Kemp is back...will it be the high flying version? or the one with the fat head?

Is Rony Seikaly more famous for his career as a Heat player or for marrying SI Swimsuit model Elsa Benitez? I think it’s the latter, but judge for yourself: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/2006_swimsuit/allstar/elsa_benitez.html

Opie does well…The New Jersey Nets have exercised the option on coach Lawrence Frank's contract for the 2007-2008 season, the team said Tuesday. Frank signed a four-year, $10 million contract extension at the beginning of the 2004-2005 season. He led the Nets to a 49-33 record and the Atlantic Division title for the second time in three years this season.

Coahc Riles…The Miami Heat are the third franchise Pat Riley has taken to the NBA Finals as a head coach. He also took the Los Angeles Lakers seven times, and the New York Knicks once. Only one other coach has taken three different franchises to the NBA Finals: Alex Hannum, who went with the Hawks, Warriors and 76ers. If the Heat win, Riley, who won four titles as coach of the Lakers, will join another short list: Phil Jackson and Alex Hannum are the only two NBA coaches to win NBA titles with two different teams.

1) Marc J. Spears of the Denver Post reports that the Reign-Man is back and no longer resembles Jabba the Hut:

Kemp eager to return to game

Word of a slimmer Shawn Kemp recently seemed like stories of the Loch Ness monster or the Tooth Fairy. But late Friday night at a downtown Denver hotel, I confirmed the stories were true: The once 340-pound Kemp now looks like the all-star he was years ago. After a two-season NBA hiatus full of drama, during which he was too overweight to play, the 36-year-old is about 70 pounds lighter and focused on ending his hoop career the right way, possibly with the Nuggets. "What made it not fun was carrying around two bodies," Kemp said. "You can play at a high weight. You often feel like you can do things mentally, but physically you can't do it. That's what was going on for me. The instincts and all that were there, but I couldn't get the job done. Athleticism, conditioning, that is not a problem now." Kemp was a six-time all-star, a three-time All-NBA third-team selection, a member of Dream Team II and was arguably the best player - yes, better than Michael Jordan - in the 1996 NBA Finals. But this weekend, "The Reign Man" was starting from scratch at the Nuggets' free-agent training camp that ends Monday. "It's humbling, but it's fun," Kemp said. How did this former NBA great go from one of the league's most popular players to free-agent camp? The New York Post reported Kemp had a drinking problem while playing for Seattle in the mid-1990s. During the lockout in 1998, Kemp reportedly went from 260 pounds to nearly 320 pounds. His scoring average dipped to 6.8 points his last season with Orlando three years ago. In spring of 2001, Kemp checked into a rehabilitation clinic for cocaine abuse. In April 2005 he was arrested in the Seattle area for having small amounts of marijuana and cocaine in his car. Kemp knows his past will affect his NBA future and blames only himself. "I'm a player with a history," he said. "Most teams, regardless to what the sport is, it scares them. ... It scares them simply because they don't want to wake up in the morning and read something, look and hear something. And that is what the situation is now. "The only thing I can say to teams is I've been playing basketball all my life, man, and the time I took off, I learned more in those two years than the previous 10." Nuggets coach George Karl, who coached Kemp in Seattle, sees a difference.
"Shawn always had a good heart," Karl said. "He just now seems a little more clearer, little more matured and more together." Dallas has interest in Kemp and his agent, Tony Dutt, said three other teams do, too. But Denver could be the best fit. The Nuggets have three free-agent big men in Nene, Francisco Elson and Reggie Evans and are exploring a trade for forward Kenyon Martin, who was suspended in the playoffs for conduct detrimental to the team. And Denver badly needs a veteran leader. "I know which (teams) need big men and which ones doesn't," Kemp said. "The teams I work out for this summer will definitely need big men. Denver's one of them." Kemp would have the makings of a solid support system in Denver. Director of player personnel Mark Warkentien recruited Kemp to UNLV and worked with him in Seattle and Portland. Nuggets assistant Tim Grgurich played a big role in developing Kemp's game in Seattle. Kemp's longtime attorney, Scott Boatman, lives in Denver, and assistant coach Scott Brooks and guards Andre Miller and Earl Boykins are former teammates. Kemp said if Karl wants him, there is a "strong possibility" he can play for Denver. Karl said he could better evaluate Kemp at the end of the camp. "George - and I wouldn't say that about very many coaches - but as far as just him, man, I can work for him," Kemp said. From the short time I saw Kemp in Saturday morning's scrimmage, he was agile, played great defense, looked strong, rebounded well and ran smoothly. Karl said Kemp shot jumpers initially - to his chagrin - but moved into the post. Financially there is little risk involved should the Nuggets sign Kemp. They would have to pay him $744,551 for a one-year deal, with the NBA paying the other $433,797 since he has played 10 years. If Kemp is just 60 percent of what he was, you've got a quality backup who is more than worth the risk. And, best of all, the former No. 40 would have a positive ending for his book that is in the works, "From 40 to 340 and Back." "To make this happen now would be the biggest accomplishment of my life," he said.

