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Breaking down Week 13

by Chad Ford

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Also Below: Lakers' drought over? | Can the Bucks stay on the rebound? | Raptors chasing fools gold | What's gotten into the Hawks? | Trade Rumors: Add Campbell, subtract Fizer | Peep Show

Everyone in the NBA makes a run. No lead is too large. No margin too comfortable. A few 3s here, a turnover or two there, and a team that looked like road kill can experience resurrection.

Two weeks ago, the Lakers' dynasty had crumbled, folks were calling for George Karl's head in Milwaukee, and Lenny Wilkens and Vince Carter were headed for extinction in Toronto.

Not so fast. Fans always want to know why teams wait until the last minute to pull the trigger on mid-season trades. This is why.

Friday, Hawks GM Pete Babcock was openly discussing blowing his team to smithereens. However, a three-game winning streak has the Hawks talking playoffs again.

The NBA's miserable ones are showing signs of a pulse. Are extreme measures no longer necessary?

Lakers' drought over?

The Kings are looking very human without Chris Webber. The Mavs look as puny as ever in the middle. The Suns have lost seven of their last 11.

Several Western Conference teams are thrashing like wounded fish in the water. And the NBA's version of the great white shark has finally awoken from its slumber. The Lakers are beginning to stir. They're winners of seven of their last 10. They're now just one game under .500 and within three-and-a-half games of the eighth seed.

After convincing victories on the road against Phoenix and Sacramento, and a solid victory over the Jazz at home, are the Lakers really back?

Well, we may be getting a little ahead of ourselves. But they do look comfortable in their skin for the first time since June.

"Well, we talked about turning a corner here," Rick Fox told the L.A. Times, "and it's been two months now that we've been talking about it. ... We are doing what we had talked about doing eventually.

"We still have the pieces. We know how to win championships. We just have to be more consistent, and I think we will. I'm not sure I could have said that a month ago. ... When those guys [shaq and Kobe] both score in the 30s, and Shaq is dominant at both ends, the rest of us know how to maneuver around them. That's how it's always been."

Just a week ago, coach Phil Jackson was wailing about the team's bench. A shocking loss at home to the Warriors had everyone in a state of depression. And trade rumors, virtually non-existent in L.A. the last few years, were running rampant. What a difference three games make. The news gets even better from there. Of the 13 games remaining for the Lakers in February, only five are on the road, and just six are against playoff-caliber teams.

Kobe Bryant

Shooting Guard

Los Angeles Lakers

Profile

LAST FIVE GAMES

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

5 30.8 4.6 5.0 .474 .860

While most have expected a leaner, healthier Shaq to be the catalyst in any late-season run for L.A., it's been Kobe Bryant to the rescue this time around. Bryant has averaged 40 points in the Lakers' last three victories. His coach says Kobe's play can bring the team together.

"Kobe can really unify this team when he wants to bring it to another level, both in moving the ball and scoring with it," Jackson told the Times.

Said Bryant: "All he provided for me was some direction. He just sat me down and said he wanted me to be more aggressive offensively for us and really get it going. And I said, OK, fine, I can do that for you."

He may have to keep it up. Shaq's toe is acting up again, and the Lakers are becoming resigned to the fact that Superman may play more like Clark Kent for the rest of the season.

"He doesn't complain about it," Jackson said. "We're trying to limit his activity a lot in practice, not do too much, where it's a constant aggravation. The mechanics in that toe itself will lend itself to probably being a problem for life."

"It looks like that at times," Fox told the Times. "But I still have a belief that something happens to him, emotionally, the closer it gets to the playoffs. I don't know what it is. Maybe he gets more sleep. Maybe he puts down the badge, stops fighting crime. At times, it has looked very difficult for him to do the things he's doing in the paint."

Can the Bucks stay on the rebound?

Rebound.

The Bucks entered January with a 13-19 record. After Saturday's 107-100 victory over the Knicks, they are 24-22. They're winners of eight of their last 10. Eleven of their last 15. The Bucks are on the rebound. Now, if only they could rebound.

