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Kidd and Duncan in '03?

by Chad Ford

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Also Below: Hubie Brown's Hoops 101 | More Bull in Chicago | Allan Houston to the point? | Random Game Notes | Peep Show

Tim Duncan

Forward-Center

San Antonio Spurs

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

8 19.9 10.1 2.8 .436 .592

We pause from Hubie Brown's Hoops 101 class in Memphis, the ongoing Latrell Sprewell fiasco in New York and yet another Bulls defection in Chicago to ponder the sublime.

Will Tim Duncan and Jason Kidd, last season's top two MVP candidates, join forces next summer? Duncan's visit to New Jersey Wednesday raises the question yet again.

Here's what we know. There is about a 99 percent certainty that Duncan will agree to extend his contract and stay in San Antonio for the next seven years. Several teams, including the Magic and the Heat, are poised to make him big offers next summer, but Duncan sent out subtle signals, via his agent, Lon Babby, this summer that if the Spurs come in with the right offer (which they will), he's putting down permanent roots in San Antonio.

Jason Kidd

Point Guard

New Jersey Nets

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

8 19.4 7.5 9.4 .432 .920

Kidd, on the other hand, is a much bigger enigma. He's made it clear that he's playing the market and he's taking the media along for the ride.

"As of July 1 you will be like a high school kid, being recruited," Kidd told the N.Y. Times two weeks ago. "That should be fun because my family has never gone through that before. It will be kind of good for them to see what actually happens in that period."

Then, he added with a smile: "We'll give New Jersey every opportunity not to have to go through the courtships. The big thing is to look at it as my last deal."

Of course, that's a load of crap. Rod Thorn would give Kidd a blank check today if Kidd agreed to re-sign. Thorn has bent over backward to expedite the rebuilding of the Nets just to stay in the Kidd sweepstakes.

What has it gotten him? Listen to Kidd's wife and relocation expert. "It's a perfect world," Joumana said. "Why would I want to move?" Then she answered her own question. "The bottom line is, we want a championship," she said. "I'll tell you what will have me pick up and move everything. If Jason needs to go to a team that he feels he can go to."

Now it's time to do the math. Several teams will have max cap room next summer. However, only two, the Spurs and the Sonics, have the pedigree and talent to lure Kidd away from New Jersey.

The Sonics are interesting because of Kidd's relationship with owner Howard Schultz. But all things being equal, the Alamo is the ultimate fit. But wait a minute, don't the Spurs have their point guard of the future in Tony Parker?

Kidd absolutely devoured Parker on Wednesday, slamming the door on any idea that the Spurs might be better off sticking with Parker and going after a big man like Michael Olowokandi instead.

Read between the lines and it sounds like Kidd, who has always wanted to play with a dominant big man, agrees.

"On the court, he makes his teammates better," Kidd said last night. "He's one of the legitimate, best big men in this game, when you talk about Shaq and Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan, all in the same breath."

Duncan returned the favor.

"All you have to do is look at what he does for that team — or for any team he's ever played on — to know what he means for other players," Duncan said. "Jason is every basketball player's favorite guy to play with. He's out there to distribute.

"People are going to talk. That's their God-given right. Can't do anything about that. If it comes to fruition, it will be great. And what's going to happen is going to happen. I've got no control over it and I don't think he does either."

So when's the move Jason?

"We know that we both will be up at the same time and we will explore at the end of the season if we can play together," Kidd said. "We've talked about that [playing together] but we don't know if that would ever come true."

That loud thump you just heard was Thorn, and every Western Conference general manager, falling on the floor, clutching his heart. Kobe and Shaq, meet Kidd and Duncan.

Remember the Alamo, Kidd & Duncan in '03

Mitch Lawrence / New York Daily News

Duncan-Kidd Duo Has Nice Ring To It

Fred Kerber / New York Post

The Nets close in on Tim Duncan

Johhny Ludden / San Antonio Express News

Hubie Brown's Hoops 101

Welcome to old school — Hubie Brown style. Class is in now in session.

Brown, out to prove that he was the master teacher Jerry West said he was, put on a clinic for the media Wednesday. Brown didn't just answer questions on Wednesday. He pulled out the text books, assigned home work and followed up every inquiry with a pat on the butt. "Good question. Excellent question."

What does Hubie want out of his team? He identified four things yesterday.

