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Show HERALD DAILY Wednesday. November 3, 2004 The Day in Basketball Gregg Patton Will this Tim Reynolds season be THE haters? those Los Angeles Lakers out there still the loss of Shaquille O'Neal and expecting the worst this season, you might want to step away from the edge of the cliff and watch a few games first. To those Lakers haters who have been waiting for the day ' when t he f ranchise would go d the way of the Boston Celtics or the Michael Jordan-les- s Chicago Bulls, and thought the time for toasting had arrived, you might put down the champagne glass. The Kobe Bryant Lakers are if you'll going to be all right accept a winning record as "all right." Whatever you may think of the last superstar-standing, you can believe what he said after one of the team's recent preseason games. "I think it's going to be a fun season," he said. "I enjoy the pressure." Considering what he brought To once-prou- ' If has asked so far. His weight reportedly rose to 370 pounds last season. Riley asked him to get down to 325, and O'Neal says he's at 327. He is clearly trimmer and more fit than he was during his last of eight seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, whom he helped carry to three NBA titles. Even so, he'll probably be at less than 100 percent when Miami opens its sea- son Wednesday night at New Jersey. O'Neal has been sidelined for much of training camp with a hamstring strain. Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said the center's availability would be a game-tim- e decision against the Nets. "I'm feeling pretty good," O'Neal said after practice Tuesday. "I would like to go. I plan on being there, so count on me being there." The center, whom the Heat acquired for Carort Butler, Lamar Odom and Brian Grant three mainteam that stays on last year's made a surprising run to the Eastern Conference semifinals brings career averages of 27.1 points and 12.1 rebounds into this season. "I 'm not looking to accomplish much individually," O'Neal said. "I'm not looking to lead the league in scoring or do any of that. I've done that before. It's all about winning right now as a team. Whatever I've got to do to be part of a team and help us win, I'll do that." ; . . K.ll DAMIAN DOVARGANESAssociated Press ;;r,jl Miami's Shaquille O'Neal jokes before playing with young hoopsters on Sept. 18, at the sixth annual Nestle Crunch Hot ' Shots camp in Santa Monica, Calif. O'Neal is more popular than ever since being traded to Miami, and with him NBA contenders. the list into the been have the Heat of middle, championship lumped patwlling -t- f- ;,'io.team looks to be a lock ifhe ' emerging as a budding superstar. Even with O'Neal fiBing the middle, Van Gundy believes Wade won't have to adjust his aggressive, penetrating atop the NBAfe new Southeast Division, where 'their foes are Washington, Orlando, Atlanta and expansion Charlotte. Even the q Heat had 14 more wins last season than the Hawks, 17 more than the Wizards and 21 more than the Mag- style. "People really stay attached to Shaq, even on the weak side of the floor," pre-Sha- ic. , "We have to be a team that has to go out and chase it," said Jones, who's entering his 11th NBA season and fifth with the Heat. "We can't listen to people say 'Hey, you've got a nice looking team' and just live with that. We have to go out and chase that. That's what's going to make us a great team." Jones made just 40.9 percent of his shots last season but led the team with a 17.1 scoring average. Wade's rookie season was a true breakout, with him averaging 16.3 points and perhaps weren't there a year ago. Among the other notable pickups: veteran guards Damon Jones and Wesley Person, plus Michael Doleac and a pair of Christian Laettner e big men who are both shooters for their position. "We've put enough supporting people around them that are about to break out," Riley said. "I'm not expecting anything other than the best." Van Gundy said Tuesday he's hoping to start Rasual Butler, who hit on 46.3 tries a year ago, percent of his and Udonis Haslem alongside O'Neal, Wade and Jones. If O'Neal doesn't play, Doleac will start at center. "I'm excited to get started," Van said. "We've been at this now Gundy ' for four weeks. It's time to get it go- , above-averag- said Van Gundy, who took over for Riley a year ago. "It allows a guy like Dwyane to get to the rim. We aren't going to change him much. Obviously, he's going to have to throw the ball to the post a lot more than he did last year, but I don't think that requires a great adjustment." O'Neal is just one of the Heat's new story lines this year. Plenty of free agents, most lured in large part by the chance to play alongside O'Neal, flocked to Miami during the offseason. Eight of the 15 names on the roster ing." . Bryant will drag this team as far as he can, and that will be to the postseason, anyway. In the tough Western Conference, that may have to suffice. But it will be better than the disaster that many predicted in the wake of O'Neal's