Slam Dunk Central

I guess the presence of newly hired coach Larry Brown was reason enough to let a higher-up go - ask Sam Vincent; according to Peter Vecsey of the New York Post, the Charlotte Bobcats have terminated the contract of Bernie Bickerstaff yesterday.  Bickerstaff had a year remaining on his $1 million a year contract.  It is being rumored that he is an actual candidate for the Knicks’ vacant general manager position and possibly as a mentor to Mark Jackson, assuming Jackson is hired by the Knicks as their next coach.

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The New York Knicks’ list of coaching candidates gets narrower by the day as according to Marc Berman of the New York Post and verified by sources familiar with the Knicks’ situation, the list of candidates has been narrowed down to two - Mark Jackson and Mike D’Antoni; Walsh has the pleasant dilemma of whether to go with the more seasoned D’Antoni or the new kid on the block (although very familiar to Knicks fans) Jackson.  Walsh has said that despite reports floating around saying otherwise, he has not offered the position to any candidate.

There’s some pros and cons to Jackson being the next Knicks coach; first the pros: Jackson is a players’ coach.  Because he has played the game and obviously knows the game, that is to his benefit.  Assuming that Knicks guard Stephon Marbury is re-signed, Marbury will benefit under Jackson as they have a good relationship.  But there’s the very real possibility that Marbury will not be re-signed by the team, so that is a factor.  Now the cons: Jackson has never coached at the professional level.  That doesn’t mean that he will be unsuccessful at that level - it is just a fact that deserves to be pointed out. 

Now the good and bad in D’Antoni’s case: D’Antoni is a proven commodity; he utilizes the fast-break offense which worked for the Phoenix Suns for a number of years (before the trade for Shaquille O’Neal).  The Knicks have the deep pockets to nab D’Antoni as it looks like his asking price is in the $5 million a year or so range, so money isn’t the issue here.  And Dolan has said on more than one occasion that he will spend what it takes to help the Knicks lose the “laughingstock” label that’s been tagged on them.  Also working in D’Antoni’s favor with his situation with the Knicks is the fact that the Chicago Bulls probably will not spend what D’Antoni is demanding to hire their next coach.

So in essence, it is a 2-horse race: Jackson and D’Antoni.  The Knicks are waiting to see what the Bulls will offer D’Antoni before proceeding further; in the meantime, Jackson waits.  I think the Knicks can put this all to rest if they hire Jackson, and here’s why: while Jackson is brand new, he has the New York connection, he knows his basketball and is by and large a players’ coach.  The Knicks, no matter who they choose as coach, are not going to be sniffing the playoffs immediately, so why not give the shot to Jackson?  The head coach doesn’t make the personnel decisions, and personally, I do not see how even D’Antoni can right the Knicks’ ship, even with his pedigree.  When you weigh the pros and cons and also factor in the Knicks’ current roster, I feel that Jackson is the better fit - at a better price.

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The Associated Press reported Thursday that the NBA announced the All NBA-Team for the 2007-2008 campaign. Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant was the only member of the squad that was an unanimous choice by the voters. The remaining players honored were New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul, Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James, Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett, and Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard. The second All NBA-Team featured Phoenix Suns forward Amare Stoudemire, his teammate guard Steve Nash, Utah Jazz guard Deron Williams, Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki, and San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan. Houston Rockets center Yao Ming, his teammate guard Tracy McGrady, Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce, Utah Jazz forward Carlos Boozer, and San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili made up the third team.

 © Copyright 2008 thesackattack.com    

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The “New York Daily News” reported Thursday that former New York Knicks point guard Mark Jackson still appears to have the inside track to becoming the next head coach of the New York Knicks. Jackson has been one of many candidates that Team President Donnie Walsh has interviewed for the job but according to our old friends “Unnamed Club Sources” Jackson who was one of the first names to surface in the media still is considered the heir apparent.

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The “Dallas Morning News” Thursday reported that a deal between the Dallas Mavericks and Rick Carlisle to become the new Mavericks head coach should be finalized on Thursday, and should be announced on Friday. Carlisle will replace Avery Johnson who was fired after the team from “Big D” lost to the New Orleans Hornets in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Carlisle will become the ninth head coach since the team joined the Association. Carlisle had previously been head coach of the Indiana Pacers, and the Detroit Pistons.

