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By Sam Amico / The Amico Report

CAN THE MAILMAN DELIVER IN L.A.?

Switching teams past the age of 38 can kill an NBA career.

That's something 40-year-old forward Karl Malone should think about before signing a free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Of course, by the time you read this, Malone and the Lakers may have already reached a deal.

But the real question is, do the Lakers even WANT Malone? I'm not so sure.

All I know is these things typically don't work out very well.

Remember Hakeem Olajuwon in Toronto? How about Patrick Ewing in Seattle? Or since we're talking about the Lakers here, how about Mitch Richmond? He came to L.A. as an all-star guard, rode the bench through the team's title run, then quickly and quietly faded away. And he was only 36.

Obviously, there's a lot to be said for winning a championship. But ask Richmond what he'll remember most -- being considered one of the top shooting guards of his day, or being a non-factor as he watched his teammates get him a ring?

That's something else Malone needs to consider. How much will he contribute to a team that already has Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, and soon, Gary Payton? And how much will the Lakers actually need Malone?

How about Phil Jackson's Triangle offense? Will Malone be able to adapt after having been the central figure in Utah's simple offensive scheme for the past 15 years? Or will he be on the outside looking in?

None of this is intended to question the Mailman's decision-making ability or work ethic -- just the opposite. It could be argued that Malone is the greatest power forward of all time. He has sacrificed real life to lift weights up to five hours a day, then head to the court to shoot 800 jumpers. On the rare night that Malone drinks a beer, he usually wakes up early the next morning to do 200 extra situps.

He is among the NBA's all-time best role models, one of the most disciplined, intelligent, and aggressive players in league history. And unless you count the occasional public spat with Jazz owner Larry Miller, Malone has never made the national news for anything negative.

That's another thing that has to concern you about the possibility of Malone playing in L.A. -- he's never been a bright lights, big city type of guy. His off-seasons are spent at his ranch in Arkansas, fishing somewhere in the Rocky Mountain streams, or running his trucking company. He'll take spending time with his family or driving a rig over making shoe commercials any day.

I'll be the first to admit, I could be wrong about all of this. Maybe Malone will go to Los Angeles, fit in nicely, and the Lakers will win another title. But maybe it won't work out at all.

And is that really how Karl Malone wants to be remembered?

MORE ON MALONE

-- If Malone does sign with the Lakers, he can expect to take about 12 shots per game and average anywhere from 7-9 points. There's just too much talent for him to hope for anything more.

-- You can't complain about Malone wanting a title, or realizing it's not going to happen in Utah anytime soon. But I'd much rather see him go to San Antonio than L.A. He'd get more touches with the Spurs, who could actually use another big man to help Tim Duncan.

-- Malone's agent, Dwight Manley, told reporters that "Karl is going to go somewhere he is made to feel wanted." Why is it that whenever one of these agents opens his mouth, I suddenly get the urge to cover my ears and sing, "La, La, La"?

LeBRON'S DEBUT

I can't tell you much about LeBron James that you haven't already heard, other than you have to like how well he played in his summer league debut against Orlando.

How can't you? Especially when you consider that James even helped usually confused Cleveland center DeSagana Diop to play with some confidence. And that's exactly why the Cavaliers and everyone else who follows basketball are so enamored with James. It took all of one game for him to prove that he's going to make his teammates better.

Interestingly, the Cavaliers' summer roster includes three other regulars from last season's team in Carlos Boozer, Dajuan Wagner and Darius Miles. As one analyst said, it might only be the summer, but the Cavaliers are doing everything they can to stack things in LeBron's favor. Not that the kid needs any help in the confidence department.

-- My favorite LeBron quote so far: "I've been physically preparing myself for this for a long time with my work in the weight room," he told reporters in Orlando. "As for the other stuff, I think I'm handling it pretty well. What do you guys think?" It's safe to say LeBron will be an absolute hit if he continues to ask a bunch of ink-stained wretches for their opinion.

-- As for Diop, I just don't think he'll ever become an effective pro. Paul Silas will be his third coach in three years, and that's no way to develop talent. Most high schoolers aren't ready for the NBA right away, and I'm not sure Diop was even ready to contribute to a major college program when the Cavaliers made him the No. 8 pick in the 2001 draft. Heck, he still might not be ready.

-- After the summer league opener, Cleveland forward Darius Miles told reporters, "I can't wait for the season to get here. I'm going to be lifting weights so I can get my body ready for some TV time." All I have to say is, if LeBron can light a fire under Miles (still one of my favorites), I'll be forever grateful.

