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 Clashing egos hurt Pistons, Magic
Posted: Monday April 26, 1999 03:57 PM
The fight between Jerry Stackhouse and Christian Laettner on the Pistons' team plane last week is just another example of a team in turmoil. Stackhouse has ripped Grant Hill for hogging the ball, and has criticized some of coach Alvin Gentry's defensive schemes. Gentry, in turn, has taken some thinly veiled shots at vice president Rick Sund's personnel moves, which included passing up on players like Michael Dickerson, Matt Harpring and Michael Doleac in the draft. Center Bison Dele admits there's tension in the Pistons' locker room, and says there are players who aren't even talking to each other. But some of the Pistons believe Dele's inconsistency and unwillingness to play with minor injuries is the team's biggest problem. Last week guard Joe Dumars was so disgusted with Dele's play that he ran by the bench and told Gentry to get him out of the game.
Shooting guard question for MagicThere is locker room strife in Orlando as well, where Penny Hardaway and Nick Anderson both want to be the starting shooting guard. Anderson played well at the spot until he was injured, clearing the way for Hardaway to shift from the point to replace him. Hardaway made it clear that he wanted the change to become permanent, and when Anderson was healthy again, he found he had lost his starting job. The situation has caused a rift between the two players, and it's no coincidence that the Magic have slumped recently, falling out of first place in the Atlantic Division. The players held a meeting to clear the air last week, but several said the personal conflicts had not been resolved. If the shooting guard issue isn't solved to Hardaway's satisfaction, the soon-to-be free agent may be gone after the season, and the Chicago Bulls will be waiting with their checkbook open.
Knicks look West for GMAfter the Knicks removed general manager Ernie Grunfeld last week, it didn't take long for the name of Lakers president and GM Jerry West to come up as a possible replacement. West wasn't happy when Laker owner Jerry Buss went against his advice and signed Dennis Rodman, and he didn't appreciate having to threaten to resign last year before Buss gave him a lucrative contract extension. West loves the southern California lifestyle and it would take a major sales pitch to convince him to head east, but the Knicks are likely to give him a call, and under the circumstances, West may at least listen.
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