In NBA, West is best and it's getting better
Bob Young
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 2, 2003 12:00 AM
Transition games
Major free-agent moves:
G Gary Payton - Milwaukee to LA Lakers
F Karl Malone - Utah to LA Lakers
C Rasho Nesterovic - Minnesota to San Antonio
C Michael Olowokandi - LA Clippers to Minnesota
F Robert Horry - LA Lakers to San Antonio
G Erick Piatkowski - LA Clippers to Houston
G Gilbert Arenas - Golden State to Washington
C Alonzo Mourning - Miami to New Jersey
G Darrell Armstrong - Orlando to New Orleans
F Scottie Pippen - Portland to Chicago
G Andre Miller - LA Clippers to Denver
Major trade acquisitions:
G Latrell Sprewell - New York to Minnesota
C Brad Miller - Indiana to Sacramento
F Hedo Turkoglu - Sacramento to San Antonio
F Keith Van Horn - Philadelphia to New York
F Glenn Robinson - Atlanta to Philadelphia
G/F Ron Mercer - Indiana to San Antonio
The gap between East and West has widened.
The Super Powers continue to stockpile weapons.
Nobody knows where the craziness will end.
Before you duck and cover, these are not signs that the Cold War has returned.
No, this contemporary arms race is heating up in the NBA.
The Los Angeles Lakers, upon seeing their string of three straight championships ended, set off the fireworks by signing free-agent superstars Karl Malone and Gary Payton, adding two more Hall of Fame players to a roster than includes Shaquille O'Neal and the embattled Kobe Bryant.
The defending champion Spurs kept pace by signing Minnesota free agent center Rasho Nesterovic, adding veteran Robert Horry, previously of the Lakers, and trading for Hedo Turkoglu of the Kings.
Sacramento acquired Indiana free-agent center Brad Miller in a sign-and-trade deal with the Pacers and Spurs, which resulted in Turkoglu and Ron Mercer ending up in San Antonio.
And the Minnesota Timberwolves, after another frustrating, first-round playoff exit, jumped into the fray by adding free agent center Michael Olowokandi of the Clippers and acquiring a backcourt of Latrell Sprewell of the Knicks and Sam Cassell from the Bucks via trades.
Just like that, the NBA balance of power shifted a little further toward the Western Conference.
Let's not forget that the West is also home to the talent-rich Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers, plus the up-and-coming Suns and Houston Rockets, who should benefit from the continued development of last season's top two rookies, Amare Stoudemire and Yao Ming.
The Mavericks, who lost to San Antonio in this year's Western Conference finals, could have a hard time holding ground, given the flurry of activity. They tried to keep pace but came up empty when free agents Jason Kidd and Alonzo Mourning spurned their offers to sign with New Jersey.
"I'll tell you, anybody that's writing off the NBA ought to have their head examined," Sacramento Kings co-owner Joe Maloof said. "This is probably going to be the most exciting season in history. The Lakers have a Dream Team. We added Brad Miller. You look at what Minnesota has done and the Spurs. Even the Suns with the core the Colangelos have put together. And we've got probably the biggest star of all time, LeBron James, coming in."
Maloof concedes that the Lakers' moves brought out the competitive nature of other owners, which he figures is a good thing.
"You really never know what every team's thought process is, but it certainly seems like there's a contest," said Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo. "All the other teams do seem to be reacting (to the Lakers).
"Whether or not that's the case, it's impossible to say. But on the surface, it looks like that."
Now comes hard part
Of course, questions still abound even for the top contenders.
The Lakers must deal with Kobe Bryant's sexual assault trial in Colorado, plus find ways to keep four superstars happy.
The Spurs must adjust to David Robinson's retirement.
The Mavericks are still weak in the middle.
The Kings are paying big money to Miller, who will ultimately replace Vlade Divac. But Divac has been their glue.
The Timberwolves have amassed a lot of talent, but also a lot of egos. Chemistry won't come quickly.
"A lot of teams look good on the grease board," said one Western Conference executive, who asked his name not be used.
"Ultimately, talent wins in this league. But that talent still has to mesh."
The defending Eastern Conference champion Nets have made some strides of their own.
They re-signed Kidd after his dalliance with San Antonio. And reportedly Kidd recruited Mourning right out from under the Mavericks.
"Everybody is trying to win," said Danny Ainge, the director of basketball operations for the Celtics. "The Lakers signed Gary and Karl. San Antonio wants to repeat. Sacramento is trying to stay in the hunt.
"And over here in the East, New Jersey and Detroit are still the elite teams. But I don't think they're with the Lakers and Kings right now.
"That could change if New Jersey gets the Alonzo Mourning of four years ago. They're already an excellent team and that could put them in that group."
