Just how will the next version of Phoenix Suns basketball look? Will a superstar like Kobe Bryant or Tracy McGrady be donning the new orange uniforms? Will an old friend like Steve Nash return home and lead the Suns back to the playoffs. Will free agent Manu Ginobili leave the river walk for the desert? And could Arizona?s Andre Iguodala be playing basketball just a few hours from the McKale Center? So many questions and so few answers right now. Can't think of a more appropriate time to hear Michael Jordan's reason for trading Richard Hamilton for Jerry Stackhouse not long after he'd volunteered to caving under the playoff pressure of having to be the Pistons' go-to guy. From what I'm told, Jordan copped an attitude when informed how much money Hamilton wanted to extend, so he dumped him. If the Suns fail to land Kobe Bryant or Tracy McGrady they could make a serious play at Manu Ginobili, the impressive two-guard from the San Antonio Spurs. Ginobili could get a very rich offer in the neighborhood of $10 million a season from some team and there is a chance that the Spurs may let him go if the price is too high. Ginobili is a sparkplug who would fit in great in Coach Mike D?Antoni?s up tempo system. When asked where the Pistons might be had they not acquired Rasheed Wallace, Coach Larry Brown smiled. ?To be honest, I?d be on the golf course,? he said. ?I like to play golf, but I like this situation better. You know, we gave up some players (Chucky Atkins and Bobby Sura) who were starting to contribute. The guys we lost we all loved and miss, but Rasheed is a special player.? Doc Rivers on being an ESPN/ABC broadcaster and coach of the Boston Celtics at the same time: ?It?s tough,? Rivers said. ?It?s like we?re in the car, and the ESPN guys are listening to me to talk to Danny (Ainge) about the rundown on all the players they are working out. It?s not been the best situation. I need to fulfill my obligation, and so you?re doing both jobs at the same time, and that?s not easy.? There is one advantage to Rivers working both jobs. He?s getting paid to have a front-row seat to scout his two biggest Eastern Conference rivals next season. ?You do get to scout, but not only that, I get to watch the coaches,? Rivers said. ?When you?re this deep in the playoffs and the next round is the Finals, I am watching coaching as much as I am watching the players. I am scouting too, there is no doubt about that. Rip Hamilton is not a superstar and won?t be. That is reserved for people like Shaquille O?Neal, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan. However, Hamilton is reaching star status. Don?t give him a cap and gown just yet but he will be graduating to star status soon. The Suns are trying to move Howard Eisley or Jahidi White to Charlotte along with a first-round pick for a bag of balls. If the Suns move White or Eisley they could get to around $14 million under the salary cap. The carrot they could dangle at Charlotte is the first-round pick that is owed to the Suns by the Cleveland Cavaliers, which they will get the next time the Cavs make the playoffs. Why is it that the Division I men's basketball national player of year, Jameer Nelson, could fall into the draft range of the Denver Nuggets? Some teams see Nelson as another Khalid El-Amin in the making Don?t tell Rasheed Wallace about being one game away from reaching the NBA Finals. Shoot, back in 2000, he was six minutes away. Imagine that. Wallace?s Portland Trail Blazers, in Game 7 of the Western Conference finals, blew a 15-point lead in the fourth quarter and lost to the Los Angeles Lakers, 89-84. ?I?m eager, real eager,? he said, of his opportunity to make amends with the Pistons, who can close out the Pacers and advance to the NBA Finals with a victory in Game 6 tonight. ?Like you said, I was six minutes away when I was in Portland. Now I got a chance to redeem that.? More threats to the old Celtics. The Los Angeles Lakers are going to the NBA Finals again. Last night's 96-90 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves clinched the Western Conference finals, four games to two, and put LA's Hall of Fame ensemble into the championship round against Detroit or Indiana. This means the Lakers have a chance for a 15th flag, which would pull them within one of the Green Team. It also means coach Phil Jackson can win his 10th ring, which would give him one more than Red Auerbach. One of the most bald-faced lies perpetrated by the propaganda machines at ABC, TNT and ESPN is that Reggie Miller should be commended for deferring to Jermaine O'Neal, Artest and Co, and that the NBA's all-time offshore driller and one of its most poisonous pressure players deserves a gold star for accepting a lesser role the last couple years. What a crock! Miller embraced a diminished function, fewer shots and half the payday simply because he can't manufacture points in bunches on a remotely consistent basis (only an occasional game-winner) as he once could. NBA teams get paid for each stage of the postseason, as well as for their position in the final standings. In the Wolves' case, the reward for finishing with the best record in the Western Conference was $224,000. They received $132,456 from the playoff pool for participating in the first round and $157,600 for the second round. The Lakers series was worth another $260,425, for a total of $774,481. That money generally is distributed by team vote among players, coaches and other personnel. The real money kicks in for the NBA Finals: The losing team collects another $1,041,500, and the winners receive $1,571,700. Pacers fan and Indianapolis native Dave Letterman made his presence known Sunday, when his race car won the Indianapolis 500. He then added a taped top-10 list at Game 5. He was in town to see the race but didn?t make it to the Pacers? game later that evening. Here?s Letterman?s top 10 reasons why he?s a Pacers fan, as shown on the Conseco Fieldhouse video board: No. 10: 82 games gives me 82 reasons to drink. No. 9: The Pacers front office can beat any other team?s front office in a pick-up game. No. 8: If you rearrange the letters in Pacers, you get capers, and by God I love the capers. No. 7: Delicious Pacers dogs contain actual bits of basketballs. No. 6: Watch Bobby Leonard broadcast without pants. No. 5: Some teams give a 100 percent, others 110 percent, the Pacers give 114 percent. No. 4: I like saying Detlef Schrempf. No. 3: The Pacers are getting very close to signing Barry Bonds. No. 2: They were nice enough to look the other way when Mom ran out on the court to kiss Reggie Miller. No. 1: Jermaine O?Neal is having everybody over for dessert and coffee after the game. Source BenMaller.com
I agree , Rip Hamilton is one of my favorites but there are only five perennial SUPERSTARS in this league, Shaq,Kobe, T-Mac, KG, and TD.
I disagree; you wouldn't say that Jason Kidd is a superstar? He's the best point guard in the league and his skills rival those of Magic. Of course, you have to include AI when you talk about superstars- not only does he have the skills (at least he did a year ago), but he is one of the most popular players in the world- his jerseys and shoes are among the most popular in the league.