SUMMER LEAGUE QUICK HITS

-- Japan's Yuta Tabuse, a 5-foot-9 point guard, reportedly has looked good in practice with Dallas. If he makes the team, he'll be the first Japanese player to play in the NBA. Mavericks assistant coach Donnie Nelson also is said to be impressed with free-agent Tyrone Ellis, a 6-4 guard who played in Spain last season.

-- I'm happy to announce that one of my favorite college players, Lawrence Moten (Syracuse), is playing for the CMX entry in the L.A. summer league. Moten spent some time with the Grizzlies when they were still in Vancouver, and has been playing overseas since then. Utah and New Orleans are reportedly interested in bringing him to veterans camp.

-- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored just two points and grabbed one measly rebound for the Lakers in their summer opener. OK ... it was really Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Jr. Former high school star Leon Smith is also on the Lakers' roster, and he scored eight points in the opener. I'd love to see Smith make a team now that he appears to have his personal life in order. Meanwhile, Lakers first-round pick Brian Cook scored 19 points on 9-of-15 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds in L.A.'s second summer game.

-- Atlanta free agent DerMarr Johnson is playing for Memphis, and scored 25 points in the opener. But he only had three points in the next game, on 1-of-10 shooting, no less. At any rate, I think Johnson can become an absolute steal for someone this off-season. As for the Grizzlies, I also like rookie free agent Theron Smith (Ball State), who had 18 points and nine boards in the opener. First-round pick Troy Bell scored 19, by the way.

-- Before I get carried away with all these summer stats, I should tell you that Bo Outlaw scored 37 points in the L.A. summer league a couple of nights ago. Yes, Bo Outlaw scored 37. I love Outlaw's game, but it usually takes the man a couple of months to score 37 during the regular season. Just something to think about.

-- A few sleepers in Orlando's camp: Alton Ford (Houston), Marcus Goree (West Virginia), Britton Johnson (Utah), Luke Recker (Iowa), and Marvin Stone (Louisville). With the exception of Johnson, a rookie free agent, all of these guys are a few years removed from college. But longtime readers know how I feel about Goree, who should have made the Grizzlies' roster prior to their first season in Memphis. He had the best summer camp of anyone, but guaranteed contracts kept him from making the team. Meanwhile, I've always liked Ford's game, particularly his great attitude and hustle.

-- As for Britton Johnson, well, he might not make the NBA, but he'll still be able to tell the world, "I was the first person to dunk on LeBron James in front of the world." That ought to be satisfying enough.

-- While on the topic of Orlando, second-round pick Keith Bogans (Kentucky) had to guard LeBron in the summer opener, and still managed to score 24 points himself. These reasons and more are why I'm choosing Bogans as this year's Steal of the Draft. He becomes the third player to gain such an honor. The first was Terence Morris out of Maryland, who was just waived by Houston. In other words, I bombed on that one. But my pick last summer was Duke's Carlos Boozer, who had a wonderful rookie season with the Cavaliers. See? Every once in a while I get it right. Or at least something close.

-- Throw in first-round pick Reece Gaines, and I'd say Orlando compiled the league's most underrated draft. With youngsters like Gaines, Bogans, Drew Gooden, Gordon Giricek and yes, Tracy McGrady, I expect the Magic to be very exciting -- and good -- for a long time.

-- Another undrafted sleeper to watch for is Jermaine Boyette, a guard out of Weber State who's playing for the Rockets. Boyette is one of those guys who had a wonderful, but unnoticed, college career. He is also a player who always seems to find a way to get the ball in the basket.

-- Notables on New York's roster include free-agent rookies Ugonna Onyekue (Penn) and Matt Carroll (Notre Dame). I'm also happy to announce that fellow Kent Stater Trevor Huffman is playing for the Knicks' this summer.

-- Don't forget that Willis Reed, Alex English, and Dennis Johnson were all second-round picks.

-- As happy as I am to announce the news about Lawrence Moten, I'm even more thrilled to tell you that point guard Omar Cook is expected to play for Indiana this summer. This young man belongs in the NBA. He just needs to find the right team -- OK, that and an outside shot.

-- Milwaukee first-round pick T.J. Ford was 3 of 13 from the floor in his summer debut, scoring 14 points. With Gary Payton and Sam Cassell no longer in the picture, the Bucks are Ford's team to run. I'm still not sure why they waived Anthony Peeler, though. Their backcourt now consists of Ford and ... who?

