WHO'S Hot WHO'S Not
WHO'S Hot
Jarome Iginla
The Flames are in solid playoff position—a third seed if the postseason began today—and their captain is in the record book. A five-point night made him Calgary's alltime leading scorer (834 points), bringing forth extended cries of "Iggy! Iggy!" The guy's been doing it all season: At week's end, he was second in the West with 72 points.
Chris Carpenter
Healthy at last? Yes, it's early, but the 2005 NL Cy Young winner was back on the mound for the Cardinals and pain-free after missing nearly two seasons following elbow surgery. Carpenter's line: Two innings, no runs, no hits, no walks. Manager Tony La Russa's line: "I feel great for him and I feel great for us."
Bucks
They were 29--33 and eighth in the East at week's end, but it's not where you are, it's where you've been. Milwaukee hasn't won that many games in an entire season for three years—and it still had 20 games (12 at home) to cement that playoff spot.
Fish
As in Mardy, who downed Evgeny Korolev in straight sets to take the ATP event in Delray Beach, Fla., the first American to win it in six years. Not bad for a Floridian, who then sealed the win with a kiss—from his wife, Deal or No Deal's Stacey Gardner.
WHO'S Not
Jamal Crawford
The guard's getting his points, but the Warriors are miles from a playoff spot—even worse off than the Knicks, for whom Crawford played until his trade in November. That's not all. Coach Don Nelson benched him for a game last week (to get some young guys in), leading Crawford's agent, Aaron Goodwin, to publicly criticize the coach.
Eric Byrnes
Not so fast. The Diamondbacks leftfielder, still can't play in games, eight months after tearing his left hamstring off the bone. Running the bases is tough, he says, and regaining his starting spot may be also: Replacement Conor Jackson hit .300, 91 points higher than Byrnes's average at the time he went down.
Avalanche
A 28-34-1 record doesn't look all that bad, but it puts Colorado last in the West and sure to miss the Stanley Cup playoffs for only the second time in 14 seasons. Could this be the end, and a forgettable one, for injured 39-year-old captain Joe Sakic?
Bulldogs
As in Fresno State, which has heard this before: Former track and field assistant Ramona Pagel, who says she was passed over for a head coach's job, plans to sue the school for gender discrimination. Fresno State has settled five similar suits in the past 18 months.
SI PLAYERS NBA POLL
Which player would you least like to have on your team?
Stephon Marbury, Celtics G 22%
Ron Artest, Rockets F 9%
Stephen Jackson, Warriors F/G 5%
Kobe Bryant, Lakers G 5%
Gilbert Arenas, Wizards G 5%
FAST FACTS
Poll was completed before Boston claimed Marbury on waivers last week.... Tracy McGrady tied for fifth; with him out with a knee injury, the Rockets had gone 8--1 at week's end (page 66).... Jackson has been on five teams in his nine-year career.... Arenas hasn't played since signing a six-year, $111 million deal last July (knee surgery); in '06--07 his 1,548 shots were fourth in the NBA.
[Based on a survey of 190 NBA players] • For more on the poll, and to comment on it, go to SI.com/players.
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DAVID E. KLUTHO (IGINLA)
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KENT SMITH/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (CRAWFORD)
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JEFF ROBERSON/AP (CARPENTER)
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LYNNE SLADKY/AP (FISH)
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BRIAN BABINEAU/NBAE/GETTY IMAGES (MARBURY)
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PAT SULLIVAN/AP (JACKSON)
