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Rockets, Suns sleepers

in the West

by Chad Ford

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Also Below: Readers revolt! | Jamal getting in the Bulls' craw | Clipps get Wang | Turf Wars Update | Peep Show

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Before we begin this whole exercise, let's start with a question. Should we even bother breaking down the West?

The truth is that there are 11 teams in the East that could realistically make some noise in the playoffs, but only eight playoff berths. With the Lakers, Kings, Mavs and Spurs ruling the West, do sleepers even matter?

No one's pretending the East has anything on the top four teams out West. The Kings-Lakers rivalry is brewing into one of the best the NBA has seen in years. The Mavs continue to be the most entertaining basketball team in the league and the Spurs sport the league's MVP and a young international backcourt to die for.

Lock the top four seeds away. It's Nos. 5-8 that have the potential to be interesting this year. Logic says that despite the Blazers' chemistry issues and weekly parole hearings, they'll be a playoff team — probably the fifth seed. But the last three slots are really up for grabs.

Last year the T-Wolves, Sonics and Jazz locked up the last three slots in the West. Of those three teams, the Sonics have the best chance of making it back. Calvin Booth is healthy, Kenny Anderson gives them some flexibility in the backcourt and Desmond Mason, Rashard Lewis and Vladimir Radmanovic all should improve. And you can never discount the positive effect the subtraction of Vin Baker will have on the squad.

The T-Wolves and Jazz? They're in more trouble, as you'll read below. They'll face a serious challenge from the Rockets, Suns and Clippers for those final two spots. As for the rest of the West — the Warriors, Grizzlies and Nuggets — forget about it. All three teams are moving in the right direction, but none of them is there yet. The Warriors will be a much more dangerous team this year under the leadership of Eric Musselman, but they still are too young to make much of a dent. Jerry West will field the deepest Grizzlies team ever, but it will be a losing battle for a few more years. As for the Nuggets, look for them to move into the sleeper category next season after they add a top draft pick and a couple of top-flight free agents.

Today we'll take a look at three Western Conference sleepers and two Western Conference teams that give us the jitters.

SLEEPERS

Houston Rockets: If you believe owner Les Alexander, the Rockets are destined to be one of the greatest teams of all time. Les gets carried away, but can you blame him? His team, racked with injuries last season, is finally healthy, added the No. 1 pick in the draft and has several young players ready to break out. Everyone wants to start with Yao Ming, but he really isn't the key to the season. Truth is, anyone with a pulse is an upgrade over Kelvin Cato. If Yao can't step over that bar, he'll be on the low road back to China quicker than we can say "bust" in Mandrian.

The key for the Rockets will be the play of veterans Glen Rice and Maurice Taylor and second-year player Eddie Griffin. Both Rice and Taylor are coming off major injuries but still have the skills to make a major impact on the team. Rice, along with rookie Bostjan Nachbar, gives the Rockets a perimeter presence they lacked last season. Taylor can be a major force in the post offensively, but he'll need to rebound and play defense if he's going to hold off Griffin. Griffin is one of those freak players who can play just about any position on the floor. But his rebounding and shot blocking are what the Rockets need. If he continues to impress and Steve Francis stays migraine free, the Rockets have the talent to play with just about anyone.

Phoenix Suns: The Suns are a bit of a reach after last season's miserable finish. But there's hope in Phoenix this year. Stephon Marbury and Shawn Marion are the team's two unquestioned stars, but several other young players are poised to have a major impact. Second-year guard Joe Johnson had a strong summer and training camp. Rookie Amare Stoudemire is the dominating low-post presence the team has lacked since it lost Antonio McDyess. And center Jake Tsakalidis continues to get rave reviews over his progress over the summer.

But it's three Suns veterans who will determine the fate of the team. Forward Tom Gugliotta is healthy for the first time in two years. While he'll never return to All-Star form, Suns sources say he's playing well enough to give the Suns 16 points and 8 boards a night. That's a huge upgrade in the post for Phoenix. Penny Hardaway may have lost his starting job to Johnson, but the word out of camp is that he's healthy (he missed only one game last season), is in good shape and has come into the preseason with a better attitude. And then there's veteran Scott Williams. He won't fill up the boxscore, but has the experience and leadership qualities that the Suns have lacked for some time. If he can give them a solid 20 minutes a night in the middle, the Suns will be rising in Phoenix.

