For all the excitement generated by the acquisition of two-time All-Star forward Rasheed Wallace for some role players and draft choices Thursday, to say his first weekend in a Detroit Pistons uniform was inauspicious would be an understatement.
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| The Pistons didn't quite get off to the start they would have liked with newly acquired Rasheed Wallace.(AP) |
Wallace had already played 12 minutes with four points and two rebounds, while James had played just five minutes. And as if that wasn't bad enough in the 88-87 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves before the sold-out house in Auburn Hills, the Pistons turned over another one-point decision before the home folks Sunday afternoon.
Only worse, this was an 87-86 loss to the lowly Orlando Magic, even with their Tracy McGrady going a horrific 3-for-20 from the field. Most of the damage was from the free-throw line, with Orlando converting 28-of-32 compared to 17-of-26 for Detroit.
The main culprit of the bad shooting for the Pistons was Wallace, the man expected to lift them up a level to be sure-fire contenders to win the Eastern Conference.
Instead, he was 5-of-17 from the field and 2-for-6 from the free-throw line, finishing with 14 points, seven rebounds and four assists in 39 minutes in his first full game.
Although this is hardly an indication of how they will develop with Wallace during the weeks to come, they now have lost 8-of-9 since winning 17-of-20. That leaves them at 34-24, a full nine games in the loss column behind the Indiana Pacers in what no longer seems to be a race in the Central Division.
Yes, it was a great trade for the Pistons to give up Zeljko Rebraca, Bobby Sura, Chucky Atkins and their two first-round picks next season. They don't really need any of those pieces. Wallace is a superb fit.
But just as so many jumped on the bandwagon after the deal, nothing is a lock about this. The Pistons haven't been quite right all season -- even during their brilliant 17-3 run -- and their offense has not clicked all season.
Friday night's fiasco didn't help matters with a pumped-up crowd and an enthused Wallace -- attempting to leave his sullen skeletons behind in Portland.
Instead, the Pistons made an awful faux pas, but if the NBA had any real sense about it, there was little reason for Wallace and James -- having already participated in the first half -- to be sacked for the second half. Goodwill, rather than a petty ruling over the paperwork from agent certification, was hardly worth the humiliation it caused.
But in the big picture, it matters little. All we know is we don't know how this will all shake out. The Pistons could put it together, win the East and Wallace could sign a long-term contract to be a Piston for life. His long and skillful 6-foot-11 frame perfectly suits what the Pistons need up front, uncommon shooting and passing ability with great defensive hands.
Or, they could fail badly and he could bolt for the New York Knicks next fall. If he does end up on the Knicks, we know he won't enter his first game until the paperwork is complete.
LBJ hits the Garden
All this buzz about the new Knicks and how they are going to make a run at the East title might be just a little bit premature.
Rookie sensation LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers came to town Sunday afternoon and easily handled the Knicks 92-86. New York now has lost 4-of-5.
Not only did James have 22 points, but 7-foot-3 Zydrunas Ilgauskas had 31 points and 15 rebounds, and Carlos Boozer had 14 points and 17 rebounds. While all eyes are on the Knicks and Pistons, and with the New Jersey Nets' incredible 13-game winning streak dominating the news, the Cavs have very quietly begun to position themselves for a playoff run.
They are 16-16 since trading Ricky Davis, Yogi Stewart and Chris Mihm to Boston for Eric Williams and Tony Battie. That's one less game than they won all of last season, and they are 8-6 since obtaining point guard Jeff McInnis from Portland for Darius Miles.
The victory Sunday followed a huge two-point win over the defending NBA-champion San Antonio Spurs before a sold-out house in Cleveland. It was their seventh sellout of the year, the most since the 1995-96 season and their average attendance of 17,527 is a whopping 66 percent increase over last year.
Obviously, the injection of confidence and talent James has brought has been significant to the franchise, but there's a lot more going on here.
Coach Paul Silas now has the group he wants to build with. The combination of James' athleticism and fine interior ability of Ilgauskas and Boozer make the Cavs increasingly dangerous.
They now are only 2½ games behind Miami for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, but also only 3½ behind the Knicks and Toronto -- virtually deadlocked in the sixth and seventh spots.
Net gains
It seems as if nothing will slow down the New Jersey Nets, as they continue their march right back into a dominating position in the Eastern Conference.
