By Sam Amico / The Amico Report

TEXAS-SIZED POWER

Let's talk about the San Antonio Spurs.

You're probably thinking, "Great. This is where Amico drones on about the same team for 20 minutes, telling me how great it is, how nice its players are, blah, blah, blah."

But I have no plans to drone on, because when it comes to the Spurs, it's easy to get right to the point.

And my point is this -- if I had to pick one team to win the NBA Finals at this very moment, it would be the Los Angeles Lakers. If I had to make a second choice, it would be the Spurs.

That's right. It would not be Sacramento, Dallas, New Jersey, or Indiana. I love those teams, but as I sit down to write this, the Spurs are better than all of them. Will that translate into playoff success? I'm not sure. All I know is that the last team to win a title before the Lakers was the Spurs. And this season's team is better than that one.

If you follow basketball at any level, you already know about Tim Duncan. Last season, I thought Nets point guard Jason Kidd deserved to be the NBA's MVP. Duncan actually won it -- but I think he's even more qualified for the award this year.

Duncan is a silent superstar, the kind of big man every coach wants his young players to emulate. He is everything that's right with the NBA, a fundamentally-sound low-post presence who stands out in a league of slashers and dunkers. If you love basketball, you love Tim Duncan.

Then there's David Robinson. He's no longer the second option (or even fourth), as Robinson has an ironing board for a back, and knees and feet that probably feel even worse. After all, Robinson is 37 years old and has spent 14 years banging under the basket with everyone from LaSalle Thompson to Eddy Curry.

But Robinson is still effective, with averages of 9.4 points and nearly six rebounds per game in what is his final season. Best of all, Robinson is another guy who spent his career choosing to do the right thing and be a positive role model. His final day in the NBA will most likely bring tears to my eyes.

But the Spurs are winning because of Duncan, point guard Tony Parker, role players like Stephen Jackson, the underrated coaching of Gregg Popovich, and most of all, DE-FENSE.

Parker is in just his second season, but is already averaging 15.1 points and reminding a lot of folks of a young Lenny Wilkens. Meanwhile, a strong case could be made for Jackson as the league's most improved player -- he's gone from playing in just 23 games and averaging a meager 3.9 points last season, to having played in every game and averaging 12.4 points this year.

Finally, about that defense. In case you missed it (and if you play against the Spurs, chances are you WILL miss it) ... the Spurs are blocking an NBA-best seven shots per game. The result is opponents who are shooting a league-low 41.5 percent from the floor.

But the most impressive result is that the Spurs are quietly putting themselves in great position to get back to the Finals. And that's worth droning on about.

MORE ON THE SPURS

-- I write this after watching the Spurs get a big overtime win in Portland in their first game after the All-Star break. It was arguably the best game of the season, as both teams were hustling, sweating, working, and trading gutsy shots. It was especially good for the Spurs, who won a game that had the intensity of the Western Conference finals. And who knows? Maybe it will be the conference finals.

-- I occasionally use this newsletter to praise NBA radio play-by-play men, and I now realize I've continuously left one out. That would be Bill Schoening, the voice of the Spurs. Schoening reminds me a lot of a young Joe Tait (Cleveland), as he constantly gives the time and the score, and only yells when the situation absolutely calls for it. Schoening is in just his second season with San Antonio after spending 10 years as the voice of the Texas Longhorns. And just like most of the NBA's best radio guys, Schoening doesn't have, or need, a color commentator.

-- Other Spurs who I haven't mentioned but deserve lots of credit: Defensive ace Bruce Bowen, hustler Malik Rose, and rookie guard Emmanual Ginobili. It was Ginobili's clutch 3-pointer that lifted the Spurs over the Blazers.

TWO QUICK ALL-STAR THOUGHTS

-- Great job by the NBA for allowing the All-Stars to wear conference uniforms, rather than the ones they sport all season long for their respective teams. I campaigned for the move continuously last season, and so did you in this very space. And what do you know ... the NBA listened. So, it's safe to say the league is still in tune with its fans, even old ones like me.

-- My favorite All-Star play came at the game's beginning, when Steve Francis threw a lob to Yao Ming. Actually, what would have been a lob for anyone else turned into a CHEST pass for Yao, who actually had to lift the ball before slamming it home.

HAWKS AND WARRIORS, OH MY

Did anyone else notice Golden State's 116-113 win in Atlanta right after the All-Star break? I sure did, and what caught my eye most was the play of four youngsters, two of whom are rookies.

I'm talking about Golden State's Gilbert Arenas, Jason Richardson and Mike Dunleavy, and Atlanta's Dan Dickau.

Let's start with Arenas, the second-year guard who shot a remarkable 14-of-19 from the field for a whopping 37 points. Arenas is still learning to play point guard, but even if he never does, it'll be difficult for the Warriors to keep him off the floor. Backcourt-mate and fellow second-year player Richardson added 24 points just a few days after winning the dunk contest.

I especially noticed the play of Dickau and Dunleavy, two first-year guys who struggled during the first half of the season. Each scored 16 points in the game, Dickau on 6-of-8 shooting. If he can keep it up, the Hawks won't have to be so nervous about making those trades before the Feb. 20 deadline.

And I haven't even mentioned Golden State's Troy Murphy or Antawn Jamison, or Atlanta's Dion Glover (who scored a team-high 28). Basically, there are a lot of good young players in this league who never get the hype.

Some of my personal favorites: Terence Morris and Eddie Griffin (Houston); Rasual Butler (Miami); Dan Gadzuric (Milwaukee); Gerald Wallace (Sacramento); and Casey Jacobsen (Phoenix).

BEN WALLACE? MVP?

Last week, I ripped Sports Illustrated for picking Detroit's Ben Wallace as the NBA's most valuable player. This week, you ripped me.

