Wednesday Insider

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Kobe or Kidd for MVP?

by Chad Ford

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Also Below: Chaney staying, Nailon in, Spree out? | Can MJ live with being the Wizards' closer? | Bulls facing mixed reviews | Jazz give Stevenson some love | Random Game Notes | Peep Show

Shaquille O'Neal is the game's most dominant player. Over the long haul, rookie Jay Williams has the pedigree and the skills to be the best rookie on the floor. Phil Jackson is the best coach in the NBA and he has nine rings to prove it. Jerry West is the godfather of general managers. So it figures that none of them figure into Insider's preseason predictions for the NBA's highest honors.

MVP: Kobe Bryant, Lakers

Sooner or later, we're going to have to give some hardware to the kid. He's universally acknowledged as the best player in the game not named Shaq. This year, with Shaq hobbling a bit, it will be up to Kobe to shoulder the load. If the Lakers don't miss a beat, Kobe's the man.

Runner-up: Jason Kidd, Nets

After last season's heroics, he's the sentimental favorite. His influence almost single handedly propelled a middling team into the NBA Finals. If the Nets improve again this year, he'll have the inside track.

Dark horse: Dirk Nowitzki, Mavs

He does everything well and is the heart and soul of the Mavs. If the Mavs take another step and win more games than the Kings or Lakers, Nowitzki will deserve a lion's share of the credit.

Rookie of the Year: Emmanuel Ginobili, Spurs

No, I'm not the president of the Ginobili fan club, but he's almost universally regarded as the top player in Europe, is 25 years old and will get plenty of meaningful minutes on a contender. If he plays up to his potential, he can help the Spurs make a surprise appearance in the Finals.

Runner-up: Yao Ming, Rockets

He probably already has the thing locked up. The media, who vote on these things, are enamored. If he's better than Shawn Bradley (not a huge feat mind you) and the Rockets make it back to the playoffs, Yao's walking away with the thing.

Dark horse: Amare Stoudemire, Suns

Kevin Garnett's rookie averages of 10.4 ppg and 6.3 rpg remain the standard for players coming directly from high school. Stoudemire doesn't have Garnett's skills, but his strength, maturity and aggressiveness on the court give him a good chance at breaking Garnett's record. The key will be minutes. The Suns are in the twilight zone between a lottery team and a marginal contender. If they decide to scrap the playoffs and get Stoudemire some experience, expect big things.

Sixth man: Rodney Rogers, Nets

The Nets' bench is Rogers. He's their only legitimate three-point threat, is their best free-throw shooter, can play multiple positions and started off on the right foot with a red hot preseason. If he stays healthy, he should be a lock.

Runner-up: Keon Clark, Kings

If the Kings had an Achilles' heel it was shot blocking and athleticism in the frontcourt. Enter Clark. He was essentially spurned in free agency and forced to sign what was essentially a one-year deal to prove himself. True to form, Clark led the Kings in blocked shots in the preseason and started the regular season off on the right foot Tuesday with five blocks, nine boards and eight points in 23 minutes.

Dark horse: Michael Jordan, Wizards

He's the sentimental favorite, but something tells me that Jordan won't be coming off the bench the whole season. If he does, no sixth man will have a bigger impact in the fourth quarter.

Most Improved: Darius Miles, Cavs

It's somewhat of a farce to call a third-year player finally seeing some playing time "most improved," but that's what happens. Miles goes from being a seventh man on the Clippers to being the man in Cleveland. The jury's still out on Miles, but early preseason indications point toward Miles being a double-double guy every night.

Runner-up: Desmond Mason, Sonics

Mason played well enough this preseason that coach Nate McMillian seriously considered putting him into the starting lineup and bringing Brent Barry off the bench. McMillian eventually decided to start Barry, but if the preseason is any indication (and in this case it should be) Mason looks to be the second offensive option behind Gary Payton.