2) Eric Moneypenny of Thesportingnews.com laments what should have ben:

There should have been a Game 7

On Saturday night, the Dallas Mavericks reached the NBA Finals, after surviving a first quarter in which Phoenix almost ran them out of the building. However, the Suns messed up big time on Saturday, and we all should have been getting ready to watch Game 7. I love watching both teams play, so maybe I'm just upset that the series is over. Not to take anything away from the Mavs, who played an exceptional second half, but the Suns could've extended the series with a couple of key changes.

Add another body or two to the rotation.
Late in the third quarter, with everyone in the entire world realizing that the Suns were running on fairly dead legs, it was ridiculous for head coach Mike D'Antoni to continue playing a seven-man rotation for the entire game. Rotations shrink during the playoffs, but D'Antoni's shortening the Phoenix rotation to seven throughout the postseason made it physically difficult for the Suns to successfully play the style they're used to. I'm not suggesting that the Suns are out of shape, or that Keith Jackson needs to shoot a commercial with Steve Nash or Leandro Barbosa at the Gatorade Institute. But to me, it's tough expecting only seven guys to play that Suns' style that we've all grown to love for a full 48 minutes. For example, it baffles me that Suns guard Eddie House didn't sniff the court in Game 6. When the Suns were in the midst of their 15-point third quarter, it could've helped to send the guy that averaged 9.8 points during the regular season over to the scorer's table. Sure, Eddie House coming in and taking a ton of shots isn't helpful under normal playoff circumstances. However, in the third quarter of Game 6, with the Suns failing to get many good shots, that behavior would have been downright constructive. I can comprehend why Mike D'Antoni doesn't necessarily want to play nine or 10 guys, and risk giving minutes to Nikoloz Tskitishvili. But, to leave a dynamic scorer like House on the bench while the offense appeared completely dysfunctional was a mistake. In the Suns' case on Saturday night, a shorter rotation equaled a shorter season.

Box out Josh Howard.
With Josh Howard out-Shawn Marion-ing the Matrix and the rest of the Suns, you'd figure someone would've gotten the bright idea to put a body on the guy and find some sort of way to keep him off the glass. You'd also figure that they could've gotten this idea as early as December 14, 2005, when Howard snatched 18 boards against them. Plus, it's not like Howard was only dominant once the Suns got tired in Game 6. If Howard hadn't played so relentlessly during the second quarter, I'd hate to have seen how much the Suns would've been up at halftime. The Suns have a difficult time with Howard, in part because of their style of play. The dude thrives in up-tempo basketball, and that's something we've all seen since Skip Prosser replaced Dave Odom during Howard's college years at Wake Forest. However, if I can notice how tough of a matchup Howard is for Phoenix, I figure that development had to have come to D'Antoni's attention a while back. So, if Phoenix can't stop Howard (and we know they can't stop Dirk Nowitzki), that's bad news for Suns fans and something that the team needs to address personnel-wise during the off-season. For the game, Howard's five offensive rebounds equaled Phoenix's output as a team. His 20 points and 15 rebounds was a Marion-esque line, and his help defense on Steve Nash was outstanding. With four or five guys on the Suns roster that should be good matchups for Howard, it's tough to understand why they have such a tough time dealing with him; but kudos to the guy for playing so well in Game 6.

