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Question of faith Riley must decide if he believes in the Heat
Posted: Friday January 28, 2000 07:57 PM
Despite Miami's desire to go after 76ers guard Larry Hughes, Pat Riley may not pull the trigger. He needs forward Jamal Mashburn more than ever now that Dan Majerle is out with a stress fracture in his right leg. "It all comes down to how much Pat Riley believes in his team," one Eastern Conference GM said. "If he keeps Mashburn, he's basically saying that he's going to make one last run at the title with this bunch. If he lets go of Mashburn, he's conceding that it's time to look toward the future." Riley's got a month. But movement isn't expected. Remember, Riley still believes the Sixers leaked word of the potential deal, and he's not exactly happy about that.
Warriors looking to make a dealThe Golden State Warriors appear willing to unload some baggage. Mainly point guard Mookie Blaylock. The Warriors have recently talked to the Raptors, who've desperately been searching for a point guard, about trading away Blaylock for guard Doug Christie. But the Raptors haven't given in as of yet."Christie's been great for us this year," Raptors coach Butch Carter said recently. "We're not really interested in moving him." Which doesn't help Golden State. Since rookie Vonteego Cummings has developed quicker than expected, the Warriors are looking to unload not only Blaylock, but free agent-to-be John Starks. Lenny's job is safe ... for nowA few days have passed since reports out of Atlanta had the Hawks scheduled to dismiss the NBA's all-time winningest coach Lenny Wilkens. And team president Stan Kasten is still fuming."Whoever said we're firing Wilkens is a [bleeping] idiot," Kasten said. But despite having more than 1,000 wins on his resume, Wilkens holds a 297-203 record with the Hawks, with a first-round loss and a second-round sweep in the playoffs over the past two years. And "apathy" is a kind word to describe the fan support the Hawks have received. Said one coach, "With all the money they've spent, they have to win and they have to draw fans to the game while offering some degree of excitement. Why else do you think they traded away Steve Smith for Isaiah Rider?" Stephen A. Smith covers the NBA for the Philadelphia Inquirer and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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