Conference hbahba::cam_sports

    It's in Toronto...

    I believe it is at a place called SKYDOOM in a province known as
    Ontario.  Ontario is located right on the border of the Northern
    United States.
    Sean
    

>                              -< Raptor Revenge? >-
>
>    I believe it is at a place called SKYDOOM in a province known as
>    Ontario.  Ontario is located right on the border of the Northern
>    United States.
>    Sean

Eh, take off you hoser, for the Great White North with Geddy Lee.

Didn't anyone ever tell you eh, that Tarawna is a suburb of Detroit?


Lotsa smilies go here......8^)


'Saw
    

    BTW, what is the crime rate like in old detroit now that they
    have robo-cop providing top notch law enforcement?
    Sean 8-)

    I see where Mourning is mouthing off about how DT II is better than DT
    I. Not even close. Mourning,who has won nothing in his whole
    career, should accomplish something close to Magic,Bird and Jordan
    before he mouths off.
    
    They might be trying to play up a PPV event between the two DT's. Even
    with Bird in his rocking chair and a baseball rusty Jordan DT I could
    win right now.

	dt11 limped past Spain lst night 115-100

>    I see where Mourning is mouthing off about how DT II is better than DT

If'n he's doing it, he aint saying it to no one around here. In fack,
when all of them DTIIers were interviewed, Zo had the big no comment
about any comparison.

When they were in town, the main perpetrators of this myth were Shaq and
Reggie Miller.

TTom

    Love these Big Talk Buys, how many Combined Championship Rings did
    DT1 have compared to DT2 ?  Id say these guys could carry DT1's
    equipment around, thats about it...
    
    								MaB

I put my coverage of the *excellent* Canadian team in the wrong note.
(NBA). We could be the surprise of the tournament.

josh

    Sorry about the 'Zo misquote.
    
    Rings on team = 2 for Dumars.
    
    Is the Smith on the team Steve of Miami?
    
    Is the correct roster?
    
    Mourning,Johnson-Charlotte
    Shaq-Orlando
    Miller-Ind
    Majerle,Johnson-Phoenix
    Wilkens-Boston
    Kemp-Seattle
    Dumars-Detroit
    Price-Cleveland
    Steve Smith(?)-Miami
    Coleman-NJ
    
    
    Compare that with Ewing,Robinson at center
    Malone,Bird,Pippen,Barkley as forwards
    Drexler,Stockton,Magic,Jordan,Mullin as guards
    Forgot the 12th man.

 I believe Shaq's original quote was "No team with me on it looses"...I 
 thought that someone posted it. I personally think they match up fine
 and would probably loose a 7 game series to DT1 4-2 or 4-3 but in a
 game do or die they'd win cause of better guard play and at center.
 Cause Shaq and Zo are going to get there numbers against softies
 Patty Ewing and the rear-admiral......

 mike

 > I believe Shaq's original quote was "No team with me on it looses"...I 

Gimme a break, these guys barely beat Spain lasted night. Canada beat
Spain by 30 points lasted week. 

Where's the D? They got Joe D and Zo, and the rest of these clowns think
someone's gonna walk up to them and GIVE them the gold. There are some
good teams in this tournament. If these guys don't wake up they will be
very embarrassed.

josh

What DTII mainly is lacking is anybody like Magic to run the club. Lasted
night, they looked like the pickup team that they are. They need some
serious leadership at the point guard. Whatever KJ is doing aint gettin'
in done.

Course, DTII aint got no Michael, either.

TTom

>What DTII mainly is lacking is anybody like Magic to run the club. Lasted
>night, they looked like the pickup team that they are. They need some
>serious leadership at the point guard. Whatever KJ is doing aint gettin'
>in done.

I agree completely, and add that, in years past, stars of this caliber would
not have *needed* that kind of leadership. Bird and MJ understood the game
with or without Magic.

In many ways this team exemplifies everything that is bad about the current
NBA. Lots of one-on-one basketball, guys posing and strutting after a fancy
dunk, guys thinking that an elbow in the back is good interior defense or
a hand check is good backcourt defense....none of this has anything to do
with basketball. As talented as these players are, they have a few things
to learn about hoops. The international refs will not let them get away
with a lot of what they do in the NBA, and that will nullify some of their
awesome talent. International hoops is very tough, but in a different way -
they call over-the-back and pushouts consistantly, but they give more slack
on elbows, headbutts, hammerlocks, and things of that ilk. I wonder how
they'll handle the taunting and trash-talking, which just doesn't happen
in international ball.

I thought Mark Price would be the glue, but he ain't even starting. KJ
is a one-on-one player, which is why he has no rings. This tournament
could be a lot more interesting than many people expect ;)

josh 

    RE  < need leader>
    
    Need something, that's for sure
    
    These guys are supposedly all-stars at every position and they barely
    beat a team that doesn't have a single player would could even make the
    NBA.  Perhaps they need some quality role players rather than just the
    highest scorer at each position. If there was any competition at all, 
    these guys could easily lose.  
    
					KB

    re: 174.10
    
    Christian Laettner was 12th man on DT1.  The only college player...

>    I see where Mourning is mouthing off about how DT II is better than DT

I finally saw something about this. On that NBA show on NBC they
mentioned it. I guess Zo got caught up in the throes of it all and
completely lost his perspective.

Hey, he's young. It's good to get them mistakes behind you.

TTom

    Hey TTom watch it, you're quickly becoming as much a Zo apologist as
    MikeyH is for Charles Barkley.
    
    I remain (in honor of Kev) sorta tongue in cheek
    
    The Crazy Met
    

  Michael Jordan now claims that DT1 could take DT2 any day.

  George

The Canadian team lost to Russia on Saturday by 3 or 4 points. It
was a very close, entertaining game from start to finish - the 
Russians executed better in the last 2 minutes to win. bRick Fox
had one of his 2 for 12 nights, which was a big factor, but the
turning point in the game came late in the 1st half.

The Canadians were up by 12, playing *great* ball. The PGs, particularly
MacMahon, were driving the Russian backcourt nuts, getting a hand
on every pass, Mike Vickery came in to hit a couple of threes, Wiltjer
and Smrek owned the boards, and the momentum was building. Vickery
was up on one of the Russian guards, got a hand on the ball and knocked
it loose, and the Russian planted an elbow square in his face and knocked
his flat on his butt, as flagrant a foul as you'll ever see. The whistle 
blew as Vickery checked his teeth, and they called the foul on HIM! The
call was a foul on the tip, before the elbow. The Canadian team fell apart.
The Russians ran off 11 straight points and went in at the half down by 5.
That set up a close 2nd half, but the Canadians never quite got their
rhythm back.

Fox got called for 3 hand checks early on, which pretty much took him
out of his game. Smrek fouled out on a series of pushouts that wouldn't 
have been called in the NBA. No Russians fouled out - they are excellent
at using their elbows, and it doesn't get called. 