Shoot some threes, already.
Phoenix is the best 3-point shooting team in the league. They heave up and drill more bombs than any other team and also hit them at a higher percentage than every other squad. During the season, the Suns were roughly 10 for 26 on 3-pointers per game. During the playoffs, they shot 24 threes per game and hit at almost the same percentage as they did the first 82 games. On Saturday night, with elimination dangling before them, the Suns were only six of 17 beyond the arc. The Mavs play good perimeter defense, but it's not impossible to jack up threes. That wouldn't even look out of character for a team that has successfully played with reckless abandon on offense for two whole seasons now. Phoenix should've taken more threes. It sounds simple, but stats rarely lie. Sometimes they fib, but I'm afraid they didn't in this case. None of this discussion is to downplay how great Dallas played during this series. The Mavs fully deserve the Western Conference championship, and I'm looking forward to an excellent Dallas-Miami series. However, it's ridiculous that Phoenix made such basic, blatant blunders during Game 6, especially after such a fantastic start to the game. Somewhere along the line on Saturday night, the Phoenix Suns forgot they were the Phoenix Suns. That's the sad part. We should've seen a Game 7.

3) Chad Ford of ESPN.com wonders:

Is Tyrus Thomas the No. 1 pick in the draft?

Tyrus Thomas is hungry. He's working out in a gym in Orlando, and providing ESPN Insider a first, exclusive look at the player many think will be one of first three picks in the NBA Draft -- perhaps the very first pick. He's shooting 3-pointers in a gym in Orlando. With every swish he remembers a slight, a doubter, someone who said his dream was impossible. He comes from a broken home in Baton Rouge. His father was in and out of prison. His mother worked two jobs to keep him off welfare. His grandmother and uncle took him under his wing to raise him. Thomas grabs the ball and flies up and down the court. He's dribbling with his left hand, then his right hand. He crosses over, turns on a dime and accelerates to the hoop. At the age of 15, he was a scrawny, 5-11 point guard who couldn't make his high school team. His sophomore year he spent the winter playing ball in the streets. "I kept telling everyone that I was going to college, that I was going to the NBA," Thomas says. "No one believed me." By the end of his high school season he had grown to 6-6, but was painfully thin and didn't really have a position. LSU, the hometown team he had dreamed to play for, didn't recruit him. When he approached them about playing, they asked him to walk on. Thomas grits his teeth as he remembers the experience. "They didn't recruit me at all," he says with emphasis on the all. "It was just another time in my life that I had to prove myself. That's my story. But I see it as a blessing. It made me hungry. I wanted it more than most guys." LSU redshirted Thomas his freshman season, which is when he met one of LSU's most famous alumni, NBA journeyman Randy Livingston. "I remember coming down and seeing this scrawny kid and wondering how he was going to fare with those bigger name recruits that LSU had landed," Livingston says. "I knew his uncle from when we used to play to together in AAU games. I knew he had a lot of challenges ahead of him. To be honest, I just didn't know."
A year or so later, Livingston received word in Turkey that Thomas was blowing up. By January, Livingston was in the U.S. playing for the Bulls and keeping close tabs. By mid-April, he'd been asked by the family to conduct Thomas' pre-draft training. "I've never met a kid so driven," Livingston says. "He's an amazing guy to train. The hard part is keeping him out of the gym. We'll do a hard morning and afternoon session and a weightlifting session in between and Tyrus will call me up late at night and say, 'Randy, we got to go back to the gym tonight to get some shots up.' That's refreshing." Thomas stands calmly at the free-throw line and swishes shot after shot. He's cool. He's been going for an hour and he's barely sweating. Every free throw is automatic. By the beginning of his sophomore year, Thomas was standing nearly 6-9 in shoes. He had blown away the coaching staff in preseason practices and landed a spot in the rotation. By December, NBA scouts were buzzing that Thomas had the makings of a lottery prospect next year, in the 2007 NBA Draft. A 15-point, 13-rebound, seven-block performance at Connecticut in front of a host of NBA scouts and executive moved that time frame up. Suddenly he was a candidate for this season's lottery. Thomas came back down to earth with a a shaky performance against Florida in February, combined with an ankle