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question.
In your last mailbag,
you stated: "And the West, 1 through 5 (and maybe 6, the way Utah is
playing) is superbly balanced." Why did you fail to recognize that
Portland has been on fire for more than a month now, and that if the Spurs
continue to play .500 ball (as they have for the past two months), the Blazers
will surpass them in the standings? For all the mistakes Bob Whitsitt has made
with this team, Portland is playing exceptionally well, and deserves a little
respect.
--Chris Wright, Portland,
Ore.
I don't remember how long ago I wrote that, Chris, but Portland had not yet
taken off, at least not to the extent it has recently. Earlier this week on
CNNSI, I said that the sleeping giant in the West, maybe in the league, is the
Blazers. No doubt about it now. Portland deserves credit for turning its season
around. Every year there's a team christened as the one "nobody wants to
play in the first round." At present, that team is your Blazers.
Though they have one of the best records in the East, the Detroit Pistons
receive scant attention from the national press. How about a quick analysis of
the jobs rookie head coach Rick Carlisle and second-year team president Joe
Dumars are doing? I'm particularly impressed with the lack of team dissension on
Pistons compared to other
teams.
--John Tune, Traverse City,
Mich.
Well, John, Sports Illustrated did a major story on the Pistons (by
Chris Ballard) early in the season. I just saw a monster feature on
Ben Wallace in USA Today. So throttle back on your paranoia --
they're the third-best (maybe fourth-best) team in the most dreadful conference
in recent memory. That said, I was having a discussion the other day about Coach
of the Year candidates, and I think Rick has a real shot. Jason Kidd will
get (and should get) most of the credit for the rise of the Nets, and so I think
Rick will give Byron Scott a run for the coaching award. I hope the
Pistons do well. My all-time favorite guy that I ever covered was Joe
Dumars. He deserves only the
best.
With the recent play of Chauncey Billups and the acquisition of Marc Jackson,
how much have the T'Wolves increased their chances of going to the Western
Conference Finals, or even the NBA Finals? I know you're a big Kings fan, but
who would you rank as the third-best team in the West: Dallas, Minnesota, San
Antonio or Portland? I'd go with the T'Wolves. I think America will be
introduced to Kevin Garnett in a big way come the postseason. Your
thoughts?
--Paul Bryant, Oklahoma
City
I love Kevin Garnett. Love him. The NBA should take this guy and market the
absolute hell out of him. I like Wally Szczerbiak, Flip Saunders, Joe Smith,
Kevin McHale (he might be tied with Dumars as favorite guy I ever covered).
Billups has been a monster, and the Jackson deal was quietly superb. And there's
a couple really great restaurants in Minnie. But where does that leave the team
in my opinion? Fourth, behind the Lakers, Kings and Mavs, but ahead of the
Spurs. You can print this out and rag my butt if I'm wrong. By the way,
Minnesota would win the East by five or six
games.
Last week, you responded to a question about who meant more to their respective sport, Wayne
Gretzky or Michael Jordan. I would like to correct both you and the person who
asked the question on something: Magic Johnson and the Showtime Lakers --
combined with Magic's rivalry with Larry Bird and the "mystique" of
Boston Garden -- made the NBA popular and gave Jordan the stage to perform. I
would say Magic meant more to the NBA than Jordan. I don't think anyone can
argue that the NBA was floundering until Johnson hit the scene. Am I
wrong?
--Gary Murphy, Medford,
Ore.
I totally agree with you and have said many times that Magic and Bird saved the
game. The question was about Jordan and Gretzky. I really think it was Magic and
Larry combined -- the intensity of their rivalry, the contrasts between them and
their teams, their differing styles, the whole thing -- that caused the league's
popularity to soar. The NBA couldn't have ordered up a better
scenario.
In terms of marketing dollars and pizzazz, however, Jordan was unequalled. I
really think he was the one who took the NBA global.
Do you think Dikembe Mutombo is a future Hall of Famer? His Defensive Player
of the Year awards, blocked shots, All-Star appearances and longevity all seem
to indicate that he is. But he doesn't seem to be a guy you'd think back on in a
few years and say, "It was special to watch him play. He was one of the
best." Your
thoughts?
--Brian Carr, Downingtown,
Pa.
I think you echoed my thoughts, Brian. Mutombo has an advantage over many (maybe
most) NBA players in this respect: He can change a game two ways -- with blocked
shots and rebounding. That's what people look for from real players. So he's a
player, no doubt about it. But I think a Hall of Famer has to have some sort of
offensive component and, with Dikembe, I just don't see it. You could argue that
Bill Russell wasn't a fabulous offensive player, but he won 11
championships and changed the
game.
How much longer does Isiah Thomas have in Indiana? It seems that all he does
is criticize his players when he himself hasn't put up any results. Last year,
Thomas used youth and inexperience as excuses for the team's failure to make the
playoffs. This year, the Pacers are still a .500 team and might fail to make the
playoffs again. Do you think Thomas should just follow Scott Skiles' lead and
resign?
--Jason, Bayside,
N.Y.
I don't think Isiah will resign. I think he will figure, deservedly so, that he
should get at least a season with the "new" team Indiana just traded
for. He did take some chances this year. He committed to a rookie point guard
and to making Jermaine O'Neal the focus of the offense. I think there is
some importance attached to the remainder of the Pacers' season. I don't think
Thomas will be fired if his team doesn't make the playoffs; but I think failure
to do so will cause next year to be a make-or-break
season.
The Sonics have beaten a lot of the top contenders in the West, but they have
lost a lot of games they should have won against teams in the East. Do you think
Seattle has what it takes to make a serious run in the
playoffs?
--Kevin O'Day, Worcester,
Mass.
Well, think about it. The Sonics are stuck in the West. Where do they qualify?
Do they beat the Lakers in the first round? No. Do they beat the Kings or Mavs?
I don't think so. Though they are capable of beating anybody in a single game --
witness their thrashing of the Lakers earlier this season -- I can't see Seattle
coming out on top in a
series.
When the topic of Most Improved Player comes up, I hear people mention guys
who were already pretty good (Peja Stojakovic, Kenyon Martin, etc.), but no one
ever mentions Lee Nailon or Jamal Magloire of the Charlotte Hornets. Nailon
probably played 10 minutes of meaningful basketball all last year, but this
season, due to injuries, he's started and has helped the team hover around .500.
I expect this neglect from the celebrity-dazzled public, but why no recognition
from those who are supposed to know
better?
--David Houston, Charlotte, N.C.
Jeez, David, you have TWO candidates from the same team. I'll be honest with
you, though: People who talk about those awards -- and I'll include myself in
there -- do lean toward players on teams that are really doing something, that
are making a difference. It's not Nailon's or Magloire's fault, but the Hornets
just have no buzz this season and I don't even intend that as a bad pun. Is that
fair? Maybe not. But it's reality. Between those two candidates, incidentally, I
would pick Nailon. I do vote for that award and I promise to keep him in
mind.
When you were picking
your top five coaches, the Texans were forgotten. Rudy Tomjanovich has two
rings. Don Nelson has racked up 50-plus win seasons everywhere he's gone and
turned around failing franchises in Golden State and Dallas. No disrespect to
any of your choices, but I just thought these two should get a vote of
confidence.
--M. Wolf, San
Francisco
Well, you gave it to 'em, Mr. W. But they still don't make my top
five.
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum will answer your NBA questions
every week during the season. Click here to send him a
question.
