ducks
05-21-2007, 07:54 AM
INSIDE THE NBA
Lottery winner may double up
Oden is grand prize in Tuesday drawing, but Conley is wild card
Sam Smith
On Pro Basketball
May 21, 2007
Tuesday is Powerball day in the NBA, the NBA draft lottery, the seventh game of the losers' championship.
And it's more exciting than last year, when the No. 1 overall pick was Andrea Bargnani, or the year before when it was Andrew Bogut. They're nice players, but hardly ones to turn around a franchise, promise a future and excite the ticket-buying public.
That happened in 2003 with LeBron James. Before that it was Tim Duncan in 1997 and Shaquille O'Neal in 1992. These guys come along about twice a decade.
And it's time again, with Ohio State center Greg Oden the consensus No. 1 pick … unless the Celtics get it? I think he was joking, but one personnel guru said the feeling was the Celtics were the only team that might take Texas' Kevin Durant No. 1 (no booby prize) because of general manager Danny Ainge's unusual reliance on brain typing for draft picks.
In some ways, this lottery is bigger than the multi-state Powerball. There you can become a millionaire. Everyone in this lottery will be a millionaire. This is a chance to win a championship, which money rarely can buy.
There has been some talk that the team that drafts Oden will be told he wants to play with point guard Mike Conley Jr., his lifelong friend and floor leader. And I believe it. It's hardly unusual; Kobe Bryant dictated his way to Los Angeles out of the draft. Conley's dad is representing his son and Oden, and Conley the player is no slouch. In fact, many teams rate him the draft's best point guard. The two most difficult positions to fill are center and point guard. With those, you can begin building a team.
If the Timberwolves happen to jump from No. 7 in the preliminary odds to No. 1, I believe they finally would deal Kevin Garnett to put in place an Oden/Conley building project, something to get excited about. Plus, Oden needs someone like Conley. Despite Oden's high skill level, he's a more passive personality, whereas Conley is a born leader. The pairing would provide Oden the comfort zone he needs to ease his transition.
A team like the Bulls could become big players. The Bulls have the Knicks' pick, which has the ninth-best odds to get No. 1 and a chance to get into the top three. If the Bulls were to get lucky and get No. 1, they'd probably keep Oden. But he's not exactly a classic post-up scorer yet and is still a kid despite his appearance.
The Suns wanted to get together to commiserate following their controversial playoff loss to the Spurs, and Amare Stoudemire missed the Saturday meeting. Coach Mike D'Antoni dismissed his absence with a joke, but D'Antoni and star point guard Steve Nash concede the Suns have chemistry issues. In addition, managing partner Robert Sarver soon will take complete control of the franchise from Jerry Colangelo, and D'Antoni knows Sarver is concerned about being in luxury tax territory.
"We have to be careful tinkering with this too much," D'Antoni told Phoenix reporters. "You can get an All-Star out of the draft. I don't want to think we've got to go crazy."
Three of the four NBA playoff survivors are defensive, grind-it-out teams, and the fourth, the Cavaliers, are a wannabe with coach Mike Brown.
And while their more wide-open style didn't fail, the Suns could be a vastly different team next season.
They won Game 4 in San Antonio to reclaim the home-court advantage they lost in Game 1 when the bloodied Nash couldn't return after a late-game collision with Tony Parker. And before Stoudemire and Boris Diaw were suspended, they were in excellent position to move on because they dominated the Jazz in the regular season.
The Suns could have the Hawks' pick, plus they will have the Cavaliers' at No. 21 and their own at No. 29.
If I were the Bulls and I got the No. 1 pick, I'd try to trade for Stoudemire. And my guess is with Stoudemire averaging about $15 million for the next four years, the Suns would strongly consider making a move to ease the financial burden and maybe the locker-room tension. The Bulls have less than a 2 percent chance of landing the top pick, though, so it's hardly a likely scenario.
Depending on who draws the top pick, it's a good possibility that team makes a move to accommodate Oden. And it means a number of top players could be on the market.
The Grizzlies have the best odds and certainly would deal Pau Gasol, in part to cut costs with the team up for sale.
No one ever knows what the Celtics are up to, but would getting Oden lead finally to a Paul Pierce deal? He would fit well with Al Jefferson and give the Celtics the chance to build a great young core? The Celtics certainly need a point guard.
You figure the Bucks, with the third-best odds, would deal Bogut. He's a solid high-post, passing center, but that's Oden's position. The Suns get the Hawks' pick unless it is top three. If the Hawks get No. 1, Zaza Pachulia would be an underrated pickup for someone and shouldn't cost much.
There are some solid players potentially available such as the Timberwolves' Garnett, the Trail Blazers' Zach Randolph, the Sonics' Nick Collison, the Bobcats' Gerald Wallace and the 76ers' Andre Iguodala. What if some of them come on the market? How does that change the makeup of a team? There are some very good players at the top of this draft.
