Nuggets' road to No. 2 in West unlike any other

Games against the Lakers, Spurs and Suns will test the Nuggets' chance at No. 2 in the West.

• Hello, Nuggets. And welcome to life as the team on the spot. No one could have imagined a couple weeks ago that they would be in such a precarious spot, but wobbly play of late combined with a hellacious finishing schedule makes it so. The 98-94 road win Wednesday against the Thunder was huge. The final four opponents, though, are the Lakers, Spurs, Grizzlies, and Suns, with one back-to-back that finishes tonight against L.A. and another against Memphis and Phoenix that closes the regular season. While all the West playoff teams chasing the Lakers are bunched, no one is going to have the heavy lifting of Denver to stay near the top and claim at least home-court advantage for the first round.

• That's actually a double-blow of brutal timing in Milwaukee -- losing Andrew Bogut to an arm injury with the playoffs close (and reason to be excited for a change about the Bucks' chances) and Bogut losing out on his postseason payback after so much losing in Milwaukee. One lineup hit, one emotional hit. Bogut had, understandably, appreciated this charge up the standings more than anyone there, saying before the mangling fall, "I think in pro sports today, it's cool to stick it out in tough times and then finally figure out that it's turning the corner rather than just jumping ship, you know what I mean?" The die-hards there definitely do.

• The other trouble: The Bucks get the 76ers on Friday but then finish up with home games against the Celtics and Hawks and then a trip to Boston. They have to do this while trying to hold on to No. 5 in the East to avoid a 2-7 matchup with the Magic. The Heat, tied with Milwaukee for fifth, have a much easier path: vs. Pistons, at Knicks, at 76ers and then vs. Nets. And the Bobcats, trying to move up from seventh, are at the Rockets and then go vs. Pistons, at Nets and vs. Bulls. The fates are suddenly conspiring against the Bucks.

• Relax. LeBron James said he probably won't play in the world championships in the summer and Team USA boss Jerry Colangelo said priority for the 2012 Olympic roster will go to players who maintain a relationship with the program, but the bridge is far from burned. Other players have gotten back in Colangelo's good graces without being the King of the world, and James' business interests will want him in London for the Summer Games. Neither has made it personal. This all gets worked out.

• No great Draft surprises so far. John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Patrick Patterson and Daniel Orton of Kentucky, Evan Turner of Syracuse, Al-Farouq Aminu of Wake Forest and Xavier Henry of Kansas have declared in recent days, with Wall and Turner still on course to go 1-2 and the others somewhere between lottery certainties or possibilities. The biggest wait at the top is for Donatas Motiejunas, a 19-year-old Lithuanian playing in Italy who is tracking for the top 10 but has yet to state his intentions. The athletic, skilled 7-footer has impressive range, drawing comparisons to Andrea Bargnani, but isn't close to being strong enough to handle power forward. One GM said he'd consider playing Motiejunas at small forward as a rookie, a testament to the mobility and offensive package at that size but also to the lack of muscle.

• And what a strange Final Four from the NBA perspective. Not one 2010 lottery pick.

• Just when things couldn't get any worse for the Hornets in a major disappointment of a season, along comes last week. The Wizards arrive in New Orleans on a 16-game losing streak and contending for the second-worst record in the league ... and shoot 55.9 percent and win 96-91. Three nights later, the Hornets are in New Jersey, home of the worst record ... and the Nets shoot 58.2 percent and win 115-87. "We have been caught the last few games, like I said, not prepared to go out and compete," forward David West told the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

• Not merely finishing a very good season, Zach Randolph is closing what could be a turning-point season for his image. Once a magnet for bad publicity, Randolph got the meaningful statement of being named to the All-Star team for the first time in a poll of Western Conference coaches in a new level of acceptance, and now he is being given a large portion of the credit for the Grizzlies threatening a .500 finish. "He's the reason we're where we are," coach Lionel Hollins said. The next telling moment will come in seeing if he gets any votes for third-team All-NBA at forward in the media balloting.

While others struggle to rebuild, Jazz keep mining talent

C.J. Miles (left) and Wesley Matthews are two little-known gems the Jazz have unearthed.

As Robin Williams once put it, spring is nature's way of saying "Let's party!" And nowhere is that more true than in the NBA, where the good teams gear up for the postseason and the less good teams start to count their defeats, er, blessings for what they might mean in the annual Draft lottery.

Unless you're the New York Knicks, whose seat at the table next month will be filled by the Utah Jazz, a byproduct of the oh-so-fruitful trade six years ago that landed Stephon Marbury in New York. The Jazz hold New York's lottery pick, which passed through Phoenix and now, finally, is unprotected. That could be a bonanza for a perennial playoff contender pushing, once again, toward a Northwest Division title and the No. 2 seed in the West.

It's being characterized as a minor blow by the Knicks, who prefer their player development faster, better and on someone else's dime and timetable. "I've built teams through the draft and that takes longer," Knicks basketball boss Donnie Walsh told the New York Daily News recently. "First, you have to get the players and they have to play together for three years. You're talking about something that could take seven years. I don't want to take that long. And I don't kow what the appetite in New York would be for something like that. You can do that in other cities."

Yeah, but not in Salt Lake City. Not lately, "lately" in this case spanning back more than a quarter century.

Fact is, sending a lottery pick to the Jazz is like hanging a top hat, white tie and tails in Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's closet. Are we sure they'll know what to do with it? Just as Sloan would push the monkey suit to the back while reaching for another pair of blue jeans, the Jazz have done all their winning under him with, well, the player equivalent of denim.

Utah has had a lottery pick only once since 1983. In 2005, the Jazz maneuvered up from sixth to select point guard Deron Williams at No. 3. Otherwise, this is a team assembled a lot like Tony Stark's first Iron Man suit, from a spare part here, a piece of scrap metal there. Have you looked at the Jazz roster lately? Even the Westminster Dog Show would bar them for lack of pedigree.

