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Chat Reel: Marty Burns

MJ not in it for just one year; he'll honor 2-year contract

CNNSI Host: Welcome to today's NBA chat with Marty Burns. Thanks for joining us....
Marty Burns: Glad to be here.

From Jeeman: With the new zone defense rules, which teams do you think will benefit the most?
Marty Burns: I think the Bucks, Mavericks, Spurs, Timberwolves and Kings are the five teams that will benefit the most from the new rules. They are all good shooting teams, who can stroke it over any zone defenses. On the other end of the court they can use zones to their benefit. The Bucks for example can now play George Karl's favorite 2-3 zone that he as been playing illegally for years.

From J. Broder in Hoboken: How healthy is Penny? I hear he has looked great in pre-season.
Marty Burns: Penny has looked good in stretches during the preseason but he did miss some practice time with a flare up of his knee problems. For now the Suns are expecting to see Penny at near full strength for opening night. However, they are aware that they won't know how strong he is until the real games start. So far it looks like Penny is on track for his goal to be the Comeback Player of the Year, even finishing ahead of you know who for that honor.

From CarlosWarren: Is this comeback a one year deal for Michael, or do you believe he intends to fulfill his two year contract?
Marty Burns: Michael says he is in this for two years and I have no reason to doubt him. I don't think he would have taken himself through such a hard offseason regiment to simply comeback for one season. He remembers from his last comeback in '95 that he was extremely rusty for that last part of the season, and it took him a while to regain his form. Plus he wants to spend this year teaching his young Wizards teammate how to win, with the ultimate goal of coming back next year with a much more competitive team, perhaps with a few free agent additions.

From Gregg: What is your early outlook on how the Miami Heat will fare, and can the Heat gel with the players they have?
Marty Burns: The Heat aren't getting much respect from the pundits, and I suppose that makes sense. When last seen, they were getting run off the floor by the Hornets in the first-round playoff sweep. However, I have a feeling in my gut that Pat Riley is going to find a way to keep Miami near the top this season. In Eddie Jones, Kendell Gill, Brian Grant and Alonzo Mourning the Heat boast four very good defensive players. Defense wins championships and Riley will somehow get that team to play a high-level defense. The Heat still have two major questions in Mourning's health and whether Rod Strickland can still be an effective floor general. But the pieces are there for Riley's team to surprise people.

From hello: Do you think Orlando is going to win 60 games this season like T-Mac says or will the Raptors rip them apart today?
Marty Burns: The Magic's hopes are going to be dependent on Grant Hill's ankle. If Hill stays healthy, he and McGrady could form the best perimeter tandem since MJ and Pippen. If not, the Magic will be just like last year, a .500 team that makes the playoffs but gets beat in the first round. Even with Hill I'm not sure the Magic win 60 games. Simply because Patrick Ewing and Horace Grant will be hard pressed to stay in uniform for all 82 games. But if Orlando can keep those guys fresh for the postseason it could be a stronger team in the end even if they don't have the best record in the Conference.

From Geoff Young: With Allan Houston's big contract, do you expect him to step up his game?
Marty Burns: Knicks fans have been waiting for Houston to step up his game now for several seasons. It just seems that Houston is one of those guys that can look great on some nights and disappear on other nights, and never really can get a consistent output. He remains one of the game's best shooters, but he just doesn't seem to have the fire needed to take it to the next level. I don't think the big contract will motivate him. He is just a guy who is always going to be a complimentary-type player.

From GetSmart: How far will the Pacers go with Miller, Rose, O'Neal and the young, one-year experience players?
Marty Burns: Until the Pacers get a true low-post center, I think they are going to struggle to crack the upper echelon of the East. Jermain O'Neal is a rising star but he is really more suited for power forward. The Pacers have a lot of athletic guys led by Rose and Miller, who seem to need a low-post scoring option and who draws double teams and gets them open looks. Also, on defense, they could use that big man to match up with some of the big centers they face. The good news is that coach Isiah Thomas should improve with experience and so should young stars like Al Harrington and Jonathan Bender. Unfortunately several Eastern teams looked to have improved in the offseason while the Pacers seem stuck in neutral.

From Fred in Milwaukee, Wis.: I have heard mixed things about Anthony Mason. Is he a disruptive force on a team or are some of those claims exaggerated?
Marty Burns: Mason is some what of an enigma he plays hard most every night, is unselfish with the ball and does a lot of little things that help a team on the court. However, he can be moody and can cause disruption in the locker room if he is unhappy. Last year in Miami for example, he was fine when Mourning was out with his kidney ailment and Riley ran the offense through Mason. But he seems to grumble at the end when Zo returned and was a nonfactor in the playoffs. For now George Karl is betting that the assets Mason brings will outweigh the negatives.

From Newlin in Toronto: Who do you expect to be the first coach fired this season?
Marty Burns: Let me see -- I think Grizzlies coach Sidney Lowe could be on the hot seat if Memphis stumbles badly out of the gate. He barely survived last season and the new Memphis management probably won't want to stick with a coach who was tainted with the Vancouver legacy. Another coach who could run into trouble is Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy. Though widely considered a good coach, the team appears headed for another disappointing season, especially if Marcus Camby can't stay healthy. N.Y. management probably won't tolerate another subpar season, especially for what they charge for tickets and skyboxes. They could make a change just to shake things up.

From jason: How do you think the Mavericks are going to do this season? And do you think Tim Hardaway is going to be healthy enough to make a contribution?
Marty Burns: The Mavs are definitely one of the more intriguing teams. Most pundits expect them to take the next step toward the top of the West, and they certainly have the weapons in Michael Finley, Dirk Nowitwki and Steve Nash. Also owner Mark Cuban went out this summer and added depth with the signings of Hardaway, Adrian Griffin and Danny Manning. Hardaway in particular should help them because of his abilities to run the offense in place of Nash and make big shots at the end of games. His health should not be the factor it was in Miami since he won't be playing 40 minutes a game anymore. However, the Mavericks won't be able to sneak up on people this year. Sometimes it's harder to go from being a good team to a great team than it is from being a bad team to a good team as the Mavs did last year. Whether they can handle the expectations will be a major factor in their success this season.

CNNSI Host: That's all the time we have this week with Marty. Thanks and we'll see you in two weeks.
Marty Burns: Thanks for having me enjoy the tip-off.

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