Thursday Insider

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Takers absent as trade deadline nears

by Chad Ford

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Also Below: Midwest want ads | Pacific want ads | NBPA coming around on Darko, Sofaklis | Gentry: We can't win with this group | Peep Show

Still looking for love in all the wrong places ...

Insider gave you a sneak peek into the Eastern Conference trade deadline personals on Wednesday. Today we tackle the Western Conference, where the Grizzlies, Sonics and Warriors are desperate for a date to the prom . . .

Midwest want ads

Dallas Mavericks

Wanted: Hit man to bully Tim Duncan, Chris Webber and Shaquille O'Neal in the post.

For sale: Late model 7-foot-6 center from Utah. Recently replaced by flashier, high-tech Chinese edition. Make an offer.

Denver Nuggets

Wanted: Certain Hummer-driving high school phenom. Send us your ugly, your tired, your crippled, your jump-shot challenged. They'll find refuge here as long as they're out in July.

For sale: Camb-we make a deal? Seventeen seconds is all it will take to fall in love with this live wire. Comes with a year's supply of towels, Ben [censored] and a lifetime supply of Charmin.

Houston Rockets

Wanted: Glen Rice and Maurice Taylor to wander out into the wilderness and never be heard from again.

For sale: Tickets. C'mon folks, they added a 7-foot-5 guy to the roster this year. Do they have to sign Earl Boykins, too, to get people to start coming to the freak show?

Minnesota Timberwolves

Wanted: Rights to the plot of Terminator 3. GM Kevin McHale goes back in time to stop the signing of Joe Smith.

For sale: Retirement special. This name-Brandon, former all-star point guard is looking for a warm place in Florida to kick back, play some bingo, and brush up on his shuffleboard game. Early-bird dinner specials a major plus.

Memphis Grizzlies

Wanted: Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant.

For sale: Hip, upstart point guard from the great state of West Virginia. Defense, shot selection and common sense not included.

San Antonio Spurs

Wanted: Anyone over the age of 57.

For sale: Anyone under the age of 24. Go figure.

Utah Jazz

Wanted: Basketball Viagra for two aging stars trying to make it to the finish line.

For sale: Former 7-foot farmhand only good four games a year, but considering they are all against the Lakers, he's worth the remaining two years, $14 million left on his deal.

Pacific want ads

Golden State Warriors

Wanted: Mike Dunleavy to quit playing like he went to Duke. A certain Bay Area point guard with a chip on his shoulder. If the Glove fits, we finally would have to acquit the Warriors.

For sale: Six-foot-6 former personal rebounder for Larry Hughes. Some compare him to Sir Charles, minus the offense, defense and charisma.

Los Angeles Clippers

Wanted: Someone, anyone, willing to rescue us from the clutches of Darth Donald. If that doesn't work, we'll take the usual: Draft picks, rookies and players making less than $2 million a year.

For sale: All-star power forward, all-star caliber point guard, two emerging dynamic small forwards and a center many believe may be the third best in the league behind Shaq and Yao Ming. We don't want them.

Los Angeles Lakers

Wanted: Someone to convince Shaq and Phil that the season actually started in October.

For sale: Dr. Phil says no one. GM Mitch Kupchak says everyone not named Shaq and Kobe. The truth probably lies somewhere in between.

Phoenix Suns

Wanted: More draft picks from the Magic.

For sale: Greek week. 7-foot-2 center proves that sometimes size doesn't mean jack squat.

Portland Trail Blazers

Wanted: Now that Jayson Williams is off the hook, do you think he's interested in making a comeback? If he's not available, Latrell Sprewell, Ron Artest or Chris Mills will do. While we're at it, you can never have too many point guards, swingmen or centers. Throw in two of each and you've got a deal.

For sale: Mighty mouse. Diminutive point guard looking for love, good conversation and 30 to 35 mpg.

Sacramento Kings

Wanted: NBA Championship.

For sale: Ummm, we'll get back to you on that.

Seattle SuperSonics

Wanted: Someone good enough to justify us putting Gary Payton out to pasture for good.

For sale: Three-headed center! Must see to believe. The best money can buy. Comes in sizes of thin, medium and xxl. Your choice, only $5 million each.

