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Buyer's remorse

by Chad Ford

Also Below: Will Amare Stoudemire change the game? | Hill running out of Magic | Peep Show

Darius Miles was the savior. The guy who was going to fill Gund Arena and have every kid in Cleveland sporting a Cavs jersey. Jalen Rose was the messiah. The first all-star caliber player since Michael Jordan to call the United Center his home. Andre Miller was the glue. The kid who was going to mesh everything together in L.A. and propel the Clippers from upstarts to playoff contenders. Jerry Stackhouse was the final piece of the puzzle. The guy who, along with Jordan, would help the Wizards rise to power in the East.

But two months into the regular season, the Cavs, Bulls and to a lesser extent, the Clippers and Wizards, are suffering from a bad case of buyers remorse. Miles and Rose have been the subject of constant trade rumors for the last month. And speculation has risen in both L.A. and Washington that Miller and Stackhouse may be set free to find greener pastures this summer when they hit the free-agent market. What went wrong? Chemistry? Fit? Shifting roles? Insider talked to several league insiders to get a look at four good trades that suddenly turned bad.

EIGHT MILES

Darius Miles

Small Forward

Cleveland Cavaliers

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

18 9.6 6.1 2.7 .374 .510

Cavs GM Jim Paxson had a plan. Four or five of them to be exact, over the course of the past few seasons. His latest, hatched late last season when it became apparent that his one star player, Miller, would be seeking a maximum contract extension, was to parlay Miller's all-star worthy season into a dynamic young player who would appeal to the hip hop contingent in Cleveland.

Paxson almost pulled the coup of all coups on draft night, landing Lamar Odom and the Clippers' two lottery picks in return for Miller. That trade fell through at the last second and the Cavs eventually settled for a straight Miller-for-Miles deal. At the time, Paxson wasn't promising more wins. What he was selling was an up-tempo style of basketball that, a la the Clippers, should fill the seats. Miller was a great player, Paxson reasoned, but he wasn't enough to propel the team into the playoffs, nor was he hip enough to put fans in the seats.

Miles was a less proven product, but Paxson reasoned that if he paired him with explosive rookie Dajuan Wagner and brought back the emerging Ricky Davis, the Cavs would have a team that was, if nothing else, watchable. Given the Cavs' woes over the past few years, that was considered by some a major improvement.

Wagner has been scintillating, Davis has been improving at an amazing clip, but Miles has been left in the dust. Wagner doesn't have the demeanor of a point guard, and Davis is more natural playing small forward. That's left Miles rummaging for minutes at the point (it's not going to work) or at power forward (his frail frame can't take the pounding). What happened to the guy who two months ago was supposed to be the savior of the Cavs?

A knee injury has slowed down his explosive leaping ability, taking away the one skill that Miles possessed that was truly exceptional. A shot doctor couldn't fix his jumper this summer, prompting one prominent scout to give him a new nickname.

"How badly does Darius miss his jumpers?" the scout asked rhetorically? "By Eight Miles."

Ouch. Hindsight is 20-20, but what shape would the Cavs be in right now had they stuck with Miller and drafted Amare Stoudemire instead? That inside outside combo, along with Davis and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, would be fighting for the eighth seed in the East.

Coach John Lucas has been working on new ways to get Miles involved, but the truth is that with the way Wagner and Davis are playing, Miles is back to playing third fiddle on a bad team. A recent locker room blowup between Miles and Lucas hasn't helped the situation. While the Vince Carter-for-Miles-and-Ilgauskas rumors are bogus, these things don't get floated by accident. The word is out that Miles is available and despite his slow start, there will be plenty of suitors.

One, however, makes the most sense. The Bulls have been looking for a new home for Jamal Crawford ever since Jay Williams landed in their laps. He'd be a great fit in Cleveland. With the 6-foot-2 Wagner playing at the two, the Cavs need a big point guard to help out defensively. Crawford has the skills and athleticism that Lucas has been looking for in his point guard. On the Chicago side, GM Jerry Krause has coveted Miles since draft night. If the Bulls throw in a protected No. 1 pick, would the Cavs pull the trigger?

