Former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich is emerging as a top candidate to replace Phil Jackson as Lakers coach if Jackson does not return, according to a source familiar with the Lakers' thinking. Tomjanovich, who resigned as coach 13 months ago after being diagnosed with bladder cancer, owns a lifetime 503-397 record and coached Houston to back-to-back NBA titles in 1994 and 1995. He is regarded as a superb offensive coach who is well-liked by players and one who has first-hand experience relating to superstars, having coached Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen. The Lakers believe Tomjanovich's personality would serve as a calming influence for Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, teammates who have feuded for years. Bryant will opt out of his contract on July1 but is likely to re-sign with the Lakers. Phil Jackson figures to take a year off, as he did after leaving Chicago, and return to coaching with another championship-ready team. He'll slap the triangle on that team -- maybe the Dallas Mavericks, maybe Denver, maybe a team in the Eastern Conference -- and there's another shift in power. Posted June 17, by Ben Maller Discuss in the Forums | Link If they wanted to, the Timberwolves could trade Wally Szczerbiak to the Chicago Bulls for the Bulls' No. 3 pick and power forward-center Antonio Davis before next week's NBA draft. The Bulls likely will trade the No. 3 pick. The problem for the Wolves is that Davis' salary next season is $11 million. Shaquille O'Neal: He's been turned down for an extension and is starting to think that the Lakers will rebuild around Bryant. If L.A. decides to move Shaq, Orlando, Atlanta and Dallas are teams he wouldn't mind playing for. Pistons forward Rasheed Wallace, who becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1, still wants to play for the Knicks, his agent, Bill Strickland, said yesterday. "That's where he wanted to go from Portland and we tried like hell to get it done," said Strickland, adding it's too early to speculate on whether Wallace will sign with Detroit. "Don't get me wrong, I think they're a great group of guys that I'm playing with," Wallace said. "But my family, they are going to have the last decision." Isiah Thomas wanted to protect Othella Harrington and Dikembe Mutombo because both are in the final years of their contracts, appealing to Charlotte, plus they have trade value. The Post has learned Isiah has spoken to Bobcats prez Ed Tapscott about trading Harrington, who wants out, for a potential player the Bobcats may select in the draft. Gary Payton: Chauncey Billups did everything to The Glove short of polishing his Finals MVP trophy with him. Before Payton's play deteriorated in the Finals, his camp was putting out feelers that he'll jump to a team that offers him the $1 million veteran exception. Back to Seattle, perhaps? Billy King, the 76ers president and general manager, is looking to move up. Obviously, he wants to move up in the standings after last season's 33-49 record, and he admittedly wants to move up in the NBA draft that will take place next Thursday. The Sixers hold the No. 9 pick in the first round and don't own a second-round selection. King, who is never shy when it comes to making a deal, is tirelessly working the phones. King later indicated that the player is from the East, which really limits the group. For instance, two college players from the East who likely won't be available at No. 9 are University of Connecticut power forward Emeka Okafor, expected to be the first or second pick, and Duke freshman forward Luol Deng, who is projected to go as high as No. 3. King is a Duke grad and bleeds Blue Devil blue, but he said not to read anything into that. Could a high schooler be the Raptors' point guard next season ? a 19-year-old dishing out plays for Vince Carter and Co.? The Raptors were pleased with the workout yesterday at the Air Canada Centre of Sebastian Telfair of Brooklyn, N.Y., trying to become the first point guard to make the jump from high school to the NBA. Marv Albert is still intent on being a team announcer next year. The Nets, Heat and Lakers have all been mentioned. "I'm hoping," said Albert, who wouldn't address specific opportunities. "I'm looking to do that." There has been contact between YES and Albert, but sources disagree on who initiated it. He is not on the verge of being hired by any means. "There is nothing going on between YES and Marv right now," YES spokesman Andrew Fegyveresi said. YES and the Nets have been very pleased with the work of Ian Eagle. The 35-year-old Eagle has