When Byron Scott was fired as coach and Lawrence Frank replaced him Jan. 26, the Nets had just ended a five-game losing streak with a 19-point victory over a very bad Boston team. The victory over the Celtics didn't save Scott's job, but the Nets haven't lost since.
Frank has a new NBA record with 12 consecutive victories to start a new job and the Nets have won 13 in a row overall -- now 34-20 -- to spur them to the second-best record in the East behind the Pacers. Their last loss was 85-64 at Miami on Jan. 23, and they have built an insurmountable 9½-game lead over the second-place Knicks in the Atlantic Division.
The winning streak is a new franchise record. The old one was 11 consecutive from December 23, 1982 to Jan. 12, 1983.
Since Frank took over, Jason Kidd has had two triple-doubles and averaged 16.5 points, 10.3 assists and 8.1 rebounds to lead the transition. As for Scott, he began his new job as a studio analyst for ABC's weekend NBA coverage.
Shots from the perimeter
- And while we're on the subject of the Heat, they walloped the highly regarded Denver Nuggets by 16 Saturday night for their fourth victory in a row. Considering Pat Riley abruptly resigned as head coach a week before the season opener and Stan Van Gundy had never been a head coach in the NBA before, this has been impressive. Weathering Riley's shocking announcement, injuries to Caron Butler, rookie Dwyane Wade, Lamar Odom and Brian Grant and a treacherous schedule that featured 10 of their first 14 games on the road, the Heat began 3-11 (including an 0-7 start). Since then, they are 22-21 and in the driver's seat for a playoff spot.
- The Minnesota Timberwolves finally lost Sunday, ending their five-game winning streak with a 94-92 home loss to the defending champion San Antonio Spurs. The 'Wolves, however, for the first time all season, began the weekend with Wally Szczerbiak, Troy Hudson and Michael Olowokandi healthy and activated -- albeit still getting their legs under themselves. Before losing to the Spurs -- featuring Tim Duncan overcoming his notoriously bad free-throw shooting to make 7-of-8 in the first quarter -- the 'Wolves had won 8-of-10 and were an NBA-best 31-7 since Dec. 1. Now 40-16, they still hold a three-game lead over the Spurs in the Midwest Division.
- Maybe nobody is noticing, but the Los Angeles Lakers have won four in a row, and their 104-92 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday moved them to 35-19. Kobe Bryant had 40 points and now has averaged 33.5 during the winning streak. In the wake of his sexual assault trial, people seem to have forgotten he had shoulder and knee surgery in the offseason. And now back from a domestic accident that produced a badly cut finger, he is getting his strength back and putting up numbers like he has the past four seasons. If this continues, the balance of power in the West could shift back to the Lakers, who currently are fourth in the West, one game behind the Spurs. The Lakers are 10-4 over the past month after losing 10 of their previous 15 games.
- But the best record in the Western Conference at the end of the weekend belonged to the injury-challenged Sacramento Kings at 40-14. Despite missing Chris Webber (knee and NBA suspension for lying to the Grand Jury and a positive drug test), Brad Miller (sprained foot) and Bobby Jackson (strained abdominal muscle), the Kings have won 10-of-12. All-Star forward Peja Stojakovic averaged 25.5 points in victories over Chicago and Toronto, but it was the all-around game of center Vlade Divac, averaging 12 points and 11 assists, that kept everyone grounded.
- With all the noise going on in Detroit, New York and New Jersey, it seems as if nobody is noticing the Indiana Pacers still have the best record in the East and are just a half-game behind the Kings for the top seed in the whole league. Despite All-Star forward Ron Artest out indefinitely following surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb, the Pacers battered both Washington and Utah. Coach Rick Carlisle earned a double-technical and was ejected during the second quarter of Sunday's victory over Utah, and the officials responded by awarding the Pacers a league-high 50 free throws. Jermaine O'Neal averaged 20 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks over the weekend.
- When the Milwaukee Bucks won in the nation's capital Sunday afternoon, they ended a seven-game road losing streak, sticking the Washington Wizards with their fifth loss in a row (four of them by at least 22 points). The Bucks finally got Keith Van Horn playing this weekend. He initially was upset over being traded by the Knicks and settling some things at his home in New Jersey delayed his debut in a Bucks uniform. Van Horn had 23 points and eight rebounds in a heartbreaking 105-103 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. He followed that up with 13 points and five rebounds in Sunday's 28-point romp over the Wizards.
