The Big Men With The Big Plans

The world of professional sports generally features the biggest, best athletes alive competing while they are in their peak physical condition. The NBA is no exception. Professional basketball players are, in fact, in some of the greatest shape in all of professional sports. But, from time to time an NBA player will appear that looks more like an Offensive Lineman. The fact that they can still play, and often times really well, keeps them in the NBA. They’re fun guys that a lot of fans can relate to and enjoy watching. They’re jolly men who make the NBA more fun. Here is the top five “greatest biggest men” of all time.


→ Khalid El-Amin
At a mere 5’10’’ and 200lbs, Khalid El-Amin played only one NBA season for the Chicago Bulls, but he enjoyed what could be called a rather heavy college career. In his three seasons at UConn, El-Amin led the Huskies at the point. He had career averages of 15.3 points-per-game as well as 4.4 assist-per-game. He also was a large piece of the puzzle in the Huskies 99’ NCAA title run. Sadly, El-Amin only found his way through one NBA campaign playing only 50 games for the Bulls in 2001. Rumor has it that he is still playing large in Europe.

→ Robert “Tractor” Traylor
He’s big, he’s bad and he just failed his physical with the Nets. If Shareef Abdur-Rahim, a man who has hardly missed any games during his career, can’t pass one of Rod Thorn’s grueling physicals, how could anyone expect that of Tractor? Traylor was the 6th pick of the 99’ NBA Draft and has been making his mark on the league ever since. With career averages of 4.8ppg and 3.7prg you wouldn’t think you’re getting much bang for your buck. But you are, Tractor just can’t physically handle the strain of staying on the game for more than a few minutes at a time. Over 40 minutes Tractor puts up a whopping 13.4ppg and 10.5rpg. Those are Charles Oakley type numbers. Those numbers, and similar college numbers, are why he went 6th in the draft. Tractor won’t be able to help you much, but when he can, he’s an extremely potent offensive weapon and a very good rebounder. Let’s hope Thorn can figure out a way for the Nets to get around the physical because they could really use his inside presence, even if it is for only 14 minutes a game.

→ Oliver Miller
If Oscar Robertson was the “Big O,” then Oliver Miller could be called the “Massive O.” Listed generously at 6’9’’, but actually closer to 6’7’’, Miller weighed in frequently above 300lbs. In his prime he was only 280 lbs, making him the second heaviest man on the list. Unlike Traylor, Miller has not always been forced to spend time on the bench because of his lack of endurance. In 96, with the Raptors, Miller played 76 games posting averages of 33.1mpg, 12.9ppg, and 7.4rpg. While these are not overwhelming numbers, it is clear that Miller was capable of making an impact in the league. After enjoying an illustrious career as mostly a role player for good teams, Miller retired. He came back though in 2004 to play in 48 games for the Timberwolves, giving another generation of NBA fans the chance to ask the question, “how does a guy that big move that gracefully?”

And now for the heavyweights…

→ Charles Barkley
A case can be made, and a rather strong one, that Barkley is the greatest power forward of all time. He was a nearly unstoppable offensive, and defensive machine. Barkley was more like a truck than an NBA player, often plowing his way to the basket through rows of taller men. At only 6’5’’ and 260lbs, Sir Charles packed more “game-per-square-inch” than any player ever. The fact that he never won a championship in no way diminishes his career. He was one of the best of his time and all time and won an Olympic gold medal. In a world of men who towered over him, “The Round Mound of Rebound,” was able to, using his superior size, power his way wherever he wanted. He truly was a force to behold.

→ Shaquille O’Neal
A man who needs no introduction, Shaq changed the way the game was played. He wasn’t just big, he was huge, weighing in at between 315-350lbs and standing at 7’1’’. Shaq has been in the league for 13 years and still can do what he wants. Although he’s been a lessened behemoth lately due to injuries, Shaq still has a lot of life left in him. Now he has the right team, in the Heat, and seems to be motivated to keep the weight off. Look for Shaq to walk away from the game with another championship or two and when he does you can bet coaches will be saying, “I still have no idea how to stop that.”

Although the game seems to be getting more athletic, there is still hope for the future of the “big man.” If you want to know where the next one is coming from, just ask Larry Brown. The Knicks have been hiding Michael Sweetney as best as they can, but look for him to have a huge season. He’s slated as the up and coming starter at 4 and should be more than able to fill the hole in the middle. It’s a big torch to carry, but Sweetney should be able to carry on in the tradition of the NBA’s “greatest, biggest men.”

