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Trade countdown As deadline nears, should they stay or should they go?
Posted: Wednesday February 23, 2000 07:54 PM
Michael Jordan has Wizards GM Wes Unseld working overtime these days trying to unload all the excess baggage he can. But don't expect much to happen by the Thursday trade deadline. The Wizards are looking to dump Ike Austin anywhere, possibly in the lap of the Lakers or the Pistons. But here's why the Wizards may have trouble making any sort of deal: Many teams are reluctant to deal with Jordan. After getting dunked on, shot down and embarrassed by Jordan the player, no team in the league is eager to be victimized by Jordan the executive. They don't want Juwan Howard's $56 million over the next three years, nor do they want to play Dumpster while Jordan unloads the $10 million both Rod Strickland and Mitch Richmond are scheduled to make next season. "We're all gun-shy," said one GM. "MJ single-handedly ruined numerous franchises during his playing days. Just ask Cleveland, New York and Utah. Right now, no one wants to be the guy that's known for helping him do the same thing in a front-office capacity. It sounds vicious, quite frankly, but that's really the way it is." Heat on the verge of self-destructionThe Miami Heat appear on the verge of ruining themselves. After losing to Chicago and New Jersey, they bowed to the Detroit Pistons and coach Pat Riley nearly got into it with forward Otis Thorpe. After Alonzo Mourning had his nose broken and was removed from the game, Riley inserted Thorpe, then took him out three minutes later after Mourning returned. Thorpe didn't go quietly, however, throwing a few verbal barbs at Riley on his way back to the bench, nearly causing Riley to retaliate in front of everyone. Following the game, Riley was on the phone. Rider, anyone?No matter what the Hawks say, everyone outside of Dikembe Mutumbo is expendable these days, especially Isaiah Rider. With Rider in the last year of his deal, but still causing the Hawks headaches, the team is actually considering putting him on waivers. "We haven't made that decision yet," one Hawks' source said. "But we're thinking about it." If they do waive Rider, expect Pat Riley to grab Isaiah before he even takes a deep breath. Looks like Rice is sticking in L.A.As for all the Glen Rice trade talks, here's one possible reason why he hasn't gone anywhere yet. "Why should we trade him?" one Lakers player said. "I asked coach the same thing. He can shoot, he can play, and we need him. And who else is going to pay him? There's nowhere for him to go, really, so if he really wanted to end up someplace, he'd have to work out a sign-and-trade with L.A. to get his money. We just need to keep him here for this run." Stephen A. Smith covers the NBA for the Philadelphia Inquirer and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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