The US plays Russia later in the week, and it will be their first real 
test. Russia has 3 *excellent* guards, who will penetrate if you let
them and then pull up and rain threes on you. They also have a kid named 
Fetisov, who was drafted by the Celtics and traded to the Bucks, at SF,
and he plays a bit like Pippin. And of course a couple of bruisers 
inside. I give Russia a backcourt edge and the US a big frontcourt edge.
If the US guards don't play great defense this could be a very close
game, and they won't be allowed to hand check. And the Ruskies will 
*plant* some elbows on you, let's see if KJ or Kemp loses their cool.

Canada plays Greece tonight, and if they win they have a real good shot
at the semis. The group contains Greece, Canada, China and Croatia, with
2 teams going to the semis. So the semis should be Canada, Croatia, US 
and Russia, although the Aussies will give Russia a hard time and Greece
is no pushover. First things first - we gotta stop the Greeks to have a 
shot, cuz beating Croatia will be tough, and the Greeks are no pushover.

 > Michael Jordan now claims that DT1 could take DT2 any day.

It's true. DT2 has inferior guards. Magic and MJ would cruise.

josh

    
    
       Russia a tough game?
    
    
         Please there is noone getting close to the US Pro's this year bud!
    
    
    
    chappy

Chappy, not sure what you mean by close bu Spain only lost by 15.

The Crazy Met

    
    
    
        1st game TCM. No team will get within 20 the rest of the way!
    
    
    
    Chappy

I hope this prediction is better than the one you made about the last
Red Sox-Yankees series :-)

The Crazy Met

>Chappy, not sure what you mean by close bu Spain only lost by 15.

And Russia is a LOT better than Spain. I'm not saying anyone will
beat DT2, but Russia and Croatia are both capable of giving them
trouble. Aside from Zo and Shaq, DT2 isn't that much better than
the competition. DT2 has played all easy games so far. I think they
play the Aussies, with Andrew Gaze, tomorrow in their first real
game of the tournament.

josh

    They mentioned on Sunday, that Nique came to DT2 camp out of playing
    shape (as opposed to most of the others) supposedly because of the fact 
    that he was a free agent and so he couldn't afford to get injured in
    serious competition over the off-season
    
    						KB

>>    It's a franchise in decline 
>>    and Carr is desperately trying to stop the slide.
      
    
    Yes, obviously and while the moves ML has made may bring the team to
    .500 next year, he probably has put the team is worse shape for the 
    seasons after with these long term contract to players of dubious 
    longevity and/or talent.  He'll have to pull more GM heroics in the next
    off-season.  but had he not made these moves, he was looking at a team 
    that was going to finish in the bottom 3 (worst Celtic record ever ?)
    probably take the blame for it. At least with these moves, he buys
    himself another off-season to deal. (i would have prefered they tanked
    next season and had a shot at drafting Corliss W. or whoever, but...)                                       
    
    Also, I think Nique will be a good addition, for next season at least,
    The team desparately lacked a go-to guy since Reggie and he fills that
    void.
    
                                                         KB

    
    
       Small nit: Saints not Raiders.
    
    
    HTH's
    
    
    Chap

Our Canadian lads lost a heartbreaker to Greece lasted night, 
which pretty much knocks them out of the medals. They
would have to beat Croatia tomorrow to go into the
semis, and the Toni/Dino show has been unstoppable.

We shoulda won this one. I credit the loss to youth,
and another horrible game by bRick Fox. Greece has a
couple of excellent front-court players - a 7' center
named Fassoulous(?) who only weighs 215 pounds, but has
a 20' wingspan and a smooth jumper, and a PF named Christ-
opoulous(?) who was *brilliant*, a solid 6'10" wide-body
with 3 point range, he scored 26 and had 10 boards. The
boards were the difference. We could have overcome a weak
showing from bRick if we had hit the boards and played
better D. This will be a tough team in the 96 Olympics ;).

bRick showed me why the Celtics should trade him. His
defense was terrible. He was hand-checking, not rotating
to cover for the center, just out of position all night. 
On top of that he was throwing up wild shots at inopportune
moments. I was very disappointed in his mental game. After
playing in the NBA he should know better. The game came down
to one final shot despite all the mistakes. 18 seconds to go,
Canada down by 1 with a chance to win, bRick takes the ball,
dribbles to the foul line, does a spin, falls flat on his big 
butt with his back to the basket, and hands the ball to a 
curly-haired Greek fellow. End of story, end of tournament.
Greeks dunk at the other end and win by 3.

It was a great game to watch - there are 150,000 Greeks in
Toronto and they have been packing the stadiums, it's like a
home game for them, the Greek fans were louder than the Canadian.

josh

re: Nique - there was no other way for ML to keep that big slot
on the books. The C's will be in good shape to sign free agents
down the road when 'Nique hangs em up. It was a smart move, both
short and long term.
 

    Funny how I've been saying for years who the best PG is in the NBA and
    now he's starting on DT2 - no matter how hard they tried to political
    maneuver him out.

  >  Funny how I've been saying for years who the best PG is in the NBA and
  >  now he's starting on DT2 - no matter how hard they tried to political
  >  maneuver him out.
 
Right. I think that's called beating a dead horse, Mike. ;)

DT2 is an embarrassment to the NBA. They have no class, and their enter-
tainment value is very low. With all that great talent they should be
able to do better than a series primal screams on dunks against players
half their size and weight. Big accomplishment, LJ, you dunked over
some Chinese kid, you better pose and scream to convince the fans it
was important. Gimme a break. These guys are winning on talent alone,
not on good basketball skills. Their shooting has been awful, their
passing has been pitiful, their defense has been sloppy. They are
winning because they are so much bigger, stronger, and faster than
their opposition. Russia and Croatia are both capable of beating these
guys if they play a perfect game and get all the breaks. It could
happen.

The only guy on this team showing any class is Shaq (and Dumars, but
that's a given). Shaq has kept his mouth shut, played great, and been
a good ambassador. I am more impressed with him now than I have ever 
been. He is good for the league, and good for the game.

josh

    Just Remember this is the SECOND TEAM... Giving some of these guys
    werent around to make the FIRST TEAM but some where and coulnt cut
    it :-)
    
    Shaq has spent 6hrs per day with his consultants teaching him exactly
    what to do/say/where/act etc so they can sign some more endorsement
    contracts :-)
    
    If he's hitting over .700 from the free throw line then im impressed.
    
    								mab

    I don't see KJ and class in the same sentence unless you're talking
    opposites...
    

    Didn't mention Isiah, did I?  I thought they were talking about Dumars.
    

    
    
    
    > I think they play the Aussies (with Andrew Gaze) tomrrow in there 1st
    real game of the tournament.
    
    
          I don't think so.
    
          130 - 74.
    