NBA Preseason Rankings

1) Spurs- The Spurs won everything last season, and are perennial contenders. There’s no reason not to think they’ll do it again. Although they haven’t made any major moves, look for Brent Barry to have a bigger year and Argentinean Fabrico Oberto to make an impact.
2) Heat- Pat Riley shook things up in a big way. He added some offensive punch to the team and lost just a little more than Eddie Jones. Adding Antoine Walker and keeping Alonzo Mourning makes Shaq’s life a lot easier and can keep him off the floor during the regular season. At this point, the less Shaq has to do, the better. They can keep him healthy longer.
3) Pacers- The Pacers lost Reggie Miller. They added Sarunas Jasikevicius, Europe’s best clutch shooter and now the NBA’s most difficult to spell name. They still have Jamal Tinsley, Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O’Neal. Plus, Ronnie’s back. If he and Jasikevicius weren’t x-factors the Pacers would be ranked higher. At this point number three is the best they can do.

4) Pistons- The Pistons lost Larry Brown and their defense may loose some of its edge. Brown is also a pretty exacting offensive choreographer as well so the big question is just how sloppy will Chauncey Billups get this season? Before Brown, Billups didn’t pass as well and shot too much and too poorly. Now that he’s back with his old coach, Flip Saunders, the man who ran the show for two very efficient squads might be headed back to his old ways, which means the Pistons are headed for a bit of a fall this season. The addition of Dale Davis will help, but what about Darko?
5) Suns-Though they lost two of their starters, in Joe Johnson and Quentin Richardson, the Suns added Kurt Thomas and a slew of swingmen. If defense wins championships, then the Suns have taken a big step in getting better defensively with Thomas and Raja Bell. Maybe these are the changes they need to push them over the top. Maybe not. Training camp is going to be key for this team to get together and figure out who they’re going to be this season.
6) Rockets- Derek Anderson and Stromile Swift aren’t going to put the Rockets over the top this year, but they are going to make it easier for the team to win. If the Rockets are going to go deep this season it’s because Yao Ming is able to step up and be a better second option.
7) Mavericks- With Avery Johnson bringing the D in D, and Mark Cuban not doing anything crazy in the off-season, things are looking up for the Mavs. If Johnson can get them to buy into his hardworking defensive concepts this just might be the year that the Mavs get over the top.
8) Wizards- Loosing Larry Hughes is going to hurt, but not as badly because of the additions of Caron Butler and Antonio Daniels. This probably means Antawn Jamison is back at the 4 and the rest of the lineup is smaller. This could hurt the Wiz because they’re not a particularly big team to begin with and they don’t have a lot of depth in the front. Watch out for Gilbert Arenas though, he’s one of the best players in the game.
9) Bulls- It seems like John Paxon will retain all of the key pieces of the team that finished with the third best record in the East last season. He also added some depth in the frontcourt with Malik Allen and possibly Darius Songaila. Ben Gordon’s going to be taking over games the whole game this season so the Bulls should only get better. If they played as well as they did last year and don’t start the season 1-13, the Bulls could be a 50+ win team next year.

10) Nets- The Nets might not be this good, but they’ll definitely be this exciting. Mark Jackson and Nenad Krstic should make for a passable starting 4-5 and will be able to do exactly what the Nets need down low, meaning they won’t hurt the team. Jefferson, Kidd and Carter should be so much fun to watch that its silly.
11) Supersonics- Ray Allen is back and so are a lot of the other guys, which was important for a team that seemed to only have a few guys who’s contracts weren’t up. Although they did loose two key pieces in Antonio Daniels and Nate McMillan. That’s going to hurt and the Sonics are probably going to take a step back next season, unless some of the other guys, like Damien Wilkins, can step up.
12) Nuggets- If they can land Spree, the Nuggets instantly move up two spots. Loosing in the first round the last two years to the Timberwolves and the Spurs will go a long way in toughening up a young team and the Nuggets should be ready to do some more damage this season. Carmelo Anthony’s a year older too and that’s only going to help.
13) Timberwolves- Kevin Garnett is too good for the Wolves to miss the playoffs two years in a row. Adding Rashad McCants and Marko Jaric is going to help the team become better all over the court. This supporting cast isn’t as good as the one that went to the conference finals, but it’s not too bad either. This team isn’t going to win it all this year, but if Kevin McHale can make some shrewd moves during the season, they could do some damage.
14) Grizzlies- We’ll see with the Grizzlies. Jerry West knows what he’s doing, so you can’t help but trust him. They’ve added some tough veterans in Damon Stoudamire, Bobby Jackson and Eddie Jones. While those guys may not be enough to take them far into the playoffs, they may be enough for a push into the second round.