Los Angeles Clippers: It's tough to think of the Clippers as a sleeper when they're brimming with talent. Their starting five of Andre Miller, Quentin Richardson, Lamar Odom, Elton Brand and Michael Olowokandi is one of the most talented, versatile lineups in the league. On paper, this team is probably a sixth seed in the West. But trouble is already brewing in L.A.

Acrimonious contract negotiations with Olowokandi and Brand went nowhere this summer, and with the Clippers' top seven players heading into contract years, bad blood is brewing in the locker room. No one knows for sure what owner Donald Sterling will do next season. Veteran players would take the opportunity to rally around one good shot at doing something special. Young players rally around the boxscore, trying to improve their numbers so they can fatten their paychecks. If this team sticks together and stays on the same page, it's extremely dangerous. If it can't — the Clippers will implode.

BAD JU-JU

Minnesota Timberwolves: Their starting point guard's career may be over. His replacement is a career journeyman. Their starting power forward a career bust. And their starting center is pouting that GM Kevin McHale didn't break open the bank after his 11.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg performance last season. Their bench is shaky and their two top players, Kevin Garnett and Wally Szczerbiak, are looking for extensions. Forgive us if we're a little skeptical.

The Timberwolves went just 17-16 last season after Terrell Brandon went down with a season-ending injury. Brandon's replacement, Chauncey Billups, signed a major deal with the Pistons over the summer and point guard Troy Hudson was the best they could do after a long string of rejections. Joe Smith, the guy who cost the team five first-round draft picks, is injured and didn't come into camp in the greatest of shape. How desperate are the Wolves for help this year? Loren Woods has made his way into the starting lineup (not that there's anything wrong with Woods, but you get the picture). While most of their Western Conference colleagues have improved, the Wolves may have regressed right out of the playoffs.

Utah Jazz: Sportswriters have been predicting the downfall of the Jazz for the past five season, but as long as Karl Malone and John Stockton keep on ticking, Utah can't be taken lightly. Still, something has to give. The team lost staples Donyell Marshall and Bryon Russell to free agency and replaced them with Matt Harpring and Calbert Cheaney. Ugh. Starting center Greg Ostertag is having difficulty recovering from a kidney donation. First-round draft picks Curtis Borchardt and Raul Lopez are out indefinitely with injuries. And young guns Andrei Kirilenko and DeShawn Stevenson are off to slow starts.

The Jazz have done a great job of rebuilding on the fly but this year too many teams in the West seem to have passed them by.

Shot blockade a Griffin forte

Jonathan Feigen / Houston Chronicle

Wolves: Woods returns a different man

Steve Aschburner / Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Jazz can't get it together

Tim Buckley / Deseret News

Readers revolt!

Wednesday we broke down the Eastern Conference sleepers and lottery fodder and sparked a pretty robust debate.

Obviously, the return of Michael Jordan has created an unusual amount of Wizards fans. (Honestly, how many of you were "passionate Wizards fans" before MJ laced them back up.) I was flooded with e-mails Wednesday claiming that not only will the Wizards make the playoffs, they'll be the second or third seed in the East. Talk about a difference of opinion.

Here's a few highlights -- expletives (this is a family site) and dissertations (I'm the only one who can be long winded) deleted -- from my inbox.

Q: If Kwame becomes a contributor, I truly believe they [the Wizards] will trail only New Jersey in the East. -- David Perry, Tampa, Fla.

FORD: Wow! That's going out on a limb. When MJ has two giant ice packs on his knees, Jerry Stackhouse is complaining about his touches and Larry Hughes chucks up more shots than Jordan, I'm not sure Kwame contributing will save the day. I think Kwame would have to be an All-Star for that to happen. The Wizards are so thin up front a couple of guys -- either Kwame, Etan Thomas, Brendan Haywood or Charles Oakley -- will have to step up. I think teams will heavily zone the Wizards and force them to make some jumpers. I'm not sure who on the roster can do that on a regular basis.

Q: It boggles my mind how someone with your job can know absolutely nothing about hoops. The 76ers will finish in the top 5 in the East guaranteed. You intimate that the Nets ripped the 76ers off in that trade; you criticize Keith Van Horn and Todd MacCulloch like they are stiffs. Let me remind you that that is 40 percent of the team that went to the finals last year. Moreover, Mutombo is such a stiff it is not even scary. I go to every game and this guy cannot play even for five minutes. -- Scott Freedman, Philadelphia

FORD: Obviously, it was the 40 percent that the Nets deemed expendable. Van Horn hit a few big shots in the playoffs, but when it mattered he disappeared. If Jason Kidd lost confidence in him, how will Allen Iverson, who doesn't like to pass to anyone, ever feel comfortable letting Van Horn take a shot? But my biggest concern with the Sixers isn't Van Horn, it's the thin frontline. Derrick Coleman is injured, MacCulloch is fragile and the Sixers only have Brian Skinner, Art Long, Mark Bryant and Olden Polynice healthy enough to back them up. That's a big, big problem.

