Tuesday Insider

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Pressing questions

by Chad Ford

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Also Below: Sixers shake-up? | McGrady, KG turn up the heat | Peep Show

NBA Rumors: Is Kidd headed to the Alamo?

The Good, the Bad, the Kitchen Sink

With the All-Star Game behind us, Insider has some pressing questions for the second half of the season:

Will the real Lakers please stand up?

Kobe Bryant

Shooting Guard

Los Angeles Lakers

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

47 28.6 7.3 6.7 .452 .832

By now we know all too well that if it isn't the playoffs, the Lakers aren't interested. Phil Jackson has a way of getting this team interested at the right time, and the Lakers' recent 13-4 run has been enough to strike fear in the hearts of just about everyone again. But the Lakers still have a long way to go before we start talking about a fourth straight NBA title. Can Shaq stay healthy at 350 pounds? Can the Lakers survive without home-court advantage throughout the entire playoffs? Will Kobe be too exhausted to carry this team? A mid-season deal is probably in order, but the conservative Lakers probably will play the same hand that has led them to paydirt the last three years.

Will the Mavs continue to giddyup?

They run, they shoot, they dish, they dazzle, and this year they even play defense. Mark Cuban's Mavs have it all, except a tough low-post presence to battle the Shaqs and Tim Duncans of the West. At this pace, the Mavs probably have home court advantage locked up for the playoffs. The question is, will it matter if they have to battle the Lakers in the first round?

Can the Pacers and Pistons keep it up?

Isiah Thomas has his young team playing with a chip on its shoulder. Rick Carlisle has his team of no-names knocking chips off other teams' shoulders. One team has the talent, the other has the chemistry. Can both teams continue to play over the heads and do some real damage in the playoffs?

Can the Kings wrap it up?

The Kings have their best team in franchise history and seem poised to run roughshod over the rest of the league in the playoffs. But there's a catch. Chris Webber, Mike Bibby, Bobby Jackson and Peja Stojakovic have yet to all spend a game on the court together. Combine that with their shocking lack of defense the last month and the Kings might be swooning when they should be surging.

Will Jason Kidd and Tim Duncan hook up?

The balance of power in both the East and West hang by a thread. While both teams are playing playoff caliber basketball, all anyone can talk about is how one of these two teams is going to get screwed this summer. Our money says Kidd and Duncan are defending the Alamo together next season.

Will the T-Wolves, Suns, Rockets or Jazz [censored] it up?

Kevin Garnett

Small Forward

Minnesota Timberwolves

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

49 22.0 12.8 5.7 .488 .766

If the Lakers keep charging, someone in the West is going down. We're pretty sure the Spurs, Kings, Mavs and Blazers are in. One of the next four teams looks like it's in for a bad fall. All four have their issues. The T-Wolves have Kevin Garnett playing in MVP form but little else behind him. The Suns got off to a hot start, but they've cooled a bit without Penny Hardaway. The Rockets are loaded with young talent, but they aren't sure how to play together yet. The Jazz are loaded with veteran talent, but we're not sure if their oxygen tanks will last through the season. Right now, the money's on the Rockets to slip back into lottery land this year.

Are the Blazers ready to blow up?

Name a more schizophrenic team in the NBA -- and we're not talking about all the crazies on their team. One month they look like a bad episode of Oz, the next month they're unbeatable. Hear that ticking? Mt. Rasheed and the rest of the Blazerbunch are overdue for an eruption.

Will the 76ers and Hawks shake it up?

No two teams in the East are more disappointed with their first halfs. Larry Brown is talking about trading everyone in Philly, including Keith Van Horn and, yes, Allen Iverson. The Hawks held a yard sale during All-Star weekend, offering the likes of Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Glenn Robinson, Theo Ratliff and Jason Terry at Wal-Mart like prices. But no one in Philly and Atlanta seems to be asking the key question: Will anything they do make much of a difference?

Will the Clippers' Donald Sterling ever pay up?

No. So why don't Michael Olowokandi, Lamar Odom and Elton Brand just shut up and start playing basketball. Winning, not individual stats, will determine each player's individual worth in the market this summer. It might be too late to save the Clippers, but it isn't too late to save the careers of several young players trapped in the spell of Darth Donald.

Can the Warriors keep movin' on up?