15) Clippers- Believe it or not, this is the year the Clippers will make the playoffs. They’ve done too many right things to not. Sam Cassell, Cutino Mobley, Shaun Livingston and Daniel Ewing should make for a very competent backcourt and that was the Clippers biggest weakness last season. This is their year.
16) Kings- Great offense, but its like they forgot to get players who can play defense. This should be the worst defensive squad that the Kings, a franchise not really known for having competent defensive squads, have put on the court in a while. They may score 120 points a game this season, but we’ll see how many they give up.
17) Cavaliers- They’ve added a lot to help Lebron James, but have the Cavaliers done enough? Probably not enough to be in contention, but enough to make the playoffs. They were disgracefully bad on the road last season, but adding veterans like Donyell Marshal and Larry Hughes should make a big difference in that department.
18) 76rs- The Sixers just keep spending money. Either the Sixers have to win with this team, or it’s going to b a long time before they can rebuild. CWebb and AI may have enough of a supporting cast around them, but ultimately, it boils down to what those two can do. If they can make it happen, then the Sixers are going to win, if not, then there are going to be a lot of unhappy Philly fans.
19) Bucks- The Bucks should be able to do something. TJ Ford is back; they’ve added a #1 draft pick in Andrew Bogut and have a good second man in Bobby Simmons. They’ve been ridiculously lucky this off-season and if that luck holds up during the season, they could shoot up the list.

20) Warriors- The Warriors may be good, eventually, but they’ve got a lot of steps forward to take before that day comes. Defense anyone? More efficient offense? A coach who can coach any of these two important aspects of professional basketball? The Warriors have the talent, but they need a better system to make things happen. Its time to replace Mike Montgomery.
21) Magic- This franchise is a mess. They’ll win 30-35 games because they have Grant Hill, Dwight Howard and Steve Francis, but they need to pick a direction and go with it. John Weisbrod is finally out of Orlando, but the Magic still need direction. Brian Hill is a good coach and should make some difference with this squad, but right now, they’re not better than 30-35 wins.
22) Lakers- This team has upside. This team has talent. What this team doesn’t have is a point guard. Phil Jackson likes big guards, but he needs somebody who can make plays. Lamar Odom is a good player, but they’re asking him to do too much next season to be a dominant presence inside and the main playmaker. If the Lakers get another guy to distribute the ball, and they can, then they’re going to be successful this season. If not, it could be a while.
23) Knicks- Larry Brown will help, but this team is really going to struggle to improve beyond the roster they have, as the contracts on their roster are all fairly terrible. They’re likely starting Jerome James, which can work if you have Ray Allen, but the Knicks don’t have anyone that good. Stephon Marbury is really going to have to listen up and buy into LB’s system to make this team work, if he does, then look for the Knicks to move up.
24) Celtics- It’s probably about time for the Celtics to trade Paul Pierce and add some more youth to the roster. This team is not going win very much this season. Pierce is not going to be a very happy camper, and its best if they trade him as soon as they get a good offer.
25) Raptors- The Raptors aren’t going anywhere as long as Rob Babcock is designing this team. Chris Bosh is going to be good this season, but they don’t have too much else. Either the raptors need to dump Babcock for a legit GM or they need to promote him into a position where he can’t make any executive decisions about player personal. The Raptors are lost and its time for someone to get out of the car and ask for directions.

26) Jazz- Deron Williams will make a big difference, but the Jazz are still a few years away from doing too much. This is a team that, with the right personal moves, is going to be good someday. That day could be soon, as they’ve got a great coach who gets the best out of his players, but Jerry Sloan may need a little bit more to work with before this team is successful.
27) Blazers- Nate McMillan can take this roster a lot of places in the future, but the future is not now, and the Blazers aren’t going anywhere fast this season. Martell Webster can shoot the lights out and should really spread things out for this team, but what it all comes down to is the erratic play of Zach Randolph. He must learn to play with a team. He’s got so much talent, but he’s wasting it by taking terrible shots, which is hard to do when you play 5-7 feet away from the basket, but he manages to take them anyway. If McMillan can get through to Randolph, this team could develop and win a bit more this season, but that is a really, really big fat “if.” Especially if Randolph comes back fat and out of shape, as he’s been known to do in the past.
28) Bobcats- Bernie’s boys came a long way last year, but they still have a long way to go before they’re a 25 win team. All you can ask for is development with a second year franchise, and the Bobcats are certainly taking care of business in that department. All they have to do this season is lose a lot and get a good draft pick next year. They’re in good shape to do that so it looks like the Cats are in decent shape.
29) Hawks- Joe Johnson, Marvin Williams and well, that’s it. That’s all they’ve done. It’s a big step from nowhere, but the Hawks still have a lot of terrible basketball ahead of them this year. Loosing Belkin as an ownership partner may make a difference for personal moves in the future, but thats not enough.

30) Hornets- The Hornets lost out on Dan Dickau. It’s gotten that bad in New Orleans. They lost out on a player that spent his career as trade filler. Their best player is Jamal Magloire, an unhappy, offensively challenged Canadian center that they can’t seem to convert into younger talent. If nothing else, the Hornets should be a lot of fun to watch because J.R. Smith and Chris Andersen should throw down a lot of dunks from the passes that Raymond Felton is going to be dishing out. Fun or not, this Hornets team is a huge mess. Byron Scott is in real deep.

