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Sunday, October 27, 2002
Updated: October 29, 6:21 PM ET
What's hot, not for 2002-03 NBA

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By Dan Shanoff
Page 2 columnist

As the NBA season tips off this week, where do you stand on the hot-button issues that will be debated at your office water-cooler? Argued with your buddies at the bar? Pulled out during yet another attempt to impress on that first date? You don't want to get caught dealing in last year's conventional wisdom.

Hop aboard the Kings bandwagon if you want to, but for a couple of extra talking points, check out the 2002-2003 NBA season "What's Hot, What's Not" List below:

What's Hot, What's Not for NBA 2002-03
Category	Hot	Not
Hardware lock for MJ	Sixth Man Award	Finals MVP
Arena noise-maker	Thunder Stix	Cowbells
New Clippers	Cavs	Clippers
What-are-you-thinking? acquisition	Shawn Kemp	(It's always Shawn Kemp)
Impact free agent	Keon Clark	Calbert Cheaney
Prep-to-pro worth props	Amare Stoudamire	Tyson Chandler
Is it a contract year?	Jerry Stackhouse	Juwan Howard
Trade bait	Gary Payton	Latrell Sprewell
Arena music	Clipse	Britney
Skill for wannabe 10-day-contractors	Can you play point guard?	Midrange jump-shooting
NBA factory	Argentina	Big East
Second-wind vet	Kevin Willis	Kendall Gill
Growth stock	Richard Jefferson	Jonathan Bender
Jersey	Darius Miles' "Cavs 21"	Kobe Bryant's "'MPLS' Lakers 8"
Violation	Defensive three seconds	Illegal D
Early-season revelation	Bobby Jackson is better than overpriced Mike Bibby	Dirk Nowitzki still can't play defense
Lakers' tenuous grasp	Shaq's toe	Playoff cool
Role player	Playmaking PG	Short SG
Laughingstock strategist	George Karl	Byron Scott
NBA Finals MVP candidate	Hedo Turkoglu	Rick Fox
Needs more pub	Bostjan Nachbar	Yao Ming
Owner	Mark Cuban	Charlotte wannabes
Friend-wowing fantasy-draft pick	Troy Murphy	Mike Dunleavy
Nickname inspiration	Puns on surname	Alliteration
Goal of offseason acquisition	Tire out opposing PGs	Clamp down on Kobe
Soothing team presence	Popeye Jones	Charles Oakley
Foreign stud	Manu Ginobili	Peja Stojakovic
Frustrated star	Jalen Rose	Steve Francis
Sweatband	Double-wide on wrist	On elbow
Hair style	Cropped short like Kobe	Floppy like Nash
Requisite scoring punch	Inside-outside	Three-headed monster
Fun to watch	Memphis	Detroit
Reffing controversy	Foul calls	Buzzer-beating shots
"What?? No call??"-type shot-taker	Paul Pierce	Kenyon Martin
Break-out All-Star	Desmond Mason	Tim Thomas
Rematch	Christie-Fox II ("It's the Wives' Turn")	Howard-O'Neal/Harrington II ("Contract-year Madness")
Popular pick for champs	Kings	Lakers
Contrarian pick for champs	Spurs	Anyone from the East

Dan Shanoff is a columnist for Page 2. His "What's Hot, What's Not" trend-spotting list appears Thursdays. Got inside scoop on an up-and-coming trend? Want to declare something passé? Send this glimpse of your hipness to hotnotlist@yahoo.com. Don't forget to check out the NHL season preview Hot 'n' Not List!

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