called Nets games for a decade. "I understand this is part of the business," Eagle said. "I am confident that it will all work out in the end." Larry Brown has to stick around. Not for the remaining four years on his contract, but for at least next season. Brown should, at the very least, come back to help defend his first NBA title and this city?s first in 14 years. It would be the right thing to do. Under normal circumstances, the idea of a coach who just won a championship leaving wouldn?t even be discussed. Then again, this is Brown, a much-traveled coach, but the best in the league. Since Brown had six other stops in the NBA before landing here, it?s only fitting to wonder if he?ll stay. It has been speculated that Billy Knight will package some of the Hawks' five draft picks (Nos. 6, 17, 34, 37 and a pick from Orlando to be determined) to make a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 2 pick. Then the Hawks could claim 6-foot-11 Dwight Howard, a forward, of Southwest Atlanta Christian Academy. Sources say the Magic have asked the Rockets to send back Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato, which would give them a new starting backcourt and a big man. Those sources also indicate the Phoenix Suns might be in the mix, talking with Orlando about acquiring Shawn Marion, Joe Johnson and center Jake Voskuhl for McGrady. One team source said yesterday the Wizards were interested in moving up to take either Duke freshman forward Luol Deng or Stanford junior forward Josh Childress. Of the two, Deng is believed to be the more coveted player come draft day. It is believed around the league Childress would be available if the Wizards stand pat with the No. 5 pick. Not gone yet, though his summer place in Montana ? and perhaps retirement ? beckons, Phil Jackson has meetings scheduled with Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak today and owner Jerry Buss on Friday that could determine the course of his coaching career. The critical conference would appear to be Friday's, with Buss, who is said to be more interested in pleasing and re-signing Kobe Bryant than retaining Jackson, whose philosophies Bryant has occasionally disagreed with. Timberwolves center Ervin Johnson has been left unprotected for the NBA expansion draft, which will take place on Tuesday when the Charlotte Bobcats begin stocking their roster for their inaugural season, according to a report in the Charlotte Observer. Chuck Daly is perhaps the one living coach who would command the respect of Shaq and Kobe and maybe get them to continue to play together. But Daly is happily semi-retired in Jupiter, Fla., hanging out with Billy Cunningham and Rollie Massimino when he's not consulting for the Grizzlies. When someone told him during the Finals he would be a good darkhorse for the position, he laughed and said, "very dark." Kurt Rambis, who was Phil Jackson's predecessor and is a Lakers assistant coach, is also a candidate for the head job. Pat Riley is a long-shot to return to Los Angeles because he is under contract for one more season with the Miami Heat and his deal includes ownership of the team. A report in Wednesday's Newark Star-Ledger reported league officials were hopeful Jay Williams would play in the Jersey Shore Basketball League, a summer league that features prominent college players. Williams, a Plainfield, N.J., native, has made progress in his daily rehab sessions. But Kevin Bradbury, Williams' business manager, said Williams isn't yet in playing shape. Williams will work his basketball camp, the Pocono Invitational, from July 25-29 and remains hopeful he can return to the NBA by the second half of next season. A buyout agreement allows the Bulls to re-sign Williams if he does return, although both scenarios are considered long shots by team officials. Who Knew? Turns out the Pistons were the first home team to win the three middle games in a 2-3-2 NBA Finals. The Fort Wayne Pistons, that is. Back in 1955, the first season with the 24-second clock, Fort Wayne and Syracuse met in the Finals in a 2-3-2 format that later was abandoned. The home team won every game. The Knicks can only hope Detroit tries to squeeze Rasheed Wallace on number of years. As far as a sign-and-trade, Pistons prez Joe Dumars is not champing at the bit for Kurt Thomas. Three times, the Celtics said "No, thanks" to Ben Wallace. Five teams traded away Chauncey Billups. Rasheed Wallace has been viewed as one part loony, one part dynamite keg. Michael Jordan gave up on Richard Hamilton. Mehmet Okur and Tayshaun Prince are the only Pistons regulars who have not played elsewhere. But they all are champions after their stunning rout of the Lakers Tuesday night. "We call ourselves the misfits because the NBA overlooked us," said reserve guard Mike James, formerly of Miami and Boston. "We're a team, and teams win." As for Phil Jackson, Charley Rosen thinks he'll sit out one year, then start looking for another job. Rosen doesn't think the Knicks would be a good fit because, "I don't think he'd be compatible with Isiah [Thomas.]