Monday Insider

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Can the Pacers keep

the team together?

by Chad Ford

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Also Below: Break up the Bulls? | Spree mess getting more bizarre | Is the hype right on Yao? | Turf Wars Update | Peep Show

In a summer filled with economic disappointment, Pacers president Donnie Walsh is doing his best to give his players a little love. From the sound of things, they're all ready to return the favor.

The Pacers have a whopping seven players who will be eligible for free agency when the season ends. Three players, Jonathan Bender, Ron Artest and Jeff Foster, are eligible for contract extensions through Oct. 30th of this year.

So far only three players from the draft class of 1999, Steve Francis, Baron Davis and Shawn Marion, have received extensions. Players such as Elton Brand, Lamar Odom, Andre Miller and Jason Terry have been told to forget it.

Given the economic climate, do Bender, Artest and Foster really have a shot?

"I'm going to do it," Walsh told the Indianapolis Star. It appears that the Bender's and Foster's agents agree.

"We're on track to get him extended," said Thaddeus Foucher, who along with Arn Tellem, represents Bender. "We're in the ballpark. I think we'll get it done."

A big extension for Bender would be a significant achievement considering that he hasn't averaged more than 7.4 ppg and 3.1 rpg. The Pacers are still high on him, but he's taken longer to develop than anyone expected.

Foster may actually be first to re-sign, judging by the optimism expressed by his agent, Bill Duffy. Again, a pretty impressive feat when you look at his 5.7 ppg and 6.8 rpg averages.

"We had an extremely favorable meeting," Duffy said. "We're very optimistic."

Artest's agent, Mark Bartelstein, wasn't available for comment, but from all indications, Artest is also on track for an extension.

That's great news for Walsh and the Pacers, who are trying to avoid a Clipper-like situation in Indiana this season. If the Pacers can't work out extension, all three players would become restricted free agents next summer.

That scenario would create a logistical nightmare for the Pacers. Four other Pacers — Jermaine O'Neal, Reggie Miller, Brad Miller and Erick Strickland — will be unrestricted free agents at the end of the season. Taking care of Bender, Artest and Foster now allows the Pacers to focus all their efforts on the top-tier guys next year.

If Walsh can find a way to sign all seven and remain financially stable it will be a small miracle. Unlike this year when most teams were over the cap, several teams will have max-type cap room next summer, which will push up the price of his top free agents.

There is already a considerable amount of interest in O'Neal, who will likely command the max, and Brad Miller will also come at a premium if he has a strong season.

The good news is, everyone wants to re-sign.

"The Pacers are No. 1 on my list," O'Neal said. "If not for them I'd be out in Portland doing God knows what; just watching the games, I guess. I'm very loyal to the people who are loyal to me."

Miller agrees. "I'm ready to stay in one place," he said.

But can the Pacers afford it? The team's projected payroll for this upcoming season is $53 million. O'Neal will get a substantial raise from the $6.9 million he makes this year. Brad Miller, Bender, Artest and Foster are also looking at considerable raises. Only Reggie Miller, who will earn $12 million this season, is in line for a modest pay cut. Still, it's conceivable that if the Pacers re-sign everyone, their payroll would likely increase by $10 to $15 million next season.

Considering the luxury-tax threshold figures to be right around $53 million, the extra $10 to $15 million the Pacers expect to fork out next season is probably a lot closer to $20 to $30 million once you figure in the tax.

That's a lot of money for a team that has steadfastly refused to spend more money out of fear of a luxury-tax hit. The Pacers, however, are determined to figure it out.

Pacers want contracts resolved

Mark Montieth / Indianapolis Star

Break up the Bulls?

Chicago Tribune columnist Sam Smith seems to be working on a one-man campaign to convince Jerry Krause that it's time to trade Marcus Fizer and Jamal Crawford.

Crawford has been upset with the addition of Jay Williams this summer, and last week was kicked out of practice for refusing to run the triangle offense. Fizer has never really been a fit in Chicago and seems to be doomed to a spot on the bench backing up Tyson Chandler.

The Bulls have until Oct. 30th to pick up the fourth year of their contracts.

Trade rumors have dogged both players for the past two seasons, but operations chief Jerry Krause has steadfastly refused to trade either of them. Smith, however, reports today that Krause's stance has changed.

According to the Tribune, team officials say Krause has been aggressively talking trade, offering Fizer to New York in return for the Knicks' disabled player exception. Last week, Smith suggested that the Bulls and T-Wolves may be discussing a Crawford and Fizer-for-Wally Szczerbiak trade.

