Sam Amico / The Amico Report

SPURS OF THE MOMENT

I know you want me to write about the NBA draft -- and I promise to get to it in a minute.

But first, we have to remember why the league even holds a draft. We have to remember that the reason teams work so hard during the offseason is so they can become the San Antonio Spurs.

The Spurs quietly won 60 games to compile the league's best record. They played team basketball all season, never losing focus or changing their philosophy in the playoffs. They stuck with what worked.

And now, the Spurs are champions in the truest sense.

Granted, the Finals were downright ugly -- which is why it was the least watched championship series since 1981. Nobody could make an open shot, and the idea of finishing the fastbreak in traffic became a rumor. It looked as if New Jersey and the Spurs were coasting through the preseason, rather than trying to win the biggest games of their lives.

Even Nets coach Byron Scott could hardly bear to watch. After Game 4, Scott mumbled and shook his head in frustration, telling reporters, "Players today just aren't as talented as they were when I played."

Overall, the coach is right. Expansion and an amateur circuit based on greed have taken the focus off of basketball and placed it solely on hype. I'll be the first to admit, the game I love is suffering -- because way too often, it's not about the game. Too often, it's about style, endorsements, or $100 million contracts without ever having won a playoff series.

Don't misunderstand. I'm one guy who thinks NBA players are pretty much paid what they're worth. I fork over lots of money to watch them perform, and I buy all the merchandise. Heck, I even support most of the businesses that advertise during broadcasts of the games. I just wish those businesses loved the game as much as the rest of us do.

But all of this is why we should appreciate the Spurs. They won with purpose and with spirit, following the lead of deserving two-time MVP Tim Duncan -- who would be a superstar in any era.

And how fitting is it that one of the game's classiest people and greatest centers retires with two rings? I'm talking about David Robinson, who owns just one less ring than Shaq. Of course, Robinson never lived in L.A., so it's easy to get the impression he's somehow inferior.

No, the Spurs never put on a show for the folks who don't really care about pro basketball. They don't have anyone on the roster who is considered The Greatest High School Player of All Time. They don't even have a guy with a decent shoe deal.

They're just champions.

And if you love the NBA as much as I do, that's good enough.

ANALYZING THE DRAFT PROCESS

-- When it comes to the NBA draft, nobody said it better than UCLA forward and potential pick Jason Kapono in The Indianapolis Star. "I should have left college after my freshman year, played in Croatia, and changed my name to Vladimir Kaponovich," Kapono said. "That would have been perfect."

-- Kapono makes a good point, as today's general managers seem to draft players based on What They Don't Know. In other words, GMs and owners seem to be more interested in taking a guy who they find intriguing, as opposed to someone who will help the team right away. But they only do it because that's what the fans demand.

-- What I'm trying to say is, there's a possibility LeBron James may not be better than other top prospects, such as Darko Milicic or Carmelo Anthony. In fact, I guarantee you the Cleveland Cavaliers have no idea how good James will be next season, or even down the road. But could you imagine what the fans would say if they drafted Milicic with the No. 1 overall pick? And James turned out to be as good as expected? As plenty of Cavaliers fans have told me, they'll forgive the team if it picks James and he's a bust. The same wouldn't be true of anyone else.

-- I call the current line of thinking, The Fennis Dembo Exception. Remember Dembo, the talented and colorful collegian who played for the University of Wyoming in the late 1980s? He was a nice college player, but too slow to play guard and too small to play forward in the NBA. And every NBA scout and GM knew it. But Dembo had pizzazz, the type of fun-loving attitude that would put people in the seats. So he got drafted. And to no one's surprise, he was too slow to play guard and too short to play forward.

-- Allow me to break from this though long enough to beg you to hold those angry e-mails -- I don't think LeBron James is the next Fennis Dembo! Or anything even close. I'm just trying to point out that the NBA draft sure ain't what it used to be. I mean, take a look at Boston College guard Troy Bell. He played four years in the Big East, and has been called the most athletic player entering the draft by more than one scout. He can shoot, defend, and has a great attitude. That much we know. Yet Bell probably won't be drafted until the second round. Why? As one GM told me, "Because everyone's seen him play too much. Nobody finds him to be all that intriguing." Ah, yes. There's that word again.

AND NOW FOR WHAT YOU'VE BEEN WAITING FOR ... RUMORS

-- You'll probably be disappointed to learn that my first rumor isn't very juicy. That's because top free agents like Jason Kidd (New Jersey), Karl Malone (Utah), Gary Payton (Milwaukee), and Jermaine O'Neal (Indiana) all will sign with their current teams. Heck, it even looks like Juwan Howard will be back in Denver -- and that's a good thing if you're a Nuggets fan. After a shaky start to his career, Howard has become a true team leader, as his work ethic has become a wonderful example for the younger players. Plus, how's this sound for a frontcourt: Howard and Carmelo Anthony at forward, Nene Hilario at center, and Nikoloz Tskitishvili coming off the bench. All the Nuggets will need is a good guard (can you say Gilbert Arenas?).

-- As for Jason Kidd, the New York Post reports that he could be involved in a sign-and-trade deal that sends him to Sacramento for Mike Bibby and Hedo Turkoglu. And no, that didn't come from the pen of Peter Vescey. Instead, it was reported by respected basketball writer Fred Kerber, which makes it at least a little believable.

-- Utah could also make a deal, as the Jazz worked out Russian center Pavel Podkolzine, who apparently has grown from 7-foot-4 to 7-5 since the last time I wrote about him (last week). Anyway, this is an interesting development when you consider the Jazz have the No. 19 pick, and Podkolzine is expected to be selected in the top 10. Is Utah considering trading up? It's hard to tell. The Jazz have also worked out Arizona point guard Jason Gardner and Wyoming swingman Donta Richardson.