Dark horse: Shawn Bradley, Mavs

Bradley's performance last season was so horrendous, a pulse would be a major improvement over last year. This preseason Bradley showed up in shape, focused and playing his best basketball ever. If he keeps it up he could be the missing piece that propels the Mavs into the finals. Bradley a missing piece? Bradley propelling anyone into the finals? If he does it, the award is his.

Coach of the Year: Doug Collins, Wizards

This award really isn't given to the best coach. It's given to the guy who takes a team the media underestimated and turns it into a contender. If the Wizards play as well as many think they will, Collins will get a lot of the credit. Jordan may be the catalyst and Jerry Stackhouse may be the star, but it will take Collins to pull this motley crew together.

Runner-up: Rick Carlisle, Pistons

Carlisle upped the stakes a bit this summer by trading away his only star and adding yet another role player to his roster. The team is deep, plays great defense and everyone buys into his role. You can thank Carlisle for all of that.

Dark horse: Paul Silas, Hornets

If his Hornets are as good as I think they are, it's time to give Silas some overdue love. He's one of the most underrated coaches in the NBA and he finally has enough healthy bodies to make some noise. Bonus points for putting up with George Shinn all of these years.

Executive of the Year: Rod Thorn, Nets

Last season he got Jason Kidd. This year the additions include the top center in the East, Dikembe Mutombo, and the leading contender for the sixth man of the year, Rogers. His draft was impressive. First-round pick Nenad Kristic is already receiving comparisons to Vlade Divac, and second-round pick Tamar Slay may turn out to be one of the real sleepers in the draft. More important, Thorn now has the framework in place to entice Kidd to sign a long-term deal in New Jersey next summer.

Runner-up: Wally Walker/Rick Sund, Sonics

Stuck to their guns on the Rashard Lewis contract, refused to cave in to Gary Payton's extension demands, dumped Vin Baker and are poised to completely rebuild this team without missing the playoffs. Their last two draft picks, Desmond Mason and Vladimir Radmanovic, both look like stars in the making and undrafted rookie Reggie Evans was a nice find. And, they'll have $10 million in cap room next summer.

Dark horse: Kiki Vandeweghe, Nuggets

It's tough to give the award to a guy who put together what may be one of the worst teams in NBA history. But if you look at what he did for the future of the Nuggets, it's impressive. He's dumped all of their bad contracts, added three top-flight prospects, positioned the team as the leading contender for LeBron James next summer and he has enough cap room to throw max deals at two top-tier free agents. Forget about this season, next season the Nuggets will be for real and Vandeweghe will look like a genius.

Mavericks' Nowitzki upgrades game

Eddie Sefko / Dallas Morning News

Chaney staying, Nailon in, Spree out?

Here we go. After a few days of stunned silence, the Latrell Sprewell rumor mill is churning up again. No, there isn't any new evidence of a deal with Portland, Minnesota or Dallas. But for you sign readers out there (you know who you are), the omens couldn't look more ominious for Spree.

For starters, the Knicks extended coach Don Chaney's contract. In the aftermath of the extension, owner James Dolan also gave general manager Scott Layden a vote of confidence. Then, Layden went out and signed small forward Lee Nailon to a one-year deal.

How does all of this fit together? First, Dolan has been a staunch supporter of Chaney and Layden in their attempts to rein Spree in. In fact, according to the N.Y. Daily News, he initiated the disciplinary actions. According to the Daily News, Dolan made the decision to fine Sprewell and later issued a gag order on all Sprewell-related matters. "It's not about Spree and myself, it's all about the team and all about winning," Dolan said.

Dolan has been preaching character this season and you're starting to see the effects. The Knicks didn't have to do or say anything, but the extension and the vote of confidence should send a clear message to Spree and the rest of the team that management isn't going to take the fall for the Knicks' woes.

Second, Nailon's signing is more significant than it appears on its face. He left New Orleans, in part, because he felt that there wouldn't be enough minutes behind Jamal Mashburn, George Lynch and Stacey Augmon. The Knicks have even more small forwards than the Hornets — Spree, Shandon Anderson, Clarence Weatherspoon and Mark Pope. Why would Nailon, an unrestricted free agent, agree to join the Knicks?

