good team: giving an honest day's effort every night and being unselfish - we're going to struggle." Francis's response? "Whatever," he said. "As a team, we just have to get on the same page. We're straight. We're cool." Cool? If I'm Carroll Dawson, I'm making sure that Van Gundy doesn't go on another one of those soul searching walks after practice this week. If VG does, I'm not sure he'll like what he finds. Around the League Danny Ainge finally decided to dump Antoine Walker. A Celtics source told Insider Monday morning that the Celtics were sending Walker and Tony Delk to the Mavericks for Raef LaFrentz, Jiri Welsch, Chris Mills and a future No. 1 pick. WalkerIt's a head scratcher for both teams. The Mavs were looking for a tough, blue collar center to do some banging in the paint. Instead, they get Walker, a power forward in name only, who prefers, like the rest of the Mavs, to launch from the perimeter. The Celtics get a guy who could be a legit center in the league in LaFrentz. But at what price? Paul Pierce was already doing too much as it was? Now he's the only threat on the Celtics to score 20 a night. LaFrentz can average roughly 15 and eight in Boston. But those aren't close to Walker's numbers. With guys like Allen Iverson and Kevin Garnett signing big extensions, the Celtics were feeling pressure to either pay Walker or dump him now. Considering they had no intention of signing him to the "max" extension he was asking for, they thought a trade was the best course of action. Welsch is a nice prospect -- down the road. Mills is a salary-cap dump. Did either team get better? I don't see how. The Mavs are now clearly the most lethal offensive team in the league. But there really can be too much of a good thing going on in Dallas. I wouldn't be shocked if they followed this trade up with another move. You've got to have a role player or two on your team. As for the Celtics, I'm not sure where they go from here. They don't have a ton of tradeable assets. They'll need to find another scorer. Vin Baker? Kedrick Brown? Marcus Banks? Someone will have to step up for the Celtics to improve because of this trade. The preseason is supposed to be a time of hope and joy. The slate is clean. Everyone's a contender until opening night. Miracles still do happen. Right. Need evidence that the preseason means absolutely nothing? Just look atop the standings in the NBA's four divisions. The Heat lead the Atlantic with a 5-1 record. The Raptors (4-1) are atop the Central. The Jazz and Grizzlies (4-1) are sitting pretty in the Midwest. And the Warriors' 4-1 record gives them top honors in the Pacific. Considering that all five teams have a slim to none chance of making the playoffs (with the possible exception of Memphis) don't get your hopes up too high. Van Exel Nick Van Exel is thinking about having surgery again . . . or is he just trying to push the Warriors into trading him? The last time Van Exel considered surgery on his always shaky left knee was two seasons ago, just before he was traded from the Nuggets to Mavericks. That time, Van Exel marched into Kiki Vandeweghe's office and dropped the gauntlet -- either trade him to a title contender or he'll have season-ending surgery. Vandeweghe traded him and, miraculously, Van Exel was able to play through the rest of the season without the surgery. With the Knicks trying to pry Van Exel away, don't put it past him to use the surgery as a bargaining chip. With that said, read into his comments about the potential surgery all you want. Warriors doctors prescribed rest for the sore knee. Van Exel decided to get a second opinion from the Mavericks team physician. "I'm not really concerned, just that if I have to have surgery, I'd rather get it done as soon as possible so I can get back quick," Van Exel told the Contra Costa Times. "If it's going to take rest and it will go away, then that will be good. But I don't know what's going to happen. I'm not concerned because I don't think it's season-ending or anything like that. I don't think it will be any more than three weeks. I'm just guessing, three or four weeks. But you never know how things are." Harrington The buyout frenzy continues. The Knicks look like they're the latest to jump into the fray. The New York Post is reporting that the team is considering buying out the last two years and $6 million of Othella Harrington's contract. The Knicks currently have 16 players with guaranteed contracts. The Bucks reportedly struck a deal with Jason Caffey on Saturday. Caffey had two years and $11.8 million remaining on his deal. There's no word yet on what the buyout actually was. "It was kind of a mutual agreement," coach Terry Porter told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I think he wanted to try some other team, maybe. It was a mutual agreement, based on what happened last year. The most important thing for this franchise going forward, is we're trying to set a mind-set, a tone, an energy level and approach that is appropriate and conducive to