Monday, February 8, 1999
Look for Lakers to top league
in abbreviated season for NBA
COLUMN: Short schedule,
shuffling of star players will make this a fun year
We got game. Finally. It began last Friday at 4 p.m. and will
end exactly three months from then. The NBA calls itself fantastic,
but this year it will be crazy, odd and unpredictable.
Jordan has flown away, leaving
the NBA Championship wide open. The NBA will sprint through 50
games this season, 44 of which will stay within conference
play.
If you didn’t keep up with the flurry of trades, signings and
everything else that has happened in the NBA since Jordan’s
game-winning shot against the Jazz, read on. You’ll be glad you
did.
Western Conference
In order of predicted finish:
1. Los Angeles Lakers
This will be the year of the Lake Show. Axing Nick Van Exel may
have been their best move, as the Derek Duo (Fisher and Harper)
will lead a solid point position. Shaquille O’Neal has been
lobbying for a "thuggish" power forward instead of the sluggish
Elden Campbell, and Dennis Rodman may be that thug.
The Lakers could only pay Rodman the veteran maximum of $1
million, which is a problem for him.
The Worm would make the Lakers unstoppable, but even if they
don’t bait him, Shaq, Eddie Jones and Kobe Bryant will lead the
Lakers to the promised land.
2. San Antonio Spurs
David Robinson and Tim Duncan are two of the most talented big
men in the world, and they’re on the same team. The twin towers
will swat away opponents and combine for over 45 points and 20
boards. The Spurs struggled last year, but that was without injured
Sean Elliot, who is back. They also got experience and three- point
shooting in Steve Kerr and Mario Elie.
3. Houston Rockets
They’re old, they’re ugly and they’re gonna be tough as hell.
The Rockets landed free-agent extraordinaire Scottie Pippen to join
big men Charles Barkley and Hakeem Olajuwon, who are both in
tip-top shape. The Rockets don’t have much talent elsewhere, but
their Big Three should be enough to dominate games. Houston should
have no problem this year.
4. Utah Jazz
The Jazz’s song doesn’t seem to stop playing, no matter how old
they get. No matter how boring they are, or how bad Greg Ostertag
is, they find a way to win. John Stockton and Karl Malone have been
together for 48 years now, and time is finally up on their
championship hopes. They’re solid and sound enough to pull the No.
4 seed, but the music will be turned off before the Western
Conference Finals.
5. Seattle Supersonics
Seattle now has two guys from UCLA whose names begin with the
"Mc" sound (Jelani McCoy and Don MacLean), but only Cade could
bring the winning attitude needed for the Sonics to get past the
Lakers. Gary Payton, Vin Baker and Detlef Schrempf are back, joined
by newcomer Billy Owens. McCoy is still battling to make the team
on a full-time basis.
6. Portland Trailblazers
The Blazers recently signed Jim Jackson, giving them an
impressive starting lineup of Damon Stoudamire, Isiah Rider,
Rasheed Wallace, Arvydas Sabonis and Jackson. If Rider stays out of
trouble and Stoudamire steps up to lead the team, Portland will be
a team to avoid come playoff time.
7. Minnesota Timberwolves
The T-Wolves lost Tom Gugliotta, but almost made up for it with
the addition of Joe Smith. Stephon Marbury and 22-year-old Kevin
Garnett (already in his fourth season) will be making the highlight
reels night in and night out.
Their games against the Lakers should be interesting, as Shaq
said he’ll hold a "personal vendetta" against the Wolves for not
wanting to trade Gugliotta to Los Angeles.
8. Phoenix Suns
The Suns will be the final team to make the playoffs. They lost
Kevin Johnson, Antonio McDyess and Steve Nash over the off-season,
but picked up Gugliotta and Luc Longley. Ex-Bruin Toby Bailey will
also be shining in the desert. Jason Kidd is an all-around point
guard and Danny Manning was the top sixth-man in the league last
year.
9. Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets improved drastically over the break. The only way
they would’ve gotten better was to get a new team, and that’s what
they did. The Nuggets enticed McDyess to return to Denver, traded
for Van Exel and drafted Raef LaFrentz as the No. 3 pick. LaPhonso
Ellis and Bobby Jackson have moved on, but things are looking up in
the Mile High City.
10. Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs will actually be a decent team this year, and are
capable of turning a few heads. They picked up underrated Steve
Nash from the Suns, Michael Finley is emerging as an annual
All-Star and Shawn Bradley is tall. But the name you may be hearing
the most is the coolest one to say – Dirk Nowitski. The 7-foot
rookie from Germany has the size of a center and the athleticism of
a small forward.
11. Sacramento Kings
The Kings will still lose a lot of games this year, but at least
they’ll lose them with flair. Sacramento shed Mitch Richmond, Otis
Thorpe and Billy Owens, but all is not lost. They signed Chris
Webber and Vlade Divac to patrol the paint, and drafted guard Jason
Williams. Williams is the Randy Moss of the NBA – they played on
the same high school football team, both once played at Marshall,
both got into trouble with the law and both may be the most
exciting rookies of their sport.
12. Vancouver Grizzlies
Shareef Abdur-Rahim is one of the top forwards in the league,
and will rank in the top five in scoring this year. The Grizzlies
are on their way up, drafting point guard Mike Bibby from Arizona
and Westwood’s own J.R. Henderson. However, also on its way up is
Bryant Reeves’ weight. Big Country, make that Big Continent, lost
his starting job for being too fat.
13. Golden State Warriors
When a team’s top priority is to get rid of a player (Latrell
Sprewell), you know they’re not going to be good. And that’s the
Warriors’ story. They also lost Jim Jackson and Clarence
Weatherspoon. Golden State’s new players include John Starks and
draft-pick Antawn Jamison. Their front line of Jason Caffey,
Donyell Marshall and Erick Dampier is solid, but won’t stand a
chance against teams like the Lakers, Rockets and Spurs.
14. Los Angeles Clippers
Quick SAT review: The Clippers are to the Lakers as the Trojans
are to the Bruins. Translation – the Clippers are still Los
Angeles’ other team, hopeless, miserable and desperate for success.
But it won’t happen this century, and probably not next. The
Clippers’ only prayer lies in top draft pick Michael Olowokandi,
who got back from Italy in time for the season. But he lacks
basketball experience and it will take time for him to get used to
the NBA. Lamond Murray will lead the Clippers, who lost Loy Vaught
and Isaac Austin in the off-season.
Eastern Conference
1. Indiana Pacers
As the deepest team in the NBA, the Pacers are primed to play 50
games in 89 days. Indiana’s only significant change over the break
was the addition of smooth Sam Perkins, who joins a solid core of
veterans. UCLA’s Reggie Miller is the leader and scorer, and Rik
Smits takes care of the key. Larry Bird’s Pacers will fly high all
the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
2. New York Knicks
The Knicks are going to be good again, no choke. Sprewell and
his cornrows will be wrecking havoc in the Big Apple, leading New
York to the top of the Atlantic Division. The Knicks also picked up
Dennis Scott and Marcus Camby to go along with Patrick Ewing, Larry
Johnson and Allan Houston. Once the players get adjusted to each
other, they could dominate.
3. Miami Heat
Will Smith likes to party in the city where the heat is on. And
the Heat should be on this year, with Tim Hardaway, Alonzo Mourning
and Jamal Mashburn leading the way. Miami lost Brent Barry to the
Bulls and Voshon Lenard to the disabled list, but newly signed
Clarence Weatherspoon and Terry Porter will pick up some slack.
4. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks will soar into the playoffs this season, but they
don’t have what it takes to make it to the Eastern Conference
Finals. Christian Laettner has departed, but the Hawks picked up
LaPhonso Ellis to make up for it. Dikembe Mutombo is the best
shot-blocker in the league, M-M-M-Mookie Blaylock is a solid floor
leader, Steve Smith can shoot and Alan Henderson will bust out this
year.
5. Detroit Pistons
Grant Hill is the leader of this team, but a slight load was
taken off his shoulders with the addition of Christian Laettner –
however, Laettner will be out for a month due to injury. In the
meantime, Jerry Stackhouse and newly acquired Loy Vaught will help
Hill add numbers to the scoreboard. Brian Williams, now
ridiculously named Bison Dele, gives them a big body in the middle.
UCLA alumnus Charles O’Bannon made the team for the league minimum,
but $650,000 to play ball isn’t too bad.
6. New Jersey Nets
The Nets have enough talent to beat anyone, but are always
getting stung by the injury bug that seems to float around Jersey.
