Payton will be looking for a ring

[Celtic4Hire@xxxxxxx]

Note that the Bucks won two games in the playoffs against the Nets, because 
you had Payton guarding Kidd. In the old days, when we had a problem area, we 
would go get the fix like when we got DJ to stop Magic. Now, we should be 
getting Payton, the only guy who can stop the best player in the Eastern 
Conference....

DJessen33

Last Updated: May 20, 2003
SportsDay 
Bob Wolfley

Guard Gary Payton of the Milwaukee Bucks has not said what team or kind of 
team he intends to play for next season, but he will get a few chances to 
make himself clearer with upcoming appearances on national cable television.

Payton, who will turn 35 on July 23, is an unrestricted free agent.

He has not played on a championship team in his 13-year career in the 
National Basketball Association.

He came to the Bucks in the second half of the season in a trade for Ray 
Allen.

Tonight, Payton is to serve as a guest analyst on Turner Sports' coverage of 
Game 2 of the Dallas Mavericks-San Antonio Spurs Western Conference final, 
according to a spokeswoman for Turner.

Payton is to join "Inside the NBA" host Ernie Johnson, Kenny Smith, Charles 
Barkley and Magic Johnson, who are in San Antonio for the game.

The pregame show for Game 2 is to begin at 7 p.m. Tip-off is at 7:30 p.m. The 
studio analysts will talk before the game, at halftime and after the game.

On Thursday and Friday, Payton will sub for regular cast member John Salley 
on Fox Sports Net's "Best Damn Sports Show Period." That show will air at 8 
p.m. Thursday in Milwaukee, and at 11 p.m. Friday.

In an interview last week on a Chicago radio station, Bucks coach George Karl 
talked about Payton's impact and future in the league.

"I think Gary has two really good years left in him," Karl said on WSCR 
radio. "To try to predict after that would be very difficult to do because 
you cannot predict injury. You can't predict enthusiasm for the game, the 
competitive spirit. He plays the game of basketball with such a competitive 
spirit that if something would drain that, and that something would probably 
be a team that wouldn't make the playoffs or be in the playoffs, he might 
lose the edge."

Payton has not ruled out the Bucks, or any other team for that matter, but 
some observers have said it's unlikely Payton will sign with Milwaukee.

"With his athleticism, his body has two years of playing 35 minutes a game," 
Karl said. "After that, I don't know."

Karl said he thought Payton was "distracted" by the trade and it affected his 
play the first two or three weeks he was with the Bucks.

"I actually thought he was a better leader than I've ever had," Karl said. "I 
mean, he did things with the team in the locker room and in practices that he 
never did for me in Seattle. In fact, in Seattle he was more, kind of a 
malcontent a little bit. We had the Nate McMillans, the Detlef Schrempfs, the 
Hersey Hawkinses, the Sam Perkinses, kind of bringing Gary along.

"Now when he got here in Milwaukee, Gary was going off talking to the Michael 
Redds, talking to the Timmy Thomases, the Marcus Haisleps, and doing things 
he learned during his stay in Seattle."

Golden nuggets
Karl said he thought Detroit coach Rick Carlisle had done the most courageous 
coaching job in the playoffs.

Karl marvels at what Carlisle has done with rookie forward Tayshaun Prince.

When Karl was asked if he thought Prince was as tough as he proved he is in 
the playoffs, Karl told WSCR: "No. No. Rick Carlisle should be given, if not 
coach of the year, coach of the playoffs, because to do what he has done with 
their basketball team takes a lot of courage on his part. And to sit 
(Corliss) Williamson down, then bring Prince into the game and then run the 
game through him in the fourth quarter in a lot of games, I'll be honest with 
you: I don't think I have the courage to do that and I think I have some 
pretty big cajones at times."

For the various coaching positions open, Karl mentioned a few names.

"I hope Paul Silas gets a job," he said. "He deserves a job. He did a great 
job in New Orleans. I don't know the reasons of what went on in New Orleans. 
But anyone who is a winning coach deserves to stay a winning coach. Paul has 
had a good run and deserves a better opportunity and a better chance than he 
got probably in New Orleans."

Coaches now go behind the mike as game or studio analysts in order to 
audition for NBA coaching jobs, Karl said.

When Turner's Jeff Van Gundy and Mike Fratello were referenced to him, Karl 
said: "I heard Jeff wants to stay behind the microphone a little bit. I know 
Mike wants to get back badly because he's missed it and he's been out. I 
don't know what the word would be, he's been put in purgatory for some 
reason. I think he's a hell of a coach and deserves another chance. I think 
it was basically because he slowed the game down. Well, there are a lot of 
coaches in the NBA slowing the game now."

Van Gundy has been interviewed for the vacancy in Cleveland. Fratello said 
Tuesday he had talked to a few NBA teams that have begun coaching searches.