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Playoff stakes: Wolves, Spurs and Pacers face serious questions

Chad Ford

NBA Insider

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The NBA playoffs got off to a bang this weekend. Between the upsets, the injuries, the outrage and the suspensions, once again, teams are proving that the regular season really means jack.

The pressure cooker goes from warm to high overnight, and the burden is just too much for some to bear.

"[The Nets] played a playoff game and we were still in the regular season," Bucks coach George Karl after the Nets made his team look Bucks in the headlights in Game 1.

Maybe it had something to do with all of those Canadian Mounties joining Gary Payton, Sam Cassell and Jason Caffey in the huddle during time outs.

A downtrodden Kevin Garnett wasn't any happier to see a season-long struggle to get home-court advantage blown in a single afternoon after the Lakers ripped them apart on Sunday.

"I actually thought we were going to be a lot more geeked up, so to speak."

We all did KG.

Problems? The Bucks and Wolves have problems. So do the Spurs, Blazers and Pacers. And just to prove that losing Game 1 isn't everything, the Nets and Mavs aren't exactly sitting pretty if they don't walk away in June with an NBA title.

It's difficult to remember a more tumultuous time for the NBA's elite. So many questions marks. So much uncertainty for the NBA's top teams. An early ouster for underachieving teams like the Wolves, Bucks, Blazers, Jazz or the Pacers, or a stalled drive to the Finals for the Spurs, Nets, or Mavs could trigger a major overhaul this summer.

There can be only one champion. For everyone else, second place may not be good enough. Today Insider breaks down the costly ramifications of coming up short this spring. . .

Tony Parker

Point Guard

San Antonio Spurs

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

82 15.5 2.6 5.3 .464 .755

San Antonio's Game 1 loss to the Suns on Saturday has single handedly revived the Jason Kidd-Tony Parker debate. Suns point guard Stephon Marbury possesses some sort of mystical hold over Parker that has everyone from Tim Duncan to coach Gregg Popovich worried. Sure, Parker's only 20 years old, but Duncan is staring at his 27th birthday and the opportunity to opt out of his contract this summer.

Does Parker have what it takes to lead the Spurs to the promised land this season? He's feeling the pressure.

"They're long, athletic, they contest our shots pretty good," Parker told the San Antonio Express News. "They play pretty good defense on me, Jack (Stephen Jackson) and Manu (Emanuel Ginobili). They play pretty good defense on Timmy (Duncan). We're going to try to get him the ball. But they're going to double-, triple-team. If me, Jack and Manu hit outside shots, we're going to win the series. If we keep on missing wide-open shots, we're going to lose."

Popovich is trying to keep everything in perspective. Two miracle three pointers aren't going to happen every night.

"I worry about individual matchups," Popovich said. "I worry about us as a team having not solved Phoenix. At the same time, I've never been around somebody who's more competitive than Tony Parker. I know one of his main goals will be to play a great game against Stephon Marbury. That's what I will expect him to do."

And if he fails? The Jason Kidd-for-point guard debate goes into overdrive this summer. Parker's stellar play this season had the Spurs thinking about splitting the roughly $14 million in cap space between an athletic small forward like Lamar Odom or Corey Maggette and another big man like Michael Olowokandi or even P.J. Brown.

But if the Spurs come up short, they'll have to seriously rethink their plan. With David Robinson retiring this summer, the Spurs are going to be awfully young if they go with guys like Odom and Olowokandi. Besides, the guys they could split their money on aren't proven winners. Kidd's confidence and experience would make the Spurs the early favorites for an NBA title next season. Kidd and Parker could play together in the backcourt, or the team could shop Parker (who has a ton of value) and try to land a big man or a small forward that way.

Jason Kidd

Point Guard

New Jersey Nets

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

80 18.7 6.3 8.9 .414 .841

Speaking of Kidd and the Nets, GM Rod Thorn was become the official spokesperson for TUMS. The Nets' rousing victory over the Bucks on Saturday was nice, but he's got bigger reasons to worry.

Word leaked out over the weekend that Nets assistant coach Eddie Jordan was on the Raptors' short list to replace ousted head coach Lenny Wilkens. Other top candidates are believed to be Jeff Van Gundy and Wizards' assistant Brian James. Thorn better start stumping for Van Gundy or James, because frankly, if Jordan leaves New Jersey this summer, Kidd won't be far behind.