Money is part of it. Few teams are in the spend mode right now and Nailon looks to get between $800,000 (according to the N.Y. Post) and $1.5 million (according to the N.Y. Daily News). But there's more than that. One league source told Insider late Tuesday that the Knicks told Nailon they were "confident" they were making progress on trading Spree. Whether that actually translates into a real trade remains to be seen.

A lot may depend on how quickly Spree can return. Knicks doctors told Spree Tuesday that he shouldn't participate in contact drills for two more weeks as he recuperates from a broken right pinkie.

Spree hopes to get back sooner. "My goal is after the five, to be out there, ready to go," Sprewell told the N.Y. Post. "Sitting in Jersey [versus the Nets on Friday] I didn't realize how badly I wanted to be on the floor. It hit me. It's not going to be fun sitting and watching."

Knicks Banking On Chaney

Chris Broussard / New York Times

Nailon Deal Opens Door For Spree Trade

Marc Berman / New York Post

It's a Spree for all

Frank Isola / New York Daily News

Houston has to floor it for the Knicks

Mike Lupica / New York Daily News

Can MJ live with being the Wizards' closer?

Coach Doug Collins says he's sticking with his plan to bring Michael Jordan off the bench — saving his star's stamina for the fourth quarter.

"We've got to keep Michael's minutes down," Collins told the Washington Post. "We let it get away from us last year. We got off to a horrible start and we played him too much. We can't break him down early. We've got to build him and we think we have enough guys on this team that we don't have to break him down."

Can Jordan live with being the team's designated closer?

"I can't say that in certain situations my competitive drive or my rhythm or my skills won't put me in a situation where I take over the game," Jordan said. "Hopefully, it's not that option but it's always good to have that ace in the hole. My job is to win and maybe I can get into a certain rhythm where I can carry the flow of this team. But if you ask me to do it every night, then that's a difficult situation."

How exactly will that work? The Wizards are still ironing out the details. Jordan played in just three preseason games, and Collins doesn't quite have the rotation set yet. The biggest problem for Jordan's supporting cast is knowing what to do when the greatest player of all time is on the court.

"It's a good situation because I'm starting and I have an opportunity to come out and set the tone," Stackhouse said. "When [Jordan] comes in, then I have to see when to defer and play off him."

Too often, defer has been the key word. For example, after a red hot start for rookie Kwame Brown, his numbers dropped dramatically in the last three games Jordan played. After averaging almost 18 points a game in the first five games, Brown slipped to 6 ppg in the last three. The problem wasn't poor play. Kwame quit shooting and seemed to try to just get out of the way when Jordan was on the court. Courtney Alexander suffered from the same problem last season as did several other Wizards.

If the team is going to go anywhere, it can't stand around and wait for Michael to do his thing. Jordan, for one, understands that.

"I'm not the future," Jordan said, as he prepares to embark on his 15th season. "I'm for the now. For us to be a better basketball team, our young guys are going to have to go out there and learn to get things going without me. Whenever they get tired or whatever, I can step out there and give them support. There's a transition going on here. We have a plan. Hopefully, that plan works. If so, then quietly, at the end of the season, I can step away and we've got a team that's been experienced as a starting five and as a second team."

With Jordan Coming Off Bench, Team Can See Winning in Future

Steve Wyche / Washington Post

The Wizards have talent, but still need time

Michael Wilbon / Washington Post

Bulls facing mixed reviews

Chicago Tribune writer Sam Smith wonders why the Bulls can't make the playoffs this season. Sun-Times writer Jay Marriotti claims that either the Baby Bulls make progress this season — at least 30 wins, flashes of stardom from Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler and a Rookie of the Year run by Jay Williams — or he's going to get "real mad." Bulls operations chief Jerry Krause tells Tribune writer K.C. Johnson that "People who know me know I'm a puppy."