-- Marquette swingman Dwayne Wade has worked out twice for Chicago, and once for each of the other lottery teams. He could get drafted as high as fifth by Miami -- although there are reports that the Heaters may be trying to trade their pick for a veteran. Not hard to believe, when you consider center Alonzo Mourning will probably be playing elsewhere next season.

-- The last time the Golden State Warriors owned the No. 11 pick (1996), they drafted Todd Fuller. Let's keep our fingers crossed for them to do better this time.

-- The hottest trade rumor circulating around the league involves Toronto and Dallas. The Chicago Tribune has reports that the Raptors are considering dealing Antonio Davis and the No. 4 pick to Dallas for Raef LaFrentz and the 29th pick. That would immediately put Vince Carter and the Raptors back in contention in the East, and do wonders for Dallas. Davis would be the banger the Mavericks are currently lacking, and who knows what they would be able to do with a top five pick?

-- Georgia forward Jarvis Hayes, who was once considered a top 10 pick, has reportedly struggled during individual workouts. He could now fall to as low as No. 18, where New Orleans would certainly pick him.

-- It's hard to believe, but two scouts told me they expect Arizona's Luke (Son of Bill) Walton to be drafted late in the first round. Hard to believe because the few times I saw Walton, he looked to be little more than a good passer -- and poor defender.

-- Last week, I completely jumbled a line about Texas A&M's Bernard King Jr. He is NOT the son of former NBA scoring machine Bernard King. Rather, Bernard Jr. is the son of Victor King, a good college player who never made it to the NBA. At any rate, I haven't changed my mind about Bernard Jr. being my sleeper pick. Although I do have a question -- if his dad's name isn't Bernard, how on earth does that make him Bernard Jr.?

-- While I may have messed up the Bernard Jr. info, I do know for a fact that Illinois big man Brian Cook is the son of former first-round pick Norm Cook (1976, Philadelphia 76ers). I also know that Brian has been impressive in individual workouts, and just might get drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round.

-- Good news, Memphis fans! It appears Shane Battier is no longer on the trading block. And now for the bad news -- reports out of Memphis say Pau Gasol is. Supposedly, GM Jerry West is floating a deal that would send Gasol to Portland in a three-team trade involving Minnesota. No word on what the Griz would get in return. If it's any condolence, I don't believe it. I think Gasol is staying, and that West will instead figure out a way to move up in the draft without giving up too much.

-- Two teams I'll be paying close attention to on draft day: Atlanta and Philadelphia. As I write this, neither team has a coach or lottery pick. In fact, the Hawks don't even have an owner, as Dallas businessman David McDavid is still waiting for the league to approve his purchase of the team. Still, with the right moves, Atlanta could be in the playoffs next season, and Philly could be in the Finals.

A NOTE FROM KUWAIT

This e-mail comes from United States marine Jose Villalpando, who is currently stationed in Kuwait and serving in Operation Enduring Freedom:

"On behalf of myself and all the marines, I'd like to thank you and everyone who has done something to make our lives out here a little more bearable."

As I wrote in my reply to PFC Villalpando, he probably cannot imagine how thankful all of us are for people like him, people who are risking their lives to bring peace to the world. I did not tell him, however, that I'm going to print his e-mail address, so that you may contact him with a personal note of thanks. Here it is:

villalpandoJL@mlcdm.usmc.mil

With that said, PFC Villalpando asked what I thought the Chicago Bulls will do with their No. 7 pick. Well, right now it's really starting to look like they'll draft Dwayne Wade, then make some kind of deal involving one of their other young guards -- Jay Williams or Jamal Crawford.

FINALLY, MY MOCK DRAFT

This isn't your typical mock draft. Instead, it's who I feel should go where based on what I've seen or heard about the draftees. In other words, if I were the GM of every NBA team, this is how the first round would go (well, maybe):

1. Cleveland: LeBron James; 2. Detroit: Darko Milicic; 3. Denver: Carmelo Anthony; 4. Toronto: T.J. Ford; 5. Miami: Chris Bosh; 6. L.A. Clippers: Kirk Hinrich; 7. Chicago: Dwayne Wade; 8. Milwaukee: Michael Pietrus; 9. New York: Chris Kaman; 10. Washington: Mike Sweetney; 11. Golden State: Pavel Podkolzine; 12. Seattle: Maciej Lampe; 13. Memphis: Leandrinho Barbosa.

14. Seattle: Luke Ridnour; 15. Orlando: Reece Gaines; 16. Boston: Josh Howard; 17. Phoenix: David West; 18. New Orleans: Jarvis Hayes; 19. Utah: Nick Collison; 20. Boston: Boris Diaw; 21.Atlanta: Alexander Pavlovic; 22. New Jersey: Ndubi Ebi; 23. Portland: Travis Hansen; 24. L.A. Lakers: Brian Cook; 25. Detroit: Marcus Banks; 26. Minnesota: Viktor Khryapa; 27. Memphis: Troy Bell; 28. San Antonio: Sofaklis Schortsianides; 29. Dallas: Carlos Delfino.

VACATION TIME

I'll be on vacation next week, out of town relaxing and following the draft. I'll be back the first week of July, so keep those e-mails coming and keep signing up your friends. We're just short of 11,000 readers. And, yes, I promise to get back to publishing your thoughts next week. In the meantime, thanks for taking the time to chat about the sport I love. Enjoy the draft!

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HAVE A GREAT DAY!