." Posted June 17, by Ben Maller Discuss in the Forums | Link Charley Rosen, Phil Jackson's old comrade and biographer, said the Laker coach's inability to transform Kobe Bryant into a team player is going to force him to head out of Hollywood. Following the Lakers' humiliating 4-1 Finals ouster at the hands of the Pistons late Tuesday night, Jackson stepped up to the podium, with four of his kids behind him, and admitted only a "pretty slim chance" existed of him returning as Lakers coach. Rosen says Jackson believes he can no longer reach Kobe or get him to execute the triangle offense and feels he failed to make him a less-selfish player. Jackson is also tired of "patching up relationships" in the Laker locker room, Rosen said. Bob Lanier is among the candidates to become the head of basketball operations for the New Orleans Hornets, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Lanier, who played for five seasons in Milwaukee, has worked for the NBA league office in a variety of roles in recent years. The newspaper said besides Lanier, the Hornets also are considering Willis Reed and Clyde Drexler for the job. Joe Dumars also will work to keep Mehmet Okur in the fold. That might be tough. Although Okur is a restricted free agent and, all things being equal, would prefer to remain a Piston, several teams seem poised to make him lucrative contract offers ? Phoenix, Utah, Atlanta, Miami, Orlando and Houston, among others. If the Pistons re-sign Wallace, Okur knows he would again be playing a reserve role in Detroit. He also knows that sooner or later, the Pistons will have to find playing time for Darko Milicic. So, his choice could come down to this: Stay in Detroit and play a supporting role on a winning team, or go to lesser team and play a larger role. The small item of a broken hand seems to have gotten lost in the confetti, cheering, trophy presentations, and all the other hoopla from the Pistons winning the NBA title. Yep, there was one small casualty that came out of Tuesday?s celebration: Darko Milicic, who played the last two minutes of the game, suffered a broken bone in his right hand. Milicic appeared to injure his hand while taking a jump shot, as a Lakers defender hit him. He held the hand and begged to come out of the game, but Coach Larry Brown told Milicic to keep going. Rasheed Wallace, acquired in February, is an unrestricted free agent, and after the clincher Tuesday night, he said he?d talk first with his family about his future. It?s hard to imagine him leaving the Pistons now, even for the lure of New York. But if his mind does stray, he should remember what he felt in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, as the celebration churned and his teammates gushed. If Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson leave, Shaquille O'Neal might be looking at a rebuilding situation, especially if the Lakers don't sign and trade Bryant. In that case, it might be best for O'Neal and the Lakers to part. Few teams could afford to offer good value in a trade for O'Neal next season and retain championship pieces around him. He is due $29 million in 2004-05 to go with the $32 million the next season. The Indiana Pacers, Houston Rockets and Phoenix Suns -- all teams with one outstanding young big man -- have expressed interest in adding Tracy McGrady. According to one source, the Magic have asked the Pacers for as many as four players -- Ron Artest, Al Harrington, Jamaal Tinsley and Jonathan Bender -- in exchange for McGrady. To make it fit under salary-cap rules, the Magic would have to send at least one other player, likely Juwan Howard. Orlando Magic owner Rich DeVos says he expects to meet with his frustrated superstar, Tracy McGrady, tonight or Friday to "see where Tracy's heart is." And DeVos hopes it is in the right place: Orlando. "I'll find out when I get through [talking with McGrady]," DeVos told the Sentinel on Wednesday from his home near Grand Rapids, Mich. "I like the kid, and I hope he stays. But if he wants to stay, I want him to say it wholeheartedly." Although a report has surfaced that the team is listening to trade offers, McGrady says he will go into