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Lakers look into acquiring SprewellMitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News writes that as the Lakers are trying to get into the top eight in the Western Conference, and thus the playoffs, they may be looking in the direction of Knicks forward Latrell Sprewell as a possible key. L.A. is trying to find a third scorer to help relieve some of the burden from stars Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, and they have gone as far as holding internal discussions about trading for the Knicks' small forward, even asking Shaq for his input. Two names mentioned from the Lakers have been Derek Fisher and Samaki Walker, but combined the Lakers are roughly $8M short of arriving at a deal which would be accepted by the league. The Knicks, however, continue trying to find other teams who might be interested in Sprewell. "They've got maybe one player I like - Kurt Thomas - because his money matches his talent," said one Western Conference VP, citing the $5 mil Thomas makes this season, and the $5.4 mil for next. "But who wants Spree at his money?" Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Lets make a dealIt is getting into the funny season in the NBA. Yes, that's right, from today there is exactly one month remaining for teams to tweak their rosters to make those playoff runs. Will your team make a deal to make your team better? This time of the year is renowned for its hot air talk, with rumors running rampart and unrealistic deals hitting the papers we read and the sportstalk radio we hear. So who will be discussed this year? The Indiana Pacers were involved in the biggest trade of the period last season when they traded Jalen Rose to the Bulls for Ron Artest, Brad Miller and Ron Mercer. According to Dave Lewandowski of the Indianapolis Star the Pacers again are set to make the headlines this year, but will it only be hot air? The Pacers are a wild card thanks to the impending free agent status of starters Reggie Miller, Brad Miller and Jermaine O'Neal. Team President Donnie Walsh is committed to re-signing all three and all signs appear to point to these players liking Indiana, but with the team quickly looming on the luxury tax threshold it will be very hard to achieve without being penalized. "I'm depending on Donnie to do his magic," co-owner Herb Simon said. The Pacers could certainly do with cap space to make Walsh’s job a little easier, and according to Lewandowski deals talked about over the upcoming month will have everyone from Austin Croshere and the remainder of his four-year, $39 million contract to the injured Jonathan Bender going to a team for a player in the final year of his contract. [RealGM Note: Bender signed an extension this summer and this season still remains on his rookie contract. For this reason he qualifies for the Poison Pill Provision (PPP), a nasty type of Base Year status that makes him very difficult to deal. Ron Artest of the Pacers also fits under this category. For more information on PPP please visit Larry Coon’s CBA FAQ (link available on RealGM left menu)] Gary Payton has already been one name mentioned as a potential acquisition for the Pacers, a deal which the Pacers would be reluctant to do due to the cost involved. Payton has thus far been unbothered by the trade talk. I'm going to keep doing what I'm doing," said Payton. "Trust me. That other stuff, that's not bothering me." Other players likely to be involved in trade talk is Kelvin Cato of the Rockets, Kenny Anderson of the Supersonics, Brian Grant of the Heat, Marcus Camby of the Nuggets, Robert Horry of the Lakers, Jamal Crawford of the Bulls, and Jason Terry of the Hawks. Of these players the most likely to be dealt would be Horry, who Lewandowski states has a cap-friendly contract, his on court performance during the Lakers struggles may just make him available. The other player highly likely to be dealt would be Anderson, whose final year-$9 million contract makes him all that more attractive. Washington and Minnesota, two teams desperate for point guard help, appear to be the obvious suitors. Indiana Pacers, Los Angeles Lakers, Oklahoma City Thunder Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Did Yao hit the wall pre-Shaq?With all the recent controversy surrounding the much anticipated matchup between ‘The Future’ Yao Ming and ‘The Present’ Shaquille O’Neal, could the excitement already have peaked before the two even face off on Friday? If you listen to Houston Chronicle write Dale Robertson Yao Ming has hit the wall. ‘Yao couldn't shoot. Yao couldn't rebound. Too often, Yao couldn't even stay vertical. He had no touch, no rhythm, no mojo. His right foot had turned into a second left one. Could he have been suffering from an early case of the Shaq shakes? Nah. He just stunk. It happens,’ writes Robertson. His coach Rudy Tomjanovich defended Ming, saying that this is just a bump in the road that every NBA player experiences at one point or another in their careers, especially when they are on the side of youth. "This is the NBA," said Tomjanovich. "It's tough. You're going to have your ups and downs. You expect it from any young player. Yao has to experience these games." "Sometimes you're a zero. Sometimes it's just not going to be there. The challenge is to not have it emotionally turn into a negative 10. You find a way to make something good happen. You set a pick; you get a rebound." Yao’s bad night which these guys are referring to included 11 points, 7 rebounds and 2 assists – a career night for half of the centers in the league. But Houstonians have seen the future, and it was raised out East. It is hard to make a case against Ming already being a dominant force in the NBA, and the scary thing is he is only going to get better. Ming might not have been the best rookie on the floor last night – that honor went to super diaper Amare Stoudamire – and it certainly appears that he is not ready for someone with the mite of O’Neal. "It seems to me that, physically, I may still be needing a little bit," Yao replied through his interpreter when asked to reflect on his pending joust with O'Neal. "I think I may need a suit of armor for Friday night." Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Lakers Jan 2003 Archive
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