Defiance: The Odyssey of Ronald Bazemore

[trekfan]

Ch. 12
December 24^th, 1996

He rubbed his leg with one hand and took a deep sip of his drink with the other. Eventually, he reasoned, the vodka and orange juice would take the edge off the radiating pain in his leg. Eventually.

There was a knock at his door and the chipper face of Doc Kirby, red from the cold of outside, popped into view. “Merry Christmas, Ron.” He set down a cartoon of eggnog and a box of Christmas cookies before taking a seat himself on the other side of Ron’s messy desk. “How’s the leg?”

“Hurts like hell,” Ron answered with a smirk. “It’s the cold that does it … it’s not as bad as I thought it would be, but it isn’t fun.”

“Painkillers?”

“Make me brain-dead.” Ron pulled a bottle of orange juice and vodka out from the mini-fridge beside his desk and set them both down. “I prefer to self-medicate.” He held the bottle out. “Care to join?”

Doc flashed a smile and grabbed a coffee mug from the rack on the wall nearest him. “I think I can raise a glass to our Lord and Savior.” He made himself his own drink and took off his jacket, pulling at his collar. “What do you have the temperature set to in here?”

“A balmy seventy-six degrees.” Ron leaned back in his chair, eyes playing across the empty space above his doorframe. He didn’t know how to say it, so he was just going to blurt it out. “Doc, I’m trading some guys.”

Doc raised an eyebrow, the look of confusion in his eyes seemingly magnified by the lenses of his glasses. “GM Ron is making a move for Coach Ron? Or vice-versa?”

“Not sure – but I’m making the move.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, the details of the deal scribbled out on it. “Take a look.”

Doc took the paper, narrowed his eyes, and only said, “Hmm.”

“It’s going to clear up some playing time, tighten our rotations, and set us up to cash in.”

“In 1998,” Doc countered with a hint of disbelief. “Future picks? Really?”

Ron had expected pushback on that. What good were future picks to a 20-8 team on the rise? He cleared off some of the files on his desk and brought out one, flipping it open and setting it right in front of Doc. “Winfred’s report on the 1997 draft.”

Doc reached over and read through the opening page quickly. He let out a low whistle. “That’s what he thinks?”

“Garbage after the lottery,” Ron confirmed. Winfred Hart’s report had been eye-opening. The rest of the NBA was lauding how talented that lottery was, but it was a wasteland after. Winfred had highly recommended trading out of this draft if possible – that was a course Ron still might pursue – but for now, it meant he could focus on getting picks for 1998, a much deeper draft according to Winfred and the rest of the Heat scouting department.

“Still, what good our future picks to us?” Doc picked up the folded paper with the trade details and waved it at Ron. “It won’t help us win now.”

“It might help us beat the Magic.”

“Ah.” Doc took sip of his drink and leaned back in his chair, a smile on his face. “That’s that this is really about.”

“We got our *ss kicked, plain and simple.” Ron shook his head, still in disbelief at how badly that game went. They didn’t lose by that much, but it felt like they were beaten by fifty points and left for dead on the side of a highway. “Shaq is a monster that Dikembe didn’t even slow down.”

Doc took a sip of his drink and scratched his mustache. “Trading Geiger isn’t going to help; he’s size we need against Shaq.”

Ron wagged his finger. “Not so fast. I thought that, too, see … I thought Geiger would be able to deal with backup centers and take on some starter minutes here and there. But guess what? He’s too slow-footed. Great rebounder, average defender, and just not enough. He and Dikembe both failed … so we need to shift strategies.”

“By going smaller?”

Ron smiled. “Shaq’s huge. A solid 325 … maybe more. He’s not built for speed or fast breaks. We push the transition: we go small with our second-unit, play Kurt more, play Rencher more, shift Terry over to the two and let Dominique be a small-ball four.”

Doc picked up the bottle of vodka and took a sniff of it. “How strong is this stuff?” he joked.

“I’m serious! We can do more if we pick up the pace – wear Shaq out when our second unit is in, then go back to our starters in the fourth. He’ll be winded and we’ll have fresh guys.”

“Assuming he doesn’t score sixty points on our second unit,” Doc said with a chuckle.

“We used to do that all time back overseas … throw out some weird lineups to confuse the opponent and force them to play out of position. It worked there.” Ron refilled his glass and Doc’s.

Doc sighed and held his glass up. “Then we toast: to it working here. May we not get eaten alive.”