Too Much and Too Little

The world of professional sports is all about the green. The main job description of the professional athlete is to fulfill their contract by providing an entertaining and marketable performance that leads to winning. Some players do that, others don’t. The NBA is a business of millionaires and while some are overpaid, others are not paid enough. Terrell Owens and his agent are trying hard to make a case with the Philadelphia Eagles that Owens is underpaid. He’s arguably the best receiver in the NFL, and is not paid as one of the top. The big issue with him is that he’s trying to renegotiate his contract to get a new one. This is the NBA’s off-season and a lot of players are searching for new contracts too. Guys like Samuel Dalembert and Bobby Simmons have already cashed in this summer. Guys like Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry are still waiting to see what kind of deals they can drum up. When the summers over and the NBA regular season starts a whole slew of players will have new contracts to live up to and while some teams have paid a fair market value for a player, a lot of them will have overpaid. Here’s a list of players that are overpaid and underpaid in the NBA. These are all players playing beyond their rookie contracts, as it’s easy for rookies to be underpaid. So without further adieu here are some of the leagues best values and biggest mistakes.

→ Center
Underpaid: Shaq (Miami Heat)
It’s a tough sell to say a guy that just signed a deal paying him roughly $20 million a year over the next five years is underpaid, but Shaq is. He opted out of a thirty million dollar contract year this season to renegotiate the terms of his deal. They settled on $125 million over the next five years. Shaq called back the next day and said he wanted only $100 million over five years. Right there the Heat saved $35 million dollars. Combine that with the fact that anytime Shaq is on your team, you’re a championship contender, and it becomes pretty clear why the Diesel is a marketing gem and true NBA bargain.

Overpaid: Lorenzen Wright (Memphis Grizzlies)
Wright is a serviceable center with career averages of 9ppg and 7rpg. But, those numbers aren’t that great, and he did make $7 million dollars last season. He’s also never averaged more than a half hour a game of playing time. While Wright isn’t too obscenely overpaid, he does make several million more than he’s worth each year. He’s an average player making more than average money.

→Power Forward

Underpaid: Ben Wallace (Detroit Pistons)
Call him a forward; call him a center, either way he’s underpaid. Wallace is the heart and soul of a team that won the championship a year ago and finished second this past season. He’s a three time all-star and defensive player of the year. Wallace is all of this in a package that comes just slightly cheaper than Lorenzen Wright's. His contract is going to be up soon and when it is, you can bet he’ll be cashing in, but until then, Big Ben is one of the leagues best values.

Overpaid: Antonio Davis (Chicago Bulls)
AD is a guy every team would love to have. He works hard, plays hard and is a born leader. He’s been an all-star in the past but is past his prime. That being said, he’s never been worth the money he’s made over the last five years. Signing a max contract in 2000 ensured Davis that he’ll be financially secure for many years to come, but he never lived up to being a max contract player. That being said, he’ll probably get another sweet deal, not max contract big, but at least a few million, when his contract is up at the end of next season. He’s the kind of guy teams want, just not for 12 million a year.

→Small Forward
Underpaid: Ron Artest (Indiana Pacers)
When he’s not suspended for fighting, Artest is one of the top five players in the NBA. He earns roughly $6 million a year and is also one of the leagues best bargains. If Artest can stay in the game for a few seasons he’ll be in line to earn some serious money in the future, but right now, he’s a steal. He’s been defensive player of the year and an all-star. He’s been All-Defensive-Team and All-NBA. All Artest has to do is stay on the court next year and the Pacers will go deep into the playoffs making him arguably the leagues best deal.

Overpaid: Keith Van Horn (Dallas Mavericks)
Van Horn was once a legit second man on the Nets. Now he’s a legit seventh man for the Mavs, but he’s still bringing in $14.5 million a year. While he never played well enough to merit a max contract, he was nearly all the Nets had when they gave him one back in 2001. That’s no reason to overpay for a player, but they did, and he’s been one of the most overpaid players ever since. Mark Cuban doesn’t seem to mind taking on his salary for one more season to have a solid player coming off the bench, but that still doesn’t make him anything but a terrible buy.

→Shooting Guard
Underpaid: Allen Iverson (Philadelphia 76ers)
This is simple. AI has been the most marketable face in the NBA. His jersey is everywhere. He constantly makes the Sixers a playoff team. Even at $14.6 million last season, Iverson is still underpaid. He’s a marketing machine and is as visible a face as any in all of sports. This makes him albeit a high paid, great value.

