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HammerDown! Basketball Journal Archives October 2003 - By Bobby Gerould - Rocklin, CA.

10/28/03 ...Thumbs down to the Mavs shiny uniforms. ...The Miami Heat lost Lamar Odom to a bad ankle sprain. Without Lamar, and with Caron Butler injured the Heat could not complete the deal vs. the Sixers in Philly. Stan Van Gundy's best team in the meantime will include a healthy dose of Samaki Walker and less of Malik Allen, and Bimbo Coles. Dwyane Wade was able to do the scoring, and good things will generally happen for Miami with Wade on the floor. He still needs to be more careful with the ball. ...We were glad to see Udonis Haslim in the starting lineup for the Heat. Undrafted in 2002 (we listed him 18th), Haslim is a relentless player that has slimmed his formerly wide body. He can score in the post going either right or left. He makes the good interior pass, and can finish on the break. Haslim shot 56% as a SR. at Florida. His quick reactions, and quickness with his jumping make him a good rebounder. He's also strong. He bench pressed 185 lbs. 22 repetitions at Chicago pre draft camp in 2002. We applaud Stan Van Gundy for some progressive thinking with Haslim. Hopefully for Miami's sake they can hang on for a bit with Odom hurt. ...We enjoyed the Miami color commentator, Tony Fiorintino (spell?). He has the insight of a coach, and good enthusiasm for the game. ...They Played well on opening night: Allen Iverson, John Salmons, Kenny Thomas,

10/27/03 ...The eve of the 2003-04 NBA season. We do it big time with the traditional Bar-B-Q Ribs dinner and DirecTV. Wifey will be home from teaching by 4pm for the first tip-off. Get the official BasslineSpin.com predictions. Lakers over Nets in the finals. ...Terry Porter Coach of the Year, Kevin Garnett MVP, and first two fired head coaches are Jim O'Brien, and Nate McMillan.

Pacific:

LA Lakers - Best starting five in NBA.

Sacramento - Brad Miller makes the Kings better, however their deep bench isn't as good this year.

Portland - Emergence of Zach Randolph keeps Blazers afloat.

LA Clippers - Clipps can compete with Brand, Maggette, Jaric and a smart coach.

Golden State - Troy Murphy emerges but do Warriors have enough firepower?

Phoenix - Amare, Steph, and Marion are great. Can Joe Johnson not screw it up?

Seattle - Someone has to finish last. The Sonics are butter cream soft inside. Only Calvin Booth, healthy and productive can keep them from their fate.

Midwest:

Dallas - Nash, Finley, Jamison, Nowitzki, are a tough crew.

Minnesota - Kevin Garnett is the best player in the world.

Houston - Francis, Yao, core Jeff Van Gundy's team.

San Antonio - Tim Duncan makes Spurs elite. Devin Brown, up from NBDL, is classy new player.

Memphis - Depth, and Pau Gasol lead Grizzlies into uncharted waters.

Utah - The post Stockton-Malone era begins.

Denver - Should be competitive if Camby stays healthy.

Atlantic:

New Jersey - 2003-04 Nets could be best in East since the Bulls dominant squads.

New York - Team of vets led by hard working Kurt Thomas, and solid Charlie Ward.

Orlando - Tracy McGrady is as big a star as you can find. Juwan Howard adds post presence.

Miami - Huge athletic upgrades! Dwayne Wade, Loren Woods, Samaki Walker, Udonis Haslim, Lamar Odom.

Philadelphia - Guard depth. Iverson signs extension.

Boston - Lack of bench depth, rookie point guard. Lafrentz makes C's better.

Washington - Arenas & Stackhouse makes their guard line very formidable. Front Court weak.

Central:

Milwaukee - Michael Redd is NBA's best player still under the radar. Brian Skinner good too.

Indiana - Solid everywhere. Jermaine O'Neal and Rick Carlisle make a joyful noise.

Cleveland - Boozer and Ilgauskas are quality bigs.

New Orleans - It will be crucial for Tim Floyd to use David West and Robert Traylor to back up Magloire and super pro, P.J. Brown.

Detroit - Ben Wallace anchors, while Chauncey Billups continues to emerge.

Chicago - Bulls are ready to compete after the big dismantle of their championship team.

Toronto - Better than last year with Jerome Moiso as a nice addition.

Atlanta - Additions make their bench much better.