          This tournament is a joke, MATE. :-)
    
    
    Chappy

>          This tournament is a joke, MATE. :-)

Agreed.  Anyone else bored with DT2's type of play (ie: dunk, dunk, dunk)...?

    
    I'n not even sure why they bothered toi get these players together for
    a second rate tourney.  Shoulda just gone with the college players like
    in the past and saved the DT for the Olympics.
    
    brews

 >   I'n not even sure why they bothered toi get these players together for
 >   a second rate tourney.  Shoulda just gone with the college players like
 >   in the past and saved the DT for the Olympics.

IMO the college kids woulda got creamed by Croatia and maybe a few others. 
I like sending college players to most of the International events, but
I'm kinda glad to see the World Championships given some extra importance.
In four more years nearly every team will have NBA players on it, and the
US will have some real competition. Even this year the final could be very
entertaining.

Stoyko is blocking about 5 shots per game, and the US will have a tough
time matching up with Kukoc. I wonder if his performance will convince
the Bulls to move him to PG? And Dino, of course, is superb.

josh 

    > And Dino, of course, is superb.
    
    get real - ml whom I respect will dump him or sit him or trade him even
    up for danny ferry and get the best of it
    

  
|    get real - ml whom I respect will dump him or sit him or trade him even
|    up for danny ferry and get the best of it
 
Billthe, did you watche the same Celtics team I did lasted year?  While Dino has
some very serious limitations, on his worst day he's better than Danny Ferry.
He can score a little, rebound a little, and run a little.  He doesn't play much
defense, but in today's NBA, he does enough to be considered a decent player.

=Bob=  

> on his worst day he's better than Danny Ferry.

damning praise indeed.

The Crazy Met

    Ferry has been in the cleveland doghouse his whole career.
    
    Dino doesn't rebound and is slower than bird was.  He was mediocre
    ("IMO") at his best and terrible on many occasions.
    
    Perhaps on a good team he'd be a good 7th man but I saw nothing.
    
    But I don't watch a lot and am biased about certain things I like.
    
    'Nique btw has impressed me quite a bit since coming back from the
    injury especially in his willingness to play team basketball and I
    commented  in the spring that Atlanta made a terrible mistake releasing
    him for Manning.

|hey I'm the guy who liked Rumeal as a collegian

That's OK, I did too...

re: Dino

Your points on his weaknesses are well taken, but on a roster laiden with 
journeymen, he did display some talent.

=Bob=

    slightly better than journeyman I'll let go but superb, no

    re: Dino
    
    superb, no. but Dino is an adequate PF (obviously good enough for ML to
    be able to dump Pinckney and Abdulnably... no all-stars but it says 
    something) and I think he'll show some improvement in some of his weak 
    areas with a year of NBA experience under his belt, plus with Nique he 
    won't have to be the go-to guy.
    
    
    re: the tournament
    
    I'm enjoying it, the blowouts, dunks and all.  (For those of who don't 
    enjoy baseball, the time between the end of the Hockey/Basketball season 
    and the start of Football is a desperate time)
                                                     
    re: collegians
    
    I think the past few international tournaments (case in point: the
    goodwill games) have shown that the time
    where we can send our college all-stars and expect to win is long past.
    This is due not only to improvements in foreign competition but also
    due to thining in the college ranks from underclassmen entering the
    NBA draft 
    
                                               KB
                                                  

    
    
    	I'm really surprised the hear somebody say Radja 'sips'. The guy
    had a pretty solid rookie NBA season.
    
    	His rebounding s*cks??? He averaged 7.2 per game (~2.5 ORBs) in
    only 29 minutes played. (That averages out to 12 bounds per 48
    minutes. Not a bad average.) By contrast, Chris Webber averaged 9.1
    rebounds in 32 moniutes. I guess you'ld say he was a pretty poor
    rebounder too?
    
    	With extra experience and more playing time, I would expect him to
    average between 9-10 rebounds per game this year. Dino shot 52% from,
    which is OK for a PF. A higher percentage would be nice, but hardly in
    the 'sippin' range. (see Derrick Coleman's FG% for the 'sippin' range!
    How did this guy get on DTII???).
    
    	Dino's short comings are in the defensive areas. Lasted year, he
    couldn't defend the pick-and-roll to save his life. And he isn't strong
    enough to muscle other PF's off the blocks (He'ld never make it on the
    Thugger-bockers! :-)
    
    	In just his first NBA season, he's already solidly positioned
    himself in the middle of the pack of PF's. Not great, not in the
    'sippin' range. But definitely 'meets job requirements, needs
    improvement in some areas.'
    
    	How much he can improve as an NBA player remains to be seen.
    Everybody expected him to play better than a typical NBA rookie, simply
    because he was older and he had a lot of international experience. But
    he still need to adjust to the extended NBA season, and the different
    style of play. So ther is room for improvement, IMHO.
    
    	To mention Dino in the same note as Danny (VDM II) Ferry is
    ridiculous! Ferry is the biggest waste of an NBA Salary Cap Slot in the
    league!
    
    JimH
    
    
    	To mention

Thanks for reiterating my points, Jim...

  >  re: Dino
  >  
  >  superb, no. but Dino is an adequate PF (obviously good enough for ML to
  >  be able to dump Pinckney and Abdulnably... no all-stars but it says 
  >  something) and I think he'll show some improvement in some of his weak 
  >  areas with a year of NBA experience under his belt, plus with Nique he 
  >  won't have to be the go-to guy.

OK, I sorta had my tongue in cheek when I said 'superb', but in the 
International game Dino is regarded as one of the best in the world. And I
am a little more positive on Dino than Jim - I think he will be perfect
front-court partner for Nique. He is an excellent passer and rebounder,
shoots a high percentage, and can run the floor. His defense needs to get
a little tougher, but I think he can do that. He needs a little more 
consistancy, but I think he can do that too. I look for a big year from him.

josh 

Canada thrashed China lasted night by > 30 points. They finally got
back to their game - tough D and run the floor. The big stink up here
is lack of media support for what is definitely the best team Canada
has ever put on the floor. The Toronto media accused the team of 
playing without heart against Croatia, which is totally unfair. And
Croatia and Greece have had better fan support than Canada, which is
also partly due to the media. Bottom line: we shoulda beat Greece,
and we woulda been playing for a medal. As it is, we are playing
for 5th place, which would be the best showing in Canadian history.
We have to beat Puerto Rico and Australia to do it, two tough teams.

Puerto Rico is tomorrow. GO CANUCKS!

josh

    
    
    Good luck.
    
    I'd like to see Canada do well. 
    
    I can't help but feel a parallel between what you're expressing as a
    Canadian basketball fan and the way I felt in the late 70's and early
    80's about U.S. Ice Hockey. Individually, the U.S. has had some pretty
    fair talent during the 70's/80's but were never very visible in the NHL
    and were yet (with the one exception of 1980) to be very successful in
    international play. Fan support was pretty localized to the Northeast
    and Michigan, with not very much national support or recognition.
    
