TNT's Midseason Report: The East
Posted: Wednesday February 05, 2003 2:18 AM
Updated: Wednesday February 05, 2003 1:46 PM
TNT’s Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson and Kenny Smith broke down every NBA team during TNT's Inside the NBA. Here's what they said about the Eastern Conference. (Click here for the West):
 Atlanta Hawks
Barkley: Oooohh ... it is bad. They don't have point guard ... that’s their No. 1 problem. They don’t have a team identity ... is it Shareef's team, Jason Terry's team? I thought Theo [Ratliff] was going to be a great player, but he has not given them anything in the past couple years. You can say he was hurt, but sooner or later he has to play. I saw a quote of his in the paper where he said he only wants to play a couple minutes, so he could save his energy for the fourth quarter. When your 27 years old, you have all the energy in he world.
There is no hope of them making the playoffs ... that was never going to happen. It is not going to this year, and it is not going to happen next year. They have got a lot of holes. They don't have anything going for themselves right now.
 Boston Celtics
Barkley: They have two really good players in Paul Pierce and Antoine Walker, but they never should’ve traded Kenny Anderson. They have to address their point guard situation and stop shooting so many 3-pointers. You live and die by 3-point shooting, but you will always die if that’s your bread and butter. They have two terrific players ... but that’s it.
 Chicago Bulls
Barkley: Jay Williams is going to be a solid point guard in this league for a long time. They have to figure out what to do with Jalen Rose, because he is probably their best player right now.
They have to figure out if Tyson Chandler and Eddie Curry can play. They drafted those guys with two of the top five picks coming out of high school ... we should see something now, and we are not seeing that night in and night out. I think it takes a high school player three years for us to see if he is going to be a star or not. The jury is still out. They are at least two or three years from making the playoffs and they just have to be patient.
 Cleveland Cavaliers
Smith: The first thing I would say is "commitment." They have to say, "This is going to be our coach for a long extended period of time" ... because I think when you have a young team they look at the things outside of the game a lot, and they don't really understand the business aspect of basketball.
They also have to find out what Dajuan Wagner’s best position is. Is he a point guard or a two guard? He is a guy that could be the cornerstone of your franchise, so figure out what he can do. You have good talent, but you don't have the right talent together. You have to find out which style you are going to play.
 Detroit Pistons
Magic: They can go far, because one thing they do better than probably anyone else is play half-court defense. They are a blue-collar team and they enjoy playing that style, and when you play against Detroit, you are going to have to come and try to beat them. They are not just going to let you walk in there and beat them. They play well together and they enjoy their roles ... one through nine they are satisfied with their roles.
Richard Hamilton is a quiet star, and Ben Wallace is a superstar. All the other guys just add in. Fifteen points here, 14 points there ... they are a tough team to defend because you don’t know where the points are going to come from. That’s why I like them. One thing that they are lacking when they get to the playoffs is that one star down low who can get them points.
 Indiana Pacers
Barkley: I love Indiana. They’re going to be tough. They're two deep in every position; they have more players than they can use. Ron Artest is the guy that keeps them going, but he can also bring them downhill.
 Miami Heat
Smith: Their toughest thing is scoring, but I think they made a great pick with Caron Butler. I have always thought the Miami Heat needed players who would buck Pat Riley's system -- meaning a guy who isn’t a defensive stopper or a guy who isn’t playing in the system. They need a guy who wants to be creative and wants to make their own shot. They need more guys like Caron Butler.
Hopefully Alonzo Mourning, next year, can be healthy enough to give them some minutes. Then they are on their way. They need another player who will not summit to that defense-minded system and bring some individuality.
 Milwaukee Bucks
Barkley: When Milwaukee started losing a couple of years ago, George Karl lost that team. He never got them back. When they were winning, he was telling them how bad they were, and he lost that team. They have never recovered from losing their past 20 games of the season to miss the playoffs. Now they just go through the motions. They lost their intensity and desire.
 New Jersey Nets
Smith: I think the Nets are the cream of the East. Jason Kidd can will out a win because he takes control of a game three ways: rebounding, defense and scoring.
 New Orleans Hornets
Smith: I don't think they have enough firepower. Overall they have a lot of good solid players, but Jamal Mashburn is the leader of that team ... no Baron Davis [due to injury]. I think right now they have a big team, versatility, but there's not one guy down the stretch that you can say is going to make that play every night. Davis and Mashburn are close, but they haven't jumped over the broom, so to speak, and been that player.
 New York Knicks
Magic: The Knicks have big problems. They are over the cap and they won't have any cap space for a couple of years. They are going to have to find a way to be creative and bring other guys in. They are a very short team ... they have a lot guys that are under 6-foot-8. I love Kurt Thomas ... I think he is a tough guy, and Latrell Sprewell, who is a tremendous player. But they will have to trade Sprewell or Allan Houston so they can rebuild. They also have to find a way to get younger. New York is not a city that is going to accept the rebuilding, but they are going to have to look to rebuild.
 Orlando Magic
Barkley: Grant Hill is a terrific person and really great player ... but he can't play. It’s going to be close as to whether he can finish his career, and that is unfortunate. They basically have a one-man team. McGrady can get them to the playoffs. I could get five guys out here and have a chance at the playoffs in the East. He can't do it by himself. They have zero big guys.
 Philadelphia 76ers
Magic: That team that went to the Finals was a team. They cared about one another, they trusted one another, they believed in one another, and then they let Allen Iverson take as many shots as he wanted -- you know why? Because George Lynch and Tyrone Hill were going to get every offensive rebound. You didn't want to play Philadelphia two years ago, but now they are soft. Iverson takes those same shots, and there are no offensive rebounds. This is not a Larry Brown team. Larry Brown likes those tough, gritty guys, and he doesn't have the players that fit his coaching style.
 Toronto Raptors
Smith: I think the depletion in talent has really hurt Toronto the past couple of years. It started with Tracy McGrady, and from there it has been a gradual depletion of talent. In turn, that makes Vince Carter the go-to guy every single time, and that is too much for him to do without a supporting cast.
 Washington Wizards
Magic: They have no foot speed and too many role players. Michael Jordan and Jerry Stackhouse have to work too hard. If they are going to win, both of them have to have big games, and they don't trust and believe in the other guys. They don't have a lot of firepower, either. Teams take advantage of them ... they say, "Let Michael take all their shots -- we can stop everyone else and we will always beat them."
Magic: Will they pay Stackhouse all that money next year?
Barkley: They don't think they will have a choice. Without Michael, they don't have anyone else.
Provided courtesy of TNT Sports
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