...Vincent Yarbrough waived. Another McDonald's High School All-American out of the league. He played all of 10 minutes in the preseason, a sign that he was doomed at the start. ...Michael "the Animal" Smith was waived by Indiana. I believe he should be in the league. He can rebound with the best, he sets screens, and he plays with enthusiasm. The Jazz could use him. Jerry Sloan would love him. ...It seems as if Stromile Swift is in the Hubie Brown doghouse. I would be targeting Swift if I were an opposing GM. His stock is down but his efficiency is always high. ...Charlie Ward is a tough veteran player I like but he played poorly in the pre-season in New York. Frank Williams deserves minutes for the Knicks, and Howard Eisley is in the logjam. A team could really upgrade their point guard play (Orlando) with Charlie Ward on the squad.

10/23/03 ...Watched the Kings kick the Mavs at ARCO on Wednesday night. ...Michael Finley did not play well (5-15 FG), and Steve Nash did not play much (7 minutes). Dirk Nowitzki was sharp but did not play down the stretch. Antione Walker was brilliant. He also is clearly in better shape than in previous seasons. Don't confuse my favoring the Celtics on the LaFrentz / Walker deal with the fact that the Mavericks are going to be really good. I think the Mavs will win the Midwest. ...NAF (not a factor) Danny Fortson, Josh Howard, Marquis Daniels. ...Antawn Jamison was good as usual. Eduardo Najera was everywhere. He too has slimmed down for the 2003-04 season. Shawn Bradley was all-world. He was feeling it. Bradley who my buddy Stu called a "freak" was draining shots. He scored 10 points in only 7 minutes. Iceland's number one baller Jon Steffanson played actively in his limited run. ...For the Kings - my impressions were that Doug Christie, Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic, Darius Songaila, Bobby Jackson, Gerald Wallace, Jabari Smith, and Rodney Buford played well. Brad Miller was so-so. Jabari had 4 assists. Anthony Peeler gets a NAF, and Tony Massenburg was downright awful. ...Detroit announcer Fred McLeod had a quarter to forget on Tuesday night. He confused Dan Gadzuric and Daniel Santiago repeatedly. He also mispronounced Gadzuric's name. ...While getting on some cases - NBA-TV highlight voice-over guy that's Udonis Haslim in Miami not Marcus Haislip who plays in Milwaukee. ...In 2001 we ranked Zach Randolph 7th in the draft. He was selected 19th. Randolph is going nutso in Portland scoring 16 a game in the pre-season on 59% FG shooting.

10/21/03 ...Ric Buecher is on the record as saying that Jeri Welsch can be a Manu Ginobili type. It made me think I was too harsh when I said Welsch shouldn't be in the league. Oh well. Time will tell. ...I was also surprised to hear Jackie MacMullen on Around the Horn show distaste for the Antione Walker trade. Someone even said "he doesn't block shots" (referring to LaFrentz). I'll differ. Raef, while not intimidating, was a top-ten in the NBA shot blocker in the two seasons prior to last year. People still don't understand that players have to be looked at and ranked at their own positions. It's like pot luck. If four people bring a taco salad (scoring) but one person brings a brushetta (something other than scoring), the brushetta bringer will be more valuable to the party. Yes, Walker is the more talented player, but for what he brings to the party, he can be easily duplicated. LaFrentz meanwhile is a player hard to come by. And no Ric, I don't think in any way shape or form that Jeri Welsch was the "key to the deal". Please.