    We also always seemed to be in the shadow of our successful neighbors and
    inventors of the game....you guys.
    
    Good luck...
    
                                      

    >IMO the college kids woulda got creamed by Croatia and maybe a few
    >others. I like sending college players to most of the International
    >events, butI'm kinda glad to see the World Championships given some
    >extra importance.In
    
    I don't need to see the US win every year to validate that we are the
    best in basketball.  I'd rather go in with a team of youngsters who are
    trying to prove themselves and get excited if they win, rather than
    expect a series of boring wins.
    
    brews

  <  We also always seemed to be in the shadow of our successful neighbors and
  >  inventors of the game....you guys.
   
Don't fergit we invented basketball too!
 
  >  Good luck...

Thanks, we'll need it. The 'Ricans are a good team, but their style plays right
into our hands. I think we can beat 'em. The Aussies will be *tough*, tougher
than Greece, they are a very comparable team. Longley and Wennington, both
Bulls are conspicuously absent from both.

josh

    Okay,
    	I will give Radja a new look; perhaps I took frustrations out him
    which were team frustrations.
    
    	Keep an eye out for M.L. possibly taking over coaching reins if
    things don't work out.  I know Ford's contract seems to preclude this
    guess I made earlier but the feeling persists.
    
    	Perhaps I just don't think Ford can make this team play it's best
    anymore.  Or perhaps M.L. and Ford will swap roles.
    
    billthe

    
    
        Boring game yesterday.
    
    USA wins the gold, they win by 46.
    
          All this tournament showed was that USA basketball is about 50
    times better than any other country. I think in the future they ought
    to use 6 pros and 6 collegians.
    
    
    Chappy

    
    Would anyone happen to have the stats for Mark Price?  I don't
    believe I saw him interviewed once, though I did see that Kevin
    Johnson, "the best PG in the league", scored around 5.5 ppg.
    
    Thanks,
    
    Joe

    
    
    Make it 50 years!!!!
    
    Chap

>     "The Dream Team better not take Mongolia lightly." 

Hey, seven hundred years ago those Mongols were a force to be reckoned
with!

	Hail, we could totally ban the use of 'Dream Team' and anything 
	to do with the NBA and I'd be happy.


	billl

            <<< Note 174.65 by MKFSA::LONG "He's all yours now!" >>>
                                           ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

From the Halls of Montezuma, to the shores of Tripoli?

    I know I'm in the minoriy here, but I still think that after having 
    these other countries teams beat-up on our collegians for the last 15 \
    years, the two "Dream Team"  events were good, if only to say to these 
    countries and people who think that they've come a long way: 
    "you've still got a ways to go, guys".  
    
    Maybe we only need to do this every 15 or 20 years
    
    it still was better than PGA golf or minor league baseball (or major
    league for that matter)
    
    					KB 
                                                                

>>  it still was better than PGA golf or minor league baseball (or major
>>  league for that matter)

	opinions and a$$holes...everyone's got one and they all stink,
	except mine of course.


	billl

    KJ - one of only three Dream Teamers without a 3-pointer yesterday.
    Shaq and Kemp were the other two as the US hit 19 3-pt FGs.
    
    NAZZ

    
    	The International 3pt line is more than 3 ft closer and KJ still
    didn't get one. :^).
    
    Ron

    I deduce that Croatia lost to Russia but was blacked out by Globe's 
    late edition policy - (if don't get late Boston edition you don't get
    missed information the next day).
    
    But Glove did state that in Friday's game dtII needed Shaq whose
    presence made victory by Russia impossible but his absence would have
    made for a close game or a loss (that's globe and my observation).
    
    But the problem isn't talent level it's the ability to execute and
    these all-star teams don't have it.  Talent-wise Greece or Canada
    probably would have had a silver if they could have had the last two
    players on the U.S. bench (Smith and Wilkins).
    
    And what I really want to know, Bill is where in the hell Memorial
    field in Concord is - I gather it is somewhere west of Capitol bldg;
    I'm thinking of taking in one of the baberuth world championship games
    this week.

    
    
        DTII still would have beat Russia big friday even w/o Shaq. IMO Zo
    is still a better player than Shaq. It's my belief the DT'ers feed Shaq
    more to satisfy his ego.
    
       I also noticed that it was surprising KJ was even on this team, I
    think even Steve Smith has more talent? :-)
    
    
    Chap

    Doug Collins seemed critical of KJ and his not recoginzing the other
    team's weaknesses and exploiting it.  Several times he noticed that
    Russia's big men were in foul trouble and the ball to go to Shaq.
    Instead, KJ tried to run pick and rolls and drive the ball inside.
    Just give the big guy the ball and let him wreak havoc...
    

    >                   -< Shows once again that KJ cain't shoot >-
    
    Nazz, he hits the trey all the time - when he has too.  When the Suns
    were a 2-man team (Tom Chambers and KJ) back in the late '80s, KJ hit
    the trey all the time.  He doesn't need to do that on Phoenix, and
    especially doesn't need to on DT2.  Unlike the rest of the PG's that
    aren't as good as him, he knows how to control an offense and when and
    where to take his shots.
    
    Mike

>    especially doesn't need to on DT2.  Unlike the rest of the PG's that

You mighta had Nazz goin for a while but the apostrophe really undermined
the credibility ...

TTom

>    	The International 3pt line is more than 3 ft closer and KJ still
>    didn't get one. :^).
    
    Did he have any attempts?  
    
    Reggie said if they had the International trey in the NBA, the centers
    would be making them.  He said the NBA line separates the men from the
    boys.

Mike,

The stats I got show him not trying any 3 pters.

Shaq tried 3 and missed 'em all. Zo was 1-1.

TTom

K.J. was an embarrassment.  He did a very poor job of running 
the offense.  And at the defensive end, the Russian Barezovich (sp?)
blew by him with ease.  I suppose at least we won't have to hear
K.J. whine any more about not being selected.  But any of a number
of other point guards would have done better.  Kenny Anderson,
Mookie Blaylock, Sherman Douglas, Avery Johnson, Vinny Del Negro,
Tony Bennett, etc.

Ken

>Tony Bennett, etc.

That's tellin him, Ken...

    Ken is still smarting over the fact that no Lakers were on this team.  

>K.J. was an embarrassment.  He did a very poor job of running 
>the offense.  And at the defensive end, the Russian Barezovich (sp?)
>blew by him with ease.  I suppose at least we won't have to hear

And Babka (sp?) who scored 20. Not just KJ - Dumars was the ONLY guard 
on the team that could handle the Russian backcourt. Bazarevich should
be in the NBA, probably will be, and Russia played without their best
forward, Fetisov, who the C's traded to the Bucks. Two reasons this
was a lopsided game - 1) US was abnormally hot, hit 17 of first 18 -
2) Huge frontcourt size advantage, Fetisov missing. The Russians 
played better team ball than the US, and the backcourt ate KJ and
Price for lunch (and Marjerle, who was awful). IMO Dumars was MVP.
Anybody have the box? It seemed like he played the whole game.

