http://www.sacbee.com/351/story/128616.html
And One: The weekly NBA buzz
by Scott Howard-Cooper
Published 12:00 am PST Sunday, February 25, 2007
• The additional agony for Miami in possibly losing Dwyane Wade for the season, and also possibly losing the chance to properly defend the title, is that he bruised the same left shoulder the week before and had continued to say the joint was bothering him in the days before the dislocation. The injury struck Wednesday, the night before the trade deadline, but the Heat had no assets to make a meaningful deal anyway. Miami's spending range for help in the backcourt was along the lines of Mike James or Chucky Atkins, not Mike Bibby.
• Dikembe Mutombo, having a greater impact in Houston as the replacement for the injured Yao Ming than anyone could have imagined, has gone from saying he would probably retire after this season to planning to return for 2007-08 at 41. He has homes in Philadelphia and Atlanta, though, and the preference is to remain in Houston rather than consider the West Coast as a free agent, in case there happened to be a certain Northern California team in desperate need of a shot blocker. "The way I'm playing, the way I'm feeling, it seems like I still have a little bit of gas left in my tank," he said.
• The Lakers, already reeling with injuries, are privately livid that Vladimir Radmanovic separated his right shoulder during the All-Star break and never believed his original explanation of slipping on ice during a walk in Utah. The admission Friday that he hurt himself snowboarding, as some suspected all along, could lead to a longer absence than the projected eight weeks because it might take at least that long for someone to pry Phil Jackson's hands off his neck. Radmanovic officially becomes a disappointment, averaging 6.9 points and 42.5 percent shooting from the field and showing questionable judgment months after signing for five years and $30.2 million.
• The Suns, for the third year in a row, chose the Friday of All-Star Weekend to announce a ticket increase for the following season, making it an annual event to disclose the increase on the day it will likely attract the least media coverage. The Phoenix price hike is the fifth in nine seasons and comes just after team officials said the remainder of 2006-07 is sold out. It was only five years ago that they were sending players to malls the day before playoff games to generate fan interest and avoid the sight of blocks of empty seats.
• Reclusive Bobcats personnel boss Michael Jordan (right) sent a letter to season-ticket holders urging them to keep the faith during the final two months of a losing season. It was noteworthy because M.J. has kept a low profile in Charlotte and he didn't mention coach Bernie Bickerstaff as part of the supposed promising future when he did step out of the shadows for the pep talk. It was mostly just a lapse of diplomacy. Bickerstaff had considered returning to the front office the last two summers and never considered himself the future of the franchise on the sideline.
And One: The weekly NBA buzz
by Scott Howard-Cooper
Published 12:00 am PST Sunday, February 25, 2007
• The additional agony for Miami in possibly losing Dwyane Wade for the season, and also possibly losing the chance to properly defend the title, is that he bruised the same left shoulder the week before and had continued to say the joint was bothering him in the days before the dislocation. The injury struck Wednesday, the night before the trade deadline, but the Heat had no assets to make a meaningful deal anyway. Miami's spending range for help in the backcourt was along the lines of Mike James or Chucky Atkins, not Mike Bibby.
• Dikembe Mutombo, having a greater impact in Houston as the replacement for the injured Yao Ming than anyone could have imagined, has gone from saying he would probably retire after this season to planning to return for 2007-08 at 41. He has homes in Philadelphia and Atlanta, though, and the preference is to remain in Houston rather than consider the West Coast as a free agent, in case there happened to be a certain Northern California team in desperate need of a shot blocker. "The way I'm playing, the way I'm feeling, it seems like I still have a little bit of gas left in my tank," he said.
• The Lakers, already reeling with injuries, are privately livid that Vladimir Radmanovic separated his right shoulder during the All-Star break and never believed his original explanation of slipping on ice during a walk in Utah. The admission Friday that he hurt himself snowboarding, as some suspected all along, could lead to a longer absence than the projected eight weeks because it might take at least that long for someone to pry Phil Jackson's hands off his neck. Radmanovic officially becomes a disappointment, averaging 6.9 points and 42.5 percent shooting from the field and showing questionable judgment months after signing for five years and $30.2 million.
• The Suns, for the third year in a row, chose the Friday of All-Star Weekend to announce a ticket increase for the following season, making it an annual event to disclose the increase on the day it will likely attract the least media coverage. The Phoenix price hike is the fifth in nine seasons and comes just after team officials said the remainder of 2006-07 is sold out. It was only five years ago that they were sending players to malls the day before playoff games to generate fan interest and avoid the sight of blocks of empty seats.
• Reclusive Bobcats personnel boss Michael Jordan (right) sent a letter to season-ticket holders urging them to keep the faith during the final two months of a losing season. It was noteworthy because M.J. has kept a low profile in Charlotte and he didn't mention coach Bernie Bickerstaff as part of the supposed promising future when he did step out of the shadows for the pep talk. It was mostly just a lapse of diplomacy. Bickerstaff had considered returning to the front office the last two summers and never considered himself the future of the franchise on the sideline.
