Insider Special: Good, Bad, & the Kitchen Sink

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The Good, the Bad, the Kitchen Sink

By Terry Brown

Tuesday, January 21 Updated 7:31 AM EST

All statistics are through Sunday, Jan. 19

If Marcus Camby plays every minute of every game once he returns on Jan. 27 from his ankle sprain for the rest of the season, almost one year from busting up his hip on Feb. 1 of 2002, he will have played a total of 1,879 minutes this year.

By that time, Allen Iverson will have already logged 1,862.

The Good

Steve Francis, Houston Rockets

Week's work: 3-0 record, 29.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 9.3 apg, 2 spg, 0.6 bpg, 8 triples, 53% shooting Forget the 44 points against the Lakers to go along with 11 assists and 6 three-pointers. I wanna know how this 6-foot-3 point guard is able to carry that 7-foot-5 center on his back while doing it without anyone even noticing the 101 pound difference.

Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs

Week's work: 2-0 record, 32.5 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 6 apg, 1 spg, 4 bpg, 61% shooting

He may not have invented the double-double, but Duncan is one rebound shy in nine games of having 38 of them in 39 games this season.

Antoine Walker, Boston Celtics

Week's work: 3-1 record, 24.7 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 4.2 apg, 0.7 spg, 0.7 bpg, 17 triples, 47% shooting

Only 16 times all season has Walker made more free throws in a game than three-pointers. This week, it was 17 triples to two freebies. In his finest season in which he went 20-10 back in 1998, the ratio was more than three free throws to every one three pointer.

Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves

Week's work: 3-1 record, 22 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 4.5 apg, 1.7 spg, 2 bpg, 59% shooting

He'll be the last one to tell you, but KG hit 21 of 22 free throws last week on a three-game road trip with the three-time defending champs breathing down the Wolves' necks for that final playoff spot.

Stephon Marbury, Phoenix Suns

Week's work: 1-2 record, 34 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 8 apg, 1 spg, 8 triples, 45% shooting

You may find it hard to believe, but Starbury is, statistically, have a below average season in terms of points, assists and shooting percentage. The difference, though, is that after missing 24 games per season while in Minnesota and New Jersey, he hasn't missed one while in Phoenix.

The Bad

Andre Miller, Los Angeles Clippers

Weak work: 1-1 record, 8 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 4 apg, 1.5 spg, 0.5 bpg, 17% shooting

Chalk another one up for the Clipper Curse. Despite playing more minutes than ever in his career, Miller is averaging the fewest points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks and shooting worse from the field, line and three-point range since becoming a regular starter two seasons ago. Last year, he led the league in assists per game at 10.9, passing to the likes of Lamond Murry and Wesley Person in Cleveland. This year, surrounded by the ever-popular Elton Brand, Michael Olowokandi, Lamar Odom, Corey Maggette and Quentin Richardson, he is averaging only 7.6.

Michael Finley, Dallas Mavericks

Weak work: 0-3 record, 12.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.3 spg, 0.6 bpg, 34% shooting

It took the Mavericks 44 days to lose their first three games this season and fewer than 96 hours to lose their last three. And in those three loses, Finley has taken a total of four free throws after averaging 3.5 per game previously.

Dajuan Wagner, Cleveland Cavaliers

Weak work: 0-4 record, 7.5 ppg, 1.7 rpg, 1.5 apg, 0 spg, 0.2 bpg, 26% shooting

In his first five games as an official NBA player, Wagner scored a rookie-leading 104 points. In his last five games, he has scored a total of 33 to go along with zero steals, six assists to five turnovers.

Elden Campbell, New Orleans Hornets

Weak work: 1-1 record, 4 ppg, 4 rpg, 0 apg, 0 spg, 0.5 bpg, 40% shooting

Somebody stick a mirror underneath his nose and see if he's still breathing.

The Ugly

On Wednesday, Jan. 15, Rasheed Wallace scored a season-high 38 points to go along with 10 boards, three triples and two blocks before rushing to the loading dock of the Rose Garden in Portland to curse out referee Tim Donaghy, who had assessed him a technical foul in the third period.

He was suspended seven games.