A lot of Yankee arrogance in here this morning. The Olympics in 2 years
will be competitive, and the next Worlds (98) will be very close. If
Petrovich hadn't been killed Croatia would've been great, and Russia is
recovering from some pretty heavy shit. Greece was surprisingly good,
Canada will be excellent as the NBA creates a market, and Australia
will be tough. I love the international game.

I'd like to see the NBA use the trapezoid lane. It creates a little
more space for the big guys to move around - a couple of steps in
there is a lot. At the same time I'd like to see the international
3 point line moved back.

josh

    
    
    Russia played better team ball than the US? 137-91
    The Russian backcourt ate up the US Backcourt? 137-91
    
         If the US is still sending Pros in 98, the games will not be much
    closer.Most of the World's players wouldn't even make NBA rosters never mind
    trying to play with 12 of the best 50 players on EARTH.
    
    
    BTW no Yankee gloating they are on strike?
    
    
    Chap

    KJ did nothing to convince me he's the top PG in the league.  It's more
    than calling pick and roll's so you can go for layups every time down
    the floor.
    

    Other than the mildly entertaining aspect of proving to the world who's
    boss where basketball is concerned [insert chest-puffed Uncle Sam with a 
    red, white, & blue jersey w/ U-S-A emblazzoned across the front] I'm at
    a loss to explain exactly what DT2 was supposed to prove.  
    
    I knew things were bleak for the opposition when someone made mention
    that so-and-so (one of the "stars" of the non-American team) was
    getting a full scholarship to [gulp] St. Joseph's!  Haw!!  We're
    playing the best-of-the-best of our pro's against kids who
    aren't even good enough to play in the Big East!  Haw!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    About the only thing I learned from this circus-like exhibition was
    that Shaquille O'Neal is the most awesome specimen of human-kind I've
    ever laid eyes on.  This guy's picture is next to the definition of
    "Man-Child".  Truly an awesome combination of Power, Power, agility,
    and Power.  He seems to be maturing into the role of "Professional"
    nicely, too.
    
    
    - ACC Chris

    Re: the gap
    
    It seems as though the "skill" gap has narrowed somewhat (at least
    offensively) particularly in the shooting and passing areas, but the 
    "athletic and intensity" gap is miles apart and growing. This is
    probably aided by the fact that most of these foreign leagues are so
    soft (40ish games a season/limited practice time)
    
    Re: other countries developing
    I don't expect Russia and Croatia to get that much better in the long
    run (although the players they have now may improve). My guess is
    that most of their development/improvement was based on Government funded 
    programs (linked to olympics, etc) which have probably disappeared. If 
    this is true, their talent "well" will probably begin to dry up.
    
    I would expect countries with popular professional leagues to show the
    most improvement in the long run (Italy, Spain, Greece?, France?) but
    none of these countries (except Greece) has done much in World
    competition.
    
   Re: Canada
    
    Maybe I'm missing it but I haven't really seen a lot of improvement in 
    the quantity or quality of players coming out of Canada. It's not as if
    there are more Canadians in the NBA or Division 1 than there where 10
    years ago. and by the way (as an ex-Sryacuse fan) What ever happened 
    to Leo Rautins ?
     
    
    						KB
    
    Has Cana

    Don Nelson also said he prefers the international key.

  >  Maybe I'm missing it but I haven't really seen a lot of improvement in 
  >  the quantity or quality of players coming out of Canada. It's not as if
  >  there are more Canadians in the NBA or Division 1 than there where 10
  >  years ago. and by the way (as an ex-Sryacuse fan) What ever happened 
  >  to Leo Rautins ?

Leo was the color man on the Canadian broadcasts.

The quality of the game IS improving here. Fox and Wennington, sure, but
watch for Steve Nash, a PG going into his sophomore year at Santa Clara
with NBA potential, and that Njoku kid drafted by the Pacers thisted year -
he'll play a year or two in France to step up his game. The SG from the 
National team will also play in Europe, JD Jackson, 3-time CIAU PoY. If
Wennington can play in Atlanta the Canooks will give a lot teams trouble.
And hopefully the NBA coming in will get a lotta kids into the game.

As for the Ruskies, watch out. They have 3 quality guards now, and 3 or 4
quality forwards. Their 7-footer is 17 or 18 with lots of potential, and they
are starting up an NBA style pro league. Their fundamentals are super, and
Sergei Belov is an *outstanding* coach. They will be a lot tougher in Atlanta.

But IMO it'll be 98 before any of these teams will make a run at the gold.

josh

Shocking though it may seem, I agree with -1. I quite enjoyed seeing the best
the NBA can offer on one court. None of the games they were involved in were
particularly gripping in a "who's gonna win" sense, but they were awesone in a
"how much are they gonna win by" sense. Particularly the first few minutes of
the final.

The english commentators said they thought the gap between the US and the rest
of the world was getting wider not narrower.

Mike

    -1
    Just a nit but I do not think that dream teamII was the best the
    NBA could offer.
    

    
    
    If they would have replaced KJ with Tim Hardaway
                                Nique with Chris Webber
                                Smith with H. Grant
                                
    That woulda been a DT

  >   There was no mention of the 'excellent' Canadian team that
  >   managed to finish 7th in the tourney.

Lighten up, big guy, I'm a fan! I root for my (adopted) country!
Why would Ryan talk about a backwater team like Canada? As far as
most Yanks are concerned all we have up here are dog sleds and
eskimo pies. Don't fergit, we were one bRick Fox bumble from the
semi's. We had a better team than Greece and shoulda been there.

The Canadian press, after doing a horrible coverage job during the
tournament, is now tripping over itself in patting everyone on the 
back for breaking all attendance records and giving the sport a huge
boost as we ramp up for the NBA. 

I agree about China - they will be there soon - but so will Russia.
I expect to see at least 3 Russians in the NBA next year if not this 
year, and there are a bunch of them in Europe. And they have a huge
population base as well.

josh

    You people can rag on KJ all you want.  The fact is that he wasn't
    supposed to be there, and ending up winning the starting job.  In
    head-to-head matchups, he routinely schools every other PG that's out
    there right now, including Stockton, Hardaway, et. al.

 Schooling guys head to head would make him a great one on one player but
 not necessarily a great point guard, no?

 mike

   >     Josh, like Sir Edmund Hillary had his Mount Everest, I 
   >    yank chains because they are there. It's one of the grandest
   >    of SPORTS:: traditions. 