What is the most startling revelation of the three?

The Bulls have been bad for a long, long time and given their inexperience (one rookie and two kids who should be sophomores in college starting) what can you really expect? Jalen Rose will still average 20 points a night. Veteran Donyell Marshall figures to make the most impact after Rose. His rebounding prowess and ability to score in the paint will help fill the huge hole left by Elton Brand.

Jay Williams is a phenomenal talent, but the triangle offense will slow him down considerably. His high turnover ratio and poor shooting are the byproducts of his frustration over the team's offense. Constant pressure for Jamal Crawford won't help things either.

Crawford's agent, Aaron Goodwin, approached Krause Tuesday about Crawford's role with the team. "All we've asked is for the situation to be fair," Goodwin told the Chicago Tribune. "While we respect Bill [Cartwright] and Jerry as people, we don't agree with this decision."

Some players believe the competition really wasn't one.

"To be honest, [Jay starting] was predicated the day he was drafted," Jalen Rose said. "You don't take a guy No. 2 not to play him. But we feel we have two good young players at the point. Both are going to get an opportunity, and whoever is playing the best is going to finish the game."

After that, things get really interesting.

Curry looks ready to be a force in the middle, at least on the offensive end. But he struggles defensively and isn't the rebounder the Bulls hoped he would be. Corie Blount is his replacement. Not sure that warrants a comment.

Chandler is fine defensively, but he has absolutely no offensive game to speak of. The same goes for starting two guard Trenton Hassell. Eddie Robinson is an incredible athlete, but he hasn't stayed healthy enough to prove he can actually play basketball. Marcus Fizer has potential to be a big sparkplug, but he never seems to be on the court at key moments.

Yes, the Bulls will be better, but isn't the playoffs asking a bit much? Better veteran teams, including the Sixers, Raptors, Bucks, Hawks and Wizards, will struggle to get into playoffs this season. Someone has to finish on the bottom, and the Bulls and Cavs (who were just destroyed by the Kings Tuesday night) seem to be the best two candidates in the East.

Bulls in playoffs? Why not?

Sam Smith / Chicago Tribune

No more babying the Bulls

Jay Mariotti / Chicago Sun-Times

Jerry's world

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune

Crawford agent, Krause to meet

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune

Jazz give Stevenson some love

Tuesday was a big day for Jazz shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson. Not only did coach Jerry Sloan announce that Stevenson had won the starting shooting guard job, Stevenson also learned that the Jazz had decided to exercise their option for a fourth year.

By the Jazz's math, Stevenson, who came to NBA directly from high school, should be a junior in college right now. "We want to be in a position to evaluate somebody at the end of their senior year," Kevin O'Connor, vice president of basketball operations, told the Salt Lake Tribune. "The night [stevenson was drafted in June 2000], we said, 'Let's evaluate this 2 1/2 years from now.' . . . He's shown enough improvement over the past year, so he's going to get that opportunity."

Stevenson beat out veterans Matt Harpring and Calbert Chaney for the starting spot. "There is some growth that needs to occur, but his work ethic in the off season, the shape he came in to camp, the fact that he's improved his shooting — those are all indicators that he's serious about playing," said O'Connor. "If you like to play and you want to keep playing, you're going to get better, especially at his age."

Coach Jerry Sloan agreed. "I like to see where the young guys are, see if they progress. Sure, that's exciting for me," Sloan said. "DeShawn has gotten better. But he has to step forward and make a conscious effort to do some of the other things to help us win. People talk about [his] shooting, [but] I don't worry about the shooting as much as the other stuff he has to do."

Stevenson to Start Tonight Vs. Hornets

Phil Miller / Salt Lake Tribune

Random Game Notes

One NBA League Pass and a great ESPN satellite feed means theoretically I could watch every game every night. I don't. But I do try to check parts of three to four games a night. This year I plan on recording a few random observations from the previous night's games. Remember, my day starts at 4:30 a.m. and the games don't start until 7:30 p.m., so let's just all agree to blame sleep deprivation on anything embarrassing I may write.

