|
|
 |
 |   |
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE | |
Storylines for the season Players, trends to keep an eye on this year
Now that players have reported to camp and preseason games are under way, Laura Okmin sat down with Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum to talk about the season ahead. Laura Okmin: Jack, the Sixers were one step away from the NBA championship, and they obviously have the talent to make another run. But they still made some changes and, in fact, they weren't the only successful team that made a number of moves, were they? Jack McCallum: No, it's a league where everybody complains about the salary cap and says you can't do anything, but some good teams made some big changes. The Sixers are now trying to work Matt Harpring into the rotation. They went out and got Robert Traylor -- and this was after exchanging half their team last year with Atlanta. Toronto, another factor in the East, went out and signed Hakeem Olajuwon, which really changes their team. They're still Vince Carter's team, but now they have a Hall of Fame center wanting the ball 15 to 18 times a game. And finally, the San Antonio Spurs. This team has had the best regular-season record for the past two years and is going to have three new starters. They kept Tim Duncan and David Robinson, obviously, but they're working Steve Smith, Bruce Bowen and Antonio Daniels into the rotation. So this is a lot of change at the top, never mind what's going on with the other teams in the league. Okmin: Other than the Lakers, which team should we keep an eye on this season? McCallum: I like the Dallas Mavericks, and it's going to be easy to keep an eye on them since Mark Cuban will be up pounding his chest every two or three possessions. But I think they're the real interesting team in the West. And don't laugh at me, please, when I say this, but I think the team that has a chance of improving a lot or is at least going to be interesting is the Golden State Warriors. They're going to be working in three rookies: Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson and Troy Murphy. They had a lot of injuries last year. We're going to continue to see if Antawn Jamison will ascend to among the elite players in the league. I like them as a team that can move up a little in the West. Okmin: Grant Hill's move to Orlando gave fans something to look forward to last season. He gets injured and, unfortunately, we've seen that a lot from him the past few years. I know this sounds funny, but is this is a "make it or break it" year for Hill? McCallum: Well, I think he's got something to prove. He came out as one of the next Jordans, which has been the tag for three or four guys. Grant seemed to be the guy who was going to live up to that. I think he's getting a reputation as an injury-prone player. He really needs to step up his temperament and become a little meaner. And with the Magic becoming Tracy McGrady's team, Hill has to come in, take that team by the lapels and take it to the top. Although it may not be "make it or break it," this is the year we're going to be looking at Hill to really become the Grant Hill we thought he would be out of Duke. Okmin: Besides Hill, who needs to show their stuff this season? McCallum: Chris Webber's a guy I'm going to be keeping my eye on. A number of teams around the league courted him. There was a report that he was mad that Orlando didn't go after him. But everybody else wanted him, and the Kings traded away Jason Williams, so this is clearly Webber's team. It remains to be seen if he can lift them above the Lakers. Another guy is Ray Allen for Milwaukee. He's a guy with a lot of talent, but he had a couple "off" games during the playoffs, a couple of games when it was whispered that maybe "Ray didn't have the mental toughness" to become among the league's elite. Okmin: On the other side of the coin, you have two stories that you're going to try to avoid at all costs, and I'm with you on both of these. What are they and why? McCallum: I don't care what time Isaiah Rider gets up. I don't care if he gets up at 2 o'clock in the afternoon for a 4 o'clock game. I don't care if he misses the bus. I'm through with Rider. I'm going to try not to mention his name. And finally, I know it's already happened this year that from some gaming table in Las Vegas, Dennis Rodman is going to proclaim that he's coming back. Dennis, I really don't care. You're 40 years old now. Your legacy is secure as a great rebounder but somewhat of an offbeat person, and I just don't care what you're going to be doing this year.
Sports Illustrated senior writer Jack McCallum covers the NBA and appears regularly on CNN/Sports Illustrated.
| |||||||||||||||||||||