In the three games prior to the incident, Wallace had scored a total of 37 points while being called for no technical fouls.

The Kitchen Sink

OVER THE HILL

Heaven forbid that Tracy McGrady would snap his leg in two a week before the playoffs begin this season and never regain the bounce that propelled him to a league-leading 30 points per game.

Or that Kobe Bryant sever the ligaments in either of his knees, turning the joint into jelly and the career of the best player in the game today into role player status.

But prior to ever joining the Orlando Magic two-and-a-half seasons ago, Grant Hill averaged 21.6 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.2 assists per game in six seasons with the Detroit Pistons.

McGrady, currently in his sixth season, has averaged 19 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists over his career.

Bryant, in is seventh, has averaged 20.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists.

What could have been.

In those six seasons, Hill was voted co-Rookie of the Year, an all-star five times and an All-NBAer four times.

He was just getting started.

Nowadays, he's happy to get 15 points while playing about 30 minutes after two surgeries have failed to fully repair the broken medial malleolus bone on the inside of his left ankle.

He was recently placed on injured reserve for the first time this season.

In his three seasons with the Magic, Hill has averaged 15.1 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists in 47 games.

Imagine, if you will, Vince Carter never returning from his knee problems. After having played in only 10 games so far this season, doctors still aren't sure when he'll be able to return. Yet he still leads the entire league in all-star votes.

After five seasons, Carter has averaged 24.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.7 assists.

The tragedy, though, is that a generation of younger fans will never know that Hill may have been even better.

LESS IS MORE

At his current pace, Allen Iverson will take a career-high 1,995 shots this season while averaging 27.1 points per game on a career-worse 39.3 percent shooting.

In 1988, Michael Jordan shot the ball 1,998 times while averaging 35 points per game on 53 percent shooting.

GRAND LARCENY

Sacramento King Doug Christie is leading the league in steals (2.84), total steals (108) and steals per 48 minutes (3.72). But the NBA record is held by San Antonio Spur Alvin Robertson, who stole the ball 3.67 times per game back in 1986.

BULLY

In his last three games, Donyell Marshall has scored 60 points, grabbed 41 rebounds and blocked six shots, which is more than Eddy Curry has tallied the entire month of January thus far (51-20-5 in nine games).

THREE-STAR STATE

The state of Texas (with the Mavs, Spurs and Rockets) has a total of 80 wins so far this season while the state of California (with the Kings, Lakers, Warriors and Clippers) has a total of 79.

HOOSIER SWEET HOOSIER

Upon further review, the Indiana Pacers still have the best home record in the NBA at 18-1 after referees took 17 minutes to decide if Jermaine O'Neal's shot was released prior to the 24-second clock expiring against the Detroit Pistons Saturday night.

It was those same Pistons who were the last team to beat the Pacers, 106-91, back on Nov. 23. Since then, Indiana has won 11 straight scoring an average of 101 points per home game.

LIGHTNING

In the four games prior to hitting 12 of 18 three pointers in a single game, Kobe Bryant went 3-for-18 from long range. In the four games following the record-setting performance, he has gone 4-14.

CHILD'S PLAY

Kevin Garnett, current MVP candidate

Rookie Numbers: 10.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.0 spg, 1.6 bpg, 49% shooting

Amare Stoudemire, current ROY candidate

Rookie Numbers: 13.0 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 0.9 apg, 0.7 spg, 1.0 bpg, 46% shooting

PAYBACK SPECIAL

New Jersey Nets (28-11) versus Sacramento Kings (29-11)

Tuesday, Jan. 21

Arco Arena in Sacramento

7 p.m. PST

The last time these two met, the Kings backhanded their Eastern Conference foes, 118-82, in East Rutherford, N.J. The Kings shot 51 percent from the field, 50 percent from long range and 80 percent from the line. The Nets, on the other hand, missed 54 shots including 12 three-pointers and even five free throws in Jason Kidd's worst game of the season. We hope.

THE END

"Those sprinkler heads are like Asian throwing stars or something. If you hit it just right, it will put a big gash in your head." — Mavs reserve Evan Eschmeyer on one of the many dangers NBA players encounter while on the road in strange and exotic hotel rooms.