duncan228
09-26-2008, 04:44 PM
Burning questions in the West (http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/steve_aschburner/09/26/west.questions/index.html)
Steve Aschburner
You take Greg Oden, I'll take Andrew Bynum and we'll find out, maybe, whether the Western Conference will provide us with a new millennium version of Russell-Chamberlain over the next 15 years or so. Tall order, right? Fine. Then let's just hope it's not a decade and a half of some regurgitated, pulse-deadening Erick Dampier-Adonal Foyle showdown.
It should be easy to stay optimistic now, when everyone is undefeated and 48 victories again sounds like an impressive total rather than a one-way ticket to the lottery, as it was for Golden State in the mighty West last season. Survival is a central issue for all 15 teams in this conference, though each faces a key question of its own heading into training camp. (For a look at the East, click here.)
Northwest Division
Denver Nuggets
Key question: What happens with AI?
Allen Iverson picked a bad summer to be thinking about a renewed contract, heading into the final year of a deal that will pay him more than $20 million in 2008-09. The Nuggets these days have been thinking mostly about saving money; they fire-sold Marcus Camby to the Clippers, did not re-sign Eduardo Najera and unloaded their first-round pick to avoid the guaranteed contract. That had Iverson wondering about his own future, both long- and short-term; with an expiring contract, he might hold more value to the Nuggets as trade bait than as a scoring machine. Shoot, they can exit from the first round without him just as easily as with him. At 33, Iverson still does what he does well, averaging 25.8 points since joining Denver in December 2006. Staying in Denver? That's something else.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Key question: Will Kevin Love take after his dad, Stan, or his uncle Mike?
In other words, can the former UCLA big man become a valuable NBA contributor (Stan Love played in 239 games in four seasons with Baltimore and the Lakers) or is he just another Beach Boy from sunny California? Love has enough want-to and respect for the old school to make Wolves vice president Kevin McHale fall in love with him and his potential. He also just turned 20, which argues for patience in developing and evaluating him.
But the Wolves need help now and Al Jefferson wants a break from the heavy minutes he logged last season at center. Love, at about 6-foot-8 and 250, would be as defensively challenged there for his size as he would be for his speed trying to guard small forwards. How he and Jefferson divvy up the duties will determine how much time they coexist on the court, a central issue for a squad that needs its most talented players to grow together. At least Love's passing ability and shooting range make him versatile offensively.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Key question: Will the Thunder's toughest challenge come on or off the court?
Ripping this franchise away from Seattle after four proud and mostly fun decades caused all sorts of emotional trauma -- in Seattle. But you know how modern athletes and coaches are, millionaire mercenaries happy to love the ones they're with, as long as the fat checks cash. This should be expansion without stretch marks, marrying a team that is more advanced than any inaugural edition to a market that has shed its NBA training wheels. But they shouldn't let any happy honeymoon get in the way of an urgency to improve. Young as this club is, NBA players have finite careers, and building blocks in Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and first-round pick Russell Westbrook need to be full-fledged contributors while guys such as Nick Collison, Damien Wilkins, Chris Wilcox and Desmond Mason still are in their prime, bringing quality and depth to the roster.
Portland Trail Blazers
Key question: How many young studs can the Blazers develop at once?
Ever hear of the Sabre Dance? That's the piece of classical music known best as accompaniment for the wacky plate-spinners on Ed Sullivan's old TV show, where a juggler would race around the stage to keep the china spinning and the audience would be transfixed wondering which wobbler might topple. That was entertainment!
When the Sabre Dance plays at the Rose Garden, it will signify general manager Kevin Pritchard and coach Nate McMillan trying to keep all their players spinning, as in active, progressing and happy. The pecking order resets around a healthy Oden, but LaMarcus Aldridge, Channing Frye, Sergio Rodriguez, Rudy Fernandez, Ike Diogu, Travis Outlaw, Martell Webster, rookie Jerryd Bayless and even Brandon Roy still will require varying combinations of minutes and nurturing. The Blazers' motto ought to be: No young player left behind.
Utah Jazz
Key question: How long, for this group, will this window stay open?