Kerry Kittles is out for a while, and injury-prone Sam Cassell
already had to leave the court in a wheelchair. Jayson Williams
broke his nose on opening day, but the best rebounder in the NBA
will tough it out. Keith Van Horn rounds out a talented cast of
characters. If they can net the injury bug, New Jersey will be
tough to beat.
7. Washington Wizards
The Wizards conjured up the best backcourt in the NBA by signing
sharp-shooting Mitch Ritchmond to go along with Rod Strickland.
Chris Webber darted from our country’s capital to our state’s
capital, leaving Juwon Howard to play down low. Former Bruin Tracy
Murray provides a great shooting touch off the bench. The Wizards
have a hole at center – maybe they can go down the street and get
Bill Clinton to fill that hole.
8. Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks will surprise a few people and round out the eight
teams making it to the post-season. Jesus Shuttlesworth, better
known as Ray Allen, is a star and this will be his year to break
out. I hate to do this, but he got game.
The Big Dog Glenn Robinson is a scoring machine and Terrell
Brandon can dish it out. The Bucks won’t stop in the regular
season.
9. Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cavs didn’t change much during the lock-out, except of
course for Shawn Kemp’s waistline. Kemp, better know as "Daddy" to
many kids across America, entered camp way out of shape. Center
Zydrunas Ilgauskas – say that ten times fast – signed a $60 million
deal and is primed for a big year. But the Cavs will just miss the
playoffs, leaving more time for Kemp to complete his mission of
finding a Bor-deli. (Think about it.)
10. Boston Celtics
Employee No. 8, a.k.a Antoine Walker, is the star of the Celtics
who will score more points than anyone in the NBA not named
Shaquille. Rookie Paul Pierce impressed in the first two games,
making those teams that dodged him in the draft cringe. Kenny
Anderson leads the point on a Celtic team that will continue its
slow climb back to glory.
11. Orlando Magic
Do you believe in Magic? I believe they’re not very good. Penny
Hardaway may be healthy after two injury-plagued seasons, but he
can’t win games by himself. Ike Austin was added to give Orlando
muscle in the paint, and Dominique Wilkins has joined his brother
Gerald on the bench. Orlando will need plenty of magic to get into
the playoffs this year.
12. Charlotte Hornets
Ugh, Master P did not get the hook up with the Hornets. The
rapper, whose real name is Percy Miller, was cut by the team last
week after playing with them in the exhibition. P, a former CBA
player, was making a legitimate bid to make the team. Maybe Shaq’s
record company will cut him now and spare us his rap. Anyway, the
Hornets lost Anthony Mason for the season and Glen Rice will be
sidelined at least a month, leaving Derrick Coleman as the leader
of a team in shambles. Rice has been mentioned in trade rumors,
including one that would send him to the Lakers for Jones and
Campbell.
13. Toronto Raptors
The Craptors – err, Raptors – are still trying to build an
expansion team into a legitimate NBA team. They’ve got youth on
their side, as well as veteran big men in Kevin Willis and Charles
Oakley. Their youth includes rookie Vince Carter, Alvin Williams,
John Wallace and teenager Tracy McGrady. The building blocks are
there, but like construction at UCLA, it won’t be completed for a
long, long time.
14. Philadelphia 76ers
Here’s a good sign that a franchise has problems – they sign
Matt Geiger for over $60 million. And, you know it, that’s what the
76ers did. Allen Iverson may be a punk, but he’s also a great point
guard. He should have a big season, as Coleman and Joe Smith won’t
be around to take shots away. Rookie Larry Hughes might steal a few
shots and make an immediate impact.
15. Chicago Bulls
The Bulls went from unbeatabull to unrecognizabull. Michael
Jordan wanted no more Bulls. So Scottie Pippen left. Dennis Rodman
left. Steve Kerr, Luc Longley and Scott Burrell followed them out
of town. That leaves Toni Kukoc and – uhh, well, Kukoc is still
around. Brent Barry was signed to replace Jordan. In related news,
the Broncos signed Richard Simmons to replace John Elway.
Predictions:
MVP – Shaquille O’Neal
Runner-up – Tim Duncan
Rookie of the Year – Michael Olowokandi
Runner-up – Paul Pierce
Lakers over the Spurs in the Western Conference Finals in five
games.
Knicks over the Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals in seven
games.
Lakers over the Knicks in the Finals in six games.
Send comments, questions, ideas and pornos [email protected].
Only kidding – don’t send the comments, questions and ideas.Jeff
Kmiotek
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