Tim Thomas

Forward

Milwaukee Bucks

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

44 13.7 5.0 1.5 .444 .783

Coach George Karl's team still ranks 28th in the league in rebounding, despite its recent run. The Bucks' top rebounder, Anthony Mason, averages just 7.3 rpg. Their next-best rebounder? Tim Thomas at a mere 5 rpg. That's ugly, and Karl knows it.

"We have to rebound as a team," Karl told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. "Our guards are going to have to rebound at a higher level than most teams, because we're not going to have that big man that's going to get 15 or 18 [rebounds] every night."

The Bucks have been mentioned in a flurry of trade rumors over the last month as they struggle to find an inside presence to complement the strong perimeter play of Ray Allen, Sam Cassell and Michael Redd. Karl has struggled to find any consistency at either power forward or center. Mason and Jason Caffey do most of the work on the block for the Bucks. Ervin Johnson, Joel Przybilla and rookie Dan Gadzuric have all struggled to get in done in the middle.

Is there any team in the NBA with a worse collection of bigs than the Bucks? Only the Magic, Sixers, Wizards and Celtics even come close. Luckily for Milwaukee, they all play in the Eastern Conference. That gives Karl hope that even without a deal, the Bucks can maintain their winning ways.

The Bucks are ranked fifth in the league in scoring and third in field-goal percentage (45.6%). That helps explain why the offensive rebounds aren't coming. There aren't as many chances to begin with.

"I'm a big believer that sometimes the rebound stat gets a lot of credit it doesn't deserve," Karl said. "A lot of teams that rebound usually play big guys that can't shoot."

Bucks bang on boards

Charles F. Gardner / Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Taking a chunk out of Knicks

Tom Enlund / Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Raptors chasing fools gold

Vince Carter is the savior. Lenny Wilkens survives to see another day. And the Raptors, winners of three of their last four since Carter's return, live happily ever after.

Vince Carter

Guard-Forward

Toronto Raptors

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

14 18.4 3.4 2.4 .430 .766

The story gets even better. The Raptors, along with the Hawks, Magic and Heat, are among the most active teams as the trade deadline nears. GM Glen Grunwald already has made a pitch for the Blazers' Rasheed Wallace and the Hawks' Theo Ratliff. It's clear he is looking for a solid, young, athletic big man to take help share the scoring burden with Carter.

Now pinch yourself twice and rub your eyes. Last week's "new" Raptors are a mirage. A tease. A $55 million pipe dream wrapped in a enigma.

The Raptors would have to go 28-7 the rest of the way to finish at .500. And while nine of their next 15 games are against teams with sub-.500 records, you can do the math and figure out that even if the Raptors go 9-6 during that stretch, they're just one loss away from getting the worst seats in the house for the lottery.

So forget about the roar of the crowd, the high fives or guys talking about coming together. Grunwald knows better, and he's doing his darndest to shake his team up before everyone begins remembering how bad it really is.

The question, given the Raptors' miserable record, is whether it matters at this point. It's almost impossible for this team to make the playoffs. If they aren't going to do that, why not give Vince some rest and have a sweet shot at landing LeBron James. He'll do a helluva lot more for the franchise than either Wallace or Ratliff.

Raps resurgence can't save Lenny

Richard Griffin / Toronto Star

Raptors closing in on a deal?

Frank Zicarelli / Toronto Sun

Improved play muddies water

Bill Harris / Toronto Sun

What's gotten into the Hawks?

Friday, the NBA's chaplain was reading Pete Babcock his last rites. Monday, his Hawks are talking playoffs.

Glenn Robinson

Small Forward

Atlanta Hawks

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

43 21.0 7.2 2.9 .435 .874

Playoffs?!?

"We've got a long way to go, but we're in the hunt," interim head coach Terry Stotts told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "We've got [34] games left, and a lot can happen."

That's right. The Hawks, winners of five of their last six, suddenly find themselves just four games out of the last playoff spot in the East. With teams like the Magic, Wizards and Hornets all fading, maybe things aren't nearly as dire as we all believed on Friday, when GM Pete Babcock claimed that his rebuilding plan had failed, "across the board."

