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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.
Q: I don't know how there can be a question of which shooter is your favorite and it doesn't include Ray Allen. He has the best-looking and one of the most accurate jumpers in the game.
Bo Chalaban Temecula, Calif.
How on God's green Earth can you include Michael Redd, Eric Piatkowski and Steve Kerr but omit Ray Allen? This is beyond outrage. A: People, people, people. You slay me, and I don't mean Tamar. I got dozens of e-mails like this, along with plenty of folks asking how I could omit Wally Szczerbiak, John Stockton and Steve Nash, among others. My retort: Did any of the outraged happen to see the word "favorites" at the top of my list? The list was not a compilation of the NBA's top 10 shooters. Of course Ray Allen would be on that list, which is why he was quoted extensively in the column examining the state of shooting in today's NBA that went with the list. His opinion on shooting as an art form in the modern game was a must. But ... My list of favorites is my list of favorites. Simply a list of guys I like to watch hoist it, not necessarily who shoots for the highest percentage. Stockton and Nash, for example, are at the top of my Favorite Point Guards To Watch -- as is Stock's backup, Mark Jackson. Wally was indeed tough to exclude, but Detroit's Hubert Davis was actually the toughest guy to leave out. Hubie's stroke is a beauty and his many superstitions slay me, too. Favorite colors, restaurants and shooters don't have to be rational, people. You certainly don't have to agree with the list, but there are no wrong answers on this one.
Q: I really enjoyed your column about zone defense and poor outside shooting, but the NBA flubbed when it allowed the zone in without taking a look at giving offenses more time to develop. By the time a point guard takes the ball up the floor and sets a play, there are maybe 14-16 seconds left on the shot clock, often not enough time to break down a good zone defense. Everybody dreaded the constant isolation plays that took place when teams couldn't play zone, but is it any better watching guys heave up 23-foot prayers when there are ways to defeat zone defenses without bringing Dell Curry out of retirement? College teams do it all the time by rotating the ball around the perimeter until they catch a defender slow to react. Then you can attack inside with post players who are good at finding space. Good offensive execution against a zone requires time. If the NBA adopted a 30- or 35-second shot clock, most of this problem would be solved. Until then, you're asking offenses to take a knife into a gunfight. A: Good stuff, Josh. Can't see the league adding time to the shot clock but coaches have definitely attributed the turnover plague this season at least partly to the conditions you describe -- teams rushing against zones. Yet another factor in the scoring/shooting woes is the ever-dwindling number of fast breaks we see, since fast breaks obviously lead to higher-quality shots. Safe to say the league is going to have to evaluate the new rules at season's end (or sooner) to make sure said rules are really doing what the league office wanted.
Steve Rogers Lisle, Ill. A: It would, and in these unusually quiet times where trade rumors are more scarce than normal, it's a welcome thought. Crawford would probably be a better fit in Cleveland alongside Ricky Davis and Dajuan Wagner. Miles might be happier in a bigger market like Chicago, assuming he and Jerry Krause can clear up past misunderstandings about hairstyles. The Bulls would have to offer more than Crawford to get it done, surely, but it's a heck of a lot more sensible than Miles and Zydrunas Ilgauskas for Vince Carter. The case against, though, is that Cleveland has made several changes in the past year and doesn't need more roster upheaval. The Cavs have a good, young group. Keeping it together and letting it grow could be the wiser course.
Q: My question pertains to the current status of Michael Jordan's relationship with the Wizards. As I understand it, the rules essentially state a player cannot be a part of the front office and also be a player as well. This was why Jordan had to "officially" step down from his management role. But it seems widely acknowledged by sportswriters and executives of other franchises that Jordan is still calling the shots on personnel decisions. To me, the Wizards are basically being allowed to circumvent the rules. Why is this? Shouldn't the league make some effort to assure this isn't happening, even if MJ isn't a part of management by title? A: If the league could prove some sort of misconduct, it would. But if Jordan is merely being consulted for a final yea or nea on deals, which is essentially what has been written, that's not a lot different than star players in other cities being consulted on moves. The Kings run big changes past Chris Webber, and the Mavericks do the same with Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash to get their input. Lots of teams do this. The Wiz wouldn't have traded for Jerry Stackhouse without running it past Michael first. But it's not like MJ goes from practice straight to the front office to crunch salary-cap numbers or to work the phones in search of trade options -- and I don't remember any other team execs complaining that Michael is more involved than he should be. From his playing post, Jordan is simply an advisor, telling Wes Unseld or Abe Pollin that the Wiz should go after Larry Hughes or Charles Oakley. Of course, since they want MJ to come back as team president next season, the Wiz aren't going to do things he wouldn't endorse.
Q: What do you think of the Pistons this year? Do they have a chance to come out of the East? A: The Nets and the Pacers are clearly co-favorites, but the Pistons are running third at present and thrilled about it in a season where they were widely expected to slip with no clear-cut No. 1 option in crunch time. Detroit is the San Antonio of the East at present, maintaining a spot among the elite of its conference while waiting for a significant roster makeover in the summer. Which is almost as impressive as following us from where you are. Thanks for that and all your efforts. Marc Stein is the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com. To e-mail him, click here. |
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