Sorry, but we can't resist. More Bill Laimbeer post-mortems. Now that the baddest of the Bad Boys is retired, there is plenty of speculation as to who will be his successor. The Minneapolis Star-Tribune went to the trouble of naming the 10 most likely successors: Anthony Mason (New York), Xavier McDaniel (Boston), Derrick Coleman (New Jersey), Reggie Miller (Indiana), Clifford Robinson (Portland), Ken Norman (Milwaukee), Alonzo Mourning (Charlotte), Christian Laettner (Minnesota) and John Starks (New York).
But the top guy on the list? Another original Bad Boy himself, Dennis Rodman (San Antonio).Whoever the successor is, he won't likely be as hated as Laimbeer. "He was one of a kind," said Detroit center Olden Polynice in the Twin Cities Star-Tribune. "If someone else tries to imitate it, it will be just that - an imitation."
Added ex-Jazzman Mike Brown, "Other guys might just have one thing. But everybody didn't like Bill, for everything. People don't like Danny Ainge's attitude. They boo Christian (Laettner). And you hate them for sticking it to you on the court.
"But Bill had the attitude. And he didn't have the, quote, basketball ability of running and jumping, so people wondered why he should be able to win two world championships. And then he was dirty. So he had everything going against him."
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The auto accident of Sacramento guard Bobby Hurley caught the world by surprise, but no one was more shocked than his former coach, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski.
Krzyzewski said in a statement last week that he received a call from Bobby Hurley Sr., who phoned him about 1:30 a.m. Monday, in a distraught condition. Upon hearing the news, Hurley's former coach said he fell to his knees and began to pray.
Said Krzyzewski, "He's the most positive kid I've ever been around . . . He's the most vibrant person I've ever coached. He is truly loved by his teammates and coaches here at Duke."
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Seattle coach George Karl, not the most beloved man to many Jazz fans, has said something they might agree with.
Karl recently told reporters that teams in the West are stronger overall, despite Eastern teams winning the last five NBA titles. Karl even included the Jazz among the West's elite.
"I'll probably start a little feud here," he told the Washington Post, "but my feeling is the East has won championships, but the quantity of quality is in the West. We have five or six teams now that nobody wants to play.
"In the East, you're fearful of Cleveland, New York, maybe of Chicago still, and Atlanta. Charlotte and Orlando are showing some signs. But nobody wants to go into Utah and play. No one wants to go to Phoenix. No one wants to go down to San Antonio or Seattle or Houston. Those are established as pretty difficult wins."
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Though everyone takes what Charles Barkley says with a grain of salt, it appears he's serious about his plans to retire after this season.
His name is almost always in the news, but recent allegations of scuffles in a Phoenix nightclub appear to have worn out his enthusiasm. "It's been a great ride, but it's time to get off," Barkley said. "When this season is over, championship or not, it's time to move on. Like Larry Bird said, `It's time for someone else to be the hero.' "
Or maybe the anti-hero.
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In Philadelphia, Shawn Bradley continues to learn the game at a steady pace. But gaining weight remains a different story. He's still as lean as a popsicle.
Pat Croce, the strength coach whose job it is to bulk up Bradley, says he can't get Bradley to eat enough. "All the extra drills and training won't do any good if he doesn't put any fuel in the tank," Croce said.