Stir crazy

Jordan isn't capable of cutting down minutes

Wizards head coach Doug Collins told the Washington Times on Wednesday that Michael Jordan has missed a lot of practices because of his knee injuries. "I can't tell you the last time he practiced with us, because physically he just can't do it," Collins was quoted as saying.

That lack of practice time with his young team is probably the main reason the Wizards have struggled to a 5-12 record this year. Jordan always has been a fierce practicer, and his inability to go hard between games is severely limiting him and his teammates. Not only does it keep the team from developing any kind of chemistry, but it also prevents him from working on his timing.

Having been off for three years, Jordan's timing is not nearly what it was. And that, along with the trouble he's having with his knees, has prevented him from playing his game. He doesn't play above the rim like he used to -- he's making scoop shots and trick shots. He used to go up, make the shot and get fouled, but he obviously can't do that right now.

Rest is likely to be the only thing that will change that, and Jordan doesn't do that well. When he comes back, he's going to play 38 to 40 minutes; he can't sit. So it's going to be interesting to see how this plays out.

Out-of-shape Mason becoming problem in Milwaukee

Anthony Mason has made it clear that he's not happy with his role in Milwaukee, but he really has no one to blame but himself for his situation. He's so out of shape that he can't finish a play inside.

He came into camp late, and he's very overweight. In fact, he's a lot like Shawn Kemp right now. Far from being the Bucks' savior in the low post, unless he gets in shape, he'll actually hurt Milwaukee.

Head coach George Karl is doing his part to help Mason get back to his playing weight. Karl is playing him 35 to 40 minutes every night, more than anyone else on the team, which should definitely help. But the Bucks really need Mason to get his act together, or they could find themselves in big hole in the Central.

Nothing going Sixers' way these days

The Sixers are having a rough time of it lately. Not only have they lost five of their past six games, but their team bus got into an accident on the way to Wednesday's 93-87 loss in Golden State. No one was injured, but the team got to the arena 45 minutes before game time. So you get the idea that things just aren't going Philly's way.

The main problem for the Sixers has been the absences of Eric Snow and Aaron McKie. We know how offensively aggressive Allen Iverson is under normal conditions, but in the past several games, he's taken a lot of shots and he's not hitting a high percentage. Iverson really misses those guys.

McKie's main function is to take some of the defensive pressure off Iverson. If Iverson goes to the basket, defenders have to honor McKie's shot and stay home with him.

McKie, who had been out with an irregular heartbeat, returned to the lineup Wednesday. While that will help, Iverson really misses Snow more. When Snow is in the game, Iverson becomes a two-guard and McKie goes to the small forward spot. Iverson is a better player at the two, when he's not handling the ball. When Iverson plays the point, he dribbles around a lot and takes a lot of shots, which takes everybody else out of the game. But when he's at the two, he can catch and shoot, and it makes a big difference in the Sixers' offense.

Unfortunately for Iverson and the Sixers, Snow may not be back until February.

Kevin Loughery is a former NBA player and head coach. He appears each Sunday on CNN/SI's This Week in the NBA.

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