Tuesday Insider......still no Halk talk

[Admin]

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- The Lakers are a mere 40 hours away from from euthanizing the Nets and putting Byron Scott and NBA fans everywhere out of their misery.

You don't need 50 pundits (or even an ESPN Insider) to tell you the story of the tape. The Nets simply have no answer for Shaquille O'Neal. My 6-year-old can tell you that.

"Daddy, why is that big man throwing everyone around? Is he a wrestler?" she asked after Game 1.

No, but the matchup of Shaq versus Todd MacCulloch and Aaron Williams has to be one of the most lopsided in NBA Finals history.

While everyone in New Jersey is thrilled by the Nets' unexpected success, the team won't stand pat, a Nets team source told Insider Monday evening. Expect the Nets to make some serious changes this summer in an attempt to add another, more reliable low-post weapon for Jason Kidd to target.

As always, expect the blame for the Nets' sweep to fall clearly on the shoulders of Keith Van Horn. No, he can't guard Shaq, but his inconsistency in the playoffs has cost the Nets dearly. Sure, it was Van Horn who got the Nets here, hitting a huge three-pointer down the stretch to put away the Celtics in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

When Van Horn is on, the Nets have cruised. When he's off, as he's been in the Finals, the Nets' offense sputters. Van Horn has shot just 38.5 percent from the field in the Finals. That's a painful statistic for the Nets, who rely on Van Horn to sink jumpers when Kidd penetrates.

Scott has repeatedly voiced his frustration with Van Horn throughout the season and has gone so far as to bench him for long stretches in Game 2 and 3.

"It's a fine line," Van Horn told the media. "I went out at the 3-4 minute mark of the third. I thought I was playing fairly effectively. Then I got back in at the five-minute mark of the fourth. It's tough to sit that long.

"[scott] has to make the decisions on who he thinks will help us win. I feel like I've proved, especially in the playoffs, in the fourth quarter and closing moments of the game, I've really come through for this team and really helped this team to get to this level. When the fourth quarter comes around, I want to be in there, but ultimately he makes the decisions. It has been frustrating. I need to keep my confidence. I'm hoping going into [tomorrow] it comes."

With Kidd still on the fence about what he'll do when he becomes a free agent next summer, the Nets will work overtime to put together a tougher, better shooting to team to fit Kidd's style of play. They believe Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins and MacColloch are vital parts to the future. Now, they want a tougher, more athletic power forward, a shooter who can extend the defense and a backup for Kidd should anything go awry.

The Nets hope to address their need for a shooter in the draft. Several good ones like Stanford's Casey Jacobsen, Valpo's Lubos Barton, Yugoslavia's Mladen Sekularac and Hawaii's Predrag Savovic should be available when they draft at No. 23. And they'll have enough mid-level exception money to go after a backup point guard like Travis Best or perhaps Tim Hardaway.

As far as power forward goes, target No. 1 will be Denver's Antonio McDyess. However, to pry him away, the Nets will have to convince the Nuggets that there is a better chance that McDyess will bolt Denver for New Jersey than Kidd bolting New Jersey for Denver. Kidd has already stated his desire to play again with his former teammate and both teams are angling for cap room to make that happen.

If the Nets can't land McDyess, their second choice is a bit more unconventional. Expect the team to make a serious run at the Jazz's Karl Malone this summer. Although Malone isn't a long-term solution, he gives the Nets two things they really covet: veteran leadership for a Finals run next season and $14 million in cap room next summer when McDyess, Tim Duncan, Gary Payton and a number of other prominent NBA players become free agents.

Would the Jazz really trade Malone? They've talked seriously with the Nets about Van Horn in the past (albeit never in a trade for Malone) and know their best chance of rebuilding the team isn't via free agency (no one seems to want to play there) but through trades and the draft.

With the additions of Andrei Kirilenko, Raul Lopez (hopefully this season), and DeShawn Stevenson, the Jazz already have a few pieces in place. They'll likely lose Bryon Russell and Donyell Marshall to free agency this summer. A trade of Malone for Van Horn and Kerry Kittles would give them a few young veterans to go with a talented base of youth.

With Malone and Jazz owner Larry Miller already in a war of words over a contract extension, both sides may prefer to part ways now while they can still be friends.