Overpaid: Allan Houston (New York Knicks)
This too, is simple. Even at his best Houston never put up better numbers than 3.6rpg, 3apg and 22.5ppg. He’s never even averaged 1 steal-per-game or a block-per-game. He’s only been an all-star twice and somehow pulled down $17.5 million last season. Thats way too much to pay for a player that can barely pass and baerly rebound. H20 was a decent scorer in his prime, but that time is over now. Now he’s a frequently injured player who alone earns more than Ben Wallace and Ron Artest combined. Houston is the single most overpaid player in the NBA.

→ Point Guard:

Underpaid: Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns)
This is even simpler. Nash was the MVP this season. He earned $8.7 million this season. He led the Suns to the Western Conference Finals too. When was the last time an MVP earned that little money? In 1999 Karl Malone earned only $6.1 million for the season. Even if Nash never repeats his performance of last year, he was still an amazing pickup for the Suns, one that came at an amazing price.

Overpaid: Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks)
Johnson is an extremely talented player and has all the makings of a superstar. That being said, nobody in the league will call him a value after his contract pays him nearly $20 million next season. The Hawks signed a front loaded deal, so the numbers won’t climb from there, but they still have overpaid. If he turns into Penny in his prime and stays that way, then Johnson will be a good deal. Only time will tell with him, but at this point, it looks like the Hawks have overpaid. But then again, you can’t put a price on dignity, and by signing a premier free-agent, the Hawks have taken a step towards becoming a dignified franchise once again.

Who's running the Lakers?

Plain and simple, the LA Lakers need a point guard. As their roster stands today, they have two players with very little experience slated to play that position. They also have two guys that are capable of making plays from other positions in Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom. While a team that runs the triangle offense can run it through a point forward, much like the latter Bulls dynasty did with Scottie Pippen and Toni Kukoc, a roster needs more than a few play makers. Those Bulls teams had five guys that were capable of running an offense and making plays: Pippen, Kukoc, Michael Jordan, Ron Harper and Randy Brown. The Lakers just have their big two, and then two other guys that might be able to step up and play a larger role in Luke Walton and Tierre Brown. Sufficed to say, they need more than that. Every great team has a number of guys that can start the offense and one that does it consistently. Lamar Odom could be groomed into that role, the way Pippen was, allowing him to share the point with John Paxon on the first three championship teams. But, Odom isn't ready for that yet. He's a great second point, but not ready to be the primary one so, the Lakers need a point guard, plain and simple.

But, point guards don’t just fall out of thin air, as Lakers GM Mitch Kupchack might hope. As it stands right now, no team in the league is in worse shape at that position than the Lakers. Most teams have at least one reliable point, many times two or three. The Lakers have none, so they need one. But how does a team that has none, and has only a few assets to trade and little money to sign anyone acquire somebody to fill that completely empty void? Well here’s how, so listen up Kupchack.

There are a few veteran point guards that seem to be available on the market. Former Laker Derek Fisher would make a lot of sense for the team. He knows the offense and could come in and immediately make an impact. The only downside is that he has a long-term bloated contract, one the Lakers should seriously consider taking on. Another player who’s similar in upside and downside to Fisher is Cleveland’s Eric Snow. Both have similar contracts to that of Vlade Divac, who may be retiring, but still is in the last year of his contract, making him valuable trade bait. Devin George is also in the last year of his contract and could be used as a piece in a trade. Trading Divac and George for Fisher and Snow would give the Lakers some serious back court depth and would likely be enough to keep the team headed in the right direction.

One has to wonder though if a blockbuster trade is really something more along the lines of what the Lakers need. After all, it was a blockbuster trade that put them in this predicament. So here is that blockbuster trade: the Lakers send George, Divac, Chris Mihm, Slava Medvedenko and Andrew Bynum to the Magic for Grant Hill, Tony Battie and Jameer Nelson. This trade gives the Magic three expiring contracts, and two legit big men to pair with a young Dwight Howard. It also allows them to keep Steve Francis as the point guard, a move that makes sense for the franchise. While the Lakers have to give up a lot, they do get something very good back in return. This trade gives the Lakers everything they need, instantly. It may leave them a little thin in the front, but there are a lot of veteran big men available at this stage in the game. The Lakers would be able to start Nelson, Bryant, Hill, Odom and Brown. This would give them a really solid rotation that could play a number of different ways within the triangle, and running and gunning it, as the Suns do. Sure, its a risk to take on a player like Grant Hill, but its not as big a risk as trading Shaq. Hill gives the Lakers a third scoring option and another playmaker. Nelson will be a very good pointguard very soon. If Hill can stay healthy, as he did last season, this trade could put the Lakers back into contention.

It may not take a blockbuster trade for the Lakers to find a point-guard, but it will take something. There’s no way that this team is going to be headed to the playoffs anytime soon without somebody guiding them in that direction. Plain and simple, the Lakers need a point guard.

