By Martin McNeal
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13790596p-14632275c.html
NBA beat: West playoff teams are not easy to predict
Predicting the 2005-06 Western Conference playoff teams is no slam dunk.
If you say the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and Kings appear to be best fortified to make the playoffs, you'd probably be right. However, it wouldn't be surprising that circumstances - injuries, for example - arise to prevent one of those six squads from reaching the playoffs.
Even if those six squads do make the playoffs, that leaves last season's Northwest Division champion Seattle SuperSonics, the remodeled Memphis Grizzlies, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Golden State Warriors, and the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers to battle for the remaining two playoff berths.
And don't think just because the Utah Jazz has been omitted in this space, hard-nosed coach Jerry Sloan won't be driving his team to bounce back from a 26-56 mark last season.
Phoenix's loss of frontcourt star Amare Stoudemire leaves the Suns in a fairly comparable state behind the Spurs, who appear to be at least as solid as last season's title-winning team.
Former Kings guard Bobby Jackson says the Grizzlies will be a playoff squad because they defend. Minnesota, under new coach Dwane Casey, still will bring mega-talented Kevin Garnett (if he can get past what seem to be nagging injuries) to the court nightly.
The Lakers brought back Phil Jackson to coach, but Kobe Bryant is the most important name in this equation. No player in the league is capable of taking over games as often and forcefully as Bryant. Now, most of the better teams will go out of their way to make sure someone else on the Lakers beats them, but Bryant always will give Los Angeles a fighting chance. His willingness to accept help from Lamar Odom ultimately may be what determines the level of Los Angeles' success.
The Clippers clearly have a strong nucleus and added veterans Sam Cassell and Cuttino Mobley in the backcourt.
The Sonics appear to be the team that could fall off, in part, because there is no recent history of success. Should they roll again this season, the impression will be made.
The Warriors have all kinds of positive signs with the backcourt of Baron Davis and Jason Richardson ready to wreak havoc in arenas nightly. Carrying a squad from the outside can be a tough chore. Yet, if the frontcourt shows toughness and consistency, the Warriors should be right there.
Give me the Warriors and the Clippers to fill out the bottom of the playoffs. Take it to the bank - just stay away from my account.
Barnes keeps hanging in
Barring a last-minute trade in New York, Matt Barnes appears to have made the Knicks.
He was signed just after training camp began when the Knicks completed a multiplayer deal to bring in center Eddy Curry. Barnes has played exceedingly hard at both ends of the floor, and it wouldn't be a surprise if at some point in his career he establishes himself as a primary complementary player for some squad.
An injury to newly acquired Quentin Richardson opened up playing time for Barnes, who does many of the things his coach, Larry Brown, describes as playing "the right way."
Barnes defends solidly, can handle the ball and hit the open man. His perimeter shot has looked much better after a summer of work.
Image is everything, right?
You never know how far things might go, but if image is such a big thing with the NBA power-that-be, Commissioner David Stern, will we soon see networks pulling back from those tight camera shots that sometimes appear to show players mouthing vocabulary dominated by four letters?
Or will the league first decide that the advertisement on its NBA.com Web site for rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's upcoming movie, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," might not exactly portray the proper image.
In the movie's promo, Jackson is wearing baggy jeans and has no shirt on his heavily tattooed torso. Well, as long as the league gets paid chips for the promo and 50 Cent doesn't have to go from the plane to the locker room, it's all good.
Karl's suspension reduced
Denver coach George Karl's three-game suspension for attending an offseason workout that included his son, Coby, as well as a player eligible for the 2005 NBA draft was reduced to two games.
The NBA's officials, to their credit, talk to each other during games and sometimes are willing to change calls. That's more than we can say about major-league baseball umpires, generally speaking.
However, Karl's reduced suspension was a bit of surprise, seeing as it took a while to get to it.
'Everybody can afford it'
Miami star Dwyane Wade promoted the release of his new shoe, "Converse Wade," and pointed out the price as a selling point.
"It's $90 - it's not expensive," Wade said with a straight face. "So, I think everybody can afford it." Need more be said?
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13790597p-14632272c.html
Baseline jumpers
* The NBA's stars are nice to watch, but what really warms the innards is seeing guys like Sacramento's Jason Hart or Philadelphia's Kevin Ollie and others drafted low or undrafted keep working and make a career after someone or some people tell them they aren't good enough.
* What should be considered some kind of physical miracle is how Phoenix's Shawn Marion uses that bizarre shooting style to make shots consistently, even from long distance.
* Former Grant and Sacramento State leaper Jameel Pugh couldn't get a decent look from the Kings, but he reportedly is being considered for a role in an upcoming cable TV show with which the Maloofs are involved.
* What do records during the exhibition season really mean? San Antonio finished 2-7. Anyone think they'll stink this season?
* New Jersey forward Clifford Robinson was taken with the 36th pick of the 1989 NBA draft. Robinson, who will turn 39 on Dec. 16, has been a part of the playing rotation of each of the five teams with which he has played.
* The exhibition season often does reveal how much individuals have worked on their respective games. And Nets small forward Richard Jefferson appears primed for his best season after missing much of last season with a ruptured ligament in his left wrist.
* Minnesota seems to be in the vulnerable situation of relying on former Pacific star Michael Olowokandi at center. Is this the season the 1998 overall first draft pick shows consistency?
* Former Kings first-round draft choice Brian Grant is a small-town kid from Georgetown, Ohio, at heart, but other than playing here and in Portland, he sure has found some other cities in which to play: Miami, Los Angeles and now Phoenix. * Basically, the Kings have Kevin Martin and Francisco García where Mo Evans and Matt Barnes were last season. Time will tell.
