Letters

NBA Midseason Report: Does anyone really care?
--GARRY MAST, Jacksonville

Recount Requested

You rank Toronto's Vince Carter as the 17th most productive
player in the league. Thinking that there must be something
wrong, I noticed that your formula is based on the number of
games his team had played. Carter missed seven of those games
this season, so it's unfair to rank him according to that
criterion. If you counted only those games in which he competed,
Carter would rank sixth.
JEREMY WOLOS, Alplaus, N.Y.

It's crazy that Carter was selected ahead of Kevin Garnett as a
forward on your All-NBA first team. Carter was hurt for part of
the season, but he can do some cool dunks, right? At one point
Garnett led the Timberwolves to 11 straight wins. Even your
player rankings show that Garnett is better. You ranked him No. 3
and Carter No. 17 among all players.
PAUL DEVEREAUX, Slayton, Minn.

You must be kidding. There's no way anyone but Allen Iverson
should be MVP of the NBA. Who would win more games: the
Sacramento Kings without Chris Webber or the Philadelphia 76ers
without Iverson? Enough said.
BRIAN MCGLOTHEN, Kansas City, Mo.

A Team Concept

Your cover story featuring the Kings was a long time coming (Feb.
19). The NBA will regain plenty of fans if teams are marketed,
not individuals.
DAN ISENBERG, Rochester Hills, Mich.

For those wondering what's wrong with the NBA, all they need do
is look at the cover of the Feb. 19 issue, on which you claim the
Kings play "Basketball the way it oughta be." Please! I'm sick of
the media's trying to shove the Kings down our throats.
Sacramento plays no defense and, as a result, will never win a
title.
TIM SCHNETTLER, College Station, Texas

Ice Time

As a longtime Islanders fan, I think it's great to see a player
who has the emotion of Rick DiPietro (Teen Angel, Feb. 26). His
confident attitude is what is needed on Long Island. Maybe now we
can finish with a better record than the Rangers.
SCOTT HENKUS, Syracuse, N.Y.

Michael Farber rails against the modesty and understatement that
sets hockey apart from other pro sports. Doesn't he get it?
That's exactly why many of us love hockey.
RICHARD HETKE, Hinsdale, Ill.

I sure hope DiPietro can cure hockey of the "constipation" it
suffers from "exaggerated humility." As a transplanted
Winnipegger, I'm already without a team. When NHL players stop
saying "Mister" and "Sir" and start talking like Keyshawn Johnson
and Kobe Bryant, rest assured that I will be without a sport.
JAMIE MOSS, New York City

Fools Rush In

Steve Rushin's article on money players was a home run (AIR AND
SPACE, Feb. 19). Besides being 44 years old, I stand 5'5" and
weigh 160, so I can't play on the athletic field. But I can play
on the business field. Business is my sport. To me, FORTUNE and
FORBES are just other versions of SI. I watch Moneyline just as I
watch SportsCenter. Monday is my favorite day because that's when
the games begin.
JACK COHAN, Solon, Ohio

Gosh, I had no idea businessmen used sports expressions like slam
dunk and raises the bar until Rushin revealed this new trend. I
look forward to reading more revelations from Rushin, such as
"George Steinbrenner is very bossy" or "Pete Rose likes to
gamble" or "the leisure suit was a fashion faux pas."
LISA SWAN, Staten Island, N.Y.

Who's on the Mound?

Too bad for Rick Ankiel that his last name isn't Glavine (Wet 'n'
Wild, Feb. 19). If it were, all but three of the pitches shown in
the location chart would have been called strikes.
JON HOOPS, Napoleon, Ohio

Role Reversal

When Isiah Thomas bought the CBA in 1999, a story in SI hailed
him as the savior of the league (Have I Got a League for You,
Feb. 7, 2000). His name was not mentioned in the Feb. 19
SCORECARD story about the league's demise. The CBA was around for
53 years before Thomas bought it, and it died 16 months later.
Some savior.
SCOTT A. JOHNSON, Boise, Idaho

COLOR PHOTO: ROBERT BECK

What Were We Thinking?

Please tell me that your Player Ratings for point guards were in
error (NBA Midseason Report, Feb. 19). Jason Kidd (above) doesn't
rate in your top five point guards and, consequently, is rated no
better than the 28th most productive player. Yet four pages later
he makes your All-NBA second team!
PHILLIP TSUNODA, Aliso Viejo, Calif.