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Notebook Players weigh in with slam-dunk predictions
Posted: Saturday February 12, 2000 03:48 AM
By Jennifer A. Cooper, CNNSI.com SAN FRANCISCO -- On Friday, a few Rookie Game participants registered their predictions for the outcome of the Slam Dunk Championship -- and it was unanimous. Everyone is affected by Vin-sanity. Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter's teammate at North Carolina, has a little insight into the Raptor's game. "I've seen him do some awesome things," Jamison said. And Jamison knows what tricks Carter has up his sleeve, but he's not telling. "I'm sworn to secrecy," he said. In case you thought UNC loyalty had pegged Carter as the favorite, Duke alum Elton Brand picked Carter, too. "I'll go out on a limb and say Carter. He's special when it comes to that," Brand said. And Vancouver's Mike Bibby made it official with a single statement: "You've seen the highlights." Secret weaponsA few players may have an added advantage in Saturday's slam-dunk competition: their teammates. They're not necessarily saying how, but at least four of them are planning to capitalize on the new rule requiring assistance on at least one dunk. "[Larry Hughes] has something planned, but I just have to throw him the pass," said Philadelphia's Allen Iverson. "[But] you have to ask Larry, because he might not want me to tell." The Sixers aren't the only ones who don't want to share information. "We've got secrets," said Houston's Cuttino Mobley. "It should be fun to watch, something to see. Plus, Steve [Francis] is smaller, and it looks better when you're smaller and you can jump so high." That optical illusion may have worked for Spud Webb, but teammates -- and cousins -- Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady aren't taking any chances. They're going to be there for each other. But won't that cause a problem if the final round comes down to the two of them? "We're going to split the money, and we're going to split the trophy," McGrady said. "Between the two of us one of us is going to get first place." Weather takes its tollAtlanta isn't the only city taking a hit because of weather this winter. The Bay Area has proved treacherous for air travel -- all that fog and rain isn't confined to Seattle, you know. So, while the weather probably isn't what's keeping the Mailman from making his appointed rounds, it did cause plenty of no-shows at Friday's media sessions, including Sacramento's Chris Webber. While his Kings' teammate Jason Williams made it to the Rookie Game session, Webber's luck wasn't as good. One source said Webber and Williams individually made the hour-long trip by car. Guess Williams left a bit earlier. 'Sugar' resurfaces in San FranciscoMaking his first public appearance in this country in more than a decade, Micheal Ray Richardson said this chance to be a part of the NBA family meant a lot to him. "It's special because of the way I left the NBA and the way [commissioner] David [Stern] has accepted me back. I think it's great."
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