By Sam Amico / The Amico Report

HITTING THE ROAD

In my never-ending quest to discover The Next Jerry West, I am about to head for the West Virginia boys state basketball tournament. Of course, it doesn't hurt that I'm getting paid to be there.

Anyway, since I'm leaving town for a few days, this will be an abbreviated version of the Amico Report. My impending departure is also why I've enlisted you to help me write this particular edition.

Mostly, I wanted to print your reaction to last week's list of "Five NBA Guys I Don't Like." In case you forgot, the list consisted of Portland's Rasheed Wallace, Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki, Detroit's Pepe Sanchez, Boston's Paul Pierce, and the Clippers' Michael Olowokandi. Also in case you forgot, I tried to make it clear that I don't dislike these players -- they are simply among my least favorite in today's NBA.

That disclaimer didn't really seem to matter, though. I still received a number of angry e-mails, one of which came from Dan Bischoff, who wrote, "You seem to have lost your passion for pro basketball." Trust me, Dan, that's NOT the case. And just to prove it, I'll be publishing a new list this summer. It'll be titled, "Ten Things I Absolutely Love About Today's NBA." In all honesty, it won't be easy to find just 10.

OK. Enough babbling. Let's get started.

RE: FIVE GUYS I DON'T LIKE

From Scott Friedman

Congratulations on finally writing a report while sober! Last week's newsletter actually had an edge to it, and I profusely thank reader Chris Hanson for provoking it. Your dark side has potential, Amico. Keep searching there for inspiration.

Dear Scott

Thanks. I think.

From Marlon Scott

You're absolutely right about my boy Dirk Nowitzki. Being here in Dallas, it is frustrating to realize before the playoffs start that the Mavericks have NO chance at a championship. They're like a supermodel -- really hot and great to look at, but nothing inside. I guess it's time for Coach Don Nelson to move on.

Dear Marlon

I wonder if you're opinion has changed now that the Mavs finally beat the Kings -- in Sacramento, no less? As for supermodels, well, you might appreciate this line from a former colleague. It was the mid-1990s, and Cindy Crawford was being interviewed on television. After my colleague and I watched for a few minutes, he just shook his head and rolled his eyes. "When did supermodels start TALKING?" he asked.

From Brian Johnson

I have to control my anger when writing this. I can't believe you listed Paul Pierce as your second-least favorite NBA player. How can you be serious? Either you haven't seen him play this season or you're buying the myth created by the national media that says Pierce is selfish. Truth is, Pierce is a throwback, he has great fundamentals and an incredible mid-range game, and is among league leaders in scoring and points in the fourth-quarter. Pierce has the biggest heart of anyone in the NBA, and is the next John Havlicek. To list him in that group is an insult to him, myself, the city of Boston and the game of basketball.

Dear Brian

OK, OK, calm down. I like Paul Pierce already. Although you did lose me when you wrote something about Pierce having the biggest heart in the NBA. Anyway, maybe this will cheer you up -- if I had to pick one team as the greatest in my lifetime, it would unquestionably be the 1986 Boston Celtics. And nobody can convince me otherwise.

From Webb Hester

Sam, you took it too easy on those guys on your list. You should have borrowed a page from NBA analyst Bill Walton and just told the truth. You let Paul Pierce off particularly easy, as he continuously complains about the officiating and about not getting the ball. He was one of the most disruptive players on the U.S. international team last summer, and has a me-first attitude -- both of which are reasons he isn't being considered for the Olympic team.

Dear Webb

Why do I get the feeling you won't be invited to have dinner at Brian Johnson's house anytime soon?

From Paul Popovich

I love the newsletter, but I couldn't disagree with your bottom five more. I mean, why do we applaud little guys who go inside, but boo the big guys like Dirk Nowitzki for having good perimeter games?