The Tribune also reported that the Nuggets, in the market for a point guard, could make a run at Crawford. For Denver to get anywhere, which is unlikely, a draft choice would need to be included, a Bulls official said.

A trade only makes sense if Krause can get some value back in return for Fizer or Crawford. They are both talented lottery picks who can play a role on the Bulls. Their fourth-year salaries won't be outrageous (Crawford will make $2.6 million; Fizer pulls down $3.7 million) and trading them for draft picks and cap room won't make that big of a difference. If the cap increases to $42.5 million next year, the Bulls would still have around only $6 million in cap space next summer. That's not going to be enough to land a player worth the combination of Crawford and Fizer.

Of the two, Fizer seems more expendable. Rookie Lonny Baxter has been impressive in the preseason (28 points, 8 rebounds versus the Clipps on Friday), and even Fizer admits that they have similar games.

"He reminds me of myself," Fizer told the Chicago Sun Times. "People say we're too small, but he works hard every day in practice, and it's starting to pay off. It's nice to have another guy like me in the league."

It's risky to give up on Crawford. The Bulls don't have a solid backup point guard and Williams is already complaining about the intracies of the triangle offense. How frustrated has Jay gotten? He started pining for Jason Williams' job this weekend.

"He's really good and he has the freedom to do what he wants," Jay said of Jason. "We're in the triangle, so everything is set for us. It's hard because I'm a player who's kind of like him. I like to probe and drive in there and you can't always do that in this offense. It's hard to adjust."

Welcome to the Bulls, Jay.

Time to re-sign Fizer, Crawford, Bagaric -- or not

Sam Smith / Chicago Tribune

No Bull: Baxter is big enough

Roman Modrowski / Chicago Sun-Times

Williams likes Jason's game

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune

Spree mess getting more bizarre

Latrell Sprewell's agent, Bob Gist, has called an 11 a.m. ET press conference today, without the Knicks blessing. Apparently, Spree wants to set the record straight and will strike a concilatory tone.

"Latrell wants to bring harmony back between himself and the Knicks," Gist told the New York Times. "Latrell is willing to let bygones be bygones."

If only it could be that simple.

The N.Y. Daily News is reporting today that Spree may not even show up at the press conference.

One of Sprewell's friends told the paper that he doubted the four-time All-Star would attend any such briefing. "From what I know, I don't think he's going," the source said. "That's what he told me."

The N.Y. Post, on the other hand, is reporting that Spree has called the conference to refute a story in the Post that he broke his hand during a fight on his yacht.

Even something as simple as a reported meeting between Spree and coach Don Chaney over the weekend seems in dispute. Chaney acted Sunday like the meeting never happened.

"I'm not talking about Latrell because I don't know if you guys confirmed if I spoke to him or not," Chaney said. "Later on, I guess we'll probably meet so I'm not even talking about him right now. I did go in and do some work. But when we're ready to give you information on him we will. If you want to talk about the team I'm more than happy to do that."

Even the players are getting sick of the whole mess. "We're here playing a game," Allan Houston told the N.Y. Times. "We have a job to do. We go out and we're a team. We've kind of left Spree and his situation to management to handle it. If we get caught up into it, it would just be a soap opera. So we go into practice every day with a job to do. Whether Spree's there or whoever is there, we have a job to do and we have to do it to the best of our ability. I'm finished commenting on it until he gets back, honestly."

Sprewell Is Ready to Talk

Staff / New York Times

Latrell's status? Wait and Spree

Frank Isola / New York Daily News

Sprewell Set To Meet Press

Marc Berman / New York Post

Sprewell Missing, But Not Forgotten

Steve Popper / New York Times

Is the hype right on Yao?

The speculation, hand wringing and Shawn Bradley jokes can all take a hiatus. Yao Ming is in Houston and he's ready to kick Shaquille O'Neal's butt.

OK, maybe we're jumping ahead of ourselves a bit, but from the hero's welcome Yao received in Houston, the expectations are spinning out of control.

"In some ways, it's like standing in The Summit after the seventh game of the first championship," Rockets general counsel Michael Goldberg told the Houston Chronicle. "We just won the game. We just won the first championship. Everybody's screaming. There was just a feeling of ... satisfaction. You work so hard for something. To have it done -- it's such a good feeling."

"The excitement I'm feeling, even at my age, is tremendous," GM Carrol Dawson said. "It's a great day for the franchise. I think there's a lot of great days to come."

Yao appeared at the Compaq Center Sunday for a pregame ceremony, but he didn't suit up for the game. Exactly when will we see Yao on the court.