Kidd's relationship with head coach Byron Scott has been strained and Jordan has been the one holding it together. Kidd largely credits Jordan with devising the offense that propelled the Nets to the Eastern Conference championship last June.

That puts Thorn between the proverbial rock and a hard place. If the Nets make it back to the Finals, it will be tough to justify firing Scott and offering the job to Jordan in an attempt to keep him and Kidd in New Jersey. If the Nets belly flop in the first or second round, firing Scott isn't out of the question, but the Nets' regression could give Kidd some pause about re-signing this summer.

Kidd's obsessed with winning a championship. Anything short of a serious title run for the Nets is going to give his wandering eyes more justification. You think Scott is feeling the pressure just a little bit in New Jersey.

Jermaine O'Neal

Forward-Center

Indiana Pacers

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

77 20.8 10.3 2.0 .484 .731

Scott's not the only high-profile coach under some fire for his team to win in the playoffs. The Pacers' Isiah Thomas seems to have sleeper cells of critics in every town. His controversial decision to sit Reggie Miller in the fourth quarter as the Pacers saw their 10-point lead collapse around them was fodder for everyone on Sunday.

Boston Globe columnist Bob Ryan went so far as to proclaim Thomas, not Celtics guard Paul Pierce, the "silent Celtics' hero" in Game 1.

Thomas has a lot at stake right now. Yes, the Pacers are young and still have a lot of growing to do. But they also have three very prominent free agents who want assurances that the team is heading in the right direction.

The Pacers are confident that Jermaine O'Neal wants to re-up with Indiana this summer. Brad and Reggie Miller are both supposed to be back as well, but first-round collapse to undermanned Celtics squad could cause some dissension in the ranks.

The Nuggets, Heat and Spurs would love to throw O'Neal the max this summer. While it's tough to see how the Nuggets would hold any appeal (they're about three years behind the Pacers in their rebuilding project), the Heat and Spurs could hold some appeal. The Heat can offer a great coach, and a great system. They don't have the talent that Indiana does, but Pat Riley holds an unusual sway over free agents. The Spurs could promise O'Neal the chance at championships alongside Duncan. But it comes with a pretty serious sacrifice. In Indiana, O'Neal is the man and the best power forward in the Eastern Conference. In San Antonio, he'd have to play second fiddle to Duncan and face the likes of KG, Chris Webber, Elton Brand, Dirk Nowitzki and Rasheed Wallace every night.

The Spurs and Heat could also come calling for Brad Miller who looks to be the hottest free agent center in the NBA this summer along with Olowokandi. And Reggie, if his role continues to be diminished, could decide that there is a some place better than home.

Kevin Garnett

Small Forward

Minnesota Timberwolves

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

82 23.0 13.4 6.0 .502 .751

The Spurs, Nets and Pacers aren't the only ones in danger of losing major players if their drive to playoffs stalls early. Everyone in Minnesota is holding their breath right now. What will KG's reaction be if the Wolves continue to play uninspired basketball against the Lakers?

Garnett's disappointment was palpable on Sunday after the loss. KG brought his "A" game, but everyone else didn't play like their lives depended on it.

Wolves coach Flip Saunders was flabbergasted by his team's shoddy effort. "I'd like to say I have a lot of answers, but I probably don't at this point," Saunders said soon after told reporters. "To start the game, we didn't nearly have the aggressiveness that you need to have to play anybody in a playoff series, but especially someone with the weapons the Lakers have."

Garnett opted against signing a contract extension this fall, in part, because he had concerns about the competitive future of the Wolves. Garnett even flirted with taking a major pay cut to free the Wolves up to add another top-flight player to the roster.

A seventh straight first-round ouster won't help things. Neither will the Wolves' relative lack of flexibility this summer. They'll have a late-first-round pick and their mid-level exception. Last summer, just about every prominent free agent rejected the Wolves' money. The one guy they did get to sign, Ricky Davis, was matched by Cleveland.

If the Wolves can't convince someone to come this summer, or if they can't work out a trade (the problem is they have no one to offer) it could be trouble. Even worse, there still aren't any guarantees that Rasho Nesterovic, their third-best player behind KG and Wally Szczerbiak, will re-sign this summer.

The writing is on the wall T-Wolves fans. If something doesn't change this week, the Wolves will have to spend the summer sifting through deals that allow them to salvage something, anything, in return for Garnett.