10/19/03 Big Trade! Raef LaFrentz to the Celtics along with Jeri Welsch, Chris Mills and a first round pick for Antoine Walker and Tony Delk. Okay let's digest. Raef was ranked by us as the 20th best Center in the NBA last year. And that was a bad year for LaFrentz. I've always felt Antione Walker was overrated. We ranked Walker as the 43rd best player capable of playing small forward. That is pure science. The efficiency rating doesn't care what I think about Walker's game. The numbers do not lie. Walker jacks up too many threes, and turns it over too much while providing little in the defensive categories. Raef, meanwhile, can shoot, and block shots. The Celtics have others who can shoot, and Tony Battie can block shots but until today they had no one that could do both. They easily replace Walker by sliding Kedrick Brown into the rotation. The more efficient Paul Pierce now will get more shots with Antione gone. Meanwhile in Big D they are trying to score 150 a game. They need Walker like they need a hole in their head. With Dirk, and Jamison, scoring is not going to be a problem. What does Walker add? I guess some offensive depth. It also signals that Danny Fortson is going to get big minutes up front. Probably as many as he can handle. Tony Delk was 56th as a shooting guard. Jeri Welsch should not be in the League, and Mills, we believe can still play as a quality veteran reserve at small forward. We ranked Mills 59th based on his career efficiency. Last season he played only 262 minutes. This trade leans heavily in favor of the Celtics. Plus they get the pick. ...My auto racing announcing job kept me away from hoops on Friday and Saturday, but we made it to ARCO for the Kings-Sonics pre-season extravaganza on Sunday. The Kings "Game-Time" program was so pumped, it had Jeff Van Gundy and his Houston staff listed as the coaches for the Sonics. Nate McMillan the Sonics actual coach may have thought he was going to Minnesota as he rocked a turtle neck sweater under his sport coat on a beautiful 80 degree evening in California's capital city. The basketball? Not very good. The Kings defense was horrible in the first quarter surrendering 39 points to the high octane Seattle starters. We knew the bench would change the game. Seattle's reserves are not very good. Aside from talented young point guard Ronald Murray, the Sonics trotted out the Ukraine Train Vitaly Potapenko, Antonio Daniels, Ansu Sesay, and Reggie Evans. You tell me who is going to score in that crew. Sesay did hit a couple of jumpers, and Murray created a bit but the Kings made a run behind Bobby Jackson's 16 second quarter points. The second half was played pretty evenly. Jason Hart received some quality minutes and despite looking passive initially, made some plays to separate himself from Galen Young who is also challenging to make the Sonics 12-man roster. ...Jabari Smith played well for the Kings. Smith is able to convert around the basket while being enough of a spot up threat to create a little space for himself. ...

10/14/03 ...Took in the Kings/Rockets game at ARCO Tuesday night. Many thoughts. Jeff Van Gundy smartly played Kelvin Cato and Yao Ming at the same time which makes it very difficult to get anything off in the paint vs. the Rockets. However, this renders their second unit susceptible to all-you-can-eat scoring down low. Part of the problem is that Eddie Griffin missed the team plane to Sacramento so Van Gundy didn't play him. The Rockets had John Amaechi and Torraye Braggs holding down the fort and the Kings did the bulk of their scoring against those two. Anyone who reads my stuff knows how I feel about Amaechi. He shouldn't be in the NBA (He ranked last in efficiency among Centers that logged 300 minutes or more last season). Anyway, Yao (who was ranked 4th among Centers) is a load and a half! The guys legs are bigger than any I've seen. It makes you think there is less of a chance of a brittle-type injury in his career. Bostjan Nachbar played some serious minutes as well, giving the Rockets size at the three spot. ...Moochie Norris cut off his hair, and lost some weight too. ...On the Kings side, again we stress to the Kings faithful that Brad Miller is not going to knock anyone over with amazing highlight reel play. His efficiency comes from getting to the line and converting, and from good passing, low turnovers, and solid rebounding. ...Steven Hunter played very well vs. New Orleans Tuesday. The Orlando big man would be a rookie had he stayed at DePaul for four years. Instead, he's a third year pro. ...We say again, the Miami Heat are very very improved (09/05/03, and 08/26/03). Lamar Odom creates all kinds of match-up issues. ...I love Eddie Jordan, the former Kings and Nets assistant is head man in Washington.

10/13/03 ...Brian Skinner made a strong case for getting some of Joe Smith's minutes in Milwaukee. Skinner dominated in the Bucks preseason game in Cleveland. Erick Strickland and Michael Redd were also fantastic in the Bucks W. The Cavs did play Lebron down the stretch but Boozer, Ricky Davis, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas were on the bench. The Bucks also has their backup squad on the floor late. While on the topic of the Milwaukee Bucks, I've felt strongly that Tim Thomas is as much to blame for the teams failure as anyone is. Thomas, despite tremendous athletic gifts does not block shots, doesn't share the ball, barely rebounds, and has a poor shot selection. For his career he has more turnovers than assists. To make a point, we add that Andrei Kirilenko in Utah has more blocked shots in two seasons than Thomas has in his eight year career. ...The most efficient five Terry Porter could put on the floor this year would be T.J. Ford (or E. Strickland), Michael Redd, Toni Kukoc, Brian Skinner, and Joe Smith. Come off the bench with Strickland (or Ford), Desmond Mason, Dan Gadzuric, and Thomas. A tidy nine-man rotation. We are not wild about anyone else on the roster. Joel Pryzbilla #10, Jason Caffey #11, Damon Jones #12. Hide Greg Stempin and Marcus Haislip on the IL. That leaves Daniel Santiago, and Antonio Meeking. I have a feeling Santiago will be a keeper in Milwaukee based on the Milwaukee TV announcer's hyping him as the best post player in Milwaukee since Jack Sikma.

