NBA News, Notes, and Observations: May 29, 2008

With both Conference Finals on the cusp of ending, it's time for my last News, Notes, and Observations before the NBA Finals tip off next Thursday.

This week's trivia question: Who was the first power forward to score 20,000 points?

I Didn't Know He Doug Chicago

Doug Collins was hired on Thursday to be the new (old) head coach of the Chicago Bulls. Bulls fans have to be relieved that they at least got a coach they've heard of. The only other recognizable name I heard floated out there was Avery Johnson, and I think that Bulls fans would have rioted had they hired the Little General.

The hiring of Collins also led me to believe that the team will draft Derrick Rose. I can't imagine that Collins thinks that highly of Michael Beasley that he could lure him out of broadcasting and back onto the sideline.

Collins must've either been given assurances from John Paxson that the team was going to take Rose, or told Collins that he would be given a huge say in who the Bulls would take with the pick.

Collins' sudden about-face in returning to coaching says much more about the state of the Suns than it does about the state of the Bulls. Collins turned down the offer to become Suns' next coach by telling Steve Kerr that he had "no interest" in returning to coaching.

Sure the Bulls have the top pick in the draft and a nice collection of young talent. But what does it say about the Suns when Collins would rather inherit a 33-win team consisting of Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Smokim Noah, and either Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley than he would Steve Nash, Amare Stoudemire, and Shaq?

Shaw-Shaq Reunion?

I've never been one to resist tooting my own horn. One of the reasons I love blogging is that it provides me with proof when I make a correct prediction.

In my NNO column from May 9, I predicted that the Suns would probably end up hiring Brian Shaw or Alvin Gentry. It wasn't as if I'd heard either name mentioned before by another writer. I made the conclusion based on Shaq's relationship with Brian Shaw that dates back to their days in Orlando and Gentry being a Suns assistant with previous head coaching experience.

With Shaq's history of getting coaches fired, the Suns would be wise to hire a friend of his. If it doesn't work out then you fire him after a year and hope there's a better name out there next summer. The Suns wouldn't have to give Shaw anything more than a three-year contract worth $2-$3 million.

I mentioned Gentry because he was an assistant under Mike D'Antoni and I figured he'd lobby to get another chance to be a head coach after failing with the Clippers, Pistons, and Heat. Gentry had one winning season as a head coach and it came during the lockout-shortened season of 1999.

Today's Arizona Republic has an article about Shaw's candidacy and the New York Post has an article about how the Suns are still refusing to let Gentry (and another assistant, Phil Weber) out of his contract to join D'Antoni in New York.

Are the Suns hanging onto Gentry and Weber just to spite D'Antoni, or does Kerr consider them candidates?

False Sense of Entitlement

For the third year in a row the Pistons didn't fail to disappoint us in the Eastern Conference Finals.

With Detroit down 3-2 heading into tomorrow night's Game 6, I find it hard to believe they'll win a Game 7 in Boston, even if they tie the series in Auburn Hills.

Why?

They couldn't beat inferior Miami and Cleveland teams the last two seasons, so why should I believe they'll beat a superior Celtics team in Boston?

The Pistons had a golden opportunity to take control of the series in Game 3 and they did what they always do—they played like they deserved to win instead of playing to win.

How many times does this team need to be humbled before they realize they're not as good as they think they are?

The problem is that their lone championship and their success in an inferior conference has made them believe that they'll always be a contender, when in actuality all they'll be is good enough to get to the Conference Finals.

Would the series have played out any differently had Chauncey Billups had a  healthy hamstring? I'm not sure.

I do know that you won't get any sympathy from this Laker fan who watched the Pistons sweep the Lakers in the 1989 NBA Finals because Magic Johnson and Byron Scott both missed the series with hamstring injuries.

Trivia Hint No. 1: He was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and played for LSU.

Speaking of the Pistons...

Joe Dumars has done an amazing job of rebuilding the Pistons bench with youth while maintaining their status as an elite team. Rodney Stuckey, Aron Afflalo, Amir Johnson, and Jason Maxiell all look like NBA ballers. The issue is whether or not the starting five is good enough to win another ring.

Will this be the summer that Joe D makes a change amongst his starting five? Is there a chance he trades Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace, or Chauncey Billups this summer just to shake things up, or will he hope that all the team needs is more experience from their bench to put them over the top?

Sheed has one year left on his deal and would probably retire if he got traded to a non-contender. I think Sheed retires after next season anyway.

Billups just signed a new deal that still has three more years and a team option for an additional year.

Tayshaun Prince has three more years but he just turned 28, so I don't think he's going anywhere.

Hamilton, though, has only two years left on his deal. I don't know if Dumars makes a move this summer, but if he does the logical choice is to go to Hamilton.