In the span of the last five games, Glenn Robinson is averaging 25.2 ppg and 7.4 rpg, Shareef Abdur-Rahim is averaging 22.4 ppg and 10.4 rpg, and Theo Ratliff is averaging 4 blocks per game. Even Dion Glover is getting in on the action. Sunday, Glover hung 22 points, 10 boards and five assists on the Magic.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim

Power Forward

Atlanta Hawks

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

47 20.1 8.1 2.9 .473 .822

That has to be terrible news to a number of teams looking to fleece the Hawks of their talent. Said one GM over the weekend. "No one has been more aggressive on the phones than Atlanta. However, you have to wonder if they don't step back a bit at this point. Do you really blow up a team that's won five of their last six? Maybe Babcock should go back to the original plan which was, as I understand it, to get a veteran point guard to stabilize the backcourt."

That's an interesting argument, and a virtual nightmare to teams like the Sonics, Spurs, Sixers, Raptors, Lakers and Heat who have been licking their chops to get ahold of players such as Abdur-Rahim, Ratliff and Jason Terry. But let's not go overboard.

Two of those five wins came against the lowly Cavs, and Sunday's win wasn't much more impressive. With Grant Hill out, the Magic have Tracy McGrady and very little else to rely on. While their next three games are all winable (Golden State at home, Raptors and Heat on the road) it gets much, much tougher from there. The Hawks have eight of their next nine games on the road, including games against the Pacers, Mavs, and Blazers.

In other words, the road ahead becomes much, much rockier.

"I don't think this changes anything," another league executive told Insider. "They are convinced, and I believe rightly so, that this combination of players isn't going to win any championship for them. They're better of trading away their guys and rebuilding through free agency and the draft. They need to get younger, more athletic and much more balanced. The trick will be convincing teams to take on those long term contracts. They have plenty of talent to offer, but I don't know anyone who's jumping to add a long term, $10 million a year contract to their payroll right now."

Hot enough to win 3 in a row

Michael Lee / Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Hawks encouraged by recent victories

Michael Lee / Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Hawks willing to trade top trio

Israel Gutierrez / Miami Herald

Trade Rumors: Add Campbell, subtract Fizer

Speaking of waiting to the last second to pull the trigger on trade talks . . . that strategy can backfire on you as well.

Just look at the Bulls, who learned this weekend that they've lost Marcus Fizer for the rest of the season. While GM Jerry Krause continues to deny that he's shopped Fizer at all, numerous GMs have told Insider over the past few weeks that the Bulls were still trying to work out a big package for another young stud that included Fizer and Jamal Crawford.

Several teams in need of low-post muscle and scoring, including the Sonics, T-Wolves, Raptors, Heat and Magic, were interested. But with Fizer out of the mix with a torn ACL, Krause's dreams of a big deadline deal seem to be fading quickly.

After Saturday's news, Krause engaged in a little revisionist history.

"We've got 15 players we like," Krause told the Chicago Tribune. "We weren't looking to trade Marcus. If we add somebody, we'd have to waive somebody and there's not a lot out there that I'd rather have."

Elden Campbell

Forward-Center

New Orleans Hornets

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

33 7.8 3.5 1.0 .412 .796

Elden Campbell is the latest player in the last year of his contract to hit the rumor mill. Campbell, who has struggled through injuries all season, lost his starting job to a younger and more athletic Jamaal Magloire. The Hornets aren't expected to re-sign him this summer and several teams have called about his availability.

Among the interested teams? The New York Daily News reports that the Hornets called the Sonics about a possible Kenny Anderson-for-Campbell swap but were turned away. Instead, the Sonics are trying to parlay Anderson into a young player or draft picks. Given the Sonics' desperate need for some low-post help, this is just more evidence that the front office is resigned to rebuilding the team.

The Daily News also mentions the Spurs and Knicks as possible destinations for Campbell.

Latrell Sprewell

Guard-Forward

New York Knicks

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

38 17.1 3.4 4.5 .404 .790

In the same report, the Daily News says that the Lakers have shown interest in adding Latrell Sprewell to the mix. That would be interesting . . .

This report comes on the heels of rumors earlier in the week that the Sixers had offered to swap Keith Van Horn for Spree. Given GM Scott Layden's "let's rebuild the state of Utah in Manhattan" rebuilding strategy, it's amazing they didn't grab Van Horn and immediately offer him a lifetime extension.

