By Sam Amico / The Amico Report

PISTON PRIDE, AND MORE

Lots of thoughts from around the NBA:

-- Could it be? Could the Detroit Pistons really be the best team in the Eastern Conference? Did I really pick the Pistons to the finish sixth in the Central Division? Sixth?! Believe it, because it's the truth. And if the season were to end today, none other than Detroit would be the top seed in the East. Of course, you already knew that. You also know about forward Ben Wallace, his funky hairdo and his love of defense and chasing down EVERY rebound. Hopefully, you know about the continuing development of Richard Hamilton, who has made the Pistons a winner in the deal that brought Hamilton from Washington for Jerry Stackhouse. Mostly, you have to know about the magnificent coaching job being done by Rick Carlisle, who has the Pistons playing team basketball in its purest form. These reasons and more are why I finally believe Detroit has an excellent shot to represent the East in the Finals. Finally.

-- Sticking with the Pistons theme, I'll be honest ... I never expected point guard Chauncy Billups to be this GOOD. Scratch that. I did expect Billups to be this good when he was drafted by Denver with the third overall pick in 1997. But Billups flopped with the Nuggets. Then he crashed and burned in Boston. Then he hit a couple of big shots in Minnesota, but did little else. Today, Billups is in the middle of a career year, running the offense to near perfection and burying opponents who dare to leave him open. Credit Carlisle and president of basketball operations Joe Dumars, who have figured out a way to get the very best from players who have been rejected elsewhere. They are players like Billups, Wallace, Jon Barry, Michael Curry, and even Hamilton.

-- Do you ever wonder if the Indiana Pacers of the Larry Bird Era where so good because Carlisle was an assistant coach on Bird's bench? I'm starting to.

-- I can't figure out the Phoenix Suns, and I'm sure I'm not alone. Heck, I'm not sure the Phoenix Suns can figure out the Phoenix Suns. They lose an important game at home to Seattle, then they win a thriller one day later in Memphis. Some nights they seem to be completely uninterested, other nights they act like they're playing in Game 7 of the NBA Finals. I will say this much, though: When the Suns are good, they're very good. And with Stephon Marbury, Shawn Marion and rookie Amare Stoudemire as a starting point, I REALLY like this team's future. Maybe down the road, the Suns will indeed see the Finals. Just don't ask me what to expect from them this season.

-- Great coaching job by Phoenix's Frank Johnson, by the way. If it weren't for Carlisle, Johnson or Minnesota's Flip Saunders, he would be my choice for NBA coach of the year.

-- Speaking of the Rockets, Yao Ming needs to learn how to shoot a skyhook. I know, you're probably thinking, "Gee, thanks a lot, Coach Amico." But seriously, could you imagine if Yao could sweep across the lane and shoot a hook the way Kareem Abdul-Jabbar used to do? NO ONE would be able to stop him. Not even Shaq.

ON THE WIZARDS

-- The Washington Wizards will become the Washington Bullets again April 2 in a home game against Sacramento. It's retro night, and I couldn't possibly be more excited. That's because the franchise should have never changed its uniforms or nickname. After all, I have a hard time believing that practicing wizardry is any safer than staring at stationary bullets. It's not like they were called the "Shooting Bullets." They were just the Bullets. Plus, how can you not love those old Bullets uniforms that looked like the American flag?

-- Not long ago, I wrote that if the Wizards won three of their six games on their current West Coast swing, they would make the playoffs. Well, as I write this, they've won two, with a game in Los Angeles against the Lakers approaching. The Wizards play in Denver two nights after that, although that's no longer a gimme (just ask Milwaukee, which is also fighting for its playoff life).

-- As Michael Jordan has said many times, the rest of the season will determine what happens to the Wizards this summer. If they start to fade, I wouldn't be surprised to see them let Jerry Stackhouse sign with another team, and try to trade Kwame Brown or Brendan Haywood. Brown and Haywood have had their moments, especially lately, but I'm not sure Jordan has enough patience to watch them keep goofing up while they develop. But can you blame him? I know if I were an NBA general manager, I would want to win NOW -- and I'd draft the best possible people to make that happen. Who cares about three or four years down the road? Former Cleveland coach John Lucas cared about the future when the team drafted DeSagana Diop, and look where that got Lucas.

-- Something else to think about ... will Doug Collins be back to coach the Wizards next season?

-- One more final thought on the Wizards: Why should Michael Jordan retire? I wouldn't. He's still averaging close to 20 points per game, and he still seems to be having a blast on the court. It also appears that for the first time since Comeback II began, Jordan is hitting his stride. He looks better at 40 than he ever did at 39. So why quit?

ON THE WARRIORS

-- I still wouldn't be surprised if the Golden State Warriors made the playoffs. If so, you can thank point guard Gilbert Arenas, who has been among the league's top 20 players since the All-Star break. A lot of people say Arenas isn't a true point guard, but he could run my team any day. Also, if the Warriors do make the playoffs, my coach of the year vote no longer goes to Carlisle, Johnson or Saunders. Instead, it'll go to Eric Musselman. My gut tells me Musselman will win the award next season, anyway.