Six guys -- Carlos Boozer, Kyrylo Fesenko, Kyle Korver, C.J. Miles, Paul Millsap and Mehmet Okur -- were drafted in the second round, which means they were available to pretty much any team good or bad. Four more weren't drafted at all: Sundiata Gaines, Othyus Jeffers, Wesley Matthews and Ronnie Price were basically left at the curb with "Free" signs on them. Only Williams arrived in the NBA to much fanfare, and only Kosta Koufos and Andrei Kirilenko can join their playmaker in claiming first-round status.

Disclaimer: Boozer, Korver and Okur weren't Jazz discoveries, getting picked 35th, 51st and 38th respectively by other savvy and/or fortunate organizations. And even among the fellows who snuck in the league's side or back doors, there are some solid apprentice programs, such as Duke, Marquette, Creighton, Georgia and Louisiana Tech. Still, everybody who cooks in the NBA shops at the same grocery store. Not everyone manages to turn mundane ingredients into gourmet grub.

"Utah does very well at evaluating talent and picking up veterans, but the key there is that their leadership is top-notch," a veteran NBA scout told me. "That's on the GM [Kevin O'Connor] and management for letting the coach run the team, and making it clear that 'You don't second-guess the coach.'

"Millsap earned his contract [$32 million over four years, signed last summer] when Boozer was injured. But that speaks to Jerry Sloan -- he just plugs in the next guy. They've had some guys who haven't fit in but they get moved along. Every season they seem to bring up a couple [NBA Development League] players who do well. It seems like every year they're finding a back-up point guard somewhere."

Think of Utah's trade deadline-day decision to move Ronnie Brewer to Memphis for a future first-round pick -- good player off a good team, but nothing irreplaceable (especially if Brewer wasn't going to be re-signed this summer). No other NBA head coach is as comfortable, or as accomplished, at working with duct tape as Sloan.

The Jazz's ability to restock and repair, when other teams might be wringing their hands, is both a product of and a contributing factor to Sloan's unrivaled job tenure. And the biggest reason it works is that while most franchises are zigging in the Draft -- poking, prodding, gauging and predicting skills and brain types -- Utah is zagging. Under Sloan, the Jazz always have seemed to put a little extra emphasis on toughness, which was the No. 1 trait he brought to the league as a black-and-blue guard with the Chicago Bulls in the 1960s and '70s.

Landing and keeping a job in the NBA when you weren't drafted, like Matthews, requires toughness. Earning a call-up from the D-League and turning a 10-day contract into something lengthier, like Gaines and Jeffers, demands the same. You run your finger up and down the Utah roster and can find the same story, repeated. It's a proud and pugnacious tradition that works well with Sloan's system built on pick-and-rolls and defense, and it dates back to Karl Malone and John Stockton arriving as 13th and 16th picks (1985 and 1984, respectively) and exiting as Hall of Famers.

It isn't foolproof and the obvious retort from critics is, "Yeah, well how many NBA titles have the Jazz won?" But it is a sober and somewhat noble approach, one that becomes more noticeable at this time of year. While the Jazz are working hard for games in May, maybe even June, so many other teams -- with lottery picks already in the house -- are toting up their expiring contracts for salary-cap space in free agency. Or they're thinking about Ping Pong balls as if the Draft will mean salvation.

If Utah can patch this all together and chase a top seed in the mighty West, what's your team's excuse?

Solid seasons come to end for Bucks' Bogut, Grizzlies' Gasol

Andrew Bogut saw his breakout season come to an end last Friday against Phoenix.

It just doesn't pay to be a rising big man these days.

Last Friday, the Grizzlies shut down Marc Gasol with a torn neck muscle, annoucing the big man would miss Memphis' final eight games. One night later, Bucks center Andrew Bogut took off for a breakaway dunk against Phoenix and landed more-than awkwardly, breaking his right hand and probably kissing Milwaukee's hopes of a first-round playoff upset goodbye, too.

When it comes time next week to dole out our picks for the 10 players who rose the most this season, Gasol and Bogut will be high on the list. And with the injuries to these big men, it's allowed Memphis to give more playing time to raw centers Hamed Haddadi and rookie Hasheem Thabeet. Both players have picked up their play with the increased minutes, a particularly encouraging sign for the Grizzlies, who caught plenty of flack this season for sending Thabeet down to the D-League.

While Milwaukee doesn't have the benefit of having two raw big men in the stable, they do have Kurt Thomas, who has been on several prolonged playoff runs and has played in the NBA Finals during a 14-season career. Coach Scott Skiles told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that the Bucks don't have time to tinker with lineups, but need whatever healthy bigs they have to play better immediately.

"Andrew makes a lot of hustle plays for us, rebounding the ball and taking charges and things like that," Skiles told the newspaper. "Those are things anybody can do. All the guys know the importance of Andrew to our team. But at the same time, they know they have to go on right now."

So far, the combination of Thomas and little-used backup big man Dan Gadzurich have held down the fort as the Bucks went 3-0 in the latest post-Bogut era. Things haven't been so great in Memphis, where the Grizz are 1-3 since Gasol was shelved for the season.

While Memphis and Milwaukee have different goals to close out the season with, it will be interesting to see how the reserve big men on both team rise to the challenge before them as the season ends.

G. Anthony Morrow, Warriors

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
66	29.7	13.2	3.9	1.5	1.0	0.2	.469	.452	.884

Last Week's Rank - --
When Don Nelson looks back on the long road it took him to get to the all-time wins record, he might want to think wistfully about Morrow and his play last week. Though he had been seeing sporadic minutes (and shooting terribly) over the last two weeks or so, Morrow found his rhythm (and some playing time) as the Warriors went 3-1 last week to get Nelson the all-time NBA wins mark held by Lenny Wilkens. Against the Knicks' sieve-like defense, Morrow came off the bench and scored 35 points in 36 minutes, shooting 16-for-23 and pulling down six rebounds that cut Wilkens' all-time gap to two wins. He got the start against the Raptors two nights later, going for 25 points and 10 rebounds in a thrilling victory that got Nelson within one win of the record. Though Nelson called Morrow's play an "Anthony Morrow sighting," there's little doubt that without Morrow's hot hand, Nelson would likely have little shot at the record he has now.

