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D'Alessandro: It's that time of year: The GM's are yapping
Sunday, June 18, 2006
BY DAVE D'ALESSANDRO
Star-Ledger Staff
It is nine days before the draft, and 13 days before the free-agent market, so general managers are in full gossip mode.
It's a juvenile pathology, really. They circulate something they know is probably far-fetched, just for the sake of hearing some peer deny it emphatically. For example, here is a name we've heard in trade rumors three times in the past week:
Richard Jefferson.
Welcome to the cognitive dissonance portion of our program.
"RJ's out there," one GM insists. "He's been out there for a while."
Out there? As in wafting in the surf out there on the shores of San Diego?
"They're quietly shopping him," a second GM said.
And then there was this one, which had just the right amount of embellishment: "I've been hearing that he and Jason aren't getting on too well," another said.
Jason?
The Greek hero who led the Argonauts? The guy from the slasher movies? The nuclear reactor up in Greenwich?
Oh. Whatever.
Anyway, you've probably figured out how this stuff circulates by now.
"We talk to everybody," Nets GM Ed Stefanski said. "And they always bring up his name, I don't. Everyone likes Richard, for obvious reasons."
You can mark that down as a denial. The Nets aren't shopping Richard Jefferson. And along with that, Stefanski reiterated that it would take some colossal, unforeseen circumstance for his team to break up the core.
But there's about a few dozen other big names that were (allegedly) discussed throughout the predraft camp in Orlando last week, and the discussions will (allegedly) go on throughout the off-season:
Kenyon Martin: Coach George Karl came out and admitted it this week: He's gone. Or one of his forwards is gone, anyway. The Nuggets can't afford to have four frontcourt players (Marcus Camby, Carmelo Anthony, K-Mart and free agent Nene) making eight-figure salaries, "so there's going to have to be some cleaning out there," Karl said.
The hope is to move Martin before opening negotiations with Nene, and as of now, they are getting serious offers. We still say they won't get anything better than Steve Francis when all the precincts report.
Allen Iverson: He's being offered to everyone, and the only practical solution is to convince Atlanta -- which can absorb his $17 million salary -- to take him off their hands. The problem is that the Thrashers/Hawks ownership group is still having an intramural pie fight, the case is in the courts, they're slated to lose $20 million next year already, and nobody can make any decision on something of this magnitude, since Iverson has $56 million coming to him in the next three years.
Jamaal Magloire: He's entering the last year of his deal ($8.3 million), which should motivate him more than he appeared to be last season, and Toronto would like to bring him home.
Brevin Knight: Coach/GM Bernie Bickerstaff admits he has spoken with Toronto and Portland about him already, and it's widely assumed that Memphis might give it a shot. Charlotte is still trying to place him on a team where he'd do the most good.
"He doesn't have veto power," Bickerstaff said, "but I wouldn't just throw him in a situation that wouldn't be right for his skills."
We still say he's one of the most underrated players in the league, and that the Nets should stay on his trail.
Corey Maggette: You kind of figured that the postseason (15.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg in 24.4 mpg) proved his value, but the same thing keeps coming up: shoots too much, busts too many plays, and some teammates don't want him around.
Baron Davis: In our linear world, it's easiest for the Knicks and Warriors to just swap Davis ($15M next year, $50M over the next three) for Stephon Marbury ($17.2M, $57M over the next three) and get it over with. It's an exchange of equal talent, scoring point guards whose new teammates would welcome with party horns, just for the sake of trying out a new prima donna.
Everyone on Portland: It has been a whole year since they've started over, so they figure it's time to start over. Line up for Zach Randolph, Darius Miles or anyone else who might strike your fancy and permanently screw up your chemistry.
BIAS STILL HAS IMPACT
Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of the death of Len Bias (June 19, 1986), which makes this a good time to remember that the league hasn't been the same since that incomprehensible event. Wait, rewind: The country itself hasn't been the same, either, when you think about it -- the loss of this dazzling young talent even moved Congress to pass mandatory sentences for the sale of crack cocaine.
But for those who never saw the Maryland forward, know this: He was probably the first to get tagged with the "Next Jordan" label, but he really wasn't like MJ. For comparison's sake, think in terms of another L.B. -- LeBron James. They were the same height, both played above the rim, both had the kind of quick-leap explosion that made everything they did seem like it was a man against boys.
James had the better handle and vision, but Bias was the better shooter by far -- the kind of kid who had that rare combo of elevation and touch -- and the better shot-blocker.
Had he lived, Bias would be 42 years old now, with a place in the pantheon of basketball legends. Instead, we have to settle for another legacy, and it's not altogether tragic: His mom, Lonise, has become a giant in the daily battle against drug abuse, and while she has touched a lot of people, hers often seems like a voice in the wilderness.