EVERY ROSE HAS ITS THORN

Jalen Rose

Guard-Forward

Chicago Bulls

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

30 22.5 3.9 4.1 .406 .818

The Bulls pulled off the biggest mid-season trade of 2002 in February when they sent Brad Miller, Ron Artest and Ron Mercer to the Pacers in return for Rose and Travis Best. Rose, who was angry when he first heard of the trade, rebounded quickly and within a week Bulls fans were getting a taste of what they thought might be the future of the franchise. Rose was the first player since Jordan who could create his own shot of the dribble and take over the game in the waning moments.

Almost a year later, however, conventional wisdom has changed. Miller and Artest have been thriving in Indiana, but Rose is having his share of troubles. The Bulls' decision to draft Williams this summer meant a shift in philosophy for the organization. Rose thrives with the ball in his hands and thinks of himself as the ultimate point forward. With Williams in the mix, he, not Rose, is handling most of the ball handling duties. The tension between the two has been palpable throughout the season. Questions about Rose's leadership qualities and his me-first attitude reportedly haven't set well with coach Bill Cartwright.

Rose has been mentioned in numerous trade scenarios since the draft. There was talk of a Michael Finley-Rose swap this summer. The T-Wolves, Knicks and the Heat have all shown interest. While the most recent Rose-for-Wally Szczerbiak rumor is impossible, the word around the league is that the Heat are ready to hand over Eddie Jones or Brian Grant to the Bulls in return for Rose. Both Jones and Grant are considered role players and the thinking in Chicago is that they'd fit better in the mix. The Heat, on the other hand, need a dynamic scorer to take much of the load off rookie Caron Butler.

Rose is still fuming over all of the trade talk.

"Just send me to another city and milk me for everything I'm worth," said Rose, who has played for three teams in his NBA career. "I need to get a bad attitude. That way nobody else would want me."

MILLER TIME

Andre Miller

Point Guard

Los Angeles Clippers

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

29 16.4 4.0 7.7 .426 .784

Miller, on the other hand, has done everything his team expected of him. He leads the Clippers in assists and is the team's second-leading scorer. He's been the only Clipper to stay healthy the entire season and he's been a calming influence inside the locker room. So what's the problem?

Money, first of all. Owner Donald Sterling has to make some tough decisions next summer when eight of his top players hit the free-agent market. Miller, like Michael Olowokandi and Elton Brand, is looking for a max contract. While it seems ridiculous that the Clippers would even hesitate (especially when you figure they gave away Miles for him this summer knowing his demands) there is already talk in L.A. that Miller may be expendable.

Despite Miller's strong play, the Clippers have several other players capable of handling the ball. Number one is Odom, who when healthy, is the best handling big man in the game. Coach Alvin Gentry loves having Odom initiate the offense at the top of the key. Miller doesn't have the ability of someone like Baron Davis to make a big impact without the ball in his hands. The Clippers are also very impressed with rookie Marko Jaric. The team has played Jaric together with Miller quite a bit in December, but the team knows his ultimate value is at point guard. Throw in third-year point guard Keyon Dooling for good measure and the Clippers have more than enough players to take Miller's place.

If Sterling is going to have to throw a max contract Brand's way, he's unlikely (given his history) to fork out that much cash for another player, especially given the depth at the position. Instead, don't be surprised if the Clippers make a stronger effort to re-up Odom. He'll be cheaper and he's Sterling's favorite player.

What does that mean for Miller this season? He becomes a restricted free agent next summer and teams with cap room like the Jazz, Heat and Nuggets are already getting in line. But if the Clippers can't turn the ship around soon, don't be shocked to see them start talking with everyone about a trade that could land them a young stud or another lottery pick in return for Miller. Whoever trades for him before the February trade deadline gets his Bird rights and the best shot at re-signing him next summer. The Pacers, Wizards and Warriors would do just about anything it takes to get their hands on him.