Q: Brad Miller at 20 and 10 a night? I don't think so. -- Jim Fitzmaurice

FORD: Yeah, I got a little carried away there. I had a twinge of writer's remorse over that one this morning until I checked out Miller's splits with the Pacers. Miller averaged 17.4 ppg and 8 rpg in April while shooting 57 percent. That's not quite 20 and 10, but when you factor in that Miller was a late-season addition and the Pacers didn't really run many plays for him, it's pretty impressive. He might not ever get to 20 and 10, but Thomas will be thrilled with 17 and 8.

Q: Why write this article about the Knicks? Yes, they are a very bad team and it looks like they will be for some time. But, just a few years ago they were a lock for the playoffs. If you want to write an article about someone rebuilding or giving up, why not the Warriors? No team is more deserving then they are. We have been bad for a while, and are showing no signs of improving. So, come on give credit where credit is due. Sure, the Knicks suck, but come on there not even on our level. -- Mike Del Carlo, Lodi, Calif.

FORD: I beg to differ. The Knicks are in much worse shape than the Warriors. Golden State has a bright new coach. The Knicks have Don Chaney. The Warriors tons of young talent in Jason Richardson, Mike Dunleavy, Antawn Jamison, Troy Murphy, Jiri Welsch and Gilbert Arenas. The Knicks have none. The Warriors have two adequate centers in Erick Dampier and Adonal Foyle. The Knicks have Michael Doleac. The Knicks payroll will exceed $92 million this year. The Warriors will come in at about $48 million. If the Warriors played in the East, they'd be in the fight for a the eighth playoff seed. The Knicks? They'll fight the Cavs and Bulls for the worst record in the East. The only thing they have in common are a string of questionable front office moves. But right now, the Knicks and Warriors are moving in opposite directions.

Q: I protest your prediction of the Cavaliers as terrible. General manager Jim Paxson unloaded Wes Person, Lamond Murray and Andre Miller during the offseason but is building a strong nucleus of raw talent in Darius Miles, Ricky Davis and Dajuan Wagner. Zydrunas is healthy again and Chris Mihm is a solid post player. If this team plays solid defense and drives the lanes, then this is a team to reckon with in the Eastern Conference! John Lucas is the ideal candidate to build this core into a contender! -- Tom Snyder, New York

FORD: Speaking of writer's remorse, what are you smoking Tom? Mihm (7.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg) a "solid post player"? The Cavs a "team to reckon with"? If Miles, Davis, Wagner and Desagana Diop all pan out, and the Cavs get LeBron James, they will be a force in a few years. But this year? Fun to watch, yes. But more than 20 wins? C'mon.

Jamal getting in the Bulls' craw

Frustrations boiled over in Bulls camp Wednesday, raising questions once again about Jerry Krause's decision not to trade Jamal Crawford after the Bulls drafted Jay Williams this year.

Crawford feels the Bulls are giving away his starting job to Williams, despite coach Bill Cartwright's insistence that Crawford still has a chance to be the team's starting point guard.

That frustration led to an incident between Crawford and Cartwright Wednesday. According to the Chicago Tribune, Crawford took exception to coaches asking him to start a drill with Tyson Chandler still lying on the floor after suffering a concussion. He was also upset that the coaching staff began harping on him when he refused to run the triangle offense. After a heated confrontation, Cartwright told him to leave practice.

"If I have a player who I feel is not giving me the effort I need, he'll be asked to step off. It's as simple as that," Cartwright told the Tribune. "From Jamal's position, I'm looking for a guy who will lead this team. It's probably the toughest job on the floor. Hopefully we can find somebody who will give himself up and lead. If he wants that job, it's open to him."

Crawford doesn't believe that. "If Jay beats me out fair and square, I have no problem with him starting. But if that isn't the case, any competitive person would have a problem with that."

GM Jerry Krause scoffed at the notion that Williams is just being handed the position. "I don't even want to hear that stuff. Everybody gets a fair chance. Bill doesn't care who wins the job. He just wants the best player playing."

