NBA NOTES : Lakers, Magic and Suns Made the Best Moves

At this time a year ago, the New York Knicks’ point guards lacked championship quality and health. Doc Rivers was lost for the season with a knee injury, and Coach Pat Riley’s faith in Greg Anthony went only so far. So the Knicks did the logical thing and located a Missing Piece.

For the price of Tony Campbell and a conditional first-rounder, they wrested Derek Harper from the Dallas Mavericks and plugged him into their starting lineup. Following a reasonable adjustment period, Harper began to pay handsome dividends and came a Knicks seventh-game victory away from landing the MVP award in last June’s NBA Finals.

So, what about this year’s Missing Piece? What player, acquired in the offseason through trade or free agency, has made a significant difference? Helped by the power of hindsight and by exercising our right to second-guess, we check the progress of the Missing Pieces and, for perspective, factor in what each team invested.

Wayman Tisdale and Danny Manning, Phoenix Suns. Investment: Two years, $1.8 million (combined). Return: Bonanza. You have to like this credit deal the Suns worked out: Buy now, pay later, play for championship in June.

Horace Grant, Orlando Magic. Investment: Five years, $22 million (two-year escape). Return: Excellent. How could Orlando lose in this deal? It needed a power forward more interested in rebounding and defense than scoring, a veteran the young players could respect, and someone to bring a championship attitude to a team without a playoff victory. Grant is grading high in each area.

Cedric Ceballos, Lakers. Investment: First-round pick. Return: Excellent. The Suns are loaded and are perhaps the class of the West. But in a year or two, will they regret giving away this point-a-minute man?

Chuck Person, San Antonio Spurs. Investment: Five years, $12 million (one-year escape). Return: Surprisingly good. Many observers were stunned when the Spurs gave up on Dale Ellis and turned to Person as their hired gun, mainly because Person’s scoring average fell five points last season in Minnesota. But the atmosphere switch from doormat to contender has rejuvenated Person.

Antoine Carr, Utah Jazz. Investment: One year, $667,000. Return: Good. Teams steered away from Carr, who was trying to make up for years of being underpaid by asking for millions as a 31-year-old free agent. But the Jazz made a smart move; Carr is a valuable backup at the power positions. He is an emergency replacement at center for Felton Spencer, out for the season after suffering a torn Achilles’ tendon last Friday.

Dominique Wilkins, Boston Celtics. Investment: Three years, $11 million. Return: Average. Still having a hard time understanding M.L. Carr’s infatuation with ‘Nique. Wilkins is everything the Celtics don’t need -- a player capable of elevating a poor team to barely average, a veteran who takes precious minutes away from young players, and a perennial star who is beginning to whine about shots and the constant losing.

Robert Parish, Charlotte Hornets. Investment: Three years, $5.5 million. Return: Average. Some Hornets jokingly refer to Parish, 41, as the Chef because he’s tossing a number of airballs these days. Most expect the old man to turn back the clock once the playoffs arrive.

Sarunas Marciulionis, Seattle SuperSonics. Investment: Ricky Pierce, Carlos Rogers and a pair of second-rounders. Return: Average. After two years of leg injuries, Roony still can get to the free-throw line. But he’s hardly the shooter that Pierce was for the Sonics.

Mark Jackson, Indiana Pacers. Investment: Eric Piatkowski, Malik Sealy and Pooh Richardson. Return: Surprisingly average. The Pacers came 15 seconds from beating the Knicks in the conference finals last season, and Jackson, acquired a month later from the Clippers, was supposed to be the difference this season. When the Pacers played January 10 in New York, Jackson saw a season-low 17 minutes and Haywoode Workman, the point guard he replaced, ran the club in the final two minutes. Maybe Jackson needs time, just as Derek Harper did with the Knicks. But some teammates say the Pacers look better with Workman.

Ron Harper, Chicago Bulls. Investment: Six years, $19 million. Return: Minimal. After a month of watching Harper’s poor outside shooting and inconsistent defense, the Bulls re-signed Pete Myers, who was sacrificed when the Bulls signed Harper. Now, Myers is on the floor in the fourth quarter and Harper is on the bench.

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If the Warriors think things are bad now, then they should see what happens if they don’t resolve the Latrell Sprewell situation.

Ever since the departure of Billy Owens and Chris Webber, his two closest friends, Sprewell has tossed strong hints that he’d like to be the next to leave. Sprewell has missed two practices, he is noncommittal about wanting to stay beyond his contract (which runs through next season), and his relationship with Don Nelson is said to be cool at best.

And there is an apparent rift between Sprewell and Tim Hardaway. Two years ago, the Warriors were run by Hardaway, who crossover-dribbled his way to an All-Star berth. Last season, which Hardaway missed with a knee injury, the Warriors were turned over to Sprewell.

Maybe the Warriors should act before the Feb. 23 trading deadline by packaging Sprewell with Tom Gugliotta or a pick and sending him to the Bulls for Scottie Pippen. The patience of Bulls General Manager Jerry Krause should be stretched to its limit by now.