G. Manu Ginobili, Spurs

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
72	28.7	16.5	3.8	4.9	1.4	0.3	.440	.384	.867

Last Week's Rank - --
San Antonio has won five in a row and seven of its last 10 games and no player has played a bigger part in the Spurs' surge than Ginobili. He had 43 points and shot 17 free throws against the Magic on Friday in a victory and had 32 points and 11 free throw attempts against the Lakers (also a win). Just by watching Ginobili play, it's easy to tell he's playing more aggressive, but his free throw totals the last month or so are further proof. From the start of the season until the end of February, Ginobili attempted eight or more free throws in a game eight times; since March 1, he's had eight or more free throws six times. "He had a tough first half of the year, as we all know, but he's been playing All-Star-caliber basketball for the last month," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich told ESPN.com after the win over the Lakers. "That's the major reason why we kick-started it. Our rotations are more solid; trust on the team on both ends, execution-wise, has been better -- but Manu's play has been instrumental in us winning games." Reports are circulating that the Spurs and Ginobili are close to nailing down a multi-year extension, which might explain why he's had a recent surge in productivity. Still, with Tony Parker healthy now and George Hill taking his place -- although likely for only a short time -- on the injured list, the Spurs will need Ginobili to keep up his recent stellar play more now than ever as the season winds down.

C. Joakim Noah, Bulls

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
59	29.4	10.3	10.7	1.9	0.5	1.5	.491	----	.753

Last Week's Rank - --
After taking his time and slowly working himself back into the flow with the Bulls following a lengthy battle with plantar fasciitis in February, Noah is rounding back into the All-Star form he was enjoying during the first half of the season. He has played 20-plus minutes in Chicago's last four games and has been particularly active, pulling down 10-plus rebounds and recording two blocks in three of those four games. Perhaps the biggest moment signaling his return to form came on Saturday against the Bobcats, when he caught a no-look pass from Derrick Rose and powered down a jam over former teammate Tyrus Thomas in Chicago's big comeback win over Charlotte. He finished the game with 11 points, 16 rebounds and three assists and came up with big defensive stops and hit a few jumpers, too, as the Bulls kept their playoff hopes alove. "The season was on the line," Noah told the Chicago Tribune. "That's one thing about this team: Even when things aren't going well, everybody gives everything they've got. That's not the case for all teams. A lot of teams with their starters hurt make excuses. We keep fighting." His performance against the Bogut-less Bucks on Monday (eight points, 11 rebounds, four assists) was a little disappointing, but give the Bucks credit for using Kurt Thomas and Ersan Ilyasova effectively to keep him from being too much of a factor in that game.

F. Stephen Jackson, Bobcats

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
69	39.9	21.3	5.0	3.7	1.7	0.5	.424	.332	.784

Last Week's Rank - --
As he's done several times already this season, Jackson showed his worth to the Bobcats' resurgence in the span of just a few games. In a thrilling win Friday over the Bucks, he had 32 points, five rebounds and three blocks and was locked in a pretty exciting scoring duel with John Salmons. Jackson came through with a big 3-pointer in overtime to help the Bobcats get a win playoff-type environment that Jackson said the Bobcats needed to experience. One night later, the Bobcats couldn't close the deal against the Bulls in Chicago, with Jackson's participation (or lack thereof) playing a big role in the loss. Charlotte's top scorer sat out the entire fourth quarter -- precisely when the Bulls' got their comeback win -- due to a sore left hamstring. He went 3-for-12 from the field and had only eight points as the Bobcats' hopes of securing a playoff spot a little early took a slight bump. He came back on Wednesday night and had 29 points as the Bobcats held off the Hornets to finally wrap up that elusive playoff berth. Jackson said earlier in the week he hoped to take some time off if the Bobcats wrapped up a spot early and he may get his wish now. "I've dealt with injuries a lot, but not at this magnitude at this part of the season," Jackson said. "I've got to be mentally tough, but I'll get through it."

F. J.J. Hickson, Cavaliers

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
77	20.7	8.4	4.9	0.4	0.4	0.5	.555	----	.673

Last Week's Rank - --
LeBron James did his usual late-game heroics and the Cavs nearly went perfect in the last week, but they couldn't avoid a loss to the Celtics. Still, there is a bright spot to be found from a 3-1 week (like that isn't bright enough on its own) and that's been the play of Hickson. In fact, from February (roughly when Shaquille O'Neal got hurt and the team was waiting for Zydrunas Ilgauskas to get re-signed) to now, Hickson has been a quiet force, averaging 11.0 ppg, 7.9 rpg and shooting 54.5 percent while playing just 23.3 mpg. He was outstanding in a win over the Hawks, collecting 16 rebounds (seven on the offensive glass) and more than held his own against Boston's bruising Kendrick Perkins, going for 14 points and 11 rebounds in the loss. Coach Mike Brown has been plenty pleased with Hickson lately, singling him out after games for his effort. While Hickson plays nearly starting-quality minutes, he's getting major time at the end of games, too. "It's not just the coaches trust me, but my teammates trust me as well. They trust me enough to pass me the ball in the fourth quarter. That's given me a big confidence boost," Hickson told The Chronicle-Telegram.

