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Wednesday, March 7, 2001
Rim: Mully, Theo and Gatling could help
ESPN.com
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FROM THE BASELINE
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I'm the Man!
(Line o' the day)
Normally you have to win to get the line o' the night, but Gary Payton's numbers were deserving. And his team didn't lose because of him. |
Payton |
| MIN |
FG |
REB |
AST |
PTS |
| 53 |
18-30 | 7 |
9 | 44 |
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Shoulda stayed in bed
(Stinker o' the day)
Sure, the Warriors might have lost anyway, but Antawn Jamison's donut is embarrassing. This the same guy who scored 51 on Zenmaster this year? |
Jamison |
| MIN |
FG |
REB |
PF |
PTS |
| 28 |
0-9 | 3 |
3 | 0 |
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Ouch, my knee! (Injury update)
Now all of a sudden Rod Strickland is healed. His knee, shoulder, they feel fine now that he's on a winning team? Amazing. ... Meanwhile, the Nuggets' fading playoff hopes get much worse if Antonio McDyess and his separated kneecap don't heal real fast. McDyess might play Monday. ... Shawn Marion should be in action this week after his nasty fall and subsequent concussion.
Number on our mind
Larry Brown always said he liked Nazr Mohammed. Now Nazr is putting up numbers as a Hawk, scoring this much so far. |
11.8 |
What are you thinking?
"I don't know how long players can rely on the crutches of being young." That was Pacers coach Isiah Thomas trying to motivate Jermaine O'Neal and Al Harrington. Actually, Isiah, aren't you using these guys as a crutch for why you're only the No. 8 seed?
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J. O'Neal |
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They said it
"He's rock steady, takes great shots, is a very good passer and a much better defender than advertised."
-- Bulls coach Tim Floyd on ... on ... it's The Mayor, Fred Hoiberg. Is Floyd serious?
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Hoiberg |
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Mon., March 5
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| Richmond |
Hey, congrats to Rod Strickland. The guy gets to go from a team that might not win 20 games to a team that might not lose 25. All because he was impossible to deal with, angered just about everyone in the Wizards' organization, refused to actually do his job and play ball by sitting games out complaining of minor injuries and playing far less than he's capable of when he did suit up.
For this you get promoted?
As your momma used to say, life isn't always fair. Mitch Richmond, always regarded as a pretty good egg even if his game has also slipped a bit, would be a far more deserving vet to play in the playoffs, wouldn't he? As for Juwan Howard, who escaped purgatory to go to Mark Cuban's Playground, he'll see the playoffs, but not as much as the Lightning Rod will.
How about some other guys who don't deserve to have to put up with college-caliber play on a nightly basis? Here are some thoughts on guys from bad teams who, forgetting talent for a minute, should step aside rather than sit through a lottery season. Anyway, some of these guys are better than Strickland -- and much friendlier.
Theo Ratliff: OK, so he technically hasn't played a game for the woeful Hawks, but his hard work in the middle for Philly got him sent outta town when someone better came along. (Yes, Mutombo is better. And yes, part of the reason Theo was moved was because of his injury. But this is a business.) Ratliff is now the center on a bad team with not much hope of a quick turnaround. His Pistons teams were better. Poor Theo.
Ron Artest: Weren't the Knicks supposed to draft him? How could they overlook a local product? Frederic Weis? Artest ended up a Bull, and while he's proven he can play, he'd be a better talent on good team that didn't need him to score and could allow him to defend and grow more. Artest could easily be a defensive stopper and 12-point scorer on a top good West team.
Chris Gatling: He's been on so many teams, even a few playoff squads, so why is he still in Cleveland? The Cavs were playoff-bound until Zydrunas Ilgauskas got hurt, so maybe they want Gatling to stick around awhile. But wouldn't Gatling have been perfect (yes, we understand that salary cap thing) as a Laker or even back in Miami, where Brian Grant shouldn't be playing the middle? And we do feel bad for the Gat man. He's living in a hotel waiting for his next move.
Dana Barros: Not only is he a good guy, he's a good shooter who can play some point. Those Bulls teams had sharpshooters like Barros. Now Barros has to be happy with a few shots a night backing up Chucky Atkins?
Chris Mullin: Sure, the guy wanted to go home again and finish his career, rather than sit on a borderline playoff team in Indiana. But Mullin can still drain a shot and knows the game. He's not doing much on the court for the Warriors, and he's obviously not getting through to the prime pupil in Oakland, Mr. Larry Hughes (and we're not blaming Mully). Mullin would fit well in Sactown.
Sherman Douglas and Jamie Feick: Good vets on a bad, bad team, each could help a good team because they do what they do very well. Feick's rebounding per minute numbers in the past when he was healthy were among the best in the game and he worked harder than most to get an NBA job after everyone passed him by. Douglas has had his run, but even now he gets used so inconsistently. Orlando could use both these guys.
Erick Strickland: Call this one a strange pick, but Strickland was on the up-and-coming Mavs and did his job well. His salary made him a good fit in a deal to the Knicks, where he was not used. Now he's being ignored in Vancouver, of all places. A team that finds a way to get an awful lot of minutes for Damon Jones. Strickland and veteran Grant Long could help a good team.
Christian Laettner: Talent-wise, he's not a bad player at all, really. Dallas made him platoon at center with Shawn Bradley, which really isn't fair. Now he's a Wizard and going no place. And he's really not a bad guy if you'd take the time to meet ... wait, who are we kidding. Laettner is perfect for Washington. Back to the rest of Around The Rim.
Just some thoughts
Toni Kukoc is really enjoying himself as an Atlanta Hawk, which is good for him. His short stint in Philly obviously didn't go well, and it's clear he's still got something left. One night he'll miss 10 of 12 shots, the next he can hit 11 of 17. If the Hawks had some backcourt size and a legit center to go with Kukoc, Ratliff and Jason Terry, they'd be playoff worthy.
Anyone tired of hearing how Houston would be a playoff team in the East? You know, quite a few West teams would be playoff bound in the East, wouldn't they? You know what? It doesn't matter, because Houston plays in the West. And if the Rockets wanted to be a playoff team, they'd work on that brutal conference record. The Mavs and Suns have managed to hold their own out West. So has Denver and Seattle. Houston has not.
The Rockets have the same West record as the Clippers do. Look in the mirror, fellas.
E-mail us!
What's on your mind? As usual, we always want to read what you're thinking about the NBA or Rim. If you want future e-mails in this spot to be yours, then click here. Keep it concise and clean please.
I don't understand why the NBA is so excited to move out of Vancouver. If the Grizzlies are winning, it would be one thing, but cities (aside from Sacramento) rarely support horrendous teams, and moving the team to another city will boost attendance for a few years, and if the team is still losing all the time, people will stop going.
Tom Heberlein
Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.
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