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The Pain! The Pain!

by Chad Ford

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Also Below: Bulls hit a new low | Shaq losing his cool | Random Game Notes | Writers Bloc: LeBron 24/7 | Peep Show

Excuses, excuses. We just don't want it to hear it. So your starting point guard and center are on the injured list. Your backup two guard has the stomach flu. And your all-star power forward still isn't in game shape.

To quote Dr. Zachary Smith from 1960s sci-fi show Lost in Space, "The pain! The pain!"

Join the club. Just about every team in the NBA has been swamped with injuries early this season. While the loss of a star player has wiped out teams like the Lakers and Knicks, teams like the Kings and Mavs have proved that depth can overcome even major injury obstacles.

To put things in a little perspective, Insider went through all 29 team rosters and broke down each team's breakdowns for you. Cue the violins.

One Bad Break After Another

Clippers: There's a reason that the Clippers are 7-12 and it has nothing to do with Donald Sterling for once. Lamar Odom's been out all year. Michael Olowokandi's on the injured list with no timetable for his return. Cory Maggette is out for another month. Quentin Richardson has already missed one long stretch. Andre Miller is hobbling around on a sore ankle. Elton Brand missed most of training camp and the preseason. What is Alvin Gentry supposed to do? The answer, hopefully, will come with Odom. He began practicing this week and looks on target for a Christmas return. Ask just about anyone in the Clippers organization who the team's best player is, and they'll tell you it's Odom. Here's hoping his head is screwed on straight after a lengthy absence.

Bobby Jackson

Guard

Sacramento Kings

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

21 19.9 4.7 4.0 .497 .859

Kings: Their postseason MVP, Mike Bibby, is still a few weeks away from making his season debut. Last time we checked, Peja Stojakovic was in Belgrade trying to figure out a treatment schedule for his nagging plantar facitis. Scot Pollard is nowhere to be found. Hido Turkoglu is out for at least a couple more weeks with a sprained wrist. So how exactly are the Kings 16-5? Luckily, they're the deepest team in the league. Backup point guard Bobby Jackson has been playing at an all-star level. Second-year guard Gerald Wallace has filled in admirably at small forward. And the addition of Keon Clark this summer has really lightened the load on Chris Webber and Vlade Divac.

Raptors: Losing Vince Carter to another jumper's knee injury at the start of the season really stung. Air Canada is back, but the Raptors are understandably leery. This is an injury that only goes away with rest. With the way Carter plays, it could be aggravated at any time. Minor injuries to Antonio Davis and a potentially serious injury Jerome Williams have weakened them up front. And a major injury to Lamond Murray at the start of the season has taken away their best outside threat. Thow in the loss of Lindsey Hunter, Eric Montross and Nate Huffman and the Raptors have been barely able to field a team at times this season.

Bucks: The good news is that it looks like Ray Allen's healthy enough to start playing again sometime this week. Joel Przybilla is back, though still a few weeks away from being productive. The bad news is that veteran Toni Kukoc, who was literally running the offense for the Bucks when he checked into the game, is out for another five weeks. With Tim Thomas struggling to find his groove, that's a pretty big blow to the Bucks.

Magic: Grant Hill's status alone is probably enough to propel them into the top category. Yes, he played a season high 40 minutes Wednesday night, but his day-to-day status with the Magic is downright maddening. Tracy McGrady's MVP season continues to be hampered by a temperamental back and a sprained left ankle. Darrell Armstrong is always on the verge of an injured list stint. Horace Grant has finally recovered, but at his age, isn't considered reliable. And, there's still no timetable on the return of Steven Hunter

T-Wolves: Terrell Brandon might never come back. Wally Szczerbiak has yet to come back. Joe Smith did come back, but did anyone even notice? That's three starters who've missed significant amounts of time this season. The T-Wolves will probably struggle, even if everyone's healthy. So instead of considering their 10-9 start a disappointment, look at it like it's a miracle.

The Walking Wounded:

Hornets: The news that Elden Campbell finally looks healthy enough to contribute has been dampened severely with the revelation that Baron Davis' back problems may be serious. Coach Paul Silas has tried to be optimistic, but at least one source in New Orleans feels that this could be a problem that nags Davis all season.

