Insider Special: Good, Bad, & the Kitchen Sink

[Guest]

The Good, the Bad, the Kitchen Sink

By Terry Brown

Monday, February 24 Updated 3:45 PM EST

Thirty-nine days and counting since we last saw Grant Hill in an actual NBA game . . .

The Good

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

Week's work: 4-0 record, 43.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3 apg, 2.2 spg, 1.2 bpg, 11 triples, 46% shooting

Forget Duncan, Kidd and Garnett. We're talking DiMaggio, Brown and Chamberlain. Einstein, Beethoven and Picasso better get ready.

Tracy McGrady, Orlando Magic

Week's work: 3-0 record, 40.6 ppg, 7 rpg, 7.6 apg, 1.6 spg, 1.6 bpg, 10 triples, 47% shooting

If these two aren't careful, we're going to insist they participate in some form of dunk contest complete with shimmering gold chains and flat tops.

Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves

Week's work: 29.2 ppg, 13.7 rpg. 4.2 apg, 1.2 spg, 1.2 bpg, 2 triples, 55% shooting

What kind of world do we live in when you can put up these types of numbers while leading your team to 14-straight home victories for the fifth-best homecooking in the league and fourth-place tie in the Western Conference and still place a distant third for the week . . . ?

Jamal Mashburn, New Orleans Hornets

Week's work: 30.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 6.2 apg, 0.7 spg, 8 triples, 45% shooting

No Baron, No Elden, no problem. The best of the mortals this week hit for 50 one night and handed out 10 assists the next after having led his team in scoring in 11 of the last 12 games.

The Bad

Raef LaFrentz, Dallas Mavericks

Weak work: 3-0 record, 6 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 0.6 apg, 1 spg, 0.3 bpg, 61% shooting

When they traded for this guy from Denver, he was averaging 14.9 points, three blocks and 1.4 three-pointers per game. This week, he totaled only one block, which was one more than his three-point total. But that isn't anything new this season. In January, he averaged 27.5 minutes per game, which fell to 21 minutes in February and 17 minutes this week.

Ron Artest, Indiana Pacers

Weak work: 0-4 record, 10.7 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.5 apg, 2 spg, 0 bpg, 36% shooting

Not sure if he needs professional help or just a good butt-whooping. Or if his coach should join him on the couch as the wanna-be bullies drop four in a row and into second in the Central. By the way, I never heard Bill Lambier utter these words: He pushed me first.

Shaquille O'Neal, Los Angeles Lakers

Weak work: 2-0 record, 25.5 ppg, 14.5 rpg, 3.5 apg, 0.5 spg, 1 bpg, 54% shooting

Far be it for us to question the pain threshold of a 7-foot, 300-plus pound man who still dances better than most of us but his timing is another thing. Houston. Yao. Tuesday. Sometimes the appearance of cowardice can be as bad as cowardice, itself.

The Ugly

If you thought it was bad before, the Denver Nuggets are currently on an eight-game losing skid and if they don't win tonight against the surging Golden State Warriors, who have won their last two games, they'll face three playoff contenders in a row before hitting the road for a four-game trip.

The Kitchen Sink

OUR HERO

The Nets have lost two in a row and five of their last 10 as Boston has lost five of its last 10 and Detroit has, as it turns out, lost its last two while the Pacers have dropped four in a row and every East Coast basketball junkie finds himself at the mercy of one Derrick Coleman.

During the Sixers' latest six-game win streak, Coleman has put together two 20-point outbursts, three 12 or more rebounding games and recorded eight blocks. His worst game of the span was an eight-point, eight-board, two-steal, two-assists and one triple performance in only 25 minutes of play.

Remember, this is the same guy who was all but left for dead by at least three different franchises, including the one he is currently employed by back in 1998.

He's also the same guy who averaged 20 points and 10 rebounds a game for five years with New Jersey.

Quite simply, he is both.

In the 2000 season, he averaged 16.7 points and 8.5 rebounds.

A year later, he averaged 8.1 points and 5.4 rebounds.

A year later, he averaged 15.1 points and eight rebounds.

A year later, this year as it turns out, he's averaging 8.7 points and 6.5 rebounds, only he may not be waiting for next season to continue the cycle.

Without Coleman and their recent streak, the Philadelphia Sixers were 25-24 and your typical Eastern Conference playoff scrub tolerated because somebody had to provide a forum for Allen Iverson.

With Coleman, they are the hottest team east of the Mississippi.

HOUSTON, WE HAVE A SOLUTION

Last week, he dropped 53 on the Lakers. Since then, he's nabbed nine steals (which, in five games, is more than he had in all of November or December or January), tied a season-high in rebounding with seven in the Knicks' latest game against Sacramento and averaged 4.5 assists per game this week after averaging only 2.9 all year.

