Sam Smith on new look teams- C's mentioned

["Nathan A." <nj13@alltel.net>]

Sorry if this has been posted already. Some words about Boston below. What
could we be talking to Vancouver about? Surely we are offering nothing worth
the second pick.   - Nathan A.




                   Published Wednesday
                   June 21, 2000 


                   NBA's Best Will Sport New Lineups 

                   BY SAM SMITH

                   THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE


                   Los Angeles - The NBA's final four of 2000, we hardly
knew ye.

                   Forget about continuity. The new NBA of free agency is
upon us. Next
                   season should provide an entirely different look for not
only teams in
                   transition, but for the league's best teams as well.

                   Figure on three new starters for the Los Angeles Lakers
next season. Glen
                   Rice likely will be traded, and Ron Harper and A.C. Green
may retire. The
                   Lakers certainly will use their $2.25 million salary-cap
exception to attract a
                   power forward.

                   As for the Indiana Pacers, look for at least two new
starters. Jalen Rose has
                   made it clear he wants to play point guard and probably
would have played it
                   this season if not for Mark Jackson's influence with the
team and Reggie
                   Miller. Had Rose replaced Jackson, there was concern it
would have alienated
                   Miller, Jackson's closest friend and himself a free agent.

                   "Now they're in trouble," Miller joked. "They could have
had me cheaply. Now
                   they can't."

                   Miller wants three to five years at the veterans' maximum
$14 million, but he
                   has few options outside Indiana. He'll probably take two
years with an option.
                   But Jackson will be gone, and it's unlikely center Rik
Smits, making a
                   team-high $12.25 million, will be offered another
contract. He has talked about
                   retirement. The Pacers want to get free agent Austin
Croshere into the lineup
                   and give more time to youngsters Al Harrington and
Jonathan Bender.

                   As for the runners-up in each conference, Portland is
looking at still another
                   makeover. Referring to Portland General Manager Bob
Whitsitt, Blazers guard
                   Greg Anthony said: "You know Bob. He's usually got
something up his
                   sleeve."

                   Portland's sixth man, Brian Grant, says he'll exercise
his right to opt out of
                   his contract even with $41.5 million remaining during the
next four years. He
                   says he wants more of a chance to play, and that's not
happening behind
                   forward Rasheed Wallace.

                   Anthony is a free agent. Forward Detlef Schrempf is
talking about retirement.
                   Guard Damon Stoudamire, who wants more playing time, is
losing the
                   ballhandling chores to Scottie Pippen and is available in
trade. Jermaine
                   O'Neal, who made the jump from the high school ranks to
the NBA, also has
                   asked to be traded.

                   "I'm happy in Portland as a person, but I'm no longer
happy there as a
                   player," O'Neal said. "I can't even watch another game.
It's time for me to
                   play, and it's not going to happen in Portland.

                   "Just like I said when I came into the league, and when I
was the best player
                   in summer league two years ago, I'm going to be one of
the best power
                   forwards in the NBA," said O'Neal, who played 35 minutes
in 16 playoff
                   games. "And that's going to happen very, very quickly
once I get somewhere I
                   can play.

                   Boston already is offering its No. 1 draft pick and Tony
Battie to Portland, and
                   the Chicago Bulls are expected to offer one of their No.
1 picks, either No. 4
                   or No. 7 and probably Hersey Hawkins. The Bulls also have
been talking to
                   Vancouver about Hawkins, and Boston has made an offer to
Vancouver for
                   Battie.

                   As for the New York Knicks, even though few teams want to
deal for their
                   high-salaried players, the talk is they want to deal
either Allan Houston or
                   Latrell Sprewell so one can be the primary shooting
guard. They also may
                   want to deal Patrick Ewing to Washington, which wants to
unload Juwan
                   Howard. The Knicks also may want to trade Marcus Camby,
who played
                   poorly in the playoffs.