So the Pistons won’t be beating that 72-10 Bulls record from 1995-96 after losing No. 11 on Saturday night to the Lakers and Phil Jackson. “I thought about that,” Jackson admitted.
Still, the Pistons are cruising toward the top seed in the East while the Bulls are in the ninth spot with a shot at moving up one. Wouldn’t the NBA love that for a first-round playoff matchup? The story lines are already there thanks to Rasheed Wallace’s laughing at and taunting the Bulls in a December Pistons victory and Scott Skiles’ suggesting the Pistons are more whiners than winners in a commentary on their complaining to referees after a Bulls loss last month. Perhaps that’s where Antonio Davis is missed most on a non-confrontational team that needs the coach to do the challenging.
Yet it’s the Pistons whom the Bulls seem to be emulating.
Despite all my scenarios for the Bulls to trade for a star, like Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen or Paul Pierce, it’s most likely they won’t have enough to satisfy other teams without feeling like they are giving away too much. The belief around the team is that the Bulls will move along carefully, using the draft and limited free agency and hoping to fall into a big-time player, like the Pistons did with Wallace.
Says Pistons General Manager Joe Dumars about the attributes that have made them successful: “There’s a common bond between all of our players–they all feel like they have something to prove, each guy is completely unselfish, winning is more important than anything else [and] our guys have total respect for each other.
“I’ve tried to acquire guys that fit on and off the court. It’s vital to your team to have good people. As far as on the court, we’ve tried to get guys that complement each other and understand team concept more than anything else.”
This all started for the Pistons during the coaching regime of Rick Carlisle, who helped transform the team without Grant Hill into a defensive unit in 2001-02 and 2002-03. Skiles has done much the same for the Bulls. As personnel chief, Dumars is an unselfish former player who understands chemistry, not unlike Bulls GM John Paxson.
And then the Pistons were careful in acquisitions. They were both fortunate and smart in persuading Hill to seek a sign-and-trade so they could get Ben Wallace, though they didn’t know how good he would become. They wanted to get younger and more unselfish, exchanging Jerry Stackhouse for Richard Hamilton. They took a chance in free agency with a modest contract on Chauncey Billups because Dumars believes you cannot build by giving maximum contracts.
The Pistons also drafted wisely at No. 23 for Tayshaun Prince and didn’t give up on him when they had a chance to draft Carmelo Anthony at the same position. Though the Darko Milicic pick was a bust, they got a first-round pick from Orlando in exchange and weren’t afraid to make a move that would draw media criticism for the good of the team.
It would be nice to get a star who can draw a double team and score. But if the Bulls are wise in free agency and lucky in the draft, who knows? They were chasing Detroit once and it came out pretty well.
The road to China
The 23 players asked to join the USA Basketball national team for the 2006 world championships and 2008 Olympics were named Sunday, with 21 NBA players plus Adam Morrison of Gonzaga and J.J. Redick of Duke. Omissions included Allen Iverson and Baron Davis, the latter saying he was shocked and appalled.
Team Chairman Jerry Colangelo said there would be no cuts and everyone would be eligible to be picked for the Olympics, though a 12-man team would be named after a camp this summer. So who are the top 12? Here’s one guess: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Dwight Howard, Elton Brand, Shawn Marion, Brad Miller, Chris Paul, Bruce Bowen, Shane Battier, Chris Bosh and Redick.
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Shaquille O’Neal has a standing invitation but is not likely to play, while Billups and Michael Redd are excused for this summer because they are getting married.
Van Gundy is right?!
I don’t often agree with Jeff Van Gundy, who was at it again last week in a never-ending critique of his Rockets, saying “the transition defense was deplorable, the one-on-one defense was horrendous, the help defense was unacceptable, the pick-and-roll defense was non-existent and the shot selection was bizarre.”
Van Gundy was asked about being so critical and noted the irony of being criticized for being one of the rare guys to tell the truth, sort of like Ken Williams on Frank Thomas. Said Van Gundy: “I love when you’re asked a question, you give an honest answer and it’s `ranting.’ If you don’t want an honest answer, don’t ask. [I should] just say, `Everything was great, it’s hard being a NBA player.'”
Pistons well-worn
The Pistons face the Bulls at home in the first game after a withering stretch of 10 games in 10 different cities before the All-Star weekend, and then eight more cities in 12 days afterward. “There are really, really signs of fatigue,” Billups said. Whether the weariness will take its toll has been the question about the Pistons all season with all their starters among the league leaders in minutes played.
Magic like what they see
The Magic has been gushing about Milicic, who is averaging nine points and 7.3 rebounds the last three games. Scouts say he projects as a player who should average about 12 points and eight rebounds.
Allen wants to go home
No surprise that the pleas of Paul Allen, one of the world’s richest men, for public help for his Trail Blazers have been laughed at. Some in Portland believe it’s a gambit to sell the team and buy the SuperSonics, also seeking public support. Allen owns the Seattle Seahawks and lives in Seattle.
Double dribbles
Interesting mix-up for the Clippers, who play the Bulls here Friday, against the Hornets when rookie Yaroslav Korolev went the wrong way. Korolev explained later that the play called for a screen off Vin Baker, but that he didn’t know who Baker was. Baker appeared to be out of the NBA for good after battling alcoholism, depression and weight problems. But he worked out with John Lucas in Houston and was picked up by the Clippers and Mike Dunleavy, one of his former coaches. “Maybe it won’t happen every time down the court, but there will be spurts and moments when I’ll be able to pull some things out of the bag,” Baker said. . . . Wonder if after the season the Rockets would take on Chris Duhon for inconsistent power forward Stromile Swift, whom the Rockets say they want to move. . . . More tales of playing with Steve Nash: When Marion set his career high with 44 points, he said he had two plays called for him (he usually has none) and neither worked.
Final shots
The Bulls host the Nets on Tuesday, and for any of the teams scrambling for the final East playoff spot, sixth place is the target for a likely first-round series with the Nets. They are weak on the front line, don’t defend and their bench is still poor because they failed to get Tim Thomas. Now they’ve been questioning things, like Richard Jefferson’s recent complaint of being excluded from the offense. Said center Jason Collins: “We just need to get our heads out of our [rears] and do a better job on defense.” . . . Former Nuggets coach Jeff Bzdelik, coaching Air Force, and former Hawks and Illini coach Lon Kruger, at UNLV, could meet this week in the Mountain West tournament. Bzdelik is 23-5 while Kruger is 16-12. . . . So just why is it that the University of Illinois has such high admission standards? In one of those personality profiles in a Salt Lake City newspaper, Deron Williams said it’s been “awhile” since he’s read a book, but said he reads magazines and watches at least one movie per day. . . . Latvian-born Warriors forward Andris Biedrins on his $100,000 Porsche Cayenne wrecked in an accident: “It was like my best friend in America.”
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