Wednesday Insider

[Admin]

In reply to:

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Daddy Shaq going

under the knife

by Terry Brown

Send an Email to Chad Ford

Also Below: The myth of the NBA foreign player | Free agents Donyell Marshall and Matt Harpring getting Bullied | Peep Show

Updated NBA Free Agent Watch

Updated NBA Depth Charts

Dr. Robert Mohr, chief of podiatric surgery at UCLA Medical Center, is about to do what no group of 12 to 15 of the most athletic men on the planet could do before him.

He is about to bring down Shaquille O'Neal.

After weeks of intense research on how to resolve the problem in his big right toe, O'Neal, his agent and the Laker organization have determined that surgery is the best solution.

At best, bone spurs in his toe will be filed away and he will miss up to eight games. At worst, the condition could worsen and the NBA's premier player could face an uncertain future of pain if he continues to play the game.

"These are conditions where, with all the scans and all the X-rays, there's really no way to determine exactly what the conditions of the cartilage is prior to looking at it," Mohr said to the Los Angeles Times, adding that the first goal always is to avoid surgery.

It’s called a cheilectomy and Mohr is expected to chisel away the bone spurs on both sides of the joint so that they no longer bump together. It takes about three months for recover, which puts O’Neal at a Nov. 15 return date. The regular season opens Oct. 29.

"In the best hands, [cheilectomies are] successful 85 percent to 90 percent of the time," said Dr. Carol Frey of Orthopaedic Hospital in Los Angeles. "Yes, I do think he'll get better. The question is, 'How much?' "

Playing in pain last season, O'Neal averaged 27.2 points and 10.7 rebounds per game, well below his standrds, but he still led the Lakers to their third consecutive title. Without him on the floor, they went 7-8 with mostly Samaki Walker filling in for him. More bulk could be added to the roster but the Lakers have only their $1.4 million exception left after using most of their available cap space on Devean George. Veteran Charles Oakley is a possibility.

O'Neal Surgery Is Likely

Tim Brown / Los Angeles Times

The myth of the NBA foreign player

NBA Insider Chad Ford will return on Thursday, Aug. 13

Give us your tired, your poor, your 7-foot teenagers yearning to be millionaires.

Yao Ming. Nikoloz Tskitishvili. Maybyner Hilario. Three foreigners taken in this year's lottery, six total in the first round, 14 overall. And that's not counting Dirk Nowitzki or Predrag Stojakovic already in the All-Star Game or Stanislav Medvedenko and Todd MacCulloch in the NBA Finals.

If your favorite franchise doesn't come with a pronunciation guide, then you had better develop an accent and find yourself a better team to root for.

GOOAAAAALLLL!!!

"The NBA needs to grow," said a freelance scout who played through the ranks of his junior national team before being recruited off the national team by a Division I program and eventually signing to play in Europe. "And they need the flavor of foreign players to do so. The U.S. market is saturated. Now, every team needs at least one or two of these players to spice things up, to market to an international audience."

He'll tell you that's why Yao went No. 1, how Eduardo Najera made more money from endorsements in Mexico than he did playing ball in Dallas and where you can buy a knock off Kobe Bryant jersey in Italy complete with fake autograph and photo.

But he'd much rather talk about Oscar Schmidt of Brazil, Arvydas Sabonis of Russia or Drazen Petrovic of Croatia. Those are the guys he watched as a kid, played against as a snot-nosed upstart and liked to compare to Larry Bird and Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

"It's hard to say if the foreign players of today are really better than the ones in the past," he said. "A lot of those older guys didn't want to play in the NBA because they made just as much money in Europe while not having to forfeit their membership on their country's Olympic team."

He's yawning while his adopted country braces for an invasion of bouncing balls, tildas and upside-down question marks. He lives permanently in the U.S. now and is often recruited to help in the transition from native land to NBA. He knows that a team led by Shaq, Kobe and Tim Duncan would dominate international competition in the same manner that a team lead by Magic, Bird and Jordan has in the recent past or countless other Hall of Famers did in grainy black and white Chuck Taylors.