After Oden and Durant, Brandan Wright, Al Horford, Yi Jianlian, Corey Brewer, Spencer Hawes, Joakim Noah, Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert, Al Thornton, Julian Wright, Conley and Acie Law will be nice players to have around and build with. But you know what you're getting with a veteran and don't have to wait. That would seem the way to go if you are a team like the Bulls and have the chance to be in the lottery.
Coaching carousel
Quite the week for the Van Gundy brothers, with Stan emerging as the front-runner for the Pacers' coaching job and Jeff out in Houston typically mysteriously, about to be replaced by Rick Adelman.
Anyone who has seen or heard Jeff Van Gundy knows he's a tortured soul, and after another first-round elimination, in another seventh game, he again was doubting his future. In the NBA it's known as the Larry Brown Syndrome: Why doesn't everyone love me? Rockets owner Les Alexander was never particularly enamored of Van Gundy and his deliberate playing style—he believes it hurts attendance and appears to be right. The Rockets were in the bottom third despite 52 wins and the presence of two stars.
Some wanted Van Gundy to stay, but he wasn't sure, and the fear was he would bolt early next season as he once did in New York. So the Rockets fired him with a non-guaranteed year left on his contract. Van Gundy promptly endorsed Adelman.
In Charlotte, it looks like Michael Jordan's former backcourt mate Sam Vincent is the coaching front-runner, which would fit with Jordan's preference for hiring people he knows well. Also, Vincent figures to command a low salary, perhaps giving Jordan more freedom to recruit a free agent or make a deal.
Just Jazzy
People are starting to open their eyes about the Jazz and the quietly effective job general manager Kevin O'Connor has done despite enduring the wrath of fans and owner Larry Miller for signing and then holding onto Carlos Boozer when he was hurt. Warriors coach Don Nelson called the Jazz the "team of the future" with Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko, Mehmet Okur, Derek Fisher and Matt Harpring all under contract through the 2008-09 season and Deron Williams eligible for a five-year, $80 million extension next summer.
The Warriors' Stephen Jackson said the Jazz was "more mentally tough" than the 67-win Mavericks that his team dispatched in the first round of the playoffs before losing to the Jazz in five games. "The whole series they just made plays in the fourth quarter," Jackson said of the Jazz.
Home of the soaps
Interesting media battle in Los Angeles, where Lakers VP Jim Buss went on talk radio to criticize Phil Jackson for criticizing his players in the media. His sister Jeanie, Jackson's girlfriend and another Lakers VP, then criticized her brother for criticizing the coach in public. Sounds like they're ready to move forward.
Actually they might be: Rumors have the Lakers bringing back Jerry West in an advisory role to help faltering GM Mitch Kupchak.
A golden state?
The Warriors are likely to deal Jason Richardson, Monta Ellis or Mickeal Pietrus because they all play the same position. Meanwhile, it's clear Don Nelson will never play Bradley's Patrick O'Bryant, the No. 9 pick in the 2006 draft, who might be worth a shot for someone with a low first-round pick.
How 'bout that Nellie? Hours after the Warriors were eliminated, he told Bay Area reporters, "I think it was really important that I came here. I'm not so sure it's important that I stay on."
Given Nelson's history of moving on with big payoffs, many believed he was taking the first shot at a contract renegotiation. Once a player, always a player, it's said … and perhaps Mark Cuban saw this coming. Nelson is suing the Mavericks owner for back pay and it's clear there's no love lost between them.
"All the expectations change," Cuban told Dallas reporters. "You can't be hiding. And it couldn't happen to a better guy, now that the entire city is going to think he's got to win 60 games and contend for a championship every year."
The rumor mill
There has been talk the Nuggets might be interested in Ron Artest. That's no surprise with George Karl at the helm, and Artest should feel comfortable with Kenyon Martin, Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. It was Karl who talked Bucks management into adding Anthony Mason and then asking why they let him after Mason effectively broke up the team … The Nets' so-called Big Three of Vince Carter, Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson set all-time futility records for fourth-quarter playoff scoring and is likely to broken up to prepare for an eventual franchise move to Brooklyn. Kidd is 34, and the belief is his value will never be higher after he averaged a triple-double in the playoffs … The Magic's Darko Milicic keeps coming up in trade talks. The Magic cannot afford to re-sign him and still be major players in the free agent market. Perhaps a sign-and-trade deal with the Sonics for free agent Rashard Lewis or the Nets for Carter? …
Asked if he knew T-shirts denigrating NBA discipline czar Stu Jackson were being sold outside Phoenix's US Airways Center after the Stoudemire-Diaw suspensions, D'Antoni quipped, "So my shipment finally came in, huh?"