Mavs: It's tough to complain when you're team starts the season 17-1, but the Mavs lost Nick Van Exel and Raef LaFrentz for almost a month. Popeye Jones is just now getting healthy. Dirk Nowitzki has been playing through pain. And Eduardo Najera is now missing games with a sore left knee.

Cavs: Losing Dajuan Wagner in the preseason to an intestinal infection seriously slowed the Cavs' progress. Now that he's back, the Cavs are still missing two big pieces to their rebuilding puzzle. Darius Miles is still on the bench nursing a sore knee. Chris Mihm has yet to play this season. And veteran point guard Bimbo Coles is out for a week with a quad contusion. In other words, the Cavs may still be bad, but at full strength they're better than their 3-17 record shows.

Knicks: Antonio McDyess' season-ending injury crushed the Knicks' playoffs hopes. Latrell Sprewell's preseason broken hand de-stabilized the entire franchise. Good thing James Dolan nixed Scott Layden's attempt to grab Dikembe Mutombo this summer. Layden's head would be on a platter right now.

Theo Ratliff

Forward-Center

Atlanta Hawks

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

17 7.5 7.4 0.9 .464 .575

Hawks: DerMarr Johnson's fiery car crash was a blow to the long-term health of the club. Dan Dickau's injury hasn't helped that prognosis much either. But the fortunes of the Hawks this year centers around Theo Ratliff. He's playing, which is good. But he's playing terribly, which isn't so good.

Nets: The Nets coasted through the season last year without a major injury. You knew sooner or later things were going to change. Mutombo is out for three to four months with a torn ligament in his wrist. But will it really matter? His play has been so lackluster that a combination of Aaron Williams and Jason Collins should be able to step right in and give the Nets the same thing. Actually, they might do Dikembe one better. Both players are more competent than Mt. Mutombo on the offensive end.

Heat: The team hasn't been hit that hard this season, that is unless you count Alonzo Mourning. The revelation that Mourning would miss the entire season as he battles his kidney disorder sent another round of shock waves throughout the Heat organization. Pat Riley's decision to forego signing veterans and play lots of young players was directly tied to Mourning.

Lakers: Without Shaq Daddy, the Lakers got off to a miserable 3-9 start. With him, the team is 4-4, but all four of the wins have come against bottom feeders. Injuries to Samaki Walker and Devean George have weakened the Lakers' bench, but it still doesn't explain the team's record.

Sonics: Jerome James has a stress fracture, which hasn't helped the Sonics' already shaky front line. Kenny Anderson is suffering from a bruised ego -- a nagging injury that Anderson hasn't been able to shake his entire career.

Pacers: A setback for point guard Jamaal Tinsley may spell trouble for the Pacers in the long run. They do have Erick Strickland, but he's more of a swing guard and may be incapable or running Isiah Thomas' motion offense on a full-time basis. The Pacers also lost Reggie Miller and Austin Croshere for long stretches at the start of the season, but both appear healthy now.

Spurs: Emanuel Ginobili and Steve Smith have both been hobbling around, and Speedy Claxton is out for months. Those three injuries have seriously weakened the Spurs' guard play. Tony Parker is a real talent, but he's young and can only handle so much.

Sixers: Derrick Coleman's trick knee has created problems on the Sixers' front line, but it hasn't been anything that Allen Iverson can't over come. As long as the Answer stays healthy, the Sixers are dangerous.

Nuggets: Given that this team has been starting Mark Blount at center, you could safely say that the Nuggets miss Marcus Camby. Tack on a nagging injury to Chris Whitney and the Nuggets are missing the two guys who could actually make a difference on this young, inexperienced team.

An Apple a Day:

Cuttino Mobley

Shooting Guard

Houston Rockets

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

10 17.5 3.9 3.0 .416 .800

Rockets: The Rockets always seem to be caught in the grey area between healthy and plague. Right now, everyone, with the exception of Cuttino Mobley, appears to be healthy. And here's even better news. Mobley, who had been out since Nov. 22 with a sprained left ankle, has been cleared to play.