"I think it's a day-to-day thing," coach Rudy Tomjanovich told the Chronicle. "We'll see how he feels and how much we can get in. Physically, we have to see how he feels when he wakes up tomorrow. Nobody's ever done this before that I know of. It's not going to be easy. There are so many things that need to be learned. But there is just something about this man, that I feel he will adjust well."

While Tomjanovich stressed the importance of tempering our expectations, even he couldn't help gushing a bit.

My feelings about him are very strong," Tomjanovich said. "I feel he will be a good NBA player. He has a chance to be a great player. There's a lot of talent there. Everybody's different. This guy is going to be special, just as Dream was. Let's see what develops. Let's see what he becomes. There's a whole new world ahead of this guy. I've had the opportunity to coach some of the greatest players ever, but to also be entrusted with the development of the first great Asian player is a privilege."

As for Yao, he's anxious to get started and even more anxious to get at Shaq.

"Every problem has to be faced," Yao said of facing O'Neal on Nov. 17. "That's going to be a very important game for me. I'm not going to be looking at it as a normal game. I'm going to look at it as a more important game."

Chinese star's arrival fuels franchise's excitement

Jonathan Feigen / Houston Chronicle

Yao's arrival has Rockets buzzing

Jonathan Feigen / Houston Chronicle

Yao's arrival excites teammates

Janny Hu / Houston Chronicle

Big man already growing in stature

Mickey Herskowitz / Houston Chronicle

Turf Wars Update

Lakers: Free-agent center Soumaila Samake may replace the injured Shaquille O'Neal in the opening night starting lineup. "Maybe. Maybe," coach Phil Jackson told the L.A. Times. "We'll see. This egg isn't cooked. We've still got three games.... I like his attitude, the way he plays, his demeanor out there.... I don't know if I'd start him opening night. Who do we play opening night?" Obviously Jackson isn't thrilled with any of his options to replace Shaq. "We've got a good chance of being 0-7, the way we're playing."

Raptors: Coach Lenny Wilkens has moved Antonio Davis back to center after experimenting with free agent Jelani McCoy earlier in the preseason. Jerome Williams is now getting the starting nod at the three. "I think he's [Davis] comfortable at any position," Wilkens told the Toronto Star. "We have to have players on the court who know what we want to do. That lineup knew the offence and knew the defensive schemes."

Hornets: David Wesley is taking exception to suggestions that Courtney Alexander has beat him out as the team's starting point guard. "I'm not taking anything away from him but I don't know why experience would not have won out, and why I wouldn't be given the benefit of the doubt," Wesley told the Times Picayune. "Even on the stat sheet the other night [Thursday's game against the Wizards] I wasn't listed among the starters, even though I started. He [Alexander] was listed in the starting lineup and he didn't play. It's like people already have made their minds up." Coach Paul Silas said both players will get big minutes, but he's yet to name a starter. "Both players are going to help us," Silas said. "I really like the poise that David has shown and Courtney really wants it bad."

Heat: Rookies Caron Butler and Rasual Butler are quickly becoming staples in the Heat offense. "That's where we're going," coach Pat Riley told the Miami Herald. "We're developing those two young players, so they're going to get their feet wet. We feel like they're both capable of scoring and creating plays and stuff like that. We'll develop that. That's sort of been the plan since the summer."

Warriors: Coach Eric Musselman named shooting guard Jason Richardson, Antawn Jamison and Erick Dampier starters for the regular-season opener and indicated that Gilbert Arenas would get the nod at point guard. The second forward spot remains unsettled, Musselman told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Hawks: Ira Newble got the nod at shooting guard for the second exhibition game in a row Saturday, and expect him to be in the starting lineup when the season begins in New Jersey on Oct. 30. "His abilities complement the guys in the starting lineup a little better," Lon Kruger told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "I think, to start with, it's a better fit that way." Expect the Hawks' second unit to include Dion Glover, Nazr Mohammed, Alan Henderson, Darvin Ham and Dan Dickau. "Glover gives us a little more aggressiveness with that next group coming off the bench," Kruger said. "Glove understands that his role is to be aggressive offensively. He doesn't mind that challenge."

Nuggets: How shaky has the point guard play in Denver been this season? The Nuggets experimented with George McCloud at the point on Saturday night. McCloud, a 6-foot-8 swingman, isn't expected to win the position, however. "I just wanted to look at a tall lineup," coach Jeff Bzdelik told the Denver Post.

