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Losing ground Sixers, Jazz, Clippers have some work to do
The Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz and Los Angeles Clippers -- three teams that have high expectations for the season -- are off to bad starts, and the reasons are different in each case. In Philly, where the Sixers started 0-4, three key backcourt players -- Allen Iverson, Aaron McKie and Eric Snow -- have all been out with injuries. When you build a team around a superstar like Iverson, you end up with a lot of fringe players. If he can't go, the fringe players are asked to do things they're not capable of doing. The Sixers also changed their team drastically. There are only four players left from Opening Night last year -- the three who have been out and Matt Geiger, who doesn't play many minutes. The slow start is not a good situation for them, but they'll be able to recover. Meanwhile, in Utah, the schedule maker hasn't been kind to the Jazz (2-4). They opened the season with home games against the Lakers and the Bucks, two teams a lot of people are predicting will be in the Finals. Then they went on the road to play the Lakers, Blazers and Sonics. Karl Malone and Co. haven't played as well as they can, but their main problem has been a tough schedule. In L.A., the Clippers (2-3) have an enviable dilemma: They actually may have too much young talent. They are a terrifically talented young team, and young players all want minutes. There are so many players to keep happy that there aren't enough minutes to go around.
Jeff McInnis and Keyon Dooling are terrific point guards, and they'll do everything they can to distribute the ball evenly. But Corey Maggette, Darius Miles, Quentin Richardson, Lamar Odom, Elton Brand -- as well as Eric Piatkowski and Michael Olowokandi -- are going to want their touches. The Clippers have a lot of home games coming up, which should help them make up some ground. And even though Odom is an All-Star player, his being suspended for five games might be a plus in a way. It should at least make Alvin Gentry's rotation decisions easier.
First impressions from the defensive endImpressive: The Pistons are an improved basketball team, and it looks as if Rick Carlisle is going to be a good head coach. Adding Clifford Robinson and Jon Barry to a team that already featured Jerry Stackhouse and Ben Wallace really helped the defense, and Detroit is a very physical team. They'll win an awful lot of games at home. Worrisome: The Suns, on the other hand, are in trouble. Last Tuesday, they had to go into a zone defense to beat Memphis or they wouldn't have won that game. Their front line is their problem. Shawn Marion is a solid player, but there's not much after that. Tom Gugliotta doesn't seem to have recovered from his knee injury, and they traded Robinson to Detroit. They have three good backcourt players in Stephon Marbury, Penny Hardaway and Tony Delk, but Marbury and Hardaway haven't played together, and that hurts them defensively. Phoenix won't make the playoffs.
Going out on a limbNew Jersey Nets: The Nets made the best trade made in the offseason: Jason Kidd is one of the NBA's five most valuable players. Marbury is a different type of player. He's good, but Kidd is more team-oriented and he makes his teammates better. In addition, they picked up Todd McCullough, and Kerry Kittles returning from injury is like getting a lottery pick back. He looks like he's 100 percent. The Nets will take over the playoff spot that will be vacated by the Knicks next spring. Los Angeles Clippers: They sewed up a playoff spot by picking up Elton Brand. As for their returning players, Miles looks to have improved his outside shot, and McInnis has proved to be a legitimate point guard. Odom is going to be an All-Star, and they have Maggette, Richardson, Eric Piatkowski, and Sean Rooks coming off the bench. They're also probably the most athletic team in the entire league. I pick them to get the eighth spot over the Suns. Kevin Loughery is a former NBA player and head coach. He appears each Sunday on CNN/SI's This Week in the NBA.
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