Mitch Lawrence Explains Why There Won't Be Many Trades And Looks At The Upcoming Draft...

[Mister Ghost <mister_ghost@yahoo.com>]

NY Daily News - 3/7/99

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Rice-for-Jones Real Deal 
Rule chills trade winds 



Mitch Lawrence Double-dribbling as the NCAA selection committee 
leaves the Nets out of the 64-team field:

The NBA trading deadline Thursday promises to be one of the 
least memorable ever, and not just because the 
NCAA's Big Dance opens the same night.



Due to the "six-month rule" that remains in effect in the new 
collective-bargaining agreement, about half of the league is 
ineligible to be traded. Normally, the rule — barring any team 
that signs a free agent from including that player as part of 
a trade for six months — doesn't affect the trading deadline, 
since it usually falls seven months after the free-agent signing 
period.

But this season, the signing period for 200-plus players was only
last January. So all those players, including Jayson Williams 
and Charlie Ward, can't be dealt until July.

One trade you can book: The Laker-Hornets deal that will send 
Glen Rice, B.J. Armstrong and J.R. Reid to L.A. for Eddie Jones 
and Elden Campbell.

"It's a done deal," said one Hornet voice.

We also hear that Charlotte GM Bob Bass is leaning towards 
firing lame duck Dave Cowens this week and bringing in John 
Lucas. Bass hired Lucas in San Antonio. If Bass changes his 
mind and lets Cowens finish out the year, look for the Lucas 
to be brought in after the season. Currently, Lucas, who has 
a career 136-171 record as a head coach with Spurs and Sixers, 
is on the Nuggets' staff.


No Worm for Phil


Remembering the craziness that he had to put up with from Dennis 
Rodman for three seasons in Chicago, Phil Jackson has sent word 
to the Lakers that he won't take their head coaching job next 
season if Rodman is still on the team. That won't be a problem. 
He's in L.A. only for this season.



With the Lakers in Utah today, you'll no doubt hear how Rodman shut 
down Karl Malone in the last two Finals and could help change L.A.'s 
fortunes against the Jazz. Baloney.



If Malone wasn't stopping himself, it was the Bulls' team defense that 
prevented him from going off in all but two of their 12 head-to-head 
matchups.



Now that Rodman is playing for the no-D, soft Lakers and doesn't have 
Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen to bail him out anymore, it will be 
interesting to see if the refs allow his Wormness to get away with the 
same physical play and antics they put up with when he was playing with 
Nos. 23 and 33.



Nets have offered Chris Gatling and a No. 1 pick for Sixers' Tim Thomas. . . . In an NBA first, Sonics' Moochie Norris went on injured list due to insomnia. Who does he think he is, Pete Harnisch? . . . If games seem to be taking longer, it's because they snuck in a new timeout at the 10-minute marks of the second and fourth quarters. Yes, for more TV commercials. So all games now have as many timeouts as an NBC game. . . . George Karl is at it again, trying to trade half his team. Bucks boss is especially down on Big Dog Robinson (no defense) and Ray Allen (too soft). "George sours on players faster than any coach I've ever seen," said one GM. . . . Bad timing: Utah will have four No. 1 picks this June, in what has already been described by one scout as the "worst draft in the history of drafts." Besides their own pick, Jazz have No. 1's that once belonged to Magic, Sixers and Heat. "We want to package them and move up," said a Jazz exec. "Or just give 'em away."



Maddening Days



If you hear a pro scout talk about March Madness, it might be what they're 
suffering from as they search for legit prospects. The pool is that depleted.




Among the players the pros are closely watching are Xavier's James Posey, 
St. John's Ron Artest and UConn's Richard Hamilton. "Posey has more skills 
than he shows, Artest can solidify himself as a lottery pick, and Hamilton 
has to really play well to show he's a lottery pick," said one scout. "Artest
 is getting better every day and he's got a great body. Hamilton isn't great 
at getting his own shot and he's not a quick-release shooter. He needs time 
to get his shot off, which you can get away with in college when you're 
playing against zones. But not in the pros."