Ron clinked his mug with Doc’s. “Cheers.”

[trekfan]

Heat trade Coles, Geiger, in three-team deal
By Helena Ramirez
December 25^th, 1996

Christmas has arrived but business in the NBA continues. The Miami Heat have completed a three-team deal with the Lakers and Rockets. Here are the details:


Trade

Heat get: Adrian Caldwell (HOU), 1998 1^st round pick (LAL), 1998 1^st round pick (HOU)
Lakers get: Bimbo Coles (MIA)
Rockets get: Muggsy Bogues (LAL), Matt Geiger (MIA)

Analysis:

The Lakers have been searching the point guard market for weeks for a suitable replacement for Dee Brown, their injured point guard, and found one in Bimbo Coles. Coles, who started for the Heat in the 1994-95 season, wasn’t satisfied with being a bench player despite the Heat’s record. Coles will now be the starter for the Lakers for the foreseeable future and has agreed to a three-year contract extension with LA, securing the point guard position for the Lakers going forward.

The Rockets get some much needed help with their bench unit, which has struggled when their starters have gone off the floor. With the injury to backup center Vladimir Stimac, the Rockets desperately needed a big man to fill in when Hakeem hit the bench. Matt Geiger will ably do that and hopefully help them better their 12-16 record. The addition of Bogues in the trade is merely for cap relief, as Bogues contract will come off the books after this season – the Rockets may have additional moves up their sleeve, but as it stands they’ve shored up their biggest weakness as they try to compete for a playoff spot out West.

The Heat have shipped off two players and gotten back future draft picks – both 1998 first rounders from teams that, likely, will be picking in the 20s somewhere -- and forward Adrian Caldwell. The status of the picks are still up in the air, but the return for Coles and Geiger was less about what they got back and more about what their absence means. With those two players gone, sources indicate that Coach Bazemore will play both Kurt Thomas and third-string guard Terrence Rencher more, allowing for a tighter rotation. But losing key bench contributors on a 20-8 team is tough to stomach and may do more harm than good in the short-term.

[trekfan]

Ch. 13
December 28^th, 1996

The Garden. New York City. There were few places, if any, in this world that could represent so much. New York was widely considered the place where basketball became famous, where it went from just a sport to an art-form.

Standing in MSG, the mecca of basketball, Ron couldn’t help but feel shivers run down his spine. Here he was, merely a few hours from tip-off, and he was half tempted to pinch himself. Since the trade, the team had performed well, going 2-1. They lost two nights before in a beatdown against the Hornets, but Ron couldn’t blame anyone.

The whole team – hell, the whole city of Miami – was looking at this game. Heat versus Knicks. Jordan and Ewing versus Kobe and Dikembe. Would the younger pair get the better of the older? Would Ron be able to outwit Phil Jackson for just one night?

Was winning on the Knicks home-floor even possible? The team had only five losses, five, for all the year so far. They looked the part of championship favorite. They played the part. They had the pieces up and down their roster … was there any way a motivated, rested Jordan could fail at bringing a title to New York?

“Coach,” Kobe said from behind him, ball in hand.

Ron glanced down at his watch, then back at Kobe. “Early shoot-around?”

Kobe nodded. “Just needed to move … work the jitters out.”

“I hear that.” Ron motioned for Kobe to go to the arc and he stood near the hoop. “I’ll rebound.”

“I’ll try to make sure you don’t have to go far,” Kobe said, not a hint of sarcasm or humor in his voice. He meant it.

The first shot went in, hot but right into the hoop. Ron didn’t have to go far to catch it. “Good.”

“Ron, how good do you think I am?”

Ron held the ball for a moment, then fired off a bounce-pass to Kobe – his favorite type of pass to throw back in his playing days. Kobe grabbed it with ease.

“I think you’re really good. Potentially, one of the best.”

Kobe dribbled the ball, eyes locked on Ron. “Could I beat Jordan?”

“Now?” Ron shrugged. “I wouldn’t put it past you. But Jordan’s not some shooting star … you want to beat him, you have to be better than him for a long time. And you know what he’s not so great at?” Ron pointed at Kobe. “Shooting where you are.”

Kobe flashed a smirk. “Take more threes.”

“Take more threes,” Ron echoed.

****

The arena was loud, louder than he had ever heard anything. Watching people play in MSG was one thing, but actually being there was another. He was trying to keep himself calm, keep his heart-rate down and his mind focused, but it was hard. Really, really hard.