departure. The NBA, if nothing else, is full of playoff teams built ' around one superstar, and Bryant has longed for this opportunity. He is in the prime of his career. Surely he will lead the NBA in scoring this season, like Tracy McGrady but not at the total expense of his team, like MemIf phis (Pau Gasol), Denver New Or(Carmelo-Anthonyleans (Baron Davis), Boston (Paul Pierce), Philadelphia (Allen Iverson) and Indiana (Jermaine O'Neal) are postseason teams, it's silly to think a Bryant can't do the same for his troupe. Solo stars are what keep the NBA afloat, albeit their runs usually end somewhere short of the conference finals. Anyway, Odom is sure the newest version of the Lakers isn't going to disgrace the history. "(Fans) are a little spoiled around here," he said. "All the Lakers have ever done is win. A losing season is when you go out in the first round of the playoffs. "We have a group of hungry guys. The motivation is here. A lot of the new guys have something to prove. A lot of the young guys who were here have something to prove. Even the guy (Bryant) who has three (championship) rings on his finger has something to proved ' "We are a playoff team." . Veteran forward Brian Grant oozes similar confidence, even breezily. Asked what kind of expectations this team can realistically fill, Grant said, "I have playoff expectations. This team? It should make the offs, for sure. "Once you make the playoffs, then it's trophy time or nothing. That's where I see us." The Lakers have one significant thing going for them their divisioa The Pacific is the weakest grouping in the conference. Bryant alone makes them ' stronger than the Clippers, Golden State and Phoenix. The Lakers needonly nudge out aging Sacramento to win the division. it ' I "'v, 42-4- 0 il chomping-at-the-b- ' - PRESS g NBA elit quickly." O'Neal has done everything Miami upon himself, quite by design, he'd better enjoy it. His image is at stake totally tied up in how the Lakers perform this season. That's why he organized offseason workouts, calling most of the players in to the team facility in El Segundo, a practice unheard of in the era. That's why he frequently picks new coach Rudy Tomjanovich's brain. That's why, as newcomer Lamar Odom the closest thing the Lakers have to another star said, "(Bryant) is the player first one at practice in the morning and the last one out at night. That's not him trying to be a leader. That's just him do- ASSOCIATED MIAMI Shaquille O'Neal already has three championship rings, and he says he wants at least three more before he leaves the NBA. His new team isn't so greedy. Right now, the Miami Heat would happily settle for one title. A handful pf Heat teams thought of themselves as contenders, yet all were derailed in the Eastern Conference ' ; playoffs by the New York Knicks or Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls. Another club built to contend fell apart shortly after Alonzo Mourning was diagnosed with kidney disease. On July 14, the Heat traded for O'Neal and hope the move is the catalyst for that elusive crown. "I believe that we can contend in the East," Heat president Pat Riley said. "And whether or not it can.win a championship will be dependent on our three great players, Shaquille, Dwyane Wade and Eddie Jones, all having great years and being able to make this thing work enjoyable for Lakers ing it." puts Heat b ack SliiHj Press-Enterpri- se Gregg Patton gpattonpe.com. at ; LeBron and Cavs ready for grand opening "We certainly want to get off to a good start," Cavaliers coach Paul Silas said. "It's an important game for us." The Pacers, who lost to the eventual league champion Detroit Pistons in the conference semifinals last season, will not be at full strength. Reggie Miller will begin the season on the injured list with a broken right hand and center Jermaine O'Neal is expected to miss the game with a sore left foot. "Will it be easier for us with those guys out? Yes. But it's still going to be a tough game," center Zydrunas said. "Emotions will be high because it's opening night." They certainly were a year ago. James, fresh out of high school as the No. 1 overall draft pick, entered his first pro season saddled with bigger expectations than had ever been placed on a first-yeplayer. He was supposed to instantaneously transform the downtrodden Cavaliers into playoff contenders, outshine a stellar rookie class and live up to the hype. And James did it all. Cleveland won 18 more games than it did a year earlier, finishing one game behind Boston for the eighth playoff spot. James averaged 20.