And all Allan Houston has to do in the next three games in February is block one more shot to bring his total to two (or one more than he's had in any other month this season) and he might shake that three-point specialist tag.

RAY OF HOPE

In one game as a Seattle Sonic, Ray Allen grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds and tied a season-high with nine assists and tallied more points (26 to 21.3), steals (3 to 1.2) and triples (4 to 2.6) than he had averaged in 47 games with the Milwaukee Bucks.

PAYTON'S PLACE

For all that he has done in the last 13 years as a point guard in the NBA, Gary Payton has never led the league in assists. And, after being traded to the Bucks over the weekend, he may never.

Currently, he is the NBA's leader at 8.8 assists per game, having totaled 466 of them in 53 games. But right behind him is buddy Jason Kidd, who is at 8.5 assists per game with 468 of them in 55 games.

The Glove did hand out nine of them in his debut with Bucks on Saturday but how often do you really think that he and Sam Cassell, the resident point guard in Milwaukee already averaging 5.8 assists per game, are going to have 17 together in the same night as Kidd averages 9.3 per contest in the month of February?

IN-VINCE-IBLE

He may be averaging career lows in points, rebounds, assists, steals, field goal percentage and minutes (last week putting up only 13.6 points per game on 40% shooting), but since his return on Jan. 26, Vince Carter and the Toronto Raptors have won seven of 10 games after starting out 10-33 on the season.

REBOUND

San Antonio Spur Malik Rose began the season averaging 14 points and nine rebound per game in October. The very next month, he fell to 7.6 points and 6.4 rebounds in November. He hit bottom in December, averaging 5.5 points and four rebounds per game. But one month later, he was up to 8.7 points and 5.4 rebounds.

And with the Spurs winning eight of their nine games in February, he is back on top averaging 13.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

BIG AND LITTLE OF IT

Ben Wallace, the only all-star in the game today who can figure out his shooting percentage on one hand, put up a season-high 16 points last week against the Minnesota Timberwolves on 7 of 10 shooting in 43 minutes.

In the very next game, he scored two points on 1 of 4 shooting in 42 minutes.

For the season, he has 11 games in which he has reached double figures, 41 games in which he hasn't and two in which he played a total of 69 minutes, taken five shots and scored zero points.

EXCHANGE RATE

Shareef Abdur-Rahim, proven Atlanta Hawk veteran and former Grizzly star

This season: 19.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1 spg, 0.4 bpg, 46% shooting

Pau Gasol, risky international draft pick of the Hawks and current Grizzly ROY

This season: 18.1 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.8 apg, 0.4 spg, 2 bpg, 50% shooting

^^^^^^^^^^^^

ALL-STAR SNUB SPECIAL

Boston Celtics (31-24) versus Indiana Pacers (26-25)

Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2003

At the FleetCenter in Boston

7 p.m. EST

On Feb. 9, Eastern Conference All-Star head coach Isiah Thomas played his Pacer tandem of Jermaine O'Neal and Brad Miller a total of 50 minutes as they produced 15 points and the game-losing foul on Kobe Bryant. Meanwhile, on the other end of the bench, Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker rode pine to a total of 27 minutes but still came up with 14 points. Bet they'll have more on this night when they play O'Neal and Miller on their homecourt.

THE END

"Rack 'em up." — Kobe Bryant sometime in between back-to-back 40-point games against the Jazz and Blazers, before his 41 against the Sonics but after his 52 against the Rockets as the Lakers win four-in-a-row to reach the seventh seed in the West.

[cyman3]

I know we went over this before... but look at the numbers

Shareef Abdur-Rahim, proven Atlanta Hawk veteran and former Grizzly star

This season: 19.9 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.9 apg, 1 spg, 0.4 bpg, 46% shooting

Pau Gasol, risky international draft pick of the Hawks and current Grizzly ROY

This season: 18.1 ppg, 8.8 rpg, 2.8 apg, 0.4 spg, 2 bpg, 50% shooting

what do u think?

[Jamil]

The numbers are very close so I'd say they are about even. When you consider the big difference in salaries ( I think SAR is making about $7 million more per year), Memphis got the better end of that deal by a landslide.

Bottom line is Babcock dealt the ROY for a maximum-salaried player who hasn't made his team better or put fans in the seats.

And if Babcock had kept the pick, he probably was gonna take Battier. So either way he makes the wrong decision.

[ATLien_]

I seems to me, they are basically the same player. Neither will ever be a superstar because they are soft. They both give you close to 20/10. I still think Reef is a better players simply because he demands double teams and Gasol doesn't. We have seen what happens if teams try to single cover SAR, not good.

