NBA Basketball Preview 2001
Sports
Jan 11, 2001, 14:59
By Eric Gold http://www.gamblingonlinemagazine.com
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With all the wheeling and dealing of the offseason in the NBA, a few teams decided to take the approach of "If it's not broken, don't fix it." The Los Angeles Lakers are one of those organizations. Two years ago, when the Lakers were struggling through the postseason with head coach Del Harris, owner Jerry Buss knew he had to make a change to get someone behind the bench with a championship formula. Send in the zenmaster himself, Phil Jackson.
With Jackson, the Lakers have looked more confident than ever, believing in a system rather than entirely in one another. That is what has really put this team over the top. Now that Jerry West has retired from his position as head of basketball operations for the team, a spot he held for 18 years, the question is whether or not the Lakers will still attract players that will make them the marquee team of the NBA.
West will be succeeded in his position by general manager Mitch Kupchak, who worked alongside West in the team's front office for the past 14 years. Kurt Rambis, a stellar banger in the 1980's, is the new assistant general manager and these two men should be able to attract plenty of talent to an already strong club.
Although the Lakers won the NBA Championship last season, beating the Indiana Pacers in the title series, they will likely be without a couple of key starting forwards this season - A.C.Green and Glen Rice. No matter, the Lakers have the best big man in the game in Shaquille O'Neal, who was so unstoppable, some teams tried the method of "Hack-a-Shaq" by fouling the poor-shooting big guy and hoping he would miss his foul shots. O'Neal made the Pacers and Trail Balzers pay in the post season by making some (not many) of his shots, but it should be enough to deter teams from trying this tactic again this season. O'Neal has been working dilligently in the offseason on his foul shots and the hope of becoming a 70% shooter from the charity stripe will solidify his dominance in the paint.
The Lakers lost out in the offseason trying to sign a couple of free agents. They offered John Amaechi a six-year contract, but he turned it down to play another season for Orlando, for $600,000. The Lakers were also hoping to pry Kendall Gill away from New Jersey, but he followed the money and stayed with the Nets. Who could blame him? The Lakers were only able to offer him $2.25 million under the NBA's salary cap exception rule, but the Nets paid him $7 million for one season.
The boys from L.A. have as strong a starting five as one is likely to find in the NBA anyway. Point guard Kobe Bryant averaged 22.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game last season while leading the Lakers to the championship. O'Neal averaged 29.7 points, 13.6 boards, 3.8 assists and 3.04 blocks last season. Guards Derek Fisher and Brian Shaw led the backcourt reserves. Rick Fox and Robert Horry figure to be back as reserve forwards next season and should provide a lift with each averaging about six points a game last season.
Three other teams to watch this season should be the Pacers, Miami Heat, and San Antonio Spurs. Each of these clubs have kept their nucleus together by getting their stars under big multi-million-dollar deals and those commitments should make each club winners in their respective divisions...barring injuries.
Reggie Miller is staying with the only NBA team he has ever known, which is just what the All-Star shooting guard wanted. He is the Indiana Pacers' key cog in a bid for another championship run as the leading scorer in franchise history. That added up to a three year contract worth $36 million. The five-time All-Star was a huge resigning for the Pacers. Guard Jalen Rose and forward Austin Croshere stayed with the team for deals worth a reported combined $144 million. Backup center Sam Perkins also re-signed, making the Pacers a powerhouse again in the Eastern Conference.
One key question mark is Rik Smits. The 7-foot-4 center, and a 12 year veteran, had a guaranteed $12.2 million waiting for him last summer if he wanted to come back to the Pacers. However, injuries to his wrist, knees, hips and foot have slowed the big man and he has been contemplating retirement. Now there is virtually no way Smits would recieve more than $6 million a season from Indiana should he return...decidedly more than he would get on unemployment.
Miller has a lot of kindred spirit and Rose will add more balance to a powerful offense, but Mark Jackson was lost to free agency in the off-season after he signed with Toronto. The 35-year old Jackson will earn $16.4 million to work north of the border. Jackson earned $4 million last season, led the NBA in assists in 1996-97 (11.4 apg) and ranked among the league leaders in assists and in assist-to-turnover ratio each of the past three seasons. He ranks fifth all-time in the league in assists with 8,574, 487 behind Isaiah Thomas, the new Pacers coach.
The Spurs have virtually locked up first place in the Midwest Division, even before the season has started. The big question for the Spurs in the offseason was whether or not Tim Duncan would re-sign or go to Orlando and play with the Magic. That speculation ended when Duncan signed a three year deal, with a fourth at his option. He will start at the $9.6 million level. Duncan suffered a knee injury season that kept him out of the playoffs and the Spurs out of contention for the title.
Duncan came up with 23.1 points, 12.4 rebounds and 2.23 blocked shots a game last year. He along with David Robinson, combined for 41 points, 22 rebounds, and 4 1/2 blocks a game, a yeoman's effort. With the two big men healthy, they can challenge the Lakers in the Western Conference.
The Spurs also have point guard Avery Johnson back for another season, as he signed a one-year $8 million contract. Johnson, who averaged 11.3 points and six assists last season, was a key member in the Spurs offense as he is needed to control the tempo in any contest. Antonio Daniels signed a three-year contract worth $3.5 million and could join Johnson starting in the backcourt. Daniels averaged 6.1 points a game last season.
Miami is the other club that could challenge the Eastern Conference. They were expected to get Brian Grant from the Portland Trailblazers in a trade. If Grant winds up in Miami he would provide a huge presence in the forecourt. In the summer, Grant rejected a six-year, $70 million offer from Portland. He was fearful that the Blazers would hold onto him until December 15, when they could trade him to Cleveland without his consent. Grant has said that he doesn't want to play for the Cavaliers.
Pat Riley's team got another new face in shooting guard Eddie Jones, who was traded from Charlotte. Jones now brings his 20.1 points and 4.8 rebounds per game average to South Florida. This rids the Heat of Jamal Mashburn, who had been on the trading block for a couple of seasons and was mentioned in a few deals.
Anthony Mason also comes over from Charlotte and will rejoin Riley, who was his coach when both were with the New York Knicks. Mason could probably use some disciplining from Riley. Since 1989, Mason has received probation for gun possession, been ordered to perform community service after he resisted arrest over a parking ticket, and was ordered to more community service after he was accused of having sex with two underage girls, and pled guilty to endangering the welfare of a child. Top that off with an arrest in July this year when he allegedly incited a riot in the French Quarter in New Orleans, and Riley has his 'off-the-court' work cut out for him.
Alonzo Mourning will be the dominant force in the middle in this year's Eastern Conference. He is coming off a season of averaging 21.6 points and 9.5 rebounds, but an early exit in the playoffs left a sour taste in Zo's mouth. Look for him to take the Heat to the NBA Finals with a meeting against Shaq on his schedule. A lot of people doubt that the Lakers have the ability to emerge as champions again this season. But if Jackson can keep the team on an even keel and bring the distractions to a minimum, he would open the door to garner his seventh NBA title from coaching. What happens when he gets past 10 championships? Does the league offer toe rings?
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