With that said . . .

Grant Hill looks great. You can obviously tell that there's some rust, but he was running the floor, attacking the basket and dishing out his assists. He will be the team's point guard this year if he's healthy. His line Tuesday night — 18 points, 7 boards, 6 assists — is just a preview of things to come. But am I the only one who cringes every time he takes a hard shot?

If Keith Van Horn plays with the same ferocity he played with Tuesday night, I may have to change my opinion of the Sixers. Van Horn was putting the ball on the floor and pounding the boards. Right now, Allen Iverson seems willing to pass him the ball and Van Horn finally appears ready to do something with it. If Iverson keeps his pass-first mentality (he still took 25 shots mind you) and if Larry Brown doesn't suddenly decide that Brian Skinner is the love of his life, Van Horn may one of the more interesting comeback stories of the year.

Emmanuel Ginobili. OK, maybe I am the charter member of his fan club, but for those of you who watched the Spurs beat the Lakers, weren't you impressed. Ginobili's a warrior taking it to the basket and the Spurs sorely missed that last season. He doesn't have a text book jumper and you wonder about his durability given the way he plays, but he's going to be a major, major contributor on this Spurs team.

If you're Jim Paxson, are you kicking yourself after seeing Damon Jones light up your team on opening night for 18 points? The Cavs have no point guard to speak of, but decided to pass on Jones, despite his close relationship with coach John Lucas. Jones landed with the Kings at the last minute after Bibby went down for the start of the season. His line Tuesday night? 18 points, 4 three-pointers and 3 assists on 70 percent shooting in 20 minutes.

Who the [censored] is Pat Burke? Burke played the past five years in Greece after finishing his collegiate career at Auburn. He played so well for the Magic in the preseason that he not only won an unlikely roster spot, he's now the Magic's starting center. Forget how he looks for a second; he can flat out play. "I'm very happy, but at the same time — I'm not trying to sound cocky — I'm not at all surprised," Burke said after the game. "I'm confident in my game." Burke averaged 8.9 ppg and 4 rpg in the preseason and opened with an impressive 12 points, 3 rebounds on 5 of 6 shooting in just 18 minutes.

Peep Show

T-Wolves: Kevin Garnett, who is in the middle of contract negotiations with the T-Wolves, has indicated a willingness to accept less money than he could command. But if Minnesota management wants him to remain in its stable for years to come, the team is going to have to display a commitment to excellence by getting Garnett some help. Otherwise... "Who knows," Garnett told the Philadelphia Inquirer. "Only time will tell. But again, who knows, I could end up in Philly or someplace else one day for all I know. I have to deal with what's reality. And reality is going out and playing basketball the best way I can, and when it's time to address these things and when I have an option to view my own options -- which is leaving and doing all these different things because management has slacked off in bringing in players -- then I'll make that decision. But right now I don't want to sit back and be out in the papers saying how coach Flip Sanders needs to do his job and how Kevin McHale needs to do his job. I have to deal with [myself] because that's the only thing I can control. What Kevin McHale does on the phone and how Flip runs the team, I have no control over that."

Celtics: Antoine Walker, when asked how the Celtics can get Vin Baker "back to his old self," shot back. "Who says he's not at his old self?" Apparently, Walker thought the reporter was referring to Baker's miserable season two years ago in Seattle. "We're asking him to come in off the bench and play a role that he's not accustomed to," Walker told the Boston Globe. "When you're a superstar and when you're a good player in this league, it's tough to make those type of adjustments. He's a great guy to be able to take that situation. I'm sure he'd love to be able to start, love to be the main focal point of the offense. But he's going to have to come off the bench and play a big role for us. We need him to be the Sixth Man of the Year. We need that to be his goal. I think he's going to accomplish that because he's going to settle into that role. But that's on him. That's something he has to come to grips with. If he accepts it, he's going to be just as good as anybody in this league."

