Head Of The Class

Around the Rim

Through Sunday the Magic was 6-1 since Brian Hill was replaced as coach by assistant Richie Adubato. Two players say they had pushed for Hill's dismissal because they felt that without a new coach they couldn't finish the season strong and prove that they could win without Shaquille O'Neal....

David Robinson could be healthy by mid-March, leaving San Antonio in a quandary. On the one hand, the Spurs are an abysmal 13-44, and the fans are calling for the Admiral. On the other hand, keeping him out enhances the team's chances of landing the No. 1 pick in the draft. Don't count on seeing Robinson in uniform again this season....

After the Lakers shelved the Kobe-Bryant-as-point-guard experiment, they tried to make time for Bryant at shooting guard, but veteran Byron Scott responded to the challenge by shooting 55% from the field over 11 games. "Byron simply won't let me play Kobe," said coach Del Harris, after Bryant logged DNP's against Houston and Washington and played one minute against Atlanta last week. "You can't steal time from a guy going that good." During the stretch that Scott shot 55%, Bryant shot 32%.