Wizards: Jahidi White's absence has hurt their inside toughness a little bit, but for the most part the Wizards have kept their core healthy. However, with Michael Jordan upping his minutes, isn't it only a matter of time before we have to downgrade their position from stable to critical?

Bulls: For all of the excuses Jerry Krause likes to throw out there, injuries can't be one of them. Their core has been healthy, at least physically. It's an entirely different story if mental health factors into the equation.

Pistons: Losing Chauncey Billups for a few games did stall their offense. But now that he's healthy again, expect the Pistons to go back on a roll.

Jazz: For one of the oldest teams in the league, the Jazz are remarkably injury free. Sure, it would be nice to have rookies Curtis Borchardt and Raul Lopez, but as long as Stockton and Malone keep taking the Geritol, the Jazz will find a way.

Warriors: The Warriors have been decimated by injuries the last few season, but this year, their core has kept it together. Bob Sura's injury has weakened the point guard spot, but other than that, what can the Warriors complain about?

Suns: Tom Gugliotta is out again, but we've just come to expect that. Penny Hardaway is still healthy, which we never expect. A bulging disk in the lower back of center Jake Tsakalidis has caused a few problems, but nothing that a little rest won't fit.

Blazers: Unless drug problems or domestic abuse fall inside the spectrum of injuries, the Blazers have been relatively pain free.

Celtics: The Celtics have been relatively injury free. That's a good thing considering that ownership will only allow the team to carry 12 players. The team's only real setback has been consecutive injuries to second-year stud Kedrick Brown. Coach Jim O'Brien had high hopes for Brown after a solid summer league performance, but a severely sprained ankle and a bout with turf toe have kept Brown out all year. The latest word out of Boston is that he's finally ready to play. He should give them a big boost. He's the best on the ball defender on the team.

Bulls hit a new low

Well, we said Wednesday that the epic Cavs-Bulls matchup would likely have some serious repercussions for the losers and it looks like we were right.

Not only did the Bulls lose to the Cavs (who had lost 15 straight) on Wednesday. For most of the game, they were getting blown out. Rookie Dajuan Wagner destroyed Jay Williams. Second-round pick Carlos Boozer was out hustling Tyson Chandler on both ends of the floor. Wagner (29 points) and Boozer (26 points) both posted career highs against the Bulls. The Cavs played with passion. The Bulls? Well . . .

"I don't know what to say," Donyell Marshall said after the Bulls' 11th straight road loss, eighth overall. "Everybody said [Tuesday night] was embarrassing. To me, this is the lowest point you can get."

You have no idea. At one point, the 3-17 Cavs were actually talking trash to the Bulls.

"We have to let teams know we aren't the worst team in the league," Marshall said. "As bad as we might be, I know we're not the worst team in the league. But they were out there talking trash, like they were the best team in the league."

Of course, the loss brought all of the old skeletons out of the wood work. There was a humiliated Williams complaining about the triangle again after seeing the amount of freedom Wagner gets in John Lucas' offense. "He has the freedom to take shots," Williams told the Sun Times. "If I was a player like that, I would love that. I think, of all the rookies, he came into the best situation for him."

Then there was coach Bill Cartwright looking remarkably like Tim Floyd one year ago. Like Floyd, Cartwright talked after the game about not giving up. But the look in his eyes told a different story. It's one thing when your team loses because it's young and inexperienced. It's another when the effort, on a consistent basis, just isn't there. How have the Nuggets, who don't have half the talent the Bulls do, won more games than Chicago? The Nuggets play their heart out every night. The Bulls play like losing comes naturally to them.

"Every day is a new day," Cartwright said before the game. Afterward, you had to wonder whether he wanted to replace the word day with nightmare.

"Obviously, we didn't want to be the first team to lose to these guys," Cartwright said. "But they played pretty well. We're going to push through this and get ourselves together. And the coaches are going to become better teachers."

If it were only that easy.

Bulls' attitude not cavalier

Roman Modrowski / Chicago Sun-Times

Bulls fall to lowly Cavs

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune

Shaq losing his cool

Shaquille O'Neal

Center

Los Angeles Lakers

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

8 24.9 10.6 2.0 .487 .635

It seems Kobe Bryant isn't the only player on the Lakers who knows how to dig in to his teammates. After another miserable loss to the Jazz Wednesday night, it was Shaquille O'Neal's turn to go on the offensive.