Hornets: David Wesley has officially beaten out Courtney Alexander as the Hornets' starting two guard. "I don't know if it was a competition or not," Silas told the New Orleans Times Picayune. "David has been playing very well. Courtney is going to add such a dimension that we're going to need. He's more of like a go-to guy who can break you down one-on-one than David is. He brings a uniqueness to our club. He's going to play his minutes. David's going to play his minutes. And we're going to try to make everybody happy. As happy as I can."

Rockets: Glen Rice, who was originally listed as doubtful to play tonight, was changed to questionable before Tuesday's practice and then was listed as a probable starter by the team as it headed to Indianapolis. "It was great news," Rice told the Houston Chronicle. "Once they tell you 'you just broke up a little scar tissue,' it is such a relief. I didn't want to miss one or two more days. I'm trying not to miss a couple days."

Hawks: Shareef Abdur-Rahim will have to miss the opener with a sore back. After watching Abdur-Rahim's progression the past two days, coach Lon Kruger is hopeful that Abdur-Rahim will be back on the court for the home opener Thursday against the Jazz. "He looked much better," Kruger told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "It's been real encouraging."

Bucks: Here's some good news for Bucks fans. After spending last season as an outsider, Anthony Mason is starting to bond with his teammates, especially team leader Ray Allen. "It's the most important relationship on the team," Allen, referring to himself and Mason, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Mason agrees. "They say I have the strongest personality around here," he said. "And I say what's on my mind. And with him being one of the more important pieces here, it makes sense for us to be on the same page."

Pacers: Jeff Foster signed a six-year extension with the Pacers on Tuesday. "I didn't want to go anywhere else," Foster, 25, one of three fourth-year players -- along with Ron Artest and Jonathan Bender -- eligible for extensions, told the Indianapolis Star. "This is the best organization I've seen in the NBA, the best arena, the best fans. We've got a great bunch of guys here, a great bunch of talent and I couldn't see myself anywhere else." Pacers president Donnie Walsh said he's working on extensions for Artest and Bender, who've also made it clear they prefer to remain with the team. Walsh said he's hopeful that deals can be finalized before Thursday's 6 p.m. deadline.

Suns: How good will the Suns be this season? "We can be extremely good," forward Tom Gugliotta told the Arizona Republic. "Where does that put us in the Western Conference? Who knows? There's going to be a fine line between 40 [wins] and 52. But we certainly can be one of those teams in the 50s. I don't think anybody on this team doesn't think that's an attainable goal. That might mean the seventh [playoff] spot, though."

Walker: Baker has sixth sense

Shira Springer / Boston Globe

Wesley perseveres

Jimmy Smith / New Orleans Times-Picayune

Rockets summary

Jonathan Feigen / Houston Chronicle

Abdur-Rahim to miss opener

Michael Lee / Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Allen, Mason form better relationship

Tom Enlund / Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Foster gets 6-year extension

Sekou Smith / Indianapolis Star

Suns preach patience for new roster

Bob Young / Arizona Republic

[beav]

Sixth man: Rodney Rogers, Nets

The Nets' bench is Rogers. He's their only legitimate three-point threat, is their best free-throw shooter, can play multiple positions and started off on the right foot with a red hot preseason. If he stays healthy, he should be a lock.

I remember mentioning before that I think that signing rogers was at least as important as bringing in mutombo... rogers had a great year last year and it has to be a dagger for the celtics, particularly given the way baker has performed this year...

[DJ_Money]

"One NBA League Pass and a great ESPN satellite feed means theoretically I could watch every game every night. I don't. But I do try to check parts of three to four games a night. This year I plan on recording a few random observations from the previous night's games. Remember, my day starts at 4:30 a.m. and the games don't start until 7:30 p.m., so let's just all agree to blame sleep deprivation on anything embarrassing I may write."

Hey, at least he's coming clean this year. Any guesses on how many times those "parts of three to four games a night" will include the Hawks?