Miami Herald - Celtics & NBA East Questions

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@ix.netcom.com>]

 Miami Herald

 Published Sunday, September 26, 1999, in the Miami Herald

Stacking up the NBA East

NBA training camps open the first week of October, with a
wounded champion (Sean Elliott-less San Antonio),
radically revamped rosters in Orlando and Atlanta, and a
new baby-sitter for Shaq and Kobe (Phil Jackson).

With opening night (Nov. 2) still more than a month away,
here's a scouting report on the Heat's Eastern Conference
competition entering camp:

Atlanta

Intriguing battles loom for starting positions at PG
(Bimbo Coles and PG-of-the-future Jason Terry) and PF
(Allan Henderson and newly acquired Lorenzen Wright).

Key questions: Will SG Jim Jackson be content backing up
Isaiah Rider? That's a role Jackson resented in Portland
last season. Jackson has two years left on his contract,
Rider one. Who will emerge as best SF among LaPhonso
Ellis, Chris Crawford and Roshown McLeod?

Boston

Celtics added Calbert Cheaney to back up Paul Pierce at
SG and dealt Ron Mercer, Popeye Jones and Dwayne
Schintzius to Denver for Danny Fortson, Eric Williams and
Eric Washington. Fortson, the NBA's fourth-leading
rebounder last season but undersized at 6-7, figures to
start up front alongside Antoine Walker and C Vitaly
Potapenko.

Key questions: Who will back up PG Kenny Anderson?
Options are veteran Dana Barros, Washington and FA pickup
Wayne Turner, a favorite of coach Rick Pitino. And will
Celtics spend big bucks on PF Tony Battie, a free agent
next summer?

Charlotte

Maybe the deepest team in the East, with David Wesley and
Baron Davis at PG; Eddie Jones and Ricky Davis at SG;
Elden Campbell, Todd Fuller and Brad Miller at C; Bobby
Phills and rookie Lee Nailon at SF; and Derrick Coleman
and Anthony Mason at PF.

Key questions: How long can incumbent Wesley hold off
Davis for the starting PG job? And will Mason's return
from injury reduce Coleman's role substantially?

Chicago

Rather than sign high-priced free agents, Bulls held on
to cap space (more than $20 million), added alums Will
Perdue and B.J. Armstrong and dealt disappointing Brent
Barry for Hersey Hawkins. Perdue starts at C, Armstrong
competes with Randy Brown for starting PG job, and
Hawkins figures to start ahead of Corey Benjamin at SG.
Strength will be starting frontcourt of Toni Kukoc and
Elton Brand.

Key questions: Will Brand justify being No. 1 overall
pick? Beyond Brand, how many of the other young players
will develop quickly (SF Ron Artest; Gs Michael Ruffin,
Benjamin, Keith Booth and James Cotton; and C Lari
Ketner)?

Cleveland

Offseason moves included acquisition of SF Lamond Murray
from Clippers (for Derek Anderson), signing of PF Mark
Bryant and drafting of Gs Andre Miller and Trajan
Langdon. Starting lineup, if healthy, is playoff-caliber
(Brevin Knight, Wesley Person, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Shawn
Kemp and Murray).

Key questions: Will Miller unseat Knight (who's on last
year of contract) as starting PG? Will Langdon, a
one-dimensional shooter, unseat perennial disappointment
Bob Sura as Person's backup at SG?

Detroit

Pistons resisted urge to trade C Bison Dele or G Jerry
Stackhouse and instead tinkered, adding G Michael Curry
(a favorite of Grant Hill) and ex-Heat F Terry Mills.
Beyond Hill, starting lineup is full of inconsistent
players (Stackhouse, Dele, Christian Laettner and Lindsey
Hunter).

Key questions: Can Pistons convince ex-Laker Derek Harper
to report to camp (he says he wants to play for a
championship contender and not Detroit), or will they
need to make do with ex-Clipper retread Pooh Richardson
at backup PG? Will last year's FA bust, Loy Vaught,
challenge Don Reid to back up Laettner at PF?

Indiana

Pacers left void at C by dealing Antonio Davis to Toronto
for high-school F Jonathan Bender. Frontcourt may be too
old and brittle, with Rik Smits, Dale Davis and Chris
Mullin. Jalen Rose and Derrick McKey will have chance to
unseat Mullin at SF. SG Reggie Miller, entering last year
of contract, comes off disappointing year, and PG Mark
Jackson continues to hold off Travis Best.