© Copyright 2008 thesackattack.com    

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While employing certain tactical strategies during a basketball game can define the outcome more often than not, there are some that may be revisited during the NBA Competition Committee meeting in Orlando at the end of the month.  NBA commissioner David Stern, according to J.A. Adande of ESPN.com, said on Wednesday that the league will consider changing its rules on fouls away from the basket along with reviewing the use of instant replay for game clock malfunctions.

Specifically, Stern told reporters at Staple Center, “I think there are two subjects that are going to get some attention by the competition committee.  No. 1 is review on clock situations.  And No. 2 is the whole intentional fouls away from the play etc.  I don’t know what the results will be in each one, but I think those are worthy of some considered attention.”  Stern’s comments no doubt refer to the situation in Detroit where a 3-pointer by Chauncey Billups was allowed; the league later admitted the shot should not have counted.  Under current rules in the league, the play was not reviewable because officials (the referees)  are allowed to utilize replay only if a shot went in and the clock expired.

Stern stated that if replay was expanded, the technology would have be such as to where it would have to be done in “real time” in order for a fair ruling could take place on the floor after a play review.  I like the idea of expanded replay, although it would somewhat take away the human element of the game itself.  Secondly, the “Hack-A-Shaq” rule that Stern seems to be advocating is a bad idea as it takes away a strategy that has been around forever.  Most NBA fans remember that Wilt Chamberlain went through the same thing himself - and he was a notoriously bad free-throw shooter.  Granted, the replay rule may hold some merit, but the fouling rule isn’t a good idea, in my estimation.

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If anything else, you cannot accuse Washington Wizards point guard Gilbert Arenas of a lack of loyalty to his teammates - at least one of them, anyways; According to Arenas as stated on his blog at NBA.com, he and forward Antawn Jamison are a package deal yet again in any future negotiations involving both of them.  Arenas states, “If he doesn’t come back, I’m not coming back.  If Antawn is not back, then there’s no point in me coming back because he’s part of my success, too.”

Based on the comments alone, Arenas appears serious.  He made similar comments before back in March to the Washington Post, even hinting at possibly taking a pay-cut to ensure that Jamison remains a Wizard.  To Arenas’ credit, he is letting Jamison take his time to make his decision; in my opinion, it is critical to the Wizards’ future success to get Jamison and Arenas signed as soon as humanly possible.  When healthy, Arenas and Jamison are a very potent 1-2 punch for Washington, and there’s not many in the league like them.  Jamison had one of his better seasons, averaging 21.4 PPG and 10.2 RPG while finishing tied for 8th in the NBA with 44 double-doubles.

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The Associated Press reported Wednesday that the Indiana Pacers have promoted former Vice President of Basketball Operations David Morway to General Manager. Morway who has been with the team for ten years will now work even closer than he has with President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird. Morway will be in charge of salary cap issues as well as decisions in personnel. Bird told reporters that he is glad to have Morway in his new position.

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The Associated Press reported Wednesday that New Jersey Nets forward Richard Jefferson was arrested on Wednesday in Minneapolis on a charge of assault stemming from an incident earlier this year. The report says that Jefferson, was charged with assaulting a man on January 27, as the Nets were in the city to play the Timberwolves. The man pressing the charges says that he was having a private party in a club at a downtown Minneapolis hotel, his section of the club was roped off from the rest of the establishment. The man alleges that Jefferson came into the section without an invitation, and when asked  to leave started to choke the man.  Jefferson’s first court hearing is scheduled for June 18, a spokesman for the Nets had no comment on the case. Jefferson’s agent could not be reached for comment.

 © Copyright 2008 thesackattack.com    

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It was without a doubt a long and grueling season for Houston Rockets swingman Tracy McGrady, and the physical wear-and-tear apparently showed; according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, McGrady on Tuesday underwent some arthroscopic surgeries to remove some loose bodies from both his knee and shoulder and to repair a slightly torn labrum in the same shoulder.  Based on input from Rockets team doctor Tom Clanton, they found no structural damage in the ligament or cartilage of McGrady’s left knee.

McGrady missed 12 games in December and January with an assortment of injuries, including a strained tendon, patellar tendinitis and a bruised bone in the knee.  Soreness in the knee flared up during the Rockets’ series with the Utah Jazz, and it was reflected in his play.  That aside, McGrady is expected to recover fully in 3 months’ time, although he can begin the rehabilitation process in the next week or so.

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