|
 Is Pat Riley a prophet? Is he the Nostradamus of NBA coaches? Or did his Miami Heat simply justify his anger?
Riley lambasted his players for a performance that resulted in a 2-5 preseason record. He didn't appreciate their impression of a man and his water faucet.
"You can't just turn it on," he complained. "I don't care who says what. Unless you work on things in a very focused manner, it just isn't going to happen against teams that are going to throw different schemes at you. They are going to make you think and disrupt you. That takes a long time to get. They are a veteran team that knows what to do, but right now, they just aren't doing it very well."
Well, the team that WagerWeb.com believes is most likely to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals again went out on Opening Night and proved Riley right. They emerged from the pomp of a pregame ceremony in which they received their NBA championship rings to lay an egg the size of South Beach in a 108-66 pummeling by the Chicago Bulls.
The Heat were second-to-last in the NBA in averaging 86 points in exhibition play. They were 29th in shooting and rebounding.
Bet on NBA here.
Preseason games are generally considered virtually meaningless, but age is certainly a concern when starting point guard Gary Payton is 38 and center Shaquille O'Neal is 35.
REMEMBERING RED: Red Auerbach has gone from living legend to just legend. And those close to the most successful coach in NBA history spoke of reverence about the man who masterminded the Celtics dynasty of the 1950s and '60s.
Bill Russell, whom Auerbach named the first African-American coach in a major sport, referred to his ability to maximize his players' abilities through a team framework.
"He understood the chemistry of a team," Russell said. "People tend to think teamwork is some mysterious force. It isn't. It can, really, be manufactured, and he knew how to do that, to serve each player's needs. And, people always say you need to know how to win. But that's not enough if you want to keep winning. You also have to know why you win. Red always knew that, too."
Lakers Hall of Fame guard Jerry West felt the misfortune of being on the wrong end of Auerbach's genius. His team played the role of Boston's NBA Finals whipping boy for several years.
"Red was an enormous presence, and his contributions to the game withstood the test of time," said West, now Memphis Grizzlies' president of basketball operations. "He was an incredible coach who had a unique way of dealing with his players and getting them to play a simplistic, defensive game... This truly is a passing of a legendary person in the world of basketball."
John Havlicek spent much of his Celtics career garnering a reputation as the most prolific sixth man in NBA history. He too spoke eloquently about the loss of Auerbach.
"I've seen him laugh, I've seen him cry, I've seen him angry," Havlicek said. "I've seen him celebrate, and there's only one guy with the Boston Celtics who has been there for every championship, and that is Red Auerbach."
MAGLIORE OUT THE DOOR? Jamaal Magliore earned an All-Star spot three years ago. Now, he's a third-string center for arguably the worst team in the NBA.
The 28-year-old performed so poorly for the Portland Trail Blazers in the preseason that he fell behind starter Joel Pryzbilla and Raef LaFrentz on the depth chart. The Blazers, who WagerWeb.com rank dead-last among NBA title contenders at 500-1, were hoping for much more from Magliore.
His $8.3 million contract might preclude him from sticking around. Speculation is that he will be traded sometime before the All-Star break. It appears he certainly won't have any plans to play that weekend.
BENCH-BOUND: The Charlotte Bobcats would obviously rather start a 5-foot-10 off-guard than rookie Adam Morrison at that spot.
The third overall pick in the 2006 draft will open the season on the bench behind Brevin Knight. But the rookie is not complaining.
Get the latest college football point spreads here. "The only reason I started those preseason games was Brevin was hurt," Morrison said. "It's his job, and it was always his job."
Morrison will be among the first players off the bench for the Bobcats, who will open with Knight and 6-1 Raymond Felton in the backcourt. Don't lay big odds on Charlotte shutting down talented and taller off-guards early this season. Knight and Felton will be posted up unmercifully.
J.J. NOT OK: Early returns are not glowing on J.J. Redick, whom Orlando grabbed with the 11th pick in the 2006 draft out of Duke.
Redick is destined for the injured list after playing briefly and poorly during the exhibition season. He is unlikely to receive much playing time when he does return.
The Magic don't appear particularly successful selecting from that spot. They used the 11th pick last season to snag Fran Vazquez, who opted to stay overseas and has yet to play an NBA game.
SITTING THIS ONE OUT: Keith Van Horn has retired.
At least temporarily.
Agent David Falk reports that the veteran forward will take this year off to spend time with his family.
Van Horn played 53 regular-season games and 14 of 23 playoff games with the Western Conference champion Dallas Mavericks last season. He has also played for the Nets, Knicks, 76ers and Bucks.
Bet on NBA here.
|
