Great Picture of Spud..look at how high he gets..ridiculous...his hands are 3/4 of the way up the box...

AK-47 is now going to be out for a month with that ankle sprain…

Kevin Garnett had some critical pre-game comments about T-Wolves GM Kevin McHale’s stint as coach last year:” He wanted in his heart to coach, but he didn't want the responsibility of being a coach. Kevin has a very, very high basketball IQ, but managing egos and things, I don't think he wants to do that."

Look for Lakers Head Coach Phil Jackson to move Lamar Odom from small forward, where he facilitates the offense to power forward seeing as Odom is their best low-post player. This also means that the Kwame Brown experiment is soon to be coming to an end…speaking of Brown, I think at this point facts are facts…he may have the body and look of an NBA player, but the kid simply cannot play…he does not have basketball skills or instincts either defensively or offensively…and he’s got the hands of a 6 year old girl...seriously, I doubt he could palm a golf ball…

Ludacris is simply awesome this year…Donyell Marshall's averaging 13.3 points and 7.9 rebounds off the bench for the Cavaliers. Marshall has the most total rebounds (55) and highest rebounding average of any non-starter in the league…

Wow…just a week after small forward James Posey returned from injury, the Heat has lost another starter. Jason Williams will not play tonight against Philadelphia after bruising his right knee Tuesday against the Hornets, coach Stan Van Gundy said. Williams said he was uncertain about when he can play. For now, the Heat is listing him as day-to-day. Williams sat out Thursday's practice and was limping afterward. He did not return to Tuesday's game after a fourth-quarter, knee-to-knee collision with Hornets forward Chris Andersen. Gary Payton will start in Williams' absence, and starting shooting guard Dwyane Wade will play point guard at times.

Slumping: Wally Szczerbiak, a career .501 shooter, is only shooting .391 through seven games…plus only 5-for-25 (.208) from three…

1) Chad Ford of ESPN.com give us his top 10 draft prospects for the 2005 draft:

Rudy Gay Small Forward (Rank: #1) 6-9, 222 Age: 19 Connecticut (Baltimore, MD)

Season Averages
YR GMS MIN PTS REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF FG% FT% 3P% PPS
2004-05 31 28.8 11.8 5.4 1.5 2.0 1/1.3 0.8 1.9 2.3 .462 .708 .467 1.28

Similarities: Somewhere between Grant Hill and Shareef Abdur Rahim.

Notes: Gay was solid, but certainly not dominant, for Team USA at the Under 21s. Gay averaged 10.5 ppg and 5.5 rpg in just 15 mpg for Team USA.

Positives: Gay has great size for a small forward. He is an above-average athlete with serious hops. He's also deceptively strong. He does just about everything well. He can slash to the basket, pull up for the mid-range jumper, beat up a defender in the post and make the perfect pass. Scouts also claim he's a great kid with a tireless work ethic.

Negatives: Not a lot. The biggest knock is that Gay doesn't dominate the way scouts believe he could. He doesn't know how good he really is. "I think he has more talent than Marvin Williams," one NBA scout said. "The problem with Rudy is that he doesn't know it yet. Once he starts to assert himself, I think it will be an easy call who the best player in the draft is going to be. If he doesn't assert himself, his draft stock is going to slip."

Summary: Scouts have been high on Gay for the past two seasons, but he's not a slam dunk No. 1 pick. He fell short of expectations this summer. Still, the belief is that Gay could be a Grant Hill-type prototypical NBA forward someday. He's long, athletic, polished and can play both on the perimeter and in the paint. But is he a leader? Will he develop an in-between game? A better comparison might be Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Andrea Bargnani Power Forward (Rank: #2) 7-0, 225 Age: 20 Italy (Italy)

Similarities: Dirk Nowitzki

Notes: NBA teams have grown more gun-shy of young, skinny European forwards with reputations of being the next Dirk Nowitzki. Three years ago, someone like Bargnani would have ranked this high on reputation and principle alone. Nowadays, they're having trouble getting attention in the first round. Bargnani might be different. Laid an egg at the 2004 Hoop Summit game, where he was abused defensively by Josh Smith and couldn't get his offensive game going. However, a breakout performance in the preseason versus the Raptors put him high on NBA radar screens and scouts have been watching him closely ever since. He has averaged about 13 minutes per game for Benetton, one of the top clubs in Europe this year, and he's played well, especially lately, but he still has a ways to go.

Positives: The lithe 7-footer often gets compared to Dirk Nowitzki because of his versatility, ball-handling skills and his silky-smooth jumper. He likes to play out on the perimeter and can really do it all from out there. He's also picked up the rep as a very solid defender.

Negatives: Scouts aren't totally clear what position he'll play in the pros. Is he quick enough to guard threes? Is he strong enough and aggressive enough to guard fours? Bargnani needs to gain weight and strength. His low-post game is pretty underdeveloped and he avoids contact. While Bargnani isn't a bad athlete, he's not in the same class with Nowitzki athletically. He doesn't have a lot of lift and tends to play below the rim.

Summary: After an impressive season with Benetton, teams are expecting huge things this year. He's tall, athletic, can play multiple positions, and unlike many of the European Nowitzki pretenders, he has experience. If he has a big season, he'll be a serious contender for the top pick in the draft. If his progress levels off or he disappoints (the way Martynas Andriuskevicius did last year) his stock will plummet. It's put-up or shut-up time for Euro draft prospects. Can Bargnani deliver? He's off to a pretty good start averaging 11.4 ppg and 4.4 rpg in 18 mpg in the first eight games in the Italian league. He's also shooting 47 percent from the arc. Impressive stats for a kid his age.