Gary Payton

Point Guard

Milwaukee Bucks

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

80 20.4 4.2 8.3 .454 .710

The Bucks are facing a more pressing dilemma. If the team falls apart against the Nets (and all signs are pointing that direction) what happens this summer?

Will Karl be able to keep his job? Several commentators pointed out the Bucks seemed ill prepared to face the Nets on Saturday. Karl claimed that off-the-court issues swirling around Payton, Cassell and Caffey were a distraction. But what else is new in Milwaukee?

Will Payton want to re-sign with the Bucks? And if his legal problems turn into more than allegations, do the Bucks even want him to? Payton's future with the team doesn't look solid.

The team is on the rocks, the owner is trying to sell the franchise, his one tie to the team, Karl, doesn't look happy and it's not like GP really wants to play in Milwaukee. The one thing the Bucks do have going for them is money -- they can afford to outbid anyone for Payton's services. But given the direction the franchise seems to be heading (it has a number of promising young players who need development) is it really worth it?

Karl Malone

Power Forward

Utah Jazz

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

81 20.6 7.8 4.7 .462 .763

The Jazz will also face the now-annual challenge of convincing Karl Malone and John Stockton to box out Father Time and play another season. In the past, it's been a slam dunk, but issues will be everywhere this summer.

One, Stockton isn't sure that he's got enough juice is his 41-year-old legs to last another season. If he leaves, convincing Malone to stick around won't be easy. Malone always seems to be swayed by money and the Jazz could offer him plenty, but they don't want to.

They have their eyes on several free agents -- primarily Andre Miller and Elton Brand -- this summer. For once they have the cash and they don't have much competition for their services. And here's the kicker -- both guys wouldn't mind playing in Utah.

Can the Jazz pass that opportunity up, just to pacify Malone? If the team slips quietly into the night at the hands of the Kings, it may be time to hold the wake and pray that some new seeds germinate in Utah this summer.

Rasheed Wallace

Power Forward

Portland Trail Blazers

Profile

2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS

GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%

74 18.1 7.4 2.1 .471 .735

Owner Paul Allen's promised to blow up the Blazers this summer if things don't change. Given their performance against the Mavs on Saturday, it sure doesn't look like they have. The team stands poised to suffer its third straight first-round ouster.

All of which leads us to the ultimate question in Portland. Are all the Blazers hoodlums worth the trouble if Portland insists on being a perennial one and done team?

Wallace may be one of the most talented forwards in the league, Bonzi Wells may be one of the strongest two guards and Damon Stoudamire and Ruben Patterson may be the . . . well, let's just stop at Wallace and Wells.

As much as the off-the-court problems trouble the Blazers, their stuffed roster also creates issues. On Saturday, Stoudamire and Jeff McInnis played the entire second quarter, and Patterson played all but two minutes. By the time halftime was over, starters Derek Anderson, Scottie Pippen and Wells had sat for more than 30 minutes.

"That's a long time to sit out," coach Maurice Cheeks told the Oregonian. "But it was tough for me to get them in the game because guys like Damon and Jeff were playing so well. But I have to find a happy medium in terms of sticking with guys going good and getting the starters back in the game."

And finally, in Big D, rumors of Don Nelson's demise have quelled after the Mavs escaped playing the Lakers in Round 1.

The Mavs' impressive showing on Saturday should give the team confidence. Few expect them to trip up against the Blazers in Round 1.

But the stakes are still high for Nellie and he knows it. While owner Mark Cuban wouldn't fire Nelson if the Mavs stumble in the playoffs, chances are that he'll ask him to retire from coaching and concentrate on his front office role.

That would allow Cuban to woo Jeff Van Gundy this summer. Cuban, like everyone else in the league, believes that the Mavs will ultimately have to get tougher if they stand a chance of winning an NBA title. Van Gundy is the perfect man for the job and Cuban would be able to outbid just about everyone else for his services.

Nellie knows this. That's partly why the Mavs played their most physical game of the year on Saturday. Center Shawn Bradley was the catalyst for the Mavs' tough presence in the middle.

"Shawn did a great job of making it difficult for them in the paint," Steve Nash told the Dallas Morning News. "He blocked some shots and rebounded. But mostly, he played hard. And when he plays hard and he plays intense, like this, he's going to have a huge impact on the game. He's just too long and rangy not to."