"Karl has made some strong statements, but Karl always seems to feel the need to start a controversy to talk about every summer," Miller told the Salt Lake Tribune. "He puts stress on relationships, for whatever reason. His teammates feel the tension, the fans do, and I do. I guess I would tell him, I'm not the one stirring things up. . . . Life doesn't have to be one controversy after another."

"I've always said I want Karl to retire in a Jazz uniform, and retire . . . happy. Maybe I was naive."

Malone owns a rare no-trade clause, but a trade to the Nets may be as close as the Mailman will get to a shot at a championship. And it may be the only way Rod Thorn convinces Kidd to settle down in the swamps of New Jersey.

Benched Van Asks: Why Me?

Marc Berman / New York Post

Not-So-Naive Miller Fires Back

Phil Miller / Salt Lake Tribune

Suns trying to get Brian Grant?

Another rumor flying around Chicago last weekend had the Suns trying to work out an elaborate three-team trade that would eventually land them Heat power forward Brian Grant.

The deal has since been printed in several forms but the principals involved included Grant to the Suns, Penny Hardaway and the Heat's No. 10 pick to Portland and Damon Stoudamire, Zach Randolph and the Blazers' No. 21 pick to the Heat.

It's doubtful that Pat Riley has any interest in Stoudamire, who is overpaid and too undisciplined to play in Riley's system. The Miami Herald reported today that the Heat might be interested in the deal if Bonzi Wells was substituted for Stoudamire. However, unless the Blazers plan to max Wells (a restricted free agent) in a sign-and-trade, the numbers don't add up.

Furthermore, GM Randy Pfund indicated over the weekend that the Heat don't want to trade down in the draft. They need to begin adding a few talented young players to an already aging roster.

There is some truth to the rest of the report. The Heat have quietly shopped Grant around the league and the Suns would love to move Hardaway before things get nasty this fall.

A Suns team source told Insider that second-year shooting guard Joe Johnson would be the starter next season unless Haradaway got his act together. "Penny is going to have to win his job back and prove he can be a team player."

The idea of Penny sulking on the bench next season should be enough motivation for the Suns to do whatever it takes to ship him out this summer. If the Blazers could find a way to move Stoudamire, the team would be willing to take a chance on Hardaway and see if it could turn him back into a point guard. The Blazers have pined for a big point guard ever since the arrival, and flop, of Stoudamire.

Grant in trade rumors

Barry Jackson / Miami Herald

Mavs creating more international intrigue

Call the Mavericks the international team of mystery. They already have the first player from China, a superstar from Germany, Canada's finest point guard, the pride of Mexico and a French guy who can't shoot.

Now Don Nelson and company are in Belgrade, Yugoslavia putting on basketball clinics and, just as important, keeping their eyes open for new talent.

Monday the team worked out forward Ognjen Askrabic, a 6-foot-9 sharp shooting, super athletic small forward who may be one of the few gems in this year's free-agent class. Askrabic went undrafted last year after he was injured shortly before the draft.

This season, while playing for FMP Zeleznik, Askrabic lit up Europe, averaging 15.9 ppg, 6.6 rpg and 2.9 assists while shooting an amazing 73 percent from the field.

One international scout told Insider that Askrabic would be a high lottery pick if he was in the draft this year.

"He's very athletic for his size and he's one of the best shooters in Europe. If the Mavs really get him this summer, it's the equivalent of getting a 23-year-old lottery pick in the draft. He'll be a serious contender for rookie of the year wherever he signs."

The Mavs won't be the only team after Askrabic, but they've done a good job cultivating a relationship with him the past year and are willing to give him a considerable portion of their mid-level exception. The Pistons, Spurs, Sixers, Lakers, Blazers and Bulls also figure to be in the mix.

Watch this Peja Stojakovic clone closely; there seems to be a formidable bidding war in the works.

The Mavs also took a look at 17-year-old phenom Darko Milicic, a 6-foot-11 center who international scouts are already calling the next great prospect from Europe.

[Guest]

What do you expect?We have no player up for trade and

no cap space.I wonder if we could throw the 4.5 at Marshall?

Maybe throw in alittle more money.