Reggie's Last Shot?

Now, it would seem that Reggie Miller has finally retired. Performing his “last assist,” as Pacers president and CEO Donnie Walsh called it, Reggie gave the Pacers his blessing on a move that would take his contract, one he already retired from but that still counts against the luxury tax, off the books using the new bargaining agreement’s amnesty clause. In doing this the Pacers are free to keep all of the players they have, most importantly, Austin Croshere, a reserve forward with an outside shooting touch and a bloated contract. This move, in effect, keeps the Pacers frontcourt together, setting them up to make another run deep into the playoffs. It was Reggie Miller's last selfless move to help the franchise he was the face of for so many years.

However, lets say for a minute, that at some point during the next season, as the Pacers are dominating the Eastern Conference, Reggie Miller gets the urge to come back and play to earn that ring he never won. Because of the buyout of his contract under the amnesty clause, he won’t be able to come back to the Pacers until his contract with the Pacers would expire, leaving him free to sign with another team. Will Reggie really be able to sit the next one out? He’ll be able to sign with any team in the league, except the Pacers, at any point in the season.

Lets say it’s February and Reggie’s out golfing with Karl Malone, Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing, contemporaries of his who never earned a ring. Lets say too that Reggie’s agent has been fielding some calls from the Heat, the Suns, the Pistons, the Spurs and well, everyone else in contention except the Pacers. They all want to know the same thing, “Would Reggie like to come back and make a few big shots and play a few big minutes for a team that could get him the ring?” Lets say right then, during his golf game, that his phone rings and its his agent with another offer from a team that’s won most of their games, is sitting high atop their division’s standings and has about 20 minutes a game for a sweet shooting veteran if he’s interested. What do you think Karl, Chuck and Pat are going to say “Don’t go back, hang around here and golf with us?” Those guys were all ultra competitive, they all went back for a little more after they slipped just to try to get a ring. It’s the ultimate symbol of success in the game and as many all-star games, MVP awards and other accolades that those guys have; the ring isn’t one of them. I bet they all say the same thing, “Reggie, get out of here, go sign with the best team and win a ring. Come back in a few months and show us how pretty it looks.” Michael Jordan couldn’t stay away from the game. What do you think he’ll tell Reggie when he asks him for advice? Michael spent a long time denying Reggie the chance to win a ring; I bet he says go for it.

While the Pacers have, without a doubt, helped their chances of winning next season by keeping Croshere, they may have opened a door they’re I’m sure they’ll regret. Imagine Reggie Miller in a Spurs uniform. Imagine Reggie Miller in a Heat uniform. Imagine Reggie Miller in a Bulls uniform, the uniform of one of his biggest archrivals. Imagine him in a Pistons uniform, the uniform of his other biggest archrival. I’ll bet its tough for Reggie Miller to imagine himself in a uniform that doesn’t say Indiana, but I bet its not as tough if he’s imagining the ring that might go along with it.

Ben Gordon:Scoring the Bulls more Airtime

Beyond signing Eddie Basden, resigning Chris Duhon and utilizing the CBA's amnesty clause to get Eddie Robinson’s contract permanently off the books, the Chicago Bulls have had a relatively quiet off-season. This hasn’t been really a bad thing because as of late, the Bulls fans have become accustomed to waiting, especially when it pays off the way it did last season. The Bulls are looking to bring back a majority of a roster that made up one of the best defensive teams in the league; a team that also features an extremely promising core of young players. Although they don’t have a lot of room to grow defensively, at least statistically, on the offensive end, the Bulls have as much upside as a number one draft pick. That is, if you leave out Kwame Brown, Joe Smith and possibly Andrew Bogut, but we’ll see with him. Possibly the biggest reason for the wealth of upside is that last years 3rd pick of the draft and Sixth man of the year, Ben Gordon, has what it takes to become a tremendous offensive weapon.

Offensively, Gordon could become one of the best players in the NBA. He has as stable a shot as anyone in the league. He also has great range on that shot. He has a solid frame like Gilbert Arenas with a better shooting touch. That allows him to get his shots off easily because it is more difficult for him to be off balance. Combine that with his ability to create for himself and drive inside and power his way to the hoop and you have all the makings of a superstar. As a rookie Gordon suffered issues of consistency, but those issues are consistent with most rookies. Look for him to come on strong this year as the primary scoring option for the Bulls. He also came off the bench last season, but this season will probably find a starting role, especially if the Bulls loose Eddie Curry, as Curry’s the other main offensive weapon and a restricted free agent.

