So, does this change everything, the Cavs — yes, the Cavs — in the NBA Finals?
Look, this is what everyone was saying, that any team from among five or six in the Eastern Conference could go to the Finals. No one knew which. But the Cavs? It’s tougher to digest when it happens, and which starter other than LeBron James would you want from that team?
But they got there, and we all aren’t the Pistons.
“I believe [we’re better], I really do,” Chauncey Billups said after a conference finals series in which the Pistons probably didn’t deserve to win one game. “There’s nobody on that team who is better than ours. And maybe I’m crazy, maybe I’ve got too much confidence in these guys, but I believe in us. I believe we’re the better team.
“Did we back it up? No, we didn’t. But I still think we’re better.”
Billups is a free agent, and after his poor series the talk is he’ll have no serious option but to return to the Pistons, and probably at substantially less money than he was considering a month ago.
So no, teams aren’t going to start stacking up, like they did with big guys to counter Shaq, or big guards to deal with Michael. Is there a LeBron stopper out there? Probably not, and it’s not likely to be Bruce Bowen this week.
It might look bad for the Bulls in light of the way they lost to the Pistons, though it hardly seems time for drastic action. But this is the issue the Bulls — and everyone in the East — has faced since James was drafted. Would he become the next Jordan, not necessarily in style but in domination? Are the Bulls on the road to becoming the Cavs of the late ’80s, the better overall team with more all-around talent, but lacking the best player on the floor? That’s also what James has to prove.
As for the Pistons, figure it’s over on some level.
With his final meltdown and ejection, Rasheed Wallace has probably received his last technical in a Pistons uniform. With only two years left on his contract, though at an average of about $13.5 million, Wallace has some appeal.
The consensus is Knicks GM Isiah Thomas will be thwarted by the Lakers in trying to get Jermaine O’Neal and by the Sonics in some form of sign and trade or straight free agency for Rashard Lewis. Wallace talked about going to the Knicks before he re-signed with the Pistons in 2004.
RIP Howard Porter
Services for Howard Porter were conducted Saturday in Minneapolis, where he was found beaten to death on May 26. Additional services will be held this week at Villanova, where he led the team to the 1971 NCAA championship game as the tournament’s most outstanding player, and in Sarasota, Fla., where he was born and raised.
Porter, 58, remained in Minnesota after treatment for drug addiction at Hazelden Center and turned his life around, becoming a probation officer and a mentor to youngsters.
Porter, known as “Geezer,” was one of Villanova’s all-time greats, averaging 22.8 points and 14.8 rebounds for his career.
But his NBA career was a disappointment. It started with the Bulls, and it represents one of the most bizarre footnotes in franchise history. It involves Jerry Krause, then their chief scout. Dick Motta was the coach, and the Bulls were embarking on a great era that never produced a championship.
Motta had long blamed Krause for recommending Jimmy Collins as the No. 1 draft pick in 1970. The current UIC coach was a star at New Mexico State but fizzled in the pros. Motta claimed he wanted Nate Archibald from UTEP, who went on to a Hall of Fame career. Various versions of these stories exist, but Motta supposedly lacked trust in Krause’s judgment and began doing his own scouting.
He might have been better off relying on Krause. Motta turned the Bulls around as coach in 1970-71 and gained clout in the organization. He saw Porter play in Philadelphia’s hotly competitive “Big Five” games and was sold, but little did anyone know Porter had already signed with the ABA’s Pittsburgh Condors and was flashing big bills around. When the signing came to light later, Villanova’s tournament wins were vacated, along with Porter’s MVP award.
Krause had been warning the Bulls about Porter, but Motta was now king of the developing franchise with Bob Love, Chet Walker, Tom Boerwinkle and Jerry Sloan.
Porter’s stock rose after his NCAA tournament showing and he reneged on his ABA signing. The Bulls drafted him and made a huge offer beyond what any of the team’s regulars were making, which would lead to issues that eventually destroyed the team.
The disaster started when Porter showed up at training camp. He couldn’t defend at all and was lost in the NBA game. The Bulls still prospered and won 57 games, thanks in part to Krause pushing for rookie surprise Cliff Ray and a trade for Norm Van Lier. Porter stayed deep on the bench for three seasons as the highest paid reserve in the NBA. He remained a favorite from his college days and fans constantly chanted for him to enter games.
He was eventually dealt to the Knicks and later had a brief, good run with the Pistons, averaging 13.2 points for a Bob Lanier-led team in 1977. Porter left the NBA with career averages of 9.2 points and 4.1 rebounds and was soon back home, broke and living with his mother before entering rehab.
Nice knowing you, Nazr
Nazr Mohammed has probably played his last game for the Pistons. Despite getting a $30 million free-agent contract in the off-season to replace Ben Wallace, Mohammed had played just four minutes in the playoffs when he came into Game 6 of the conference finals and fouled surprising hero Daniel Gibson on a three-pointer. It seemed a fitting end to a disappointing season for the Kenwood High product, who was almost a Bull.
The Bulls are said to have told Mohammed they’d likely sign him, but would make a last bid for Wallace. The Bulls believed the Pistons would match on Wallace, but they didn’t and instead signed Mohammed, who quickly fell out of favor in the rotation and stopped playing once Chris Webber was signed. But coaches say he never complained and never stopped working.
“This has been a great group of guys to hang around with,” Mohammed said. “I don’t know where I’ll be [next season], whether it’s the Pistons or not, but I can’t complain.”
Woulda, coulda, shoulda
It’s the refrain of many teams, and Bulls special assistant Jim Paxson can empathize.
Paxson, brother of Bulls GM John Paxson and the former Cavs GM, handed the Cavs what turned out to be a Finals team two years ago when he was fired with new ownership coming in. Paxson drew the lucky number to draft LeBron James and left the Cavs with Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Drew Gooden, Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic. Paxson got Varejao, the 30th pick in the 2004 draft, from Orlando with Gooden for Tony Battie and two second-round picks. Paxson got Pavlovic, the 19th pick in 2003, from expansion Charlotte for a future No. 1.
Paxson also may have saved the franchise by dealing Shawn Kemp’s huge contract, which later enabled the Cavs to stock up after Paxson was fired. They had $28 million in cap room and signed Larry Hughes and Donyell Marshall. Maybe it wasn’t the greatest use of the money, but it helped persuade James to re-up for three years.
“Watching last night and seeing them win was bittersweet in a way,” Paxson said Sunday. “But I’m so proud of those guys and how they played and how they handled it. I’m happy for the city and guys like Z [Ilgauskas], who could have quit and taken the money [when he was hurt]. We went through some difficult times, but it feels good now watching the team compete at the level it is and knowing you had a part in that.”
Speaking Cavalierly
James’ girlfriend is due to deliver the couple’s second child the night of a potential Finals Game 5 in Cleveland. … It was interesting to see James jump into Ilgauskas’ arms once the Cavs clinched their trip to the Finals. “Me and him have been through a lot since he came out of high school,” Ilgauskas said.
Finally …
With rumors of their interest continuing, the Bulls are one of the teams scheduled to go to Los Angeles to watch Chinese prospect Yi Jian-lian work out. … The Bulls also are heading to Washington this week for a look at Georgetown’s Jeff Green, who is said to be considering a return to school.
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sasmith@tribune.com