SMOKE STACK

Jerry Stackhouse

Guard-Forward

Washington Wizards

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

30 22.2 4.3 4.6 .411 .868

Stackhouse had visions of combining with Jordan to create one of the most dynamic backcourts in the NBA. So far it isn't happening. Stackhouse is quickly finding out the same thing that Richard Hamilton, Courtney Alexander and the other Wizards who went before him did. When Michael's on the court, it's Michael's ball.

After getting off to a hot start, Stackhouse's production has tapered off as of late. The Wizards certainly don't look like they have the juice to make a serious run at the playoffs and Stackhouse's visions of a nice max contract at the end of the season are slowly fading away.

Stackhouse blames the offense, and his role with the team, for some of his woes.

"The strongest part of my game has always been to slash and beat people one-on-one," he said recently. "And now I'm like a catch-and-shoot guy, and that's not my strong suit. My strong suit is that my man can't guard me, so somebody's got to help. And that's going to get a good shot for somebody else, not running around. But that's how our offense is structured. I can't totally deviate from that without breaking the offense."

Stack was a key component in the Pistons' great run last season, but GM Joe Dumars knew that Stack's contract demands would be greater than his value. While his defense has improved tremendously and he's one of the best two guards in the league down on the block posting up weaker defenders, his lack of a jump shot limits how you can use him in the offense.

The Wizards, who are trying to balance between winning now and building for the future, can't afford to sink a huge investment into Stackhouse if he isn't part of the long-term solution for this team. Right now, the feeling in Washington is that their money would be better spent somewhere else.

Jordan, all but said as much, after a tough loss in Detroit. Stackhouse was critical of the way Doug Collins drew up plays at the end of the game. Jordan wouldn't have it.

"The one thing we can't do is start dividing and pointing fingers one way or the other," Jordan said. "The one thing you have to do, no matter who you are, no matter how great you are, no matter how great you may be, you always have to look in the mirror and say, 'What can I do to make this team better?'"

Will Amare Stoudemire change the game?

After members of the vaunted high senior school class of 2001 — Kwame Brown, Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry, DeSagana Diop — laid a big goose egg their rookie year, it didn't come as a major surprise that only one high school senior, Amare Stoudemire, was selected in this year's draft.

Two months into the season, however, Stoudemire's play may re-open the floodgates for high school players. Stoudemire dropped a career-high 38 points and 14 rebounds on the Minnesota Timberwolves Monday night. What made his performance so impressive was that at times, he was dominating Kevin Garnett, the last high school senior to make a big impact his rookie year. At one point, Stoudemire stuffed a Garnett dunk on one end and then jammed it over KG and several other Wolves players on the other end. After the game, he had players and coaches alike tripping over themselves in a rush to declare him the next great thing.

Amare Stoudemire

Forward-Center

Phoenix Suns

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

31 12.2 8.8 0.8 .464 .660

Suns chairman Jerry Colangelo called Stoudemire the best player the Suns have ever drafted.

Kendall Gill said he's never seen another player like him. "I've never seen in my career someone jump that quickly and with that kind of power," Gill marveled. "He's a true stud. You need three guys to guard him — because we tried two all night and that certainly didn't work."

Wolves coach Flip Saunders was able to come up with a comparison. "He plays like a man," Wolves coach Flip Saunders said of the 20-year-old Stoudemire. "I thought he was a combination of Karl Malone and Shawn Kemp. He has Kemp's explosiveness and high-wire act. He has Malone's temperament, strength and meanness, rebounding-wise."

Suns coach Frank Johnson was livid after the game that his players didn't give him the ball even more. That's right, Johnson wanted proven veterans like Stephon Marbury, Shawn Marion and Penny Hardaway giving up the rock to the high school kid. "They couldn't stop him," he said. "What we didn't do is recognize that when he's got it going like that, you've got to feed the monster."

You can say all you want about Marbury, Hardaway and Marion's stellar play this season, but the real reason that Suns are off to such a huge start is Stoudemire. He energizes the club in a way that no one has for a long time. The Suns have been searching for a low-post stud ever since Antonio McDyess bolted for Denver.

