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Show Ill~ --NBA PREVIEW ·- THE UNIVERSITY JOURNAL• SOUTHERN UTAH UNIVERSITY• MONDAY, OCTOBER 28, 1996 I Once again, it could be now or never for Jazz By IBE AS SOCIATED PRESS A capsule look at the NBA for the 1996-97 season, in predicted order of finish. Western Conference MIDWEST DIVISION Utah Jazz LAST SEASON-55-27, eliminated 4-3 in conference finals by Seattle. COACH-Jerry Sloan, 9th season with Jazz, 419-218. 12th season overall, 513341. CHANGES- ADDED: G Brooks Thompson (trade with Magic). LOST: C Felton Spencer (trade with Magic), F David Benoit (free agent). STRENGIBS-If Bulls made one thing clear last season, it's that experience counts more than it used to. With Karl Malone (25. 7 ppg, 9.8 apg), John Stockton (14. 7 ppg, 11.2 apg) and Jeff Hornacek {1 5.2 ppg, 47 percent 3-point shooting) back, Utah has as valuable a Big 3 as anyone. Sloan, with longest tenure of any NBA coach, gets his players to give every ounce of effort. Utah was NBA's best shooting team last season. WEAKNESSES-In odd-numbered years, Jazz have horrible playoff luck. They reached the conference finals in 1992, 1994 and 1996, but stumbled in the in-between years. Stockton's skills looked diminished at the Olympics. Trade of Spencer (5.6 ppg, 4.3 rpg) left lack of experience in the middle that Greg Ostertag (3.6 ppg, 3. 1 rpg) and Greg Foster (3.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg) will be asked to fill unless a trade is made. IN FIVE WORDS OR LESS-Clock ticking on Stockton, Malone. Houston Rockets LAST SEASON-48-34, eliminated 4-0 by Seattle in second round. COACH- Rudy Tomjanovich, 6th season, 224-134. CHANGES-ADDED: F Charles Barkley (trade with Suns), F Kevin Willis (free agent, Warriors), G Brent Price (free agent, Bullets), G Emanual Davis (free agent), C Othella Harrington (draft, 30, Georgetown), G Randy Livingston (draft, 42, LSU), C Terrell Bell (draft, 50, Georgia). LOST: G Sam Cassell (traded to Suns), G Kenny Smith (free agent), G Eldridge Recasner (free agent), F Robert Horry (traded to Suns), F Mark Bryant (traded to Suns), F Chucky Brown (traded to Suns), F Tim Breaux (traded to Grizzlies), F Pete Chilcutt (traded to Grizzlies). STRENGIBS: Awesome trio of superstars in starting lineup with Barkley (23.2 ppg, 11.6 rpg), Clyde Drexler (16.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg) and Hakeem Olajuwon (26.9 ppg, 10.9 rpg). Mario Elie {11.l ppg) is a valuable sixth man and the signing of Willis (10.6 ppg, 8.5 rpg) could be the most underrated of Rockets' moves - ii he returns to form he showed from 1991 -95. WEAKNESSES: Price (10.0 ppg, 5.1 apg), injured during much of preseason, will have large shoes to fill now that Smith and Cassell arc gone. Aside from Elie, bench depth is woeful. The team's lax work habits have drawn criticism from Barkley. When someone needs to take the final shot, who will it be - Barkley, Drexler or Olajuwon? And how will the other two feel about it? IN FIVE WORDS OR LESS: When healthy, a potential powerhouse. San Antonio Spws LAST SEASON-59-23, eliminated 4-2 by Utah in second round. COACH-Bob Hill, 3rd season with Spurs, 121-43. 7th season overall, 254197. CHANGES-ADDED: G Vernon Maxwell (free agent, 76ers), F Dominique Wilkins (free agent, Greece). LOST: G Doc Rivers (retired). STRENGIBS-Team that had franchise record 17-game winning streak returns virtually intact to try for its third straight division title. David Robinson {25.0 ppg, 12.2 rpg) again anchors the Spurs, who got career-best season from Sean Elliott (20.0 Avery Johnson (13.1 ppg, 9.6 apg) and Vinny Del Negro (14.5 ppg, 4-5 apg) last season. Wilkins, signed early in training camp, will make up for loss of injured Chuck Person. Bench is deep. WEAKNESSES-Everybody likes to dismiss Spurs as softies, and San Antonio did little to dispel that notion in last season's playoffs. Of their first 35 games, 23 are on the road. IN FIVE WORDS OR LESS: Expect a slow start. (free agent, Heat), F Samaki Walker (draft, 9, Louisville), G Derek Harper (free agent, Knicks), G Jimmy King (trade with Raptors). LOST: F Popeye Jones (traded to Raptors), F Cherokee Parks (traded to Timberwolvesl, G Lucious Harris (free agent), G Scott Brooks (free agent), F David Wood (free agent), C Lorenzo Williams (free agent). STRENGIBS-New ownership and new coach have plenty of young talent with Jason Kidd (16.6 ppg, 9.7 apg, 6.8 rpg), Jimmy Jackson (19.6 ppg) and Jamal Mashburn {23.4 ppg). Signing of Miller should ease pressure on Montross, who didn't develop with Celtics. WEAKNESSES-Youngsters don't always get along, especially Kidd and Jackson. Cleamons will have to improve defense that was league's worst last season. FIVE WORDS OR LESS-Cleamons will have positive effect. Minnesota Tirnberwolves LAST SEASON-26-56, missed playoffs. COACH-Flip Saunders, l st full season with Wolves. 20-42 last season. CHANGES-ADDED: G Stephan Marbury (draft, 4, Georgia Tech), G James Robinson (trade with Trail Blazers), F Bill Curley (trade with Trail Blazers), F Cherokee Parks (trade with Mavericks), C Stojko Vrankovic (free agent), G Chris Carr (free agent, Suns), G Shane Heal (free agent, Australia). LOST-F Isaiah Rider (traded to Trail Blazers), C Andrew Lang (traded tE> Bucks), G Spud Webb (free agent), G Darrick Martin (free agent), G Jerome Allen (free agent). STRENGIBS-In Kevin Garnett {10.4 ppg, 6.3 rpg) and Marbury, Wolves have two youngsters barely removed from high school who arc more mature and levelheaded than many people rea lize. Tom Gugliotta (16.2 ppg, 8.8 rpg) returns after being stolen from Warriors. WEAKNESSES-Rider trade takes away 20 points per game that Curley and Robinson don't figure to make up. Most teams have decent starting five at very least, but not Timberwolves. IN FIVE WORDS OR LESS-Should be bad once again. IIJJ»ALIAS r.;f;L~ MAVERICKS Dallas Mavericks LAST SEASON-26-56, missed playoffs. COACH- Jim Cleamons, 1st season. CHANGES-ADDED: C Oliver Miller (free agent, Raptors), C Eric Montross (trade with Celtics), F Chris Gatling I Denver Nuggets LAST SEASON-35-47, missed playoffs. COACH- Bernie Bickerstaff, 3rd season with Nuggets, 55-59. 8th season overall, 257-267. CHANGES-ADDED: G Mark Jackson (trade with Pacers), G Ricky Pierce (trade with Pacers), G Sarunas Marciulionis (trade with Kings), C Ervin Johnson (free agent, Sonics), C Efthimios Rentzias (draft, 23, Greece), Jeff Mcinnis (draft, 37, North Carolina). LOST-C Dikembe Mutombo (free agent), F Reggie Williams {traded to Pacers), G Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf (traded to Kings), G Jalen Rose (traded to Pacers), F Don Maclean (free agent). STRENGIBS-Several players are in last season of contracts, and Nuggets arc setting themselves up to go free-agent shopping next summer. Denver added 25 years of playoff experience by bringing in Jackson, Pierce, Marciulionis and Johnson, which could help in first round if Nuggets have low seeding. WEAKNESSES-Team hasn't progressed since upsetting Seattle in 1994's first round, and Mutombo's departure forced it to embark on rebui lding plan. Jackson won't make up for Abdul-Rauf's 19.2 ppg, and Johnson will be inadequate trying to replace Mutombo's 11 .8 rpg and 4.49 blocks. IN FIVE WORDS OR LESS-Whole team stands for anthem. Vancouver Grizzlies LAST SEASON- 15-67, missed playoffs. COACH- Brian Winters, 2nd season, 15-67. CHANGES- ADDED: F Shareef AbdurRahim (draft, 3, California), C Roy Rogers (draft, 22, Alabama), F Tim Breaux (trade with Rockets), F Pete Chilcutt (trade with Rockets), F George Lynch (trade with Lakcrs), G Anthony Peeler (trade with Lakers), G Lee Mayberry (free agent, Bucks). LOST- G Byron Scott (free agent), G Gerald Wilkins (free agent I, G Eric Murdock (free agent), F Ashraf Amaya (free agent), F Anthony Avent (free agent), F Chris King (free agent). STRENGIBS- At least it's not same bunch that posted worst record in NBA last season . At least seven new players will be on Vancouver's opening-night roster. Most promising is 19-year-old Abdur-Rahim, who left Cal after his freshman season. The perimeter shooting should improve, Bryant Reeves (13.3 ppg, 7.4 rpg) should keep developing into bona fide NBA center, and Greg Anthony (14.0 ppg, 6.9 apg) is decent point guard. WEAKNESSES- Grizzlies' average point differential was minus-10, tied for worst in the league. Average of 89.8 points per game was last in league even worse than Cleveland's. FIVE WORDS OR LESS- Worst team in the NBA. |