The Next Five

G Aaron Brooks, Rockets: As far as Brooks and the Rockets knew, their win over the Celtics in Boston was just another late-season victory that was keeping their faint playoff hopes alive. Yet in the middle of that win, the Rockets were eliminated from playoff contention by virtue of the Spurs' win over the Lakers. Still, we give Brooks the nod for his 30-point game as the Rockets won despite not having Trevor Ariza or Kevin Martin. He went wild against the Jazz, too, scoring 28 points as Houston dropped Utah from the No. 2 seed to the No. 5 seed in the West. Houston has two more chances (April 9 vs. Charlotte and April 11 at Phoenix) to try and spoil another team's rhythm heading into the postseason. But as was raised in Houston's blowout loss to Indiana last week, how interested will Brooks and Co. be to upset another team's season and not just try and pad their individual stats?

G Dorell Wright, Heat: Miami has won nine straight entering Thursday night and Wright's emergence has played a significant part in the team's hot streak. Over his last 10 games, Wright has increased his performance in scoring (9.9 ppg), rebounding (3.9 rpg), field goal percentage (49.3 pct) and 3-point shooting (43.2 percent). He's been pretty efficient offensively, scoring in double figures in five of those nine games despite taking only 6.5 shots per game during the winning streak. Wright has made 55 three-pointers this season, which is a stellar total considering he made only 12 of them entering the season. Coach Erik Spoelstra recently told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that he's proud of Wright's growth as a shooter, but is reluctant to pencil him in as a specialist. "I don't want to look at him as just a 3-point shooter or somebody to space the floor," Spoelstra told the newspaper. "He's a defender, he's a rebounder, he's an energy player, he's a good cutter without the ball."

F Boris Diaw, Bobcats: Here's an note brought up by the Charlotte Observer recently: Diaw is the only Bobcat this season who is currently on pace to play in all 82 games. Some might argue that Diaw -- who's often criticized as being too passive on offense -- didn't really "play" in all of Charlotte's games. Yet as the Bobcats wrapped up a playoff berth on Wednesday, Diaw deserves plenty of credit for playing (quite well) during the last week. He had six points, nine rebounds, three assists and four blocks in a win over the Bucks on Friday. Then he had a team-best 18 points in a disappointing loss to the Bulls and followed that up with a near triple-double (17 points, nine boards, nine assists) in a win over the Hawks. He capped his week with 10 points, six rebounds and six boards against the Hornets. That little run highlights what has been a fact for the last 30 games -- Diaw is getting more aggressive on offense. He's scored in double figures in 26 of his last 30 games and for the Bobcats to make noise in the playoffs, his multi-faced game will be needed.

F Nick Collison, Thunder: The last time the Thunder made the playoffs, it was 2004-05, they were still in Seattle as the Sonics and Collison was a key young player on the then-Northwest Division champs. Fast forward to Saturday's game in Dallas and Collison is now the veteran voice on the Thunder and was instrumental in Oklahoma City securing its first playoff berth in franchise history. He had 17 points off the bench and went 6-for-7 from the field, routinely frustrating the Mavericks' defense with some tough scores around the basket. Collison, one of the team's best low-post defenders in terms of proper positioning, is plenty grateful to be back in the postseason. "I was successful in high school and college, and my first year in the league we won the division," Collison told The Oklahoman. "I kind of felt like it was always going to be like that and then I realized it wasn't. So now that we're able to win again, I definitely appreciate it more. This season's been a lot of fun."

C Kurt Thomas, Bucks: Few injuries in the last few seasons were as gruesome as the one Andrew Bogut suffered in last week's win over the Suns. With the Bucks' budding big man out for the season with a broken right hand, the onus is on Thomas (and to a lesser extent big men Ersan Ilyasova and Dan Gadzurich) to sythesize Bogut's productivity as best as possible. Thomas was solid when he filled in for Bogut against the Suns, putting up 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 31 minutes (the most he's played since late November). Expecting those kinds of nights out of Thomas come playoff time is hardly logical, but he has a good jump shot and plays solid defense, which could help lessen the blow of Bogut's injury.

Old adage proves true: Defense does win in postseason

Raymond Felton and the Bobcats boast the NBA's second-most efficient defense.

They say defense wins championships.

Well, the Charlotte Bobcats, Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat all play great defense. They rank second, third and fourth in the league respectively in defensive efficiency. And as of last night, they've all clinched a playoff berth.

The problem is that all three are poor offensively, ranking 24th, 23rd and 19th , respectively. The Chicago Bulls, if they catch the Raptors for eighth in the East, would be another unbalanced defensive team in the playoffs, ranking 10th defensively and 28th offensively.

On the other side of the spectrum are teams like the Suns, Raptors, Nuggets and Hawks, who are much better offensively than defensively. Whether that eighth spot goes to the Raptors or Bulls, there will likely be seven unbalanced teams that qualify for the playoffs this year.

Of the last 10 NBA champions, eight have ranked in the top 10 both offensively and defensively in the regular season. Only three teams meet that criteria this year: Cleveland (second offensively and seventh defensively), Orlando (fourth and first), and San Antonio (ninth and ninth). Utah qualified as recently as Tuesday, but fell to 11th defensively after their shootout with the Thunder on Tuesday night.

The other two titles of the last 10 seasons have gone to teams that were unbalanced. The 2000-01 Lakers ranked second offensively and 19th defensively, but turned up the D in the postseason. The 2003-04 Pistons were 18th offensively and second defensively, but got better on offense after a deadline-day deal for Rasheed Wallace.

With those two teams being the exception to the rule, it's painfully clear that a strong defense will get you further than a strong offense...

(Editor's note: For the purposes of this article, the definition of an unbalanced team is one with a difference of 10 or greater between their league ranking offensively and defensively (in either direction). An "unbalanced defensive team" is one who's defensive ranking is at least 10 spots better than its offensive ranking, and an "unbalanced offensive team" is one whose offensive ranking is at least 10 spots better than its defensive ranking.)