“Two shots,” the ref said as Shareef approached the line. Kobe stood on one side of the paint, while on the other stood two legends, side-by-side.



His Airness. MJ. The GOAT. He had many monikers, many names, but he was absolutely – in Kobe’s mind and in the mind of many – the greatest to play the game. Number 23 wasn’t someone to trifle with, wasn’t someone to fool around with … and, eventually, Kobe would get a chance to guard him. He’d get a chance to show the greatest how great – or not great – he was.

Dominique, standing beside Jordan, gave him a wink.

Shareef’s first shot went down. Boos rained down on him even louder this time as the ref bounced the ball back to him.

What is he doing? Kobe wondered as Dominique started talking to Jordan, but Kobe couldn’t make out what it was. The noise was too much.

Focus.

Shareef’s second shot went up, hit the backboard, bounced into the rim, then rolled out.

Kobe tried to get into the lane, but was pushed out of the way by the larger Anthony Mason. He went backwards, away from the hoop.

But Dominque was in there and in the ruckus. He tipped the ball out to Terry Porter and Kobe ran as fast as he could down the court.

Terry was right behind him, bringing the ball up as John Starks harassed him. Kobe ran for the corner, Terry found him, and he lined up his shot.

Jordan flew out of nowhere like a blur, forcing Kobe to reset, but he managed to get the shot off as Jordan tried to get his hand up.

One up. One down. Three points.

Kobe turned away and ran back on defense, not even bothering to look at who was going to get the ball: everyone knew who was going to get the ball.

Terry jogged up beside him, sweat beginning to bead on his forehead. “You’ve pissed him off, now. He’s coming after you … check him, but don’t foul him. He doesn’t like it when things get handsy.”

Kobe nodded and Terry ran back to his assignment.

Jordan had the ball and was coming up the court.

Jordan was coming for him.

[studbucket]

Oooh, a cliff-hanger. I am really excited for the remaining part(s) of this game

[trekfan]

Heat escape New York in epic battle

By Helena Ramirez
December 29th, 1996



The Miami Heat now move to 22-9 after beating the Knicks, now 23-6, in a regular-season classic. Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan dueled in a matchup that saw both players score at least 40 points, but it was Bryant’s squad that ultimately came through.



The first quarter started off as the Knicks came out and scored the first four points, back-to-back Jordan post-up fadeaways. Despite being guarded by fellow veteran Dominique Wilkins, Jordan had little trouble getting his shots off early. Down 4-0, the Heat went to an unlikely source of offense: Terry Porter.



Porter, a sometimes forgotten man in the offense, was left wide-open from deep and hit his shot. That would spark a massive Heat run as Miami stampeded out to a large lead, mostly thanks to Porter’s timely passing and his ability to draw the defense’s attention. Miami grabbed an 11-point lead heading into the second and preserved that lead, despite a solid effort from Patrick Ewing.



At the half, the Heat led 67-56. Both Jordan and Bryant had 18 points each, but neither had spent significant time guarding the other. That would change when the third quarter started and the Heat rolled out a lineup featuring Rencher, Porter, Bryant, Wilkins, and Abdur-Rahim. The small lineup gave the Heat an early advantage in the quarter, but the main attraction was pitting Bryant against Jordan — neither player shied away from the other, both offenses running through them as each tried to better their counterpart.



The Knicks won the quarter, largely thanks to the valuable contributions of their bench, but entered the fourth down 98-93.



It was in the final frame where the Heat’s play-style — a pulverizing, brutal inside-out game — finally took its toll on the Knicks. Early in the quarter, Anthony Mason fouled out of the game after being assessed a flagrant foul on Shareef Abdur-Rahim. The two players had gone up for a rebound, but Mason threw a solid elbow, impacting Abdur-Rahim’s nose and breaking it on the spot.



Play was paused as the trainers took Abdur-Rahim off the floor and Mason was tossed from the game by the refs, as boos rained down from the MSG crowd. With one of his star rookies gone, Heat coach Ronald Bazemore played Kurt Thomas and newly-acquired Adrian Caldwell at the four the rest of the game.



“Coach looked at all of us and said, ‘Go make them regret that’ and you better believe we did,” said Terry Porter. Porter, following the ejection of Mason, brought the ball up the floor and slung a bullet pass to Bryant, who emphatically slammed the ball over the arms of Charles Oakley.