Everyone knows about the waiting -- and waiting -- that has gone on in Detroit, where the Pistons' core group has been together about as long as the dudes on Mount Rushmore. But Utah's main crew -- Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko -- has some duration to it, too, without three straight tips to the conference finals to show for it. Williams is set, the ink on his contract extension still moist. But Okur and Boozer could test unrestricted free agency as soon as next summer, and Kirilenko is the Jazz regular most likely to be shopped, his star dimming below his salary level as he slipped to third- or fourth-option status. There is promise beyond these guys, with the likes of Paul Millsap, C.J. Miles, Ronnie Brewer, Morris Almond and other assorted newcomers and imports. But this group ought to be making a serious run at a title next spring.
Southwest Division
Dallas Mavericks
Key question: Exactly when did Dennis Rodman crawl inside Josh Howard's skin?
If the Mavericks' small forward shows up to the team's media day in a wedding dress, with a head of colors-not-found-in-nature hair, then we finally will understand the negative-publicity campaign Howard has been running for himself since late April. That's when he talked on a sports radio show about his marijuana use and further angered Dallas management by passing out party invitations after a rough playoff loss. Then there was his YouTube big oops, dissing the Star-Spangled Banner. All that's left is for Howard's number to be found in Tim Donaghy's -- or Eliot Spitzer's -- cell phone records and he'll have out-Rodmaned the NBA's active leader in tabloid antics, Ron Artest. It's a shame, too, because Howard's reputation until recently had been as a solid citizen and family guy, an All-Star complement to Dirk Nowitzki and a player who never had sent a dark cloud across commissioner David Stern's face.
Houston Rockets
Key question: Do Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady have 82 games in them -- this season, as opposed to, like, ever?
OK, we and the Rockets would settle for 78, the number of appearances McGrady made in his first season with Houston (2004-05) and the most he has played in this decade. He played only 66 times last season, with 62 starts as he eased back into the rotation after various ailments. He also had arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder and his left knee on the same day in May, either pouncing on a two-for-one deal at the orthopedist's office or in need of widespread (if fairly minor) repairs. Yao got through 55 games before shutting down for surgery in March on the stress fracture in his left foot.
The Rockets made some intriguing offseason moves, acquiring Artest and Brent Barry for a real run at West formidability. It won't mean a thing, though, if we see another news conference with T-Mac or Yao in a suit, sitting next to someone with a "Dr.'' in front of his name. When someone wants to know what a team's record is without its superstar, the only good answer is 0-0.
Memphis Grizzlies
Key question: Is O.J. Mayo the next Brandon Roy?
More specifically, will Mayo make Minnesota's McHale look silly, or at least too clever by half, the way Roy did two seasons ago? That time, the Wolves flipped lottery picks with Portland in order to pocket $1 million from the Blazers and save a little more on the scale of guaranteed contracts for first-rounders. They were happy to take guard Randy Foye, but ground a few molars when Roy not only earned Rookie of the Year honors but also proved to be a more adept point guard, in his shooting guard's body, than the compact Foye.
Fast-forward to 2008: Minnesota grabs Mayo with the No. 3 pick, but sends him to Memphis hours later for No. 5 selection Love and veteran shooter Mike Miller. The Wolves had holes to plug, so the two-for-one swap made sense on paper. But if Mayo, scrutinized by scouts since his voice changed, becomes the star his preps and brief USC stints suggest, the Grizzlies will look as smart as the Blazers, with a future that could get as promising.
New Orleans Hornets
Key question: Is this elevator going up?
It has been, with the Hornets' nailing down the division title, winning 56 games and, right through their seven-game playoff loss to gold standard San Antonio, serving notice of their legitimacy last season. Their return to New Orleans was dramatic and propelling, and the stiff price they bid for former Boston defender James Posey (four years, $25 million) is the sort of dice roll that the big boys make. Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler and David West are a trio capable of counting rings together, but fine-tuning 56 victories into 60 or more and having that translate into four best-of-seven triumphs is even harder than going from 18 to 38 to 39 to 56. Lots of teams step back before they (maybe ever) step forward.
San Antonio Spurs
Key question: Do Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker have another title run in them?
Short answer: Nope. Longer answer: They should have several more shots at championships, not just one. Their talent, their experience, their chemistry, their personalities and their ages (32, 31 and 26, respectively) argue for two or three more long playoff runs. If, that is, coach Gregg Popovich and GM R.C. Buford have guessed right in the supporting cast they've built. Rookie George Hill, Roger Mason, Ime Udoka and Ian Mahinmi, among others, bring freshness to the mix, but won't be confused with the playoff savvy and unflappability of vets such as Robert Horry, Michael Finley or Bruce Bowen. Still, a younger bench will shave minutes from the Spurs' Big Three in the regular season, perhaps providing more spring in the spring.