the meeting with DeVos with "an open mind," even if most signs have pointed to his departure. In preparation for next week's draft in New York, Billy Knight put five top guard prospects through 90 minutes of drills Wednesday at Philips Arena as the Hawks begin rebuilding from last year's 28-54 campaign. Led by NCAA player of the year Jameer Nelson of St. Joseph's, the workout also included Ben Gordon of national champion Connecticut, Devin Harris of Wisconsin, Royal Ivey of Texas and Shaun Livingston of Peoria (Ill.) High School. "We're not going to look at it like we're going to fill a certain position," Knight said. "We're still going to try to pick the best player." An NBA source, speaking under condition of anonymity, confirmed yesterday the Washington Wizards will make Jerry Stackhouse, Juan Dixon and Christian Laettner available to the Charlotte Bobcats when the NBA conducts its expansion draft Tuesday. Did you Know? Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant combined for 246 of the Lakers' 409 Finals points (60.1 percent). Karl Malone returned Wednesday to Los Angeles on a private jet with Dwight Manley and their Newport Beach neighbor, Kobe Bryant. Derek Fisher also did not board the team charter, but the rest of the Lakers flew from Detroit midmorning, arrived early afternoon, and went on with their lives, three wins short of the organization's 15th NBA title. As many as a million Detroit Pistons fans are expected today to cheer their hometown heroes at a downtown parade and rally, followed by a victory celebration at The Palace of Auburn Hills. ?We are going to enjoy this,? said Pistons forward Darvin Ham. Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who won her Finals bet with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, shipped off a Pistons jersey and Michigan food items that Arnold has to eat while wearing the jersey. And she wants photographic proof. Wait a second -- what kind of bet is that? The Heat said Wednesday it will sign TV announcer Eric Reid to a new contract and has no interest in Marv Albert, who left Madison Square Garden Network this week after 35 years as the voice of the Knicks. Newsday reported Albert was ''checking out inquiries from the Heat,'' but Miami denied hearing from his representative. She nailed the national anthem at Tiger Stadium in 1999. She pulled a miracle on national TV with an operatic aria at the Grammys. Her voice has dazzled live audiences for decades. So what in the world would compel Aretha Franklin to lip-synch "The Star Spangled Banner" before a basketball game? The official answer: She didn't. Despite what appeared on Tuesday night television sets to be a massively clumsy disconnect between mouth and sound, Franklin was indeed singing live before the Pistons' triumphant championship game. At least that's the word from representatives with the Pistons and Franklin's staff. Whatever happened to Jake O'Donnell? Then: One of the NBA's best and most popular referees for 29 seasons, 1966-95, whose storied career featured 23 appearances in the NBA Finals (39 games) and 279 playoff games. No: Happily retired in the mountains of Roaring Gap, N.C.; most proud of his son, Jim, a 4.0 student at the University of Florida, whom he raised after the death of his wife several years ago...Age 67...Avid golfer...Doesn't follow NBA. Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups, the NBA Finals MVP, visited New York City on Wednesday, all to make a famous Indiana Pacers fan eat a little crow. Billups was a guest on CBS?s ?Late Show with David Letterman,? telling all about the Pistons? NBA title. Letterman, a native of Indianapolis, openly pulled for the Pacers to beat the Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals. Ben Maller.com
The magic should do the pacers trade they could get a whole new starting line up almost with those players
Ha, if Orlando does that, magic s gonna be as powerful as Pacers this year, with big Oneal stead of small oneal
There is no way that the pacers would agree to that deal. WHY would the pacers agree to a deal that takes away everybody but O'neal?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting bigknick06:</div><div class="quote_post">There is no way that the pacers would agree to that deal. WHY would the pacers agree to a deal that takes away everybody but O'neal?</div> Well because they get T-mac and J Howard. Artest is ok, but having O'neal with T-Mac and Howard cleaning the boards would but the Pacers over in the East. They still would have Reggie. Plus they could offer a freeagent a Mid level contract. Plus Larry is a solid GM.
