Which team will come out of the average East?

[Boston Sports Fan <bostonsptsfan@yahoo.com>]

Whats interesting about this article is that there is
not ONE WORD said about the C's. Apparently they no
longer exist, even as a lottery team. Or did Boston
move to the western conference....

This is from the "Insider" page of ESPN.com. The
donation box for my posting this article is by the
door...




Which team will come out of the average East?
 
 
 
By Jeffrey Denberg
Special to ESPN.com 

 


  
Reggie and the Pacers are one of the top teams in the
average East. 
So, here we are at the half-mile pole in the Eastern
Conference Derby, Indiana shortening stride with a
slight lead on the outside. That's Miami staggering in
the middle of the track. New York is limping,
Charlotte and Detroit boxed in along the rail. 

Some race, eh?


Just when you see a team you can believe in, somebody
goes lame.

Only a few weeks ago it was Indiana. That was before
the Pacers lost to the Clippers, Wizards, Bulls. Take
the Pacers away from home and they faint outright.

And how about those Knicks, who have dropped their
last three on the road and could not beat Cleveland at
home. How far are the Knicks going with poor Patrick
Ewing clomping around on those abused legs. "I feel
sorry for my friend," Dikembe Mutombo said after
getting 24 rebounds against him.

You want to feel sorry for New York until you take a
glimpse of the Heat. Vancouver beat them at home.
Then, so did New Jersey and Chicago.

The Hornets lost Eddie Jones to injury and dropped
nine of 11. That was before the tragedy of Bobby
Phills. The Pistons lost Grant Hill for a few games
and lost their way. What's to be said for a team that
loses four straight, wins five, drops three, wins six,
loses six? Streaky, what?

How lucky for the East that the All-Star format
demands teams from both conferences.

This is a circumstance of balance only Pete Rozelle
could love. Take a look as we steam into February.

1. Indiana. Believe this, dealing Antonio Davis will
cost the Pacers a shot at the title. Rik Smits cannot
play longer than half a game as Larry Bird routinely
pulls him for the fourth quarter. Al Harrington and
Jonathan Bender are going to be nice players but that
doesn't do Reggie Miller or Mark Jackson a bit of good
in season when they could have won it all in the Last
Dance at Indy. 

2. New York. Ewing's sad decline takes its toll.
Marcus Camby can't control his emotions and the Knicks
are a point guard shy of being for real. The Spurs
exposed them in their Finals rematch in San Antonio.
The Knicks will hang around until late-March. When
they hit the road for five games in eight days --
Portland, Sacramento, Seattle and the Lakers -- then
go back to back with the Heat and Pacers, then we'll
know something.

3. Miami. So, what's up with Tim Hardaway, merely
flicking off the rust or unable to go on that knee
that kept him out from Thanksgiving to late-January?
Used to be, you could tell a Pat Riley team by the way
it took care of business against the meek. Not any
longer. With limited firepower, this bunch will too
readily lose to anyone.

4. Charlotte. Maybe the best team in the East when the
season started. The Jones injury was a setback, but
the impact of the Phills tragedy, especially on David
Wesley, could be long-lasting. On the bright side,
there's Derrick Coleman. When he scores 20, the
Hornets are 14-5. When he doesn't play at all, they're
1-2. Clearly, his course is set: Derrick, be good or
be gone. 

5. Philadelphia. Does Larry Brown have the will to see
things through without pulling the trigger on Larry
Hughes? Don't think so. Hughes is the latest Sixer who
can't play with Allen Iverson. It's a matter of
getting the best for him. But whether it's with Hughes
or Jamal Mashburn, they can't go far until young Allen
settles down.

6. Detroit. Richard III missed his horse. Alvin Gentry
pines for Bison Dele or any center for that matter.
Without one, the Pistons are middle of the pack.
Imagine wasting the sort of work Grant Hill and Jerry
Stackhouse are doing, but that's how it is. Even when
Christian Laettner is on his game, he's no Bison. Even
Ike Austin looks appetizing. 

7. Toronto. Enough with Vince Carter. Okay, he's good,
very good. But work on that jump shot, please. And get
the kid a point guard. Even an average point guard.
Without one, all that alley-ooping isn't going to get
this Canadian team out of the first round. 

8. Milwaukee. No rebounds, no rings. They so frustrate
George Karl he carries on a love-hate relationship
with his Three Musketeers -- Glenn Robinson, Ray
Allen, Sam Cassell -- even says a kindly word about No
Magic Ervin Johnson now and then. Why'd they do that
Danny Manning deal, anyway?

And as for Lotto Land...

Atlanta is the most disappointing team in the league.
All greed and no grit. Professor Wilkens says the
chemistry stinks and ownership threatens a shakeup.

One rival coach says he saw Shawn Kemp pull up his
jersey "and oh, my, God ..." That and $71 million
reasons to shoot yourself over Zydrunas Ilgauskas'
contract. No wonder Cleveland's in the tank.

Orlando. Okay. Doc Rivers can coach. Now, get him some
real players. No team plays harder or does more with
so little.

New Jersey. What ever happened to that Van Horn kid,
anyway? This is another team that spits out the bit in
crunch time. 

The Wizards. Darrell Walker? Please. In Toronto,
Walker's practices were a joke, short and beside the
point. Wes Unseld told one coach prospect last summer
to schedule practice for 2 p.m. so Rod Strickland
would be on time. It took Michael to find Darrell. 
Chicago. Toddling town.



Jeffrey Denberg, who covers the NBA for the Atlanta
Journal-Constitution, is a regular contributor to
ESPN.com. 

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