Pacific Division
Golden State Warriors
Key question: Why was Monta Ellis riding a moped?
There are grave contractual concerns when an NBA player injures himself in an activity deemed too dangerous and thus specifically prohibited by his employer, such as skydiving, hang-gliding or dating Amy Winehouse. And since Ellis just signed his six-year, $65 million deal this summer, he really got spooked -- the Warriors' guard initially claimed that his torn ankle ligament and high sprain occurred in a pick-up game. Then he acknowledged to the club that it was a non-basketball injury. Finally, Ellis 'fessed up, claiming that he hurt himself in a low-speed moped accident, as if mopeds are known for any other kind. This from a player whose game grew impressively last season and whom the Warriors hope can take another giant step as Baron Davis' replacement at point guard. He likely will miss the first two months.
Los Angeles Clippers
Key queston: Baron Davis, points and victories producer or movie producer?
The first wave of news made complete sense and was pretty exciting: Davis was headed to the Clippers, joining Elton Brand, Chris Kaman, Al Thornton and others not only as a rival to the Lakers' popularity at Staples Center but also as a legit West contender. The second wave of news undercut that entirely: Brand was changing teams, too, heading to Philadelphia for his own fresh start. So much for that terrific tandem, which was even accused of some early price-fixing before Brand bolted. And now, with Corey Maggette joining Davis' previous team in Oakland, the Clippers' roster is more spotty, with newcomers such as Jason Williams, Ricky Davis and the 34-year-old Camby, always one step ahead of the injury gods. The move is great for Davis' lifestyle -- he's a budding movie mogul and L.A. native -- but the Lakers remain the class of their shared building while the Clippers remain somewhere near the back of the West's class.
Los Angeles Lakers
Key question: How ready to help is Bynum?
Portland isn't the only team getting its man-child center back after a season lost on the injury shelf. The young center, who won't turn 21 until the end of October, suffered a dislocated kneecap and bone bruise in January that wiped out his season -- and might have made a difference in the NBA Finals against Boston's Kevin Garnett or Kendrick Perkins. He had arthroscopic surgery, diligently did his rehab, lately has been participating in drills at the Lakers' practice gym and contends he is fully recovered. That could give the Lakers an amazing lift, especially with Pau Gasol alongside him now.
Bynum was averaging 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks while hitting 63.6 percent of his shots when he went down, his progress visible by the day. Imagine yourself waking up one day in a 7-foot, 285-pound body, then learning you get to play an NBA game that night; that's the joy and abandon that Bynum was showing as his game blossomed.
Phoenix Suns
Key question: Is the running and the gunning and the funning over?
Looks like it, at least for the first two. With Shaquille O'Neal around from the start of camp this season, there always will be a ready supply of quips and antics, part of the big man's appeal and clout in a locker room. But the seven-second, high-octane attack that made Phoenix the most entertaining team in the league is no more. Coach Mike D'Antoni is in New York, trigger man Steve Nash is 34, open-court threat Shawn Marion is in Miami, Terry Porter is the more traditional new coach and Shaq will be rumbling to set up in the low post when Amaré Stoudemire doesn't beat him to the spot.
That's not the Suns basketball we came to love in the regular season and doubt in the postseason. Phoenix GM Steve Kerr would settle for a reversal of that, but it's just as likely, given the roster's age and hodge-podgery, that it could mean doubting from start to another premature finish.
Sacramento Kings
Key question: How can a team find an identity when there's no D in its ID?
With Artest last year, the Kings gave up an average of 104.8 points. So trading the high-maintenance but defensive-driven small forward isn't likely to bring that fever down. Kevin Martin's approach, successful for him at least, is to outscore his competition, and Martin is Sacramento's most important player now. Beno Udrih at point guard, Brad Miller in the middle -- those guys aren't lockdown defender types, either, and the Kings ranked 24th in rebounding to boot. Mikki Moore tries at that end of the floor and Francisco Garcia always was projected as a long-armed, Doug Christie sort. But Reggie Theus still might be singing some Motown blues in Sac-town (Stops! In the name of God / before you break my heart).