"The problem is that the whole team is not playing with enough energy or enough fire," O'Neal told reporters. "I'd like to touch the ball more too, especially when I'm shooting seven for 10 from the line."

Of course, what O'Neal failed to mention was that he was only 8-for-23 from the field.

"There's really no excuse," O'Neal said. "We're all professionals and we have to be ready. You know, it seems like sometimes we have five out there and a couple of guys don't know what's going on."

Asked whether the Lakers still had the right mix to win a fourth championship, O'Neal paused for five seconds and then said. "No comment." Of course, then he commented.

"Talk to Mitch [Kupchak], I don't know," O'Neal said. "It's not in my department. I'm sure if some changes need to be made, Mitch and Phil [Jackson] are going to do what's best for the team. My only thing is, I just want eight guys out there with me that want to play."

Asked whether the Lakers have that now, he said, "Sometimes on the court, yes. Sometimes on the court, no."

"Guys who don't know what they're doing shouldn't be out there," O'Neal added.

If nothing else, the Lakers look like they need more help up front. Samaki Walker has been out with a sore back and Slava Medvedenko tore the tendon off the tip of his right pinkie finger Wednesday night. He could be out as much as six weeks.

Of course, the free-agent market is pretty bare these days, though we hear Danny Manning, among others, is patiently waiting for an offer -- any offer.

Energy Crisis Leaves Lakers in the Dark

Tim Brown / Los Angeles Times

Lakers lose, Shaq losing cool

Howard Beck / Los Angeles Daily News

Random Game Notes

Elton Brand

Forward-Center

Los Angeles Clippers

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

19 18.0 11.9 2.5 .492 .756

Speaking of the Bulls' woes, how much better would Chicago be right now if it had chosen to stay away from Tyson Chandler and keep Elton Brand instead. GM Jerry Krause's reasoning all along was that when the team drafted Eddy Curry, it felt his game was too similar to Brand's for him to thrive in Chicago. True. But the Bulls could've decided to pass on Curry and grab Jason Richardson instead. Had they done that, the team would've never made the disastrous mid-season trade with the Pacers, and assuming the Bulls still got Jay Williams in last summer's draft, their roster would've looked something like this:

PG: Jay Williams, Jamal Crawford

SG: Jason Richardson, Trenton Hassell

SF: Ron Artest, Eddie Robinson

PF: Elton Brand, Marcus Fizer

C: Brad Miller, Dalibor Bagaric

Is that a championship contender? Who knows. But it's probably a serious playoff contender in the East. The Bulls lack consistency right now and several player they traded away are models of consistency. Of the 19 games Brand has played this season for the Clippers, he's recorded double-doubles in 16 of them. Artest has turned into a legitimate candidate for Most Improved Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Miller continues to prove that he's one of the top 5 centers in the league. Richardson has been more inconsistent, but along with Williams, he would've given them one of the youngest, most dynamic backcourts in the NBA.

Hindsight is always 20-20, but given Krause's terrible forward vision, it should give Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf all the ammunition he needs to send Krause packing.

Every year there's one or two guys who, for some reason, slip out of the first round and then go on and have stellar rookie seasons. Last year it was the Warriors' Gilbert Arenas. This year it looks like Cavs rookie Carlos Boozer could take home those honors. Boozer was projected as a mid first-round pick throughout most of the draft period. Questions about his weight, his position and his toughness caused his stock to sink right before draft night. The Cavs knew they got a steal when he fell to them at No. 35. They just didn't know how big a steal he would be.

With Chris Mihm injured and Tyrone Hill butting heads with Ricky Davis, Boozer has slipped into the starting lineup and is putting up very impressive numbers. Over his last four games he's averaging 18.5 ppg and 9.3 rpg while shooting 60 percent from the field. Boozer out hustled Chandler on both ends of the floor Wednesday night in the Cavs' victory over the Bulls and looks remarkably similar to the kid who dominated at Duke.