Last season Gordon averaged 15.1ppg off the bench in only 24 minutes. Those numbers are good enough that he ranked 11th in points per 48 minutes, with 29.6. Gordon also proved to be an exceptionally potent option in the fourth quarter. This season Bulls coach Scott Skiles will likely integrate him more into the offensive scheme. Gordon also ranked 4th in field-goals attempted per 48 minutes, again with most of these coming in the fourth quarter. Skiles is a conservative coach offensively and doesn’t like to run an unbalanced offensive attack, so don’t expect Gordon to put up ridiculously high numbers next season, but there is a lot of natural room for his scoring to improve within the offense.

Here’s where those points are going to come from. Because scoring within an offense doesn’t take place unless a player is playing outside a set of offensive parameters, he’s not going to score any more points-per-game unless those points come from someone else within the offense. Antonio Davis and Othella Harrington averaged 15ppg between them last season. Both are going to be a year older next year and with the further development of Tyson Chandler, both will see fewer minutes. Let’s take five of their points away for next season. Also the Bulls were a below average offensive team last season. Let’s assume that they can execute their offense more precisely next season and keep their scoring more on par with the league average. That means the team would be scoring roughly 3 points more each game if they were an average team offensively. It’s also unlikely that both Chris Duhon and Jannero Pargo both return to the team, meaning that there’s an additional 6 ppg to be distributed among the team.

That leaves roughly 14ppg to be distributed among the Bulls scorers. Gordon certainly won’t see all of that, but he will see some of that. It’s worth noting too that those are just points made, not shots taken. If a player that shoots a low percentage, like Pargo, has his shots given to a player that shoots a higher one, like Gordon, that player is likely to make more of those shots. With that in mind, let’s assume that the only players to make significant strides offensively next season are Gordon and Eddie Basden, as he didn’t play in the league last season. Let’s also assume that Chandler and Hinrich take the same number of shots, but shoot a better percentage next season. That means they don’t become a significant factor in a change in the offensive flow. Eddy Curry and Loul Deng will likely see an increase in production, although probably not extremely significant. Let’s give un-rafted rookie Basden 4ppg, Curry and Deng 2ppg apiece and figure the rest of the scoring load will fall on Ben Gordon’s shoulders. That would mean he would be scoring approximately 19ppg next season. If you figure that he won’t suffer from as many issues of consistency that number could easily raise to 20 or 22ppg.

Ben Gordon won’t lead the league in scoring next season, but he will lead the Bulls. Gordon has enough offensive skill to be the team’s primary offensive option for years to come. The points are there, he just needs to learn to score them. If he can, the Bulls may be even more dangerous this season than they were last, finishing with the 3rd best record in the Eastern Conference. If Gordon can take over for a whole game, the Bulls will be making some serious noise in the playoffs next year. If Ben Gordon can transcend to superstar status, the Bulls will be making some serious noise in the NBA finals in the not too distant future. The skies the limit for this young team, as long as they can score enough points to get there.

Pistons Becoming Wolves?

Going into the off-season, Joe Dumars had essentially two tasks that he needed to complete. While neither task would be a particularly easy one to fulfill, doing so with one would seem to jeopardize the other. Imagine being told you have to make an already massive tree grow taller and help the young sapling that is growing under the cover of the first mature into a tree of its own. That is the summer Joe Dumars faces. Make the second best team in the NBA, the best and do so while developing young center, Darko Milicic. Recently a trade rumor has surfaced that would seem to make great strides toward completing the task, but a massive trade is not the only way for Dumars, and the Pistons, to succeed.

The rumor was Kevin Garnett for Rasheed and Ben Wallace. A trade that seems, at first glance, completely unrealistic, but as you look longer, it seems to make more and more sense. Detroit’s new coach is Flip Saunders, the man who coached KG in Minnesota. Chauncey Billups and Garnett have played together before, in Minnesota. Chauncey is a winner now and KG could thrive in a situation where he didn’t have to face the power forwards the west has to offer. Garnett in Detroit could be a perfect situation for him and really, for the Pistons, really the only way to dramatically improve a team that barely finished second last season. Plus trading the two Wallace’s means there’s a starting center position opening up and what better way to fill it than with a seven-foot tall victory cigar?

But why would Minnesota trade Garnett? Maybe he’s sick of loosing in the playoffs and discretely asked if there were any other directions in which the team could head. Garnett is a classy guy and would be hard pressed to demand a trade publicly, but don’t think for a second that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t walk up to Kevin McHale and ask what the Wolves are doing to build a championship team. He did it two years ago and he got Sprewell and Cassell. Now those two are gone and old and he’s likely asking that same question. Adding two Wallace’s would be exactly what the Wolves would need to make a strong regular season, and playoff showing. Those two would give the Wolves instantly one of the toughest front lines in the NBA. Even without Garnett the Wolves would still have offense. Rashad McCants is going to be an explosive scorer in this league and could become the team’s number one option. He’s the rookie of the year if this trade goes down. Wally Szerbiak and Rasheed Wallace are able to provide consistent and even occasionally dominant output. And at this point in his career you can count on Sam Cassell to be a slightly better offensive weapon than Ben Wallace, but only slightly. If you have to trade a mega star, trading him for the best 4,5 punch in the NBA isn’t a bad trade.

