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Kings, Raja & Chicken Bones Shootaround: News From Stretch Run Tim McDarby -- DallasBasketball.com - Posted: 2004-04-03 00:00:00.000
By Tim McDarby -- DallasBasketball.com
MISSING RAJA?: So you miss Raja Bell and his aggressiveness on defense? His new team, the Utah Jazz, is glad to have him but they’re worried Bell could hurt them in their playoff push. It seems the same aggressiveness we all love is beginning to show up in flagrant fouls and technicals. "I like the fact that people know me as a hard-nosed player, somebody who's not afraid to mix it up," Bell said. While he won't hesitate to retaliate for a blow outside the rules, he said, "I would not like to be known as someone who's dirty, because I'm not. Or as someone who takes cheap shots, because I don't, I definitely don't." Do the NBA's referees believe he does? "I don't know," Bell said. "I do my best to stay within the guidelines of the game, and sometimes I feel like the refs give me the short end of the stick. But obviously, I think a lot of players feel that way." Coach Jerry Sloan believes that, at a minimum, Bell is being watched more closely than most players. "Yes, [and] I don't think it's good for Raja," Sloan said. "They look at him with a jaundiced eye sometimes, maybe put him in a tougher position to try to make a living." Sloan is very concerned that officials will use Bell’s reputation against him. Bell has made some adjustments to how he defends to try to stay out of trouble. "I come out and sort of test the waters with referees, see what they'll let go," Bell said. "Sometimes I back off my man and give him some space so the ref doesn't see my hands on him all night." Bell also has 14 technical fouls to his credit. FREE YAO!: Houston’s Jeff Van Gundy thinks Yao Ming isn’t getting love from the officials. He’s particularly alarmed that Yao isn’t getting to the line on par with other centers in the league. "It's not just bad for Yao; it's bad for our organization," Van Gundy said. "We do not deserve to be penalized because he is 7-6 and has a wonderful attitude and respect toward officials." "It's inequity; it really is," he said. "Yao Ming does not get officiated correctly. Plain and simple. That doesn't spark outrage (from Yao), but if that was another center or another player, he'd be kicking the ball into the stands. It's a joke. It's really a joke." Van Gundy also doesn’t want to hear the Yao, like Shaquille O’Neal are hard to officiate because of their size. "He's hard to officiate, but I feel it's like saying some team is hard to prepare for as a coach," he said. "We get paid for it. I don't know what that means. If it's so easy, all of us could do it. O'Neal deserves his free throws. Believe me, he deserves his free throws. Probably more. All I'm saying is it's impossible what is happening (to Yao). "I don't know why it's happening. All I know is I'm right. I don't know the reasons. I don't know the psychology. I just know I'm watching, he's getting fouled, he should be living on the line, and it's not happening." I’m just wondering why Nellie doesn’t take up for Shawn Bradley the same way. OLYMPICS SAFE?: Security overseas for athletes is becoming a growing concern. Athletes don’t wish to be at risk during the Olympic games in Athens and some are wondering if it may be a reason why some NBAers are coming up with other things to do this summer instead of representing out country. Ray Allen of the Sonics isn’t one of them. "It is nothing I've thought about or worried about," he said. Allen is also trying his best to get Shaq and Kevin Garnett to accept recent invitations to play on the Olympic Team. "The team that we have is pretty good, but any time you add Shaq and KG it would definitely be better," Allen said. "Those two add the fear factor to opponents." Allen's fiancée is expecting a baby in mid-August when he is scheduled to be in Greece for the Games. "That's an issue we have to deal with," he said. "It depends on the next doctor's appointment. It will shed more light on the baby's sex and the due date." Some guys will try anything to get off a team! LARRY AND THE OCTOPUS Who says Larry Brown isn’t fitting in Motown? Earlier in the week, an excited Piston fan threw an octopus on the court late in a game. "The Red Wings, right?" he said. Yes Larry, the Red Wings. Let it be known that the tradition of tossing squid onto the playing surface during Red Wings games won't be duplicated at The Palace. "That thing was still moving," Brown said. Ironically the octopus has seen more court time than prized draftee Darko Milicic. EAT ‘EM UP: How could the promotion-conscious Mavs have missed out on this idea from the Orlando Magic. … An officially sanctioned eating contest at halftime! They’ve spared no expense in bringing in 105-pound Sonja Thomas to dazzle the crowd. Some of her accomplishments include: I know what you’re thinking. If the Timberwolves stage a similar contest, they have Oliver Miller to break those records. CHANGES IN TORONTO: Glen Grunwald is out as GM of the Raptors, which means the days of first-year coach Kevin O’Neill are likely numbered as well. O’Neill’s on and off-court behavior have been questioned throughout the organization. Despite having their differences throughout the season, O’Neill blames the media for Grunwald’s firing. "I think whoever leaked those things last week did a lot to submarine this team and submarine the players on this team," O'Neill said. "That made a difference with the performance of our players in the last 12 to 14 games. And that's what I think is unfortunate in all of this. "As coaches, we're professionals and we can deal with these things. Unfortunately, those people chose to involve our players. Any NBA season is tough enough without those kinds of things happening." Still, with only one year remaining on his deal, O’Neal is trying not to think too much about his future. "I think anytime going into a lame-duck year you want to know sooner rather than later," he said. "But I'm just going to wait until the end of the year and coach the team's final games." |