-- Reader John Fike sent an e-mail to "let you know about a Web site that a friend and I created in our grassroots, homespun, and hokey effort to convince Gilbert Arenas to remain a Warrior next season. It's called www.staygilbert.com." Thanks, John. Now everyone can check it out. Of course, a lot of people already know about the site, as it has been featured on Fox Sports and in the Denver Post.

-- Hopefully, the Warriors will retire Chris Mullin's number soon. I know you're supposed to wait something like five seasons after a guy retires, but why put it off any longer? Mullin spent nearly his entire career in Golden State, most of it before the NBA put every game on TV. In fact, as good as Mullin was, I only saw him play for the Warriors twice in the 1980s. Once was during his rookie season at the old Richfield Coliseum, where the Cavs used to play. The other was a year later at The Summit, which housed the Rockets. Still, even I knew that Mullin was a poor man's John Havlicek.

ON EVERYTHING ELSE

-- It's hard to believe I'm about to write this, but Memphis' Jason Williams is turning into the ultimate point guard. Everyone always said that if Williams would calm down and quit trying to impress everyone with fancy passes and long ill-advised jumpers, he'd be a very good player. Well, Williams is slowly becoming that player under Hubie Brown. His been taking (and usually making) only the best of shots, and he's a big reason the Grizzlies believe they can beat anyone, anywhere, anytime.

-- Now that the Grizzlies have Mike Miller on board, don't be surprised if they look to trade Shane Battier during the offseason. That's pure speculation, but there are a number of teams out there who would love to add Battier's hustle and positive attitude. That includes the Lakers, who think Battier could give them what Rick Fox used to.

-- Do you think Memphis guard Michael Dickerson will ever play again? If so, will he be effective?

-- If you're confused about the Phoenix Suns, try figuring out the Milwaukee Bucks. Granted, the Bucks are still getting adjusted to having Gary Payton on the team, but other than Payton and maybe Sam Cassell, who on this roster is consistent? I'm writing this not long after the Bucks lost to Denver, which should pretty much ban anyone from making the postseason. Either way, it'll be an interesting summer in Milwaukee.

-- I still love Pacers guard Ron Mercer, and think he would be a nice offseason acquisition for somebody. The Utah Jazz might look into trading for Mercer, and would probably go through with it if they could get him cheap. Of course, he might just stay in Indiana, where he'll be sure to get plenty of minutes now that Reggie Miller is slowing down.

-- Utah guard John Stockton turned 41 on March 26. But know what? I don't believe it. The guy is just amazing in that he can still score in double figures whenever he wants, and he still knows how to set a nasty pick. He's not the defender he used to be, but he doesn't embarrass himself, either. The bottom line on Stockton is he gives the average guy hope. He's a person who has no business playing in the NBA, who is playing in the NBA. I've never been a huge Stockton fan, but I love watching him now more than ever.

-- Being 35 myself, I play in a lot of pickup games with guys who are 41. Almost all of them look like Stockton. They're short and can shoot and pass. So why aren't they in the NBA? A tad less quick than Stockton, perhaps. And their picks aren't quite as effective.

-- In case you missed it, the Orlando Magic came from 20 points down at halftime to defeat New Orleans -- on the road! Yet another reason I think the Magic could be a true darkhorse in the playoffs.

-- The Cavs will unveil their new uniforms and logo in the season-finale at Gund Arena on April 16. As you know, the Cavs will go back to using the wine-and-gold colors they sported in the 1970s. More teams need to look into doing something like this (are you listening, Washington Wizards)?

-- For more on the Cavs, check out Akron Beacon Journal columnist Terry Pluto's column about Darius Miles at http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/sports/columnists/terry_pluto/5455580.htm

-- Reader David Thoeny helped me feel better after I showed my dark side and wrote about my five least favorite NBA players. David e-mailed, "It doesn't mean you don't love the NBA if you criticize it from time to time. Those of us with passion for the league want to see it retain its integrity and reputation as the worldwide mother church of basketball. We wouldn't be true to our cause if we didn't question some of the more dubious aspects of the game. Who better to try to improve the NBA than those of us who love it?" Well said, David. Thank you.

-- Finally, my pick to win the lottery is the Los Angeles Clippers. I don't know why, it's just a hunch. I'll remind you of my pick continuously and even run it into the ground, something that's pretty much a staple of this newsletter. Anyway, let me know your guess to win the lottery at the following e-mail address: amicoreport@hotmail.com. I'll print the results next time.

-- As usual, thanks for reading. Keep sending me your thoughts, because they tend to make my day. And next week, I'll actually go back to printing more of your feedback, including your thoughts on how to improve the NBA.

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HAVE A GREAT DAY!


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