injury that kept him out of LSU's last four regular-season games. But the buzz picked up again after his dominant 21-point, 13-rebound, three-block performance against Texas (and top draft prospect LaMarcus Aldridge) put the Tigers in the Final Four. Thomas was suddenly a favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the draft. "I don't like when people say that I came out of nowhere," says Thomas. "I understand why they think that because the media or the NBA scouts didn't really know about me. But it doesn't reflect the hours I put in the gym trying to get my game to this point. Everything I'm getting right now I've worked hard for. Real hard." Thomas' workout on Friday wasn't what I expected. There were no post moves. No flying dunks. In fact, Thomas didn't dunk the ball once in his workout. Thomas has read the scouting report on him. It says that he's an amazing athlete, excellent shot-blocker and rebounder and a good hustle guy. However, it also says that he's very raw on the offensive end. Another doubter. Thomas decided he would show me that his offensive skills are anything but raw. Thomas spends the better part of an hour doing ball-handling and shooting drills. It's clear that he was once a point guard. He handles the ball very well for a big man. He can dribble with his right and left, change directions and bring the ball up the floor. We didn't see much of that at LSU. The shooting is a mixed bag. His jump-shooting form is very good. He's got a high, consistent release on his jumper with nice rotation. But on the day I saw him, the results were streaky. He started off the workout missing just about everything, especially from 10 feet in. He did show a nice kiss off the glass from about eight feet in on the right side. Then, 20 minutes into the workout, his shot started to fall. He stepped out to the college 3-point line and hit 22 of 33 during one catch-and-shoot drill. As he got tired toward the end of the workout, his shot started to come up short. I didn't come out of the workout thinking Thomas was an amazing shooter. But he was clearly more skilled in that area than advertised. Given his shot mechanics, he looks like he'll be the type of guy who will be able to hit the 15-to-18 foot jumper. "He's a better ball-handler than I thought he'd be," Livingston said after the workout. "I think that will really help him in the pros. His shooting has improved, but he still needs to keep working on it. His skill level needs to improve a little, but as you can see, the package is there. And when it isn't there, he'll work on it until he gets it there." Livingston then tells me about the first time he took Thomas through the Mikan drill, the foundational drill for every big man in the NBA. "He'd never done it before," Livingston remembers. "He couldn't do it. I remember it was a Friday and we spent a while on it and he just couldn't get it right -- especially the reverse Mikan. "He had to go away to a funeral over the weekend. He got back on Sunday night and called me and said, 'Randy, meet me up at the gym, I've got to show you something.' I came in and the kid is in the gym doing the drill perfect. The thing is, where did he find time to work on it? The kid was traveling and at a funeral. It was right then I knew I had something special. He wants to get better." Thomas said after the workout that he sees himself more as a three than a four in the pros. "I really wasn't allowed to play the three at LSU so people don't understand that I've been either a guard or a small forward my whole life," Thomas explained. "This is the first year I've ever really played the four. I think I'll always be more comfortable on the perimeter." While some scouts have consistently compared him to a more energetic Stromile Swift, others have said that Shawn Marion may be a better comparison. Livingston has his own comparisons. "I thought when I first got him that he'd be somewhere in between Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion," Livingston says. "But after working with him I think he's more a hybrid between Tracy McGrady and Kevin Garnett. He's not as skilled on the perimeter as Tracy, but he can do just about everything and do it with amazing athleticism. As for KG, the thing about that is that Tyrus plays with that energy and passion. "He plays with a chip on his shoulder. That's what has made KG such an amazing player and I think it's what drives Tyrus. The kid is ultra-competitive. He's mature for his age. He's not obsessed with living the NBA lifestyle. I think all of that is going to make him successful in the league." Livingston says that Thomas is an inquisitive young man who asks a lot of questions about life in the NBA. He wants to understand what it takes to succeed. "Part of the