[email protected]
Copyright © 2007, The Chicago Tribune
Lottery winner may double up
Oden is grand prize in Tuesday drawing, but Conley is wild card
Sam Smith
On Pro Basketball
May 21, 2007
Tuesday is Powerball day in the NBA, the NBA draft lottery, the seventh game of the losers' championship.
And it's more exciting than last year, when the No. 1 overall pick was Andrea Bargnani, or the year before when it was Andrew Bogut. They're nice players, but hardly ones to turn around a franchise, promise a future and excite the ticket-buying public.
That happened in 2003 with LeBron James. Before that it was Tim Duncan in 1997 and Shaquille O'Neal in 1992. These guys come along about twice a decade.
And it's time again, with Ohio State center Greg Oden the consensus No. 1 pick … unless the Celtics get it? I think he was joking, but one personnel guru said the feeling was the Celtics were the only team that might take Texas' Kevin Durant No. 1 (no booby prize) because of general manager Danny Ainge's unusual reliance on brain typing for draft picks.
In some ways, this lottery is bigger than the multi-state Powerball. There you can become a millionaire. Everyone in this lottery will be a millionaire. This is a chance to win a championship, which money rarely can buy.
There has been some talk that the team that drafts Oden will be told he wants to play with point guard Mike Conley Jr., his lifelong friend and floor leader. And I believe it. It's hardly unusual; Kobe Bryant dictated his way to Los Angeles out of the draft. Conley's dad is representing his son and Oden, and Conley the player is no slouch. In fact, many teams rate him the draft's best point guard. The two most difficult positions to fill are center and point guard. With those, you can begin building a team.
If the Timberwolves happen to jump from No. 7 in the preliminary odds to No. 1, I believe they finally would deal Kevin Garnett to put in place an Oden/Conley building project, something to get excited about. Plus, Oden needs someone like Conley. Despite Oden's high skill level, he's a more passive personality, whereas Conley is a born leader. The pairing would provide Oden the comfort zone he needs to ease his transition.
A team like the Bulls could become big players. The Bulls have the Knicks' pick, which has the ninth-best odds to get No. 1 and a chance to get into the top three. If the Bulls were to get lucky and get No. 1, they'd probably keep Oden. But he's not exactly a classic post-up scorer yet and is still a kid despite his appearance.
The Suns wanted to get together to commiserate following their controversial playoff loss to the Spurs, and Amare Stoudemire missed the Saturday meeting. Coach Mike D'Antoni dismissed his absence with a joke, but D'Antoni and star point guard Steve Nash concede the Suns have chemistry issues. In addition, managing partner Robert Sarver soon will take complete control of the franchise from Jerry Colangelo, and D'Antoni knows Sarver is concerned about being in luxury tax territory.
"We have to be careful tinkering with this too much," D'Antoni told Phoenix reporters. "You can get an All-Star out of the draft. I don't want to think we've got to go crazy."
Three of the four NBA playoff survivors are defensive, grind-it-out teams, and the fourth, the Cavaliers, are a wannabe with coach Mike Brown.
And while their more wide-open style didn't fail, the Suns could be a vastly different team next season.
They won Game 4 in San Antonio to reclaim the home-court advantage they lost in Game 1 when the bloodied Nash couldn't return after a late-game collision with Tony Parker. And before Stoudemire and Boris Diaw were suspended, they were in excellent position to move on because they dominated the Jazz in the regular season.
The Suns could have the Hawks' pick, plus they will have the Cavaliers' at No. 21 and their own at No. 29.
If I were the Bulls and I got the No. 1 pick, I'd try to trade for Stoudemire. And my guess is with Stoudemire averaging about $15 million for the next four years, the Suns would strongly consider making a move to ease the financial burden and maybe the locker-room tension. The Bulls have less than a 2 percent chance of landing the top pick, though, so it's hardly a likely scenario.
Depending on who draws the top pick, it's a good possibility that team makes a move to accommodate Oden. And it means a number of top players could be on the market.
The Grizzlies have the best odds and certainly would deal Pau Gasol, in part to cut costs with the team up for sale.
No one ever knows what the Celtics are up to, but would getting Oden lead finally to a Paul Pierce deal? He would fit well with Al Jefferson and give the Celtics the chance to build a great young core? The Celtics certainly need a point guard.
You figure the Bucks, with the third-best odds, would deal Bogut. He's a solid high-post, passing center, but that's Oden's position. The Suns get the Hawks' pick unless it is top three. If the Hawks get No. 1, Zaza Pachulia would be an underrated pickup for someone and shouldn't cost much.
There are some solid players potentially available such as the Timberwolves' Garnett, the Trail Blazers' Zach Randolph, the Sonics' Nick Collison, the Bobcats' Gerald Wallace and the 76ers' Andre Iguodala. What if some of them come on the market? How does that change the makeup of a team? There are some very good players at the top of this draft.