The current influx of foreign players has nothing to do with the competition on the court as much as it does with the competition in the marketplace. This isn't about John Wooden. It's about Adam Smith.

Foreign players want to come to America to make money. The NBA, in turn, wants to sell the uniform of said player to countless fans overseas and broadcast games wrapped in advertisements to countries that use the English language as foreign exchange.

"The hard part has never been playing," the scout said. "It's the culture. Basketball is a simple game. But the lifestyle is very difficult. I don't want to say that these kids were all poor, but they do have pressures from back home. One day, they're scrounging for a living and the next they're millionaires, having to trust several people who speak a different language on buying a home and feeding their family while being expected to drive big, fancy cars and dress in designer suits. The have no idea who is their friend and who is not. It's very tough. The only thing they know for sure is how to play ball."

He'll tell you that club teams across the world are now signing their young stars to three-, four- or six-year deals rather than the traditional year-to-year contracts because they know that some of their players are going to get drafted by an NBA team that will then have to negotiate a buyout. He'll also tell you about countless mothers and fathers living along cobblestone roads who are hiring personal coaches for private lessons in basketball.

"It's incredible," he says. "Nene [Hilario] happens to play well against the US team in the Goodwill Games and the next thing you know he's a lottery pick. If he had gotten a cold that morning, he would have never been drafted. Now, every kid who ever played against him in Brazil thinks he can play in the NBA, too. And that isn't the case."

If the United States is having a hard time finding the next Michael Jordan then the next best thing will have to do. Er, the next door neighbor's Michael Jordan will have to do. And the reason they're doing so well now is that while a 19 year old in the U.S. was busy playing prep ball against band members and math majors, a 19-year-old foreigner was already competing in two or three World Cups against men much bigger and better.

"Once they get here, they're not scared of anyone," he said. "They don't care who you are. They know that just as they made it, there is some kid somewhere in the world that in two to four years is going to come after his job. At the same time, they know that no one in this country knows who they are. They have to prove themselves in each and every game."

He says that 82 games per year, from L.A. to Boston and back, against the best players in the world takes its toll. Some will make it. Some won't. There were foreign stars in the past and there will be foreign stars in the future.

"There isn't a foreigner around who can dominate the league," he said. "But most of them understand the game. They don't play as beautiful as American players but they play a beautiful game."

Federico Kammarichs. Mladen Sekularac. Get your Luis Scola jerseys here. Shipping is available. Operadores are standing by.

Free agents Donyell Marshall and Matt Harpring getting Bullied

Remember when the Bulls were talking in terms of Tim Duncan, Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill and, instead, ended up with Ron Mercer and Eddie Robinson?

Now, you can add Donyell Marshall and Matt Harping to that list that would close the book on any and all cap space the Bulls created by dismantling the championship squad that brought six NBA Titles to the Windy City.

Both players are able to play power forward, where the Bulls need the most help. Marshall's the better scorer and Harpring's the tough defender.

The Bulls remain skeptical that neither Eddy Curry nor Tyson Chandler will be able to stand up physically or talent-wise to the upcoming NBA schedule, and are looking for ways to help their young tandem.

Marshall averaged 14.8 points per game last season for the Jazz and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 52 percent. He has gone 20 and 20 four times in his career. Harping averaged 11.8 points and 7.1 rebounds while providing a tough defensive presence for the Magic last year.

Chandler and Curry put up a very meager 6.1 points and 4.8 rebounds and 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds, respectively.

Keon Clark, who is rumored to be close to a deal with the Kings, was also thought to be a possibility, but general manager Jerry Krause has spoken against such an acquisition after the big man's marijuana arrest last month.