"The important thing, more than anything, is that we now have some confidence in our defense," Nash said. "We saw that it works if we work hard at it. We shut down the team that supposedly we're not supposed to be able to shut down. We were pretty darn good in the second half. Yeah, we gave some penetration, but overall we did a pretty good job, and that has to help us mentally. That game went a long way to showing that we can do it."

Deep inside of Parker: The demon

Buck Harvey / San Antonio Express-News

Enjoy Kidd's Gift While Supply Lasts

Mike Vaccaro / New York Post

Pacers better find some answers to fourth-quarter woes

Bob Kravitz / Indianapolis Star

Search for Answers Leaves Timberwolves Howling

Mark Heisler / Los Angeles Times

Sadly, this is not the Payton we remember

Steve Kelley / Seattle Times

For Mavs, seeing win is believing

Eddie Sefko / Dallas Morning News

Will Kobe leave the Lakers?

By Chad Ford

NBA Insider

Send an Email to Chad Ford

Distractions. The Lakers seem to thrive on them.

Over the weekend, the death of Shaquille O'Neal's grandfather and the birth of his new baby led to a plethora of questions over his availability and his focus for the team's series with the Timberwolves.

Shaq's 32 points and 10 rebounds Sunday quickly quieted those comments. But lost in all the Shaq hoopla was a warning shot by Kobe Bryant that could rock the entire franchise.

Will Kobe and Shaq play Michael and Scottie and break-up the Lakers?

Bryant told the L.A. Daily News on Saturday that he plans on opting out of his contract in 2004.

The news stunned GM Mitch Kupchak and the rest of the franchise.

"That's the first I've heard of it," Kupchak said. "I don't know exactly what it means, other than somebody would like to explore options and have options."

While several commentators have tried to soften the blow by claiming Kobe's refusal to sign a contract extension has more to do with financial planning than his relationship with the Lakers, don't believe that for a second.

Kobe stands to gain nothing, financially, from refusing to sign an extension. Yes, the collective bargaining agreement expires after next season, but if you believe the players are going to come out of the new agreement with better terms, you're dreaming.

Kobe isn't opting out so he can build his nest egg. He's restless. He wants to smell the grass on the other side of the Lakers fence. He's grown tired of Phil Jackson's criticisms and playing in Shaq's shadow.

He's also wary of the Lakers' future. Jackson's contract expires after next season. Shaq has promised to follow Phil out the door. If Kobe locks in now and Phil and Shaq bolt, the Lakers will be terrible. The team has largely foregone rebuilding to keep running at a championship level. Only young players like Kareem Rush and Devean George seem to have any real upside. Kobe wants to win more than anything else. With or without the Lakers.

"It is what it is. I like options, man," Bryant said Saturday. "I like learning things. I like exploring different situations. That's all, really."

Bryant was defensive when asked if he might leave L.A.

"Are you trying to start some (stuff) right now?" he told the Daily News. "I don't know. You never say never. I mean, you never know. Obviously, I want to stay here, I want to play my career out here, but you never know."

Phil Jackson's contract also expires after next season.

Kupchak seemed resigned to changes.

"We've had such great success with our team and coaching staff, I know it's tough for anybody to think it's going to change," Kupchak said. "But everybody has to do what's right for them."

Is Kobe better off leaving L.A.? Grizzlies president Jerry West thinks so. His plan, since day one, was to clear enough cap space to lure Bryant to Memphis in 2004.

The Grizzlies aren't there yet, but they'll be working hard this summer to get there. The team has been trying to package Lorenzen Wright and Stromile Swift since last fall. They'll also give away Jason Williams to the highest bidder, and even Shane Battier's available at the right price.

Memphis feels a combination of Kobe, Mike Miller, Pau Gasol and Earl Watson (who West adores) would make it a contender in the Western Conference. West also will be searching hard for a big man this summer. While he knows there aren't any Shaqs out there, he knows Kobe is running away from that paradigm anyway.

Of course, the Grizzlies won't be alone in their pursuit of Kobe. The Pistons, Heat (if they don't sign a big free agent this summer), Hornets and Spurs (if they take it easy on free agency this summer) could get far enough under the cap to offer Kobe the max.

But it won't be easy to leave the bright lights of L.A., especially if Phil and Shaq commit to return. Right now, that's still up in the air.

Jackson told the Daily News that how the Lakers play the next several weeks will determine his desire to sign an extension. Shaq still maintains he'll walk if Jackson does.

