lilmads
10-18-2005, 10:40 AM
Will Heat have too many stars?
Published October 16, 2005
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/basketball/magic/orl-nbainsider1605oct16,0,2885041.column?coll=orl-magic
One ball won't be enough for this team.
The Miami Heat will visit Tampa this week as the most intriguing, most star-stacked team in the Eastern Conference, but getting past the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers next spring and into the NBA Finals won't be as easy as it looks.
There might be too many cooks trying to stir the pot, too many hands calling for the only ball on the court.
The offseason addition of Gary Payton, Jason Williams and Antoine Walker -- to the dynamic duo of Shaquille O'Neal and Dwayne Wade -- gives the Heat five players who are accustomed to initiating and facilitating offense.
Things have run smoothly during the exhibition schedule -- when everyone plays half speed -- but it's hard to believe it will work when the real games begin.
Although it looks like Walker and Payton will be used in reserve, at least to start the season, it's going to get frustrating at crunch time when their competitive fires begin to flare. Miami might look like an all-star team instead of a championship team.
The Heat missed the Finals last season after a Game 7 loss to Detroit in the Eastern Conference, but only because O'Neal and Wade both were playing hurt. All Miami needed was a little tinkering.
Heat President Pat Riley, though, couldn't resist when the new guys came available. The Magic will get their first up-close look Tuesday in Tampa for a preseason game against the Magic.
"Change is usually a big part of a team getting over the hump,'' Riley told reporters during training camp. "My whole take on this thing, is that what people don't understand is last year we had two great players, but you need more talent. You can never have enough talent.''
Riley's belief is that O'Neal will police the others, making sure everyone understands his role. Coach Stan Van Gundy said it's not a matter of more talent, but of everyone's willingness to mesh.
"I think they [critics] miss the point,'' Van Gundy said during training camp. "You can cite cases where very talented teams didn't get the job done, for whatever reason. But that's not the result of having too much talent. It may be a factor of a team not having enough character, enough people willing to sacrifice. But it really doesn't have anything to do with the talent.''
Spurs look strong
The defending champion San Antonio Spurs, who have won three of the past seven NBA titles, might be better prepared than ever to win this season.
More than anyone, the Spurs have understood the concept of designing a team with a roster of guys who fit specific roles, and all understand what the pecking order is.
"This is the deepest team we've had talent-wise,'' Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said during the early days of camp. "What I'm hoping is that it ends up being the deepest team we've had, knowledge-wise, with professionalism and basketball IQ.''
In San Antonio, it starts with Tim Duncan, who defines everyone else's role. Manu Ginobili has emerged as the second chair without getting in the way of point guard Tony Parker. Now veteran Michael Finley has moved into the mix, waiting to see where he can fit around Duncan.
Popovich is excited by the fact that neither Duncan nor Ginobili played on their national teams this summer. A year ago, they came to training camp looking a little weary after a tough summer of intense basketball.
"This is the best Timmy's body has looked and the best he's probably felt coming into preseason in three seasons,'' Popovich said. "He's got some quickness. He's got stamina. He's slimmer. His body just looks great.''
Welcome back, Bo
It was good to see the return of popular Bo Outlaw and some of the Everyman ways he brings back to the Magic. Teammate Grant Hill was asked last week who was the cheapest teammate he had. He started laughing because Outlaw was walking past at the time.
"It has to be Bo. A couple years ago when he was here, we got these Subway cards [which were good for a free sub every day], and that's all Bo ever ate that season,'' Hill said. "Every day, it was tuna melt from Subway. He didn't eat anything else that whole year.''
Casey cracks down
It didn't take long for the Minnesota Timberwolves players to test first-year head Coach Dwane Casey and see how far they could push him. Talented but enigmatic center Michael Olowokandi tried to show up late for the first open-to-the-public scrimmage last weekend. When Olowokandi was on the way but already tardy, Casey called him on his cell phone and told him to return home and not to bother showing up late. Olowokandi blamed the traffic, but Casey told him it didn't matter.
Around the Rim
You can already tell it's going to be a long season in Toronto, where the Raptors won only 33 games and promise to be worse this season with so many young faces. Jalen Rose, one of their only true veterans, was asked how many of his teammates were proven NBA commodities, and how many were question marks. After turning around to survey the teammates, he turned back. "No comment,'' he responded.
Even at age 37, Darrell Armstrong still is playing like the young, hungry player he once was with the Magic. According to one report out of Dallas, while all-star Dirk Nowitzki was sleep-walking through a recent scrimmage, Armstrong took back-to-back charges from opposing guards, changing the whole tone of the practice. It's why Mavs Coach Avery Johnson wanted Armstrong back this season, even though he is well past his prime.
The idea of a dress code is not going over well with many NBA players, at least the part of adhering to it away from the arena. "There's a certain amount of professionalism you should show coming and going from games,'' said the Nets Richard Jefferson. "But with all the planes, and travel, and getting into so many places so late, you're worried about the image being shown to people working the graveyard shift at the airport in Cleveland?"
The extreme youth-movement going on in Atlanta isn't sitting well with everyone. Before the Magic played the Hawks, veteran Al Harrington was asked about the nervousness being shown by some of the team's rookies, including Marvin Williams. "It's only going to get tougher for these cats, so they have to raise up to meet the challenge,'' Harrington said. "The bottom line is if you need a baby sitter in this league, you shouldn't be here.''
A Final Thought: All the attention is on the Heat, but the Spurs will be better.