“I was pissed,” said Bryant. “And I wanted them to know that they couldn’t do that *hit to a teammate of mine. I don’t give a damn who’s on their team, they don’t get away with that.”



Bryant went off in the final frame and his play helped secure the win for the Heat, despite a 40 point effort from Jordan and a 26 point and 19 board night from Ewing.



“Talented team,” Michael Jordan said following the game. “They won this one. We’ll see how the rest of their season goes.”

[trekfan]

The Mailbag: January Edition
By Helena Ramirez
January 9th, 1997

Happy New Year and welcome to 1997 and our first NBA mailbag of the year. The NBA, as a whole, is seeing a sea change at the top … a new generation of stars looks to be on the rise. As always, here are actual questions from actual readers – if you’d like your questions to (potentially) appear in this column, please mail them to the Miami Herald.

Q: I can’t believe Miami beat the Knicks! Do you think Miami can do that in a seven game series? Do you think the Heat can make the conference finals at this rate?
-- Ken

HR: Firstly, yes, what a game we saw from the Heat and Knicks back on December 28th. A true regular season classic and, quite possibly, the first “legacy” game for Kobe Bryant. At only 18 he went toe to toe with Jordan and came away the victor.


That said, Jordan got the better of the Heat in last night’s 103-80 loss, but that was probably a scheduling loss (as the Heat had to play the Bulls the night before and lost that game 80-70) and in a long season you’re going to have those.


But to the main point: I think Miami, if they get matched up with the Knicks, will be trouble for New York. The Heat currently stand at 25-11, third in the conference, and don’t look to be slowing down despite the roster’s relative youth and inexperience. Could they beat the Knicks in seven games? Sure. Stranger things have happened — look no further than Dikembe Mutombo, who led his Nuggets over the first seed Sonics a few years back in a thrilling playoff upset.


I don’t think Miami has the experience to win that type of series yet, but I certainly think the team will make the Knicks work for it, should they meet. I don’t think they’ll get to the conference finals — I predict they’ll lose before that. Seeding, at this point, is still in flux but I’m guessing Miami lands somewhere between the second and fifth seed. In either case, they’ll need to go through the Magic or Bulls, a feat I don’t think they can pull off at this stage.


Bryant is only 18. Abdur-Rahim only 19. The Heat’s two brightest and youngest stars are still teenagers and the postseason is a man’s game. Teams don’t have to conserve energy there … everything comes out. Veteran teams only get more dangerous.

Q: What did you think of the trade Miami made? I think Bimbo got a raw deal — dude had his starting job took AND got sent away. Does Bazemore have any clue what loyalty is?
-- Sandy

HR: Seeing Bimbo Coles go, along with Matt Geiger, wasn’t easy but neither player had particularly established themselves with the team or the community — they were good players, but they were simply bench guys to the Heat. Bazemore shipped them out and I agree with his thought process, at least to that point.


I just don’t agree with what he got back. Two future first rounders are nice, but hardly useful to a team seemingly on the way to the playoffs and a possible deep run. An established veteran, maybe two, could have easily come in and shored up two of the Heat’s biggest weaknesses, backup shooting guard (where Rex Champman tries to fill in but is about as effective as a wet blanket on defense) and backup center (which doesn’t actually exist because Bazemore is convinced Kurt Thomas can hold that spot down, despite Thomas being undersized).


I would have grabbed a backup bigman with one or both of those picks. The trade market will be warming up significantly in the coming month as the deadline and all-star-break approach and I bet someone’s going to make an offer. I don’t know if Bazemore will listen, but I would.

Q: My wife is from San Antonio and is beside herself at how horrible her team is. When the Spurs came to play back in November, I took her to watch but they got crushed (not that I’m complaining). Still, she feels pretty bad about it all … the team looks like trash. They’re gonna get that first overall pick, right? She’s really betting on Duncan making the team worth it again.
-- Marco

HR: The Spurs are one of the league’s biggest disappointments, but they basically spent two months without David Robinson and their record reflects that. Even with him back, they’re still bad and sitting at 5-32 and only have the Nets competing with them for the worst record overall (New Jersey sits at 8-27). The whole season has been a disaster, but Popovich — HC and GM — is weathering the storm. The local press hasn’t been particularly kind, but they’ve been understanding enough.


Tim Duncan looks like an absolute ready-made-star. Whichever team lands him will be thanking the basketball gods; I don’t know if the Spurs will, though. Even if they have the best chances by odds, the lottery drawing makes everything a wildcard. I would tell your wife to start looking into other prospects, just so she isn’t blindsided if the Spurs don’t get first overall.


