Re: Garnett, other

[chrisl@mjr.com (Chris Littlefield)]

Fred, I hear you on this, but where Orlando with everyone healthy should be
competitive, and Charlotte is reasonably strong in it's current
configuration, they are no longer being billed as potential championship
contenders.

Frankly, I think Charlotte was overrated even with Zo and Mourning.  The
only reason they got to the second round in 93 in the first place was
because they beat a Boston team reeling from the collapse of their best
player and captain.  No one can honestly tell me that if Reggie were
healthy, the Hornets would have still won. But that Mourning/Zo team did
disintegrate.  I totally agree that it's very different.  Defense is a big
change, and that whole concept of team that was missing with LJ and Zo
makes them perhaps a more dangerous team.  I am psyched with what Cowens
has done.  Good for him!  And he wanted to coach the C's.

Orlando might still be very good without Shaq.  I hope Orlando goes deeper
into the playoffs than the Lakers.  But this team, with Shaq and Penny as
the nucleus, has a completely different face, now.  So in many respects it
too has disintegrated.

And Dallas was billed as very up-and-coming two seasons ago, Kidd's rookie
year, when they improved close to 20 games over their previous season.
They still only won 36 games and finished out of the playoffs, but with the
3 J's, were seen as a big man away.  I guess that must've been Eric
Montross.  Doh!



>
>Well, Orlando has been playing reasonably well since Penny came back, so
>I am not sure they have "disintegrated".  Charlotte is also not playing
>badly.  At the rate they are going they will win more than 45 games this
>year.  They are actually a more fun team to watch than the LJ teams.  They play
>defense (biggest difference!!  Everyone is not scrambling around trying to
>help LJ cover his shadow) and they have some solid players:  Rice, Curry,
>Mason,
>Divac and Muggsy when healthy.
>
>Dallas didn't disintegrate, they were never any good.
>
>Fred