• Only one other unbalanced offensive team (the 1999-00 Pacers) has made the Finals in the last 10 seasons, while four other unbalanced defensive teams have: the 2001-02 Nets, the 2002-03 Nets, the 2004-05 Pistons and the 2006-07 Cavs.

• Of the 20 teams who have made the Finals in the last 10 seasons, 13 of them have been top-five defensive teams, while only eight have been top-five offensive teams.

• Of the 50 teams who have ranked in the top-five defensively over the last 10 seasons, only one (the 2001-02 Heat, who ranked fourth) has failed to make the playoffs. And 35 of the 50 have won at least one series.

• Of the 50 teams who have ranked in the top-five offensively over the last 10 seasons, six have failed to make the playoffs, including last season's Suns, who were the No. 1 offensive team in the league. Only 30 of the 50 have won at least one series.

• From 1999-00 through last season, 38 unbalanced defensive teams have made the playoffs, 18 of them have won at least one series, and they've won an average of 4.7 postseason games. In the same time, 29 unbalanced offensive teams have made the playoffs, 13 of them have won at least one series, and they've won an average of 4.4 postseason games.

• Of the 34 playoff upsets (series won by the team that didn't have home-court advantage) over the last 10 seasons, 12 have been pulled off by unbalanced defensive teams, while only five have been pulled off by unbalanced offensive teams.

• Over the last three postseasons, the better defensive team has won 34 of the 45 playoff series, while the better offensive team has won 26 of the 45.

• Over the last three postseasons, when two teams have met in the playoffs and one was better offensively while the other was better defensively, the better defensive team has won 17 of the 26 series.

All stats are through Wednesday, April 7.

Now 70, Havlicek still focused on happenings of NBA

John Havlicek won eight titles as a player for the Celtics in the 1960s and '70s.

Even as he celebrates his 70th birthday, it's difficult to imagine John Havlicek, the perpetual motion machine, ever standing still in retirement. Not after all those big games, all those big shots and all those miles logged running and cutting across the fabled parquet floor of the Boston Garden.

With the prolific likes of Larry Bird and Paul Pierce coming after his 1978 retirement from the NBA, Havlicek is still the Boston Celtics' all-time leading scorer with 26,395 points. He was an eight-time NBA champion, a 13-time All-Star, the 1974 Finals MVP, was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984 and was chosen as one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History.

These days, Havlicek spends most of the basketball season living in south Florida, where he keeps an eye on the NBA and, most especially, his Celtics. On the eve of his birthday (April 8), I caught up with Havlicek to chat about the game that is still his passion.

NBA.com: Does Mr. Perpetual Motion spend his retirement days constantly on the move and running to open spots in the kitchen or the living room?

John Havlicek: (Laughing) Not quite. I golf every day. I do some hunting. I do a lot of stretching. I walk the dog and that type of thing. My knees have faltered on me. I'm more in the walking mode than the running mode these days.

NBA.com: Who in today's NBA reminds you of you?

JH: That's a question I've been asked since I retired. I think there are certain people who just are who they are. I mean, Jerry West is Jerry West and Oscar Robertson is Robertson and Russell was Russell and Wilt was Wilt and Kareem is Kareem. I just don't think you can make significant comparisons.

NBA.com: What do you make of this year's Celtics and their problems? Do they have another championship run in them?

JH: It's not a good sign when you lose a bunch of games at home. It's a fact that they've lost more games at home than on the road this season. That's bizarre. It shows the lack of something. I don't know if it's effort or it's injuries or what it can be, since I'm not there to follow it that close. The only thing I can say is maybe they're sort of hanging in there, resting themselves and getting ready for the playoffs. I hope that would be the case, but it's hard to turn it on and off. I can remember Bill Russell's last year. He was really tired and he basically took the last two weeks of the season off and didn't play. It helped rejuvenate him for the playoffs and we ended up winning the whole thing again. So maybe the Celtics now can refocus or redo what they have to do and get something going in the playoffs. But it's one of those things where Atlanta was unable to beat them before. Now Atlanta has beaten them every time they've played this year. The same is true with Orlando -- they feel they can beat the Celtics on any floor, anytime, anywhere. Once you give teams confidence against you, that can be a problem.

NBA.com: Today's NBA champions talk about the difficulty of defending their titles. How were your Celtics able to do it again and again?

JH: For one thing, most of the rosters change today. It seems there all kinds of people who wind up on rosters from year to year. I was listening to someone talk the other day about (Trevor) Ariza and (Ron) Artest. Maybe the Lakers should have kept Ariza instead of getting Artest. He's younger and explosive and all those things. Those are gambles you take to improve your team, but those are also changes you make and sometimes the change you make is not a good one to a championship team. We never changed and that was one of the things that kept us so good, because we were familiar with each other. We would pick up people off the waiver wire, but basically our team stayed intact and with a championship teams because it's easier to defend it with the people you had the year before.

NBA.com: But isn't there the temptation for the same team to get complacent during the regular season?

JH: We had a great group of winners on our team. Red Auerbach used to draft people based on what they'd accomplished with their teams. If he was thinking about one or two people, he would look at the winning record, even though they may have the same pedigree individually. On my first Celtic championship team there were seven members that were on NCAA championship teams. So they had been to the mountaintop and they had won. That was (Bob) Cousy and Russell and K.C. Jones and Frank Ramsey and Clyde Lovellette and myself and Larry Siegfried. That's seven guys who had won championships already, who knew and understood what it took to win one.

NBA.com: Rajon Rondo just broke Bob Cousy's single-season Celtics' assist record. What was it like to play with the guy who was the pioneer for the creative point guards?