reason I wanted Randy to be my trainer is because he's been there," Thomas said. "I wanted a guy who could prepare me to be a pro, not just on the basketball court but off the court too. I wanted teams to see how serious I was about this and make sure I can make a quick adjustment." Thomas said his favorite player in the NBA is Shaquille O'Neal. While that might be because Shaq starred at LSU, Thomas cites a different reason for his choice. "I like Shaq because he dominates the game," Thomas said. "I think that's how the game has to be played. You've got to dominate it. That's how I approach it." Shaq was a No. 1 overall pick for Orlando 14 years ago. Is going No. 1 also the destiny for Thomas? The Toronto Raptors, who hold the first pick, have been in to see him once. He has workouts coming up with the Chicago Bulls (No. 2), Charlotte Bobcats (No. 3), Portland Trail Blazers (No. 4) and Raptors after the pre-draft camp in Chicago. Like most other top-tier prospects, he's likely to work out for teams by himself. Likewise, Andrew Bogut and Marvin Williams refused to work out against anyone last year. Ditto for Dwight Howard, Emeka Okafor, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Darko Milicic, Yao Ming and Jay Williams in years past. Where is he likely to go? The Raptors have shown interest and asked him to move up his workout so they can make a better decision on whether they want to keep or trade the pick. If they keep the pick, they could draft Thomas and move Chris Bosh to the five and keep Villaneuva at the three. If they trade it, a number of teams might be willing to move up to get Thomas. The Bulls, drafting second, still seem like the most likely team to take Thomas. We've been reporting for several months that Chicago has him ranked No. 1 on their board. The Bulls have been keeping close tabs on his workouts here in Orlando and according to his agents, Brian Elfus and Michael Siegel, have been showing daily interest. Livingston, who finished the season as a backup guard with the Bulls, thinks it's the perfect fit of player and team. "Chicago's a great situation for Tyrus," Livingston said. "I've played for Coach [Scott] Skiles in both Phoenix and Chicago and know he's a tough and demanding coach. But that's what Tyrus likes. He wants to be pushed. What the Bulls are going to like is the kid's toughness and dedication. Skiles demands that and the Bulls are really missing that up front." What about the concerns that Thomas is a duplication of Bulls forward/center Tyson Chandler, a defensive specialist? "I don't see that at all," Livingston said. "[Chandler] doesn't have any offensive skills really. As soon as he touches the ball he wants to get rid of it. He doesn't want to be fouled. And Tyson doesn't play with a chip on his shoulder. "Scott wants a motor guy and Tyrus is the best of the group. Once he gets a little more weight on him he's going to be a four that does it all, scoring and defense. I just don't know how the Bulls could pass on him." In the event that the Bulls trade the pick or select LaMarcus Aldridge or Brandon Roy (one NBA exec is convinced the Bulls are taking Roy and then addressing their front-court needs via free agency by making runs at Joel Przybilla and/or Nazr Mohammed), the Bobcats and Blazers remain possible destinations as well.
The Bobcats have three interesting big men -- Emeka Okafor, Sean May and Primoz Brezec -- but they don't have anyone with the athleticism or upside of Thomas at the four or five spot. He'd be a great compliment to Okafor in the starting lineup. While most observers think that they'll try to add a small forward like Adam Morrison or Rudy Gay to their roster, Thomas' blossoming perimeter skills could persuade them to take him. The Blazers are the toughest team to figure out. They're too young and the whole roster is in flux. Taking another young player like Thomas doesn't seem like the direction that coach Nate McMillan would like to go. But once McMillan sees Thomas' work ethic and determination, he could change his mind. If for some reason he slips past the top five teams, I'm told he's a lock at Minnesota with the sixth pick. Wherever he lands in the lottery, Thomas will hit the jackpot, with far more cash than he's ever seen before. Players from poor backgrounds often get overwhelmed by the money. Thomas promises that he won't be like that. "My family likes to live the simple life," Thomas said. "My mom worked two or three jobs just so she didn't have to ask anyone for anything. I'm like that, too. If I need something I figure out a way to get it myself. I know a lot of guys are into it because of the bling or the rims. I'm not like that. I don't care about that stuff. I just want to be the best. It's the competition that drives me."