Chemistry. Defense. Discipline. Style.

"Guys will respect one another. They will be unselfish with one another. They will pay the price and give the effort," Brown said at the press conference. ". . . It's not easy to get 10 guys on the same page, 10 guys to give you the work ethic and 10 guys to play to their potential. Then, the bottom line, is the talent base enough to do that? Well, we'll see."

And then laid down the law for his players. "We're very big on discipline. There's no nonsense, OK. You either play or you sit."

"Basically, he told us it's either his way or the highway," forward Stromile Swift told the Memphis Commercial Appeal "I don't know how well a lot of the players are going to accept him, so it's going to be interesting."

No one will have a harder time than point guard Jason Williams. The Grizzlies traded for Williams, in part, because they believed former coach Sidney Lowe's laid back style would unshackle Williams' game. With Brown running the show, the shackles are back on.

When asked about Williams, Brown refused to condemn him.

"I won't judge guys on what they've done for other people."

Let's see how long it takes Brown to form his own opinion on J-Will. Under Brown's regime, there will be no recess.

"Williams is the key and I think it's why they hired him," one league executive told Insider. "He has so much talent. If Brown can get him to click, this team is much, much better right away. If he can't, the road will be much harder. He'll be sitting on the end of the bench, eating away at morale for the next six years. Jerry just can't afford to let that happen. The Grizzlies have some talent. They are just young and inexperienced. The won't be an excuse for Brown."

Players to 'pay the price,' vows new Griz coach

Ronald Tillery / Memphis Commercial Appeal

Hubie Brown deserves a clean slate

Don Wade / Memphis Commercial Appeal

Brown takes reins of troubled Griz

Ronald Tillery / Memphis Commercial Appeal

Old Dog Teaching New Tricks

William C. Rhoden / New York Times

Hubie Brown in for a Grizzlie shock?

Phil Jasner / Philadelphia Daily News

More Bull in Chicago

Jay Williams wants a new building and a new offense. Jamal Crawford wants his job back. Marcus Fizer wants playing time. Jalen Rose wants some respect. Eddie Robinson? He just wants out.

Jerry Krause has a problem, whether he wants to admit it or not. Combine a bunch of young talented players and mix in limited playing time and you have a recipe for disaster. The Bulls have a plethora of talent. But the chemistry still reeks.

Eddie Robinson

Small Forward

Chicago Bulls

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

8 4.4 2.2 0.4 .382 .900

Robinson, who signed a five-year, $31.2 million free-agent contract last summer, is just the latest in a growing line of disgruntled Bulls players.

"Bill [Cartwright] isn't giving me a chance to play basketball," Robinson told the Chicago Tribune. "I didn't come here for that. If he's not going to play me, move me.

"Everything is like I'm a rookie again. It's like they're watching me for mistakes. And I'm not really even making mistakes."

Robinson is the victim of Cartwright's new, tighter rotation. Wednesday night he played just six minutes. Crawford played just nine minutes. Fizer never even made it onto the court.

"I can't get them all in," Cartwright said.

No, he can't. Which is why league executives have been scratching their heads over Krause's refusal to trade any of his talented young player. Robinson is probably the hardest to move because of his contract. But there's a pretty robust market for Crawford and Fizer these days. Krause's demands, however, have been outrageous.

"I'm not sure what they're doing in Chicago," one GM told Insider. "We've inquired about several of their players, but Krause won't get real with anything. If Jamal Crawford is that good, why is he sitting on the bench? The same goes for Fizer and Robinson. You'd think we were asking for All-Stars."

The problem is players like Crawford, Fizer and Robinson need minutes — something they're not getting in Chicago. Krause claims he doesn't want to trade players like Crawford because they provide great insurance in the case of an injury. But his plan appears to be backfiring. The are almost daily complaints coming from players. Whether it's the offense, playing time or roles, a sense of confusion and frustration permeates the Bulls' locker room.

It's going to take a trade or two to clear out the stink.

Robinson latest to air complaints

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune

Allan Houston to the point?

Latrell Sprewell's comeback on Saturday continues to dominate headlines in New York and for good reasons.

Forget about the drama, the broken hand, the trade rumors and lawsuit for a minute. With Lee Nailon playing great basketball, the Knicks have to figure out how and where to fit Spree in.