JH: I loved playing with Cousy and I think he liked playing with me, because I could catch and I could finish and that's what he was interested in. The Cooz always found you when you were open, the pass was always on time and it's a pleasure to play with a guy like that. He was one of the originators of the behind-the-back dribble and that type of thing, but I guess the best ball-handler of all time was (Pete) Maravich. There are certain videos of him doing things that no one even attempts to do today. Cousy was one of the originals of things that are done today. But he was also so much different because he dribbled the ball. They don't dribble the ball today. They palm the ball today. It drives me crazy. If they had to play in our era, they might not be able to bring the ball up the court because they don't know how to dribble. Then again, times have changed. I move along with it. I'm OK with it. But there are differences.

NBA.com: Dwight Howard could end up leading the league in rebounds, blocked shots, field goal percentage and double-doubles this season. Is he a modern version of Bill Russell?

JH: I imagine in today's game, because he's the only shot-blocker that there is. You could compare him, yeah, but the comparison falls short. Russell intimidated a lot of people to make them change their shot. At times, he wouldn't even think about blocking their shot. He wanted to make them aware of his presence. Then during the latter part of the game, he would strike. There are times when he would decoy people to think that they were able to get their shot off. He might let them get the shot off so that they weren't hesitant. Then at the end of the game, he would say, 'Oh, this time I'm gonna get him.' He waited for his chances. He was so smart. Guys today just go up and block a ball. Russell would fake a block sometimes and do other things that Dwight Howard doesn't do. Russell would run people down from behind, much like LeBron (James) does. LeBron's the only guy who runs people down from behind, it seems. He's made some incredible plays this year by doing that. Russell did that on more than one occasion almost every game. You don't see Dwight Howard running down a person from behind.

NBA.com: What do you think of the new Hall of Fames inductees, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone and Dennis Johnson?

JH: Scottie did a heck of a job as an all-around player and Karl was one of the all-time players in the league. D.J., when he was a rookie and I was in my final year, he was someone I played against and said, 'He's a rookie that plays beyond his years.' He was very good defensively. And Larry Bird says he's the best player he's ever played with. I guess it took a while for him because a lot of people looked at D.J. as 'maybe yes, maybe no.' I think it probably answers the question when you have the endorsement of one of the all-time greats like Bird. If he says the guy was pretty good, then I believe he belongs.

NBA.com: Who's the most deserving player that's been left out of the Hall of Fame?

JH: I have a friend who has credentials that are as good as a lot of people that are in the Hall of Fame and he's not in and it bothers me. That's Richie Guerin with the Knicks. He scored 57 points in one game. That was the Knicks record for a long time. He was one of the first Knicks ever to have a 2,000-point season. He was an All-Star a number of times. I'll admit, he's a friend of mine and I'm biased. But he's deserving.

NBA.com: Where do you think LeBron James will be playing next season?

JH: I hope he stays in Cleveland, because Cleveland needs a winner and they've got a native son. He's a guy that if he leaves he's going to be letting down a lot of people. And how much money do you need? I understand the draw of the media centers in New York, LA and Chicago. I hear that if LeBron goes to NY, LA or Chicago, his Nike contract automatically increases. I'm not for a lot of that free agency and the way it goes, but I understand why it happens. There are some people that need to be able to move on, because they get stuck in a rut. Some of the other people in the middle need to be able to move if they can improve themselves by going somewhere else. But if you're the top player, you're pretty well-compensated, I think.

NBA.com: Is this LeBron's year in the playoffs?

JH: It appears to be that way right now. Last year was a big disappointment to LeBron. Sometimes you have to pay your dues before you get there. Maybe last year was that dues-paying year. But I'll sit back, enjoy it, watch it and not worry about it when it's over. That's what's different about being retired. When I was playing, if I lost a playoff game, I used to replay that thing all night long. I don't do that anymore. I just move on to the next golf game.

Nuggets' Martin eyeing Saturday return from injury

DENVER (AP) -- Kenyon Martin, the Denver Nuggets' top defensive player and a force on the boards, hopes to return as soon as Saturday from the left knee injury that has sidelined him for the last five weeks.

Speaking before Thursday night's game against the Los Angeles Lakers, Martin said he feels good to go and that he would like to play in at least one of the Nuggets' last three regular season games before the playoffs. The Nuggets next play the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday followed.

"I just don't want to go out there rusty, right into a game situation," Martin said. "The last three games are a possibility. It will depend on how I feel. If I'm in any pain or what not, then no. But as of right now, I don't have any pain. But I've got to do one of these last three if I'm going to play [before the playoffs]."

Martin hasn't played since March 3. He was averaging nearly a double double (11.8 points, 9.6 rebounds) when persistent soreness and swelling in the knee forced him to the sideline. He underwent platelet rich plasma therapy March 8 and returned to the court for the first time since then on Wednesday in a 1-on-1 basektball session in Oklahoma City against assistant coach Jamahl Mosley prior to the team's game against the Thunder.

"I went pretty hard and I felt good," Martin said.

He followed that with a workout Thursday at the team's practice facility that included a round of shooting.

"I've definitely made a lot of progress, a lot of progress," he said. "I'm shooting the ball well upstairs but I want to play one of these last few games."

Lakers give Kobe night off against Nuggets

DENVER (AP) -- The Los Angeles Lakers gave Kobe Bryant the night off against Denver on Thursday, allowing the All-Star guard to rest his legs and aching right index finger.

Bryant is averaging 27.1 points a game this season, but has been bothered by the finger. He was a combined 13 of 47 from the floor in his last two games.

The Lakers are still fighting for the top seed in the Western Conference. But they need just one more win in their last five contests to wrap it up. Either that or a Nuggets loss.

The move with Bryant is similar to the one Cleveland made with LeBron James earlier in the night. With the league's best record in hand, the Cavaliers sat out James with "some bumps and bruises."

Cavaliers give LeBron night off to rest

CHICAGO (AP) -- With the league's best record locked up and their eyes on a playoff run, the Cleveland Cavaliers held LeBron James out of Thursday's game against the Chicago Bulls.

