NBA Beat: Texas triangle teams have their troubles, too

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NBA Beat: Texas triangle teams have their troubles, too


By Joe Davidson -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PST Sunday, October 31, 2004


The Kings aren't the only team trying to find themselves as the regular season looms.

When Sacramento ventures into Texas for three potentially treacherous games - is there a more daunting three-game opener than this one? - the Kings hope to transform from the lethargic preseason bunch that went 2-6 to the efficient Kings of old.

But now it goes both ways. The Kings' opponents this week also have issues.

Dallas, curious about what it will have, hosts the Kings in an opener Tuesday. The Mavericks retooled the roster after the Kings eliminated them from the playoffs last year, but they have yet to field their entire assemblage in practice or a game this fall because of injuries and illnesses.

Six Dallas players did not suit up for the preseason finale against the Kings on Thursday, though it didn't prevent the Mavericks from belting the Kings 112-93 at American Airlines Center to finish the preseason 3-5.

The new blended well with the experienced as rookie point guard Devin Harris had 24 points, free-agent center signee Erick Dampier had 15 points and 15 rebounds, and All-Star Dirk Nowitzki tossed in 30 points.

But the ailments remain a concern for Dallas, particularly for swingmen Marquis Daniels, Michael Finley and Jerry Stackhouse.

Daniels didn't play in a preseason game because of a sprained ankle. Finley missed the last four games with a tender hamstring, and Stackhouse missed six games with a thigh contusion (lateral movement leaves him in acute pain). He has said he will not play in the opener.

Nowitzki missed two games to attend his grandmother's funeral in Germany and another with the flu but otherwise looked fit, rested and dominant Thursday. Guard Jason Terry, brought in via trade from Atlanta, didn't play Thursday after having four wisdom teeth extracted. He said Thursday he is looking forward to playing Tuesday against Mike Bibby, with whom he teamed to lead Arizona to the 1997 NCAA title.

And in San Antonio

...Meanwhile, the always feel-good Spurs have a ripple in the pond of serenity.

Favored by many publications and by NBA general managers in a recent poll to win the NBA title, San Antonio has no real injury concerns of note, but the efforts to extend the contract of guard Tony Parker hit a snag. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich on Friday said he disagreed with Spurs chairman Peter Holt in his apparent stance in not increasing a contract offer of $64 million.

Parker's agent, Marc Fleisher, wants a minimum of $70 million over six years, though Parker has indicated he'd be happy with $68 million, perhaps even finding a way to get by on $66 million if the team compromised. Popovich, and those in the Parker camp, know $64 million is considerably less than the extensions given to others from his rookie class, including Memphis' Pau Gasol and Utah's Andrei Kirilenko, who just signed deals at about $86 million each, and the Nets awarded Richard Jefferson a tidy $76 million.

And the Spurs' ownership view: At $64 million, Parker would still have the second-largest contract in franchise history behind Tim Duncan's $122 million deal.

And in Houston ...

The Rockets split with the Kings in the China Games, but Houston looked sluggish in the last two preseason games, drawing the ire of coach Jeff Van Gundy, who never looks rested or happy.Worse, Yao Ming has a partially torn tendon in his right elbow. Tracy McGrady, brought in via trade over the summer from Orlando, has struggled with his shot, and the Rockets have yet to come together with a new lineup that should start McGrady and Charlie Ward in the backcourt, Juwan Howard and Jim Jackson at the forwards and Yao at center.

"I'm kind of out of sync right now," McGrady told Houston reporters. "It showed. It comes with the territory when you change teams and teammates, when you have to get a different offense down pat. Right now, we're doing too much thinking."

More Spurs

San Antonio tinkered with its roster just slightly over the summer, adding two free agents in veterans Brent Barry and Tony Massenburg.Barry should help ignite a long-distance game that doomed the Spurs in the playoffs last season, and Massenburg said last week he feels reborn, again, after landing on his 13th new roster since his NBA career began with the Spurs in 1990-91.

A bruising forward, Massenburg was upset last season with the Kings when his playing time was trimmed after the return of Chris Webber from injury (Massenburg was eventually left off the playoff roster), and he groused that he didn't get to shoot enough.

He had 12 points in 14 minutes in the Spurs' 102-86 victory over New Orleans on Friday.

"What people saw from him tonight is what we expected from him," Popovich told San Antonio media. "We know he's a good scorer."

Said Massenburg: "The thing with Pop is, Pop knows me. He knows my game and everything that I bring. That's a huge advantage for me as a player.

"I haven't had that in other places. Usually they just expect me to rebound."


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