Understood. I was just using you to make my eskimo pie point. ;)

  >    But Canada from the git-go had a 

Hey, we had the best team we ever had, it was a fun team to root for.
There was never a question of competing with the US or Croatia, but we 
played everyone else tough and shoulda placed 4th. Watch for that Steve
Nash kid at Santa Clara.

  >     Basketball *is* our game. Even more so than baseball. It's 
  >     the pick up game of American youth particularly inner city 
  >     youth. We will continue to excel because of the sheer numbers
  >     of kids that play because they love the game. Someone said it 

The great thing about this game is it only takes 5 or 6 guys. Croatia,
with a very small population, can compete with the big boys, and if
Drazen is alive they woulda been scarey. We all know it's true - with
3 stars and a bunch of role players you can compete with *anybody*! It
doesn't mean a damn thing that you got great bench players - they're on
the bench! You caint score from there. The US will *always* be the best
basketball country, as Canada is in hockey, but you will lose a game now
and then. And when you do there will be NO MERCY! ;)

josh

    Won the starting job?  Over who, Mark Price?  Dumars isn't a point
    guard, neither is Smith or Miller.  Wasn't it his by default?

    I thought Steve Smith WAS a point guard.

The question is who, from DTII, will represent the good ol' US of A in
the 96 Olympics.

One view:

	Shaq		Yes, duh, I guess ;-)
	Zo		Yes, fer sure
	Kemp		Yes, a keeper
	Reggie Miller	Yes, and yes.
	Coleman		Maybe, bad attitude, 50-50
	Steve Smith	Maybe, but probably not
	KJ		Probably not, substitute this round
	Dumas		Probably not, too old
	Price		Probably not, gimpy
	Majerle		No, not a chance
	'Nique		No, too old
	LJ		No, bad back

Look for Tim Hardaway and Chris Weber to join up.

TTom

Anfernee Hardaway and Latrell Spreewell are probably good bets to be
on the team.  And even though he's only a rookie this year, I'll go
out on a limb and say that Glenn Robinson will be so good so quick
that they'll have to name him too.

Ken

    
    
       Plus probably Glenn Robinson and Anfernee Hardaway, to join the
    ranks.
    
    
    Chap

    
    
    DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUP
    
    Notes collision!!!!!!!!!!

    I see it this way, if they go with the best,:
     
    I'm projecting some growth in some rookies and 2nd year guys
    
    C:  Shaq, D. Robinson (or E.Montross.. no not really)
    PF: Kemp, Webber  (Mourning or Coleman)
    SF: Pippen,  (Augman, Mashburn?, G.Robinson?)
    SG: Miller  (Majerle, Sprewell, J.Jackson?) 
    PG: lots in contention (both Hardaways, K. Anderson, Blaylock, Price,
                            KJ, Kidd?, Payton)
    
                     

What about "One of the 5 best players in the NBA", Kendall Gill?

Yeah, Penny will probably be good for a slot.

TTom

    I thought Smith was a SG, Bimbo Coles or Brian Shaw played PG...
    
    I'd add Kidd to the list...
    

    The Americans certainly "own" the sport of basketball with the 7 foot
    250lb muscle mountains they can churn out year after year from
    the great NCAA talent pool.  Basketball is a great game in its purest
    form.  The man who INVENTED the sport in Springfield Mass. was
    born and raised about 25 miles away from where I am typing this
    just outside of Almonte Ontario.  Dr James Naismith was his name.
    He attended McGill ( I believe ) in Montreal and moved to the
    states to practice his profession of physical education.
    How many Americans in this file are aware of this?
    Sean
    

    re: .107
    
    most of those in the notesfile are aware that Naismith invented
    the game and that he was Candaian.
    
    The Crazy Met
    

The All-Tournament Team was announced yesterday.

Bazerevich - PG (Rus)
Reggie     - SG (US)
Shaq       - C  (US)
Kemp       - F  (US)
Radja      - F  (CR)

I totally agree with the selections. Bazerevich was the best
PG in the tournament by a good margin. Dumars shoulda been there
instead of Reggie, but he never gets the credit he deserves and
he seems to like it that way, so let's leave it alone. Shaq, Kemp 
and Dino were all magnificent. 

I would *love* to see ML come up with Bazerevich. His D might be a
little weak, but wow, can he play the point!

josh 

    
    
        That tournament team is a joke.
    
       Bazewackoffvich
            and
       Radja couldn't hold the sweat off the jocks of even KJ and Nique.
    
         They just didn't want to name all 5 US players.
    
    
    Chappy

The tournament team is selected based on performances in the tourney.
Using that criteria, Bearassovich certainly did belong there instead
of K.J.  In their two head-to-head matchups, the Russian toyed with
K.J. much like a cat with a wounded field mouse.  It was embarrassing,
especially when K.J. was forced to call a timeout and was heard pleading,
"No mas, no mas."

Ken

    KJ made the all-tourney team?!  KJ won the starting job for DT2?! 
    Simply amazing for someone who wasn't supposed to be there.

>of K.J.  In their two head-to-head matchups, the Russian toyed with
>K.J. much like a cat with a wounded field mouse.  It was embarrassing,
>especially when K.J. was forced to call a timeout and was heard pleading,
>"No mas, no mas."

This is refreshing. LK and I are in total agreement! Bazerevich ate KJ's
lunch. period. Unlike some of the people in here I actually *watched* the
games ;). Dumars picked his pocket, but only once. He was unstoppable in
every game I watched. In fact, the Russians had the best backcourt with
Babka and a third guy all lighting it up every night, all of them making
consistantly excellent decisions and passes. They were very impressive. 

And Dino was unquestionably worthy. He averaged over 20 pts and 10 boards
for the tourney. What other forward did that? Not LJ, that's fer sure.
Coleman? He had 2 good games. What Dino did lasted year in the NBA is 
irrelevent here. But IMO he will be an impact player thisted season.

josh

  >  KJ made the all-tourney team?!  

Hey Mike, what are you reading? KJ DID NOT MAKE THE ALL
TOURNEY TEAM.

KJ is not a bad player, but he was outclassed by a skinny
Russian.

josh

    
    
    
          Josh you seem SOMEWHAT knowledgable about basketball. If you were
    starting your own franchise and you were offered any PG in the world
    (only the ones that played in the tournament) who would you HONESTLY
    take?
    
    Chappy

    Mike reads what he wants to read...
    

    
    
       Thats why I said SOMEWHAT. :-)
    
    
    
    Chap

    By reading LK's note, I thought KJ was named.  My mistake.

 >         Josh you seem SOMEWHAT knowledgable about basketball. If you were
 >   starting your own franchise and you were offered any PG in the world
 >   (only the ones that played in the tournament) who would you HONESTLY
 >   take?

