Peter Vecsey blabbers on

[Tammo29@xxxxxxx]

  No idea if any of this is true, but the Post printed it so here it is:



BIG BABY! THAT'S JERMAINE 
    


 INDY-FENSIBLE:
Pacers star Jermaine O'Neal, coming off third straight hasty playoff exit, 
will demand Ron Artest (at right) be traded when he meets with team brass 
next week, sources say. 
- NYP: C. Wenzelberg    

May 16, 2003 -- 
HOOP DU JOUR 

LOS ANGELES - In case you're still wondering why the Pacers dissolved into a 
dysfunctional urn of burning funk, take a whiff of Jermaine O'Neal's 
self-promotional comments following his team's hasty playoff expulsion. 

Quoted ad nauseum, the alleged franchise player - whose credentials include 
escorting Indiana out of the first round three straight seasons and 
bulk-heading the United States' sixth-place finish in the World Games - 
scolded unnamed teammates for not caring as much about winning as he 
allegedly does. As if he's some kind of authority on the subject or has 
earned the right to be its measuring instrument. 

Clearly, O'Neal couldn't be more impressed with his individual achievements 
(All-Star and Olympic status) and statistical superiority. In his mind, 
leading the Pacers in scoring, touches, shots, rebounds and blocks gives him 
the right to judge teammates and deem a bunch of 'em unworthy in terms of 
dedication and effort. 

Lost in the self-indulging thought process is the indisputable connection 
between O'Neal's rise to dominancy (guaranteed to command a max contract this 
summer) and the team's disharmonious collapse. 

Finger Ron Artest's bizarre behavior all you want as the critical cause, or 
Jamaal Tinsley, another frequent target. 

Or perhaps you wish to blame the injuries to Brad Miller and Jonathan Bender, 
Reggie Miller's decline, Al Harrington's mysterious malfunction, or a 
combination of all the negativity for the Pacer meltdown. 

All I know is, the better O'Neal got, the more his teammates regressed; the 
more spoiled he became by being the centrifugal force and basked in being the 
team's post-game conscience, the more selfish the team became; and the more 
success he enjoyed the haughtier his sermons. None more arrogant than the one 
delivered soon after his team's humiliating elimination. 

Not only did O'Neal savage his teammates but he put team president Donnie 
Walsh - who rescued Jermaine from Portland, where his reputed sloth minimized 
his minutes (maybe he's an authority on the subject, after all) - on notice 
he wouldn't consider re-signing with the Pacers unless Isiah Thomas remains 
as coach. 

Of course, O'Neal qualified, "I'm not necessarily coming back." 

He might prefer to play alongside Tim Duncan or Tracy McGrady; it depends on 
where he can pocket the most money and compete for the most championships, 
which is certainly his prerogative as an incoming free agent. It also 
depends, he insolently stipulated, on whom his Pacer teammates will or won't 
be. 

Sure sounded like a threat to me. 

The impudence of O'Neal! Here's a guy who basically has done nothing for the 
franchise worth celebrating while catapulting himself into fame and fortune, 
and he deduces he deserves the right to pick and choose coaches and 
teammates. 

I'm not even part of the Pacers (though I can't say the same for The 
Mysterious J.) and I'm outraged! 

Why pollute this space with the Pacers when the Spurs are on the precipice of 
dethroning the Lakers? Because I've learned which teammates O'Neal wants 
vaporized. According to several informed sources, when he meets with Walsh 
next week, Jermaine intends to demand that Artest, Tinsley and Ron Mercer be 
traded. 

I've got news for O'Neal. Should he follow through on his childish plan, I 
suspect returning to Indiana will no longer be an option. 

This a "Come To Your Senses" alert. I've known Walsh, or have known what he's 
about, since I was a high school freshman. Nobody but the Simon brothers tell 
him what to do, especially a big baby like Jermaine. 

"They're all big babies," says someone in the same position as Walsh. 

* 

I knew Jeff Van Gundy had no desire to coach the Cavaliers when he leaked the 
Knicks had given permission (to Gordon Gund) to interview him. I knew the 
Hornets and Raptors had expressed zero interest in interviewing Van Gundy 
when he leaked his lack of interest in them. 

When the calculating Van Gundy truly has designs on a team (and the feeling 
by management is mutual), the media will be the last to find out. Then again, 
sources say should Houston's Rudy Tomjanovich be pushed upstairs, that's the 
job Van Gundy covets. 

Owner Les Alexander - convinced his Rockets underachieved- may use his 
coach's bout with cancer as a convenient excuse to make a move. That is, if 
insurance will cover the remaining two-year, $12M obligation. 

Paul Silas was not interviewed by the Clippers, as reported, but has the Cavs 
intrigued . . . Source says New Orleans' announcement that local favorite Tim 
Floyd is a serious candidate is a publicity ploy to get some positive press 
following uproar when Silas was exiled. Look for Mike Fratello and Brian Hill 
to be hired as an entry - Fratello as coach, Hill as GM. 

Danny Ainge's first executive decision for putting the Celtics under the cap 
was to order Vin Baker to get the deposit back on all those empty liquor 
bottles. 

With Lakers' loss to Spurs last night, David Stern will consider making 
series a best-of-nine. 



TAM