10/12/03 ...Chris Bosh played like an Eastern Confernce All-Star in exhibition hoops vs. the Pistons. The unshakable 19 year-old has poise and touch. VERY IMPRESSIVE!. Bosh is that rare, long, player that is a shot blocker and also has touch. The lefty shot 56% FG, 73% FT, and 47% from three point land in his Freshman season, after being named the 2002 Basketball America High School Player of the Year. His wingspan is 7'3", which makes him a fantastic offensive rebounder. ...After signing his fat contract, Jermaine O'Neal is looking VERY comfy with life. He's starting to show his emotions more on the floor. Scot Pollard's new jersey number? 62. ...Freddie Jones is a classy guard and one of the players I root for. Freddie, you've got to be more aggressive. Go to the hole! ...Again, anyone playing the Celtics this year better make a point of getting back on transition defense. The C's are fast breaking like crazy.

10/11/03 ...Chris Kamen made his preseason debut a good one. The Clippers draft pick came off the bench and scored in double figures. ...David West made his New Orleans Hornets debut. He couldn't have played better. West had 9 points and 11 boards in just 19 minutes.

10/10/03 ...Boston coach Jim O'Brien is raving about Kendrick Perkins. Perkins entered the NBA straight out of high school. His footwork, and tenacity were cited on the Boston telecast of their preseason tussle in Chicago. Perkins led his high school squad to a 96-3 record in his final three high school seasons. He averaged 27.5 points, 16.4 rebounds and 7.8 blocks per game last season. A McDonald's high school All-American, had a poor showing in the game, and to make matters more obvious he hung his head a bit. Perkins could emerge as a huge feather in Danny Ainge's cap. Ainge is the new man in charge in Beantown. Earlier, we mistakenly gave Ainge credit for not bringing back Eric Williams. Williams is back. So we screwed up. ...We are rooting for Vin Baker. Vin is trying to make it back from alcohol abuse. The likable player who has battled depression is 20 lb.. lighter. ...The Celtics are making a concerted effort to run more. Their early offense is a focus point. Kedrick Brown looked more polished. ...I try really hard not to be negative. I also try very hard to stomach Tommy Heinsohn as a color commentator. He declared Dikembe Mutombo washed up, and cheered for the C's the entire game. Because of advents like satellite TV being available widely in 2003, hoop fans from all over are watching the game. Not just Celtics fans who want Tommy Points. Heinsohn does have some good basketball insights but they become lost in his hyper giddy Boston babble. My wife said, "Another season of these two?" (Heinsohn and Mike Gorman.) Gorman actually seems like a pretty hip cat but he's inevitably teamed with a senior. ...Tyson Chandler grew. The kid is wider and stronger this season. ...I love Lonny Baxter. I believe he can score and board all day. That is why we listed him 12th in last year's draft.

10/08/03 ...I like the new Orlando road uniforms. Very nice. The Magic need point guard help though. Darrell Armstrong is gone and the Magic are exploring Tyronn Lue, Reece Gaines, Keith Bogans, and Derrick Dial. ...Shooter, Gordan Giricek played well in the preseason game vs. Dallas Tuesday night. So did Donell Harvey, and Shammond Williams. ...Marquis Daniels, who we had listed as #17 in this year's draft (but went unpicked) was the Player of the Game in the Mavs beatdown of the Magic. Daniels aggressive play and midrange game were on full display as he repeatedly torched the Magic defenders. T-Mac didn't play much, and the Magic struggled to match the Mavs scoring fervor. Steve Nash came out aggressive and set the tone for the Mavs. Nash more than made up for his lackluster game in the Dallas preseason opener. Josh Howard was strong again, and Danny Fortson played well despite fouling out. Dirk Nowitzki was rock solid, and only Jiri Welsh was not effective among the Mavs starters. Raef LaFrentz continues to give the Mavs quality minutes. ...Lebron James was impressive again. His passing ability is special. He made a play I claimed only a passer like Larry Bird could make. My wife quickly said, "Jason Kidd could have made that too." I agreed. My point made. ...We didn't think J.R. Bremer should have been drafted. He balled in the Cavs - Pistons game, coming off the bench for Paul Silas, and pumping in 19 points in 22 minutes. Along with Chris Mihm, he helped the Cavs bench look good. ...Carlos Boozer was raining jumpers and grabbing boards in Cleveland's dominant preseason win in Detroit. It's worth repeating that by efficiency rating, Boozer was the 10th best in the NBA last season as a Cavs rookie. If I was on your staff I would have argued for his selection. We would have picked him fourth. Yes it is in print. ...Darko Milicic does not react quickly enough. I said it. The Pistons had a hard time when they went to the pine. With Mehmet Okur, and Bob Sura sidelined, I thought only rookie Ronald Dupree played well. Of course Corliss Williamson will be fine as will Sura and Okur so no need to panic. I simply think they could do better than Lindsey Hunter, or Chucky Atkins.