Don't be surprised if you start hearing Rip's name floating out there in rumors.

Cry Me a River-Walk, San Antonio

Did Brent Barry get fouled? Absolutely. Should he have even had a chance to tie or win the game? Absolutely not.

The Spurs didn't lose that game because of a non-call. They lost the game because they came out flat, they were out-rebounded and out-hustled the entire game, and because Manu Ginobili went back to being the Manu of Games 1 and 2.

The Spurs got every call in that entire game. The fact they even had a chance was a miracle. Derek Fisher's shot clearly hit the rim and the Lakers should have had the ball and 24 seconds instead of having to rush a shot.

What kills me is that the only people that are complaining are the fans. The Spurs coaches and players are doing what they always do, handling it with class and admitting it was a good non-call.

Speaking of the Spurs...

There's a very thin line between being a veteran team and being an old team. The Lakers learned their lesson in 2004 NBA Finals. That's the reason why in just four years only three guys are still on the team, and one of those three played for two teams before returning to the Lakers this year.

Big questions await the Spurs this offseason if, as expected, they don't advance to the Finals.

There's no denying the Spurs need an infusion of youth. Robert Horry, Michael Finley, Damon Stoudamire, Kurt Thomas, and Jacque Vaughn have very little left in their tanks. Bruce Bowen and Brent Barry look like they have a year or two left of productive basketball.

The team, as currently constructed, is too old to make a deep run into the playoffs with young teams like the Lakers, Hornets, Jazz, and Blazers on the up and up.

The question for the Spurs is can they add a piece or two in the offseason that will keep them a contender without damaging their financial forecast for 2010?

The Spurs have committed only $32 million to Tony Parker and Tim Duncan. They'll have enough cap space to make a run at LeBron James or Dwyane Wade.

Manu Ginobili will be a free agent, but the Spurs will do the same thing with him that they did with Tony Parker back in 2003 when they made a run at Jason Kidd. They'll try to use their cap space to lure someone better, and if they can't then they'll probably bring him back for another two years.

Used Ford for Sale!

Is it just me, or does the media seem to think much more highly of T.J. Ford than everybody else does?

It's no secret that the Raptors risk losing Jose Calderon to free agency if he isn't promised he'll be their starting point guard next year.

Every day there's another trade rumor involving Ford and they all seem ridiculous. Gery Woelfel in today's Racine Journal-Times mentions a T.J. Ford for Corey Maggette swap as being a great trade for both teams.

Why would the Clippers insure an often-injured point guard in Shaun Livingston with another often-injured point guard in T.J. Ford?

Ford is a good player. It's miraculous that he's been able to come back and play with severe neck injuries. But every trade I hear involving Ford is ridiculous when you consider he averaged close to 11.5 ppg and 6.5 apg.

He's also under contract for three more years, so another devastating injury could cripple a franchise until his contract expires.

If he's so good then why are the Raptors opting for Calderon and looking to trade him instead?

Trivia Hint No. 2: He was originally drafted second overall by the Milwaukee Hawks.

Enough with the KG and Bill Russell Conversation

ESPN and ABC need to stop shoving the KG and Bill Russell conversation down our collective throats. I love Bill Russell. I love KG. But the dramatic lighting and the dramatic music is so artificial. Only someone who cries watching Armageddon would think this conversation chills-inducing.

But my biggest problem with the piece is when Russell tells KG that he'll give him one of his rings if KG doesn't win one.

Doesn't Russell have any kids? You would give KG a ring after one unsuccessful season with the Celtics? Are you kidding me? Wouldn't you think Paul Pierce would be more deserving of one of Russell's rings by now?

Just awful.

Two Interesting Reads

If you're into Sports Business news then you should definitely check out Darren Rovell's Sports Biz page on CNBC.com. Rovell wrote an interesting piece on Kobe Bryant's viral ad campaign. He's also got another great article on the prospect of foreign ownership of professional sports teams in the United States.

The other piece is Sam Smith's latest blog entry on HoopsHype where, in the wake of the Josh Howard revelation and Joakim Noah arrest, he mentions that it's alcohol and not pot that is the real problem among NBA players.

Flopping Fines

The NBA announced they would start fining players for "theatrical flopping." It's definitely a step in the right direction, but it will be difficult to determine what's a flop and what's not.

I say forget the fine and start issuing either technical fouls or personal fouls for flops.

The game of soccer invented the flop and even they've started handing out yellow cards for players taking dives and faking injuries.

As for the other issue on the competition committee's agenda, there's still no change in Hack-A-Shaq. I guess Shaq will have to solve the problem the old-fashioned way—by making his free throws.

Trivia Answer: Bob Pettit