Dear Paul

Because it takes guts to go inside. Any wimp can stand out on the perimeter. I know, as I'm one of those guys who likes to hang out near the 3-point line all day. Anyway, since you said nice things about the newsletter, I decided to print your list of five least favorite players. You wrote: "5) Antoine Walker -- That little shake 'n' bake thing drives me nuts. I wish he would try it in front of Indiana's Ron Artest. 4) Glenn Robinson -- Talk about a guy who only cares about how many times he shoots. 3) Reggie Miller -- Just because I used to love it when they said his sister was better. 2) Danny Ferry -- Hey, I'm from Northeast Ohio. 1) Ricky Davis -- How can you be a Cavalier and be overrated? Never saw a shot he didn't like, and complains in every huddle." Good stuff, Paul. Thanks.

BASKETS, OR BARKING?

According to Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, "the Westminster Dog Show is pulling twice the (TV) ratings of the Kings vs. Spurs."

Cuban made those remarks during a panel discussion at the World Congress of Sports. I looked it up, and he's right. The dog show really did outdraw NBA games that were broadcast on the same night. Cuban wondered, "How can this be?"

Finally, Cuban said that the league can't "market (its) way out of a paper bag."

Solutions? Well, you give them to me nearly every week in this very newsletter, in the "Improving the NBA" segment. Hopefully, the folks in the league's front office are considering what you have to say.

Other than that, the league is just going through a rough spot. Things will pick back up, and I'm guessing it will happen as soon as next season, when The LeBron Tour visits an arena near you.

RICKY'S NON-REBOUND

We all know about Cleveland's Ricky Davis, and how he purposely missed a shot at his own basket in an attempt to get the rebound and therefore, assure himself of a triple-double in a blowout win over Utah.

We all heard Jazz coach Jerry Sloan and ESPN analyst Fred Carter say that basically, they would have wiped the floor with Davis had they been playing. ESPN's David Alridge wrote that the Cavs should take action against Davis, slapping him with a fine and a suspension.

I love David, but I disagree.

Davis knows it was a classless thing to do. He admitted it was a mistake, and said he is terribly embarrassed. So can't we all just get on with life? Aren't there more important things to worry about?

Plus, with more and more young players flooding to the NBA, these are the types of amateurish displays NBA fans will just have to get used to. That doesn't mean it's OK, or that Davis shouldn't be warned by the league office in an effort to make sure it doesn't happen again.

But all this talk about Davis "disrespecting the game" and "trying to make the Jazz look bad" is a little bit much. Greater crimes have been committed against the game's integrity, and the league has always managed to survive. Can Davis be selfish and disruptive? Yes. But at least the kid loves to play, and at least he isn't appearing on the police blotter every other week (or ever, in Davis' case). In today's world, there's something to be said for that.

ON LEBRON

High school phenom LeBron James really impressed me the other day, and it had to do with more than his remarkable play on the court.

James and his Akron (Ohio) St. Vincent-St. Mary team played their toughest game of the postseason in a win over Ottawa-Glandorf in the Ohio state tournament. The score was tied at halftime, and St. V ended up winning 69-59 -- a close game for the Irish.

Afterward, James complimented the opposing team and it's players, saying that the Glandorf forwards were as good as any he had seen.

Also, according to a report in the Akron Beacon Journal, a reporter asked James how it feels to be playing for a third state title in four years. James modestly pointed out that St. V has yet to reach the finals (it plays in the state semis March 21 against Canton South). "We're not playing for the state title just yet," James said.

Apparently, despite all the hoopla, James knows the value of good p.r., and respecting your opponent.

QUICK RANDOM THOUGHTS

-- The Tacoma (Wash.) News-Tribune reported that Seattle is eyeing Denver forward and free-agent-to-be Juwan Howard, and that Howard will listen if the Sonics offer him their mid-level exception of $4.5 million this summer. "My ears are open to everyone," he told the newspaper. "I'd be cheating myself if I didn't listen." No doubt, Howard would be a great complement to current Sonics star Ray Allen.

