Improved Grizzlies still need time

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum will answer your NBA questions every week during the season. Click here to send him a question.

It looks as if Memphis has a bright future with Pau Gasol (Rookie of the Year?) and Shane Battier. Even Jason Williams is contributing on a regular basis. How long do you think it'll take the Grizzlies to become a playoff team? And will the possible retirement of Bryant Reeves help them in signing free agents next season?
--Remy Jansen, Harderwijk, The Netherlands

Remy, I'm writing this from Memphis where I'll be checking out the Grizzlies Friday night. I share some of your enthusiasm about this team. Grizzlies president Dick Versace and general manager Billy Knight obviously made the most astute rookie picks with Gasol and Battier. Jason Williams likes it here, and, yes, it does look as if Big Country is gone. Playoff team? Well, the Grizzlies are in the West, remember, and the West is going to be tough for a long time. I'd say with a good free-agent pickup, a solid rookie selection (the Grizz have to give their pick to the Pistons unless Memphis finishes in the top 5 in the lottery) and continued maturation, the Grizzlies will want to start looking to the playoffs in three years, when they move into their new building.

What do people around the league think of Keith Van Horn? I love the new-look Nets, but he seems to be holding them back from greatness. Would any teams be interested in trading for him and his $11 million contract?
--Rich, New York

I think Van Horn came in with that dreaded tag as being "another Larry Bird." Injuries have held him back and, beyond that, as you seem to be hinting, there appears to be something else lacking in his game. He's had a bit of a renaissance this season which, rightly so, has partly been credited to Jason Kidd. Having said that, make no mistake that teams would trade for Van Horn. But let's see how far the Nets -- as currently constructed -- can go; if they fall far short, well, Van Horn might be on the block.

I am a diehard Chicago Bulls fan and have never been a Tim Floyd supporter, but in your piece where you state Floyd is a bad NBA coach, you also describe Jerry Krause's manipulative behavior and inability to give up control. Do you think Floyd's poor coaching was a result of a) Krause demanding Floyd use the triangle offense, which was impossible to run with that team and b) the players not respecting Floyd because they knew he wasn't calling the shots?
--Alan Kierman, New York

Nothing, Alan, is that simple. There's no question Krause and Floyd got into a battle of wills that affected some of Floyd's decisions on the court. But most (not all) NBA coaches face those kinds of situations. Floyd was not experienced enough with the NBA game, not experienced enough in dealing with adversity, not experienced enough to inspire confidence from his players, to get around some of those conflicts. We'll see about the offense. By the way: I haven't seen the Bulls since Bill Cartwright took over but I think he's going to run the triangle most of the time.

I agree with you choosing Magic over Jerry West and Kobe Bryant to play guard in a Game 7. Magic was not only the greatest point guard ever, but he could also play the other four positions and create a mismatch in a few of those spots. And more than any other player ever (yes, including Jordan), Johnson made his teammates better. Do you agree that Magic is the greatest "team player?"
--Frank Imschweiler, Bedford Hills, N.Y.

I do, even more so than Bird, who, although being a favorite of mine, led the world in bad shots taken, an honor now held by Allen Iverson. As far as the last shot goes, well, Jerry was Mr. Clutch. But the kinds of plays Magic made in the final seconds -- his baby hook in Game 4 of the '87 Finals against the Celts in Boston Garden being a prime example -- made him his own form of Mr. Clutch.

You answered a question concerning the Knicks shooting guards in your last mailbag, and mentioned Latrell Sprewell was looking to get out of New York. He seems to have less of the fire that made him essential to the Knicks, so I have grudgingly accepted that moving him, and/or Marcus Camby may be the only way to change the malaise of the team. Does GM Scott Layden have the skills to get it done? In Utah, he never got a third weapon or any young guys who grew into contributors, and his record in New York has been mediocre, to say the least.
--Josh, New York City

Like most New Yorkers, Josh, you have a strong opinion more than a question. And I really can't argue with anything you say.

Being a Boston sports fan now living in the U.K., I can't help but get excited about the great job Jim O'Brien has done revitalizing the Celtics, particularly on the defensive end. But without a real big man in the middle, can the Celtics really compete with Milwaukee and the other top teams in the East?
--Gerard Pym, Yateley, United Kingdom

I had that very discussion yesterday with a top personnel man in the league. I think what the Celtics have done with a two-man team is terrific, but, no, I don't see them getting by Milwaukee, New Jersey and maybe Indiana. But nobody in that conference is exactly a lock.

In contrast to Walter Powell's query on who should be included on the NBA's 50 Greatest Players list, I'd like to submit who should be removed from the list ... drum roll please ... Bill Walton! He was a great college player, but aside from winning the title with Portland in '77, he was nothing more than a scrub. He was placed on the list because of his college reputation alone. What's your take?
--L.L. Crawley, Middleburg, Fla.

I have always been puzzled as to how in the world Bill Walton made the NBA's 50 Greatest Players list. He was a great college basketball player, but had a mediocre pro career. What gives? Especially when players like Alex English, the first player to have eight straight seasons scoring 2,000 points or more, aren't on the list.
--Dexter Richardson, Durham, N.C.

Well, L.L. and Dexter, you ask tough questions since Bill is a friend of mine and I really like him personally. He was put on the list not just because of his college reputation but also because of the 1977 championship he won with the Portland Trail Blazers, still widely recognized as one of the great unselfish teams of all time. But you're both right: He wasn't a great NBA player, mainly because of injuries, but he was an immortal collegian.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum will answer your NBA questions every week during the season. Click here to send him a question.

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