Jay Williams isn't surprised. "Carlos was a great player in college," Williams told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "He can shoot the ball very well and he can dribble the ball. What he's doing now is what he did in college. I'm not surprised by what he's doing at all."

Speaking of rookie phenoms, with the way Yao Ming, Amare Stoudemire and Dajuan Wagner are playing, it's going to be one of the closest Rookie of the Year races in year. Isn't it ironic that all three players totaled just one year of college ball? David Stern is doing his best to dig in his heels about an age limit. His latest thing is an attempt to keep two international kids — Darko Milicic and Sofaklis Schortsianides — out of the draft because they're 17 despite the fact that they're already professionals. But the players association won't hear of it. The young kids are doing just fine. In fact, compare them to seasoned college veterans like Jay Williams, Mike Dunleavy and Tayshaun Prince and it's pretty clear that college isn't everything.

Wednesday night, Stoudemire recorded a career-high 15 rebounds versus the Grizzlies. Wagner scored a career-high 29 points against the Bulls. And two nights ago, Yao was going off for 27 and 18 against the Spurs' twin towers. Sure, players like Wagner and Stoudemire have a lot to learn (Yao just needs to learn how to scream "Give me the [censored] ball" in English), but every GM in the league will tell you that there's no substitute for talent.

Writers Bloc: LeBron 24/7

Now that the Knicks have squandered their injury exception and no one in the world will touch Latrell Sprewell — the daily LeBron James watch can officially begin in New York.

The New York Times' Mike Wise gets things rolling in a thoughtful piece about a man-child whose skills seem to defy definition. A combination of Kobe Bryant, Ray Allen and Magic Johnson? Who knows what that is — but it's good.

"Watching James play basketball in high school may be akin to watching Bobby Fischer play checkers in the cafeteria at lunchtime or Dizzy Gillespie marching with the school band at halftime. Something seems terribly out of place."

John Smallwood, of the Philadelphia Inquirer, writes that Larry Brown is facing a dilemma that he's rarely had to contend with in all of his years of coaching . . . depth.

"After spending most of last season wondering if he was going to get production from the sixth and seventh spots on the roster, Brown now finds himself with nine players competitively vying for significant minutes. It's as close to nirvana as a coach with Brown's fondness for mixing and matching can get, so naturally, his head is starting to hurt. 'I really don't know, because now I've got to learn to coach again with Monty back and Derrick in the equation,' Brown said after the Sixers beat the Boston Celtics, 99-93, last night at the First Union Center. 'That's impacted Brian Skinner's minutes a little bit. It's impacted [Greg Buckner's] minutes a little bit. It's going to impact Todd [MacCulloch's] or Keith Van Horn's minutes. I've got to be real careful there. I think we've got to find a rotation that maximizes all of these guys.' "

Mark Cuban may be a passe topic these days, but Slate's Chris Suellentrop can't help but revisit the whole Cuban phenomenon in the wake of the Mavs' 17-1 start.

"Two bits of received wisdom are thought to apply across all sports: Defense wins championships, and meddling owners lose them. . .So, what explains the Dallas Mavericks' Mark Cuban? In less than three years, the most hands-on owner in pro basketball has turned the 1990s' worst franchise in all of sports into the team to beat for this year's NBA championship?"

Manchild Approaches the Promised Land

Mike Wise / New York Times

Being in deep end new for Brown

John Smallwood / Philadelphia Daily News

How to meddle with your sports team - the right way.

Chris Suellentrop / Slate

Peep Show

Warriors: Adonal Foyle is the latest Warrior to play the disgruntled role. Foyle, who has never been one to make waves, said he finds it "troublesome" that his playing time is based largely on Erick Dampier's foul problems and performance and that opportunity doesn't knock after his best games. "I'll just say that I'm worried," Foyle told the San Francisco Chronicle. "If Erick has no fouls and plays great games all season, am I going to play six minutes? It's troublesome because I've been here six years and my career is quickly coming to an end. I just don't want to hang around this league not getting better and with nobody taking a chance to develop my game." Foyle then went on to issue an ultimatum. "For me, it's very simple: If they don't want me here, get rid of me. If they want somebody else to be a backup and feel happy about that, get rid of me because I'm not going to be that guy."