winning. We thought we should go our separate ways." Caffey hadn't played all preseason. Once the Bucks bought out Anthony Mason, the writing was on the wall. Dumping Caffey completes the Bucks complete makeover from playoff contender to lottery fodder. The team now has just one player, Toni Kukoc, over the age of 30. Even Kukoc may not be around for long. The word around the league is that the Bucks have been shopping Kukoc, and his expiring contract, to teams trying to cut payroll. The team is looking for first-round draft picks and at least one young prospect in return. While nothing is imminent, look for something to go down closer to the trade deadline in February. Griffin too lucky to throw in towel Stephen A. Smith / Philadelphia Inquirer Mobley's return charges up Rockets' practice Michael Murphy / Houston Chronicle Griffin too lucky to throw in towel Stephen A. Smith / Philadelphia Inquirer Van Exel may have surgery Matt Steinmetz / Contra Costa Times McDyess Clears Another Hurdle Marc Berman / New York Post Caffey's release a 'mutual agreement' Tom Enlund / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Peep Show By Terry Brown NBA Insider Monday, October 20 Updated: October 20 9:46 AM ET Los Angeles Lakers: Phil Jackson knows a motivated Shaq is a dangerous Shaq, even if it means the center gets a little angry at his head coach. "I've been with Shaquille for four years," Jackson said in the LA Times. "We've grown used to the nature of the beast. We enjoy him when he's humorous and fun and laughable and clowning. And we put up with him when he's the other side. I'm really pleased with him, actually, to be honest. So far he's done a great job getting in shape, in the best possible shape, and physically I think he's coming into the season in good condition. After the workout this morning, he said he feels better. That's all we're hoping for." O'Neal, verbally upset with Jackson, decided to return to action early Sunday despite a bruised left heel. McDyessNew York Knicks: According to Antonio McDyess, it's only a matter of time before he's back on the floor for the New York Knicks."[Today] I could do cutting, tip drills, post moves - pretty much everything one-on-one, but not five-on-five," McDyess said to the NY Post. "I definitely have to get comfortable with five-on-five." He is expected to have a final CT scan on Wednesday and then be cleared to scrimmage with the team in 7 to 10 days. Houston Rockets: Eric Piatkowski, Maurice Taylor, Adreian Griffin and Eddie Griffin may be sitting on the bench for various reason, but you can scratch Cuttino Mobley off that list today. "I'm going to try and come back (today)," said Cuttino Mobley in the Houston Chronicle. "I worked out (Sunday), doing some dummy offense and running up and down a couple of times, so I'm feeling a little better. I'm just excited to get back to practice. Basketball is me. I love basketball; you know what I'm saying? I love basketball, so I'm just happy to be back." Mobley has been suffering from a strained left hip for the last week. Miami Heat: The doctors tell him it'll be one, or two or maybe even three weeks before he can return from his knee surgery, but Caron Butler can hardly wait another minute. ''It's rhythm that you have to have out there on the court,'' Butler said in the Miami Herald. "I think it's one of those things where I'm going to have to play in practice for like a week and maybe even longer just to get a rhythm back. I still shoot every day and try to do little things, but if you're not out there with the fellas and everything, you lose rhythm. But I watch all the games and definitely watch the practices to see what everybody does and where I would fit in. Hopefully when I get out there, everything will click a little bit.'' New Orleans Hornets: First it was Dajuan Wagner with the knee problem. Now, it's Ira Newble. "I'm worried; he's a big part of this puzzle,'' Cavaliers Coach Paul Silas said in the Akron Beacon Journal. "He's my best defender at that forward spot. I need him.'' Newble has already sat out the first two weeks of training camp with knee problems and will see a specialist in Cleveland as soon as the team arrives home. O'Neal Unexpectedly Returns From Injury Tim Brown / Los Angeles Times McDyess Clears Another Hurdle Marc Berman / New York Post Mobley's return charges up Rockets' practice Michael Murphy / Houston Chronicle Injured Butler awaits first day of work Israel Gutierrez / Miami Herald Newble's bothersome knee bothering Silas Brian Windhorst / Akron Beacon Journal

