Antoine finds fit with Mavs

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Antoine finds fit with Mavs
By Mark Murphy/NBA Notes
Sunday, November 23, 2003

Most NBA observers considered it inevitable when Antoine Walker [news] arrived
in Dallas. There would come a time when the former Celtics captain's play
would seep enough outside the box that he would need a talking to from Mavs
coach Don Nelson.

     And the moment that called out for Nelson's attention came quickly - on
Nov. 4, in Toronto.

     That's the night that Walker, caught in one of those greedy streaks when
he reaches for the pastry when simple toast will do, matched a personal high
from last year by turning over the ball nine times.

     As most of those who coached him as a collegiate player and pro know,
talking to Walker about his deficiencies requires delicacy.

     But Don Nelson hasn't been coaching for 26 seasons for nothing. He pulled
Walker aside and delivered his expectations with such tact, President Bush
might want to include Nellie on the next European outreach mission.

     That's how well Walker has taken the advice. Since that wild night in
Toronto, Walker has averaged only 2.2 turnovers per game, and never forked
over more than three in one game.

     Ah, the wonders of playing for a talented team.

     ``We had a talk and he's done a lot better the last few games,'' said
Nelson. ``We have a lot of scorers on this team, and he has to weigh the risk
and reward. You don't have to make a lot of risky passes. And he's done much
better lately with that.''

     Not that Walker is ever going to admit to totally surrendering his
position.

     ``That's being aggressive,'' Walker said of the occasional wildness.
``I'm going to make plays. I'm a playmaker. So you're going to have some
turnovers. I'm just trying to keep a 3-to-1 assist-turnover ratio, so that's
always a positive.''

     Sure, Walker is still going to pull up at times with that ill-timed,
no-chance 3-point attempt. He's still very capable of spinning himself into a
triple team with nowhere to go.

     He had a pair of shooting performances last week - a 6-of-18 stinker
against Portland and a 5-of-14 effort against Memphis - that were reminiscent
of his most frustrating Celtics moments.

     But the Mavericks are more than happy to call his arrival a gift from
heaven.

     ``Everyone loves him here,'' Mavs owner Mark Cuban said via e-mail. ``He
has fit right in. People love his fire on the court and his willingness to do
what it takes to help the team.''

     To wit, Nelson has asked Walker to be a bigger contributor on the boards.
He has responded by amassing what ranked, as of Thursday, the 15th-best
rebounding average in the league at 9.5 per game - almost one board better
than his career average and over two better than what he averaged last season.

     ``There's no pressure on him here,'' said Mavs forward Michael Finley.
``Every little mistake he made in Boston was publicly criticized. Here, he has
other guys to take pressure off him, and he can play his game.''

     He also has no problem taking charge, even in the Mavericks' rarified
lineup.

     ``In Dirk (Nowitzki), Michael and Steve (Nash), we have three of the most
unselfish All-Stars in the game, and we needed someone to come in with a Type
A mentality,'' said player personnel chief and assistant coach Donnie Nelson.
``Nick (Van Exel) had that, and it was something we really needed. We like
that he's vocal, because our big three are quiet guys.

     ``From being the team, along with Paul (Pierce) in Boston, to what he has
now is a different existence. The chemistry factor has been tremendous. Our
guys love him.

     ``He's given creative license to do some things, and with that comes
accountability. But from what Antoine has been, we can tell that this is the
piece we've been looking for ever since we got to Dallas.''

     For Walker, the honeymoon should be long.

     ``This is like night and day,'' he said. ``It's a great luxury to have.
It's unbelievable to be around guys who are so talented. Not just guys who can
score, but guys who give it right back to you. They know how to play the game.
That's a luxury a lot of teams don't have. We have to take full advantage of
that.''

     McDyess works way back

     Antonio McDyess has already showed his first great instance of control in
not bowing to the intense pressure in New York to return from injury before he
feels ready for his first game. The power forward planned to delay his return
from this weekend (and tomorrow night's game in Boston) to finally making his
Knicks debut Wednesday in Minneapolis.

     You think the Celtics had trouble keeping this team off the glass without
McDyess in the lineup? Now that his broken kneecap has healed, and he's
positioned next to Kurt Thomas and Dikembe Mutombo, McDyess could actually
turn the Knicks into a legitimate glass-shattering unit.

     But first the big guy has to get his own house in order.

     ``Judging from today, it's going to take more than two practices,''
McDyess said after a full workout last week. ``I was real rusty, so it's going
to take some time to get this going.

     ``It was kind of tough - bad missed free throws, bad missed layups,'' he
said. ``But my wind was there. Running the court was fine. Everything went OK.
It meant a lot to me.