...Dwayne Wade! (Read 08/26/03 - below) ...Miami is going to be a much tougher out. Wade, Lamar Odom, and Eddie Jones were all spectacular in an overtime win over the Sixers. Wade, in 35 minutes scored 18 points, had 5 steals, 4 blocked shots, 8 rebounds and 4 assists. Like whoa! Among Philly disappointments in their preseason opener, was Samuel Dalembert who went scoreless in 25 minutes. That's fine if you pull ten boards, and block a couple shots, but he had zero blocks, and 5 fouls. John Salmons launched a team-high 14 shots in his 29 minutes. Salmons was huge in Summer Leagues. Willie Green the rookie from Detroit had a night to forget. Willie struggled going 0-5 from the field in 11 minutes. Those who looked good for the Sixers were Eric Snow, Amal McCaskill, and Big Dog Robinson.

10/07/03 ...The Bucks are not really going to play Daniel Santiago more minutes than Joe Smith are they? It's nice to say Santiago is a Center, Joe is not, but the deal is that Smith is so much more efficient that you have to play him more.

10/06/03 ...While the sports world is in a frenzy for an NFL Sunday, playoff baseball, and NASCAR, I was hyped because the NBA preseason started. At 3 PM pacific we focused on the Jazz vs. Mavs from Mexico City. Bill Raftery did the color which is always a good thing, and Spero Dedes did well as play-by-play man. We understand that preseason hoops is exactly that. PRE-season. The games do not count and the teams use players that will see zero or limited run when the real deal starts. First reaction; Danny Fortson is horribly out of shape, and overweight. As documented here earlier (08/21/03-below) Fortson deserves the benefit of the doubt. Now we need for Danny to step up and take care of himself. Our former partner, the late Derrick Dickey always spoke highly of Fortson's heart. He believed Danny Forston was a good young man. If Derrick said so, it was good enough for me. So we don't buy the doomsayers that think Fortson's career is over. But it is not hard to see that Danny needs to trim down to make a dent in today's NBA. ...Shawn Bradley played well, Tariq Abdul Wahad looked scared to death when the ball was in his hands late in the game. He passed up a midrange runner that could have tied the game. Travis Best is a far cry from Nick Van Exel coming off the bench. Dirk Nowitzki played well, Antawn Jamison went 0-6 from the free throw line. Steve Nash played poorly, looking passive. Jeri Welsch despite what the announcers said about his Summer League success, played abysmally with a game efficiency of zero. For the Jazz, star Andrei Kirilenko was equally dubious. Paul Grant showed me some muscle and surprising mobility. Jerry Sloan played 19 players! Matt Harpring only played 9 minutes but looked sharp. Jermaine Boyette (rookie from Weber State) keyed the run in the second half for the Jazz. Boyette did the same thing that he did in college; get to the line. Boyette was five of six in only 14 minutes. Aleksandar Pavlovic was effective. Raul Lopez looked tentative and slow. ...Never be timid if you are a free agent trying to make a team. Ademola Okulaja was just that. ... Michael Ruffin's athleticism and power should be appreciated in Utah. Maurice "Mo" Williams earned a rare "minus" award for a game efficiency of negative proportions. Curtis Borchardt played so-so. Keon Clark blocked two shots and was active. Demetrius Alexander, a free agent with good size, showed strong post up ability, and grabbed some boards. DeShawn Stevenson and Carlos Arroyo started in the backcourt and played well despite limited burn. Greg Ostertag was Greg Ostertag. Lavorr Postell, formerly of the Knicks, Raja Bell, Jarron Collins, Ben Handlogten, fell into the "NAF" category. (Not A Factor) ... ...Dikembe Mutombo waived? I did notice that the scrawl on NBA-TV changed from "waived" to something less concrete. Mutombo had a disappointing year last season but his track record indicates he could still be of huge value to a team. His presence in the lane defensively cannot be overstated. Even at a rate of last year's sub-par efficiency, Mutombo would be a better starter at Center for Phoenix, Utah, Milwaukee, Minnesota, and Seattle. ...The Grizzlies picked up contract options on Pau Gasol, and Shane Battier. Both moves were smart.