Coach Mike Brown said James has "some bumps and bruises" and acknowledged that recent injuries to Milwaukee's Andrew Bogut and Toronto's Chris Bosh weighed on his mind. So he decided to rest his superstar.

James is a game-time decision for Friday's matchup with Indiana.

"Yeah, you get worried about it," said Brown, who saw Bosh suffer a facial fracture when the Cavaliers' Antawn Jamison elbowed him on Tuesday. "Obviously, when you see stuff like that, it makes you that much more aware -- especially during that particular time -- of the things that can possibly happen to one of your best players or somebody that plays a lot of minutes for you."

The idea of limiting James' minutes wasn't appealing, either.

"Late in the season, everybody's human," Brown said. "Subconsciously, that person can go into the game thinking, 'OK, I'm only going to play a few minutes so I'm counting the minutes until I come out.' You don't want that to happen because usually that's when injuries do happen.

"Late in the season, I'd rather sit a guy out than play him 15 to 20 minutes of a ballgame because they will try to have the right mindset going in, but sometimes, it may not be there, and can affect how they play the game. Ultimately, it could have something to do with them getting hurt or not when it's all said and done."

James' absence meant the Cavaliers were missing two superstars, with Shaquille O'Neal nursing a badly sprained right thumb. Delonte West also missed his second straight game with lower back spasms.

Sebastian Telfair, however, was active for the first time since the Cavaliers acquired him from the Los Angeles Clippers in a three-team deal. Telfair had been sidelined since Jan. 20, when he injured his groin during a Clippers game against Chicago.

Vanderbilt center Ogilvy to enter NBA Draft

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Vanderbilt junior center A.J. Ogilvy will skip his final season and enter the NBA Draft.

The Commodores announced Thursday that the 6-foot-11 Sydney, Australia native will also hire an agent in advance of the June 24 draft, ending his collegiate eligibility.

Coach Kevin Stallings says he appreciates everything Ogilvy has done in helping lead Vanderbilt to two NCAA tournament bids in the past three years.

Ogilvy was an All-Southeastern Conference honorable mention this season and averaged 15.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game in his three-year career. He is the Commodores' all-time leader in free throws made with 471 and blocks per game with 1.51.

Bosh out of hospital after facial surgery

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Raptors All-Star forward Chris Bosh is back in Toronto after undergoing surgery to have a nasal fracture repaired.

A team spokesman said Bosh was released from the Cleveland Clinic on Thursday, two days after he was accidentally elbowed in the face during a game by Cleveland's Antawn Jamison. Bosh is expected to need weeks to recover from an operation he had on Wednesday to fix the fracture.

Toronto's leading scorer will miss the remainder of the regular season with the Raptors, who have a one-half game lead over Chicago for the final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs with four to play.

The Bulls host the Cavaliers on Thursday. Toronto plays at Atlanta on Friday.

Vote on Nets ownership won't take place next week

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) -- Russian tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov is probably going to have to wait a little longer before becoming the new owner of the New Jersey Nets.

The NBA announced on Thursday that its board of governors probably won't vote next week on whether to approve Prokhorov's deal to buy the Nets because the state of New York has not taken over all the land seized under eminent domain at the site of the team's Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

"The Board will vote on Mr. Prokhorov's purchase of the Nets once a firm date is set for the State of New York to take full possession of the arena site, which the team expects to occur in the near future," said Joel Litvin the NBA's president of league and basketball operations.

Litvin said the site possession is the only factor affecting the timing of the vote.

"The documentation of the Nets' purchase and the background investigation of Mr. Prokhorov have been complete for some time," Litvin said.

Prokhorov agreed last December to buy 80 percent of the Nets and 45 percent of the new arena from Bruce Ratner's Forest City Ratner Cos.

The Nets have endured a dreadful season, posting an 11-67 mark with four games left in the regular season, clinching at least a tie for the worst record in the league this season. For months, the team threatened to break the NBA mark for fewest wins (nine) in a season, set by the 1972-73 Philadelphia 76ers.

The Nets have a chance to improve greatly in the offseason, having at least $23 million in salary cap room to spend on a free agent group that might include LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Rudy Gay.

New York officials had a ceremonial groundbreaking last month on a much-delayed 22-acre, $4.9 billion development project, which includes the new arena and 16 residential and office buildings.

The 18,000-seat arena is to open in 2012. Construction on the other projects will begin in 2011.

The delays were caused by lawsuits filed by residents fighting the use of eminent domain.

Supporters say Atlantic Yards will provide jobs and economic development.

Report: Hornets owner negotiating to sell team

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- New Orleans Hornets majority owner George Shinn is negotiating to sell his stake in the NBA club to south Louisiana businessman Gary Chouest, who has owned 25 percent of the team since 2007, according to a person familiar with the situation.

The person familiar with both men's plans and the anticipated sale, told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Thursday because an agreement has not been signed.

Shinn, a 68-year-old businessman who made his fortune developing a chain of business schools in his native North Carolina, has been either the sole or majority owner of the Hornets since the club's inception in Charlotte in 1988. The club moved to New Orleans in 2002 and three years ago Chouest paid about $62 million for his share of the team.

Chouest is expected to pay about $200 million for Shinn's remaining shares, the person said.

Initially, Chouest's involvement was meant to stabilize a franchise that was returning to New Orleans following a two-year displacement to Oklahoma City following Hurricane Katrina.

Shortly after the current season opened, Shinn revealed that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which is now in remission.

Shinn spent most of the season away from the club, getting treatment at Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore and recuperating mostly at a home in the mountains of Tennessee.

He returned to New Orleans last month, attending several games in his courtside seats, but did not attend Wednesday night's game against the Charlotte Bobcats.

Now that Shinn is free of cancer, he wants to focus on charitable work aimed at promoting early diagnosis and treatment of the disease, according to the person who discussed his plans with the AP. Shinn also hopes to write an autobiographical book.