The Mavericks would have loved to add Mourning and apparently thought there was a verbal agreement.
Still, if Dallas owner Mark Cuban is feeling any pressure to make counter moves, he isn't admitting it.
"We won't do something just to do something," he said via e-mail. "The only certainty we have is that the pundits are wrong 99 percent of the time, so we really don't pay too much attention to how the media handicaps teams."
Mavericks assistant coach and player personnel director Donnie Nelson believes Dallas remains in the mix, even without any key acquisitions.
"Our success last year was really due to the chemistry in our locker room and the quality of individuals that established the core of the team," he said. "Our intent all along was to add to that core.
"When you have a group of guys like we have, who enjoy lacing them up and going to work every day, it's a special environment. It's been reflected in the win-loss column.
"Everybody is looking to improve. San Antonio was in a good position (against the salary cap) to make things happen and they did. Minnesota, I think, felt some urgency to upgrade because Kevin Garnett's contract is coming up next year."
Don't forget T-Wolves
Maloof said Minnesota now deserves to be considered among the top teams.
"They've got an attitude, that Minnesota," he said. "That's a nasty, nasty team. I mean that in a good sense. Sam Cassell has attitude. They back it up with Sprewell. And who is a bigger gamer than Kevin Garnett? He might be the best player in the world."
Ainge agreed, and called Minnesota's moves "spectacular" on paper.
"And they didn't have to go crazy on money to do it," he said. "They didn't break the bank to add Olowokandi and Sprewell.
"They're behind the others from a continuity standpoint. They've got a whole new group that has to develop chemistry."
Of course, there are some teams that may have lost ground in the process.
The already unstable Trail Blazers lost their leader, Scottie Pippen, to Chicago via free agency.
And Utah will be without Malone and John Stockton for the first time since shorts were short and hair was long.
"It's an exciting time in the NBA," said ABC broadcast analyst Bill Walton. "A lot of things have happened this summer that have made the teams at the top stronger.
"And guys for really the first time are taking less money because they want to realize their championship aspirations."
That would include Payton, who signed for a mid-level exception of $4.9 million, and Malone, who agreed to the veteran minimum of just over $1 million to join the Lakers.
"New Jersey remains the power in the East," Walton said. "It looks like players are going to New Jersey to win a championship.
"And who would have ever thought those words would be used in the same sentence?"
Bob Young
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 2, 2003 12:00 AM
Transition games
Major free-agent moves:
G Gary Payton - Milwaukee to LA Lakers
F Karl Malone - Utah to LA Lakers
C Rasho Nesterovic - Minnesota to San Antonio
C Michael Olowokandi - LA Clippers to Minnesota
F Robert Horry - LA Lakers to San Antonio
G Erick Piatkowski - LA Clippers to Houston
G Gilbert Arenas - Golden State to Washington
C Alonzo Mourning - Miami to New Jersey
G Darrell Armstrong - Orlando to New Orleans
F Scottie Pippen - Portland to Chicago
G Andre Miller - LA Clippers to Denver
Major trade acquisitions:
G Latrell Sprewell - New York to Minnesota
C Brad Miller - Indiana to Sacramento
F Hedo Turkoglu - Sacramento to San Antonio
F Keith Van Horn - Philadelphia to New York
F Glenn Robinson - Atlanta to Philadelphia
G/F Ron Mercer - Indiana to San Antonio
The gap between East and West has widened.
The Super Powers continue to stockpile weapons.
Nobody knows where the craziness will end.
Before you duck and cover, these are not signs that the Cold War has returned.
No, this contemporary arms race is heating up in the NBA.
The Los Angeles Lakers, upon seeing their string of three straight championships ended, set off the fireworks by signing free-agent superstars Karl Malone and Gary Payton, adding two more Hall of Fame players to a roster than includes Shaquille O'Neal and the embattled Kobe Bryant.
The defending champion Spurs kept pace by signing Minnesota free agent center Rasho Nesterovic, adding veteran Robert Horry, previously of the Lakers, and trading for Hedo Turkoglu of the Kings.
Sacramento acquired Indiana free-agent center Brad Miller in a sign-and-trade deal with the Pacers and Spurs, which resulted in Turkoglu and Ron Mercer ending up in San Antonio.
And the Minnesota Timberwolves, after another frustrating, first-round playoff exit, jumped into the fray by adding free agent center Michael Olowokandi of the Clippers and acquiring a backcourt of Latrell Sprewell of the Knicks and Sam Cassell from the Bucks via trades.
Just like that, the NBA balance of power shifted a little further toward the Western Conference.
Let's not forget that the West is also home to the talent-rich Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers, plus the up-and-coming Suns and Houston Rockets, who should benefit from the continued development of last season's top two rookies, Amare Stoudemire and Yao Ming.