     ``It's been a long time, waiting, and just to be out on the court, just
being at practice with the fellas, is a great feeling. There was no pain at
all. That's a good thing.''

     Lakers get free reign

     Stat of the week comes from the Lakers' win over the Knicks in Madison
Square Garden Wednesday night, when the visitors enjoyed an absolutely bizarre
(or truly dominant) 47-6 edge in free-throw attempts. The Knicks made all six
of their free throws, though the accomplishment was akin to pushing a boogie
board into a 60-foot wave.

     The Lakers made 37-of-47 free throws, and Shaquille O'Neal (egads,
11-of-16), Karl Malone (7-of-8) and Kobe Bryant (7-of-9) all made more from
the line than the Knicks attempted. Gary Payton (6-of-6) matched the Knicks'
output. Little wonder that Mutombo, one of six Knicks to pick up four fouls,
thought he was caught in a time warp. Apparently the officiating crew of Mark
Wunderlich, Tim Donaghy and Tony Brown didn't bother to explain their lopsided
judgement.

     ``I don't know if the rules have changed, but I'm very surprised at the
way the game was called,'' said Mutombo. ``Some of the fouls, I've seen them
let it go before, and today they were calling every bump. I don't know, maybe
I have to go read the rulebook again.''

     Going to great pains

     In an age when players either have a languid reaction to playing in the
Olympics, or use their position (hello, Shaq) for cheap leverage, it's
unfortunate when a player who truly cares about playing in Athens next summer
is forced to have second thoughts.

     Such is the case for Indiana center Jermaine O'Neal, who, thanks in part
to an unrelenting international schedule over the last three summers is, now
one banged up All-Star.

     In addition to already surmising last week that he may be forced to miss
what would be his third straight All-Star Game because of a wide range of
hurts, he may also be forced to give up his spot on the Olympic team.

     The reason, as tough as it may be for O'Neal to swallow, has to do with
his most basic loyalty - to remaining a functioning member of the Pacers.

     ``The most important thing for me is playing for the Pacers and this
city,'' he told the Indianapolis Star last week. ``The city pays me, and wants
to see me out there. But getting the Olympic gold is a country accomplishment,
so it's a difficult decision.

     ``If I feel like I'm going to hurt my team, then I'm not going to play.''

     O'Neal's most recent pang comes from a sore lower back that has already
hampered his availability this season. The rest of O'Neal's medical chart
includes a sore right kneecap, an inflamed and painful bursa sac on his right
(shooting) elbow and trouble with his shoulders.

     ``Playing three years (straight) has affected my body a lot,'' he said.
``I have a lot more problems than I want to be having with my body right now,
especially this early in the season.

     ``You have to think about playing a fourth straight summer in
competition. I can't think of how my body would react to playing another full
year. So I'm going to take a hard look at it.

     ``If I decide not to play, it would be the most disappointing decision
I've had to make during my career, because I've played three straight years to
get to the Olympics.''

     All is not Wells

     At least the Blazers have finally refined their act. Instead of everyone
acting out at once, the team's bad behavior appears to be erupting on some
sort of weird rotation.

     Damon Stoudamire is attempting to be a solid citizen? Rasheed Wallace is
playing with a minimum of court rage? Bonzi Wells, come on down. The playpen's
open.

     The talented forward was suspended for two games, and fined $155,000, for
chewing out coach Maurice Cheeks last Monday during a game against Dallas.

     In review, Cheeks pulled Wells out of the game after the fireplug forward
threw away a wild, inbounds pass, and then came back three possessions later
with an equally wild jumper.

     Wells went to the end of bench, remained on his feet during the ensuing
action, and spewed an invective-laced tirade at his coach. Cheeks waited until
Wells sat down, then walked over, poked a finger in the player's face and
essentially told him to shut up.

     Barely two weeks had passed since Wells, apparently angered by a hometown
fan's booing of Wallace, flipped off an entire section of Rose Garden fans.
That earned him a $19,000 fine and a one-game suspension. Wells has apparently
cussed out Cheeks several times, including during a practice last spring.

     According to Cheeks, Wells ``apologized in his own way'' last week.cw0

     Cheeks also said that he was essentially tired of Wells' act.

     ``When I addressed the team, I told them I could have put him back in the
game and we could have won,'' Cheeks said of the loss to Dallas. ``But I think
this goes deeper than trying to win a game.''

     For Cheeks - a classy, self-respecting individual who clearly deserves
better - it's more about trying to win back some sanity. And in Portland, that
has been a no-win proposition throughout his time in charge of the asylum.
Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx