Wednesday, May 16, 2 p.m. ET

NBA Basketball

Ivan Carter and Michael Lee
Washington Post Staff Writers
Wednesday, May 16, 2007; 2:00 PM

Washington Post staff writers Ivan Carter and Michael Lee were online Wednesday, May 16, at 2 p.m. ET to field your questions and comments about the Wizards, the playoffs and all the latest NBA news.

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The transcript follows.

Discussion Archive

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Michael Lee: Hey, everybody. Welcome. I'm here in Phoenix, where I have to watch the Amare-Boris-less Suns against the Horry-less Spurs tonight. I think we know who came out victorious in the latest NBA suspensions. Big Shot Rob can now be called Cheap Shot Rob after that forearm to Steve Nash, but he always delivers in the clutch. How about dropping Nash and taking out the Suns leading scorer in the process? He might be the MVP of this series should the Spurs win. But I'm sure you all have some thoughts on the matter. I'm ready. So, let's go. . .

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Gambrills, Md.: Is the NBA trying to throw the Spurs-Suns series to the Spurs?

Michael Lee: No. It's not like last year in the Finals when the league suspended Dallas' Jerry Stackhouse for his takedown of Shaq before Game 5. That was a subjective decision. In this case, the NBA has a solid rule. A stupid rule, but still a rule. And, unfortunately, the Suns left the bench. I hate that it could determine this series. It's pretty sad, since these teams were so evenly matched. How depressing.

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Warrior Pride: Gentleman,

Too many three-point attempts by my Warriors, and they lost their minds for a second straight game. OH WELL...

Vince Carter is the topic today. This dude will get paid this offseason. HOWEVER, he's the most overrated star EVER!!!! He can make a play, but have him make a decision and a play?! NO!!! His fourth quarter was beyond bad Monday. What happened to Half-man, Half-amazing?

This is the second year in a row that he's spit the bit in late -game playoff situations....remember Miami last season?

Now that I've destroyed Vince, Coach Frank needs to get called out too!!! JKidd can't shoot, but he CAN make a decision. Please put the ball in his hands. When the offense AND decision making flows through Vince--you can chalk up an automatic L.

Am I being too hard on these guys?

Ivan Carter: Here's what's so funny about that game the other night. I was sitting there and said to a buddy: "Vince is getting the ball here, what are the chances that he makes a big shot?"

My buddy: "Slim and none."

Exactly. That's Vince Carter. A tremendously talented player and a damn good scorer but not a guy who you can ride consistently or ask to win a big game for you. And yet, he expects to be paid like one. Therein lies the problem for that franchise. It would be foolish to max him out this summer.

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Chevy Chase, Md.: LeBron is getting a lot of credit, but he was terrible in the fourth quarter the last game -- missed numerous free throws and bricked some jump shots. Why is he getting so much credit without mentioning these things?

Ivan Carter: LeBron would have been the goat of Game 4 the other night had Vince not come up short on the last possession. Again, I had a pretty good feeling that he was going to miss at least one of those free throws. That said, he's been pretty solid throughout the playoffs. The Cavs aren't beating either Detroit or Chicago unless he's Michael Jordan great and I have yet to see that consistently.

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Denver: Does anybody see any rational, defensible reason for the NBA's treatment of the Phoenix Suns versus the Spurs -- Bowen, Duncan, Horry -- versus the Warriors -- no suspensions for a cheap shots by Baron Davis or Richardson? I was appalled that Stu Jackson said "It's not about fairness..." I think the NBA -- and the Spurs -- are taking a HUGE hit in this debacle.

Michael Lee: Once again, those situations involving Baron Davis, Jason Richardson and Bruce Bowen are subjective. Stu Jackson and David Stern have to find fault in those players based on the videos and interviews. That's a gray area.

With the Suns, the rule is there in black-and-white. You leave the bench, you get suspended. And, Stu is right. It's not about fairness. Life isn't fair. If it was, I'd be a foot taller, making $100 million and hooping for some NBA team instead of doing this chat.

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Washington, D.C.: Stick with me here, but isn't the person with the most to complain about in the Spurs-Suns suspension situation Robert Horry? Let's say Horry commits the same foul, is ejected, but no one comes off the bench. Would he really be suspended for two games?

I think the only reason he is being suspended for two games is because Diaw and Stoudamire were suspended. I also think that's a fair result -- Horry should get penalized for creating the mess in the first place.

Michael Lee: I think Horry gets suspended regardless. I thought he'd get two games, because he decked Nash with an obvious intent to demolish him. Then, he turned around and threw a forearm in Raja Bell's chest. Dude went crazy. You could just see that look in his eyes, like, "I've completely lost my mind and I don't care!"

Trust me, Horry has nothing to complain about. He should be kicking back and smiling because he made a greater contribution to this series than if he had hit another three-pointer at the horn. Taking out Stoudemire - and his backup! - is huge.

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Washington, D.C.: What lessons should the Wizards players, coaches, and front office be learning from this year's playoffs?

Ivan Carter:1. Don't get hit by injuries. 2. The Miami Heat are/is no longer a superpower in the Southeast Division. 3. The Nets may be broken up soon. 4. The East is going to be pretty wide open next season especially if Chauncey Billups signs elsewhere. 5. Life in the playoffs is much, much better if a you can bring an active, energetic young big man off the bench like Tyrus Thomas (Chicago), Jason Maxiell (Detroit) or Paul Millsap (Utah). 6. It gets even better if you can bring off a deadly shooter like Derek Fisher or Robert Horry. 7. When it comes to end-of-game situations, the Wiz have one of the league's best options in Gilbert Arenas and as we've seen so often in these playoffs, games come down to those two or three possessions.

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Detroit: I really don't get the Pistons. Just when I think they have learned their lessons and seem to be regaining their '04 form, they regress back to their old habits. How can a team be so dominant but play so poorly? This is a team that capable of winning a championship but also going out in the second round. As a Pistons fan, I am just embarrassed and befuddled. Good thing the Tigers and Wings are winning.

Ivan Carter: Last night the Pistons certainly looked like a team that believed everything was going to be fine and there was nothing to get worried about. Now, the Bulls have momentum and can play Game 6 in their own, loud building. I think the Pistons are going to win (even though I picked the Bulls in 7 in my prediction for the paper) but they are making it way too hard on themselves. They gave up way too many open shots last night, looked slow and uninterested at times when Flip went to a zone and could not match the energy of Tyrus Thomas off that Chicago bench. The key is Chauncey and Rip. They simply have to outplay Hinrich and Gordon or this baby is going 7.

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David Stern: I am drunk with power and I will do what I want. I will toy with the league and the feelings of basketball fans everywhere...is there anyone in this world to stop me??

Michael Lee: Thanks for stopping in Mr. Commish. Interesting question. Right now, I'd say "No." You're the only man who can stop yourself. You are truly the most powerful man in sports. I'm a little jealous. You should run for president.

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Bowie, Md.: Vince is not a money player, but who are you going to make shoot the shot instead, Jason Kidd? Kidd is a very bad shooter. Vince has really bad handles, but has a decent shot. He just couldn't dribble the ball into a position to shoot.

Michael Lee: Jason Kidd is more clutch than Vince Carter. I guarantee that he would have at least taken a shot instead of letting the ball roll out of bounds. That was incredibly weak. Vince is 6-7. He should not let 56-year-old Eric Snow shut him down. For a supposed star, that's pretty embarrassing. I'd rather see anybody take that shot than Vince the way he's been playing this series. Dude was 6-for-23. That's the guy who gets the last shot? C'mon.

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Washington, D.C.: While the suspensions stink, what was Stoudamire doing? He jumped off the bench, and started moving towards Horry. His coaches had to forcibly hold him back. His intent clearly was to move over to the area where Horry was, and that's exactly what the rule is trying to prevent.

Ivan Carter: My take on the incident: The Suns, like all teams, have between four to five assistant coaches sitting over there between the head man and the bench players and as far as I can tell, none of them are doing all that much during a game other than keeping track of timeouts, complaining to the refs and making sure their designer suits stay crisp. Shouldn't one of them have the following job: "If anything goes down on the court, your only job is to turn to our bench and make sure nobody so much as moves a muscle in the direction of the court. If a key player like Amare even thinks about going on the floor, tackle him like you are Dick Butkus." Is that so hard? I saw an assistant for Utah perform that very task last night after one of the Warriors cheap-shotted a Jazz player. He walled off the bench, the refs did their job separating players on the court and nothing happened.

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D.C.: I enjoyed watching the Warriors, but wow, they seem like punks. You know, the kinda guys who, on the playground, can be counted on to start a fight if it looks like their team is going to lose. At least when the Wizards go small, can't get a rebound, and lose because of it, they don't react with technicals and "depants-ings."

Ivan Carter: I have to agree with you. That team embarrassed itself last night with that behavior. Stephen Jackson is a total time bomb. Nobody, including him, knows what he's going to do from moment to moment and the rest of the team took on his personality. Knocking off the Mavs and that wild home crowd were great stories but those guys acted like spoiled brats last night. As you said, the last kind of guys you'd want to play a pick up game with in the world would be Jackson, Jason Richardson and Matt Barnes.

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Mt. Lebanon, Pa.: Back in the late '90s, I lived in Juneau, Alaska. A gifted athlete there named Carlos Boozer was admired by the kids at Juneau-Douglas High School for being a great player. Parents of kids at the school liked him because he was a good guy: more than just a solitary star with a set of skills. He was a good neighbor.

Then he went to Duke and not much happened there. He left early for the NBA. Not much going on.

Then he got traded in a big deal to Utah. And he came alive. The old Booz' from Juneau was back.

What's the lesson here? For some, college is a hindrance, a route to nowhere? The right place and team mates makes all the difference? Life is unfair and unpredictable and you just have to go your own way anyway? Cosmic joke?

In some small U.S. city, he's still a hero. Regardless of the NBA finals.

(Douglas is the island across Gastineau Channel from the capital)

Thanks much. HLB

Michael Lee: Thanks for that note. I find it interesting that during the GS-Utah series, nobody mentioned a little history between Jason Richardson and Carlos Boozer. Back in 2003, during the Rookie Challenge game, Boozer, then a member of the Cavs, was guarding Richardson when Richardson threw the ball off Boozer's forehead, caught it, then drained a three-pointer in his face. Boozer stood in shock, and later said that Richardson showed no class. Afterward, someone asked Richardson about Boozer's comments and he said that it was a streetball move, that Boozer probably didn't understand because "he's from Alaska." I laughed so hard after he said that, I couldn't contain myself.

But Boozer has been "Ballin'!" in the playoffs. He has dominated all comers, big (Yao Ming) and small (Matt Barnes, Al Harrington). He is the key to the Jazz. No doubt. He's proving that it ain't where you're from but where you're at.

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DC: Has there ever been an MVP that most folks would recant their vote for before he actually received the award?

Michael Lee: If folks want to recant their vote, who should they give it to? Nash? Maybe. Duncan? I don't know. Nowitzki won the award pretty decisively. He had almost twice as many votes as Nash. Was it because all of the voters were ignorant or duped? No. This is a regular season award. No matter how bad he looked in the playoffs, the award was based on his performance for 82 games in the regular season. He led his team to 67 victories.

I know people like to say that Dallas is so deep that they could win without Dirk, but where was that supposed depth when the Warriors built their whole offense around stopping Nowitzki? And, unlike Nash, he doesn't have two all-stars on his team. Josh Howard was an injury replacement. People forget that. The Mavs won 67 games because of Dirk. You cannot take that away from him.

Yes, he went out like a chump in the playoffs, but if I had a vote, he would've gotten it. If the Mavericks had any other first-round matchup beside Golden State, Dirk is probably still playing.

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Clarendon, Va.: I and M,

Okay, you're Ernie Grunfeld, what moves do you make this offseason to improve the Wizards? Realistic moves, not the insane "Let's trade Brendan for Shaq and Wade" ones.

Thanks for hosting these chats.

Ivan Carter: If you're Ernie, you love seeing that Antawn is going to rest his body and recharge for next season. You like it that Darius Songaila is going to work hard and get his legs back after missing so much work last summer before back surgery. You want to lock Andray Blatche in a gym/weight room and pray that he decides that being a great NBA player is more important than enjoying the NBA lifestyle. You're excited that Oleksiy Pecherov will be in Las Vegas for summer league and will be in camp next fall. Now, what can you get for either/or both Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas? Do you have to package a guy like Antonio Daniels to make such a trade happen? How much of your mid-level do you offer DeShawn Stevenson? (He may want something in the neighborhood of five-years, $25 million). What would it take to get Barcelona to shake free of Juan Carlos Navarro, who is dying to come over and would give you a nice scorer off that bench?

Draft day is a wild card. Not sure that he can get someone at 16 who is going to make an instant impact.

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Indianapolis, Ind.: If the Pistons fail to make it to the Finals, will Flip get canned? I still feel that the team has no respect for the man, not really bought into his system, tune him out at crucial moments. For all of Larry Brown's drama, he had the team's attention and respect and this series would already be over.

Ivan Carter: That's a very fair question and I tend to think that the Pistons guys tolerate Flip more than like or respect him. That's especially true for Rasheed, who basically blows off huddles every chance he gets. The problem is that if you are Joe Dumars, how many times can you keep changing coaches? You dropped Carlisle after a 50-win season, lost LB after a championship run and would now be dropping a guy who posted the best record in the east. Basically, you're sending a message to the players that if they don't like everything about a coach and they come up short, you'll blame the coach and bring in a new one.

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Alexandria, Va.: Will the league and officials put a closer eye on Bruce Bowen in the future? I have watched him over the years as players like Ray Allen, Vince Carter and Kobe have complained about his antics and to me he is clearly trying to injure someone. The way he stuck his foot under Steve Francis and made him roll an ankle was outrageous. Then to see his kick on Amare and the knee to the groin on Nash was out of control.

Michael Lee: You know, I mentioned how subjective the league is with suspensions. I'm still pretty shocked that Bowen didn't get something for his antics in these playoffs. It looks like he clipped Stoudemire on purpose, and it looked even more obvious that his knee to Nash's groin was intentional, but he got a pass. The league will obviously look closer at him, but guys have been complaining about him for years and even though they have video to prove some of those complaints, nothing has been done. I really am at a loss. I don't get how he gets nothing.

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Washington, D.C.: Michael, thanks for putting the actual statement of the rule regarding leaving the bench in your column. According to that, the league should have suspended Amare and Diaw, but as a fan I would rather see the players decide the outcome. People are writing off the Suns in this game 5, but do you think they may have a good chance to win this game even without their leading scorer and rebounder?

Michael Lee: I would like their chances better if Diaw hadn't been suspended, too. I just can't imagine who they would put on Duncan if Kurt Thomas gets in foul trouble. Pat Burke? Um.

The thing with the Suns is they are basically seven deep with James Jones given a bone every now and then. Take out two players and they are six deep. I just don't like their chances.

What the Suns have in their favor is that they are home. Role players usually play better in front of their home fans. If this game was on the road, I wouldn't think twice about the Suns chances. Right now, I think Nash steps up his game another level (if that's possible) and they use the emotion of the suspensions to give the Spurs a good game. I just don't see them winning.

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SoMar: Ivan, I love your columns and what I've seen of you on television.

Just a comment.

I thought the NBA wasn't going to allow flops. I realize I'm in the majority when saying Nash flopped, but come on look at the tape; after he got a love tap his head hit the padded table. Then he acted like he was in pain. Then jumps to his feet and wants to fight.

Please, this guy gets everything. He yells and kicks the floor like a little baby when he doesn't get calls. If he didn't have the awesome shooters who can hit a three whenever on his team, he wouldn't be looked at as he is in the media.

Ivan Carter: You can't call that Horry elbow throw a flop on Nash. I mean, he crushed him like one of the Hansen Brothers in "Slap Shot." That said, the whining has been overwhelming in every single one of these games. The refs can't make a single call without some player or players turning and giving them the whiny face or flat out cussing them out. It's a little over the top. And I mean every single possession. Nash is hardly alone. The Warriors made fools of themselves. LeBron acts like a spoiled brat everytime a call goes against him. Ditto for Vince Carter, Tim Duncan and a bunch of other stars. It's annoying.

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Newark, N.J.: What is it with Denver management, I fail to understand why they fail year after year to find a (Ray Allen) type of guard to finally complete what could be a championship team. I know they had to release Miller to get Iverson, but why give up Boykins's offense and still don't address the problem? I see another first round exit if they don't handle this immediately.

Ivan Carter: It didn't help that J.R. Smith struggled so badly in the playoffs after shooting pretty well all season. Also, Iverson took a high volume of shots and didn't make enough of them. When he's doing that, ball movement stops, Carmelo gets out of the flow and the advantage goes to the opponent. That team has been dying for a real 2-guard for several years now.

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Columbus, Ohio: Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the rule say you can't leave the "vicinity" of the bench? Neither player made it past the coaching staff. It seems that provides a sliver of ambiguity to allow the league the opportunity not to reward a cheap shot. Not that I'm favor of the language of the rule by any means - by its terms, James Jones should have just taken a cheap shot at Ellison to create an "altercation" that would have gotten Duncan suspended for 1 game.