After Oden and Durant, Brandan Wright, Al Horford, Yi Jianlian, Corey Brewer, Spencer Hawes, Joakim Noah, Jeff Green, Roy Hibbert, Al Thornton, Julian Wright, Conley and Acie Law will be nice players to have around and build with. But you know what you're getting with a veteran and don't have to wait. That would seem the way to go if you are a team like the Bulls and have the chance to be in the lottery.
Coaching carousel
Quite the week for the Van Gundy brothers, with Stan emerging as the front-runner for the Pacers' coaching job and Jeff out in Houston typically mysteriously, about to be replaced by Rick Adelman.
Anyone who has seen or heard Jeff Van Gundy knows he's a tortured soul, and after another first-round elimination, in another seventh game, he again was doubting his future. In the NBA it's known as the Larry Brown Syndrome: Why doesn't everyone love me? Rockets owner Les Alexander was never particularly enamored of Van Gundy and his deliberate playing style—he believes it hurts attendance and appears to be right. The Rockets were in the bottom third despite 52 wins and the presence of two stars.
Some wanted Van Gundy to stay, but he wasn't sure, and the fear was he would bolt early next season as he once did in New York. So the Rockets fired him with a non-guaranteed year left on his contract. Van Gundy promptly endorsed Adelman.
In Charlotte, it looks like Michael Jordan's former backcourt mate Sam Vincent is the coaching front-runner, which would fit with Jordan's preference for hiring people he knows well. Also, Vincent figures to command a low salary, perhaps giving Jordan more freedom to recruit a free agent or make a deal.
Just Jazzy
People are starting to open their eyes about the Jazz and the quietly effective job general manager Kevin O'Connor has done despite enduring the wrath of fans and owner Larry Miller for signing and then holding onto Carlos Boozer when he was hurt. Warriors coach Don Nelson called the Jazz the "team of the future" with Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko, Mehmet Okur, Derek Fisher and Matt Harpring all under contract through the 2008-09 season and Deron Williams eligible for a five-year, $80 million extension next summer.
The Warriors' Stephen Jackson said the Jazz was "more mentally tough" than the 67-win Mavericks that his team dispatched in the first round of the playoffs before losing to the Jazz in five games. "The whole series they just made plays in the fourth quarter," Jackson said of the Jazz.
Home of the soaps
Interesting media battle in Los Angeles, where Lakers VP Jim Buss went on talk radio to criticize Phil Jackson for criticizing his players in the media. His sister Jeanie, Jackson's girlfriend and another Lakers VP, then criticized her brother for criticizing the coach in public. Sounds like they're ready to move forward.
Actually they might be: Rumors have the Lakers bringing back Jerry West in an advisory role to help faltering GM Mitch Kupchak.
A golden state?
The Warriors are likely to deal Jason Richardson, Monta Ellis or Mickeal Pietrus because they all play the same position. Meanwhile, it's clear Don Nelson will never play Bradley's Patrick O'Bryant, the No. 9 pick in the 2006 draft, who might be worth a shot for someone with a low first-round pick.
How 'bout that Nellie? Hours after the Warriors were eliminated, he told Bay Area reporters, "I think it was really important that I came here. I'm not so sure it's important that I stay on."
Given Nelson's history of moving on with big payoffs, many believed he was taking the first shot at a contract renegotiation. Once a player, always a player, it's said … and perhaps Mark Cuban saw this coming. Nelson is suing the Mavericks owner for back pay and it's clear there's no love lost between them.
"All the expectations change," Cuban told Dallas reporters. "You can't be hiding. And it couldn't happen to a better guy, now that the entire city is going to think he's got to win 60 games and contend for a championship every year."
The rumor mill
There has been talk the Nuggets might be interested in Ron Artest. That's no surprise with George Karl at the helm, and Artest should feel comfortable with Kenyon Martin, Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony. It was Karl who talked Bucks management into adding Anthony Mason and then asking why they let him after Mason effectively broke up the team … The Nets' so-called Big Three of Vince Carter, Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson set all-time futility records for fourth-quarter playoff scoring and is likely to broken up to prepare for an eventual franchise move to Brooklyn. Kidd is 34, and the belief is his value will never be higher after he averaged a triple-double in the playoffs … The Magic's Darko Milicic keeps coming up in trade talks. The Magic cannot afford to re-sign him and still be major players in the free agent market. Perhaps a sign-and-trade deal with the Sonics for free agent Rashard Lewis or the Nets for Carter? …
Asked if he knew T-shirts denigrating NBA discipline czar Stu Jackson were being sold outside Phoenix's US Airways Center after the Stoudemire-Diaw suspensions, D'Antoni quipped, "So my shipment finally came in, huh?"
[email protected]
Copyright © 2007, The Chicago Tribune