4) Elliot Kalb of Foxsports.com thinks:

Look at the numbers: Shaq's the best

Shaquille O'Neal came into the NBA in 1993 with big dreams. He was going to take over a league that needed new heroes. Magic Johnson retired in October of 1991. Larry Bird's back injuries forced him out in 1992. Michael Jordan retired (permanently, we thought) following the 1993 season. The league was left to Shaquille O'Neal, and he grabbed it. It's been 13 years, and O'Neal still dominates the landscape. He is going to the NBA Finals for the sixth time in his career. He is four victories away from his fourth NBA championship. He has won more postseason games and postseason series than Bill Russell. He has scored more postseason points than anyone in history except for Michael Jordan and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. When O'Neal's 28 points, 16 rebounds, and five blocked shots eliminated the Detroit Pistons, it was the 30th playoff series that O'Neal's teams have won. How about this for an eye-opening number: Shaquille's teams are 30-9 in postseason series. His teams are 119-71 in the playoffs. That's a winning percentage of .626. Take away O'Neal's first entry in the postseason — the 1994 Orlando team that got swept — and his team's winning percentage in the playoffs is .636. Bill Russell is considered the greatest winner in American team sports history. Russell's teams were 108-59 in the postseason, for a winning percentage of .647. Russell led his teams to 27 playoff series. Here's another stat that speaks to O'Neal's endurance, which no one ever gives him credit for. Shaquille's teams have played 190 playoff games, and O'Neal played in 188 of them. The only two O'Neal missed were against the Wizards in a second-round series in 2005. The Heat won both games, to complete a series sweep against Washington, following their sweep of New Jersey. O'Neal has played through pain and injuries, but his attendance record in the postseason is over 98 percent (188-190). In the regular season, he has missed 175 games in his career, about 15 percent of the total. When it counts, O'Neal is there. Either Shaquille O'Neal or Tim Duncan have appeared in the NBA Finals each of the last eight years. O'Neal has won three titles, and has a chance at his fourth. Duncan has won three championships. O'Neal has played in 188 postseason games, which means that this year he has already passed Michael Jordan, Dennis Johnson, John Stockton, Byron Scott and Robert Parish for postseason games played. If these Finals go six games, he'll pass Magic Johnson and Karl Malone and Danny Ainge. Only three players will have played more playoff games than O'Neal when we speak in two weeks. Those players are Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Scotty Pippen, and Robert Horry. Jordan, by the way, played in 124 playoff victories, not many more than O'Neal's 117. While Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won six NBA championships, his last two came in his 40s when he rode the back of Magic Johnson and James Worthy. Shaquille is carrying people, still, in his 14th season. He can't do what he did on a nightly basis, but he is scoring 20 points per game on a team that needs just 90 to win most nights. He's capable of eliminating the Bulls with a 30 points/20 rebound game, or eliminating the Pistons with his 28/16/5. He gets the brunt of criticism when his team fails, but look at what really happened? His team won the NBA championship in 2001, 2002, and 2003. O'Neal's Lakers even defeated the Spurs eight out of nine playoff games to twice eliminate them. In 2003, O'Neal's Lakers lost to the Spurs in the second round. In those four losses that the Lakers suffered to San Antonio, Lakers starting forward Devean George made just five baskets with a severely sprained ankle. George had replaced injured starter Rick Fox. Robert Horry, then with the Lakers, missed all 18 of his three-point attempts in the series. That was also the series that Phil Jackson needed a heart procedure that would leave him at home for Game 4 of the series. Don't blame Shaq for 2003. All he did was average 25 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists against the Spurs in a losing effort. In 2004, O'Neal and Kobe Bryant again led the Lakers into the NBA Finals. It didn't help that Lakers starting forward Karl Malone was hobbled by a sprained MCL for the entire series and sat out Game 5. It didn't help that Bryant was distracted from issues off the court. How can you blame Shaquille? All he did in the 2004 NBA Finals was average 26.6 points per game on 63 percent shooting, with 11 rebounds per contest against Ben Wallace. Last year, Miami blew a 3-2 lead in the Eastern Conference finals to Detroit when Dwyane Wade sat out Game 6 with a strained right rib muscle. O'Neal — playing with a thigh bruise that had kept him out of two games in the previous series — scored 24 points in Game 6, 27 in Game 7, and came within a few baskets of beating the Pistons. O'Neal has scored 4,888 points in the playoffs. Only Jordan and Abdul-Jabbar have scored more. If Shaquille averages just 18 points per game and the 2006 Finals goes to six games, then O'Neal will be the third player to score as many as 5,000 playoff points. In the history of the NBA, there has only been one player as physically dominating, and that was Wilt Chamberlain. But Chamberlain's teams weren't a force in the playoffs, except for 1967 and 1972. Chamberlain lost big games with regularity, and worse, underperformed in far too many of them. O'Neal has almost always come up big. Shaq is a skilled passer, and even proficient at ball-handling in the open court. People were giddy over Shaquille's performance in the sixth game of the Eastern Conference finals against the Pistons, but that was an average game for O'Neal in the context of his playoff career. In the first game of the 1995 NBA Finals — against Hakeem Olajuwon, then the best center (heck, the best player) in the game at the time — O'Neal scored 26 points and nearly had a triple double (16 rebounds, 9 assists). In the 2000 NBA Finals, he scored 43 points to go with 19 rebounds in the first game. Even in the 2004 NBA Finals, O'Neal had a monster Game 1: 34 points (13-16 FG), and 45 percent of his team's points. O'Neal, in his 14 years, has stayed free of injuries, scandal, and outside interests. He has been a rap star, a movie star, even tried his hand at law-enforcement. He has never lost sight of his initial goals. He took over the NBA in 1993, and has proved to be a worthy successor to the greatest players of all time.