Elton Brand (Duke) heads the list of potential draftees. While he reminds 
some of Armon Gilliam and could be too small at 6-8 to play power forward, 
others think the sophomore's game will blossom on the next level. "His body 
reminds you of Danny Fortson, but he's got more game," said one scout. "He's 
a great passer, he's shown he can develop his range, his hands are bigger 
than Michael Jordan's and he's the fourth-fastest player on the Duke team."



Because he's only 6-2, Steve Francis (Maryland) will have to make the 
transition to a pro point. While the NBA might be more suited to his game, 
there are questions about his ballhandling and passing skills.



The scouts love the competitiveness of Barron Davis (UCLA), a future 
playmaker. He's played every summer at UCLA's back gym against top pro 
competition, going back to when he was a senior in high school. "He was 
getting in NBA players' faces back then, and he didn't back down," said 
a scout.



Lamar Odom (Rhode Island) figures to be a top-five pick if he comes out 
after his freshman season. He's a legit 6-9, with ballhandling and passing 
skills, a great feel for the game, and excellent floor vision. "If he has a 
problem, it's that he tends to drift in and out of games," said a scout. "He 
doesn't dominate always like he could."



Wally Szczerbiak (Miami-Ohio) is probably more ready to step in now than 
anyone else, owing to the fact that he's a senior. Some scouts compare the 
Long Islander to Dan Majerle, but others are reminded of Kiki Vandeweghe.



"Just like Kiki, he's got great outside range, but not good overall 
quickness," said one GM. "But he is very talented."



Slam Dunks

•What's wrong with David Robinson? Although the Spurs say he's OK, the 
Admiral isn't nearly as fluid or aggressive as he has been in the past, 
leading to speculation that his back is acting up again. Unless San Antonio 
gets bowled over by someone's offer — the Nets would have to include Keith 
Van Horn in a deal, and they aren't going to do that — the Spurs aren't going
 to move Robinson, even though they've been listening to offers from Portland,
 the Nets and Milwaukee. They don't think they can get their arena referendum 
passed by voters in November if the highly-popular Robinson isn't on the team. 
•We know that Nets owner Finn Wentworth is new at this, but he gave the worst 
possible answer the other night after his team was booed off the floor following 

an embarrassing loss to the Hornets. When asked, "You're team is now 3-12 — 
what do you tell your fans?" Wentworth replied, "no comment" and walked away.
 That's the last thing the paying customers deserve to hear. •Two coaches who 
would be in a world of trouble if they didn't also head their team's basketball 
operations: John Calipari and Gregg Popovich. Calipari's failure to re-sign 
Sherman Douglas or bring in another competent distributor after Sam Cassell 
went down has sent the Nets into the toilet. When your team is built solely 
on outscoring opponents, you can't go without a quarterback. The Spurs have 
underachieved under Popovich, but his best friend continues to be owner Peter
 Holt. •Master P Watch: The rap producer has been busy calling CBA teams, 
trying to land a spot on a roster. That's to keep himself visible for future 
clients. •Detroit's turnaround is a product of having Grant Hill again 

playing more like a guard and 
dominating the ball. But as in previous seasons, Pistons run risk of 
burning G-man out by end of season. 





Q & A



Q: What are Chris Webber's chances of winning the MVP?



A: About zero, if the Kings continue to play sub-.500 ball. In the 43-year history of the MVP award, 
only two players have won it playing for losing teams. Bob Petit, the first MVP, starred for Red Holzman's 
1955-56 St. Louis team that was 33-39. In '75-76, his first season with the Lakers, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won it, 
but L.A. went 40-42 and didn't make the playoffs.



E-mail the sports department
at sports@web.nydailynews.com




Original Publication Date: 03/07/1999 



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