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Kids of 2001 trying patience

by Chad Ford

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Also Below: Jermaine O'Neal still looking for respect | Phil Jackson to start coaching? | Grant Hill gets the green light | Peep Show

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Bill Cartwright is shaking his head in Chicago. Doug Collins is pulling his hair out in Washington. John Lucas has just about had it in Cleveland.

And it's all because of those [censored] kids!

Remember the good old days when kids were seen, not heard, respected their elders and got a good college education on the hardwood before stepping foot in the NBA?

Nowadays, they call their own press conferences, get their elders fired and carry around diplomas from AAU.

It's almost enough to swear you off LeBron James. Almost.

Kids today. If only they could be more like KG, Kobe and T-Mac. . .perfect in every way.

Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry and DeSagana Diop sure looked perfect when the Bulls, Wizards and Cavs all took big gambles in the summer of 2001. Instead, upon unwrapping the packages, who should emerege but Ed O'Bannon, Jerome Moiso, Dickey Simpkins and Yinka Dare.

Kwame Brown

Forward-Center

Washington Wizards

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

18 8.2 6.6 0.9 .412 .783

After uniformly pathetic rookie seasons, the four high school lottery kids were all supposed to show signs of intelligent life this year.

The expectations, the ones that hit rock bottom last season, were rising. Could Kwame average 10 rebounds a night? Was Eddy ready to claim his rightful place as a dominant center? Was Chandler ready to quit running from his own shadow? Was Diop ready to register a pulse?

No. No. No. And, [censored] no.

The high school class of 2001 has seen better days. Brown, Curry, Chandler and Diop have already been lapped by fellow classmate Dajuan Wagner in mere handful of games. Brown has slipped from the starting rotation to the end of the bench. Ditto for Curry. Chandler is starting, but it's only to maintain the appearance that the Bulls still believe in these kids. Diop . . . forget about it.

Their teams don't know what to do with them. The kids don't know what to do with themselves and the fans are running for the exits. The ghost of Korleone Young lives.

"I don't know how to take it," Brown said after being pulled out of the starting lineup. "Like it's my fault we were losing. [Collins] said he's trying to get my confidence back, but putting me from first to third string isn't what I would call a confidence helper. Whenever he puts me in, I just have to go in and play. It's a tough situation knowing under that pressure if you do something wrong you're coming out. I know how it is. Once something's working and if I'm not involved in what's working, I probably won't see the floor. You never know."

Collins has decided that rebuilding can wait. He wants to make the playoffs and that ain't happening with Kwame.

"What we're trying to do is win games," Collins told the Washington Post. "At the same time we've got to get our younger players better. Throughout the league teams playing a lot of young players struggle. We can't do that. It's a balancing act and right now we're playing some of the older players."

Eddy Curry

Forward-Center

Chicago Bulls

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

18 7.3 3.9 0.4 .473 .562

He's not the only one. Currently riding an eight-game losing streak, Cartwright has benched the Baby Bulls for veterans.

"It's a dilemma," Cartwright told the Chicago Tribune. "There's great anticipation for Jay [Williams] to do well. There's great anticipation of Eddy and Tyson maturing and doing well. And there's ups and downs. Our margin of error is not great. We don't have Tim Duncan over here or somebody who is a Tracy McGrady type of guy. We don't have anybody who's a top-five scorer or top rebounder. We have some guys who are good. I think Donyell is good. I think Tyson is an aspiring good rebounder. I think Eddy is an aspiring good scorer. But we can't defeat ourselves, and that's what has been happening."

As for Diop . . . well he's lucky to see garbage time.

Patience is wearing thin. The Wizards haven't been good in awhile. When Michael Jordan can't save you, no one can. The Bulls have been bad for even longer. Since Jordan, Phil Jackson and Co. left town after their sixth NBA title in June 1998, the Bulls have won 70 games in four-plus seasons. That is two fewer than the Bulls won in 1995-96 alone. And the Cavs, well . . .

But is it really time to trade Kwame, Tyson or Eddy as some prominent columnists are asking the teams to do? Their trade value has never been lower (and it will never be higher than it was on draft night). And almost everyone is forgetting that these kids need time — lots of it to develop.

Here's a quick quiz. Which stat line is Brown's?

9.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg or 8.2 ppg, 6.6 rpg? You'd be right if you guessed the second one. The first one belongs to a kid named McGrady during his second season with the Raptors.

Let's play again. Which line is Chandler's?