Money raised from Shinn's speaking engagements and other fundraising "will be given back to causes that serve the Lord," the person said.

Chouest also missed Wednesday's game because he was in Europe on business. He was traveling back to Louisiana on Thursday and could not immediately be reached for comment.

Chouest is a billionaire and owner of Galliano-based Edison Chouest Offshore, a barge and vessel company supporting the offshore oil and gas industry. He and his sons played basketball in their youth and remain passionate about the game. Chouest has been a season ticket holder, with courtside seats, since the Hornets moved to New Orleans.

His takeover would strengthen the Hornets' financial footing and raise the likelihood of the club staying in Louisiana long-term.

The Hornets' current lease allows the club to break its lease at the state-owned New Orleans Arena if average attendance falls below 14,735 during a two-season period.

Attendance this season has averaged just over 15,000 with two home games remaining.

Chouest, among the more influential businessmen in the state, has said his investment in the club was always about keeping it in Louisiana.

Once Chouest takes over, he could have a number of major decisions to make in the offseason.

The Hornets, now 35-44, will miss the playoffs for the first time in three seasons.

Hornets general manager Jeff Bower, who also took over as coach after Byron Scott was fired nine games into the season, has said he enjoyed his first year as an NBA head coach and hopes to remain with the club.

However, Bower and several other Hornets officials have said all decisions regarding the roster and the coaching staff will be reviewed after the regular season.

Because the Hornets missed the playoffs, they will also be in the NBA's draft lottery and may need to acquire a player who can contribute in the front court right away if they hope to return to playoff contention in the Western Conference quickly.

Hornets 6-foot-10 center Emeka Okafor, acquired in a trade that sent 7-1 Tyson Chandler to Charlotte last summer, has struggled defensively against taller, heavier centers and has averaged career lows of 10.3 points and 9.1 rebounds in 29 minutes per game. Peja Stojakovic, plagued by a groin injury, has missed 17 games and has averaged 12.6 points, down from his average of 16.4 two seasons ago, when the Hornets won the Southwest Division.

Meanwhile, 2007 first-round draft choice Julian Wright has been unable to take advantage of several opportunities to start and is back on the bench. He has averaged 3.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 12.5 minutes per game this season and the Hornets must decided whether to pick up a team option on Wright this summer.

Jefferson out of practice again for 'personal reasons'

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Timberwolves big man Al Jefferson did not practice Thursday, the third straight day he has been absent for what the team is calling "personal reasons."

Jefferson also missed practice Tuesday and the game against Golden State on Wednesday night.

Coach Kurt Rambis says the absences are excused and acceptable. Rambis says he is hoping that the team's leading scorer will return for the game Friday night against the Los Angeles Lakers, but he isn't sure if that will be the case.

Jefferson is averaging 17.4 points and 9.4 rebounds this season. He has missed five games this season, including two after his grandmother died in November and two in March for a suspension related to his drunken driving arrest.

Oklahoma's Warren opts to enter NBA draft

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) -- Oklahoma guard Willie Warren said Thursday he plans to enter the NBA draft and give up his final two seasons of eligibility with the Sooners.

The formal announcement came in a news release from the university, after The Oklahoman and Tulsa World reported in Thursday's editions that Warren had decided to turn pro. Warren said in the release that he has not signed with an agent but expects to do so soon.

"This was a stressful decision and one that I've been stuck in the middle on for a little while," Warren said. "I didn't like how things went this year with my injury and everything, but I also feel like I have the skills to take the next step. Some of the things I need to work on like being a better leader and being more vocal are things I can do at the next level."

Warren said he's spoken "extensively" about the decision with his mother and that he thinks it's time to enter the NBA. He said Oklahoma coach Jeff Capel "is in my corner" and has promised to help Warren make the transition.

"I'm very happy for Willie and definitely think he's ready for the next level," Capel said in a statement. "I appreciate everything he's done for our program and look forward to watching another Sooner in the NBA."

Warren was projected by some as a first-round pick following his freshman season, when he was the Big 12's freshman of the year. Warren opted to return to the Sooners, who were coming off an NCAA tournament regional final appearance keyed by national player of the year Blake Griffin, who was the No. 1 pick in last year's NBA draft.

Oklahoma's fortunes plummeted amid injuries, suspensions and team chemistry issues and the Sooners finished 13-18, their first losing season since 1980-81. They ended on a nine-game losing streak, the program's longest skid since dropping a school-record 10 in a row in 1964.

Warren led the Sooners in scoring at 16.3 points per game and averaged 3.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists. He missed 10 games, including eight because of an ankle injury. He underwent season-ending arthroscopic surgery on the ankle March 3 and said his ankle is "doing great."

"My freshman year I feel like I made some big contributions and I was somewhat satisfied," Warren said. "I feel like I could have scored more, but I understood the makeup of our team and it was a great feeling to make it all the way to the Elite Eight. My sophomore year was up and down and tough on all of us. It was a roller coaster ride, especially for me with my ankle injury and being sick.

"But if I had to make my decision all over again, I would make the same one to attend OU. It was the best experience of my life and I want to thank all the Sooner fans who were behind me."

Warren is the second Oklahoma player to announce he's turning pro. Fellow guard Tommy Mason-Griffin announced his plans to do so last month.

Another guard, Ray Willis, has said he plans to transfer.

Texas freshman guard Bradley to declare for Draft

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Texas freshman guard Avery Bradley will declare himself eligible for the June NBA draft, but doesn't plan to hire an agent.

Bradley said Thursday that he'll stay enrolled in class this semester and will schedule workouts around his class schedule. By not signing with an agent, he could choose to withdraw from the draft and return to the Longhorns next season without losing eligibility.

Bradley averaged 11.6 points last season for Texas, which reached No. 1 for the first time in school history.