Steve Aschburner
You take Greg Oden, I'll take Andrew Bynum and we'll find out, maybe, whether the Western Conference will provide us with a new millennium version of Russell-Chamberlain over the next 15 years or so. Tall order, right? Fine. Then let's just hope it's not a decade and a half of some regurgitated, pulse-deadening Erick Dampier-Adonal Foyle showdown.
It should be easy to stay optimistic now, when everyone is undefeated and 48 victories again sounds like an impressive total rather than a one-way ticket to the lottery, as it was for Golden State in the mighty West last season. Survival is a central issue for all 15 teams in this conference, though each faces a key question of its own heading into training camp. (For a look at the East, click here.)
Northwest Division
Denver Nuggets
Key question: What happens with AI?
Allen Iverson picked a bad summer to be thinking about a renewed contract, heading into the final year of a deal that will pay him more than $20 million in 2008-09. The Nuggets these days have been thinking mostly about saving money; they fire-sold Marcus Camby to the Clippers, did not re-sign Eduardo Najera and unloaded their first-round pick to avoid the guaranteed contract. That had Iverson wondering about his own future, both long- and short-term; with an expiring contract, he might hold more value to the Nuggets as trade bait than as a scoring machine. Shoot, they can exit from the first round without him just as easily as with him. At 33, Iverson still does what he does well, averaging 25.8 points since joining Denver in December 2006. Staying in Denver? That's something else.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Key question: Will Kevin Love take after his dad, Stan, or his uncle Mike?
In other words, can the former UCLA big man become a valuable NBA contributor (Stan Love played in 239 games in four seasons with Baltimore and the Lakers) or is he just another Beach Boy from sunny California? Love has enough want-to and respect for the old school to make Wolves vice president Kevin McHale fall in love with him and his potential. He also just turned 20, which argues for patience in developing and evaluating him.
But the Wolves need help now and Al Jefferson wants a break from the heavy minutes he logged last season at center. Love, at about 6-foot-8 and 250, would be as defensively challenged there for his size as he would be for his speed trying to guard small forwards. How he and Jefferson divvy up the duties will determine how much time they coexist on the court, a central issue for a squad that needs its most talented players to grow together. At least Love's passing ability and shooting range make him versatile offensively.
Oklahoma City Thunder
Key question: Will the Thunder's toughest challenge come on or off the court?
Ripping this franchise away from Seattle after four proud and mostly fun decades caused all sorts of emotional trauma -- in Seattle. But you know how modern athletes and coaches are, millionaire mercenaries happy to love the ones they're with, as long as the fat checks cash. This should be expansion without stretch marks, marrying a team that is more advanced than any inaugural edition to a market that has shed its NBA training wheels. But they shouldn't let any happy honeymoon get in the way of an urgency to improve. Young as this club is, NBA players have finite careers, and building blocks in Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and first-round pick Russell Westbrook need to be full-fledged contributors while guys such as Nick Collison, Damien Wilkins, Chris Wilcox and Desmond Mason still are in their prime, bringing quality and depth to the roster.
Portland Trail Blazers
Key question: How many young studs can the Blazers develop at once?
Ever hear of the Sabre Dance? That's the piece of classical music known best as accompaniment for the wacky plate-spinners on Ed Sullivan's old TV show, where a juggler would race around the stage to keep the china spinning and the audience would be transfixed wondering which wobbler might topple. That was entertainment!
When the Sabre Dance plays at the Rose Garden, it will signify general manager Kevin Pritchard and coach Nate McMillan trying to keep all their players spinning, as in active, progressing and happy. The pecking order resets around a healthy Oden, but LaMarcus Aldridge, Channing Frye, Sergio Rodriguez, Rudy Fernandez, Ike Diogu, Travis Outlaw, Martell Webster, rookie Jerryd Bayless and even Brandon Roy still will require varying combinations of minutes and nurturing. The Blazers' motto ought to be: No young player left behind.
Utah Jazz
Key question: How long, for this group, will this window stay open?