4.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 48 percent shooting from the field or 7.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 50 percent shooting from the field? OK we mixed this one up a bit. Chandler's is the second one. The first one belongs to Jermaine O'Neal during his second season. Tyson Chandler

Forward

Chicago Bulls

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

18 7.7 4.7 0.9 .500 .556

I could go on. Kobe wasn't all that in year two. KG was, but he's a freak. Al Harrington, Jonathan Bender, Rashard Lewis. It took time. Patience. And more than a few prayers.

Funny thing about those high school kids. None of them come out of high school perfect. Memories are short.

You want Kwame to be like T-Mac? He is.

McGrady was just as inconsistent as Kwame was in year two. The same questions about desire, fundamentals and the wisdom of spending a lottery pick on a minor dogged him for three seasons. He's now a legit contender for the league's MVP.

Patience may be a dirty word in Washington, Chicago and Cleveland right now. Fans can only take so much without seeing tangible results on the court. But take it out on Jordan, Jerry Krause and Jim Paxson. The kids will come around. The bigger question is whether Jordan, Krause or Paxson will be around long enough to reap the benefits.

Wizards' Changes Impact Young Players

Steve Wyche / Washington Post

Cartwright faces 'dilemma'

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune

Hopeless Bulls a lost cause

Rick Telander / Chicago Sun-Times

Bulls sinking? and dragging Cartwright too

Rick Morrissey / Chicago Tribune

Cavs can't win for losing when it comes to LeBron James

Terry Pluto / Akron Beacon Journal

Jermaine O'Neal still looking for respect

Speaking of the high school kids for a minute, Jermaine O'Neal is hoping he'll soon be in the same pantheon with Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady.

Jermaine O'Neal

Forward-Center

Indiana Pacers

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

18 19.2 11.2 2.3 .479 .733

Despite six seasons in the NBA, an All-Star berth and two stints with Team USA, O'Neal can't seem to shake the upside label.

"It's funny to me," O'Neal told the Indianapolis Star. "People say 'Jermaine is still trying to find his way.' They talk about me in terms of being a beginner. What do I have to do to be considered just a player in this league? [censored], I've been in the league longer than Tim Duncan. I mean, really, what do I have to do?"

"The fact is, I'm not young anymore. And I feel like I'm one of the best (power forwards) in the league and not just some 'young player.' I don't know how long it's going to take, 15 years or whatever, for me to be considered a veteran performer in this league. But I'm going to keep working to get there. I guarantee you that."

O'Neal has been putting up pretty impressive numbers now for three seasons, but he believes the stigma of coming straight to the pros from high school is a tough one to shake.

"We're all in that same 'high school' class," O'Neal said. "I'm sure Al (Harrington) and J.B. (Jonathan Bender) feel the same way in that we want to prove to people we're for real. That's always going to stick with us, no matter what. Now I'm just trying to set the tone and carve my name somewhere into the record books as far as being a player in this league. In some ways, I feel like that would legitimize the decision I made."

O'Neal desires 'veteran' standing

Sekou Smith / Indianapolis Star

Phil Jackson to start coaching?

It's that time of year when the fans and the media love to panic about the Lakers. They look awful and, for those who aren't locked in a passionate embrace with the purple and gold, there's always hope that it will continue.

Kobe's ripping everyone (if he can shoot 48 shots a game on a bad ankle, why can't the rest of them?). Shaq's questioning his teammates' desire (you can sit around all season, get fat and miss training camp, but you show up for the real games). And now -- gasp -- Phil Jackson is going to start coaching.

When will the madness stop?

Moments after his team lost again Sunday night, the Orange County Register reports, Jackson heard a desperate voice call out from the Staples Center stands: "You've got to start coaching!"

Apparently he listens to hecklers.

"They were on a long, long leash this year, because of past successes," Jackson told the L.A. Times. "I told them today the responsibility fell back on my shoulders."

The Lakers were the latest team to call a "meeting" on Thursday. Rumors that Jackson diagrammed a play or two on the dry erase board cannot be confirmed.

"It's easy to cast blame," Jackson said in the Times. "It's easy to point fingers. What we really have to have are leaders that lead and players that follow. ... We're getting to that point in the season."

Players aren't the only ones pointing fingers. The Mavs roll into town tonight in what could be a classic. Mavs coach Don Nelson believes the 7-13 Lakers will be better than his 17-1 Mavs as soon as Shaq gets into playing shape.

"Right now, they struggle for a bunch of reasons, and mainly because Shaq isn't in a good rhythm," Nelson told the Times. Even though he's getting good numbers, he's not in good rhythm like he was last year and there's reasons for that ... the operation, the time off without playing, the conditioning aspects, being sharp with his shots and quickness and the rest of it. It's pretty obvious."

Jackson Lays Down the Leash Law

Tim Brown / Los Angeles Times

1-Loss Wonders

Mark Heisler / Los Angeles Times

Grant Hill gets the green light

Who would've thought that the answer to Grant Hill's ongoing ankle pain was to play him more minutes?

