SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA -- Boredom rules the Kings. And the Kings currently rule the kingdom, especially when they’re in the kingdom. Expected dysfunction hasn’t showed up in the Pacific Northwest to wreak havoc in Seattle and Portland. A missing Kidd has things cooled off a bit in the desert. A new Brand of player has brought strength to baby Clips. And the state of hoops in the Bay Area is anything but golden. 

There’s not a lot of surprise going on in the Pacific Division, but things haven’t exactly made a lot of sense at times.

The Los Angeles Lakers are battling boredom, and as usual, themselves. Without anymore Brad Miller distractions or coaching jabs at his free-throw shooting to draw the ire of Shaquille O’Neal, and the team finding themselves looking up, instead of down, in the Pac-7 division, they may be ready to turn it on all the way to the playoffs. Too many more sleepwalking efforts will probably have them taking more trips to Arco than they’ll want come playoff time, and an earlier vacation period than expected. Not a bad thing, really, if it stops another public dance appearance by Mark Madsen.

The Sacramento Kings started out the season without their superstar, who most experts said wouldn’t be in the Capital City, but bearing the fruits of big city life. Forget about the start they had without Chris Webber, but know that they’re a lot better now with him in the lineup. They’re still the best passing team in the league, without the Globetrotter shenanigans, and employ the most fearless player on the court today in Peja Stojakovic, a three-dimensional assassin with game from the outside, inside, and yes, Virginia, a European player who plays defense. Mike Bibby has made all the difference running a smooth point, and with a little Shaq containment, they’ll be lots of parading in Sac-town this summer. No soul food, but a party is a party.

Give it up to Gary Payton. Everyone questioned his ability to be a professional, and he’s doing his best job this season proving that point in spades. The Seattle Supersonics will continue to hover right around the .500 mark all season long because they’re not the knockout outfit they used to be. However, good efforts from the young guys like Rashard Lewis and Desmond Mason keep the enthusiasm up, but the two-headed center monster called Art Long-Vladimir Radmanovic will stunt any move this team can make because they don’t rebound, and neither does Vin Baker anymore. Payton’s getting too old to carry eight grown men on his back, but that’s his job while they still have dreams of playoffs dancing in their heads.

It’s safe to come out of hiding. The Portland Trail Blazers are still in bliss. Not as many wins as in years past, but Team Turmoil is under control. And they’re healthy, thanks to yoga. Maybe that’s the source of their calm as well. Scottie Pippen isn’t the second best player in the league anymore, but he’s the #1 leader on this team, and since he’s returned from knee surgery, the team is on a 9-2 roll, including a win over the Kings where Rasheed Wallace went toe-to-toe with Webber on the national tube. Damon Stoudamire is doing his best job of running a team at the point in his career, and new coach Mo Cheeks has the rotation, not as potent as a couple of years back, in tune to what needs to be done on a nightly basis. Now. if they only find Arvydas Sabonis’ number in the rolodex, and beg the big man to make a late-season comeback, and promise him that Wallace won’t throw another towel in his face.

Los Angeles Clippers general manager Elgin Baylor has been talking about teams making a play for some of their core players, including Elton Brand. Baylor’s response to this is that, if a team makes a deal Baylor deems impossible to turn down, he will pull the trigger. Two problems. Why not let the kids, who have played most of the year at .500, develop into something? And two, with Brand’s great track record (not including this year’s Brand for those high school kids-to-Chicago trade), why would an owner let him make a trade of any kind? Anyway, the Clips are playing strong, and if last weekend’s win over the cross-town rivals is any indication of how dangerous this athletic group can be, I don’t have another. Problems to solve: Fans, when point guard Jeff McInnis begins his shooting motion, press the button to the air horns, which I’ll be mailing to you soon. Quentin Richardson is a strong candidate for Sixth Man of the Year, and center Michael Olowokandi may be moving further from my sarcastic wrath by the day.

The Phoenix Suns have some talent. The problem with talent sometimes is that you have to get it all going in the same direction. Ain’t happening in Phoenix. You can hear the rumble that the trade that sent Jason Kidd to New Jersey for Stephon Marbury is the big difference as to why the Suns may miss the playoffs for the first time in 14 years. Yeah, Steph is throwing practice-time blows with fellow backcourt mate Penny Hardaway, and doing that me-me-me first thing on the floor at times, but he is still talented, and may get it before he retires. Coach Scott Skiles is too tough to quit, but his wanting to stay can’t be too legit if the ship continues to drift from the shore. Shawn Marion is still one of the top forwards, young or old, in the league, and he’s usually the frontcourt every night with Tom Gugliotta seeing his better days, and the two Jakes, Voskuhl and Tsakalidis, looking like 14 feet of stationary skin and bones every night. How’s ‘bout them Diamondbacks, huh?

Finally, we have the Golden State Warriors. The best thing they can do is trade Marc Jackson, who told them in no uncertain terms when he signed a huge offer sheet for the Houston Rockets that he never wanted to play in Oakland again, just come as a visitor. Management didn’t read in between the lines, and Jackson sits on the bench inactive, and won’t budge in any capacity until he is shipped off. The team has no point guard of note. Writers are being nice in saying that Larry Hughes is doing a “nice” job at the 1, but he’s a shooter, and he’s just dribbling the ball and running a basketball team. Erick Dampier shows flashes during a game, but still looks slower than all Valhalla on the floor, and then you have to turn to Adonal Foyle, who is undersized and undertalented. The blessings of the season for the Warriors have been Dave Cowens’ firing, which has led to Antawn Jamison scoring more and probably being less resentful that he signed his career away to being in Oakland into his 30’s, and the continued health of Danny Fortson, who is one of the undisputed top rebounders in the game. Oh yeah, guard Jason Richardson will be a good player someday with his hops being off the charts. Right now he’s just an exciting player finding himself in the game. A good player will last a long time in the Association. An exciting player will be Harold Miner.

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Please send your comments to me at: walik@blackathlete.com.

1.30.02

Edited/Pam Gare