The Mavericks, who lost to San Antonio in this year's Western Conference finals, could have a hard time holding ground, given the flurry of activity. They tried to keep pace but came up empty when free agents Jason Kidd and Alonzo Mourning spurned their offers to sign with New Jersey.
"I'll tell you, anybody that's writing off the NBA ought to have their head examined," Sacramento Kings co-owner Joe Maloof said. "This is probably going to be the most exciting season in history. The Lakers have a Dream Team. We added Brad Miller. You look at what Minnesota has done and the Spurs. Even the Suns with the core the Colangelos have put together. And we've got probably the biggest star of all time, LeBron James, coming in."
Maloof concedes that the Lakers' moves brought out the competitive nature of other owners, which he figures is a good thing.
"You really never know what every team's thought process is, but it certainly seems like there's a contest," said Suns President and General Manager Bryan Colangelo. "All the other teams do seem to be reacting (to the Lakers).
"Whether or not that's the case, it's impossible to say. But on the surface, it looks like that."
Now comes hard part
Of course, questions still abound even for the top contenders.
The Lakers must deal with Kobe Bryant's sexual assault trial in Colorado, plus find ways to keep four superstars happy.
The Spurs must adjust to David Robinson's retirement.
The Mavericks are still weak in the middle.
The Kings are paying big money to Miller, who will ultimately replace Vlade Divac. But Divac has been their glue.
The Timberwolves have amassed a lot of talent, but also a lot of egos. Chemistry won't come quickly.
"A lot of teams look good on the grease board," said one Western Conference executive, who asked his name not be used.
"Ultimately, talent wins in this league. But that talent still has to mesh."
The defending Eastern Conference champion Nets have made some strides of their own.
They re-signed Kidd after his dalliance with San Antonio. And reportedly Kidd recruited Mourning right out from under the Mavericks.
"Everybody is trying to win," said Danny Ainge, the director of basketball operations for the Celtics. "The Lakers signed Gary and Karl. San Antonio wants to repeat. Sacramento is trying to stay in the hunt.
"And over here in the East, New Jersey and Detroit are still the elite teams. But I don't think they're with the Lakers and Kings right now.
"That could change if New Jersey gets the Alonzo Mourning of four years ago. They're already an excellent team and that could put them in that group."
The Mavericks would have loved to add Mourning and apparently thought there was a verbal agreement.
Still, if Dallas owner Mark Cuban is feeling any pressure to make counter moves, he isn't admitting it.
"We won't do something just to do something," he said via e-mail. "The only certainty we have is that the pundits are wrong 99 percent of the time, so we really don't pay too much attention to how the media handicaps teams."
Mavericks assistant coach and player personnel director Donnie Nelson believes Dallas remains in the mix, even without any key acquisitions.
"Our success last year was really due to the chemistry in our locker room and the quality of individuals that established the core of the team," he said. "Our intent all along was to add to that core.
"When you have a group of guys like we have, who enjoy lacing them up and going to work every day, it's a special environment. It's been reflected in the win-loss column.
"Everybody is looking to improve. San Antonio was in a good position (against the salary cap) to make things happen and they did. Minnesota, I think, felt some urgency to upgrade because Kevin Garnett's contract is coming up next year."
Don't forget T-Wolves
Maloof said Minnesota now deserves to be considered among the top teams.
"They've got an attitude, that Minnesota," he said. "That's a nasty, nasty team. I mean that in a good sense. Sam Cassell has attitude. They back it up with Sprewell. And who is a bigger gamer than Kevin Garnett? He might be the best player in the world."
Ainge agreed, and called Minnesota's moves "spectacular" on paper.
"And they didn't have to go crazy on money to do it," he said. "They didn't break the bank to add Olowokandi and Sprewell.
"They're behind the others from a continuity standpoint. They've got a whole new group that has to develop chemistry."
Of course, there are some teams that may have lost ground in the process.
The already unstable Trail Blazers lost their leader, Scottie Pippen, to Chicago via free agency.
And Utah will be without Malone and John Stockton for the first time since shorts were short and hair was long.
"It's an exciting time in the NBA," said ABC broadcast analyst Bill Walton. "A lot of things have happened this summer that have made the teams at the top stronger.
"And guys for really the first time are taking less money because they want to realize their championship aspirations."
That would include Payton, who signed for a mid-level exception of $4.9 million, and Malone, who agreed to the veteran minimum of just over $1 million to join the Lakers.
"New Jersey remains the power in the East," Walton said. "It looks like players are going to New Jersey to win a championship.
"And who would have ever thought those words would be used in the same sentence?"