NBPA coming around on Darko, Sofaklis

Whether it was a great lobbying job by NBPA president Billy Hunter, the influence of NBA ambassadors like Vlade Divac, or increasing pressure from the media, it appears that the NBA Players Association has had a change of heart concerning 17-year-old international phenoms Darko Milicic and Sofaklis Schortsianides.

Insider talked to a prominent member of the players' executive committee on Wednesday. He told me he personally had several recent conversations with Hunter on the issue and that the general consensus among the executive committee over the last few days was that the union should do everything possible to help Milicic and Schortsianides get into the draft this year.

"Our job is, and should be, to give players who want the opportunity to play in the NBA a chance," he told Insider. "We only have finite careers. If they're good enough, a team will draft them. If they aren't, they won't. I think it should be up to the teams to decide that, not David Stern."

And what about concerns, raised by several members more than a month ago, that there's no reason for veterans to fight for kids who eventually will take their jobs?

The executive committee member told Insider those concerns are legitimate, but they are outweighed by the unfairness of keeping these kids out of the draft. He expected the NBPA, when it meets in Atlanta on Saturday, to decide to file a collective bargaining agreement grievance.

That has to come as music to the ears of Milicic and Schortsianides, who were shocked when the league announced in November that they would be ineligible to declare for the 2003 NBA Draft.

Both international big men turn 18 before draft night, but the NBA has interpreted the language in the collective bargaining agreement to mean that an international player must be 18 when he officially declares for the draft. The deadline for declaring for the draft this year is May 12. Milicic turns 18 on June 20. Schortsianides on June 22.

The issue, for both sides, is charged with symbolism. David Stern has been railing on the NBPA for years to adopt an age limit that would keep anyone under the age of 20 out of the draft. The NBPA feels Stern's passion on the subject is the impetus behind the league's unusual ruling on the matter.

NBPA president Billy Hunter doesn't agree with Stern's overall philosophy on the subject. "My attitude is still the same," he recently told the N.Y. Post. "Young boys can go into the military and fight in a war in Iraq. They can get jobs. If you're mature enough to be sent off to war, there shouldn't be any prohibition to come into the league and play ball."

Gentry: We can't win with this group

Someone had to say it. Unfortunately, it was the guy who likely will be kicked to the curb along with all eight of the Clippers' underachieving players.

Coach Alvin Gentry ripped into his team after yet another disappointing loss Wednesday night. The Clippers stink. And it isn't going to get any better. Gentry sat all five starters in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's loss, turning the game over to Quentin Richardson, Keyon Dooling, Eric Piatkowski and rookies Melvin Ely and Chris Wilcox.

Andre Miller

Point Guard

Los Angeles Clippers

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

47 14.6 4.0 7.0 .391 .801

"Those are the guys who are going to get more and more time," Gentry told the L.A. Times. "I thought those guys played and competed until the end of the game. I don't know what's what, but we have to get guys on the floor who are going to compete."

Gentry feels his players have given up on team basketball in order to pursue personal agendas to increase their value on the free-agent market this summer.

"Well, I would say we have now," Gentry said. "Obviously, we've shown we can't win with this group [of starters]. The only thing left is to try the other guys."

Genty's wrath has known no limits, but the focus of his frustration has centered on promising young point guard Andre Miller. After putting up all-star-caliber numbers in Cleveland last season, he has just been awful since the New Year.

After averaging an impressive 17.9 ppg and 8 apg on 43 percent shooting in Novemeber, Miller slipped to 12.1 ppg and 6.1 apg on 31 percent shooting in January. Miller's ineffectivness, combined with the strong play of rookie Marko Jaric and third-year guard Dooling, continues to fuel speculation that Miller could be gone by the Feb. 20 trade deadline.

Is Miller injured? Is he still grieving over the death of his stepfather? Gentry doesn't have a clue.

"As far as I know, he's OK." Asked about Miller's mental state in the wake of the death of his stepfather last month, Gentry told the Times, "I don't know. The guy doesn't talk about it to me. I don't know anything that's going on with the guy."