Fair question. I would have to say Mark Price or Joe Dumars, but that's
cuz I've only seen Bazerevich play a couple of games against limited
competition. I am not a big KJ fan, never have been. He is not a true
"quarterback" on the floor, he makes too many bad decisions, and plays
too much one-on-one. Price has the best PG skills, and Dumars the best
all-around game. But Bazerevich had the best tournament and belonged on
the all-tourney team.

 >     You obviously didn't read any of Josh's predictions all through
 >     the tourney.


Hey. I never said I was God ;). Predictions are guesses, colored by both
knowledge and emotion. My record is no better or worse than anybody else's.
At least I have the filberts to stand by my team!

josh

>Fair question. I would have to say Mark Price or Joe Dumars, but that's
    
    Dumars is a SG.
    
>competition. I am not a big KJ fan, never have been. He is not a true
>"quarterback" on the floor, he makes too many bad decisions, and plays
    
    Not according to Don Nelson, and we're talking about Tim Hardaway's
    coach here.
    
    btw - I didn't watch a single game in this tourney.
    
    Mike

    I thought he nicely sacrificed his game when Sir Charles came to town. 
    Now if they could only remain healthy together for any length of time,
    they could do some serious damage.  KJ had his best year (numbers wise)
    this past year, but I think it's because of Sir Charles' injury-plagued
    season.  With Manning in town, things are gonna get mighty interesting. 
    Too bad they still don't have a center.
    
    Mike

>     KJ when he's on can take anyone off the dribble including 
>     His Airness. Of course, when he takes someone off of the
    
    mighty bold statement there, Tommy.  
    
    BTW - gotta luv KJ's new commerical highlighting that monster slam over
    Hakeem during the playoffs.

    They why was Hardaway named before KJ to DT II?
    

    Walt, haven't you been paying attention?

    If anything else the bulls proved you dont need a true center to win
    a championship (Or 3 in a row for that matter).  Cartwright was the
    best they ever had at center and I dont remember even once someone
    using great and cartwright in the same sentence, Ok maybe they said
    cartwright is great at clearing people out with those elbows.
    
    I hate to add to the KJ Rathole, but I think what people are saying
    has merit.  Yes he gave up some scoring when Barkley came to town, 
    but as point guard he has to control the game more.  When he beats 
    someone off the dribble he should be working towards seeting up the
    score a little more and trying to score himself a little less.
    
    Phoenix has the talant and now that Houston broke the East string
    maybe it will open up for some more western champs.  NY will more then
    likly be the east representative next year (again), I dont see anyone
    in the east thats made enough moves to knock out NY (Yet).
    
    Phoenix is running out of time and some of the young teams are coming
    around, they should be looking at this year as there last chance.  I
    know every team should look at it that way but Phoenix should do what
    ever they have to to WIN this year (Even if it hurts there future a
    little).
    
    Good Like Mike, at least you'll have a team to root for this coming 
    season, I have to watch the Bulls play with only 1 original (Starting)
    member of the first championship team, and thats if they dont trade
    pippen away.. :-(
    
    
    								MaB

>    I hate to add to the KJ Rathole, but I think what people are saying
>    has merit.  Yes he gave up some scoring when Barkley came to town, 
>    but as point guard he has to control the game more.  When he beats 
>    someone off the dribble he should be working towards seeting up the
>    score a little more and trying to score himself a little less.
    
    When let's analyze this a little.  When you have KJ-like quickness and
    continually beat your man off the dribble, your first instinct is to
    head to the basket.  Now you come to a scenario where you usually have
    2 major options:
    
    1.  The defense is drawn to you.  You look for the open man under the
        basket for the easy assist.
    2.  The defense stays home.  You know with your speed, you can quickly
        drive to the hole and get the basket or foul or both.
    
    Am I missing something or are there more options?  KJ's game is all
    about pressuring the interior defenses.  I don't have a problem with it
    and neither do the majority of the NBA coaches.  They'd all love a PG
    like that.
    
    Mike

    There's no question Phoenix has the Talant to score, rebound, play
    defense etc, but its up to your leaders to put it all together night
    in and night out to reach your goal, obvious goal for a team with
    that much talant is winning the championship.  THEY CANT GET OVER THE
    HUMP.  KJ and Barkley cant get the job done, maybe its the coaches
    fault but the game is won on the court and there current leaders havnt
    been able to do it.
    
    Hey everyone knows jordan would be ringless if not for his supporting
    cast of pippen/grant/Paxon,BJ But jordan was the scorer and a leader
    but still needed a PG to help control/flow the game (who needs a
    center).  KJ has barkley to score if he controls the game they should
    be able to win it all.  Jordan was trying to do too much in his early
    years (Maybe not by choice), maybe phoenix needs to  have KJ control
    the game flow more and get other's involved in scoring for them to get
    over the hump.
    
    I think we can all agree that making it to the conference finals (Win
    or Lose) is not enough, we want it all, phoenix has the talant, now if
    the coach and players can play together as a team is a whole new ball
    game.  
    								mab

    I'd agree that this is probably Phoenix's last shot.
    
    BTW - there's something to be said about KJ getting the team involved. 
    The team has a .900 winning percentage when he gets 8 or more assists.

    WOW, then its a given, fine him every time he doesnt score 10 assist
    in a game :-), if 8 gets you .900 winning % what will 10 get them :-)
    
    What do most Point Guards avg for assist ? Is KJ in the top 10 for
    assist in the league ? Of course Im sure BJ didnt avg top 10 in assist
    in the leage for chicago (Or Paxson). ??
    									mab

>    What do most Point Guards avg for assist ? Is KJ in the top 10 for
>    assist in the league ? Of course Im sure BJ didnt avg top 10 in assist
    
    KJ's is easily in the top 5 every year.  Last year it went like this:
    
     Player       G     Mpg   Ppg   Rpg   Apg   Dpg   RANK 
    1. STOCKTON,J   82    36.21 15.07 3.146 12.57 2.695 157.8
    2. BOGUES,M     77    35.66 10.84 4.065 10.13 1.753 126.9
    3. BLAYLOCK,M   81    35.99 13.80 5.235 9.741 3.160 150.2
    4. ANDERSON,K   82    38.23 18.76 3.927 9.561 2.110 134.6
    5. JOHNSON,K    67    36.55    20 2.493 9.507 2.015 128.1
    6. STRICKLAND,R 82    35.23 17.21 4.512 9.024 2.085 131.2
    7. DOUGLAS,S    78    35.76 13.33 2.474 8.756 1.282 106.2
    8. JACKSON,M    79    34.32 10.95 4.405 8.582 1.595 114.8
    9. PRICE,M      76    31.39 17.32     3  7.75   1.5 107.7
    10.WILLIAMS,M   71    31.07 13.68 3.113 7.211     2 107.0   
    
    I sorted the entire league, regardless of position, by assists and 
    your man BJ was #57 on the list.  He usually plays SG anyway so it's
    not really a bad reflection on him.  The 10 above were the top 10 in
    any position.  The PG's *should* be up there.  In fact, the top 22 are
    all PG's.  Scottie Pippen was the first non-PG at #23 with 5.5 assists
    per game.
    