Allan Houston

Guard

New York Knicks

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

8 24.6 2.9 3.8 .397 .961

Spree's teammate, Allan Houston, thinks he has a solution — he wants to play the point.

"With Spree coming back, I don't mind playing that if we can create some mismatches — a third threat on the perimeter, maybe even the post," Houston told the N.Y. Post. "As long as we can get into our offense and defend on the other end, I think we can make up for it. I'll be ready for it if called upon."

With Charlie Ward ailing and the Knicks' point guard situation in disarray even when he's healthy, the move would allow Spree to move back to his natural two guard position and allow the Knicks to leave Nailon at small forward. It's the type of big, unconventional lineup coach Don Chaney must consider if the Knicks are going to change their losing ways.

That lineup should give Spree the best possible chance of showcasing his skills while the Knicks try to find someone willing to take on the last three years of his contract.

Allan: I Can Play PG

Marc Berman / New York Post

Spree's uneasy return

Frank Isola / New York Daily News

Spree Can't Save Knicks

Marc Berman / New York Post

Random Game Notes

What in the world has gotten into Ricky Davis. After languishing in the league for three years, the Heat finally dumped Davis and the Cavs picked him up as a 12th man last season. He struggled out of the gate but exploded the last month of season. His play was so spectacular at times, he drew a Michael Jordan comparison from coach John Lucas.

Davis cashed in on his big month this summer, but there were still plenty (including myself) who questioned whether he was worth it. Nine games into the season, I'm becoming a true believer. We knew Davis had the ability to score, but it's the other things he's doing on the court that give pause. He leads the team in assists, is averaging over two steals per game and he's more than willing to take over a game in the fourth quarter.

His play down the stretch Wednesday night was superb. He literally dunked over the top of Steve Nash during one sequence and was everywhere on both ends of the court with the game hanging in the balance. The Cavs lost the contest, but you can't blame Ricky for the loss.

Davis' latest criticism of point guard Bimbo Coles may have parked him in coach John Lucas' doghouse, but the talent is there. The maturity will come. And the Cavs' real superstar might not be named Miles or Wagner.

Toni Kukoc

Forward

Milwaukee Bucks

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

7 13.1 4.7 4.4 .441 .680

The Bucks are in love with Toni Kukoc. No, he isn't a great defender and yes, at age 34, he's going to have 2-for-11 nights like he did on Wednesday. But Kukoc's ability to run the offense (he had 12 assists Wednesday night and is second on the team averaging 4.4 dimes a game) and his work ethic have George Karl smiling again.

He may not be the athlete Tim Thomas is, or the scorer Glenn Robinson was, but he does the little things that Karl thinks will get the Bucks back on the winning track.

"The one thing about Toni is his work ethic," one league executive told Insider. "He's still working on his game, trying to improve. He practices hard and has set a great example for the team. He's setting the tone right now, and George needed that."

Kukoc isn't the only guy coming off the Bucks' bench who is performing. Michael Redd is averaging 16 ppg in just 25 mpg. And he's shooting 48 percent from behind the arc. Kevin Ollie is already picking up the rep as the teams' defensive stopper.

"I now have that hammer," Karl told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "I can play the guys who produce. Now I can observe the game and play the guys who give me the level of play that can win games."

The two toughest guys in this summer's draft, Amare Stoudemire and Nene Hilario, went head to head on Wednesday. Stoudemire's Suns won the battle, but Nene and the upstart Nuggets held their own.

Stoudemire finished the game with 12 points, 8 boards and 6 blocked shots. Nene had 14 points, 10 boards and 1 block.

Both players are physically well ahead of anyone else in their draft class. Which is a big advantage. Just ask the Nuggets' other lottery pick, Nikoloz Tskitishvili. Skita has struggled mightly to adapt to the more physical NBA game. Wednesday night, he spent most of his time hanging around the perimeter hoping to get a pass.

That's not what the Nuggets envisioned from the versatile 7-footer. Denver Post columnist Mark Kiszla jumped all over the Nuggets in today's paper for drafting Skita instead of Stoudemire. But Suns assistant Mike D'Antoni, who coached Skita in Italy, still believes that Skita will be awesome once he bulks up a little.

"My opinion hasn't changed," he told the Arizona Republic. "He's a great talent and a good person. He'll work hard, and all the intangibles are very positive. For him, he needs three or four years of development before he'll make a big impact.