Gilbert Arenas

Point Guard

Golden State Warriors

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

48 16.4 4.8 6.4 .428 .778

No longer the floor mats of the West, the Warriors are playing tough, competitive basketball every night. They have a winning record at home, their young talent is developing, and Eric Musselman has them playing their butts off every night. But they're still one or two big tweaks away from contending. Can GM Garry St. Jean redeem years worth of mistakes by making that one big trade that gets the Warriors either a missing piece of the puzzle or the cap space to re-sign Gilbert Arenas this summer? If he doesn't, this whole promising year may have been in vain.

Will the Celtics continue to chuck it up?

The Celtics have take 1,317 3-pointers this season. The next closest team? The Mavs with 955. When Walter McCarty already has taken 135 3s, you know things are out of hand.

Will the Hornets, Sonics and Bucks perk up?

The season started with high hopes. Now each team is mired in mediocrity. Will any of these teams get enough of a second-half surge to make a difference?

Will the Magic ever heal up?

Grant Hill's ankle injury has everyone bummed out.

Will the Bulls ever wake up?

Another day, another line-up change. Operations chief Jerry Krause continues to insist all of this talent is good for the team, but every Bulls player I talked to in Atlanta was sick and tired of all of the drama in Chicago. It's time to do some weeding now, before the players start doing it for them.

Will the Knicks and Heat continue to stink it up?

Both teams have too much pride to get involved in the LeBron James lottery mess. That's too bad. Both teams need a serious infusion of young talent to rebuild. However, both teams seem more content to forage for over-paid, over-the-hill veterans. Will they ever learn?

Should the Raptors, Nuggets, Cavs and Grizzlies tank it up for LeBron?

Just a suggestion.

Will MJ light it up in the finals?

We asked the same question last year. Shortly thereafter, Jordan went down for the season with a knee injury. Here we are again. MJ is in All-Star form, Jerry Stackhouse has been a good sidekick, and the Wizards are in the playoff hunt in the talent-challenged East. Last year, the playoffs would have been a miracle. This year, they're the baseline. Can Jordan do the unthinkable and lead his Wizards to the NBA Finals? Three months ago, he had us all believing the impossible. This season we're too busy throwing retirement parties to notice.

Sixers shake-up?

Two weeks ago, it looked like the Hawks were the team most likely to blow up their entire roster. But after talking to numerous league sources in Atlanta this weekend, a new contender has emerged.

Derrick Coleman

Forward-Center

Philadelphia 76ers

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

36 7.9 5.7 1.0 .423 .804

We all know Larry Brown loves to tinker, but is he on the verge of dropping a bomb on the Sixers? Team owner Ed Snider is pushing hard for Brown to fix the problem. Like the Hawks of a few weeks ago, the underachieving Sixers are being mentioned prominently in several major trade rumors.

Here's the lowdown:

Brown still is pushing to swap Derrick Coleman for Theo Ratliff. However, to get it done, he must appease Snider, who wants Brown to cut one of the Sixers' terrible salaries before taking on the final two years of Ratliff's salary. That's lead to ...

The Sixers and Knicks apparently are rekindling the Latrell Sprewell-Keith Van Horn talks. If the Sixers made that move, they'd clear $15.7 million in cap room in the long term. Spree has just two years left on his deal, while Van Horn has three. The biggest question is why the Knicks would make that move now, after CEO James Dolan told GM Scott Layden no more bad contracts.

Keith Van Horn

Forward

Philadelphia 76ers

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

48 16.5 7.6 1.2 .484 .816

There's no great answer, other than to say Layden is a fan of Van Horn, and Dolan isn't in love with Spree. Layden believes the Knicks have to get taller and younger, and Van Horn is an upgrade in both categories. A lineup featuring Allan Houston, Van Horn and Antonio McDyess probably would fare a little better in the East, especially if it includes the addition of a lottery-pick big man and their 2002 second-round pick, point guard Milos Vujanic.

Moving both Coleman and Van Horn would dramatically remake the Sixers front line. But Brown might not stop there. The hottest rumor making the rounds Monday morning had Philly quietly gauging interest in Allen Iverson. The Sixers would demand another All-Star caliber two-guard in return.