5) Andy Katz of ESPN.com reports on the bubble guys:

These nine have something to prove in Orlando

ORLANDO, Fla. -- We have established for weeks now that the NCAA rules that make players pay for their own expenses up front before individual team workouts have pushed players to stay in the draft. Well, there is one exception: The NCAA allows the NBA to pay for the league's predraft camp without any impact on a player's college eligibility. As such, nine players -- to the best of our knowledge -- are in Orlando for the free ride to test their draft status. Drills begin Tuesday night, games are played Wednesday through Friday and physicals occur over the weekend. By the end of the week, we should know how many of these nine will be staying in the draft. A few of the players listed below did have team workouts and, if they choose to return to school, will have to go through the paperwork-driven process of proving that they paid up front for the expenses.
There are two other players, both higher-profile, who will be in Orlando for private workouts. Pitt junior center Aaron Gray will go through physicals at the draft camp but he'll also have a workout Thursday for NBA personnel. Meanwhile, Villanova sophomore guard Kyle Lowry will have one on Wednesday. Who are the nine and what do they need to do this week according to NBA personnel?

1. Morris Almond, Rice Numbers: 6-6, Jr., F, 21.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg
Where does he stand? Needs to play his way into second round.
How does he do it? He must make a name for himself by standing out as a big-time scorer.
What's at stake? If he returns, Rice has a legit shot to be an NCAA Tournament team.


2. Renaldo Balkman, South Carolina Numbers: 6-8, Jr., F, 9.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg
Where does he stand? Still trying to play his way into the draft. NBA personnel say he is putting out vibes that he wants to stay in the draft.
How does he do it? Must prove he can be a true NBA small forward with ballhandling, shooting and passing.
What's at stake? If he leaves, the Gamecocks go down a notch after losing three of their top five scorers. South Carolina has recruited well, but he could be the difference between the NCAAs and NIT.

