NBA notes Feb. 28, 2008

MIAMI HEAT
The NBA needs to just forget about the game between the Heat and the Hawks where Shaq inadvertently fouled out. It was conceivable to play the game again as long as both team were able to put the same players on the court. But now both teams are drastically different and Miami, which lost the game, isn’t playing for the win, but rather they are just learning how to get along together. This one I think the league can just scrap as a mistake and move on. The lineup the Heat used in the last game seems like a no brainer to me -- Shawn Marion at the small forward sport with Wade at the two-spot and Jason Williams, who people were once saying was the second coming of Pistol Pete at the one.

DALLAS MAVERICKS
The Mavs will definitely be getting a test tonight and again in Los Angeles Sunday. Parker is back and that means the game against San Antonio should be a true test. The thing to watch is to see if teams play the Mavericks differently. How much will they respect Kidd’s outside game on the pick and roll. As far as Kidd guarding Parker, he might not have the quickness that a younger Devin Harris has, but he is generally considered, or has been, considered a solid defensive player. That said, there’s no one in the league that’s has been that effective in keeping Parker out of the lane. He’s going to get to the basket. It will also be interesting to see what Magloire can contribute, if anything. He was hardly playing in New Jersey. If he ends up playing a large or consistent role for the Mavericks, then that might say something about the direction New Jersey’s headed and the quality of their coaches and personnel department in using the talent that they have.

DETROIT PISTONS
After leading by 18 points, the Pistons lost their sixth game in a row to the Jazz. The two things that should bother the Pistons are that they squabbled an 18-point lead in the game and they lost to the Jazz again. A team as good as Detriot should feel like they can beat anybody. This current veteran group hasn’t figured out a way to beat the Jazz and for a team that feels it’s the best in the league, it’s hard to say that when you can’t even beat the Jazz, who are a good team, but no one is calling them the best team. Apparently they just match up well with the Pistons. Losing the big lead is a bigger deal than the six consecutive losses though. This was a road game they actually should have won.

NEW ORLEANS HORNETS
The Hornets are doing to the Suns what the Warriors did to Dallas last year. They seem to have this team’s number. The Hornets beat the Suns for the fourth time this season to sweep the season series and if they run into each other in the playoffs these four games should be on both teams’ minds. The Suns still haven’t figured out a way to play the tough defense that they thought they would have with the addition of Shaq. The story in the Times-Picayune today discredited the win somewhat because the Suns don’t have any real defense. They were also happily reporting Morris Peterson’s 11 points as a pleasing output. They might be the only winning team in the league that’s happy only getting 11 points out of their shooting guard, but I guess when you have big scorers at point guard, power forward and small forward that’s how it is. However Peja at small forward isn’t going to deliver the big scoring performance every night. There’s plenty of opportunity for Peterson to step in there and have a big game every once in awhile. For a shooting guard 11 points is not a big game. Well is still a threat to take that starting spot.

NEW YORK KNICKS
The word is now that Isaiah will stay on as Knicks coach while Kiki Vandeweghe takes over as team president. Thomas seems to be at the center of all the Knicks’ chemistry issues. He brought in all these malcontents and players that need to dominate the ball to be effective and it’s been clear that this will not work. Still even last offseason he’s continued to bring in more pieces that wont fit and the players don’t seem to be playing for him, including the franchise player Stephon Marbury. This team needs to be dismantled, including the coach. It just doesn’t seem possible to keep Isaiah as coach and keep the same player. If it’s true that Vandeweghe gets the job and Thomas stays, hopefully Vandeweghe will know enough to get rid of everybody. It just doesn’t seem like its possible to change the culture of losing and keep the same players.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
The Warriors are still discussing ways to make up for the absence of Andres Biedrins. The story today discussed to big men in Patrick O’Bryant and Kosta Perovic that have been camped out at the end of the bench this year. There as no mention today of Austin Croshere, who seemed to be a savior yesterday. Even though the Warriors didn’t play tonight, it seems like Brandan Wright will still get the opportunity to get the bulk of the minutes. Nelson will continue to look at Chris Webber with Croshere also getting time at center. Of the two guys that are buried at the end of the bench, Nelson appeared to have more nice things to say about Perovic, who is 7-foot-2.

CHICAGO BULLS
Tyrus Thomas is a better option down low than Joakim Noah, but Noah is considered the starting center and Thomas the power forward, the position that Drew Gooden plays. Gooden will eventually get into the starting lineup because the Bulls need more of a threat to score there. Thomas and Noah are basically the same type of player. They have length and can rebound and don’t have a developed array of offensive moves yet. Gooden isn’t the greatest power forward in the game and will often get abused by the better players in the league, but he can put the ball in the basket from the mid-range on the floor, which is more range than Noah and Thomas have -- probably combined. Hughes is also probably the best shooting guard the Bulls have right now, but there still a lot of untapped potential in Thabo Sefolosha. The Bulls will have to make a decision on which one of those players they’re willing to keep. For that reason Hughes will enter the starting lineup regardless of how Sefolosha plays, unless he turns into a player like Kobe Bryant. The Bulls brass will want to see how he looks alongside Kirk Hinrich, who is entrenched as the starting point guard despite inconsistent performance. Ben Gordon will never be anything more than a sixth-man. He’s too short to be a starting shooting guard and he’s instant offense off the bench. If someone likes Gordon enough to be a starter that they’re willing to give up something in big in return, they’ll trade him and then keep the loser of the Hughes Sefolosha battle.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS
The MVP award is Kobe Bryant’s to lose right now, but there is still the question of whether he deserves it. Is the most valuable person to his team in the league? The Lakers didn’t become true contenders until the development of Andrew Bynum and the recent addition of Pau Gasol. But one of the biggest reasons that the Lakers are back to where they should be is the addition if Derek Fisher at point guard. He gives the team that steadying influence it needs there. Fisher was on all of those championship teams with Bryant and played significant parts. He’s a huge upgrade from what the Lakers have had there since he left. Jannero Pargo anyone? Fisher is the type of player the triangle offense was built for -- cut to the open spot and if the ball comes and you’re still open, shoot it. That all said, Bryant is the best player in the league and if the Lakers finish with the best record in one of the most competitive Western Conference races in league history, he’ll the MVP award.