Key questions: Will the Pacers succeed in signing Rockets
free agent SG Sam Mack? Will Bender and Al Harrington be
given much playing time while the Pacers still consider
themselves a championship contender?

Milwaukee

Bucks are solid at SF (Glenn Robinson, Danny Manning, Tim
Thomas), SG (Ray Allen and Dale Ellis) and PG (Sam
Cassell, Vinny Del Negro, Haywoode Workman). But no
Eastern Conference playoff team is less imposing at the
power positions (Robert Traylor, Ervin Johnson,
free-agent pickup J.R. Reid and Paul Grant).

Key questions: If Bucks start slowly, will they trade
Robinson for a power player? (Rumors of a Robinson-Brian
Grant swap with Portland have been denied by both teams.)
Will Milwaukee go to a smaller, more offensively inclined
lineup, with Thomas or Manning starting alongside
Robinson up front?

New Jersey

Nets are gifted but have too many starters who want to
shoot a lot (Stephon Marbury, Kerry Kittles, Kendall Gill
and Keith Van Horn) and not enough commitment to defense.
Jersey, looking to upgrade over Elliot Perry at backup
PG, continues pursuit of ex-Net FA Sherman Douglas. PG
Eric Murdock was dealt to Clippers for G/F Johnny Newman.

Key questions: With Jayson Williams out until January
after knee surgery, who will start at C? Options are
Jamie Feick, Jim McIlvaine, Gheorghe Muresan and Michael
Cage. Will Kittles rebound from disappointing season?

New York

Looks like coach Jeff Van Gundy may have to juggle his
lineup again all season. C Patrick Ewing says he will
miss training camp with pain in Achilles' and will not
play until he's healthy. With Chris Dudley also out
indefinitely (knee), Knicks could opt for smaller,
quicker lineup (Marcus Camby, Larry Johnson, Allan
Houston, Latrell Sprewell and Charlie Ward).

Key questions: Will Ewing ever be fully healthy again?
When he does return, does Camby return to the bench
against his will? (Probably.)

Orlando

After trading four starters and acquiring 17 players,
Magic is lottery-bounded this season but dangerous in the
future (at least $12 million in cap space next summer,
nine No. 1 picks in next five years). Starting lineup
figures to include Darrell Armstrong and Tariq
Abdul-Wahad at G, Michael Doleac at C, and Matt Harpring
and Bo Outlaw at Fs. Fs Ben Wallace and Derek Strong and
G Corey Maggette are top reserves.

Key questions: How many more trades are left? Magic still
might dump Armen Gilliam, Chris Gatling, Terry Davis,
Harvey Grant.

Philadelphia

Sixers re-signed George Lynch and Theo Ratliff and traded
for underachieving Billy Owens. Although Eric Snow will
start at PG alongside Allen Iverson, Sixers want to play
SG Larry Hughes with Iverson a lot. Other starters:
Lynch, Ratliff, Matt Geiger.

Key questions: Will Sixers be able to dump unhappy PF
Tyrone Hill? Will youngsters Nazr Mohammed, Jumaine Jones
and Todd MacCulloch develop?

Toronto

Although PG remains a big problem (Alvin Williams, Muggsy
Bogues), Raptors are deep everywhere else. Antonio Davis
requested a trade from Indiana because he wanted to
start, but that is not guaranteed in Toronto. He will
have to battle incumbent C Kevin Willis to start
alongside Charles Oakley and Vince Carter in the
frontcourt.

Key questions: Beyond Carter, will there be enough
playing time for the Raptors' other shooters (Doug
Christie, Tracy McGrady, Dell Curry and Dee Brown)? Will
McGrady get enough minutes to make him want to re-sign
next summer?

Washington

Wizards have four-fifths of a solid starting lineup (Rod
Strickland, Mitch Richmond, Ike Austin, Juwan Howard). PF
is a mess, with Aaron Williams, Lorenzo Williams and
Jason Lawson.

Key question: Is bench good enough (Chris Whitney,
Richard Hamilton, Jahidi White, Calvin Booth, Tracy
Murray, Randell Jackson)? Will 34-year-old Richmond
return to old form?


               Copyright 1999 Miami Herald