Everyone knows about the waiting -- and waiting -- that has gone on in Detroit, where the Pistons' core group has been together about as long as the dudes on Mount Rushmore. But Utah's main crew -- Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur and Andrei Kirilenko -- has some duration to it, too, without three straight tips to the conference finals to show for it. Williams is set, the ink on his contract extension still moist. But Okur and Boozer could test unrestricted free agency as soon as next summer, and Kirilenko is the Jazz regular most likely to be shopped, his star dimming below his salary level as he slipped to third- or fourth-option status. There is promise beyond these guys, with the likes of Paul Millsap, C.J. Miles, Ronnie Brewer, Morris Almond and other assorted newcomers and imports. But this group ought to be making a serious run at a title next spring.
Southwest Division
Dallas Mavericks
Key question: Exactly when did Dennis Rodman crawl inside Josh Howard's skin?
If the Mavericks' small forward shows up to the team's media day in a wedding dress, with a head of colors-not-found-in-nature hair, then we finally will understand the negative-publicity campaign Howard has been running for himself since late April. That's when he talked on a sports radio show about his marijuana use and further angered Dallas management by passing out party invitations after a rough playoff loss. Then there was his YouTube big oops, dissing the Star-Spangled Banner. All that's left is for Howard's number to be found in Tim Donaghy's -- or Eliot Spitzer's -- cell phone records and he'll have out-Rodmaned the NBA's active leader in tabloid antics, Ron Artest. It's a shame, too, because Howard's reputation until recently had been as a solid citizen and family guy, an All-Star complement to Dirk Nowitzki and a player who never had sent a dark cloud across commissioner David Stern's face.
Houston Rockets
Key question: Do Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady have 82 games in them -- this season, as opposed to, like, ever?
OK, we and the Rockets would settle for 78, the number of appearances McGrady made in his first season with Houston (2004-05) and the most he has played in this decade. He played only 66 times last season, with 62 starts as he eased back into the rotation after various ailments. He also had arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder and his left knee on the same day in May, either pouncing on a two-for-one deal at the orthopedist's office or in need of widespread (if fairly minor) repairs. Yao got through 55 games before shutting down for surgery in March on the stress fracture in his left foot.
The Rockets made some intriguing offseason moves, acquiring Artest and Brent Barry for a real run at West formidability. It won't mean a thing, though, if we see another news conference with T-Mac or Yao in a suit, sitting next to someone with a "Dr.'' in front of his name. When someone wants to know what a team's record is without its superstar, the only good answer is 0-0.
Memphis Grizzlies
Key question: Is O.J. Mayo the next Brandon Roy?
More specifically, will Mayo make Minnesota's McHale look silly, or at least too clever by half, the way Roy did two seasons ago? That time, the Wolves flipped lottery picks with Portland in order to pocket $1 million from the Blazers and save a little more on the scale of guaranteed contracts for first-rounders. They were happy to take guard Randy Foye, but ground a few molars when Roy not only earned Rookie of the Year honors but also proved to be a more adept point guard, in his shooting guard's body, than the compact Foye.
Fast-forward to 2008: Minnesota grabs Mayo with the No. 3 pick, but sends him to Memphis hours later for No. 5 selection Love and veteran shooter Mike Miller. The Wolves had holes to plug, so the two-for-one swap made sense on paper. But if Mayo, scrutinized by scouts since his voice changed, becomes the star his preps and brief USC stints suggest, the Grizzlies will look as smart as the Blazers, with a future that could get as promising.
New Orleans Hornets
Key question: Is this elevator going up?
It has been, with the Hornets' nailing down the division title, winning 56 games and, right through their seven-game playoff loss to gold standard San Antonio, serving notice of their legitimacy last season. Their return to New Orleans was dramatic and propelling, and the stiff price they bid for former Boston defender James Posey (four years, $25 million) is the sort of dice roll that the big boys make. Chris Paul, Tyson Chandler and David West are a trio capable of counting rings together, but fine-tuning 56 victories into 60 or more and having that translate into four best-of-seven triumphs is even harder than going from 18 to 38 to 39 to 56. Lots of teams step back before they (maybe ever) step forward.
San Antonio Spurs
Key question: Do Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker have another title run in them?
Short answer: Nope. Longer answer: They should have several more shots at championships, not just one. Their talent, their experience, their chemistry, their personalities and their ages (32, 31 and 26, respectively) argue for two or three more long playoff runs. If, that is, coach Gregg Popovich and GM R.C. Buford have guessed right in the supporting cast they've built. Rookie George Hill, Roger Mason, Ime Udoka and Ian Mahinmi, among others, bring freshness to the mix, but won't be confused with the playoff savvy and unflappability of vets such as Robert Horry, Michael Finley or Bruce Bowen. Still, a younger bench will shave minutes from the Spurs' Big Three in the regular season, perhaps providing more spring in the spring.