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13790596p-14632275c.html
NBA beat: West playoff teams are not easy to predict
Predicting the 2005-06 Western Conference playoff teams is no slam dunk.
If you say the defending NBA champion San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns and Kings appear to be best fortified to make the playoffs, you'd probably be right. However, it wouldn't be surprising that circumstances - injuries, for example - arise to prevent one of those six squads from reaching the playoffs.
Even if those six squads do make the playoffs, that leaves last season's Northwest Division champion Seattle SuperSonics, the remodeled Memphis Grizzlies, the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Golden State Warriors, and the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers to battle for the remaining two playoff berths.
And don't think just because the Utah Jazz has been omitted in this space, hard-nosed coach Jerry Sloan won't be driving his team to bounce back from a 26-56 mark last season.
Phoenix's loss of frontcourt star Amare Stoudemire leaves the Suns in a fairly comparable state behind the Spurs, who appear to be at least as solid as last season's title-winning team.
Former Kings guard Bobby Jackson says the Grizzlies will be a playoff squad because they defend. Minnesota, under new coach Dwane Casey, still will bring mega-talented Kevin Garnett (if he can get past what seem to be nagging injuries) to the court nightly.
The Lakers brought back Phil Jackson to coach, but Kobe Bryant is the most important name in this equation. No player in the league is capable of taking over games as often and forcefully as Bryant. Now, most of the better teams will go out of their way to make sure someone else on the Lakers beats them, but Bryant always will give Los Angeles a fighting chance. His willingness to accept help from Lamar Odom ultimately may be what determines the level of Los Angeles' success.
The Clippers clearly have a strong nucleus and added veterans Sam Cassell and Cuttino Mobley in the backcourt.
The Sonics appear to be the team that could fall off, in part, because there is no recent history of success. Should they roll again this season, the impression will be made.
The Warriors have all kinds of positive signs with the backcourt of Baron Davis and Jason Richardson ready to wreak havoc in arenas nightly. Carrying a squad from the outside can be a tough chore. Yet, if the frontcourt shows toughness and consistency, the Warriors should be right there.
Give me the Warriors and the Clippers to fill out the bottom of the playoffs. Take it to the bank - just stay away from my account.
Barnes keeps hanging in
Barring a last-minute trade in New York, Matt Barnes appears to have made the Knicks.
He was signed just after training camp began when the Knicks completed a multiplayer deal to bring in center Eddy Curry. Barnes has played exceedingly hard at both ends of the floor, and it wouldn't be a surprise if at some point in his career he establishes himself as a primary complementary player for some squad.
An injury to newly acquired Quentin Richardson opened up playing time for Barnes, who does many of the things his coach, Larry Brown, describes as playing "the right way."
Barnes defends solidly, can handle the ball and hit the open man. His perimeter shot has looked much better after a summer of work.
Image is everything, right?
You never know how far things might go, but if image is such a big thing with the NBA power-that-be, Commissioner David Stern, will we soon see networks pulling back from those tight camera shots that sometimes appear to show players mouthing vocabulary dominated by four letters?
Or will the league first decide that the advertisement on its NBA.com Web site for rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson's upcoming movie, "Get Rich or Die Tryin'," might not exactly portray the proper image.
In the movie's promo, Jackson is wearing baggy jeans and has no shirt on his heavily tattooed torso. Well, as long as the league gets paid chips for the promo and 50 Cent doesn't have to go from the plane to the locker room, it's all good.
Karl's suspension reduced
Denver coach George Karl's three-game suspension for attending an offseason workout that included his son, Coby, as well as a player eligible for the 2005 NBA draft was reduced to two games.
The NBA's officials, to their credit, talk to each other during games and sometimes are willing to change calls. That's more than we can say about major-league baseball umpires, generally speaking.
However, Karl's reduced suspension was a bit of surprise, seeing as it took a while to get to it.
'Everybody can afford it'
Miami star Dwyane Wade promoted the release of his new shoe, "Converse Wade," and pointed out the price as a selling point.
"It's $90 - it's not expensive," Wade said with a straight face. "So, I think everybody can afford it." Need more be said?
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13790597p-14632272c.html
Baseline jumpers
* The NBA's stars are nice to watch, but what really warms the innards is seeing guys like Sacramento's Jason Hart or Philadelphia's Kevin Ollie and others drafted low or undrafted keep working and make a career after someone or some people tell them they aren't good enough.
* What should be considered some kind of physical miracle is how Phoenix's Shawn Marion uses that bizarre shooting style to make shots consistently, even from long distance.
* Former Grant and Sacramento State leaper Jameel Pugh couldn't get a decent look from the Kings, but he reportedly is being considered for a role in an upcoming cable TV show with which the Maloofs are involved.
* What do records during the exhibition season really mean? San Antonio finished 2-7. Anyone think they'll stink this season?
* New Jersey forward Clifford Robinson was taken with the 36th pick of the 1989 NBA draft. Robinson, who will turn 39 on Dec. 16, has been a part of the playing rotation of each of the five teams with which he has played.
* The exhibition season often does reveal how much individuals have worked on their respective games. And Nets small forward Richard Jefferson appears primed for his best season after missing much of last season with a ruptured ligament in his left wrist.
* Minnesota seems to be in the vulnerable situation of relying on former Pacific star Michael Olowokandi at center. Is this the season the 1998 overall first draft pick shows consistency?
* Former Kings first-round draft choice Brian Grant is a small-town kid from Georgetown, Ohio, at heart, but other than playing here and in Portland, he sure has found some other cities in which to play: Miami, Los Angeles and now Phoenix. * Basically, the Kings have Kevin Martin and Francisco García where Mo Evans and Matt Barnes were last season. Time will tell.