Bulls targeting free agents Marshall, Harpring

Sam Smith / Chicago Tribune

Peep Show

Nuggets: The circus sideshow that developed from Denver's search for a head coach is finally coming to an end. The Nuggets are expected to name Jeff Bzdelik, a defensive specialist trained under Pat Riley, their man after eight months of debate. "I'm not a Hall of Fame coach. I'm not a former player in the the NBA. From Day One in this business, I've been told I'm not good enough. I'm not a big name to announce at a press conference," Bzdelik said Tuesday. "But I've always found a way to succeed in this league." Recently, Bzdelik led a group of young Nuggets to an undefeated run at the Rocky Mountain Revue but has no other head coaching experience.

Magic: The Patrick Ewing Era could be coming to an end. "I don't know," superagent David Falk said Tuesday when asked if the former Knick would play next season. "I think Patrick just got out of a cast a couple of weeks ago. He's working to see how he responds to surgery, and he's going to have to make some tough decisions over the summer." It has become apparant that the 17-year veteran will not be back in Orlando next year and it is unsure if there is a lot of interest in other teams. "I told him if he wants me to get him a job when training camp starts in October I need more than a couple of days' notice," Falk said. "I think he's got to decide physically what his body can do."

U.S. National Team: Michael Jordan is out of the World Championships to be held in Indianapolis this year, but that didn't stop team CEO C.M. Newton from firing off a few shots at other NBA players. "The statement that it would make would be very strong to these other young Turks who are trying to be Michael Jordan," Newton said. "And I really believe until they're willing to give back, they'll never be Michael Jordan. As long as they're into themselves and not willing to give back to the league, the profession and their country, they'll never approach his stature." Jay Williams, the No. 2 draft pick of the Bulls, is expected to fill the last roster spot left vacant after Ray Allen dropped out with injury. "Playing for your country with the greatest players in the world is truly an honor," Williams said. "In light of last Sept. 11 and what our country endured and suffered since then, I know I'm more patriotic now than ever before. ... [And] playing with and against the greatest players in the world will be great preparation for my rookie season in Chicago."

Timberwolves: You can cross Rodney Rogers off Minnesota's wish list. The free agent is expected to sign with the Nets at any time. The good news is that Kevin Garnett's agent confirmed Tuesday's reports that the five-time All-Star and highest-paid player in the NBA wants to remain up North and is willing to take a paycut to make the team more competitive. "From Day 1, dating back to last year. … Kevin has said he'd do what needed to be done to make the team better, and to work toward the goal of a championship," agent Andy Miller said. "He wants to stay in Minnesota. He wants to win a championship with Minnesota."

Mavericks: Germany has come up with the cash to pay Dirk Nowitzki's health insurance, clearing the way for the All-NBA forward to play in the World Championships, much to the chagrin of Dallas owner Mark Cuban. "I still definitely have issues regarding their playing," Cuban said Tuesday. "I still have to deal with the luxury-tax risk with the NBA . . . I asked the NBA if they would waive the luxury tax on a player if he were injured in the games. Russ Granik [deputy commissioner] told me that if I didn't like it, I should find another league to be in."

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[jaywalker72]

I see on the "Insider" that they have "updated" depth charts....

What do some of the teams look like, especially ours, and are there any egregious errors on other teams?

[Admin]

In reply to:

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Insider NBA Depth Charts

CENTRAL DIVISION

Tuesday, August 6 Updated 6:23 AM EST

Depth charts reflect trades and deals through August 6.

(IL)=Injured list | ® = Restricted FA | (U)= Unrestricted FA

ATLANTA HAWKS

Point Guard

Off Guard

Center

Small Forward

Power Forward

1.

Dan Dickau

Jason Terry

Theo Ratliff

Glenn Robinson

Shareef Abdur Rahim

2.

Emanual Davis

DerMarr Johnson

Nazr Mohammed

Dion Glover

Cal Bowdler (U)

3.

Mark Strickland (U)

Ira Newble ®

Alan Henderson

4.

Chris Crawford

Hanno Mottola ®

CHICAGO BULLS

Point Guard

Off Guard

Center

Small Forward

Power Forward

1.