One N.Y. Post report hinted that a Vince Carter for Iverson swap could be in the works. Based on numbers alone, it's highly unlikely. Carter is a base-year compensation player this season, making him almost impossible to trade. To get the numbers to work, the Raptors and Sixers would have to put together a massive deal that would send Iverson, Todd MacCulloch, Eric Snow and Greg Buckner to Toronto for Carter, Hakeem Olajuwon, Jerome Williams and Alvin Williams.

In other words, don't hold your breath on that one.

Can Sixers keep season from slip slidin' away?

Sam Donnellon / Philadelphia Daily News

Spree's Farewell?

Marc Berman / New York Post

Dissecting NBA's Air-Show And Mariah's [un]Dress

Peter Vecsey / New York Post

McGrady, KG turn up the heat

The Magic are preaching patience as they try to sort through the Grant Hill mess. However, it looks like they're running out of time.

Tracy McGrady

Shooting Guard

Orlando Magic

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

44 30.4 6.5 4.9 .455 .799

Tracy McGrady told the Sun-Sentinel on Tuesday that his patience with the franchise was being tested. He's giving the franchise one more year to get him some help.

"The clock is ticking," McGrady said. "I don't know how much longer. . . I'm still going to continue to have patience. I'm going to give this thing one more shot. Obviously, Grant [Hill] is going to have a lot of time to do what he has to do to get healthy. If he comes back healthy next year, then we'll see what happens. But if not, then something's got to give."

McGrady can opt out of his contract after the 2003-04 season. If things don't get better, he may do just that, leaving the Magic in an even worse position than they were before.

While some believe McGrady has the biggest load of any star in the NBA to carry, Kevin Garnett begs to differ. He's been in T-Mac's shoes for a while, and he doesn't even have a healthy Grant Hill to think about.

Kevin Garnett

Small Forward

Minnesota Timberwolves

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

49 22.0 12.8 5.7 .488 .766

"Hey, damned if you do, damned if you don't," said Garnett. "When you lose, it's your fault. When you win, it's a team effort."

Andy Miller, Garnett's agent, said Monday that he "has a sense that [Garnett's] frustration level is mounting. But who exactly it's focused on or not focused on, I'm not sure," Miller told the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

The T-Wolves, however, are becoming less understanding about Garnett's woes. His salary is more than double McGrady's.

"We're trying to put a better team together," owner Glen Taylor told the Pioneer Press. "He should understand the difficulties of doing that, what with his salary, and Terrell Brandon's salary and injury, the salary cap.And we've shared all of those [difficulties] with him, and we continue to look for opportunities to do some more. It isn't like the team hasn't tried, and that management hasn't tried. On the other hand, we've done pretty good compared to most teams. We're not down on the bottom."

McGrady won't wait forever to get in position for a title run

Jerry Brewer / Orlando Sentinel

Fix it -- or else!

Jerry Brewer / Orlando Sentinel

Garnett vents his frustration

Robbi Pickeral / St. Paul Pioneer Press

Peep Show

Nets: Coach Byron Scott is worried that Jason Kidd is going to bolt the Nets this summer. "I think the relationships that he's formed here are important," he told the N.Y. Times. "I think winning obviously is very important and I think family is important. Those three things being said, I think we have still have just as good a chance as anybody, and better, to get him back, or rather, to keep him here."

Lakers: Looks like the Lakers are ready to stand pat as the trade deadline nears. "I'd say we're like maybe 10% or 20% opportunity to make a trade," coach Phil Jackson told the L.A. Times. "Nothing's jumping up right at us now and we haven't knocked anything out of a bush that can help us. We have to be perceptive enough to know there might be something there for us and to be ready. I understand there are players and teams available."

Clippers: Lamar Odom knows what's wrong with the Clippers. "Injuries and negotiations," Odom told the L.A. Times. "That's what I would say the title to our season has been. Injuries, and people are worried about contracts. Plus, bad play and inconsistency and you've got the Clippers for this season." When asked about what changes the future might bring, Odom said, "With everything I've gone through, the [drug] suspensions and the injuries [that sidelined him for 11 months], this team has been loyal to me. I think we have to force the front office into keeping this team together by playing well. You watch all the young teams, they start young and they grow older together. It's like a marriage. Until this team marries somebody, there's going to be ups and downs."