"I hope he can move that timetable up, but realistically, he didn't play a lot in Europe. So he doesn't have a lot of game experience, whereas with most Europeans, that is their strong suit.

"They come over and they've already played at the highest levels there for five or six years."

Davis comes back strong in loss to Mavs

Bob Finnan / Morning Journal

Bucks' bench no longer in park

Michael Hunt / Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Rookie mistake for Nugs

Mark Kiszla / Denver Post

Peep Show

Rockets: Insider isn't the only one touting Steve Francis as a legit MVP candidate. Teammate Glen Rice says Francis has the right stuff. "You could see it in his eyes," Rice told the Houston Chronicle. "He was not going to let us lose in that ballgame. He was going to do anything in his power to make sure we were going to win. It's OK to talk about him and the MVP. The guy is going out and proving it night in and night out. The simple fact he's doing a lot of scoring, that's great. But you have to look at the other things he's doing. He rebounds. He has that tough mentality, that no-quit attitude. When someone has those ingredients, it's easy to label them a superstar."

Pacers: Speaking of awards, Ron Artest already has one vote for the All-Defensive Team. "If they don't put him first-team all-defense this year, I'll be disgusted. I'll be very disgusted," Cleveland's Darius Miles told the Indianapolis Star. "We call him 'The Beast' for a reason," Brad Miller said of Artest. "He's so strong, and he just loves playing defense. He scares people anymore. He just physically and mentally intimidates people." Artest agrees. "As much physical play as I can do without fouling I'm going to do," Artest said. "It's like football-basketball for me."

Magic: Coach Doc Rivers is furious with the team's defensive effort. "I've always thought that offense is just fool's gold. We have fallen in love with it. It's a lot of fun, but we're not going to win this way," Rivers told the Orlando Sentinel. "We've got to go back to the drawing board. . .I've just got to hold guys more accountable. If you don't play defense, you'll have to sit next to me. I'll do whatever it takes to make us a better rebounding, defensive team. If that means taking guys out of the lineup, then so be it. Don't be surprised to see that."

Pistons: Richard Hamilton single-handedly kept the Pistons in contention in the first quarter against the Hornets on Tuesday. He lit up David Wesley for 14 points (6-for-9). Then he went to the bench. He played a total of 14 minutes after the first quarter and got off just four more shots. He didn't play in the fourth quarter. "It's a tough thing," he told the Detroit News. "It's something I never experienced before. But I just have to be ready, come out and play my game and try to stay consistent with the minutes I get. And hope that we win." Jon Barry replaced Hamilton and had 17 points, five rebounds, five assists, two steals and a blocked shot.

T-Wolves: Wally Szczerbiak played 25 minutes against the Hornets on Wednesday night and, despite scoring 13 points and committing three turnovers, pronounced himself healthy. "I'm back 100 percent," Szczerbiak told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "I kind of strained my arch a little bit at the beginning of the second half. But we got that taken care of -- a little higher arch support, I'll be fine. I was just enjoying being out there, enjoying playing aggressively."

Hornets: The team still has no time table for the return of Elden Campbell. "We need the big fella," coach Paul Silas told the Times Picayune. "We've been able to sustain this thing without him, but when you take away what he averaged last season (13 points, 8 rebounds), it makes it difficult. He was supposed to be out three weeks and now it's gone into four weeks. The thing is still sore and I understand and I feel for him, but I hope it's nothing long-term."

Hawks: What is Ira Newble's secret to his recent offensive outburst? "I score when nobody's guarding me," Newble told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. With Glenn Robinson, Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Jason Terry on the floor, Newble gets scant attention from defenses, but it's the way he defends that is creating a stir. "Besides Theo [Ratliff], he's our best defensive player," Terry said. "He always matches up against the toughest player on the other team, and he did a great job [against Bryant]."

Francis cranks up the wattage through subtle means

Jonathan Feigen / Houston Chronicle

Artest redefines the art of defense

Mark Montieth / Indianapolis Star

The 'D' earning an 'F'

Tim Povtak / Orlando Sentinel

Hamilton sits after starring

Chris McCosky / Detroit News

Wolves notes: Smith is playing it cautious with injury

Steve Aschburner / Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Silas, Hornets await Campbell's return

John Reid / New Orleans Times-Picayune

Defense will keep Newble in starter role

Jeffrey Denberg / Atlanta Journal-Constitution