10/02/03 It happens every season. A player emerges that helps a team win games. He is under the radar but can ball if placed in a situation where the minutes come. With camps open, the pickings are pretty slim. Here's a quick look at who's out there worth a shot. Rodney Bias - Signed with the University of Alabama for the 2001-02 season, but was not granted academic eligibility. He played in the NBDL last season for Huntsville, and led the league in rebounds per minute. He was second in the NBDL in blocked shots per minute. He's 6'9". Ben Wallace qualities. ...Derek Hood - Anyone one reads this knows we like Derek Hood. ...Soumaila Samake - Played with the Lakers early in 2002-03 season. A large Center that is more athletic than skilled, but still more efficient than most NBA bigs. ... Nate Johnson - The Louisville tough guy has honed his skills in the NBDL, and is ready for the show. ...Mario Bennett - The super active big man can help upgrade your front court's heart.

It is not too late to upgrade at point guard. Here is the breakdown on who could still be had and why they should be added.

Guards: Notes:

Rod Strickland - Pricey, but could start for Utah, Boston, Orlando, The LA Clippers. Would be a better backup PG for Orlando, Boston, Utah, Milwaukee, LAC, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas. Strickland comes with a past of drunken driving. Get the man a limo for the season, and win some more games. Houston, you need him most.

Mark Jackson - Old but so what? He's still a fantastic passer. Could help Utah, Milwaukee, Boston, Orlando. He knows offense and he's a vet. He was still efficient in 2002. He gets beat so he would be more effective on the floor with a shot blocker.

Nate Green - Indiana State guard is a smooth athlete for cheap. Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year honors in 2000 and leading the Sycamores to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1979, when they were led by Larry Bird.

10/01/03 The Sonics waived Joe Forte? Wow. I am shocked that Forte is a waived player. Certainly he has not done much with his limited opportunities in the NBA, but he is a quality guard. He is cool under pressure, and he can do the all-important midrange game. Maybe there are some other issues. If there are not any behavioral problems with Joe, then someone should pounce on this Tar-Heel, and NYC creative Scorer. As a Sophomore in the ACC he averaged 21.6 ppg. and 6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.0 steals per game. Forte was the guy that hit all the big shots. He has a high skill level combined with knowledge of the game and desire to win. He showed "clutchness" on several occasions. He was a calming influence on his team. Steady - mature beyond his age. A silent assassin that just played. He's a good passer. He can creates his own space and then hit a consistent shot from the perimeter. Has a quick release. He moves well without the ball. Defensive awareness is solid for a young player. Not overly athletic - but will still dunk. Likes to drive - so you'd like to see more bulk. Uses his midrange jumper very well. He is now available. Atlanta, New Orleans (upgrade from Courtney Alexander) Orlando (upgrade from Jeryl Sasser), Boston, Minnesota, Indiana you should be on it. Had Forte stayed in college, he'd be an NBA rookie. ...Atlanta did well to get Smush Parker and Tierre Brown. I really believe Parker is their best point guard. Chris Carr is in the Cleveland camp. We've been awaiting his return to the NBA. ...Cheers to the Warriors for having Zendon Hamilton in their camp. ...Troy Murphy spent his summer getting more muscular, and working on his Bill Laimbeer three point shot. "We asked Troy to work on improving his range this summer and that is exactly what he did," said Eric Musselman. "He is now a legitimate 3-point threat. His work ethic again this off-season was unbelievable." (warriors.com).