-- Toronto rookie Chris Bosh scored 24 in his summer debut, while Dallas' Josh Howard had 34 in the same game. Others who you may know on the Raptors' roster include Jason Gardner, Lee Benson, Maurice Evans, and Mateen Cleaves. All four have a great shot at being invited to training camp in October.

-- Second-year forward Sam Clancy is trying to get his career going by playing for Philadelphia's summer team. The 76ers' roster also includes Todd Fuller, Cookie Belcher, and no less than Moses Malone Jr.

-- Free-agent rookie guards Willie Deane (Purdue) and Donta Richardson (Wyoming) are two players to watch on Detroit's summer roster. Both hustle and know how to score.

-- Rodney Buford, Lynn Greer, and Soumaila Samake are names you may know who are currently trying to hook up with the L.A. Clippers.

-- Minnesota's summer roster includes Kirk Penney, John Wallace, Quincy Lewis, Joe Crispin, and Michael Wright, who probably left Arizona a year too early. Lewis, a University of Minnesota product and former member of the Jazz, might fit in well.

-- Finally, Matt Barnes and Rod Grizzard are two promising forwards who are playing for Seattle's summer entry. And let's not forget free-agent center Mikki Moore, who has the kind of name only a 1980s hair-metal band could love.

FINAL THOUGHTS

-- I really like the Rockets' new logo, mostly because the team has decided to keep red as its predominant color (you can check it out at www.rockets.com). Also, Denver has a new color scheme and some flashy new uniforms. I usually get nervous when NBA teams start talking about changing their look, but the Cavaliers and Nuggets improved their logos and uniforms, and the Rockets appear to be on the right path.

-- The Boston Globe's Shira Springer wrote an excellent piece on Celtics' first-round pick Kendrick Perkins. You can check it out at www.bostonglobe.com.

-- Bucks fan and reader Tom Mesterfeld e-mailed to thank me for "jinxing any chance Milwaukee had at re-siging Gary Payton." Tom was referring to my line in last week's newsletter in which I wrote, "Personally, I think Payton will retire as a Buck." My apologies to Tom and Milwaukee fans everywhere. But hey, at least you have Joe Smith.

READER FEEDBACK

From Stephen C. Secaur

Q: My wife and I just got back from a trip to Europe, and I'm amazed that there is nothing on any of the sports Web sites about an item I read in a Scotland newspaper. In it, Commissioner David Stern was quoted as saying the NBA will expand into Europe, and that the league is looking for the Anshutz Corporation to build arenas in London and Berlin. This seems like huge news, and if so, do you know anything about it?

A: Dear Stephen, you're right -- that's pretty big news. I've only heard rumblings about it in the past, so I'm printing your e-mail with the hopes that someone can give us more details.

From Nick Mockford

Q: I have to say that I winced when I saw how you picked Seattle to be a top four team in the Western Conference in five years. As a Sonics fan, I am still recovering from the dreaded Amico Curse at the beginning of this past season, when you picked us to not only make the playoffs, but maybe even the Finals. Then, of course, we promptly collapsed until Ray Allen showed up to help us be respectable again. After reading how you also wrote that the Cavaliers would never get the No. 1 pick, I'd prefer it if you wrote that the Sonics are headed for the cellar for the next 10 years -- then I would finally be able to enjoy some success.

A: Dear Nick, I'll do my best.

From Eric Wang (Taiwan)

Q: A lot of reporters in Europe are saying that San Antonio might sign Jason Kidd. I don't necessarily agree with this move -- simply because I don't think Kidd is as good of a fit in San Antonio as he was with New Jersey. I'd much rather see the Spurs re-sign Speedy Claxton to backup Tony Parker, and use their money on a big man. I also saw that you wrote how the Spurs might go after Alonzo Mourning, but I don't think he's the answer either. Who knows if he's even healthy enough to play? Instead, I think the Spurs should go after Indiana free agent Brad Miller -- he's only 28 and at 7-0 tall, plays like a true center.

A: Dear Eric, as a Spurs fan, you present some valid concerns. The only thing I can say for sure is that the Spurs have to do SOMETHING, now that the Lakers have landed Gary Payton. You're right, signing Jason Kidd may not be the answer -- but it's a good place to start. As for Brad Miller, you can be sure that the Pacers will match any offer he receives from another team.

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