    Mike

  >  BTW - there's something to be said about KJ getting the team involved. 
  >  The team has a .900 winning percentage when he gets 8 or more assists.

yabbut assists are a little misleading. In KJ's case it shows the weak part
of his game. You only get an assist when you hit a guy about to shoot - there's
no stat for passes that lead to passes that lead to shots, or for the little
things that a great PG does to create space for his teammates. KJ either
shoots or hits someone about to shoot, and the team is usually better off 
when he hits someone else, that's ok as far as it goes. But what he has
to learn is the rest - how do you create points when your shot's not falling
and a good defense has taken away the first obvious option? KJ is not
consistant, he's either great or you gotta get him off the floor.

Frankly, since Magic and Larry quit there isn't a great playmaker in the
league. I'm hoping Kidd will be one, and we'll see what Hardaway can do
thisted year, but Stockton only knows one play, and Price, who I have
always liked the best, hasn't had a chance to really prove himself.

josh

    >thisted year, but Stockton only knows one play, and Price, who I have
    >always liked the best, hasn't had a chance to really prove himself.
    
    so they traded KJ to Phoenix 7 years ago so that Price can prove
    himself and he still hasn't?!  That's a real gem there, Josh.

    
    
>... Stockton only knows one play...
    
    
    	This is utter BS!!! Stockton is a great passer, and one of the best
    at threading the needle on the fast break. I've seen him squeeze passes
    through spots that would seem impossible. And at full speed too. If
    this guy had spent his career in Boston, NY, Philly, or LA; he would
    be acclaimed as one of the greatest PGs in NBA history (he is!).
    But because he has played his entire career in Utah, and for a
    organization that has unable to get anybody to complement him and
    Karl Malone; he gets this undeserved bad rap. Every time I've had an
    opportunity to watch this guy play, I've been amazed at what he can do
    with the ball!
    
    	And yes, he is very good at getting the ball into Karl on the
    blocks. So what??? If it is so easy to get an assist that way, how
    come Kenny Smith can't get the ball into Hakeem half the time? You'ld
    think even a stiff liek that could do it, right???
    
    	And on top of of his play making abilities, he one of the best
    shooters in the league, and he plays excellent defense.
    
    	So you guys go one and wax poetic about all this other 2nd rate
    PGs, argue about who was or should have been starting PG on DT-II. Have
    fun, but theses guys are all clearly inferior to Stockton!
    
    	JimH
    
    
    

    I thought it was appropriate that in his new commercial, KJ looks for
    the 2 and then the 3 before the assist...
    

 >       So you guys go one and wax poetic about all this other 2nd rate
 >   PGs, argue about who was or should have been starting PG on DT-II. Have
 >   fun, but theses guys are all clearly inferior to Stockton!

OK, ok, you gotta point. He's a great PG, maybe the best today (along with
Price), but I do not put him in a class with Magic or Cooze, not even close.
He has spent so much of his career feeding the Mailman we'll never know
what he coulda done on a well-rounded team, so along with Price he hasn't
really had a chance to show the total package. And Price has spent most of his
career trying to compensate for massive injuries, either his or someone else's.

KJ is just a different kinda player, I'm not saying he's bad or anything, it's
a matter of chemistry, I don't think he's had the right players around him to
compliment his skills. From that perspective Manning might put this team over
the top with his passing - I hope so, it would be nice to see these two
realize their potential.

josh

Jim is absolutely right about Stockton being at a much higher level
than K.J. and the others.  In addition to management's failure to
add complementary players to the Jazz, it's been Stockton's misfortune
to play under Jerry Sloan the past four or five years.  Sloan has
installed a boring, predictable, walk-it-up offense that minimizes,
rather than maximizes, Stockton's great playmaking skills.

Ken

    Stockton looks like the Fridge out there trying to guard KJ, and comes
    out on the short-end on a regular basis.  Same with Hardaway.  These
    guys are much too quick and lethal for Stockton.

Stock may be slow on defense, but if you put him on the Suns
instead of KJ I think they would have been a better team
lasted year. IMO they woulda won it all. Same with Price

josh

    Nope.  Sir Charles' back wouldn't have allowed any of them to win it
    all.  I can show you the exchange in game 3 vs. Houston where the Suns
    lost that series.

    KJ was the only superior performer in the 93 final with chicago.  He
    picked his game up, Barkley was only a political factor, Majerle was
    horrible and the rest inconsistent to consistently bad.
    
    I was very impressed with kj that series under very difficult
    circumstances.

    Personally speaking...I do not think that Phoenix could have handled
    Golden State let alone Houston with Price or Stockton. They are not 
    scorers.  Just what scorers was KJ going to dish off to?  AC, Majerle, 
    Miller, West?  All KJ had was an ailing Barkley.  Phoenix was not as deep
    and talented as everyone thought.  Outside of Barkley and KJ there just
    is not that much there.  Phoenix needed KJ to score.  Either get the
    bucket or fouled or both. BTW I do not mean to belittle AC or Majerle
    but those guys are rarely called upon to carry a team.  AC is a tough
    inside player and Majerle is sporadic.  When they got Majerle the ball
    He couldn't throw it in the ocean.
      

    
    
    > -< Kenny Anderson > KJ >-
    
    
    	Has Kenny Anderson's career FG% made it above 40% yet? I'ld be
    surprised if it has, since his .417 shooting lasted year was by
    far his best season (based on my recollection, am I wrong?).
    
    	You mean the Kenny Anderson who lead his team in FG Attempts
    lasted year, despite his hideous FG%?
    
    	You want this guy as you PG ahead of KJ???
    
    	You Nets fans deserve the teams you get year after year!!!
    
    JimH
    
    

  >      You mean the Kenny Anderson who lead his team in FG Attempts
  >  lasted year, despite his hideous FG%?
   
Yabbut he's got potential, and he's from NYC, that's gotta count for
something.
    
 >       You Nets fans deserve the teams you get year after year!!!

Puh-leeze, it's Swamp Dragons, I can smell 'em from here! ;)

josh

    
    
    	Hat in hand, I come to apologize for my slandering Kenny Anderson.
    Thanks to the fact that I know where NAZZ keeps his extensive NBA
    Library, I was able to look up Anderson's career stats. I was
    wrong, Kenny's best shooting year was not his .417 lasted year.
    In 92-93 he shot a whopping .435 from the field. And his career
    FG% is right about .419.
    
    	I'm very sorry to have tarnished the reputation of this obviously
    great basketball player. I hope all SPROTS noters will forgive
    me.
    
    JimH
    
    

You'd better apolgize Jim.  From your earlier notes we may have thought
KA was a lousy shooter or something.

=Bob=