NBA
Western Conference notes: Trio of guards fill void left by Stockton's retirement

	Carlos Arroyo
	E-mail this article Print this article Search archive

In the wake of John Stockton's retirement, Utah was supposed to be shorthanded at point guard. But the Jazz have relied on three undersized additions — Carlos Arroyo, Raul Lopez and Mo Williams — to compensate for the departure of its almost-certain future Hall of Famer.

Whether it has been Arroyo starting and Lopez backing him up, or Lopez starting and Williams backing him up, Utah has held its own against the NBA's best point guards.

Last month, Phoenix guard Stephon Marbury was limited to nine points on 3-for-13 shooting, and Houston's Steve Francis finished with 13 points on 5-for-15 shooting. Last week, New Jersey's Jason Kidd had 15 on 5-for-17 shooting.

Defensively, the Jazz are better at the point without Stockton, and they're receiving more scoring from that position as well. Traditionally, Utah's guards have been pass-first players, but Arroyo is averaging 15.5 points.

Stockton hadn't averaged that much in the final 11 seasons of his career.

Also, Lopez is contributing 7.6 points per game, and Williams is adding 5.9.

Flip-flopped

Denver leads the Midwest Division while defending NBA champion San Antonio is anchored at the bottom. A year ago, their positions were reversed as the Spurs raced to the best record in the league and the Nuggets tied Cleveland for the worst record.

"It just shows you what a guy can do to a ballclub and change the franchise around in the snap of his fingers," Golden State coach Eric Musselman told the San Francisco Chronicle. "He's (Carmelo Anthony) done that. Obviously he has a nice supporting cast, but that's a draft pick that has a significant impact on a franchise for today, and it's going to be that way for a while because he's a special, special player."

Notes

• Even though he's averaging more points (15.1 to 13.5) and rebounds (8.9 to 8.8), Phoenix forward Amare Stoudemire said he's playing as if he's mired in a sophomore slump.

"I don't think I've played good at all this season," last season's rookie-of-the-year winner told the Arizona Republic. "Not at all."

• Sacramento's Vlade Divac (5.3) and Brad Miller (5.1) lead NBA big men in assists.

The Elias Sports Bureau could find no instance in which two players 6-10 or taller on the same team averaged more than five assists for a season.

• Quotable: Houston's Yao Ming on the day after Thanksgiving. "You should probably know what I'm thankful for. LeBron James."

• Last Wednesday, Gary Payton joined Stockton as the only two players in history to accumulate 19,000 points, 7,000 assists and 2,000 steals.

Copyright © 2003 The Seattle Times Company