How desperate have the Magic become for a big man? The word over the weekend was that they too had entered the bidding war for Theo Ratliff. How bizarre is that? Unless they plan on moving Grant Hill as part of that deal, how can management justify having two chronic injury list players making the max on the same roster? And if the Hawks are really considering swapping for Hil, they're even more screwed up than we thought.

And in Memphis, a few more GMs commented to Insider this weekend that the Grizzlies are putting out word that they're willing to part with either Drew Gooden or Pau Gasol. Whichever player brings the more lucrative bounty could be gone in the next couple of weeks, especially if a team is willing to agree to a package deal that rids the Grizzlies of the long-term contracts of Lorenzen Wright and Jason Williams. Jerry West is tired of being hamstrung by the salary cap and is apparently ready to pay a big, big price to get some flexibility this year or the next.

Hurting for answers

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune

Dolan refuses to own up

Mitch Lawrence / New York Daily News

For Magic, keeping Hill the only option

Jerry Brewer / Orlando Sentinel

Peep Show

Dallas Mavericks: Nick Van Exel believes that the Mavs need to trade him to get a tough, established low-post presence. "If they can get a good deal for a big guy, I've got to be honest with myself about it," Van Exel told the Dallas Morning News. "I could see why they'd do it. We got guys who can get us where we want to go. But if I was GM and I saw there was a big man out there who we knew would help us and put us over the top, I'd do it in a heartbeat. We saw how it was last year in the playoffs. It gets tougher and tougher in the playoffs as you go along." He's probably right, but given his outrageous contract, the Mavs will have a hard time finding a team willing to give up their enforcer for Van Exel.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Vice president Kevin McHale said it would be difficult, but he did concede that trading injured point guard Terrell Brandon is a possibility. "Ideally, you'd like to have him playing, or if he can't play, you'd like to be able to replace him with an equal player," McHale told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "No matter how you slice and dice it, I think everybody would agree that he was probably a top-10 player at his position. You'd like to be able to replace him with another top-10 player... whether it's a 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5. It's hard to do." Instead, he could actually make the situation worse. "Unfortunately, what you'd probably end up doing is taking on bad contracts, more than anything else. But you know, you have to weigh all your options and everything else."

Chicago Bulls: For now, franchise point guard Jay Williams will have to play the understudy for a while. After winning (some say stealing) the starting spot in the preseason, former franchise point guard Jamal Crawford will be allowed to run the show a little longer. Got all of that? "The rotation has been OK," coach Bill Cartwright told the Chicago Tribune. "Unless something happens, it'll stay the same." That clears everything up.

Indiana Pacers: Is the league out to get the Pacers? GM Donnie Walsh, coach Isiah Thomas and veteran Reggie Miller are beginning to wonder. After Thomas' two-game suspension, Miller called the move another example of "the league trying to keep a good, young team down." Thomas agrees. "I think in all of these incidents, we didn't provoke any of them," Thomas told the Indianapolis Star. "We defended ourselves when someone was attacking us. Whenever the league has had a chance to give punishment, it's been very harsh when it comes to the Indiana Pacers." Is it possible that the Pacers just have bad timing? With little incidents popping up all over the NBA, perhaps the league is just cracking down. "That's probably the justification, but that's not what was told to me [by senior vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson]," Walsh said. "But if you're asking me to rationalize it, that's probably right."

Los Angeles Clippers: The L.A. Times' Bill Plaschke did a great piece this weekend on the NBA's saddest, loneliest man, Clipps GM Elgin Baylor. Despite his team's implosion and the cheapskate ways of owner Donald Sterling, Baylor remains true to his team. "I love Southern California, my home is here, I'm not going anywhere," he said. "I'm not retiring. I'm not quitting. I don't quit. I look for the light at the end of the tunnel. I always look for the light." That is until Donald starts refusing to pay the electricity bill.

Trade himself? Van Exel would in a 'heartbeat'

Eddie Sefko / Dallas Morning News

Summer vacation: Brown wants KG

Robbi Pickeral / St. Paul Pioneer Press

Crawford to remain starter at point

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune

Drop the chatter; just keep on playing

Bob Kravitz / Indianapolis Star

Pacers pondering next move

Mark Montieth / Indianapolis Star

Baylor Is a Rock in Hardest of Places

Bill Plaschke / Los Angeles Times