But the numbers seem to support Crawford's argument. Each player has started two exhibition games. Crawford is averaging 12.3 points, 3.8 assists and 0.8 turnovers in 25 minutes per game while shooting 41.5 percent. Williams is averaging 13.8 points, 2.8 assists and 3.3 turnovers in 26.8 minutes with a field-goal percentage of 37 percent.

While Williams has been more explosive offensively, he's also averaged more turnovers than assists and is shooting poorly from the field. While Cartwright said he'll welcome Crawford back to practice today and hold nothing against him, the Tribune's Sam Smith writes that Crawford is fighting a losing battle.

"This is the Bulls' fault, and it will continue to be the Bulls' fault until they do what they should have done four months ago when they had the chance: Trade Jamal Crawford. . .Crawford can be someone's point guard; he's just never going to be the Bulls' starting point guard no matter what anyone says."

Smith suggests a Crawford-and-Marcus Fizer-for-Wally Szczerbiak swap, and given the Wolves' desperate need for a point guard and a tough low-post player — and their reluctance to give Szczerbiak a huge contract extension — the trade makes sense for both teams.

The Magic have also pursued Crawford and Fizer in the past and might be willing to let Mike Miller and Darrell Armstrong go in return. The Sonics, Knicks and Wizards have also expressed interest in Crawford.

Chandler taken out, Crawford kicked out

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune

The Bulls must trade Crawford

Sam Smith / Chicago Tribune

Clipps get Wang

The Michael Olowokandi contingency plan got an official boost Wednesday when Mavs owner Mark Cuban decided that the team would not match the Clippers' three-year, $6.5 million offer sheet to restricted free agent Wang Zhizhi.

The move means that Wang will be cleared to officially join the team Friday and could be ready to play in the Clippers' next preseason game on Wednesday against the Bucks.

"The bottom line is he didn't want to be here," Cuban told the L.A. Times. "He wanted to go someplace where he could get a lot of minutes. It would be good to have him, but we're not going to miss him. We'll find the two or three points from someone else."

Coach Don Nelson had a slightly different take.

"The main reason we're not matching is that Wang signed a contract with his country that he would return there in our offseason to play for their national team," Nelson told the Dallas Morning News. "When Wang broke that contract, he also broke his word with us. We have apologized to the Chinese Basketball Association and made it clear that we were in no way part of the reason why Wang never went back."

The addition of Wang should be an interesting storyline to follow this season. Olowokandi will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the summer and has vowed to spurn the Clippers after this summers failed contract negotiations. If Wang plays well, the Clippers will probably be inclined just to let him go. If Wang struggles, there may be more incentive to up their offer. Either way, Wang poses no real risk. Only the first year of his contract is guaranteed, meaning the Clipps can let him go after the season if he doesn't pan out.

As it stands now, Wang likely will have the leg up over Olowokandi's other two backups, Cherokee Parks and Sean Rooks.

He's Almost Part of Team

Elliott Teaford / Los Angeles Times

Mavs will let Wang sign with Clippers

Eddie Sefko / Dallas Morning News

Turf Wars Update

Blazers: Coach Maurice Cheeks said that for the moment, he has settled on an opening night starting lineup of Damon Stoudamire at point guard, Derek Anderson at shooting guard, Bonzi Wells at small forward, Rasheed Wallace at power forward and Dale Davis at center. "That looks like the way I'm going to go," Cheeks told the Oregonian. "That's not written in stone, but it's probable." What about when Scottie Pippen and Arvydas Sabonis get healthy? "They will certainly get playing time, but in cracking the lineup initially, no," Cheeks said. "I think we have to work them in, see how our first group is running and see how our second group is running." And what about Jeff McInnis? "There hasn't been anybody who has been head-and-shoulders above anybody," Cheeks said. "But I think Damon has been good. I think he has had his ups and his downs, but he has gotten better in learning how to run a club."

Sonics: Jerome James may be injured, but Sonics sources told Insider that he has the edge over Calvin Booth in the battle to be the team's starting center. Coach Nate McMillian envisioned Booth playing the high post with Vin Baker playing the low post when they signed him last season. With Baker gone, James is the team's only legitimate presence down low. "Jerome is that one legitimate big body who can defend pretty much anyone by himself," McMillan told the Seattle Times.

