Despite changes, East will still be least this season

Sporting News, The, Oct 9, 2000 by Dave D'Alessandro

NBA preseason camps opened this week, and for virtually every team in the Eastern Conference (pause here for raucous laughter), this is a very complicated time.

Rarely has a group undergone as much change as this one--especially at the top of the conference--and the team that finds solutions earliest clearly will benefit.

Miami, the prohibitive favorite, has changed three of its top six players. Indiana, just four months after its first trip to the NBA Finals, has lost 60 percent of the starting lineup. New York won the award for appalling idiocy by turning into a doughnut team overnight. Five teams have changed coaches. Even Charlotte, which had the best talent in the East at this time last year, has changed half its roster since.

When last seen, the rest all were trying to get through the same revolving door together. For many of them, the task is clear: They need to figure out how they are going to play. Here's what each Eastern team--from best to rest--will try to accomplish as it peers into the impenetrable gloom of another Western-dominated season:

Miami. Judging by the Olympics, Tim Hardaway still isn't right, and the Heat would be wise not to let the season ride on him breaking down defenses like he used to because he obviously can't. This might be a good time to install some point-forward sets for Anthony Mason and put in more stuff that requires Hardaway to come off screens because he may be only a jump shooter at this stage of his career.

Orlando. There's a sense around the league that the Magic needs shooters, or teams will yield 18-footers to Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady all night Nah, they'll shoot well enough. So Doc Rivers' primary task is turning T-Mac into a human triple-double, which he should be, and maybe even work him in at the point with the second unit.

Indiana. One of those teams that has no idea how it's going to play. Rik Smits--the only guy the Pacers had who commanded a double-team--is gone. The first priority is finding out whether Jalen Rose can handle the point.

Milwaukee. The Bucks downplay the potential minutes crunch at small forward, but both Glenn Robinson and Tim Thomas have to play. So George Karl needs to find out how he can use both at the same time, while developing future middleman Joel Przybilla.

Philadelphia. A full camp will undoubtedly benefit Toni Kukoc, and it had better. This is the most one-dimensional offense in the league, with Allen Iverson responsible for 30 percent of the scoring in the games he played.

New York. The Knicks are working the phones harder than anyone, but unless a long shot such as Dikembe Mutombo comes through, they'll field the worst rebounding team.

Toronto. The Raptors are in the market for big bodies because a power rotation of Antonio Davis, Charles Oakley, John Thomas and Yogi Stewart doesn't exactly stir passions.

Charlotte. Another team searching for a style. The preliminary plan is to make Jamal Mashburn the largest shooting guard in history (6-9, 245), though it seems more logical to use P.J. Brown or Derrick Coleman off the bench and try Eddie Robinson or Hersey Hawkins at the 2.

New Jersey. Installing a defense would help--the Nets were fifth from the bottom in field-goal defense last season.

Boston. Paul Pierce gave the Celtics plenty to think about after his brush with death. But when that issue fades, Rick Pitino will be reminded ad infinitum of his promise to walk away from $22 million if the team doesn't improve. The only way to do that is to settle on a system once and for all--to trap or not to trap, that's the question--and do a better job of selling it.

Cleveland. Stop me if you've heard this before: If Zydrunas Ilgauskas is healthy, they'll be a handful. If his feet don't hold up, they'll be pushovers.

Washington. Another new coach, another hopeless task. If Leonard Hamilton could do one thing, it is to restore Rod Strickland's passion for the game. And if Hamilton concludes this is undoable, he might want to find out if Richard Hamilton can play the point

Atlanta. The one-year trial using an open-court game was a huge flop, so Lon Kruger will go back to what made the Hawks successful in previous seasons--by restoring defense-first mentality.

Detroit. The Pistons' starting frontcourt is Ben Wallace, Cedric Ceballos and Jerome Williams, and the bench is filled with dead weight. So, short of a major move, they had better be entertaining.

Chicago. Name more than two starters, win valuable prizes. The Bulls have three jobs up for grabs and, after Elton Brand and Ron Mercer, not a single player with a track record.

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Proof they make better cocktails down in south Florida: Heat coach Pat Riley claims the Knicks should be regarded as East favorites. "I think they're the deepest team in the league,'" he says. "That team, from one through 12, has more talent and experience than anyone in the league. They may not have the one huge presence who might make a difference in the middle, but I don't buy that the Knicks are not the real deal there." ... Even before Team USA's near collapse against Lithuania, Charles Barkley predicted the Americans' global domination is nearing its end. "In the next Olympics, they'll be in trouble--because they don't intimidate anyone anymore," he says. "With the first Dream Team, they just wanted to take pictures and shake hands with us. The second time, they didn't want to shake hands. (Foreign teams) could put five NBA-caliber players out there in '96, and in 2000, they can put six or seven. And in four more years, there will be more (foreigners) who have been in the NBA or played college ball in the States. The only advantage we had is depth, and we don't have that anymore." ... C Rik Smits has retired, and Jermaine O'Neal-- 6-11, 245 pounds with room for growth--has claimed Indiana's starting center slot as his own. "I'm quick enough and I'm strong enough to play center," O'Neal says.... C Shaquille O'Neal admits he's surprised he hasn't heard from the Lakers yet regarding a contract extension. It might have something to do with the fact Shaq can get a maximum of $117 million for four additional years, and Jerry Buss' unwillingness to pay the luxury tax.