Drug abuse among teens is actually more prevalent than it was in the early 1990s, according to the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy; every day, there are 4,000 kids (ages 12 to 17) who use an illegal drug for the first time. In short, this generation wasn't around to remember the lesson of the Len Bias tragedy, which is why Lonise crusades harder than ever.
"I have used Len's death as an avenue to bring about change," Lonise said after a recent lecture. "(People) tell me, 'The day your son died, I stopped using cocaine.' I believe that Len lost his life to help save others."
BREACH OF THE WEEK
Two groupies wandered into the Mavs' locker room in Miami after Game 3 and made a beeline for the shower, where a stunned Marquis Daniels had to cover up. The ladies were quickly escorted out.
LAUNCH OF THE WEEK
The police were called in to remove a "Go Mavs" banner that had been unfurled on a 60-foot boat in Biscayne Bay before Game 3. One paper said the boat belonged to Mark Cuban. Cuban said the only boat he has ever been in, he rowed; though he could understand why a boat in Miami might contain a Cuban.
JERSEY GUY OF THE WEEK
Asked whether he considers himself a Texan, Shaq said: "I don't know the name of the planet (I'm from). The files were destroyed. Actually, my mother originally told me I wasn't born, that I was found on the train. I have a lot of heritage in Texas, but I consider myself a New Jerseyan. I was found on the Amtrak in Jersey City."
WAKE-UP CALL OF THE WEEK
An independent survey revealed that an astonishing 78 percent of Seattle residents would rather see the Sonics leave town than pay for the $220 million renovation of KeyArena.
ETCETERA
So how does that DWI arrest affect J.J. REDICK'S draft status? It depends on whom you consult. Some believe it could drop the Dukey out of the lottery entirely, but we still say he doesn't get past Houston at No. 8 -- the Rockets need shooters (badly) to take some pressure off their two studs, and he purportedly had a great workout there.
DAVID STERN said the league is "open" to possibly changing the 2-3-2 format in the NBA Finals, which originated in 1985 because the media was not willing to pay for six flights in 14 days required by the old 2-2-1-1-1 arrangement. We think it's much ado about nada: In the NBA Finals, more than any other postseason event in sports, the better team wins -- period -- and the venue is irrelevant. There is no proof that the current format has hurt the team with the home-court advantage, which earned the advantage.
TIM HARDAWAY, still trying to get back in the game any way he can, said this week he has been in touch with former TMC partner CHRIS MULLIN to get a gig as a "special assistant" on the Warriors coaching staff. The third member of the band, MITCH RICHMOND, already has such a position.
Interesting recruitment methods employed by Chicago. The brass took LaMARCUS ALDRIDGE to dinner Tuesday night, and for the first 10 minutes, all coach SCOTT SKILES did was stare at the kid. "I was kind of wondering, 'Did I do something wrong?'" Aldridge said. "I was kind of scared."
JACK RAMSAY, the youngest 81-year-old we know, is walking away from his ESPN Radio gig after the Finals for a myriad of reasons: He's battling cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy; and even of he were in peak health his partner for the last 11 years, JIM DURHAM, is being replaced by MIKE TIRICO. "I don't want to (work) with anybody else," says the venerable Dr. Jack.
How much has MICHAEL JORDAN invested in the Bobcats to become their new managing partner? The Charlotte Observer estimated his ante to be between $10 million and $20 million. In other words, Bob Johnson, who paid $350 million to buy the team, is still king of the castle.
YAO MING finally took that protective boot off his broken left foot, and X-Rays say the screw holding that metatarsal in place is doing its job. He's scheduled to return to China by the end of this week with his personal trainer, but it's too early to discern whether he'll be ready to play in the World Championships (Aug. 19 to Sept. 3).
JERMAINE O'NEAL says he is "confident" he'll be back in Indiana next year, which is his way of saying that team prez Larry Bird has promised him he's not going anywhere. He plans on returning 15 pounds lighter next season.
From the Just Asking file: What if the Heat went down in Game 3, and bowed out meekly before the series could get back to Texas? Would DWYANE WADE be so quick to accept that five-year, $75-million extension that will undoubtedly be offered next month, or would he conclude that this is as good as it can get, with SHAQ looking so old?
The Commish gave his annual harangue last week about how the amateurs (AAU, street agents, etc.) are stunting the growth of young American basketball players, but the NBA Players' Association continues to do something about it. The union will hold its 12th annual Top 100 High School Camp at VCU (In Richmond, Va.) starting Tuesday, and it's a terrific six-day program, with heavy emphasis on education, mentoring, and skill development, plus seminars for parents. It's basically a Rookie Orientation Program for teenagers, even though only a handful of them will reach the NBA. And no, there is no shoe company or agent affiliation -- the boot camp is run by the union, with former Nets and Knicks center TIM McCORMICK directing. This year's campers include SAMARDO SAMUELS, GREGORY ECHENIQUE and COREY STOKES of St. Benedict's, and JARED CLARKE of Sterling in Camden County.
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6/18/2006 6:46 PM