Bottom line, as more a fan of good basketball than any particular team, the officiating of the last two playoffs topped off with the league's actions in this matter have pretty much demoted the NBA to no more than a passing interest for me. Is there any reason I should keep watching if this is the payoff?

Michael Lee: Man. You guys take these suspensions hard. Hey, it happens. There have been worse situations. Look at the Knicks in 1997. They lost half the team that year and a shot at the championship, maybe (okay that might be a stretch). But did that make it disappointing when Michael Jordan and the Bulls won? Look, these crazy things happen all the time. Sometimes, it's a suspension. Other times, it's an injury. But teams miss big-time players this time of year.

And, based on this chat, these suspensions have so many people fired up that they will surely watch the game tonight. People are interested in the league.

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DC: Do you think Eddie will abandon the Princeton Offense next season to take advantage of the team's strength running the "helter skelter" offense or will he enforce stricter discipline in running what he wants?

Ivan Carter: Eddie will always prefer running his offense with crisp cutting, passing and sharp ball movement over what he calls "random" possessions. The issue is that with Gilbert, you are going to end up with some random possessions because that's how he plays. When tension between the two popped up this season, it revolved around Gilbert saying he "wanted freedom" while Eddie asked his team to stay within the offense. I compare it to when Mike Holmgren coached the Packers. He ran a tight version of the west coast offense but of course, with Brett Favre back there, he wound up with some helter skelter now and then. Sometimes, Favre's brilliance make it work and sometimes, he threw four or five picks to lose a game. Such is life with a great player who improvises.

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Arlington, Va.: If you are talking about a regular season award, that is, MVP, LeBron should be higher than fifth place. There is no way the Cavs would be a playoff team if he missed a significant amount of time. Dallas would without Dirk and I think the Spurs would without Duncan.

Michael Lee: The Spurs would win without Duncan? What have you been watching the past 10 years? Duncan makes the guys around him look good, not the other way around. You want to know how many championships San Antonio would have without Tim Duncan? None. Zilch. Zero.

As for LeBron, he should've made first-team all-NBA, too. But I know you won't want to hear this, but Cleveland was 2-1 without LeBron this season. What does that mean? Nothing, really. I just want you to know that.

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Fairness City USA: I assume we all agree this is a PR debacle. My question is, since it's a foregone conclusion that the Spurs are winning game 5 anyway...what should we do to protest this asinine decision?

Some blogger recommended that the Suns boycott the game to send a message to Stern, Stu and company. Obviously that won't happen -- but what will it take the NBA to realize that awful officiating and meddling League gestapo continue to kill the product.

Wake me up when college basketball starts.

Michael Lee: Hmm. How do you protest this decision? I really don't know. In this case, I think you just accept that you're going to be seeing San Antonio and Utah in the Western Conference Finals and let the league deal with those lovely ratings.

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Tampa, Fla.: You're Ernie Grunfeld and you have your mid level exception. The Grizzlies have signed DeShawn Stevenson and the Lakers have signed Jarvis Hayes to offer sheets you don't plan to match. Grant Hill, a local product, is out there and would love to come off the bench and play in front of his parents who live in Virginia, do you sign him for a vet minimum deal and give him 15 - 20 minutes a night???

Ivan Carter: That's intriguing because you'd love to have G-Hill's leadership and overall presence but I wonder how much he has love and, don't his skills overlap a little too much with Gilbert and Caron. He's not a spot-up shooter and he likes to play with the ball in his hands. A guy who can spot up and consistently nail an open three ball would be more valuable in my opinion.

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D.C.: Will I see my boy Jalen Rose tonight?

Michael Lee: You just might. He's not the same player you might remember, though. He's had like 50, 60 DNPs this season. He will have a lot of rust to shake off.

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Dallas:

Is the reason Duncan avoided suspension purely because there wasn't an altercation? How is what Diaw did materially different than what Duncan did?

Michael Lee: As a refresher, Tim Duncan entered the floor when Francisco Elson fell after dunking over James Jones. According to Stu, at the time Duncan entered the court, Elson and Jones never looked at each other or were headed toward any sort of altercations. At the time Diaw and Stoudemire entered the floor, Steve Nash was running after Robert Horry and Horry was clobbering Raja Bell with his forearm. There may not have been a "fight" but there was an "altercation." That's what Stu says, so there's your answer.

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George Bush: I want to invade the NBA premises and take out the evil dictator and restore democracy. You like the idea?

Michael Lee: I think you have proven that you don't have a plan once you take out the evil dictator. Please, Mr. President. Don't get involved here. The Commish is cool. The NBA doesn't need democracy, it just needs you to focus on other issues, like Iraq, immigration, this whole Alberto Gonzalez mess. Thanks for signing in, but just go have a glass of milk and take a nap, sir.

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Washington, D.C.: I've asked this question before, but maybe you ignored it because you thought it stupid. I think the Wizards most improved player this season was Donell Taylor. He went from a guy who had no clue how to play point guard to someone who was creating for teammates, a remarkable transformation. Though his game still has many flaws, with his speed and terrific defense, I see him with the potential to become a Leandro Barbosa-Lite type of player. If I was a GM, I would offer him a 4-year, $6 million deal -- chump change, but a deal someone like him, who is probably mostly worried about finding a job next year, would accept in a heartbeat. Your thoughts?

Ivan Carter: Comparing Donell Taylor to Barbosa is a bit of a stretch but I agree that he showed some things from time to time when given minutes. He's an active defender and a great athlete but the problem is that he's neither a true point nor a true shooting guard. He may be brought back if the money is right and no other team jumps out with a nice offer.

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Ohio: Do you guys ever get the impression that LeBron James heart is just not in pro basketball? He's peaked very early in his career and there was a lot of talk about his enthusiasm for the game throughout the year as evidenced in some of his lagging numbers. This is a very quiet, keep to himself type of guy. Would it surprise you to see him pulling a Barry Sanders or Michael Jordan and retire early at the peak of his career?

Michael Lee: Are you watching the playoffs? This guy is nowhere near finished. He's just 22 and his team is a win away from the conference finals. I think his heart is clearly into basketball, as much as it's into superstardom and mega-millions. Basketball is the only way he'll get the latter, so he will keep going for awhile.

And based on your question, since he has already peaked, are you suggesting he retires after this season.

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Falls Church, Va.: Looking ahead to next year, how tough will it be for the Wizards to get past the Heat? You mentioned that they are no longer a superpower, but they've always had Washington's number. Can the Wiz finally break that bad karma next year?

Ivan Carter: Much of that will depend on what Miami does this summer. Will Shaq make a real effort to get into and stay into shape? What is Antoine Walker's future? You have to assume that D-Wade will come back healthy and hungry after a long summer so that is always going to be Washington's main problem. I think the division is up for grabs especially if Orlando signs Vince Carter and adds him to Dwight Howard.

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D.C.: Ben Wallace doesn't seem happy in Chicago. Do you think he'll be moved in the offseason?

Michael Lee: Easiest question of the day. No.

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Washington, D.C.: Do you see any big stars changing teams this offseason? I so, who is most likely and how will it affect the balance of power in the league?

Michael Lee: Yes. I see a few guys moving around, but I don't think there will be a major, balance-of-power, Shaq-Nash-type move -- unless Kevin Garnett demands a trade after Kevin McHale makes a lousy draft pick. Jermaine O'Neal is probably going to be traded. After this playoff performance, Vince Carter will probably be shown the door. Pau Gasol is still unhappy in Memphis, so expect him to get moved. I think Rashard Lewis will leave Seattle. Steve Francis probably gets dealt or bought out. Should be an interesting summer.

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Ivan Carter: Thanks for dropping in and enjoy tonight's playoff games.

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DC: Does Boozer's emergence make AK47 expendable, possibly to the Wizards? He's expensive, but Jamison is a match monetarily.

Michael Lee: Don't you worry about AK47 going anywhere. In Utah's past eight playoff games, he has proven that he can play alongside Carlos Boozer and be a difference maker for the Jazz. Ever since he broke down and cried, he has been a completely different player. Boozer and Derek Fisher have gotten a lot of the attention, but Kirilenko has been just as important for his defense (he forced Tracy McGrady into some tough shooting nights, completely shut down Stephen "Mavericks killer" Jackson) and he added some offense against Golden State. Kirilenko is a Kiri-keeper.

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Michael Lee: Alright. I've got to bounce. It's been good. I have to get ready for the game tonight. Thanks for checking in. Peace.

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