3. Bobby Brown, Cal State Fullerton Numbers: 6-1, Jr., G, 17.5 ppg, 4.6 apg
Where does he stand? He's a potential second-round pick.
How does he do it? He has to prove he has point guard skills. Everyone knows he can score.
What's at stake? Fullerton was 16-13 with him last season but the Titans had three seniors in their top six. Lose Brown and the key departures would rise to four. You do the math.

4. Jordan Farmar, UCLA Numbers: 6-2, So., PG, 13.5 ppg, 5.1 apg
Where does he stand? He's a solid first-round pick if he stays in the draft.
How does he do that? Well, he can still move up, which is what he's trying to do here. His floor game needs to be tight. He'll need to show how well he can run a team.
What's at stake? The Bruins are a Final Four contender with Farmar and leading-scorer Arron Afflalo back (the assumption is that he will return to school after not attending Orlando). Still, the Bruins say they have Darren Collison ready to go to offset a Farmar departure, so it might not be as damaging as it seems if he leaves.

5. Daniel Gibson, Texas Numbers: 6-2, So., G, 13.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.1 apg
Where does he stand? He is considered a second-round pick.
How does he change that? He needs to prove he's a point guard, not just a wing. He was moved off the ball during the season. The comparison being made is to Bobby Jackson. If that's the case, Gibson must stand out as an all-around ballplayer at the camp. The consensus is that he leaves the camp in the same state -- second round.
What's at stake? If he returns, the Longhorns avoid losing all five starters. Gibson would be a bridge to the newcomers and allow Texas to have a tutor for newcomer D.J. Augustin. He'll complement A.J. Abrams, who replaced Gibson at the point during the season. Either way, the Longhorns will be rebuilding, but with Gibson, they're more of a challenger to Kansas and Texas A&M.

6. Coby Karl, Boise State
Numbers: 6-4, Jr., 17.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4 apg
Where does he stand? A possible second-round pick but nothing guaranteed.
What does he have to do? Well, he must prove that he is a solid defender and can score against elite competition.
What's at stake? Karl is battling thyroid cancer. Still, the son of Denver Nuggets coach George Karl is going ahead with his plan of testing the draft process. If Karl returns, the Broncos (14-15, 6-10 WAC) are a player in the WAC next season. If he doesn't, they'll drop. It's that simple.

7. Blake Schilb, Loyola-Chicago Numbers: 6-7, Jr., F, 19.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.9 apg
Where does he stand? He is considered to be a bubble second-round pick.
How does he change that? He'll have to be a standout performer, but the consensus is that he will return to Loyola next season.
What's at stake? He was the leading scorer on a team that had only one senior in its top 10. With Schilb back, Loyola has a realistic shot of winning the league after going 19-11, 8-8 (Horizon) last season.

8. Mustafa Shakur, Arizona Numbers: 6-3, Jr., 11.2 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 4.7 apg
Where does he stand? He is in the second round but could slide out of the draft.
How does he change that? He desperately wants to stay in the draft. The Arizona coaches have started to move on emotionally, already saying they can see J.P. Prince running the show next season. Shakur must prove he can shoot the ball well and improve his decision-making.
What's at stake? Talk to Arizona and the staff says not much. The Wildcats were more concerned that freshman Marcus Williams nearly declared for the draft. Losing Shakur won't crush this program in the slightest. The Wildcats will be fine if he stays in the draft.

9. Darius Washington, Jr., Memphis Numbers: 6-2, So., G, 13.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 3.1 apg
Where does he stand? He is in the second round. How high is still unknown. It's not crazy to think he could slide out of the draft, either. Even though everyone assumes he has signed with an agent, there is no record of that yet. So, for these purposes he's staying on the list. Memphis coach John Calipari expects him to stay in the draft.
How does he change his stock? He has to make good decisions and prove he is truly a point guard. Decision-making has been the knock on him throughout his career.
What's at stake? If you talk to Calipari, there doesn't seem to be much at stake. The Tigers are set because of incoming guard Will Kemp and the return of Andre Allen, who was much more of a point than Washington for the Tigers.