-- Speaking of Seattle, this e-mail comes from Sonics fan Nick Mockford. "As a Seattle fan, I live for the day when ONE writer praises the job undrafted rookie big man Reggie Evans has done. While other rookies are getting all of the attention, Reggie has come in on minimal wages, won the starting job from Vladimir Radmanovic, and impressed everyone in Seattle with his grit, determination, and blue-collar rebounding. He doesn't have much ability on offense, but that only leads me to believe he's a poor man's Ben Wallace. So please, even if it's just one word, give Reggie some praise in your next Amico Report." Dear Nick, you just did. Well said. -- Some players who reportedly will be on the trading block this summer: Miami's Eddie Jones, who could be on his way to Minnesota; Atlanta's Jason Terry and Shareef Abdur-Rahim; and yes, Cleveland's Ricky Davis, who's definitely a goner should the Cavaliers obtain the No. 1 pick in the draft.

-- One player I love who I haven't mentioned in two years of writing this newsletter: Philadelphia's Eric Snow. Nothing seems to make the guy happier than playing defense and hustling, and he does a magnificent job of running the Sixers' offense. That's especially true when you consider Snow never claimed to be a true point guard. But he is as unselfish as they come, and is the perfect backcourt-mate for Allen Iverson (another of my favorites, but you already knew that).

NBDL STUFF

A few quick notes from the NBA's minor league:

-- I spent an entire afternoon watching a game being played in Huntsville, Ala., and I still cannot determine whether Huntsville's colors are bright yellow and maroon, or bright yellow and brown. Whatever the case, the NBA definitely could use more uniforms like Huntsville's. They're so bright, the lights could go out and no one would notice.

-- How come none of the NBDL teams have logos? Every league everywhere has logos for its teams -- why not the NBDL? Right now, all eight teams are forced to use Michael Jordan's likeness (and only MJ's likeness) on their uniforms.

-- Huntsville forward Art Long has spent some time in the NBA, and it sure shows. Long is tall and wide, and just led a 2-on-1 fastbreak by throwing a great bounce pass to A.J. Guyton. Then Long ran the floor, sailed through the lane, and slammed home a return lob from Guyton in traffic with his weak hand. In the NBDL, Long looks like a combination of MJ and Shaq.

-- Asheville's Jeff Trepagnier is averaging 17.7 points per game, and I'm still convinced the guy belongs in the NBA. Trepagnier sat the bench for an entire year last season in Cleveland, when his game consisted of little more than running, jumping and committing turnovers. But Trepagnier has developed a decent jump shot, and seems to have mastered the mid-range game. Kind of a poor man's Richard Hamilton, only more athletic.

MINOR LEAGUE QUICKIES

-- Grand Rapids' Jerald Honeycutt leads the CBA in scoring at 30.0 ppg. Dakota's Oliver Miller is 11th at 20.0 ppg, and Grand Rapids' Olden Polynice is 13th (17.5). Also, one of the NBA's all-time greatest guys, Mitchell Butler, is scoring 14.0 ppg for Yakima.

-- Every time the NCAA Tournament rolls around, my first thought is, "I wonder what happened to Kevin Mackey?" Mackey was the coach at Cleveland State in 1986, when the Vikings shocked Indiana in the tourney's first-round. So it can safely be said that Mackey is as responsible as anyone for John Feinstein's best-selling book, "A Season on the Brink." Anyway, Mackey was fired from Cleveland State in the early 1990s, when he was arrested for hanging out near a crack house. He has reportedly cleaned up his act, and is now coaching the Mansfield (Ohio) Hawks of the United Pro Basketball League. The league is run by former Cavs owner Ted Stepien, who gained a reputation in the 1980s as someone who would trade his very own mother -- for a seventh-round pick, no less.

-- Yes, it's true. Former Knicks guard John Starks will be coaching in the USBL this summer. I actually think Starks has the personality to succeed, as he knows what it takes to get out of the minors (Starks played in the USBL and CBA before hitting it big in the NBA).

SIGN UP FOR THE AMICO REPORT

If you or someone you know would like to have the Amico Report delivered directly to your inbox, just send an e-mail address to me at amicoreport@hotmail.com. The newsletter is free, and always will be. Questions and comments can also be sent to that address.

HAVE A GREAT DAY!


InsideHoops.com is the online leader in professional basketball coverage.