Pacific Division
Golden State Warriors
Key question: Why was Monta Ellis riding a moped?
There are grave contractual concerns when an NBA player injures himself in an activity deemed too dangerous and thus specifically prohibited by his employer, such as skydiving, hang-gliding or dating Amy Winehouse. And since Ellis just signed his six-year, $65 million deal this summer, he really got spooked -- the Warriors' guard initially claimed that his torn ankle ligament and high sprain occurred in a pick-up game. Then he acknowledged to the club that it was a non-basketball injury. Finally, Ellis 'fessed up, claiming that he hurt himself in a low-speed moped accident, as if mopeds are known for any other kind. This from a player whose game grew impressively last season and whom the Warriors hope can take another giant step as Baron Davis' replacement at point guard. He likely will miss the first two months.
Los Angeles Clippers
Key queston: Baron Davis, points and victories producer or movie producer?
The first wave of news made complete sense and was pretty exciting: Davis was headed to the Clippers, joining Elton Brand, Chris Kaman, Al Thornton and others not only as a rival to the Lakers' popularity at Staples Center but also as a legit West contender. The second wave of news undercut that entirely: Brand was changing teams, too, heading to Philadelphia for his own fresh start. So much for that terrific tandem, which was even accused of some early price-fixing before Brand bolted. And now, with Corey Maggette joining Davis' previous team in Oakland, the Clippers' roster is more spotty, with newcomers such as Jason Williams, Ricky Davis and the 34-year-old Camby, always one step ahead of the injury gods. The move is great for Davis' lifestyle -- he's a budding movie mogul and L.A. native -- but the Lakers remain the class of their shared building while the Clippers remain somewhere near the back of the West's class.
Los Angeles Lakers
Key question: How ready to help is Bynum?
Portland isn't the only team getting its man-child center back after a season lost on the injury shelf. The young center, who won't turn 21 until the end of October, suffered a dislocated kneecap and bone bruise in January that wiped out his season -- and might have made a difference in the NBA Finals against Boston's Kevin Garnett or Kendrick Perkins. He had arthroscopic surgery, diligently did his rehab, lately has been participating in drills at the Lakers' practice gym and contends he is fully recovered. That could give the Lakers an amazing lift, especially with Pau Gasol alongside him now.
Bynum was averaging 10.2 rebounds and 2.1 blocks while hitting 63.6 percent of his shots when he went down, his progress visible by the day. Imagine yourself waking up one day in a 7-foot, 285-pound body, then learning you get to play an NBA game that night; that's the joy and abandon that Bynum was showing as his game blossomed.
Phoenix Suns
Key question: Is the running and the gunning and the funning over?
Looks like it, at least for the first two. With Shaquille O'Neal around from the start of camp this season, there always will be a ready supply of quips and antics, part of the big man's appeal and clout in a locker room. But the seven-second, high-octane attack that made Phoenix the most entertaining team in the league is no more. Coach Mike D'Antoni is in New York, trigger man Steve Nash is 34, open-court threat Shawn Marion is in Miami, Terry Porter is the more traditional new coach and Shaq will be rumbling to set up in the low post when Amaré Stoudemire doesn't beat him to the spot.
That's not the Suns basketball we came to love in the regular season and doubt in the postseason. Phoenix GM Steve Kerr would settle for a reversal of that, but it's just as likely, given the roster's age and hodge-podgery, that it could mean doubting from start to another premature finish.
Sacramento Kings
Key question: How can a team find an identity when there's no D in its ID?
With Artest last year, the Kings gave up an average of 104.8 points. So trading the high-maintenance but defensive-driven small forward isn't likely to bring that fever down. Kevin Martin's approach, successful for him at least, is to outscore his competition, and Martin is Sacramento's most important player now. Beno Udrih at point guard, Brad Miller in the middle -- those guys aren't lockdown defender types, either, and the Kings ranked 24th in rebounding to boot. Mikki Moore tries at that end of the floor and Francisco Garcia always was projected as a long-armed, Doug Christie sort. But Reggie Theus still might be singing some Motown blues in Sac-town (Stops! In the name of God / before you break my heart).