They've found him. And what a find it is.

Stoudemire slipped a bit on draft day due to questions about his background and the level of competition he played against. No one doubted his athleticism, but several teams who worked him out said his basketball skills were extremely raw. He was so strong in high school he didn't have to do anything more than dunk over skinny 6-foot-6 kids. He never really developed the array of low-post moves he needed to excel in the league. However, no one questioned his talent.

Pacers GM Donnie Walsh told me before the draft that Yao Ming and Stoudemire were the two kids in the draft who had the ability to redefine their positions. That's understandable for Yao, who at 7-foot-5, is the most skilled giant to come our way in a long time. But Stoudemire? Walsh reasoned that the combination of his athleticism, power and aggressive nature would be too much for most of the league to handle. NBA fours have evolved over the years. Three-fours like Garnett and Chris Webber now dominate the league. There hasn't been someone with such a combination of power and speed to come along since . . . Shaq. Could Stoudemire someday dominate his position the same way the big fella dominates the middle?

While it's too early to be posing for a plaque in Springfield, the signs are awfully encouraging. Even Marbury found it in his heart to compare his former teammate Garnett to his new teammate Stoudemire.

"It's not even close," said Marbury. "He [Garnett] doesn't even compare to Amare. It's two different people. It's like Michael Jordan and Mario Elie. . . . Not to take anything away from Kevin. Kevin was a great talent coming out of high school. But this kid is like a kid you see every 15, 20 years."

Garnett didn't quite see it that way.

"Son is good. We didn't underestimate him," Garnett said of Stoudemire. "But this ain't even about the young fella. This is about Steph being jealous again. From Day 1. . .He's using the young fella to come at me. . . "

Wolves survive Stoudemire, beat Suns 104-98

Steve Aschburner / Minneapolis Star Tribune

Stoudemire's 38 points not enough for Suns

Bob Young / Arizona Republic

Marbury-Garnett feud hits boiling point

Steve Aschburner / Minneapolis Star Tribune

Hill running out of Magic

On a normal night, having Michael Jordan give an autographed pair of his shoes to one of your players, in essence anointing him the next Air-apparent, would be enough keep you smiling through the New Year.

But the ongoing development of Tracy McGrady into a superstar continues to be overshadowed by the deteroraition of Grant Hill's ankle. The Magic announced Monday night that Hill was taking an extended absence in an attempt to rest his surgically repaired ankle.

"We had hoped that the tendinitis he is experiencing we could get under control," GM John Gabriel told the Orlando Sentinel. "That really hasn't happened. Anybody who has played the game and is in some pain would like to know that there's some light at the end of the tunnel in regards to that pain dissipating. But that just hasn't happened."

According to the Sentinel, Hill is experiencing inflammation of the posterior tibial tendon, which is located near Hill's old stress fracture, which is the reason for so much caution.

"With any pain on the inside of the ankle, you always worry about the stress fracture," said Dr. Joe Billings, the team physician. "Tendinitis is pretty common, especially for an athlete. The perplexing thing is that it's right near the fracture. We have to make sure this is not a preliminary sign of a problem with the bone and keep a close eye on it."

Hill has been upbeat about the whole thing. Admittedly, the Magic are being super cautious here. "Officially my nickname should be 'Radiation Man' because I've taken so many scans," Hill said. "If I take one more scan, I'll be glowing."

But the concern, bordering on dread, continues to rise in the organization. In this era of salary caps and luxury taxes, teams like the Magic can't afford to have a max player out with a career-ending injury. Even if the NBA were to grant them a medical exception to the salary cap, the Magic would still have to deal with the luxury-tax ramifications.

Hill's injury has tied the organization's hands in making a move this season. The Magic desperately need help on the front line, but don't dare move a forward like Mike Miller with Hill's future in doubt.

To make matters worse, the Magic also wonder how this will affect their pursuit of a top-flight free agent next summer. The top free agents want to play for a team that has a chance at winning a championship. If Hill's injury proves to be chronic, the future of the Magic is cloudy at best.

