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Crack in the armor Shaq's sore feet could open door for other teamsPosted: Saturday February 16, 2002 11:05 PM
With Shaquille O'Neal on the injured list, the Lakers are a mortal NBA team, as evidenced by their home loss to the lowly Hawks on Friday. While Kobe Bryant is a superstar in his own right, and he's improving with every game, Shaq is the player who puts that team miles ahead of everyone else. The bad news for the Lakers is that the arthritis in his feet is not just going to disappear, and if he's missing this many games, it's obviously something they're very concerned about. The good news for the rest of the league is that a sidelined Shaq could give a number of teams the opportunity to win a championship. Usually, when a player comes back after resting arthritic knees -- or toes, in this case -- they go all out in the games that they play; the coach doesn't try to monitor their minutes. So to ensure that Shaq's ready to go in the postseason, head coach Phil Jackson likely will sit him out a few games here and there down the stretch. But if he doesn't come off the injured list on schedule -- on Feb. 19 against Boston -- that means it's a major problem.
Road games will be crucial down the stretchThere's a lot of mediocrity in both the East and the West, which means there could be three or four teams fighting for the final playoff position in each conference.
Aside from injuries, how teams respond on the road will be the key factor in determining who gets those spots. The teams battling for a playoff spot are going have to play some big games on the road down the stretch, and the balance will favor the ones who win those games. During the last month of the season, matchups between bubble teams are a lot like playoff games. They have the best referees, and there's a playoff atmosphere. Defense becomes more important, teams play more of a half-court game, and the stars come out to shine.
Too quiet on the trade frontIt's a little surprising that there haven't been more trade rumors floating around. But there are a few teams that really have to make moves, and those are the ones we're hearing about. The Nuggets, for example, have a couple of players they need to unload. Nick Van Exel has said he's willing to give up $26 million to get moved, although it remains to be seen if he really means that. Then there's Raef LaFrentz, whom they can't sign, so they really have to get something for him. And in Golden State, Marc Jackson has to be traded if the Warriors are going to get anything for him -- there's no reason for him just to be sitting there. The thing is, they must not think he can outplay the guys they have or they would be using him. No coach or organization would sit a guy on the bench who could help them win games. So they're hoping people will look at the success he had last season and remember that. 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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