Insider Special: Good, Bad, & the Kitchen Sink

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The Good, the Bad, the Kitchen Sink

By Terry Brown

Monday, January 6 Updated 12:20 PM EST

Still picking confetti out of my hair wondering if Elton Brand, Ben Wallace, Erick Dampier, P.J. Brown and Zydrunas Ilgauskas (at an average of 397 games under each of their belts) know that they are the only players in the entire league to be grabbing more offensive boards per game than rookie Amare Stoudemire, who celebrated his 34th game Sunday night with six more of them.

The Good

Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks

Week's work: 2-1 record, 29.6 ppg, 10.6 rpg, 3.3 apg, 1.3 spg, 2.3 bpg, 4 triples, 47% shooting

The only three times all season that Nowitzki didn't get near 20 points and 10 boards was when he tallied a combined 22 points and 13 rebounds against the Nuggets, Clippers and Pistons and the Mavericks ended up winning by a total of 71 points.

Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs

Week's work: 2-2 record, 31.7 ppg, 13.2 rpg, 4.2 apg, 0.7 spg, 3.7 bpg, 51% shooting

Individual numbers are staggering yet Duncan's team was four points on the wrong night from going 1-3 this week and five points on the right nights from going 3-1. You would think, at least hope, that 127 points and 53 rebounds spread out over four games would result in more than two wins.

Tracy McGrady, Orlando Magic

Week's work: 1-2 record, 34 ppg, 7 rpg, 5.6 apg, 3 spg, 7 triples, 51% shooting

We mean this in the most respectful of ways, but the last time T-Mac averaged similar rebound and assist numbers on the year, he played for Toronto and came off the bench. Which shows you what we think about in between his 40-point games.

Larry Hughes, Washington Wizards

Week's work: 3-1 record, 17.5 ppg, 5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.7 bpg, 3 triples, 49% shooting

I know Kobe Bryant would probably slit his wrists on a dull shot clock if he put these numbers up on a bad night. But, then again, the next time Kobe Bryant wins three games in a row this season will be his first. Which only makes you wonder what Brent Barry is going to do once he finds out that Mr. Hughes is now shooting better than him from the field, free throw line and long range.

The Bad

Brian Grant, Miami Heat

Weak work: 2-2 record, 6.2 ppg, 8.5 rpg, 0.2 apg, 1.5 spg, 0 bpg, 44% shooting

For a million a month, Riley might expect more than 6.75 shots per game last week from his power forward, which is about 1.7 per quarter (that's not makes, mind you), especially when the team struggles to 86.1 points a night but are giving up only 88.

Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs

Weak work: 1-2 record, 1.3 ppg, 0.6 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0 spg, 0.3 bpg, 66% shooting

Not counting Sunday night's four-point explosion against the Clippers, Baja Magic scored zero points in two minutes against the Knicks on Dec. 30, zero points in one minute against the Wizards on Dec. 31 and zero points in zero minutes against the Warriors on Jan. 3. How do you spell DNP-CD in espanol?

Raef LaFrentz, Dallas Mavericks

Weak work: 2-1 record, 4.3 ppg, 5 rpg, 0 apg, 0.3 spg, 2 bpg, 0 triples, 33% shooting

Don Nelson can grab the 7-footer by the ear and walk him to the dog house all he wants by playing him only 21 minutes per game last week. But on the season, LaFrentz is averaging only 22.3 after getting 29.1 last year with the Mavs and 32.7 in Denver before the trade.

Michael Olowokandi, Los Angeles Clippers

Weak work: 0-3 record, 9.3 ppg, 10 rpg, 0.6 apg, 0.3 spg, 3 bpg, 25% shooting

The sad thing is that at the end of the season, he's still going to get a multi-million dollar, multi-year contract based solely on the fact that he is a healthy 7-feet tall of which we have Mr. and Mrs. Olowokandi to solely thank for.

The Ugly

... The Indiana Pacers losing to the Washington Wizards by three points in double overtime for their second loss in a row to drop them out of the No. 1 seed in the East . . . or Michael Jordan scoring 41 points for the first time in 343 days in that same game because the guy who was supposed to be guarding him was suspended for three games . . . or the suspended player, Ron Artest, being fined $35,000 by the NBA to go along with the approximately $60,000 he's going to forfeit in lost pay as well as the bill he's going to get from Madison Square Garden for busting up a television monitor and $100,000 high definition camera with $60,000 lens after throwing a tantrum in the first loss . . . Or that he did it in New York, the place where he grew up and starred as a collegiate, against the team that passed him up in the draft for Frederick Weiss . . .