[beav]

SAR is making 7 mil? For some reason I thought that he was a max player....

[Traceman]

more than Gasol. I think Reef is a LITTLE better than Gasol but certainly not $9 million/season better. Throw in the fact that we lost the relatively productive Lorenzen Wright in the deal as well and there is NO WAY any logical person would say that the Hawks got the best end of the deal now.

That being said, I liked the deal when it was made for several reasons. One, Babs likely would have taken Battier with the #3 overall pick and he is nowhere near the player that Reef or Gasol is. Battier is a solid player but he is still a role player at the NBA level, nothing more.

Two, even if we had taken Gasol, there was no guarantee that he was going to be the player he has become. If teams knew how good he was going to be last year, I'm sure that Washington and Chicago would have taken him instead of Kwame Brown and Tyson Chandler. With Babs' draft history, I'd take the sure thing in Reef all day over the unknown. Would you trade Nazr, DD and the #3 overall (Carmelo Anthony?) for Antoine Walker or Elton Brand? I sure would and that is basically what Babs did.

[Guest]

1)Knight is betterthan Dan.

2)Lo is probably better than Nazr

3)Walker and Brand are both better than Reef.

I hate Walkers shooting but he is a far better

passer and is more clutch than Reef.

[Playmaker0017]

Cyman,

Stats don't tell the whole picture.

Reef consistantly gets double teamed. Pau doesn't.

Reef is 6'9. Pau is 7'.

Reef has Big Loaf on his team. Pau does not.

Reef has a bad back since the start of the season. Pau does not.

Most importantly, Memphis has two above average PGs. One of them has the ability to drive and kick to open players. Which Pau is the lucky recipient of. We don't have that.

Further, we have no offensive game plan. Once the opposition falls into the zone, we can't break it.

Play.

[Playmaker0017]

HotLantaDude,

Everyone is better than the Hawks in your estimation. Your player vs. player matchups are worthless, because you are overly critical.

I agree with the first two. The last one, I agree with if we look at this years "STATS".

Play.

[Guest]

It's easy to get 20/10 when you are getting

blown out every other game.Reef deserves

no credit...This team gets blown out more than

any I can remember in a long time.

[Diesel]

Certainly not Employee #8.

He's a JUNK player. His passing isn't that good and he tosses up more threes than Mookie used to do. He has good stats but that's basically because he plays on a 2 man team. Reef is a lot better.

Brand is marginally better because of his defense. However, Brand pulls the biggest disappearing acts of any PF playing.

[Guest]

Reef has a career winning percentage of about 23%

over 6-7 yearas that is TERRIBLE no matter who you

play for.

Walker is a factor in wins.You take him away and

Boston doesn't make the playoffs.You take Reef

away from the Hawks and they still win 25 games

which isn't much less than what they are going to

win with him.Reef is not a factor in games and he

is easy to double team because he will do predictable

that that can be shut down when push comes to shove.

Teams always want to go out a players weakness.Reef

is predictable.....Just like Pat Riley and Dampier said.

Listen to the guys that know more about the game than

you.I told you and you didn't listen and now you heard

if from coaches and other players.Even the coach told

you"Reef is a 18PPG scorer on a bad team"and coming

from Riley that is all you need to know.

I guess all the coaches/Players/writters attack Reef for

no reason?His best year was his second year.It's kinda

sad that he was maxed out his second year in the

league.

I told you last year and you just wouldn't listen.

Oh and it doesn't matter what kind of game Walker

plays....He is sucessful at it on a high level while

Reef wouldn't even began to understand sucess at

the pro level.

[Diesel]

Atlanta hater.

You did it again. Said some foolish stuff.

You said take Reef away and we still win about 25?

Pass that stuff you're smoking to the left.

Reef is the only player on our team that if you take him away, we lose.

We can win without JT and Big Dog. However, if there's no Reef.... we Lose.

[Guest]

You said take Reef away and we still win about 25?

Pass that stuff you're smoking to the left.

Reef is the only player on our team that if you take him away, we lose.

We can win without JT and Big Dog. However, if there's no Reef.... we Lose."

We won 25 games two years ago with JT as the first

option!And we were more competetive that year than

we are this year.That team was better than this years

team and they tried a hellva lot harder.

"him away, we lose."

Already 15 games under .500 I'd call that losing.The

sad thing is that JT as a first option lead the Hawks

to more wins than SAR lead Vancouver to that year.

[Diesel]

In reply to:

---

We won 25 games two years ago with JT as the first

option!And we were more competetive that year than

we are this year.

