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There's Magic in the air Orlando looks like the class of the East
Updated: Saturday November 03, 2001 5:48 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum will answer your NBA questions every week during the season. Click here to send him a question. My friend and I were arguing about several basketball issues and I was wondering
what your opinion is on the following: We're both Raptors fans, but I feel that
Tracy McGrady is a much better player than Vince Carter. I also believe that the
Raptors would have fared better, now and forever, if they had held on to McGrady
rather than Carter. My friend disagrees with me on both counts. I also believe
that the Raptors will not improve much, or at all, on last year's regular-season
record despite the addition of Hakeem Olajuwon. What do you
think?
I don't know about "much better", but I agree with you. Honesty compels me to admit, though, that I didn't always think that. McGrady made a total believer out of me last season; I think I was scared off by his youth and somewhat shaky past. But he's the real deal, and, yes, right now I think he is as good as Carter. But don't take that as a slam against Carter; take it purely as praise for McGrady. Hakeem has lost a lot, particularly on defense. But most teams will tell you
that it is absolutely essential to have a go-to guy in the post, even one whose
game has gone down. Hakeem gives Toronto that. I'm going to say, very
tentatively, that the Raptors will be a little better, though I think Orlando is
the team to beat in the
East.
What kind of season do you think Grant Hill will have? Is he 100 percent? If so, will the Magic do some serious damage in the
Eastern Conference?
Discussing someone's health is always risky. From what I can gather, Hill is near 100 percent, though an ankle injury can always come back to haunt a player. I agree that Orlando can do serious damage, and the Magic are my pick to win the East. Hill is smart enough (and has his ego substantially in check) to play well with McGrady and, when necessary, let Tracy be the man. I like Orlando a lot. Now that the Milwaukee Bucks have signed Anthony Mason, do you think they will
finish atop the Eastern Conference, go to the playoffs and make it to the
Finals?
I have never been an Anthony Mason fan. I don't like his dribble-back-in-dribble-dribble-back-in style, even though I concede his toughness. I said in my first CNNSI.com column that last year's trio of Glenn Robinson, Ray Allen and Sam Cassell deserved a chance to get to the top in the East, and I'll stick with that assertion. Having said that, my position is not with the majority on this issue. Will the Portland Trail Blazers, with new head coach Maurice Cheeks, be a
serious contender? Also, will the zone defense benefit them even though Arvydas
Sabonis is gone and Dale Davis starts at
center?
The hiring of Cheeks was one of the surprises of the NBA offseason, since he wasn't even the top assistant in Philly. It's widely thought that he'll be a player's coach -- i.e., he and Rasheed Wallace will get along better than 'Sheed did with former Blazers coach Mike Dunleavy - - but Dunleavy was considered a player's coach, also. I see nothing in the hiring of Cheeks that will lift Portland to the next level, not in the tough Western Conference. Having said that, Cheeks brought along Jimmy Lynam, one of the old blackboard types. My guess is that Jimmy will be drawing up a lot of zones, and if the Blazers feel like using their athleticism to fly around and disrupt offenses, the new defensive rules will make a positive difference for them. Would the Wizards have a better chance at making the playoffs is they signed
Dennis
Rodman?
Radcliffe, things are weird enough in the nation's capital these days. Let's not add Rodman to the mix. Hey, Jack, welcome back! As a 5-foot-11, 205-pound point guard, I like to
keep tabs on the "larger" players in the league. Who would be your
choice as the coveted "Most Out-of-Shape Player" in the NBA? My vote
goes to George
Karl!
True, George has not been on Slim-Fast. I suggested to Shaq in the preseason that he looked a tad overweight, but he told me I was nuts and looked as if he wanted to bust open my head, so I will not reiterate that opinion. My choice would be Robert "Tractor" Traylor, already unloaded by the 76ers (to Charlotte) because he didn't report to camp in shape. Of course, the man who replaced him back in Philly, Derrick Coleman, has never been considered a workout fanatic, either. Why won't Jerry Reinsdorf just fire Jerry Krause and hire someone who can
bring back a main attraction to Chicago? No one will come to Chicago because of
Krause's belief that "management brings championships." Look at
Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Toni Kukoc and even the worst player of all,
Dinkey Simpkins! ("Dinkey" isn't a typo, either-- that is how he
played:
Dinkey.)
Damn, you're down on Dinkey, Ro. The Reinsdorf-Krause relationship is long-standing and peculiar. Don't ever bet it will end. It is based on a long-time baseball allegiance and Reinsdorf's belief that Krause is one of those guys who can scout any kind of talent. If Jerry R. became head of the New York City Ballet, he would send Jerry K. out to find dancers. Krause deserves no credit for bringing M.J. to Chicago, but he did bring, among others, Pippen and Horace Grant. To a certain extent, Jerry K. is living on those picks. The curious thing going on in Chicago right now is coach Tim Floyd's reluctance to play the youngsters. Don't you think Knicks general manager Scott Layden should be a little more
creative than just bringing in old Utah Jazz buddies, Shandon Anderson, Howard
Eisley and Felton Spencer? By the way, do you know my dad, Bob Kohansky
(nickname Ko)? He works at Sports Illustrated in ad sales and is retiring
in December after 30-plus years at the company. Please say hi for
me.
I think I've met your dad, and will say hi. I'm not sure, but didn't Scotty Layden try to bring in your dad at shooting guard? The short answer to your question is, yes, it seems that Layden could be a little more creative, and it seems as if the Knicks will have a hard time making the playoffs. What are the chances that Boston takes some positive steps this year? Do you
think the Celtics have the talent to make a legitimate push in the
postseason?
In answer to the second question, no. The Celtics are a two-man team and, of those two, most observers really, really, really like Paul Pierce and have some doubts about Antoine Walker. I agree with that assessment. Boston is really high on Joe Johnson, as am I. Down the road, J.J. will become the guy to join forces with Pierce -- if Pierce is still there. Senior writer Jack McCallum covers the NBA for Sports Illustrated. To send
Jack a question or comment, click here.
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