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Chat Reel: Phil Taylor
Remembering Barkley's seldom-seen softer side
Posted: Friday December 10, 1999 02:05 PM
Sports Illustrated senior writer Phil Taylor chatted about the NBA with CNNSI.com users on Nov. 10. A transcript follows.
CNNSI Host: Welcome to NBA chat with Sports Illustrated's Phil Taylor. Thanks for joining us today, Phil.
Phil Taylor: Happy to be here.
From Guest: How will the Rockets fill the void after the loss of Charles Barkley? And do you have a favorite Barkley story?
Phil Taylor: Frankly, they're not going to be able to. I thought with him they had a chance to get the last playoff spot, but without him they're looking at the lottery. This puts even more pressure on Kelvin Cato now, who is really their only inside presence.
Favorite story: He was with Phoenix and he'd had a terrible game, he wasn't in his usual jovial mood. All of his answers to reporters were filled with profanity. But later I went back into the Suns dressing room after the rest of the reporters had left and Charles was alone in the room with a man and a little girl, who was probably eight or nine. She was very shy, but Charles was so nice to her and made her so comfortable that she ended up singing Charles her favorite hymn, which brought tears down his cheeks. That's a side of Charles most people don't get a chance to see.
From Guest: With all the talent in Portland, is anyone complaining about not receiving the ball enough?
Phil Taylor: Not yet. The test for the Blazers will come when they hit a bad streak. That's when guys like Damon Stoudamire and Detlef Schrempf might start having a problem with their minutes. If you remember, everyone was happy there last year until they started to struggle against San Antonio in the playoffs. The same thing could happen this year.
From Herbs: Why would the Raptors even consider trading Tracy McGrady for Larry Hughes, given McGrady's outstanding play off the bench this season?
Phil Taylor: I don't they will trade McGrady, but the reason they are listening to offers is that he's shown signs of being unwilling to be second banana to Vince Carter. The Raptors are trying to gauge whether he's going to become an attitude problem.
From Guest: What has been Stephon Marbury's attitude toward the media and fans howling at him for his ball-hogging?
Phil Taylor: Outwardly, at least, it doesn't seem to have affected him at all. He's still playing his same selfish game, regardless of the fan reaction. Part of the problem is that Marbury has so many friends and family there in his hometown who are telling him he's doing exactly the right thing.
From Guest: Have you seen a worse "master plan" than what Jerry Krause is doing in Chicago? What are people around the league saying about it?
Phil Taylor: There are a lot of people who think Krause is getting exactly what he deserves. He's always rubbed people the wrong way because he seems to consider himself to be smarter than other GMs. He badly miscalculated the free-agent market and the willingness of players to come play for the Bulls; Chicago is going to pay for those mistakes for years to come.
From Guest: Out here in Denver, Antonio McDyess doesn't seem to be getting enough shots. Is Dan Issel underutilizing him?
Phil Taylor: I don't see that as a problem for the Nuggets. Issel loves McDyess' game. There may be some tinkering in order, but the Nuggets know that at crunch time, McDyess is still their man.
From Lebse: When you see the Washington Wizards play do you see lack of effort from the players or just bad coaching?
Phil Taylor: This is definitely more of a player problem than a coaching problem. Mitch Richmond is either too injured or too old to be effective. And Rod Strickland is playing like he wants to get himself traded. The Wizards haven't played with any enthusiasm for the last three years, so you certainly can't say that first-year coach Gar Heard is the problem.
From Guest: Will the lack of defense do the Kings in come playoff time?
Phil Taylor: It could very well be their ultimate undoing. I wouldn't be surprised to see the refs get more lenient and allow more contact in the playoffs as they have in the past. The Kings may not be able to play their free-wheeling offensive style and half-court defense will be at a premium.
From Guest: Are the Clippers kicking themselves for drafting Michael Olowokandi over Vince Carter? Is this another Sam Bowie-Michael Jordan thing?
Phil Taylor: Not only are the Clippers kicking themselves, but their fans are kicking them as well. Olowokandi is slow and has bad footwork; he's also terribly foul-prone. The Clippers would be taking even more heat for drafting him if they hadn't gotten lucky and taken Lamar Odom this year. But Olowokandi definitely has bust potential.
From Guest: Which team has surprised you the most so far?
Phil Taylor: Seattle. I wasn't sure if Vin Baker would ever get back to playing like an All-Star, and even if he did, I didn't think he and Gary Payton had enough help around them. But guys like Vernon Maxwell and Ruben Patterson have been much more effective than expected. I'm not sure they can keep it up, but the Sonics have definitely been the most pleasant surprise of the year.
From Guest: What do you think about Reggie Miller? Is he starting to get his touch back?
Phil Taylor: Reggie is still Reggie -- he's still got great confidence in his shot. The new rules against contact will continue to make him more effective because teams can't grab him when he's trying to get open for his shot. Some people say he's on the decline, but I think he's got a lot left.
From Guest: What are we to make of Antoine Walker's continued love of hoisting every shot he sees?
Phil Taylor: It doesn't look like he's ever going to change; he'll always be a guy who is capable of looking like an All-Star one night and just a gunner the next. I think he'd be great as a second banana to a star player, but any team that tries to build a club around him is in for disappointment.
From Guest: Can Miami keep up its offensive production throughout the season?
Phil Taylor: I don't see how. Jamal Mashburn seems to have regained his scoring touch, but I think that Tim Hardaway may struggle all year with his knee problems. If that's the case, the Heat will eventually have problems scoring. But if they don't slow down, Pat Riley really is a genius.
From Guest: What is happening to Richard Hamilton in Washington? He seemed to be getting some serious playing time earlier in the year, but is now only getting 5 to 7 minutes a game. In fact, I didn't even see his name in the box score yesterday. What's up?
Phil Taylor: The Wizards tried giving him more playing time in the hopes he could help snap the team out of its slump. He played decently but the team still struggled. He also had a few problems on defense, as most rookies do. So Heard has decided to lean on his veterans again, which means more Richmond and less Hamilton.
From Guest: When will Baron Davis fit into Charlotte's starting unit?
Phil Taylor: I think the Hornets will keep bringing Davis off the bench for the rest of the year. They think that he gives them more of a spark off the bench than David Wesley would if they switched places. Eventually, though -- probably next year -- Davis will be a starter.
From Guest: Is Larry Brown really going to trade Larry Hughes? And shouldn't he be taking more heat for drafting Hughes over Paul Pierce and then looking to get rid of him once he realized how raw Hughes really is?
Phil Taylor: Brown doesn't really want to trade Hughes. He's using some of the same tough love he used on Allen Iverson. It may or may not be the right approach, but it seemed to eventually work with Iverson. I could be wrong, but I'd be willing to bet that Hughes will be a Sixer for the foreseeable future.
From Guest: Are Spurs fans getting tired of Tim Duncan's Hamlet routine? When will he decide whether to resign with the Spurs or go somewhere else?
Phil Taylor: Spurs fans are so in love with their team that Duncan can take as long as he wants to decide. I think they'll eventually be happy with his choice, because the way I hear it, he'll re-sign with the Spurs. But don't expect him to announce anything until late in the season at the earliest.
CNNSI Host: That's all we have time for today. Thanks again for joining us, Phil.
Phil Taylor: O.K., thank you. Take care.
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