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Shaq the most dominant force in NBA
Posted: Monday February 14, 2000 11:58 AM
NBA insider Stephen A. Smith of The Philadelphia Inquirer spoke with CNNSI anchor Bob Lorenz about the first half of the season on Sunday's This Week in the NBA on CNN: Bob Lorenz: Let's talk about the way this season has panned out so far with your midseason report card. First up, MVP. You picked Shaquille O'Neal -- what gives him the edge? Stephen A. Smith: I picked Shaq because he's finally decided to come and play some defense for the first time in his career, not to mention block some shots. And because of that, he's been the most dominant force in the game, no question about it. BL: And his free-throw shooting has gotten a little better... SS: No it hasn't . . . BL: I was just trying to sell your choice. What about your most disappointing and surprising teams? For you, it's just not happening with the Nets and I'm guessing you like the Magic not only for now, but for the future. SS: Look at the New Jersey Nets squad. Both Stephon Marbury and Keith Van Horn are being paid more than $70 million. They've got a star-studded roster with Kerry Kittles and Kendall Gill. They've got enough talent on that team to be a lot better than they are. They have not produced this year. They've been a major disappointment and that's why you're going to see changes there this offseason. When the Magic came into this season, no one expected them to win 20 games total. Well, they've already done that in the first half of the year. Doc Rivers has done a sensational job and right now John Gabriel is my executive of the year because he's created a whole bunch of cap space to have a shot at guys like Tim Duncan and Grant Hill in the offseason. And at the same time he's kept that team respectable. They deserve to be commended for the job they've done. BL: Finally, let's move to coach of the year. You picked Larry Brown -- he hasn't gotten stir-crazy yet so that's a good sign. SS: Look at the 76ers roster. Take away Allen Iverson and what do you have? Certainly you don't have any offense. Theo Ratliff was hurt for most of the first half of this season and Matt Geiger's still trying to find his heart. Bottomline: Larry Brown has proven himself to be one of the greatest coaches in the game today. There's no question he's done an exceptional job. BL: The trading deadline is approaching, on February 24. What do you hear is happening out there? SS: The Lakers are definitely shopping Glen Rice, that's been the buzz over the past few weeks. The 76ers called the Pistons last week to inquire about trading Tyrone Hill to Detroit so that Philadelphia could acquire the rights to Bison Dele. They would then ship those rights, along with Larry Hughes, to L.A. to bring Rice to Philly. That's their intention. Phil Jackson is looking for a way to compete with San Antonio and Portland. If he doesn't have a backup center and a legitimate power forward to contend with those big bodies on those two teams' rosters, Glen Rice's outside shooting isn't going to get the job done. They need another big body.
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