By Marc Stein ESPN.com Editor's note: Here's a glimpse of the good -- and the bad -- that could happen to the 2003-04 Toronto Raptors. The play of rookie Chris Bosh has been a pleasant surprise. Best Case Scenario Three things need to happen for the Raptors to rejoin the clutch of teams trying to snare one of the last playoff spots in the East ... or at least re-establish themselves as a .500 team. 1. Stay healthy. That's not exactly a news flash, and certainly not exclusive to the Raptors, but it applies to Toronto maybe more than any other team in the league after the Raps set an NBA record with 519 man-games lost to injury last season. Vince Carter, for starters, is said to be healthy again, and Lamond Murray is back after missing all of last season. Those two should restore some juice to Toronto's offense. Trouble is, Toronto has been plagued by injuries for so long that there is now an expectation that Vince (or someone else important) will go down long-term. It got so bad last season, remember, that the Raptors never had 12 healthy bodies to dress for a game. Perhaps a spell of sustained health early in the season will get the injury stuff out of the Raptors' minds and allow them to focus on everything else important. 2. Chris Bosh looks as good during the regular season as he has during the exhibition season. Raptors general manager Glen Grunwald wasn't wrong last May when he said that the draft starts at No. 4 -- meaning that the team with the fourth pick, which turned out to be Toronto, had the first tough choice to make after the inevitable selections of LeBron James, Darko Milicic and Carmelo Anthony. The good news? Toronto appears to have made the right choice. You never want to get too excited about what happens in the preseason -- either way -- but Bosh has not looked out of place in the pro game. Not at all. He's a shot-blocking presence already and his offensive game is developing ahead of schedule. If the Raptors continue to get what Bosh has given them in the exhibitions -- 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds through the first four -- their otherwise unimposing front line starts to look passable. And it should only help Bosh that he's playing north of the border -- out of the rookie spotlight, in other words -- while all the attention is focused on LBJ, Darko and Melo. 3. The Vinsanity prevails for 82 games ... or close to it. Again, not exactly a news flash here. The Raptors will only be as good as Carter is this season, and Vince has two injury-filled seasons to make up for. If a summer with Team USA was the spark Carter claims it was, Toronto could certainly rejoin the race for No. 8 in the East. If he goes down again, the Raptors figure to reclaim last place in the Central. Worst Case Scenario The Raptors will continue to be lottery-bound and win less than 30 games if the following three things happen. 1. They have to rely on their depth. Reason? Because they really don't have any depth. We're actually fans here of the athletic Jerome Moiso, but you've got to stretch considerably more than Moiso's impressive wingspan to label him a marquee free-agent addition. Toronto, sadly, had to label Moiso as such. Pick almost any position and the Raptors are undermanned, meaning that they're relying heavily on the returns of Carter and Murray, the hiring of coach Kevin O'Neill and the potential of Bosh to create a new atmosphere. 2. The Raptors are swallowed up by the two big holes in their lineup. Remember that saying about point guard and center being the toughest positions to fill? Don't have to tell it Toronto. Alvin Williams isn't a pure point, but he's the Raptors' best option there. Antonio Davis is a power forward, but O'Neill will have to play either Davis or Jerome Williams -- or maybe Bosh -- at the five. All those guys are really power forwards. You can get by without significant size in the East, but the Raptors aren't just small. Struggling to fill those two key positions, Toronto also ranked as one of the league's worst defensive teams last season: 29th in opponent field-goal percentage (.461), 28th in 3-point defense (.375). O'Neill will fix some of that, but the personnel hasn't changed significantly. 3. Personalities clash. O'Neill, again, is certain to improve the defense, but he's a rookie head coach with a well-known temper. As much as Toronto needed a disciplinarian after the laid-back Lenny Wilkens era, it remains to be seen how the Raptors' veterans respond to O'Neill's prodding. Williams, just to name one vet, has struggled for minutes in the preseason, even though his rebound-and-hustle package would figure to appeal to O'Neill as much as anyone on the Raps' roster. It's also no secret that Davis would prefer to be traded to a contending team, and we're still a bit shocked that Carter admitted publicly that he wanted Toronto to trade the pick that begat Bosh for a veteran. For a guy who hasn't appreciated the constant criticism over the past couple of seasons, Carter didn't exactly offer the rookie a warm welcome. Bosh appears to have silenced any doubters already, inside and outside of the locker room, but stay tuned. T-Dot, as the e-mailers love to call it, hasn't been the happiest place for hoops lately. Winning is the fastest way to change the mood, but the skeptics (hello) don't see a roster that can win (or lift the gloom) this season. Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here. Also, send Stein a question for possible use on ESPNEWS.

