Forget East vs. West: Celtics clearly NBA's best
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Q: What's up with the Jazz? They can show up to big games, but not to small ones. What makes them lose their desire to play against teams that don't have a good record?
— Roger Hopkinson
A: I suppose that's a good sign for the playoffs, when they'll only face good teams. But they are led by a young player, Deron Williams, just in his third season. He's going to be one of the great ones in the NBA for years to come, but young players sometimes tend to wander, and the Jazz never has really filled the two guard spot with another young player, Brewer, mostly there. So you get inconsistencies, especially on the road. I don't see it being a major issue in the playoffs.
Q: I notice that Phoenix has no true point guard to back up Steve Nash. Do you think in the offseason they can get a point guard like Luke Ridnour who has a similar game to Steve Nash, or will they draft a point guard like D.J. Augustin from Texas?
— Randy Henry, Brooklyn, N.Y.
A: Yes, they have Atlanta's pick from the Boris Diaw deal and it still could be a lottery pick. They've tried to fill that backup spot for years and failed, most recently with Marcus Banks. The problem is there is no true backup for what Nash does. They hoped Grant Hill would do some of that but that also hasn't worked out. And Barbosa is a scorer, not a playmaker. It's like teams talking about having someone if LeBron or Kobe is hurt. You can't replace those players and you can't fill in for Nash. Yes, they need to get him off the floor more and want to keep him as fresh as they can for the playoffs, which they may be able to do better now with Shaq and playing a slower game and not having him flying all around the court whenever he's in the game.
Q: Do you think the Toronto Raptors should trade Andrea Bargnani this offseason for a desperately needed veteran post player? Bargnani has been struggling all season long and maybe it is time to trade him.
— Chris, Los Angeles
A: Yes, he has had a tough season and has clashed with Sam Mitchell, though who hasn't? I'd say it's too soon to give up on him, which I doubt general manager Brian Colangelo would as the No. 1 pick in the 2006 draft. You have to take a chance on his talent since you're not going to get much anyway for a guy coming off a poor season.
Q: Why are the Milwaukee Bucks so bad? They've got really good players all across the board. My theory is that coaching isn't getting the best out of their players on game night.
— Venny Reynolds, Detroit
A: Well, now a new general manager gets to try. You probably saw Larry Harris was fired after the unbelievable loss to the Heat. Sort of the last straw and time to get rid of someone. They have been a big surprise to me as well. They have good talent, but they lack a leader and a strong figure. Michael Redd is really a supporting player, though a high level one. Mo Williams is not a traditional point guard but a scorer. The coach, Larry Kystkowiak, is in his first year and learning on the job and with a new general manager coming in I doubt he gets a second year. But it comes down to the players and this group still doesn't compete on the defensive end despite the coach screaming for it nightly. They get another high lottery pick and have plenty of assets and shouldn't be that far away, though I said that before this season.
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