Some of the richest, strongest, most fortunate and famous people in the world are unhappy. Yes, NBA players are back, and man, is life tough with an average annual salary of about $3.5 million.
There’s Minnesota’s Sam Cassell, who skipped the opening of training camp because he doesn’t like the contract he signed when he was with the Milwaukee Bucks. Cassell pointed out that the Timberwolves didn’t do anything until he and Latrell Sprewell got there, so he deserves an extension on his approximately $6 million annual salary. Sprewell, in his final season and making $14.6 million, said he might have to leave and look for another team if the money isn’t right.
There’s New Jersey’s Jason Kidd, who wants to be traded, angering his teammates by saying, “We’re not going to win a championship this year or next year, not with the caliber of guys we have right now.” He then declined to attend the second of two-a-day practices because he’s rehabilitating from knee surgery.
This is classic coach-killing Kidd, who embraced Lawrence Frank last season after getting Byron Scott fired and now is turning on Frank.
Teammate Alonzo Mourning, who got a $23 million contract from the Nets despite declining to take a physical, is making another ill-advised comeback after kidney-transplant surgery. He said he’s disappointed because he came to the Nets to win a title and “now, looking on paper, I don’t think we have a chance at doing that at all.”
The $23 mil? Certainly someone owed him that.
Oh, it gets better. There’s New Orleans’ Baron Davis and Jamaal Magloire. Davis said he wants to be traded, and Magloire said he has to look out for himself now that the team has banned personal trainers. Both brought their trainers to the first day of camp anyway, and Davis later said he’d do his stretching outside in the street. Magloire’s personal trainer is his former high school coach and Davis’ was his AAU coach.
And there’s Denver draft bust Nikoloz Tskitishvili, who wants to be traded. Portland’s Ruben Patterson wants to be traded because it appears the Trail Blazers will start Shareef Abdur-Rahim to increase his trade value. The Knicks’ Tim Thomas said he still wants to fight Kenyon Martin after their run-in during the playoffs, and Martin, now in Denver, sucker-punched new teammate Nene in a recent scrimmage.
And the Knicks want to trade Shandon Anderson and Kurt Thomas, whom they see as a backup to Michael Sweetney.
On the other hand
But not everyone’s unhappy. In fact, some guys are downright giddy, like Orlando’s Grant Hill.
He’s ready. No, really. He is.
“This is the most fun I’ve been having in years,” said the former NBA All-Star, who hasn’t played in almost two years. “Like everyone in camp, there’s some soreness. And I’m rusty, no question. But, yeah, it’s comical.
“I know: same old, same old. Like Bill Murray in `Groundhog Day.’ But things finally turned out good for him.”
So far, fingers and toes crossed, things look good for Hill. He’s running well and cutting sharply on his four-times-repaired ankle. But this is his last comeback.
“Five times and you’re out,” Hill said in a telephone interview, adding that he was running out of suits for sitting on the bench.
The Magic certainly was running out of patience, and Hill acknowledged being approached about retiring so the team could get his salary off its books. Hill said he runs into fans who ask him what he does now, and even his neighbors wonder why he’s trying again. One of Hill’s Orlando neighbors is Shaquille O’Neal.
“Shaq asked me why this summer,” Hill said. “I really love playing. And I believe I can beat this.”
Just happy to be here
The other really happy guy is Horace Jenkins, an NBA rookie at 29 with his first guaranteed contract for about $350,000. “Wow, wow, wow,” Jenkins repeated to reporters at the opening of Pistons camp.
The Pistons are looking for a repeat. He just wants to be in the NBA.
Jenkins’ is a rare sports story.
He was another of those voracious teenage basketball nuts–eat, drink and sleep the game and all that. But his girlfriend had his child when he was 19, so he quit school and basketball to support his family, taking jobs as an electrician and as a postal worker.
He got some security for his family and continued to play basketball at neighborhood parks. He was spotted by a coach from Division III William Patterson College and went there and played basketball.
He then played in Europe, where he was spotted by Pistons GM Joe Dumars while Dumars was watching tape of another player. The Pistons signed him for their summer league team, and now he has a chance to become Chauncey Billups’ backup.
Jenkins now has three kids with his wife, and perhaps an NBA future.
“I actually felt goose bumps when I pulled on the uniform,” Jenkins said. “I told myself, `I’m here, I’m really here.'”
Numbers game
Preseason is always big business in uniform numbers. Cleveland’s Jeff McInnis wanted $25,000 to give Drew Gooden No. 0, so Gooden will wear 90, a combination of his two NBA numbers. Indiana’s Ron Artest will wear his third NBA number, No. 91, to honor Dennis Rodman. Said Artest: “When I look back on my career, I want to have a lot of jerseys.” Artest wore No. 23 the last two seasons to honor Michael Jordan and said he’s considering the numbers of John Paxson and Steve Kerr in the future.
Meanwhile, the league said it is considering a rule to limit the number of different uniform numbers a player can wear in his career.
Lamar Odom got No. 7 from the Lakers’ Brian Cook for a four-figure payment. Cook asked for his college No. 34, but that was Shaquille O’Neal’s, so the Lakers gave Cook No. 43.
Incredible shrinking man
The Spurs are now listing Tim Duncan at 6 feet 11 inches, though he always had been listed at 7 feet. Duncan is actually about 6-10, but the Spurs liked the twin 7-footers designation with David Robinson. . . . It might be back to the CBA for long-troubled Leon Smith, who was waived by Seattle. . . . Las Vegas oddsmakers must like the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant. The opening odds for NBA champion are: San Antonio 7-2, followed by the Lakers and Pistons at 9-2, Sacramento at 5-1, Minnesota at 11-2, Indiana at 6-1 and Miami at 13-2.
Style points?
Wonder how those self-proclaimed New York basketball purists are going to like the Stephon Marbury-Jamal Crawford backcourt. Team President Isiah Thomas is saying Allan Houston’s role will diminish substantially even if he’s healthy.
Said Marbury: “There will be a lot of between-the-legs stuff. Jamal is very athletic and plays with a flair the way I do. You’ve got two guys with trickery to their game, and that’s beautiful.”
Shooting star
Reggie Miller is giving big hints this is his final season, though he has an option to extend his contract through 2005-06. “If I were a Pacer fan here in Indiana, I would definitely tell them every home game in town to come on down,” Miller said. “If I were a Pacer fan in another city, I would tell them to check the schedule and see when Indiana comes to town.”
Teammate Jermaine O’Neal worked out with Miller this summer in Los Angeles and said Miller told him that this season might be his last.
Only in the NBA
So what do the rich and famous do? The favorite off-season pursuit of the Cavaliers’ LeBron James is flag football, and he regularly outfits friends with equipment at the field outside his mansion. . . . It’s tough to clean up a mess. Portland’s Qyntel Woods is being investigated by animal services for allegedly abandoning injured dogs that would no longer fight for him. He denies the accusation. . . . Ex-Heat player Rony Seikaly and supermodel wife Elsa Benitez will get to buy front-row season tickets after initially being denied when Shaquille O’Neal’s arrival raised the demand. . . . The 76ers say they’ll switch Allen Iverson to point guard with Eric Snow’s departure for Cleveland. . . . The Kings’ Greg Ostertag broke his hand in a fall in his home, and teammate Chris Webber sat out most of last week’s practices with knee irritation.
The last word
Dallas’ Shawn Bradley on the Mavericks adding Erick Dampier: “We’ve got enough centers now that maybe Nellie (coach Don Nelson) will have to play one of us.”