- Even though the Magic went up to the Palace of Auburn Hills and beat the Pistons on Sunday for their second victory in a row, it wasn't a particularly good weekend for Magic All-Star Tracy McGrady. Not only did he make just three of 20 shots Sunday and score 19 points, it was his second consecutive game of less than 20 points. He was ejected just before halftime in Friday's victory over Denver. Following a steal, he went in for a dunk that was rejected by the Nuggets' Chris Andersen, who landed on McGrady after sending him flying into the basket support. When there was no call, McGrady kicked the ball into the stands in a fury -- then did it again when a fan caught it and threw it back to him. He had 15 points in 24 minutes, ending his streak of 20 points or more at 21. McGrady, 24, also surpassed 10,000 career points in the game and became the second-youngest player to ever do that next to Bryant. He was 8-for-34 in the two games, a very un-T-Mac .235 from the field over the weekend.
- Then again, it was a worse weekend for the man at the Magic game Friday night who got drunk and attacked the team mascot. He was restrained by policemen and shot with a stun gun to calm him down. He was arrested and taken to jail. The mascot survived the attack.
- The guy who really asked for it and got it was Toronto Raptors gunner Lamond Murray, who started Friday night in the 19-point loss to the Nets, but was benched after six minutes of zeroes. He had already complained about not getting traded, then went off on coach Kevin O'Neill about getting benched because O'Neill didn't explain why. Of course, everybody in the arena saw he wasn't playing defense and now he's suspended indefinitely and won't play or get paid. Unless something changes dramatically -- once the Raptors figure they can't justify the suspension any longer -- they'll have to figure out if they want to put up with antics or buy out the rest of his contract and let him go.
- And speaking of letting go, Vin Baker now is a free agent, although the National Basketball Players Association is still trying to hold Boston culpable for the final $30 million-plus on his contract. Baker didn't play for 10 games this season as he was dealing with problems that were alcohol related. The Celtics, based on a separate deal with Baker, said he didn't live up to his part of the agreement, so they cut him without pay. The precedents are: John "Hot Lunch" Williams had his contract with the Washington Bullets terminated when he was deemed unfit to play; and Latrell Sprewell had his $24 million contract terminated when he choked his former coach P.J. Carlesimo. This will be interesting to watch, while Baker has already drawn some interest from the Knicks and Heat among other teams, does anybody really expect the NBA to approve any contract for him while he is suing for the whole enchilada?
- Meanwhile the Memphis Grizzlies just keep on winning. Pau Gasol averaged 20 points, 9.5 rebounds, five blocks and four assists as the Grizzlies extended their winning streak to four games with victories over Chicago and Phoenix. They've won 8-of-9 and are 11 games over .500 at 33-22 for the first time in franchise history. They are only 2½ games behind Dallas for fifth place in the Western Conference.
- And speaking of the Mavs, they overcame a 16-point deficit in the first quarter vs. the Rockets and ended up winning by nine, as second-year center Yao Ming is now 0-6 against Dallas. The Mavs are still only a half-game behind the Lakers for fourth place, and we'll learn a lot with their next four games against the Clippers, Spurs, Blazers and Sonics.
- Yao did have a career-high 41 points in the Rockets' thrilling 123-121 triple-overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday. Yao also had 16 rebounds and seven assists. It was the first triple-overtime game in the NBA since the Rockets beat the Pacers 127-118, March 13, 2001. The Hawks have lost five consecutive and 11 of their past 12.
- The Blazers extended their winning streak to three games and pulled to within a game of .500 after battering the Celtics by 21 one night after they slipped by 94-93 at Oakland over the Warriors. The Blazers actually led the Celtics 22-0 before Boston converted its first field goal more than six minutes into the game. Zach Randolph, starting to get accustomed to a lot of company in the post with new acquisitions Theo Ratliff and Shareef Abdur-Rahim bounced back strong with 27 points and 15 rebounds against Boston. Damon Stoudamire now is the only player left on the roster from the team that lost in Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference finals to the Lakers.
- There was only one cure for the wayward Seattle Sonics, loser of 9-of-11 ... play host to the Celtics. The result was a 21-point victory, as Boston fell for the sixth consecutive game and 11-of-12 since Jim O'Brien resigned as coach and assistant John Carroll took over.
