Like Heat, Hornets should obtain veterans
Sunday, June 11, 2006
John Reid
Entering the league together as expansion franchises in 1988, the Hornets and Miami Heat are forever linked.
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In their 18-year existence, they have met twice in the playoffs. In 2001, the Charlotte Hornets earned a three-game sweep in the first-round. In 2004, the Heat won Game 7 at home to eliminate the New Orleans Hornets in the first round.
Since that series, the franchises have moved in opposite directions. The Heat is playing in its first NBA Finals. The Hornets are spending another offseason rebuilding, targeting the draft for help.
The Heat has not been reluctant to spend toward building a championship-caliber team, and the Hornets should do the same to get proven veterans to help star point guard Chris Paul.
In 2004, after the Heat eventually lost to the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference semifinals, the Miami brass didn't settle on just telling the team's fans they were on course after having missed the playoffs the previous two seasons.
Instead of standing pat with young star Dwyane Wade, Heat owner Micky Arison and Pat Riley, then the team president, took action. They sent starters Brian Grant, Caron Butler and Lamar Odom to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Shaquille O'Neal and his more than $20 million a year salary.
"We've had a lot of near misses, unlucky bounces," said Riley, who has been with the Heat for 11 seasons. "We've had very good teams that I thought were championship contenders. But ever since Shaquille showed up on the scene, this team has been a legitimate contender, and we have put pieces around him. Obviously, the drafting of Dwyane and what he has become sped the whole process up."
But when the Heat did not meet its objective of reaching the Finals last season, losing to the Detroit Pistons in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals, Riley made changes.
In a five-team trade, the Heat obtained Antoine Walker, Jason Williams and James Posey and traded starting guard Eddie Jones to the Memphis Grizzlies and guard Rasual Butler to the Hornets and guard Qyntel Woods to Boston.
In contrast, the Hornets didn't get enough in return from the Baron Davis and Jamaal Magloire trades the past two seasons. Point guard Speedy Claxton, obtained in the Davis' trade from Golden State in 2005, could be lost to free agency next month. Although Magloire didn't fit well into Coach Byron Scott's Princeton offense, the Hornets are still seeking a rugged rebounder and shot-blocker this summer.
The Hornets have not returned to the playoffs since 2004, and if they don't get a proven veteran at shooting guard or center, they could miss the playoffs again, regardless how great Paul will be in 2006-07.
There are no O'Neal-caliber players available this offseason, but the Hornets should not avoid making gutsy moves such as trying to pull off a blockbuster trade or signing a top-notch free agent.
Waiting for talent to develop through the draft is not the direction the Hornets should take if they are serious about making the playoffs and having championship aspirations.
Scott wants to win now, and with the demands and expectations he puts on players, it's wise to have proven veterans playing at key positions. A young player such as J.R. Smith ultimately proved this past season he couldn't handle Scott's expectations.
The clock is ticking on the Hornets. A sure way to have a successful return to New Orleans for the 2007-08 season is bringing back a winning team.
Having the fourth-lowest payroll in the league at $48.5 million means the Hornets have no salary-cap restrictions to upgrade their roster.
If power forward Kenyon Martin is unhappy in Denver, the Hornets should take the necessary steps to obtain him in a trade.
Center Ben Wallace is an unrestricted free agent and is likely to be re-signed by the Pistons, but the Hornets should at least make the effort to put forth a solid offer that could draw his interest.
It's not a particularly strong group of shooting guards in free agency. Bonzi Wells is the top available player, and that isn't much of an upgrade from having Butler, who proved his value last season as a perimeter shooter.
Regardless of what moves are made, the Hornets have a lot of ground to make up to be equal again to the Heat. But anything is possible.
MAVERICKS: It seems almost laughable now for anyone to criticize anything 7-footer Dirk Nowitzki does on the court, whether Dallas wins its first championship or not. Nowitzki used to be labeled as soft by some in the league because of his unwillingness to mix it up with physical play in the post. After Dallas was eliminated by the Phoenix Suns last season in the second round, Nowitzki worked to become a better all-around player, someone who could drive to the basket as well as make jump shots.
"I think when I first got into the league, I was strictly a jump shooter, a pick-and-pop guy," Nowitzki said. "When opponents took that away, my game was pretty much over."
Virtually all questions regarding his toughness were answered in the Western Conference semifinals against the San Antonio Spurs. In that series, Nowitzki drove to the basket often. In Game 7, he forced overtime on a driving shot and made free throw. Going into Thursday's Game 1 of the Finals, Nowitzki had averaged 28.4 point and 11.9 rebounds and had a 50-point game against the Suns in Game 5 of the conference finals.
HEAT: The Heat arrived in Dallas after attending a visitation Tuesday afternoon for Marilyn Culp, wife of Heat trainer Ron Culp.
Marilyn Culp, 61, died Saturday after a lengthy battle with cancer. She had served for 18 years as president of the Miami Coalition for a Safe and Drug-Free Community. Among those in attendance were former Heat players Bruce Bowen, Tim Hardaway and Malik Allen and former Heat coach Stan Van Gundy.
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