Raptors: Free agent Jelani McCoy is making a big impression in Toronto. "Jelani has taken some giant steps for us," Raptor coach Lenny Wilkens told the Toronto Star. With Keon Clark, Hakeem Olajuwon and Eric Montross gone or injured and Nate Huffman and Mamadou N'diaye unable to come close to matching his impact, McCoy has all but forced the Raptors to offer him a guaranteed deal before the season begins. "Like I've been saying, he's a beast down there," said Vince Carter. "He's given us some big minutes, some solid minutes down there. He plays hard, he wants to win and he wants to make a difference on this team."

Nuggets: Unheralded rookie point guard Junior Harrington got the start against the Pacers and recorded three assists and eight points on 4 of 6 shooting in 19 minutes. Incumbent Kenny Satterfield contributed two assists and two points on 0-for-5 shooting in 22 minutes. For the most part, Harrington has outplayed Satterfield in the preseason. Before the game, coach Jeff Bzdelik said the job was wide open. After the game, he attempted to steer away from creating a point-guard controversy, telling the Rocky Mountain News it's "not a big issue" who starts.

Blazers starters picked out

Jason Quick / The Oregonian

Sonics camp at a glance

Danny O'Neil / Seattle Post-Intelligencer

New man in middle is the real McCoy

Doug Smith / Toronto Star

Nuggets arise too late

Chris Tomasson / Rocky Mountain News

Peep Show

Jazz: Karl Malone told USA Today on Tuesday that the 2002-03 season "could be my last year," though he stopped short of revealing any retirement plans. "I've made up my mind," the 39-year-old two-time MVP told the newspaper. "I don't want to keep everyone in suspense. At the appropriate time, I'll make my announcement. . . . I'm reluctant to back myself into a corner and say what I will or won't do right now."

Knicks: The team got more bad news on Monday when it learned that Antonio McDyess will be out for the season. The diagnosis means that the Knicks can apply for a $4.5 million medical exception. . . For the second straight day, Latrell Sprewell did not make an appearance at the Knicks' practice facility. The Knicks have given Sprewell, out another four weeks with a broken pinkie, the option of working out in his state-of-the-art home gym. "First, they told him to stay away and now they're telling him to use our facility," one of Sprewell's friends told the N. Y. Daily News. "Latrell doesn't react well to being hit over the head with an anvil. He reacts well to reasoning."

Magic: Coach Doc Rivers is trying to get Mike Miller to quit passing the ball and start taking more shots. "We are going to make him a flat-out scorer, and he is going to buy into it," Rivers told the Orlando Sentinel. Says Miller. "I have one of the greatest jobs in the world. Just shoot and score."

Sixers: Monty Williams, Keith Van Horn, Samuel Dalembert and Mark Bryant returned to practice Wednesday. "It was cool today, because we had enough guys to run a fastbreak without getting tired," Williams told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "We had enough guys to practice, so that was cool. We had enough guys to go up and down, so we have a chance to get back to where we were. I did everything, and I plan on doing everything the rest of the season."

Cavs: Rookie Dajuan Wagner has suffered from abdominal pain since last week. The Cavs announced Wednesday Wagner is being treated for a bladder infection, and he's expected to remain at the Cleveland Clinic until Monday. "He's frustrated that he can't play because playing in the NBA has always been his dream," Wagner's father, Milt told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "He hasn't been able to play in those preseason games. He's in pain, but the pain on his face is because he hasn't been able to play" . . . Free-agent guard Smush Parker is starting to make enough noise during training camp that Lucas is having second thoughts. Lucas said Parker, who played only two years of college, was a long shot to make the team. His chances have improved dramatically over the past week. "He's worked his way into the mix," Lucas said. "Smush will get some time against Utah on Friday."

Kings: Gerald Wallace injured his knee on Wednesday and will have an MRI today.

Hawks: The Hawks signed rookie free agent Rod Grizzard to a contract Wednesday morning, and he promptly hit the floor, headband and all, to work out with the team. Grizzard was released by the Bulls last week. "We just wanted to look at him, check out his talent, and we'll see how out it goes," Hawks GM Pete Babcock told the Atlanta Journal Constitution.

One Last Hurrah for Karl?

Phil Miller / Salt Lake Tribune

For McDyess, It's Wait Till Next Season

Chris Broussard / New York Times

Spree takes Knicks at word, stays away

Frank Isola / New York Daily News

Miller given the green light

Jerry Brewer / Orlando Sentinel

Banged-up 76ers starting to heal

Ashley McGeachy Fox / Philadelphia Inquirer

Wagner suffering from bladder infection

Branson Wright / Cleveland Plain Dealer

Hawks sign ex-Tide star Grizzard

Michael Lee / Atlanta Journal-Constitution