Western Conference

Sporting News, The, August 21, 2000

Dallas

A DIFFERENT TACK: Looking to speed up his makeover of the team's roster, owner Mark Cuban recently considered trades for, among others, the Cavaliers' Shawn Kemp and the Lakers' Glen Rice and Travis Knight The franchise has no cap room, but Cuban says any deals would fit within his team's financial parameters after he moves some players. Among those on the block: sign-and-trade free agent Bruno Sundov, Robert Pack and big men John Williams and Shawn Bradley. The team also tried to move sixth man Cedric Ceballos, whose playing time will decrease this season because of the addition of the team's three first-round draft picks. None of those deals may materialize by the start of the season, but Cuban apparently has changed his philosophy, which was for the team to save cap money for an aggressive dive into the free-agent market next summer.

CLOCK WATCH: The training-camp baffle for playing time in the backcourt should be spirited. Michael Finley and Steve Nash are the starters, with Hubert Davis, Grog Buckner and rookie Courtney Alexander pushing for playing time. Also in the mix are Dirk Nowitzki and the injury-prone Pack, who has shown flashes of effective play when healthy. If Pack is traded, Eric Murdook, acquired from the Clippers, will see his chances improve for a slot in the point guard rotation. --Ken Sins

Denver

BIG DISAPPOINTMENT, With most of the free-agent dust settled, it appears the Nuggets will look a lot like they did last season. The only differences are the additions of SG Voshon Lenard, F Mark Strickland and C Mamadou N'diaye and the subtraction of F Chris Gatling. Coach Dan Issel surely will continue to search for the elusive big man he coveted in July, but the odds of finding someone who can make much difference appear slim. If not, the team can only hope that C Raef LaFrentz gets stronger and develops some consistency. LaFrentz will present matchup problems for opponents with his outside shooting ability, but he is a liability defensively against big centers. PF Antonio McDyess winds up guarding centers most nights, which wore him out by the end of last season. N'diaye is a project. He could conceivably play spot minutes next season, but he is not strong enough to be the answer inside. Lenard will have the opportunity to win the starting shooting guard position, but with Tariq Abdul-Wahad's recent signing ($43.3 million over seven years), it's hard to imagine him coming off the bench.

THE SHOOTER: Lenard has a reputation for being one-dimensional. He shoots, shoots and shoots. Lenard's 3-point shooting would have come in handy last season, though. He can hit the long ball, but he isn't the best defender. --Michael BeDan

Golden State

ODD MAN OUT: SG Sam Jacobson, 25, joined the Warriors on a 10-day contract January 11. He managed to stick for the rest of the season and emerged as the most consistent perimeter shooter on one of the league's worst shooting teams. Jacobson tended to score on medium-range jumpers or with occasional penetration that enabled him to use his athletic ability. At times, he frustrated G.M. Garry St. Jean by forgetting where to position himself on certain set plays. And like many of his teammates, Jacobson straggled on the defensive end. A free agent, Jacobson had a legitimate chance to stick with the Warriors until they acquired SGs Vinny Del Negro and Bob Sura. Now, Jacobson does not appear to have a place on the roster unless a trade is completed.

MIDSUMMER PRACTICE: Golden State almost can field a starting five next week at Pete Newell's Big Man Camp in Hawaii. F/C Adonal Foyle (a regular attendee), C Erick Dampier, F Donyell Marshall and F Antawn Jamison are scheduled to participate in the instructional sessions.... Several players have gotten together at the team's practice facility to lift weights and scrimmage. St. Jean joked that nothing beats peer pressure when it comes to working out in the summer. Coming off a 19-63 season that started with playoff aspirations also provides motivation. --Brad Weinstein

Houston

WOULD TAYLOR FIT? Houston might not be the best place for Maurice Taylor, the talented but questionably motivated 6-9 power forward. Taylor, who hopes to flee the Clippers, visited Houston recently. He showed off his strength when he scored a career-high 31 points in a 122-100 loss at the Compaq Center on December 30. But he also showed his most glaring weakness in that game, picking off only three rebounds. But the guy can flat-out shoot the ball, and that's what the Rockets want at the four spot. Jason Collier, the team's first-round pick, needs time to learn the game at this level. Can Taylor fit into Rudy Tomjanovich's total-team philosophy? Tomjanovich's system relies heavily on the willingness of the individual to sacrifice and trust in the whole of the team. Taylor hasn't shown the capacity to do that with the Clippers, but that may be more because of where he was than who he is.

KEEP THE MONEY AND STAY: The Rockets have to decide what to do with their $4.5 million trade exception, which expires October 1. Though allowing such a tool to expire may sound strange, it is actually not unheard of. The Pacers did it last week. The Rockets likely will do the same. They are looking to get as far under the cap as possible next season, when C Hakeem Olajuwon's contract comes off the cap. Look for the team to move the salary, not take it on. --Michael Murphy