"You may or may not be right about who deserves MVP, but your arguments are the ones that are lame," Y. Michael Tilles said in an e-mail. "Unless, of course, you disagree with all those times Bill Russell was selected MVP. He hardly took any shots and was also a disaster from the foul line."

I fired back an e-mail to Tilles, explaining that Russell still averaged double figures in scoring and his career average of 60 percent from the line is nearly double that of Wallace (about 35 percent). Still, Tilles wasn't the only one to politely express his point, as Ben Taylor wrote, "I'd much rather take a shot against, and from, Jason Kidd than Ben Wallace. Wallace won't win MVP, but he's one of the league's top 10 players. Even you have to agree with that."

And I do.

ALL-OLD TEAM

This week's question: Let me know how you think the following roster would fare in a regular 82-game NBA season (age in parentheses):

C David Robinson (37), F Karl Malone (39), F Scottie Pippen (37), G Michael Jordan (40 on Feb. 17), G John Stockton (40).

Coming off the bench -- F Charles Oakley (38), G Reggie Miller (37), and another Spur, and one of my all-time favorites, C Kevin Willis (40).

Send thoughts on the matter to me at amicoreport@hotmail.com. I might just print your response.

IMPROVING THE NBA

I asked for your e-mails on how to improve the NBA, and you sent nearly 100. I read them all, and plan to use one each week for the rest of the season. So, keep 'em coming.

This week's entry comes from Darian Wise:

"The best thing the NBA and players union could do is set an age limit and prohibit high schoolers from entering the league. I am so sick of watching young players be forced into action while they try to develop. Can't anyone else see this is ruining the game? Doesn't anyone care that the NBA has become a developmental league? Isn't anyone else embarrassed for guys like Kwame Brown, DeSagana Diop or Eddy Curry?

"Granted, many high schoolers are turning into All-Stars, as well as some of the NBA's finest people. But aside from Amare Stoudamire, I can't think of one who was ever ready to contribute consistently right away. Some people argue that 'tennis players and golfers turn pro as teenagers, and no one ever complains.' That is true, but by the time tennis players and golfers turn pro, they are ready. No tennis player or golfer ever became a professional based on potential -- they had to be able to compete at the highest level immediately.

"The same cannot be said about all these kids coming into the NBA. Almost all spend three years making fools of themselves, and the league, before turning into real pros. The NBA will never be great until its leaders follow the NFL's example, forcing its players to be men before stepping into the arena."

FINAL RANDOM THOUGHTS

-- Is Gary Payton headed to the Minnesota Timberwolves? That's what some folks are writing. Others say the Hawks and T-Wolves are trying to work out a deal that would send Jason Terry to Minnesota and bring Wally Szczerbiak to Atlanta. Stay tuned, as the trading deadline is just a week away.

-- Here's something to think about. The new Sprite commercial shows Kobe Bryant running, lifting weights, and even boxing. Not once does it show Kobe shooting, dribbling, or even holding a basketball. And we wonder why some former fans say the game is no longer about the game.

-- That's no knock on Kobe, as he has no say in what goes on in the commercials. And who among us wouldn't endorse Sprite for millions of dollars? Kobe doesn't drink alcohol, never has and says he never will, and I'd like to see the folks at Sprite put that into one of their ads.

-- Staying with the Kobe theme, I've always thought he was slightly overrated. Let me clarify that ... I've always thought Bryant was very, very good, but had he been playing in a smaller market, we wouldn't think so highly of him. Well, after watching him during the previous two weeks, I've decided that Kobe is THAT good. In fact, we haven't seen the type of performance Bryant is offering since the heyday of Michael Jordan. It's scary to think about, but Bryant is even better than last season.

-- The fact that Phoenix and Houston both lost home games right after the All-Star break leads me to believe the Lakers can still gain the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference.

-- Golly, I sure miss the days when Peter Vecsey talked trades during halftime of the All-Star Game.

-- In case you missed it, the first round of the NBA playoffs will expand from a best-of-five format to best-of-seven -- this season. That news had my wife asking, "You mean the playoffs will last even LONGER?" The answer is no, the playoffs will still conclude with the Finals in June. But it does mean the NBA is gonna squeeze more games into the allotted playoff time. Yep, it means more games, and in turn, more to look forward to for NBA junkies such as myself! OK. I'm breathing deeply, calming down ...

-- Jason Jeffries e-mailed to ask, "How come you never write about the New York Knicks?" Well, Jason, do you really want me to? OK, how's this -- I love Allan Houston, Latrell Sprewell, and Shandon Anderson, I just wouldn't want them all on the same team. Hopefully, the Knicks will trade Sprewell or Houston, because they just aren't functioning well together. They need to keep Kurt Thomas, though.

-- Staci Masterkowski e-mailed and wondered if I thought the Washington Wizards could still reach the Finals. Well, Staci, I'm not so sure anymore. I keep waiting for Michael Jordan to emerge from a phone booth and suddenly become the player of his prime. But it's probably not gonna happen, and as good as Jordan still is and as much as I'm pulling for him, the Wizards' big men are too young for the team to get very far. To read exactly how much MJ has meant to the game, check out Terry Pluto's wonderful column at http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/sports/columnists/terry_pluto/5146292.htm.

-- And finally, a couple of weeks ago, I announced that the Amico Report has reached 10,000 readers. It's hard to believe, especially when you consider I just do this for fun, and mostly, because I love the NBA. My next goal is to take over Wal-Mart and then rule the Earth! That's a joke. A bad one, but it was worth a shot.

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MY BOOK IS STILL OUT THERE

If you are interested in buying a copy of my book, "A Basketball Summer: The Pro Game as it's Played in the Offseason," you can find it on the Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com Web sites. Just do a search for my name, or the book's title.


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