...So we talk about Memphis lacking size, and Brevin Knight being a carrot available (see 09/29/03), and what do you know? The Grizz trade Knight to the Suns for Bo Outlaw and Big Jake Tsakalidis. Memphis gets the size they lack, and the Suns get the perfect backup for Stephon Marbury. ...We are pondering our NBA predictions for 2003-04. Until the eve of the regular season start, we can still tweak it. But - why do the work if you can't show it? Let me explain. I started looking at individual teams in July, using my handy spreadsheet as a way to keep depth charts for all 29 NBA teams. Take a look ...I also have a place for players not currently on rosters. Anyway, the first five players listed across per team are the players we feel will play the most minutes in 2003-04. We add each players efficiency rating to give each squad a "total" for their best five. We rank that total 1-29. Next, we average the EFR of players we think will be 6-10 on a team's depth chart. We rank the "bench" from 1-29. The team with the best "first five" gets 250 points, and the next team gets 246 points with each spot a 4 point drop. Because the bench isn't as vital as the "first-five", we assign 150 points to the best bench, 148 to second, and a two point drop the rest of the way. Now we add the "first-five" points to the "bench" points and give each team a score. We then rank the scores. Get it? Okay - First Five rankings: LA Lakers 250, Dallas 246, Sacramento 242, New Jersey 238, Minnesota 234, Orlando 230, San Antonio 226, Utah 222, New York 218, Portland 214, Detroit 210, Memphis 206, Cleveland 202, Chicago 198, LA Clippers 194, Philadelphia 190, Indiana 186, Houston 182, New Orleans 178, Phoenix 174, Washington 170, Golden St. 166, Miami 162, Boston 158, Milwaukee 154, Toronto 150, Seattle 146, Atlanta 142, Denver 138. Bench rankings (based on average efficiency of the players we project to rank 6th through 10th in minutes on a given team): New York 150, Indiana 148, Sacramento 146, Milwaukee 144, New Orleans 142, Golden St. 140, Miami 138, New Jersey 136, Memphis 134, Chicago 132, Minnesota 130, Dallas 128, Orlando 126, San Antonio 124, Philadelphia 122, Denver 120, Cleveland 118, Toronto 116, Phoenix 114, LA Clippers 112, Detroit 110, LA Lakers 108, Washington 106, Portland 104, Boston 102, Seattle 100, Utah 98, Houston 96, Atlanta 94.

Overall score: 1. Sac 388, 2. Dallas 374, 3. NJ 374, 4. New York 368, 5. Minnesota 364, 6. Lakers 358, 7. Orlando 356, 8. San Antonio 350, 9. Memphis 340, 10. Indiana 334, 11. Chicago 330, 12. Utah 320, 13. Portland 318, 14. Detroit 320, 15. Cleveland 320, 16. New Orleans 320, 17. Philly 312, 18. LAC 306, 19. Golden State 306, 20. Miami 300, 21. Milwaukee 298, 22. Phoenix 288, 23. Houston 278, 24. Washington 276, 25. Toronto 266, 26. Boston 260, 27. Denver 258, 28 Seattle 246, 29. Atl. 236

These charts are tools that help show you things previously unseen. How could the New York Knicks be ranked fourth? My common sense kicks in. But I will reconsider the Knicks, and maybe make some cash on the folks who sleep on them. Because Latrell Sprewell's EFR is so low, the Knicks get better in our book since Spree is in Minnesota. Keith Van Horn, who is now a Knickerbocker, shoots better, rebounds better. Mike Sweetney adds depth and post presence, and most importantly Antonio McDyess should play a large part of the season. I can see it. The Knicks should be better. 4th best in NBA? I doubt it. You still have to have some common sense. The Lakers 6th overall? No way. I guess I better tweak some more. ...Atlanta added a scorer in Lee Nailon. He helps their bench tremendously.

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Guards:	Notes:
Rod Strickland - Pricey, but could start for Utah, Boston, Orlando, The LA Clippers. Would be a better backup PG for Orlando, Boston, Utah, Milwaukee, LAC, San Antonio, Houston, Dallas.	Strickland comes with a past of drunken driving. Get the man a limo for the season, and win some more games. Houston, you need him most.
Mark Jackson - Old but so what? He's still a fantastic passer. Could help Utah, Milwaukee, Boston, Orlando.	He knows offense and he's a vet. He was still efficient in 2002. He gets beat so he would be more effective on the floor with a shot blocker.
Nate Green - Indiana State guard is a smooth athlete for cheap.	Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year honors in 2000 and leading the Sycamores to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1979, when they were led by Larry Bird.