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A new contender rises in the East Posted: Friday December 21, 2001 2:22 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum will answer your NBA questions every week during the season. Click here to send him a question. Can you envision a scenario in which the New Jersey Nets grow into the best team
in the East by the time the playoffs roll around? It's early to say they are
better than Milwaukee, or even Philadelphia, but the way Jason Kidd and Kenyon
Martin are playing, the Nets are only going to improve. Do you
agree?
The scenario is playing itself out right now, Chuck. Philly is down. Toronto can't seem to quite right itself. Orlando is hurting. I still think Milwaukee was better off without Anthony Mason (though that's a minority opinion). The Nets are playing with confidence, freedom and, right now, a relatively healthy roster. I could see them doing it -- I really could. Jack, what's going on with the Golden State Warriors? They gave Antawn Jamison
huge money in the offseason, but now he's not even their No. 1 option on offense
and is often the No. 3 guy. Why would the Warriors give him a big contract only
to not have him be their go-to guy? Also, Larry Hughes seems to be the
most consistent player on their roster. What's your take on his transition from
shooting guard to point
guard?
The answer, Rob, lies squarely at the shoelaces of Antawn Jamison. The Warriors thought -- and so did a lot of other people -- that Jamison's back-to-back 51-point explosions last year represented the real Jamison, the guy who was going to be among the top players in the league. You're right -- it hasn't happened. He seems to be more limited offensively than many thought. He doesn't seem to have that third or fourth move that great scorers need to get it done. You're also correct about Larry Hughes. Funny, but going into the season Hughes' inconsistency was seen as one of the reasons the Warriors were a question mark. Golden State continues to hope that its rookie trio (Gilbert Arenas, Troy Murphy and Jason Richardson) matures into a formidable threesome and that Hughes, whose contract is up at the end of this season, will be around to get the team on the right course. Jack, if you had to pick one, and only one, Lakers' guard to play in Game 7
of the Finals, would it be Jerry West, Magic or
Kobe?
Jeez, what's a guy from Milwaukee doing coming up with a question like that? It's a good one, by the way, and you're really testing me. Jerry West was my favorite player growing up; the guy every slow, good-shooting 6-foot guard wanted to be. (I told him that once.) I covered Magic in his heyday and, now that he's out of the game, I've stayed fairly close to him personally. Kobe is the best player in the game right now. Period. But I'm not going to bail on you: I'm going to say Magic, simply because he could play all four of the other positions if he had to. But I'd like to hear what some other readers have to say. In your opinion, how bogus is the NBA's 50 Greatest Players list. I can name
a few players that should have made the top 50:
Well, Walter, I was on that panel. At the time, believe it or not, the most bogus pick seemed to be Shaquille O'Neal, since it was relatively early in his career, and a lot of people thought the NBA fudged the voting just to have a young player on the list. Clearly, he belongs. As for the rest of the list, Paul Arizin may be unfamiliar to modern fans, but he was a revolutionary scorer and jump shooter. So I'm going to stand behind the list. Furthermore, if the poll were taken now, I would think Tim Duncan and Kobe Bryant would belong ahead of any of the three players you mentioned, and possibly Allen Iverson, too. But my first alternate from the choices you gave me would be Dominique Wilkins. I have noticed that Tim Duncan is having a harder time against shorter power
forwards. Is this just a coincidence or should other teams start putting shorter
and more physical PFs on
Duncan?
Teejay, you've noticed something I haven't. Do you think Allen Houston should be putting up more points for the money he
is making? He is being outplayed by Latrell Sprewell and doesn't seem to have
any fire on the court. He is the one man on the team who could really make a
difference if he lead his squad the way Jordan does. Where is the monster we
were expecting when we got Houston from Detroit? What
gives?
I'm on record somewhere, Jay, as saying that I never thought the Allan Houston deal was a franchise-changer. He is not a fiery leader, not a guy in the Jordan mold. He is a shooter who can shoot. Sprewell is the leader of that team, but he wants out. The Knicks are in deep doo-doo. Most everybody recognizes the improvement of Steve Nash. In your opinion, has
he made it into the top echelon (top 5) of point guards in the
league?
Ah, asked like a true Canadian. The answer is yes. Right now, with Steve Francis out, Nash is probably the best in the West, or at least playing like it. I think a lot of people would take him over Stephon Marbury and Gary Payton because Nash has become a formidable scorer and, despite his size, will defend. Putting aside his ignorant comments from last week, why exactly does Dan
Issel have a job? If the atrocious record and derogatory comments won't get him
fired, what
will?
It's coming, Johnny. It's gotta be coming. Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum will answer your NBA questions every week during the season. Click here to send him a question. |