Jay Williams

Jalen Rose

Eddy Curry

Eddie Robinson

Tyson Chandler

2.

Jamal Crawford

Trenton Hassell

Dalibor Bagaric

Marcus Fizer

3.

Travis Best (U)

Fred Hoiberg

Corie Blount

Charles Oakley (U)

4.

A.J. Guyton (U)

Roger Mason Jr.

Lonny Baxter

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Point Guard

Off Guard

Center

Small Forward

Power Forward

1.

Dajuan Wagner

Ricky Davis ®

Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Darius Miles

Tyrone Hill

2.

Bimbo Coles

Trajan Langdon (U)

Chris Mihm

Lamond Murray

Carlos Boozer

3.

Nick Anderson

DeSagana Diop

Jumaine Jones

Harold Jamison

4.

Jeff Trepagnier (U)

Matt Barnes

Brian Skinner (U)

DETROIT PISTONS

Point Guard

Off Guard

Center

Small Forward

Power Forward

1.

Chauncey Billups

Jerry Stackhouse

Cliff Robinson

Michael Curry

Ben Wallace

2.

Chucky Atkins

Jon Barry

Zelijka Rebraca

Corliss Williamson

Rodney White

3.

Damon Jones (U)

Mikki Moore (U)

Tayshaun Prince

Mehmet Okur

4.

Dana Barros (U)

Ratko Varda ®

Brian Cardinal ®

Victor Alexander (U)

INDIANA PACERS

Point Guard

Off Guard

Center

Small Forward

Power Forward

1.

Jamaal Tinsley

Reggie Miller

Brad Miller

Al Harrington

Jermaine O'Neal

2.

Kevin Ollie (U)

Ron Artest

Jeff Foster

Ron Mercer

Austin Croshere

3.

Jamison Brewer

Freddie Jones

Jonathan Bender

Primoz Brezec

4.

Carlos Rogers (U)

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

Point Guard

Off Guard

Center

Small Forward

Power Forward

1.

Sam Cassell

Ray Allen

Joel Przybilla

Tim Thomas

Anthony Mason

2.

Greg Anthony (U)

Michael Redd ®

Ervin Johnson

Toni Kukoc

Darvin Ham (U)

3.

Ronald Murray

Dan Gadzuric

Marcus Haislip

Jason Caffey

4.

Rafer Alston (U)

Greg Foster (U)

Mark Pope (U)

Jamal Sampson

NEW ORLEANS HORNETS

Point Guard

Off Guard

Center

Small Forward

Power Forward

1.

Baron Davis

Courtney Alexander

Elden Campbell

Jamal Mashburn

P.J. Brown

2.

Bryce Drew

David Wesley

Jamaal Magliore

George Lynch

Robert Traylor ®

3.

Lee Nailon ®

Stacey Augmon

Jerome Moiso

4.

Matt Bullard

Kirk Haston

TORONTO RAPTORS

Point Guard

Off Guard

Center

Small Forward

Power Forward

1.

Alvin Williams

Vince Carter

Hakeem Olajuwon

Mo Peterson

Antonio Davis

2.

Lindsey Hunter

Dell Curry (U)

Eric Montross

Keon Clark (U)

Jerome Williams

3.

Michael Stewart

Chris Jefferies

Michael Bradley

4.

Nate Huffman

Jermaine Jackson ®

Mamadou N'diaye

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[Guest]

Why do they mention everyday that Chad Ford will be back?I

wish he would quit reminding us!

[jaywalker72]

That is laughable.

Cal Bowdler is above Alan Henderson on our depth charts, and Dion Glover is a SF.

And, of course, the Jason Terry situation.

Your honor, I rest my case.

[Admin]

Well I think they just havent updated them yet completely other than draft picks.......Dion was thought to potentially be our SF last year with DJ at SG........and last year Cal was ahead of Hendu because of injuries. I just think they have selectively changed parts, but they are still dumb as hell to think we would start DD and JT together......