The whole articles a pretty decent read.........last part is prolly the most interesting...I wonder if Karl will actually try n trade Melo?
Easy being green
Celtics' moves make them faves to win Atlantic
Antoine Walker (r.) is donning Celtic green again - as is Gary Payton (below), who was in deal to bring Walker back to Boston, but then waived by Hawks.
You really couldn't judge the winners and losers from the Feb. 24 trading deadline until this past Tuesday, when teams were allowed to pick up players off waivers and make them eligible for the playoffs. On this scorecard, here's who won and lost:
Boston - Give an A to Danny Ainge, who had done nothing but match Isiah Thomas, bad move for bad move, since he took over the Celtics. Ainge understands that Paul Pierce is vastly better when Antoine Walker is on the floor as his teammate - it's a chemistry thing - so he worked out a way to bring Walker back from the Hawks.
Ainge then had to address his point guard position, because he moved Gary Payton to Atlanta in the Walker deal and was left with unproven Delonte West and Marcus Banks to run his club. Maybe it was prearranged and maybe it wasn't, but as soon as Payton was dealt, everyone knew that he would be making a U-turn. Sure enough, the Hawks waived him, he cleared waivers, and is back starting for the Celtics.
Several GMs privately called it a case of cap-circumvention, also noting a similar maneuver that the Mavericks pulled with the Bucks in getting back Alan Henderson, who went to Milwaukee in the Keith Van Horn deal.
"What the Celtics did looks funny and should be scrutinized," said one Western Conference GM. "But who's going to blow the whistle?"
Nobody. Not when they would have done exactly what Boston and Dallas did, if in their shoes. Mavs owner Mark Cuban said there was no prearranged deal, even though one of his assistant coaches, Del Harris, and his son, Bucks GM Larry Harris, were said to be have worked out the arrangement.
"We didn't know they were going to waive him," Cuban said last week via email. "When they did, what else were we going to use the roster spot for?"
Compared to Payton's return to Boston, Henderson was a minor move. The Celtics should now lock up the Atlantic Division.
Philadelphia - During one of Chris Webber's first games with the Sixers, he sat down on the bench and said, loudly enough for a few teammates to hear: "I can't wait 'til this year is over." Nice attitude, huh? Well, nobody said that being No. 2 to Allen Iverson was going to be easy. Vince Carter has embraced his second-fiddle status with the Nets, but he still gets his shots, while Jason Kidd has all the pressure of being the No. 1 guy. But Webber is clearly struggling in his new role.
"It's not necessarily about me and A.I. being on the same page," Webber said. "It's just two different philosophies. That's all I can say. You just have to see if you can fit that philosophy."
Webber is having a tough time with coach Jim O'Brien's philosophy. O'Brien runs full-contact practices and even requires his players to have their ankles taped for contact in pregame shoot-arounds - a practice not heard of since Pat Riley used to put the Heat through three-hour, kamikaze shoot-arounds in preseason. With his mobility limited because of his knee troubles, Webber isn't thrilled about full-contact sessions, just as he expressed his displeasure when O'Brien said that they want him to attack out on pick-and-rolls. "I can't do that," Webber told teammates. "My first step is not there."
Detroit - When the Pistons signed Elden Campbell, after the Nets arranged a buyout with him, Chauncey Billups raved, "We're whole again, man." Campbell's return could be huge if and when the Pistons have to meet the Heat in the playoffs. He had quality minutes vs. Shaquille O'Neal in the Finals last June.
Indiana - The Pacers added a much-needed big body in Dale Davis, waived by the Hornets, but their fading playoff hopes took a major blow when Jermaine O'Neal sprained his right shoulder Thursday in Denver. O'Neal will miss a minimum of five games on the injured list. "I don't know what it is, but things haven't been going our way since Detroit," said Anthony Johnson, referring to the Nov. 19 brawl with the Pistons at Auburn Hills. "Everything seems to be falling to pieces."
O'Neal's status and Orlando's struggles have given playoff hope to teams such as the Nets, even if they don't win the Atlantic.
Losing the Magic touch
A month ago, they were talking in Orlando about giving head coach Johnny Davis an extension. But since the Magic has been on a slide, losing 13 of its last 24 games entering the weekend, word from the front office now is that Davis had better steer the Magic into the postseason.
Davis and GM John Weisbrod are having "philosophical differences" over who should play and how Davis goes about his business. Davis is a quiet, pampering type, while Weisbrod, an ex-hockey player and exec, favors a fiery, confrontational style and has been looking for intensity from his coaching staff.
Davis has tried to shake things up by taking Steve Francis off the ball. Francis had been averaging a whopping 4.1 turnovers per game, fourth-highest in the league, behind only Kobe Bryant (4.4), Dwyane Wade (4.2) and Iverson (4.2). So Davis recently put the ball in the hands of a rookie Jameer Nelson.
But it hasn't been all Stevie Franchise's fault. The Magic coaches complained loudly from the opener that Cuttino Mobley was a defensive liability. That was the impetus for the Mobley-for-Doug Christie trade in early January. Christie has been upset with lack of playing time, missed Friday's game vs. the Knicks and could be headed out the door. But since the deal, there's been no improvement on the defensive end.
Before Friday night, Orlando had given up at least 100 points in 14 of its previous 24 games, with opponents averaging 107 ppg in those 14 games, and the Magic losing nine of them.
Slam Dunks
# Shaquille O'Neal was not happy to hear that Stan Van Gundy doesn't plan on using Shaq and Alonzo Mourning together. "I don't get it," Shaq said. But knowing how O'Neal operates, he will do his best to drive home the point to Van Gundy and Pat Riley until something is worked out to Shaq's satisfaction. Not that Van Gundy is someone who changes his system to fit his personnel. But it wouldn't be the first time that Shaq and Van Gundy have butted heads. Shaq, who turns 33 today, was used to having more days off from practice with Phil Jackson, who handles the regular season entirely differently than Riley and Van Gundy. Suffice to say, Jackson has always placed less of a premium on the 82 games than Riley and his disciples. Also, Shaq feels he had more freedom in Jackson's triangle offense than he does in Miami's system.
# George Karl's benching of Carmelo Anthony in Denver's Feb. 25 overtime win in Memphis caused a stir back in Milwaukee, where executives from the Karl era who know their former coach's MO, are already convinced that he will work to get Anthony traded this summer. Even with 'Melo, who doesn't believe in playing defense, the Nuggets have started shutting down foes in fourth quarters while winning 12 of their last 16 games, entering last night's contest at the Clippers. The surge pulled the Nuggets into a tie with the Lakers heading into the weekend for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The Lakers' remaining schedule is brutal, with 15 of their final 24 games on the road, including stops in Dallas, Washington, Philly, Miami, Denver, San Antonio, Memphis, Phoenix, Seattle and Sacramento.