---

[censored]... I guess Lo Wright, Brevin Knight, Nazr, JJ, and Toni and his 2 triple doubles don't mean NOTHING?

All the sudden, SAR is supposed to replace all that? Not to mention the changes brought along by Big Dog and Theo?

[Diesel]

Last yr we won 33 games with Reef as the first option. Pretty much same team minus Lo as 2 yrs ago. That should tell you that Reef was better than what we gave up.

[Guest]

The second of last year SAR/JT were really co first

options.Heck JT had 40 plus games againest Dallas

and Cleveland.

[Guest]

his 2 triple doubles don't mean NOTHING?"

Acutally the Hawks struggled after Toni came

to the team in the win/loss department...I

believe they won more games the first half

of the season.

"[censored]... I guess Lo Wright, Brevin Knight, Nazr, JJ, and Toni and his 2 triple doubles don't mean NOTHING? "

These guys were shuffled around all year...The Hawks had

alot of changes that year.That team has less of a chance

at building chiemstry than this team did.

All you have to do is ask Pat Riley and Dampier.ED slammed and a few nights later he comes out to take

a 25 point whipping from the guy that basically smacked

him in the face...That says alot about Reef's manhood

right there.

[KB21]

Pau is an overrated player because very little of his points come in an offensive set. He gets the majority of his points off put backs, junk baskets, and fast break opportunities.

The problem with Pau is that he has no back to the basket game in the post, and he can't shoot the basketball.

Reef has a very polished back to the basket game with a variety of moves in the post.

If I had to pick one of the two to get me a basket at the end of the game, I'd take Reef.

[Traceman]

How many Grizllies games have you watched this year? If you say one I'll be shocked. If you did watch them, you would know that Gasol gets doubled quite a bit. Who are teams going to double against Memphis? Jason Williams was their 2nd leading scorer before Mike Miller got there at about 12 ppg. Following Williams in the scoring order is Wright, Person, Battier and Swift . Do you think any of those guys EVER get doubled? Please! Reef has Dog and JT who are both proven 20 ppg guys as his protection against double teams and Gasol has J Will and Lorenzen as his protection and you think Reef gets tougher double teams? Give me a break!

As for Reef being 6'9' and Pau being 7'0", what's your point? Does Reef get bonus points for being an undersized PF?

Pau can only wish he had another player as good as Dog to take pressure off him on the offensive end. Maybe once Mike Miller gets healthy he can be that guy.

Reef has had a bad back since the start of the season? Pau carried the entire Spanish national team on his back and played while injured all summer. He brought that injury into the season and he is still not 100%. He also led the Spanish National Team to a win over the USA. You think Reef could have done that? Please!

And as for PGs, Reef played with one of the NBAs best PGs in Bibby for 3 seasons and the Grizzlies still sucked.

It's amazing to me how much of a pass Reef gets when all everyone wants to do is blame Dog. When Reef fails, its always Dog's fault, JT's fault or the coach's fault. Well it has been SOMEBODY's fault that Reef has failed for his entire 7 season NBA career. According to ESPN, he has the worst winning percentage on ANY NBA player over last 7 seasons, worse even than Eric Piatkowski who has been with the Clippers for the last 7 years. The coaches have changed, the players around him have changed and even the teams have changed. One thing remains constant, he continues to lose. He has a .259 winning percentage for his career. That is incredible!

At some point, Reef has to bear his share of the responsibility for the team's poor play. If Reef is one of the NBA's top 20 players as many on this board contend, then that should make him as good as Ray Allen wouldn't you agree? In addition, I've heard many on this board claim that they wouldn't trade JT for Cassell. Well if the Big 3 of Allen, Dog and Cassell can make it to within one game of the EC finals while starting alongside DARVIN HAM and EARVIN JOHNSON, surely the Big 3 of Reef, Dog and JT should be able to just MAKE IT to the playoffs starting alongside Theo and ANYBODY in the weak EC! [censored] Memphis is 9-10 against the EC. If they were in the EC, they would be battling for a playoff spot!

You guys can continue to bash Dog all you want but Reef is just as much to blame for our poor play as anyone else on the team. Reef being undersized causes just as much of a chemistry problem for this team with Theo and Dog up front as any of Dog's poor ballhandling/lack of D does. If this team is going to improve, more than likely, one of them has to go. Of course I'd rather see Dog go than Reef but the reality is that we have a MUCH better chance of getting something of value back for Reef than we do for Dog. If we could get a young up and coming PF (Griffin or Brown) and a good SG (Mobley or Hughes) for Reef this summer, I'd pull the trigger in a heartbeat. Obviously, I'd do those same deals for Dog but obviously, the other team would laugh in our face.