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A handful of e-mails are flagged each week for group discussion. Be sure to include your first and last names and city of residence if you want your question to be answered. Seriously, friends. Announce yourself to the masses. To the mail ...
Will Brown Albany, Ore. A: Position won't affect him at all. NBA likes the idea that its big men today have the skill to shoot it from deep. Citizenship will affect him, though. The league won't be in a real rush to reward 'Sheed after his marijuana arrest last week. And if history is any guide, 'Sheed wouldn't be in any rush to accept the invite to All-Star Weekend unless he was picked by West coaches to play in the actual All-Star Game on top of it. That isn't going to happen with the way he has started the season. Maybe his home-run ball is dropping, but the Blazers need 'Sheed to be an inside presence first and foremost. He has just one double-digit rebound game through Saturday's play and isn't even blocking one shot per game. The last thing Portland needs is 'Sheed falling deeper into love with his prowess from the 3-point line.
Q: Any truth to the rumor that the 15th slot on the Pacers' roster is being held open for a midseason Rik Smits return should the Pacers be strong contenders for the Eastern Conference championship? A: I asked Donnie Walsh directly and he said Smits will always be welcome back if he wants to make a comeback. Smits did indeed flirt with the idea this summer -- and Walsh said Smits looked trimmer than you'd expect after two seasons of inactivity -- but the Dutchman decided against it when he realized how hard it would be to get back to NBA fitness levels. I wouldn't expect a comeback and, frankly, do the Pacers really need him now? Jermaine O'Neal and Brad Miller, in today's NBA, is a more-than-sufficient duo down low.
Rami Ayari Tunis, Tunisia A: Don't worry, Rami. Iverson will be on the team this time. They actually have contacted him and installing Larry Brown as coach certainly helps -- although historians will note that Chuck Daly's presence as the original Dream Team coach didn't prevent Isiah Thomas from getting the scroogie in '92. Injury and more off-court turmoil are the only real obstacles to keep A.I. off the next two Team USA squads. They need him and he wants to represent his country. Badly.
Q: In reference to Team USA's disappointing performance at Indy, perhaps the NBA and David Stern could take a page from FIFA's book and allot certain dates (during the season) as days to play international matches only. There would be no NBA games for, say, four days before and after the international matches to allow the players some R&R. This would allow Larry Brown to pick the squad of players based on current form and get the stars used to international rules and each other. Also the NBA could reduce the number of games played in the regular season, preventing fatigue in time for Olympics and Worlds. What do you think? A: You'll find no one more sympathetic to a soccer scenario than me. But you're asking for a complete restructuring of basketball's international calendar and the American authorities have enough trouble now getting the top players to commit to the national team for a few weeks in the offseason. Do it your way and then you'd be adding in greater resistance and protest from the NBA teams themselves. Remember that soccer clubs all over the world are constantly fighting with national federations about players being called in for national-team duty during their seasons. That system is far from flawless. It would undoubtedly make the Lakers more nervous to part with Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant for, say, a week in December and then again in February for two Olympic qualifying games each time compared with seeing them get it all over with one tidy summertime block. I think it's also easier for the American public to follow Olympic qualifying when it's all done in one chunk, since most of us generally haven't been raised on the worldwide soccer system where qualifying for major international competitions runs concurrently with league seasons. It's also interesting to note that heavy hitters in tennis like John McEnroe have lobbied for Davis Cup to be played in one sitting, instead of being spread out across a calendar year, to make it easier for fans (and big-money sponsors) to get excited. One key difference at work here: Back-to-back games are an accepted element of basketball's culture. Hoop tournaments at every level force teams to play several days in a row without breaks in between. They don't have back-to-backs in soccer. That's why you can't squeeze World Cup qualifying into a month in July.
Q: Growing up in Atlanta, I became a big Hawks fan, thankfully in the 'Nique years. As they have floundered in the last decade, I still remained faithful and it looks like it might all start to pay off. How do you like their chances of fulfilling the playoff promise and being a competitive team with the nucleus of Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Jason Terry, Glenn Robinson, and (a healthy) Theo Ratliff? A: Atlanta's problem is the new East. It's pretty deep. There are seven teams clearly ahead of the Hawks right now and I don't see anything but long-term injuries changing that. In other words, Atlanta would have to beat out Milwaukee and Washington for the No. 8 slot. The Hawks aren't last in team turnovers any more, but they're 28th at 18.6 per game. Terry isn't responsible for all the giveaways, obviously, and the depth behind the foursome you mentioned is negligible. So there are some issues there. Plus there's the knowledge that the invisible crowds at Philips Arena won't exactly swing games in the Hawks' favor. My best advice? Move back. 'Nique needs you and as many friends as you have to buy tickets to bring back the Omni glory days. While they're at it, please bring back the Omni organ. Not quite Madison Square Garden quality, but close. Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here. |
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