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 NBA Draft WiretapJORDAN LIKES JAMESLeBron James. James worked out with Jordan in Chicago last August, when Jordan was getting in shape for his comeback. ``He's a very talented guy,'' said Jordan, who played at Gund Arena last night with Washington. ``I think he's going to continue to get better at that young age. He's very talented, but obviously he still has some learning to do. The potential is there, and that's something to keep the motivation and the fire burning. If he continues to work hard, he can very well end up on this level. I don't know how quickly he's planning to do that.'' There has been much speculation that James, a junior, will enter the NBA draft straight out of high school. HAYWOOD MAKES DEBUT -- Wizards center Brendan Haywood, drafted by the Cavs in June, made his NBA debut last night. After missing the first 12 games with a thumb injury sustained in the preseason, Haywood was activated Monday. After the Cavs took Haywood with the No. 20 pick, he was traded to Orlando for center Michael Doleac. Later in the summer, Haywood was shipped to the Wizards. ``It was good both ways,'' Haywood said of the deal from the Cavs. ``I wasn't excited to be coming to Cleveland and they weren't excited to have me.'' Haywood didn't get to face Doleac, who missed his third consecutive game with a sprained left ankle. Cavs coach John Lucas is hopeful Doleac will be able to play tomorrow against Atlanta. JORDAN MEMORIES -- Before the game, Lucas recounted some of his favorite Jordan memories. While coaching Philadelphia in the mid-1990s, Lucas screamed at a 76er having trouble guarding Jordan. ``I yelled, `Stop letting him do all that (stuff),' '' Lucas said. ``At the next dead ball, (Jordan) came over and said to me, `What makes you think he's letting me do that?' '' Also while coaching the 76ers, Lucas allowed Kobe Bryant, then a schoolboy in the Philadelphia area, to work out with the team. ``When Chicago came in, I had Kobe come in early to introduce him to Michael,'' Lucas said. ``He said, `It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jordan.' I said, `You're going to be in the league next year. You can't say that.' (Jordan) looked at me and started laughing.'' Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA Draft Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Buy Tickets Stoudemire, Bears fall shortJerry Brewer of the Orlando Sentinel reports: It was a crazy season-opening victory celebration. The Dr. Phillips boys' basketball players hopped and hooted with about 25 fans at center court. Some players took their jerseys off. Ten minutes later, starting point guard Chance McGrady cried in the locker room. Dr. Phillips had just defeated Cypress Creek 73-72 on a 3-pointer by guard Barry Durosier, coming back from a 17-point deficit in Amare Stoudemire's return to high school basketball. After a long journey filled with academic issues, residency questions and five different high schools, Stoudemire played his first high school game since his sophomore season Monday night. Stoudemire, considered by many to be the best prep player in the country, finished with 10 points, 16 rebounds and six blocks. He finished 3-of-6 from the field and hit all four of his free throws, including two with 26 seconds left that gave Cypress Creek a 72-70 lead. For most of the game, he could not get the ball, thanks to some good Dr. Phillips' defense and impatience by his teammates. Stoudemire wowed the crowd with two dunks and a crossover dribble to set up a 17-footer, but teammates overthrew him twice on lobs and missed him several times when he was open in the paint. To his credit, Stoudemire never grew frustrated -- though he was eager to prove himself -- and continued to impact the game defensively. "I was hungry, but I didn't get a chance to eat," Stoudemire said. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Finally, Amare timeBuddy Collings of the Orlando Sentinel reports: Two summers ago, Dr. Phillips boys basketball coach Theo McWhite was mapping out ways to get Amare Stoudemire the ball. Tonight, McWhite wants his team in full denial mode against the player who might have been its star. Stoudemire, the 6-foot-10, 240-pound center who is almost certain to leap from high school to the NBA next June, makes his Cypress Creek debut against Dr. Phillips, the team he first worked out with after moving to Orlando before the 2000-2001 school year. The Bears host Dr. Phillips at 7:30 p.m., with a record crowd expected in Cypress Creek's 2,250-seat gym. The Bears never have drawn more than about 500 fans for a basketball game. Stoudemire, a native of Lake Wales, has not played in a high school game since his sophomore season at Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham, N.C. Last year he was ruled ineligible by the Florida High School Activities Association after enrolling first at Dr. Phillips for summer school, then at West Orange. He transferred to Cypress Creek last March and was cleared to play by Orange County Public Schools after satisfying concerns about his residency and grades. In summer play against some of the top high school centers in America, Stoudemire dominated, often racking up double-digit dunk and blocked-shot totals in games. Dr. Phillips will play without suspended senior star Ryan Moore but still is loaded with third-year veterans from a 21-11 team. Returning starters are top scorer Barry Durosier (6-1, senior), Langston Anderson (6-4, senior) and Nick Rollins (6-7, senior), son of former Orlando Magic center and assistant coach Tree Rollins. Chance McGrady, a 6-1 junior and the younger brother of Magic swingman Tracy McGrady, is Dr. Phillips' new point guard. Read the Full Story Discuss Send Feedback Nov 2001 Archive
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