Samake Might Start Opener

Tim Brown / Los Angeles Times

Wilkens tries a blast from past

Doug Smith / Toronto Star

Shooting guard tossup?

John Reid / New Orleans Times-Picayune

Butlers are becoming staple of Heat offense

Israel Gutierrez / Miami Herald

Team D is no 'A,' but getting better

Brad Weinstein / San Francisco Chronicle

Newble in line for starting role

Michael Lee / Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Change at point won't stick

Marc J. Spears / Denver Post

Peep Show

Wizards: Where is Michael Jordan? The preseason is winding down, the Wizards are playing well, but there's still no MJ? Is he going to play at all during the preseason? "Michael and I have a plan, and we will follow that plan," coach Doug Collins told the Denver Post. The Washington Post reported in today's editions that Jordan will likely play one or two exhibitions before the season.

Bulls: What is it with the Bulls? Second-year guard Trenton Hassell is the latest Bull to express his displeasure with coach Bill Cartwright. Hassell was so upset, he actually left the United Center at halftime of a game versus the Grizzlies on Friday night. "I didn't agree with what Bill was accusing me of and I lost my temper," Hassell told the Chicago Tribune. "I dealt with him the wrong way. I talked to him [saturday] morning, apologized and we got things straightened out." Cartwright is philosophical about the whole thing. "All these guys are young," Cartwright said. "You have to endure to get better. Nobody likes their first couple of years in this league. It's hard. You have to learn how to play and to sacrifice."

Rockets: Kenny Thomas fractured his right thumb blocking a dunk attempt by Grant Hill. He will be X-rayed again in a week, but could be out for the start of the regular season Oct. 30. "It's another big blow with Kenny being out," Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich told the Houston Chronicle. "I don't know when he's going to be ready. That's a big setback, especially with Mo [Taylor] not playing the first five games [while serving his suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy[. Just what we didn't need."

T-Wolves: Felipe Lopez suffered tears to the medial collateral and anterior cruciate ligaments Sunday and is expected to miss the season. "Stuff happens, man. You've got to be safe," Kevin Garnett told the Star Tribune. "Luckily I've been able to play this game healthy . . . and hope that I can continue to play healthy. But knick-knacks and injuries are part of the sport." Lopez joined Terrell Brandon (bum knee), Joe Smith (groin pull), Wally Szczerbiak (dislocated toe), Randy Livingston (ankle sprain) and Troy Hudson (groin pull) as Wolves unavailable or limited in practice Sunday. . . With Lopez out, expect free agent Rod Strickland's name to appear again. Some believe Strickland held out on the T-Wolves so he could skip the preseason.

Pistons: Reserve big man Don Reid will miss the season with a torn Achilles' tendon. Everybody in this locker room knows how big a loss this is," Michael Curry told the Detroit News. "There's nobody, no fan, no media person, no nobody that knows how valuable Don was for our team. Whenever the energy is low, he's the guy who comes in and picks us up. He's a great teammate and we're going to pull for him to get healthy."

Nuggets: Rookie Nikoloz Tskitishvili is struggling to adapt to the NBA game. "It's a tough, physical game, the NBA," Skita told the Rocky Mountain News. "It's bam, boom. . . I thought the NBA would be easy when I was in Europe watching it on TV. But it's not so easy to play in the NBA. It's a little harder than Europe. This is so physical. In Europe, there are a lot more motion and backdoors. This is a whole new situation for me."

Nets: Coach Bryon Scott said he wants to carry 14 players on his roster going into the season. "Fourteen is what we did last year," Scott told the N.Y. Daily News. "I'm a little superstitious, so 14 is something I kind of want to keep." That means that either Brandon Armstrong, Brian Scalabrine or Tamar Slay won't make the team. Forward Jamie Feick, whose career is likely over due to an Achilles injury, will be included in those 14 players unless the league approves the Nets' request to take Feick off the roster. Nets president Rod Thorn said Thursday he had yet to send out his application to take Feick off the Nets' roster and cap.

Collins: Jordan part of game plan

Marc J. Spears / Denver Post

Jordan May Play in a Game Soon

Steve Wyche / Washington Post

Hassell admits error in leaving

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune

Rockets summary

Jonathan Feigen / Houston Chronicle

Lopez out for the season

Steve Aschburner / Minneapolis Star Tribune

Reid out for season with torn Achilles tendon

Chris McCosky / Detroit News

Tskitishvili faces Giant challenge in NBA

Chris Tomasson / Rocky Mountain News

Perfect preseason sore spot for Nets

Ohm Youngmisuk / New York Daily News