Also, tell her the Heat always have room on our bandwagon. We have seat warmers.

Q: Is Kevin Garnett really leading the T’Wolves to the playoffs or am I just seeing things?
-- Nellie

HR: You’re not hallucinating, this is not a drill: the Timberwolves, a losing team since they entered the league, are looking playoff bound. Garnett is playing a huge role in that with his 18.2 PPG and 9.1 RPG, but Tim Hardaway is the real star here. He was given up on by the Warriors, who thought — at 30 — that he was done. Hardaway has banished those thoughts and made the Warriors look foolish; he’s putting up 22.5 PPG and 11.5 APG.


Rookie Ray Allen, in any other year, would be leading the ROY contest with his 18.2 PPG and 49 percent shooting from the field, 47 percent (not a typo) from deep. But he’s facing competition of legendary proportions and is likely fourth, maybe fifth, on some ballots.


Q: Who do you have in the award races? Malone and Stockton have to get co-MVPs, right?
-- Lynnie

HR: The Jazz are sitting at 29-8 as both Stockton and Malone are averaging over 22 PPG. It’s no question that the Jazz are the best team out West, but Utah’s competition — or lack thereof — is going to hurt both Stockton and Malone’s cases. After the Jazz, there are only four more teams with winning records … and then the rest of West, which is composed of .500 or below .500 squads.


Leading the informal poll I took with some colleagues is a man all of Miami is familiar with: Shaq. The Diesel is obliterating his competition, throwing up 24.5 PPG and 14.3 RPG a night. He’s had to carry the Magic the last four weeks after Penny Hardaway suffered a severely sprained ankle (two nights after he inked a new, three-year extension worth over 75M dollars …). Shaq’s MVP campaign is easy to write, especially since Jordan fatigue is reaching an all-time high with the amount of coverage he’s getting in New York.


Kobe is, in my book, the unquestionable ROY. He’s too good, the team is too good, and he’s not putting up empty numbers.


Sixth man of the year probably goes to Toni Kukoc; he’s not a starter on the Bulls, but he’s putting up starter number (16.5 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 3.2 APG) and playing as the second-fiddle to Scottie Pippen has suited him just fine.


Most improved player is a subjective award, but I’ll go with point guard Derrick Martin of the 76ers; despite Philly being a losing team, he’s put up solid numbers and looks real.


Defensive player of the year, I got Hakeem the dream. He’s old, I get that, but he’s still putting up nearly three blocks a night while also scoring 24 points and grabbing 14 boards — he deserves this nod.

[studbucket]

Love Helena's perspective on that trade!

Surprised Kukoc is still a bench guy with Jordan gone.

And those Timberwolves? They win a title in the next 4 years, right? What a roster.

[trekfan]

Heat crash Rockets in Miami

By Helena Ramirez
January 13th, 1997



The Heat throttled Houston in Miami, winning 147-113 behind a dominating performance from Kobe Bryant and Dominique Wilkins. Despite Houston having the advantage of possessing Hakeem Olajuwon, the defense of the Heat was more than enough to frustrate and stymie the veteran big man. That left Clyde Drexler as the main scoring threat, but he couldn’t do it by himself.



The first quarter was an absolute rout as Kobe Bryant scored eight of the Heat’s first 11 points, hitting two triples and grabbing a pair of free throws from the line. Bryant’s fiery start forced Houston to shift attention on him, and that let Wilkins, Porter, and Abdur-Rahim work the rest of the floor.



By the end of the first, it wasn’t a contest anymore.



“Fun, real fun,” said Wilkins after the game. “Playing against Hakeem and Clyde, it was good … I wanted to show them I had some hops left.” Wilkins was the Heat’s leading scorer with 37 points on 16-24 from the field.



“Dominique has placed himself in a position to be effective at this point in his career because he takes care of himself,” said Heat coach Ronald Bazemore. “He’s a veteran and he’s seen a lot of action, but he listens to the training staff and listens to his body … it’s hard to communicate just how much that matters. He’s a high-caliber athlete and he’s done an expert job at keeping himself in good shape.”



The Rockets have fallen to 18-20 after the loss, but Houston isn’t panicking … yet.



“We’ve been here before,” said Kenny Smith. “It’s not a matter of winning more or losing less, we just need to put it together and we’re close, man, we’re close. We’ll get there.”