Clippers' Frustrations Mount

Elliott Teaford / Los Angeles Times

Peep Show

Vin Baker

Forward-Center

Boston Celtics

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

47 5.2 4.0 0.6 .486 .660

Celtics: Vin Baker comes up empty once again. In yet another bizarre chapter to the never-ending saga, Baker didn't even show up for the Celtics' game against the SuperSonics (his former team) on Wednesday night. The Tacoma News-Tribune reported that Baker said he suffered dizziness Wednesday. Baker's agent, Aaron Goodwin, told several reporters that Baker remained in the hospital Wednesday night. However, the hospital confirmed Baker had checked out in the morning. Goodwin also told reporters that Baker experienced heart palpitations.

Spurs: Coach Gregg Popovitch said the team doesn't want to make any deal that would compromise the salary-cap space they have cleared to sign free agents this summer. "We're not giving it up," Popovich told the San Antonio Express News. "We're not." The biggest rumor flying around the league had the Spurs swapping Steve Smith (whose contract is expiring) and Danny Ferry for the Hawks Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Popovitch, however, said the team is unwilling to take on his contract as long as they believe they have a shot at landing free agent Jason Kidd this summer. The Express News also reported that the Hornets had a brief conversation with the Spurs about swapping center Elden Campbell for Smith. Though Campbell's contract expires at the end of this season, the Hornets would have to include another player to make the trade work.

Pacers, Warriors: Austin Croshere to the Warriors? The Indianapolis Star, quoting an Eastern Conference GM, said the Pacers and Warriors have been talking about a Croshere-for-Danny Fortson swap. That's surprising, considering the Pacers have been trying to dump Croshere in return for a player with an expiring contract. They need the cap room to re-sign Jermaine O'Neal, Reggie Miller and Brad Miller this summer.

Sixers: Coach Larry Brown said he's be comfortable keeping the team he currently has if everyone gets healthy. "Yes, I would," Brown told the Philadelphia Inqurier. "But again, I'm hopeful we will have some of these guys back. If by the 20th, we don't have a lot of these guys back, it's going to put a lot of pressure on a lot of people." Then Brown let on that a move could be in the works. "Not to say anything, but there is one area I'd like to see us improve, and it wouldn't be a major thing," he said. "But we'll wait and see." The Philadelphia Daily News is reporting that in addition to Theo Ratliff and Latrell Sprewell, the Sixers have at least internally shown interest in Heat forward Brian Grant.

Pistons: The team signed 36-year-old veteran Danny Manning on Wednesday. "This is a situation where I feel the Pistons want me here, and I want to be here," Manning told the Detroit News. "I feel I can make a contribution. I am not necessarily saying it will be on the court during games, but I will find a niche somewhere to help this team out, be it in practice or helping some of the younger guys." Manning was signed for the rest of the season for the prorated $1 million veteran's minimum.

Bulls: Rookie Jay Williams still has the potential to turn into a great NBA player. But his constant complaining about the NBA, the triangle offense, and the pressures he faces are wearing thin. You haven't heard a peep out of Yao Ming about his struggle to adjust, the fact that his teammates don't always pass him the ball or the intense media scrutiny he's under. But Williams appears to be obsessed with it. He returned to Duke on Wednesday to have his number retired. But he spent at least some of that time making excuses for his first-half failures to Sun Times columnist Jay Mariotti. The hardest part of his difficult pro adjustment? "The triangle," he said. "It's been rough. Things are done differently up there. The NBA is about re-establishing who you are individually."

Agent: Baker had heart palpitation

Frank Hughes / Tacoma News Tribune

Trade talks center on freeing cap room

Johnny Ludden / San Antonio Express-News

Croshere still faces uncertain future

Mark Montieth / Indianapolis Star

Sixers Notes | Brown says he would be comfortable going with thi

Marc Narducci / Philadelphia Inquirer

This loss catches the attention of the boss

Phil Jasner / Philadelphia Daily News

Pistons sign Manning, 36

Chris McCosky / Detroit News

He's lost that lovin' feeling

Jay Mariotti / Chicago Sun-Times

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Thanks Weaseldom. I always appreciate that you post the insiders on Hawksquawk.