Blazers: Washington County prosecutors Tuesday announced they would not file domestic abuse charges against Ruben Patterson. But Trail Blazers management apparently still is considering reprimanding the forward for the Nov. 25 incident at his home that led to his arrest. Blazers president Bob Whitsitt wouldn't say what he was considering, but indications were that he might issue a statement — and an action — today. "No decisions have been made," Whitsitt told the Oregonian. "We're still gathering information." Coach Maurice Cheeks said something has to be done. "I don't think it's something where you hope time passes and everyone forgets about it. I don't mean to make light of it by saying it's behind us, because clearly it bothers me, it bothers Ruben, and it certainly bothers the organization. So I don't mean that we're brushing this under the rug, because it's there and it's not going to go away."

Magic: For once it wasn't Grant Hill sitting on the bench in street clothes. Tracy McGrady sat out the Magic's 87-85 victory against the Knicks because of a sore left ankle. McGrady has a mild sprain, but the Magic must proceed with caution as they began a stretch of eight of 10 games on the road. Three sets of back-to-back games are included, and Hill's left ankle has not responded to those games recently. Having McGrady is a must. "I'm going to be cool," McGrady told the Orlando Sentinel. "Believe that."

Hornets: Baron Davis may be grounded for a while, but that isn't stopping him from playing Wednesday. Davis, who was listed as doubtful before the game, had 18 points, five assists, eight rebounds and five steals in 40 minutes. "I can't stay out too long," Davis told the Times Picayune. "I love playing this game. I still can't finish above the rim like I can." Davis made lay-ups on at least three baskets that ordinarily would've been crowd-pleasing slams. "Ninety percent of the guys in the NBA wouldn't play with this injury. I just love to play."

Rockets: Cuttino Mobley will go through another strong practice session today and will sit out Friday's game at New Orleans before suiting up to play in Saturday's home game against the 76ers. "It feels good," Mobley told the Houston Chronicle. "I'm not all the way back, but my ankle feels better. I'm going to keep rehabbing on it, and I'll be ready by Saturday. I pushed it OK [on Wednesday]. I didn't go up and down [the court in full-court scrimmages], but I competed. I'll have no problem getting back in [game] shape."

Raptors: Jerome Williams will have to undergo surgery in another week if he continues to experience soreness in his left elbow, the team announced Wednesday. "A week's not really rehabilitation," team surgeon James Andrew said. "Williams obviously has a loose body in his elbow and it won't go away."

Foyle's playing time is linked to Dampier

Brad Weinstein / San Francisco Chronicle

Blazers still might penalize Patterson

Jim Beseda / The Oregonian

Ankle forces McGrady to sit

Jerry Brewer / Orlando Sentinel

Davis shuns pain to go to work

John DeShazier / New Orleans Times-Picayune

Mobley boosts Rockets' hopes

Michael Murphy / Houston Chronicle

Williams faces surgery if pain persists

Robert MacLeod / Globe & Mail

[Traceman]

Now that's funny! If you're 3-17, you should get a technical foul for anything that RESEMBLES trash talk. Just shut up and play.

That does show you what a sad state of affairs exists in Chicago right now. How can Jerry Krause possibly have a job? He has made so many bonehead moves over the last few seasons that no one else even comes close to his level of incompetence. He continues to draft and trade all the wrong players and then he complicates it by failing to allow the coach to run an offense that fits the talents of his team. In addition to all the bad moves listed in the Insider article, I think the decision to take Fizer instead of Mike Miller was every bit as bad. Why in the world would you take an undersized PF like Fizer when you already have a #1 pick at PF who happens to be getting 20 and 10 every night on a horrible team? The only reason he took Fizer was because he was pissed at the Clips and the Magic because the Clips took Miles in order to trade him to Orlando. Krause DESPERATELY wanted Miles and he was mad that Gabriel (Orlando's GM) had outsmarted him. Rather than accept that, Krause took Fizer to break up the deal and the rest is history. Reinsdorf is an idiot for keeping him around. Krause has let his ego destroy a great franchise and there is no end to the suffering in sight. He needs to go. NOW!