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists, joining Oscar Roberston and Michael Jordan as the only rookies to post Tom Withers THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Like everyone else, CLEVELAND LeBron James went into his mega-hype- d NBA debut a year ago wondering how good he would be as an rookie. Following a mesmerizing nine-assis- t, four-ste- d, al per- formance on national TV against the Sacramento Kings, James had a much better idea. "I knew I could play in this league, I just didn't know how well," he said. "After that I felt like I knew I could do this. That first game really helped me." Now as the league's reigning rookie of the year, James begins his second season Wednesday night when the Cleveland Cavaliers open at home against the Indiana Pacers. One year since his scintillating start, James has changed and so have the Cavaliers, who missed the Eastern Conference playoffs by one game last season but are expecting to get back to the postseason for the first time since 1998. There's no reason why they shouldinn n't. A 9 start and a jury to point guard Jeff Mclnnis derailed Cleveland's playoff hopes last season. They're hoping to start better Associated Press tile this season is to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to the playoffs, LeBron James' goal win in 2004-05- , and an opening-nigh- t over a quality opponent like Indiana would boost Cleveland's confidence. - Point guard signs long-terat a flews conference. thr!e'days I thought season, was not going to SAN ANTONIO Before last the San Antonio Spurs wanted to push Tony Parker aside to make room for Jason Kidd at point guard. This week the Spurs made a big com mitment to the Frenchman; a contract exten-- , sion reportedly worth six-ye- ar $66 million. The deal was finalized late Monday night, within a few hours of NOTEBOOK the league's signing deadline. Had an agree-menot been reached, Parker would have become a restricted free agent at the end of this season. "I'm very, very happy. There has been a lot of stress the last couple of days, and I'm just so happy it's hard to express in words" Parker said Tuesday nt 20-5-- 5. r.'V'.'O. t PRESS 82-ga- ar late-seaso- THE ASSOCIATED James, who has moved from the backcourt to small forward this season, is a year older, wiser and better prepared for the rigors of an season. But there's a bigger difference in his game: He has better players around him. Although the Cavaliers did lose Carlos Boozer as a free agent, the supporting cast has been upgraded significantly. Mclnnis didn't arrive until late January last season and nearly carried the club to the playoffs anyway. He'll be joined in the backcourt by shooting guard Lucious Harris, who signed with Cleveland as a free agent in October. Eric Snow will not only back up Mclnnis but he's a defensive stopper and already has emerged as one of the team's leaders. The additions have reassured James, who was upset by the team's bungling of the Boozer situation, that the Cavaliers are headed in the right direction. James' outlook is vital because the team wants to keep its young star hap-- , py until it can sign him to a maximum contract in 2006. "We know we got a team now," he said. "There's no more wondering about who's going to be here or who's not. I didn't know how things were going to go last year. This year there are no more questions." deal with San Antonio m The last two or Team chairman Peter Holt had dug in his heels on his offer of $64 million over Six years, while Parker gradually lowered his price to $66 million in an effort " " to get the deal done. "It was just time for me to make the right decision, and I'm glad I did," Holt said. "Tony is a key component to our success over the last three years. I started looking at that and realizing how important he is to this team." Coach Gregg Popovich, who led the seaeffort to land Kidd after the 2002-0son, helped to persuade Holt to sign Parker. So did Duncan, and Parker is eager to show his appreciation. "I'm just going to pass him the ball a little bit more," Parker said. it was finished and happen." For. San Antonio, the signing locks up the team's top threfrplayers Parker, two-tim- e MVPTim Duncan and Argentine guard Manu Gino-bi- li for the rest of the decade. Duncan signed a play in Miami's opener Wednesday at ' New Jersey despite a strained left hamstring. O'Neal said after Tuesday's practice the hamstring felt awkward when he ran. He hurt himself nearly three weeks ago and aggravated the injury last week in an exhibition game. Heat coach Stan Van Gundy said O'Neal's availability won't be determined until game time. If O'Neal cannot play, Michael Doleac will start at center 3 . $122 Tony Parker million deal last year, while Olympic gold medalist Gino-bi- li agreed in Jury to a pact estimated at $52 million. seven-yea-r, Parker has averaged six-ye- ar Negotiations between the Spurs and Parker bogged down as the signing deadline approached, and on Monday, an agreement did not look likely. ' 13.1 5.0 assists per game in his NBA career. e decision for openMiami, Shaquille O'Neal wants to I O'Neal a game-tim- er At points and three-ye- ar ' "You don't want to take something small and make it big. ... It's real frustrating," O'Neal said. "I've done a lot of work. I wanted things to be perfect, but you just have to adjust and wait until it becomes perfect." O'Neal missed 15 games in each of the past three seasons with foot and leg injuries; "If he's healthy, hell play," Van ' Gundy said. "If not, he wont." , |