Hill out for an extended rest

Jerry Brewer / Orlando Sentinel

An air of respect

Jerry Brewer / Orlando Sentinel

Peep Show

Mavs: Coach Don Nelson ripped into Raef LaFrentz after Monday night's two-point, three-rebound performance. "He didn't perform," Nelson told the Dallas Morning News. "I played him a lot of minutes the night before [saturday against New York[, and I thought that got him over the hill. [but] there was nothing there. I'm really tired of hearing about confidence problems. He's a guy who has had enough opportunities to get his game in order and hasn't. It's time to get it in order. There will be no punches pulled anymore. We need him to be an effective player, and he hasn't been. It's really that simple." LaFrentz admitted that he's felt uncomfortable lately with the team. "You don't ever want to be out there feeling lost, feeling like you're not helping the cause," LaFrentz said. "I definitely have a role on this team. To say I don't would be implying I don't need to be here. I hope the feeling is that I need to be here."

Bulls: Coach Bill Cartwright and Eddy Curry met before Monday's three-hour practice to discuss the second-year center's comments that his lack of playing time had become "personal." "It's immature for him to [complain]," Cartwright told the Chicago Tribune. "It's up to us to be a little more responsible. When he's in that situation again, he'll know how to handle himself. If I was him I would say I just need to keep working and I'll get my opportunity. We had a guy do that. When we sat Marcus Fizer down, we didn't hear a word from him. He worked his [butt] off. He got himself in a position to play. We played him. And here he is. You'd like that [from Curry] because that's the professional thing to do."

T-Wolves: The team suspended forward Loren Woods after Monday night's game for "conduct detrimental to the team." Woods reportedly screamed, "I need to go somewhere where someone will back me," as he left the coach's office after the game. He also cursed at the people in the room. "He said a couple things, did a couple things, and he's going to have to sit back and think about it, hopefully get his head right and come back and play," vice president Kevin McHale told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "There are times in the business world where you have bosses, and you'd better keep your mouth shut. And unfortunately in our league right now, that whole line -- I don't know if it's been erased, but it sure has been moved around a little bit."

Pacers: Jermaine O'Neal sat out the Pacers' practice on Monday and declared himself questionable for tonight's game at New Orleans. O'Neal, who sprained his left knee in a Dec. 18 game at Houston, missed four games before returning for Saturday's game against the Hornets. "It's still hurting," he told the Indianapolis Star. "Every day is a different situation for me as far as the injury. I don't know how I'm going to feel [today]. If I had to play [Monday] I wouldn't play."

Suns: Center Jake Tsakalidis is scheduled to undergo back surgery Thursday to repair a herniated disk in the fifth lumbar vertebra in his lower back, trainer Aaron Nelson told the Arizona Republic. Nelson said the normal recovery time for the surgery is six to eight weeks.

Kings: The team told Jim Jackson and Damon Jones that it will guarantee their contracts for the rest of 2002-03. Teams have until Jan. 10 to choose between waiving a player or having a non-guaranteed deal become set for the season, even if the player is later released. "Rather than drag it out, we let them know," coach Rick Adelman told the Sacramento Bee. "There was no sense in holding out on the decision."

Wizards, Magic: For the past two years, the Magic has had interest in acquiring Wizards center Jahidi White. That interest no longer exists since White had left knee surgery this offseason, a Magic source told the Washington Post. Though Orlando desperately needs size in the middle, the team can't take a chance on another player with a history of injury. White, on the injured list, has not played for Washington this season and is not expected in uniform until mid-January.

Bucks nip Mavericks; Nelson rips LaFrentz

Eddie Sefko / Dallas Morning News

Cartwright puts Curry in his place

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune

Wolves suspend Woods

Robbi Pickeral / St. Paul Pioneer Press

O'Neal's left knee remains a problem

Mark Montieth / Indianapolis Star

Tsakalidis to have back surgery

Bob Young / Arizona Republic

Jackson, Jones can put away their résumés

Scott Howard-Cooper / Sacramento Bee