"Right now, I couldn't see myself playing for anybody else, but we just have to see who that somebody else is," O'Neal said. "If it's like a Chuck Daly or somebody that's the same caliber, then yeah, I'll give it a try. But Phil's my guy."

Now, Jackson, Kobe and O'Neal could be deciding their futures in the same summer. If that doesn't keep Kupchak up at night, nothing will.

Lakers: Facing the future

Howard Beck / LA Daily News

Bryant to go free in '04

Howard Beck / Los Angeles Daily News

Peep Show

Hill

Orlando Magic: Don't blame Grant Hill if things aren't going as well as expected for the Orlando Magic or the Detroit Pistons or any other team looking for a scapegoat. "In a lot of ways he's been cast as a villain, and that really upsets me when that is done," Magic coach Doc Rivers told Florida Today. "He did everything he could for this franchise here in Detroit, and everything he could for our franchise. It just hasn't worked out for him, but not because he hasn't tried." Hill hasn't returned to Auburn Hills since leaving the Pistons as a free agent in 2000 and now that the Magic and Pistons are matched up in the first round of the playoffs, bad memories are being stirred up. "We got a great, great player in free agency, and it just hasn't worked out for us," Magic GM John Gabriel said. "I remember being just as excited when we traded for Ben Wallace (in a 1999 deal with Washington) as I was when we got Grant. At that time, we were willing to do what it took to get two great players and we were able to get Grant and Tracy McGrady. We knew it would cost us some players."

Washington Wizards: Owner Abe Pollin is still refusing to give Michael Jordan the final say on all basketball related decisions according to the N.Y. Daily News. According to the report, NBA commish David Stern has even made a plea to Pollin, in effect asking him to cede control of the franchise to Jordan. Pollin, instead, wants to turn the reigns back over to Wes Unseld. Competency tests are pending . . .

Los Angeles Lakers: Shaquille O'Neal went from L.A. to Minneapolis on Saturday and is expected to go from Minneapolis to Lake City, S.C., today and from Lake City back to Minneapolis by tomorrow. In between, he's been caring for his newborn son and grieving the loss of his maternal grandfather. Oh, yeah, he's also trying to squeeze in a few NBA playoff games. "I really haven't thought about it yet," he told the L.A. Times. "When I get to the room and sit down, then I'll think about what I have to do. Phil [Jackson] has been gracious enough to tell me, 'Do whatever.' But I'll do what's right." The Lakers play the Timberwolves Tuesday night, the same day Shaq's grandfather is expected to be buried.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Apparently not satisfied with rebuilding one franchise, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban is giving the Cleveland Cavaliers a shot in the arm. "It's a fine line between winning and losing," Cuban told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "Anything you can say about the Cavs today, you could have said about the Mavs then -- only you would have said that the pain lasted for more than 10 years." Nowadays, the Mavs are one of the most successful franchises in the business, having just completed the regular season with a 60-22 record while the Cavs finished at 17-65. "The Cavs could be just as close," Cuban said. "They have the talent. You just have to work to find the switch that turns on the light."

Battie

Boston Celtics: Tony Battie admits fouling Ron Artest during their first-round game Saturday but doesn't think he should have been kicked out of the game. ''I was just trying to make an aggressive play,'' Battie told the Boston Globe. ''There was no intention to hurt anybody whatsoever. It was just one of those plays that just happens. Everybody knows in the playoffs there's no layups. I wasn't trying to hurt the guy or whatever. I was just trying to stop him from getting the easy bucket and send him to the free-throw line. I was surprised [at being ejected], because at the point of contact in the air, Artest pretty much leaned into me. So he was off balance. There was no way he was going to land on his feet anyway. Actually, I tried to grab him before he fell.'' The play is currently under review by the league.

Memphis Grizzlies: What's Jerry West's plan for this summer. "We're getting closer to where we want to get," West told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "It's a process. Ultimately, we're going to add some experience and real character guys to this team. Those type of players win in this league."

Grant Hill skips trip to Detroit

John Denton / Florida Today

Losing game of Dyess

Mitch Lawrence / New York Daily News

Battie has issue with Type 2 foul

Shira Springer / Boston Globe

Cavs' ethic needs change, not just fabric

Jodie Valade / Cleveland Plain Dealer

Battie has issue with Type 2 foul

Shira Springer / Boston Globe

How much better can Grizzlies be next season? Playoffs would req

Ronald Tillery / Memphis Commercial Appeal