Tim Povtak can be reached at [email protected].
Published October 16, 2005
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/basketball/magic/orl-nbainsider1605oct16,0,2885041.column?coll=orl-magic
One ball won't be enough for this team.
The Miami Heat will visit Tampa this week as the most intriguing, most star-stacked team in the Eastern Conference, but getting past the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers next spring and into the NBA Finals won't be as easy as it looks.
There might be too many cooks trying to stir the pot, too many hands calling for the only ball on the court.
The offseason addition of Gary Payton, Jason Williams and Antoine Walker -- to the dynamic duo of Shaquille O'Neal and Dwayne Wade -- gives the Heat five players who are accustomed to initiating and facilitating offense.
Things have run smoothly during the exhibition schedule -- when everyone plays half speed -- but it's hard to believe it will work when the real games begin.
Although it looks like Walker and Payton will be used in reserve, at least to start the season, it's going to get frustrating at crunch time when their competitive fires begin to flare. Miami might look like an all-star team instead of a championship team.
The Heat missed the Finals last season after a Game 7 loss to Detroit in the Eastern Conference, but only because O'Neal and Wade both were playing hurt. All Miami needed was a little tinkering.
Heat President Pat Riley, though, couldn't resist when the new guys came available. The Magic will get their first up-close look Tuesday in Tampa for a preseason game against the Magic.
"Change is usually a big part of a team getting over the hump,'' Riley told reporters during training camp. "My whole take on this thing, is that what people don't understand is last year we had two great players, but you need more talent. You can never have enough talent.''
Riley's belief is that O'Neal will police the others, making sure everyone understands his role. Coach Stan Van Gundy said it's not a matter of more talent, but of everyone's willingness to mesh.
"I think they [critics] miss the point,'' Van Gundy said during training camp. "You can cite cases where very talented teams didn't get the job done, for whatever reason. But that's not the result of having too much talent. It may be a factor of a team not having enough character, enough people willing to sacrifice. But it really doesn't have anything to do with the talent.''
Spurs look strong
The defending champion San Antonio Spurs, who have won three of the past seven NBA titles, might be better prepared than ever to win this season.
More than anyone, the Spurs have understood the concept of designing a team with a roster of guys who fit specific roles, and all understand what the pecking order is.
"This is the deepest team we've had talent-wise,'' Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich said during the early days of camp. "What I'm hoping is that it ends up being the deepest team we've had, knowledge-wise, with professionalism and basketball IQ.''
In San Antonio, it starts with Tim Duncan, who defines everyone else's role. Manu Ginobili has emerged as the second chair without getting in the way of point guard Tony Parker. Now veteran Michael Finley has moved into the mix, waiting to see where he can fit around Duncan.
Popovich is excited by the fact that neither Duncan nor Ginobili played on their national teams this summer. A year ago, they came to training camp looking a little weary after a tough summer of intense basketball.
"This is the best Timmy's body has looked and the best he's probably felt coming into preseason in three seasons,'' Popovich said. "He's got some quickness. He's got stamina. He's slimmer. His body just looks great.''
Welcome back, Bo
It was good to see the return of popular Bo Outlaw and some of the Everyman ways he brings back to the Magic. Teammate Grant Hill was asked last week who was the cheapest teammate he had. He started laughing because Outlaw was walking past at the time.
"It has to be Bo. A couple years ago when he was here, we got these Subway cards [which were good for a free sub every day], and that's all Bo ever ate that season,'' Hill said. "Every day, it was tuna melt from Subway. He didn't eat anything else that whole year.''
Casey cracks down
It didn't take long for the Minnesota Timberwolves players to test first-year head Coach Dwane Casey and see how far they could push him. Talented but enigmatic center Michael Olowokandi tried to show up late for the first open-to-the-public scrimmage last weekend. When Olowokandi was on the way but already tardy, Casey called him on his cell phone and told him to return home and not to bother showing up late. Olowokandi blamed the traffic, but Casey told him it didn't matter.
Around the Rim
You can already tell it's going to be a long season in Toronto, where the Raptors won only 33 games and promise to be worse this season with so many young faces. Jalen Rose, one of their only true veterans, was asked how many of his teammates were proven NBA commodities, and how many were question marks. After turning around to survey the teammates, he turned back. "No comment,'' he responded.
Even at age 37, Darrell Armstrong still is playing like the young, hungry player he once was with the Magic. According to one report out of Dallas, while all-star Dirk Nowitzki was sleep-walking through a recent scrimmage, Armstrong took back-to-back charges from opposing guards, changing the whole tone of the practice. It's why Mavs Coach Avery Johnson wanted Armstrong back this season, even though he is well past his prime.
The idea of a dress code is not going over well with many NBA players, at least the part of adhering to it away from the arena. "There's a certain amount of professionalism you should show coming and going from games,'' said the Nets Richard Jefferson. "But with all the planes, and travel, and getting into so many places so late, you're worried about the image being shown to people working the graveyard shift at the airport in Cleveland?"
The extreme youth-movement going on in Atlanta isn't sitting well with everyone. Before the Magic played the Hawks, veteran Al Harrington was asked about the nervousness being shown by some of the team's rookies, including Marvin Williams. "It's only going to get tougher for these cats, so they have to raise up to meet the challenge,'' Harrington said. "The bottom line is if you need a baby sitter in this league, you shouldn't be here.''
A Final Thought: All the attention is on the Heat, but the Spurs will be better.
Tim Povtak can be reached at [email protected].