Grant Hill

Small Forward

Orlando Magic

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

16 16.1 7.2 4.5 .573 .817

That's right, the Magic's medical team reversed course last week and told coach Doc Rivers that instead of limiting Hill's minutes by having him sit for long stretches on the bench, doctors are now recommending Hill to play in spurts and then sit in spurts. The approach allows him to play more total time and stay in the flow of the game while still getting the rest he needs.

You can imagine coach Doc Rivers' reaction.

"He told me that he wanted to play, and I was milking it," Rivers told the Washington Post. "They've told us to try to up his minutes now, and obviously that's not bad news to me. In shoot-around, Grant said, 'I'd like to play around 40 minutes.' I don't think he meant that literally, but I took it that way."

Doctors say Hill could battle sporadic soreness for the rest of his career, but for the last week he has felt decreasing pain and increasing eagerness .

Still, Hill remains realistic. "I've had good days and bad days. It comes and goes," says Hill.

At this point, Rivers is ready to take the good with the bad. "I have good feelings because I don't think it could get any worse," Rivers told the Post. "The other shoe has dropped, a couple times. I'm just hoping now the shoe stays tied."

Hill Puts Worst Foot Forward

Rachel Nichols / Washington Post

Peep Show

Hawks, Bucks: The Glenn Robinson-Ray Allen feud is finally over. The Big Dog had been promising revenge after Allen ripped him in the papers following his trade to the Hawks. According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the two bumped into each other at a shoe store in Atlanta. Words were exchanged at the store and all involved say their differences were settled. One source said Robinson left the store saying he wanted to settle it all on the streets, but Robinson said that wasn't quite accurate. "I said we settled it on the streets," Robinson said. "Not here [in the arena] in front of the cameras and everything." Said Allen: "I'm glad I saw him there. I didn't want to deal with it coming in here"

Grizzlies: Hubie Brown seems to have fixed the Grizzlies' defense, but the offense still needs a lot of work. The team is doing plenty of shooting, but very little passing. "You've got a lot of guys who want to shoot," rookie Drew Gooden told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "I want to shoot, Pau wants to shoot, Gordan [Giricek] wants to shoot. But we've got to understand the best place for us to score. You've got to trust your teammates, and that's something we all need to work on."

Spurs: The team put rookie Emanuel Ginobili on the injured list Thursday, hoping that some rest will heal his sprained ankle. "I was told before that it was not a matter of playing, but just time," Ginobili told the San Antonio Express News. "That's why I was playing. But I don't like playing when I'm not 100 percent. I'm not accustomed to it. I think I need my legs to play well. Every time I step on somebody or stop hard or leap hard, I feel a little pull. I go two steps forward for two weeks and then I go those two steps backward. I don't think the team needs me when I'm not 100 percent. If I'm sure I can get it healed this way it's probably better."

Nuggets: Don't be surprised if rookie Nene Hilario gets his first start tonight against the Kings, the Rocky Mountain News reported. The team has been pleased with his development and is in desperate need of some inside play while they wait for Marcus Camby to get off the injured list.

Knicks: Jeff Van Gundy's father told the New York Post he expects his son to begin coaching again next season. But, his father said it may be as an assistant coach. "I have no doubts," Bill Van Gundy said about his son coaching next season. "It's what he does. Next season? On a bet, I have very little doubt I'd make the bet. But I'll tell you one thing: Jeff could be an assistant again. Everybody puts it down. It could happen. I really believe it. His ego's not real big. But the coach has to be one he is very comfortable with."

Feud with Allen ends on street

Tom Enlund / Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Glenn Robinson didn't go upside Ray Allen's head

Michael Lee / Atlanta Journal-Constitution

On offense, it's the same ol' Grizzlies

Ronald Tillery / New Orleans Times-Picayune

Manu hopes time heals wound

Johnny Ludden / San Antonio Express-News

Bzdelik demands effort

Aaron J. Lopez / Rocky Mountain News

Dad Van Gundy: Son Will Rise Again

Marc Berman / New York Post

[beav]

Knicks: Jeff Van Gundy's father told the New York Post he expects his son to begin coaching again next season. But, his father said it may be as an assistant coach. "I have no doubts," Bill Van Gundy said about his son coaching next season. "It's what he does. Next season? On a bet, I have very little doubt I'd make the bet. But I'll tell you one thing: Jeff could be an assistant again. Everybody puts it down. It could happen. I really believe it. His ego's not real big. But the coach has to be one he is very comfortable with."

Wow! what's up with that? surely he could have a head coaching job if he wanted it?