The Kitchen Sink

RICH MAN, POOR MAN, BEGGAR MAN, STAR

Michael Jordan. Michael Davis. Ricky Jordan. Ricky Davis.

What's in a name?

Last week, Cleveland Cavalier coach John Lucas said that his shooting guard could very well be the next No. 23 if he ate his vegetables, got back on defense, set up teammates and the such. He backtracked a bit this week by saying that Davis could very well be the next poor man's Michael Jordan with little or no mention of lettuce or carrots or celery.

Ricky didn't say much.

He did, though, average 23.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 6.6 assists and 2.3 steals this week while drilling six triples. Act surprised if you like, but he's been doing this all year . . . more or less, give or take a rebound or two or an assist here and there.

He's the eighth-leading scorer in the entire league and the fourth among shooting guards. Tracy McGrady, first. Kobe Bryant, second. Allen Iverson, third . . .

And among those three, Davis averages more rebounds than Iverson, more assists that McGrady and Iverson and more steals than McGrady while making more three-pointers than Bryant.

He leads the Cavs in points, assists and steals and is second in three-pointers made and free throws while leading all starters in field goal percentage. He was benched for two games after dressing down a few slacking teammates and, still, no Cavalier has played more minutes than him.

Not too bad for a late first-round pick who was traded twice in four years before ever averaging more than 4.6 points per game.

Zydrunas Ilgauskus was in Cleveland long before Davis ever was. DaJuan Wagner got a much bigger reception. Dasagana Diop was a lottery pick. Cleveland gave away their best player to get Darius Miles.

As one of the worse teams in the NBA, the Cavs may be on pace to win only 17 games this season. But don't blame that on Davis. Or his coach for mixing metaphors, rabbit food and NBA legends.

NO FREE LUNCH

Once upon a time, the New Orleans Hornets were happy and content with their 19-10 record as their franchise player shot 44 percent from the field (186-416) and 34 percent from long range (53-155) but only 64 percent from the line (40-62).

Now, they're 19-15 as Baron Davis has shot 28 percent from the field (26-93) and 26 percent from long range (6-23) in the last five games but has managed to go 11-for-12 from the free throw line for 91 percent in that same span of time.

FIRST TEMPTATION

Forgive Lamar Odom his New Year's Eve game (when he scored five points on 2 of 10 shooting) and the recently returned small forward is averaging 21 points and nine rebounds per game while shooting 47 percent from the field with four triples in four games.

Now what could he possibly have had on his mind that Dec. 31 night to distract him so?

THE BEST OFFENSE

During their current nine-game win streak, the New Jersey Nets have held their opponents to 84.8 points per game after those very same teams had been averaging 93.9 on the season.

HOT AND COLD

The Portland Trail Blazers, who have won nine of their last 10 games to go to 20-12 and fourth in Western Conference, are 12-3 when they score 90 or more points in a game.

The Toronto Raptors, who have lost their last 10 games to go to 8-26 and second to last in the Eastern Conference, are averaging 88.5 points per game and have gone 2-19 when scoring less than that.

DR. JASON AND MR. WILLIAMS

In his last 10 games, Jason Williams has averaged 9.7 assists per game as the Grizzlies have gone 6-4. In the 10 games before that, J-Dub averaged 4.7 assists per game as his team went 1-9.

THE LITTLE THINGS

In his last 15 games, New York Knick shooting guard Allan Houston has totaled a pitiful six steals and one block over 471 minutes. In that same number of games, Golden State Warrior backup point guard Earl Boykins, a full 5-foot-5 after leaving the chiropractor's office, has totaled eight steals and one block over 342 minutes.

NET DIFFERENCE

Keith Van Horn, former New Jersey scapegoat

Current Numbers: 15.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0.8 spg, 0.8 bpg, 27 triples, 46% shooting

Richard Jefferson, current New Jersey small forward

Current Numbers: 15 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.2 spg, 1 bpg, 5 triples, 52% shooting

SLOPPY SECONDS SPECIAL

Sacramento Kings (24-9) versus New Jersey Nets (25-9)

Thursday, Jan. 9, 2003

Continental Airlines Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey, 7 p.m. EST on TNT

Since our Christmas Special didn't live up to expectations, maybe a matchup between last season's best regular-season teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences will, considering that both teams could very well end up being this season's best-regular season teams in the Eastern and Western Conferences.

THE END

"I tell all the guys: 'You can be an ax murderer by day, but if you can play, Flip will find a way to play you, because everybody's job is dependent on you playing. Ax murderer by day, great player by night, you play by night. Average player, ax murderer by day, you don't play - you lose your night job.'" — Timberwolves VP Kevin McHale advising suspended forward Loren Woods not to quit his day job.