Carlisle has several options at small forward By Chad Ford NBA Insider Send an Email to Chad Ford Friday, October 17 Updated: October 17 9:50 AM ET A big logjam at small forward. That's the challenge coach Rick Carlisle has ahead of him as he attempts to untangle one of the deepest teams in the East. Does he start Ron Artest, the team's best defender and team's second-leading scorer? Maybe it should be Al Harrington, who has the size and athletic ability to be a star but just needs more experience. Or what about Jonathan Bender, the Pacers practice wonder boy who is seemingly on the verge of a breakthrough season every training camp? Or, maybe it's Austin Croshere, a Larry Bird and Rick Carlisle favorite, who's been steaming on the bench the past few seasons waiting for revenge. How does Carlisle balance that depth? It looks like he'll split the difference, throw Artest and Harrington in the starting five and bench a healthy, but aging Reggie Miller at the two. Indiana Pacers Small Forward Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes 1. Al Harrington 5 6-9 12.2 ppg, 6.2 rpg in 30.1 mpg He's an extraordinarily taleted player who has yet to find the consistency it takes to become a star. One night he'll drop 30 on you. The next night he disappears. But he's getting better and the Pacers love his size and toughness at the position. If he stumbles, Ron Artest will take over here, but right now it looks like they want to give Harrington a shot. 2. Austin Croshere 6 6-10 5.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg in 12.9 mpg Expect his minutes to grow substantially now that Carlisle is back. He'll get looks at the three and the four. He's still one of the best shooters on the team. 3. James Jones R 6-8 -- A second-round steal. Jones has great athletic ability and is a very good shooter from beyond the arc. The Pacers like him, though he's unlikely to see too much time this season. Shooting Guard Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes 1. Ron Artest 4 6-7 15.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg in 33.6 mpg Next to O'Neal, he's the team's most valuable player. Along with Ben Wallace, he's one of the few game-changing defenders in the league. His offense also continues to improve. If he can avoid those on-the-court flair ups, he's due for a huge year. 2. Reggie Miller 16 6-7 12.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg in 30.2 mpg An ankle injury slowed Miller down considerably last season, but that wasn't the only reason his production trailed off. Miller now lacks the quickness to get his own shot, which means he always has a hand in his face when he's trying to shoot. 3. Fred Jones 1 6-3 1.2 ppg, 0.5 rpg in 6.1 mpg Great athlete, but he'll struggle again this season to get in the rotation. Point Guard Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes 1. Jamaal Tinsley 2 6-3 7.8 ppg, 7.5 apg in 30.6 mpg One of the better assist men in the league, but he struggles with that jumper and is a terrible defender. His minutes may dip this season with the addition of Kenny Anderson and Anthony Johnson 2. Kenny Anderson 12 6-1 6.1 ppg, 3.2 apg in 19.2 mpg Was awful last season, but the Pacers still he has gas left in the tank. The year before he was critical to the Celtics' surprising playoff run. 3. Anthony Johnson 6 6-3 4.1 ppg, 1.3 apg in 12.8 mpg Jason Kidd's backup will get more of an opportunity to play in Indiana. 4. Jamison Brewer 2 6-4 2.2 ppg, 1.8 apg in 8.8 mpg Once again an afterthought. Power Forward Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes 1. Jermaine O'Neal 7 6-11 20.8 ppg, 10.3 rpg in 37.2 mpg Now that he has a big contract, can he live up to expectations? It won't be easy. With Brad Miller gone, the team will expect him to spend plenty of minutes playing center this year, something O'Neal isn't fond of. 2. Jonathan Bender 4 7-0 6.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg in 17.8 mpg Is this Bender's year? A knee injury has once again set him back. When he does return expect him to get major minutes on the floor with O'Neal. Center Exp Ht '02-03 Stats Notes 1. Scot Pollard 6 6-11 4.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg in 14.4 mpg He's a better rebounder and a better defender than Brad Miller. But most feel that the Pacers took a step back in the middle. 2. Jeff Foster 4 6-11 2.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg in 10.4 mpg A solid rebounder, but he has to be one of the most overpaid players in the NBA. 3. Primoz Brezec 2 7-1 1.9 ppg, 1.0 rpg in 5 mpg He's looked decent in the preseason.