YOUNG GUN: Just call it "Vinnie Johnson Syndrome." Its victims aren't usually so young. But the Lakers are trying subtle treatments, hoping it will cure Kobe Bryant by playoff time.
Bryant is taking shots, lots of them. And the club is concerned that Bryant's role is becoming too offensive."We want Kobe to make contributions on both sides of the ball," Lakers coach Del Harris said. "When he comes in he doesn't cheat anybody, he plays defense. But we want to just even things out."
Case in point is Bryant's nine shots in 14 minutes last week against Charlotte. Eddie Jones took nine shots, but in 38 minutes; Rick Fox took nine shots, but in 40 minutes.
Vinnie Johnson, the former Detroit Piston, was called the "Microwave" because his job for that championship club was to score points in bunches in a reserve role. Bryant, 19, is one of the few NBA players (i.e. Michael Jordan, Allen Iverson, Grant Hill) who can create his own shot without help of a screen.
It's a rare and terrific attribute, but what the Lakers don't want is Bryant coming off the bench and firing shots without involving teammates, especially Shaquille O'Neal, who could be single-covered when Bryant penetrates and draws other defenders.
Bryant's shot attempts per minute rival Jordan's. Jordan has taken 853 shots in 1,401 minutes, or one shot per 1 minute, 36 seconds. Iverson takes a shot every 2 minutes, 16 seconds, Glen Rice, once per 2 minutes, 23 seconds, Grant Hill, once per 2 minutes, 24 seconds.
Bryant? Once every 1 minute, 58 seconds. Bryant has taken just 40 less shots than Jones but has played 448 fewer minutes.
ANALYZING ALONZO: Bulls forward Dennis Rodman recently took time out of his busy schedule to psychoanalyze Heat center Alonzo Mourning.
"He takes the game way too seriously. Especially when he plays against a team like us. You shouldn't take it that serious. It's only a game . . . so he should just chill out and have a good time and hope for the best," Rodman said. "He wants to be Mr. Intensity, Mr. `I'm ready to play every night.' That's fine and dandy. But he's going to be Mr. No Ring-having. That's the way I look at it."
DOES FATHER KNOW BEST? Mavericks coach Don Nelson said he made the midseason move to hire his son, Donn, out of fear the 35-year-old would be hired by another team. Donn Nelson, who was one of Danny Ainge's assistants in Phoenix, will replace his father as head coach in Dallas as early as next season.
"He's really got the whole package. That's why I've considered him one of the best young talents in the league," said the proud father. "He's great on the draft. He's great on judging talent. He has the gift of teaching and he gets along great with the players."
Sounds like somebody's going to get a great Father's Day present.
DREAM RETURNS: Rockets center Hakeem Olajuwon, who had knee surgery in November, is jogging and shooting jumpers at practice. Houston is hoping to have him back in the lineup early next month. "Oh my, we must have signed a player out of the CBA," teammate Charles Barkley screamed when Olajuwon practiced for the first time since his operation.
SOME ENDORSEMENT: Suns coach Danny Ainge couldn't help but rib his former Celtics teammate Larry Bird, when reporters inquired about the first-year Pacers coach.
"I didn't think Larry was smart enough. He once asked me where Washington, D.C., is," Ainge joked. "It's a good thing he went into coaching and not politics."
HONORING DR. KING: The life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be celebrated at several upcoming NBA games and team-sponsored community activities this week. The mission? To spread King's message: "Everybody can be great because anybody can serve."
An NBA-produced video tribute spotlighting King's legacy and the civil-rights movement will be shown during halftime of most NBA games played Jan. 17-19. Many teams are also organizing their own tributes to the Atlanta clergyman and civil-rights leader who was assassinated April 4, 1968 in Memphis. Throughout the month, the NBA will air a public-service announcement on King featuring Pistons forward Grant Hill.
Sound bite: "He's just an average basketball player making $20 million a year. He will be just another player in the league to never win a ring."
- Bulls forward Dennis Rodman on Minnesota's Kevin Garnett.