But, you ask, can the Pistons be improved and not totally change the outlook of their team? Certainly. But Joe Dumars would have to trade at least two of his players. The Pistons are good enough that they could get a superstar in a trade for two of their very good players. Trading Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince for Shawn Marion would accomplish what the Pistons need to, plus Marion is a much more talented scorer than either of those players. A frontcourt of Darko, The Gong and the Matrix wouldn’t be too bad and might even be an improvement from what they had last year. Another possibility is a trade sending Rip Hamilton and Antonio McDyess to the Celtics for Paul Pierce. In that trade you get a legit superstar, and a chance to bring Darko off the bench. Danny Ainge might not make that trade without a draft pick to sweeten the deal, but it would be an overall upgrade. A trade of Billups, McDyess and Prince for Gilbert Arenas and Jarvis Hayes might be something to consider. The Wizards might not even be able to turn that package down. If Dumars intends to improve his team through a trade, he should carefully consider all of the available options, but in the end, a trade for KG is the best.

You loose the heart and soul of your defense, but you gain an MVP. It’s an obscenely tough trade to pull the trigger on for either party involved. But, it’s a trade that’s so absurd, you can’t help but hope that McHale and Dumars can find some way to make it work.

The New NBA Elite

Every year a few guys make that transition from very good player to legitimate league superstar. Last season saw Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, Dwayne Wade and Manu Ginobili make that transition. While each of those guys played very well in previous seasons, last season they stepped their game up to elite status. Here’s a look at a few faces that will make that jump this year. These are the stars that will become megastars.

→Ron Artest
All the Pacers need is one great season from Artest. If he gives them a full year without any distractions and plays the way he can, there isn’t a team in the league who can stop them. If that year is this year, the Pacers will win everything and be completely dominant in doing so. Artest showed flashes of how good he can be in the few games he played last season averaging 24ppg and 6rpg. Expect him to come back and take over. He’ll probably have to knock the rust off in the preseason, but as soon as the regular season hits, nobody will be able to stop him on either end of the court. Artest has the potential to be a top-five player in the league, this may be the year he realizes that potential.

→Lebron James
A lot of people would make the case that Lebron is already one of the leagues elite. If he is, then he is like Amare Stoudemire was before Steve Nash: a developing great player with an developing team. Lebron finally has a team that can do his play justice. While he’s not going to win any championships this year, he is going to make some serious noise. He might even win a playoff series or two. Everyone talks about how the Cavs are in need of a perimeter shooter; suppose Lebron starts making his shots. He’s not as good as a Kobe Bryant or a Ray Allen yet, but this could be the year that he steps up to play at that level.

→Elton Brand
Last season, like many seasons, Brand had numbers that were similar to those of Tim Duncan. Both players averaged 20 ppg and had nearly identical numbers in blocks, steals, and fg%. Brand averaged 1.5 fewer rpg last season, but he played on a team that was one of the best at out-rebounding their opponents. The biggest difference in their numbers was the 22 games more that Duncan won last season. Don’t expect the Clippers to win 59 games next season, but do expect them to make the playoffs. They’ve made some really serious moves and are poised to break out of obscurity. The acquisition of Cutino Mobley will put Corey Magette back at the 3, where he belongs and take pressure off of Brand. A point guard squad of Shawn Livingston and Daniel Ewing should be enough to get this team into the playoffs as well. All the pieces are finally in place in LA they just need Elton Brand to step up and take over. Looks like Billy Crystal and Frankie Muniz finally have a good reason to be Clippers fans.

→Dirk Nowitzki
He’s already one of the best players in the league and the amount Dirk has to step up to be even better, isn’t that much. Playing without Nash took him out of his comfort zone last season and he responded by improving his game. It looks like he’ll be playing without Michael Finely next season so the load on him will be even greater. If Dirk can spend even a little time improving his defense, the Mavs will be serious championship contenders this season. A new coach, a new supporting cast and a new Dirk could be just what the Mavs need to be the best team in the NBA.

→Mike Bibby
When Chris Webber was traded the big catch phrase that was thrown around was, “addition by subtraction.” Everyone seemed to expect Peja Stojakovic to become the superstar on the Kings. While he’s a very good player, Mike Bibby stepped up huge at the end of last season. Expect a similar performance for the entire upcoming one. After the Webber trade Bibby averaged 22 ppg and just over 7 apg. Now that the Kings have had half a season and an off-season to figure out who they are in the post-Webber era, Bibby is all set to become one of the game's elite playmakers and scorers.