Expect a hectic beginning to season
Posted: Tuesday November 24, 1998 09:47 PM
Send your
questions to Alex English
Talks on the NBA lockout seem to be making some progress. So let me be
optimistic for a second, and point out some things to watch when a deal
finally happens.
First, teams will be rushing to sign free agents with players like Scottie
Pippen, Jayson
Williams and Antonio
McDyess at the top of the list. Players will also want to get deals
done quickly before the money pool dries up. But, don't expect there to be
a lot of signings the day an agreement is reached.
I spoke with Seattle Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations
Billy McKinney, and he told me a new system will just add to the chaos of
trying to start the season. Atlanta General Manager Pete Babcock said it
will take every GM at least 24 hours to figure out how the rules of the new
collective bargaining agreement will influence the way they sign free
agents.
The teams that will get off to the best start are veteran clubs like
Indiana and San Antonio, which have a lot of players under contract and
have been practicing together in the off-season. Teams that have a lot of
free agents or players working out on their own will need time to get back
in sync.
Also, watch for teams with new head coaches to struggle early. First-year
coaches usually inherit bad teams and last year Larry Bird and Mike
Dunleavy were the only two first year coaches with winning records.
However, this year's group -- Chicago's Tim Floyd (?), Denver's Mike
D'Antoni, Milwaukee's George Karl, Sacramento's Rick Adelman, Seattle's
Paul Westphal -- may be at an even bigger disadvantage. They won't have a
full pre-season and training camp to install their systems.
And don't be surprised if the Knicks and Hawks are out of sync at the
beginning of the season. Patrick Ewing
and Dikembe
Mutombo are key figures in the lockout negotiations and as a former
union president, I know how much time that takes. You're like a doctor
that delivers babies ... you're on call 24 hours a day and miss a lot of
practice time.
In other words, Ewing's time in the boardroom will mean he'll be a bit
rusty on the boards. Alex English, an eight-time All-Star with the
Denver Nuggets, is
the NBA analyst for CNN/SI, the 24-hour sports news network from CNN and
Sports Illustrated. Be sure to catch English on CNN/SI.
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