Celtics: Here's the biggest news to come out of Boston in weeks. It's now been medically confirmed that Vin Baker has a heart. Unfortunately, it hasn't been working so well lately. Baker, however, received clearance to play tonight and with Tony Battie out, he'll likely start. "I'm ready to play," Baker told the Boston Globe. "I'm not worried about it. I have no fears of passing out. I'm going to give it 110 percent when I get on the floor. I have no worries about anything. I don't think I lost that much of my conditioning." No word yet on when Baker plans on traveling to Emerald City to get some courage to go along with the heart.

Kings: Chris Webber could return for the Feb. 18 game against Milwaukee, the Feb. 20 game against Boston or the Feb. 23 game against New York, the Sacramento Bee reported. "Webb moved better than I expected him to," coach Rick Adelman said. Guard Bobby Jackson (fractured left hand) and forward Lawrence Funderburke (foot-tissue inflammation, Achilles' tendinitis) could be available Sunday when the Kings host San Antonio.

Mavs: Eduardo Najera is finally back. Michael Finley believes Najera's return will give the Mavericks a much-needed boost in the physical aspect of the game. "Najera gives us something that doesn't always end up in the stats, and that's his garbage type of mentality," Finley told the Fort Worth Star Telegram. "By that I mean his willingness to do the dirty work for our team, get the rebounds, take the charges, be aggressive defensively and just give us that [physical] presence. Unfortunately for him he's only 6-8, so he's doing what a lot of big guys that are 7 feet are doing around the league. So he's very important, and I think he's going to add to our success."

Bulls: Coach Bill Cartwright's decision to replace Jamal Crawford with Jay Williams, Trenton Hassell with Eddie Robinson and Tyson Chandler with Eddy Curry didn't go over well with at least one Bulls player. "Whatever," Crawford told the Chicago Tribune. "Nothing surprises me anymore. I've been through enough this year that it doesn't even matter. I'll just try to help the team, whatever it may be, come off the bench, provide a spark, whatever." Cartwright was more philosophical about it. "It is tough," he said. "Jamal has been doing a good job, and Jay's been doing a good job. I've said this before: I know it matters to them who starts, but it matters to me who finishes the game."

Wizards: Coach Doug Collins has decided to start Tyronn Lue at point guard instead of Larry Hughes. "It's not a demotion," Collins told the Washington Post. "I've got to try to maximize our roster. If T. Lue starts, I want to use him with Michael [Jordan] and Jerry [stackhouse]. That way I can come in with Larry, Juan [Dixon] and Bryon Russell on the perimeter. This way I can have scoring on the perimeter with both units, I won't have to have two smaller guards playing off the bench with Juan and T. Lue. The thing is, I have to get Larry in the mind-set that this is not a demotion. He's played well and this has nothing to do with that.I'm going to take a look at this. If it works, fine. If not, I'll do something else."

Grizzlies: Has Stromile Swift lost his mind? He has some lofty predictions for the Grizzlies in the second half. "We're going to try to go out in the second half and win games," Swift told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Way to shoot for the stars Stromile. . . . The good news is that Michael Dickerson worked out the entire two hours and without a substitution in the team's scrimmage. "He went hard two hours, and I thought that for a guy who was laid off most of the year, he did well," coach Hubie Brown said. "The main thing for us now is we want to see him compete." He could begin playing by the end of this week."

Nuggets: Here's a shocker; Marcus Camby's ankle still isn't healed. "It's going to be this week, but I'm not sure yet," Camby told the Denver Post. "There is still some swelling. It's getting to the point where I have to play with swelling." Quit teasing us.

Scott Says He's Not Worried About Kidd's Staying a Net

Liz Robbins / New York Times

Ball Is in Their Court, but Clock Is Running

Tim Brown / Los Angeles Times

'Same Old Clippers'

Elliott Teaford / Los Angeles Times

Baler is cleared to play but Battie is out

Shira Springer / Boston Globe

Webber may be able to return next week

Martin McNeal / Sacramento Bee

Najera recuperated and ready to rumble

Dwain Price / Fort Worth Star-Telegram

No plane, no gain for Tyson

Roman Modrowski / Chicago Sun Times

Wizards Put Lue in the Driver's Seat

Steve Wyche / Washington Post

Rejuvenated Griz feeling optimistic

Ronald Tillery / Memphis Commercial-Appeal

Camby doesn't expect to play tonight

Marc J. Spears / Denver Post