Rajon Rondo Point Guard (Rank: #3) 6-2, 171 Age: 19 Kentucky (Louisville, KY)

Season Averages
YR GMS MIN PTS REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF FG% FT% 3P% PPS
2005-06 2 31.5 18.0 9.5 5.5 2.0 2.8/1 3.5 0.0 1.0 .609 .500 .600 1.57
2004-05 34 25.1 8.1 2.9 3.5 2.0 1.7/1 2.6 0.2 1.9 .510 .583 .303 1.37

Notes: Rondo stepped up and dramatically improved his draft stock. Rondo was inconsistent for Kentucky during his freshman season. But he was great for Team USA this summer at the Under 21 World Championships. He averaged 11 points, 4.5 assists and 2.7 steals (which led the tournament) while playing 20 minutes per game and leading Team USA to a 7-1 record.

Positives: He is a long, super-athletic point guard with great quickness and the ability to take just about anyone off the dribble. He loves the up-tempo game. "He's the quickest player in college basketball," one NBA scout told Insider. "He's so fast, he makes even the best defenders look like they have lead in their feet. He also plays a lot bigger than he measures. He's got a really long wingspan that allows him to cover an enormous amount of court space on the defensive end. He was a steals machine."

Negatives: He's an inconsistent shooter, especially from long range.

Summary: Rondo loves the up-tempo game, but what impressed scouts the most was his leadership and ability to play under control. "He's a true point guard," another scout said. "He knows how to lead. He sees the floor well and he's got the right balance between being able to take over the game when he needs to and being unselfish the rest of the time." The fact that Rondo outplayed several other top point guards -- including Temple's Mardy Collins, UConn's Marcus Williams and Memphis' Darius Washington at the U.S. trials in Colorado Springs and Texas' Daniel Gibson in the Nike camp -- has helped his cause as well. After an amazing summer playing for Team USA, every scout Insider talked to had Rondo rated as the top point guard in the draft -- with Gibson running a close second -- and a likely top-10 pick.

Daniel Gibson Point Guard (Rank: #4) 6-3, 190 Age: 19 Texas (Houston, TX)

Season Averages
YR GMS MIN PTS REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF FG% FT% 3P% PPS
2005-06 2 23.0 5.0 4.5 4.5 2.0 2.3/1 1.0 0.5 1.0 .200 1.000 .182 0.67
2004-05 31 32.8 14.2 3.6 3.9 3.1 1.3/1 1.8 0.3 2.5 .417 .752 .398 1.40

Positives: Gibson has just about everything you could ask for in a point guard. He's an excellent athlete, very quick and has good size for the position. He has the ability to score from the perimeter or by attacking the basket, and he's great in the open court. He gets to the line. He has excellent floor vision and never lets scoring get in the way of involving his teammates.

Negatives: Scouts aren't totally convinced that he'll be a pass-first point guard in the league. He's still makes too many mistakes. However, some of that must be attributed to the huge load he had to carry at Texas as a freshman.

Summary: If he can lead a talented Texas team deep into the Tournament, he could move ahead of Rajon Rondo (much like Williams bested Paul) as the top point guard at the end of the day.

LaMarcus Aldridge Power Forward (Rank: #5) 6-10, 240 Age: 20 Texas (Dallas, TX)

Season Averages
YR GMS MIN PTS REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF FG% FT% 3P% PPS
2005-06 2 25.5 16.0 10.5 0.5 0.5 1/1 0.5 3.5 1.5 .737 .444 .000 1.68
2004-05 16 22.2 9.9 5.9 0.9 1.8 1/2 1.1 1.5 3.1 .663 .657 .000 1.84

Similarities: Danny Manning?

Notes: Suffered a season-ending hip injury, forcing him to miss the last 14 games of a promising freshman season. Head coach Rick Barnes says that Aldridge is totally healthy, has added some strength to his frame and he is expecting a big year from him.

Positives: He is a long, athletic forward who can play in the paint or take the ball out on the perimeter. Has European-like big-man skills. Is a good rebounder and shot-blocker. Can handle the ball when he needs to. Intelligent. Good feel for the game.

Negatives: He doesn't have the strength or bulk yet to play inside in the NBA. Might be a bit of a tweener. Ideal spot is at the four if he can gain some weight.

Summary: A potential breakout player. One NBA scout based in Texas told Insider that Aldridge would be a top-five pick by the end of the year if he stayed healthy. That's a heavy expectation for a kid who played just 16 games as a freshman and averaged fewer than 10 ppg. But his skill, combined with some added bulk to his frame, definitely makes him one of the most intriguing prospects to watch this season.

Tiago Splitter Power Forward (Rank: #6) 7-0, 240 Age: 20 Brazil (Blumenau, Brazil )

Notes: A native of Brazil playing in Spain for one of the top teams in Europe, Tau Ceramica. Averaged 8.6 ppg and 4.3 rpg in ACB play last season. Averaged 7.4 ppg and 4.5 rpg in Euroleague play. Splitter was terrific this summer for the Brazilian national team. He scored 25 points for Brazil in the gold medal game of the 2005 FIBA Americas Men's World Championship Qualifying Tournament. Averaged 13.2 ppg and 8.6 rpg for the tournament. Splitter declared for the past two drafts. He withdrew in 2004 after he couldn't secure a promise in the lottery. In 2005, he received interest from lottery teams, but concerns about a massive buyout scared teams away from making a promise.

Positives: Splitter's got an NBA body, though he still needs to make it stronger. Most scouts agree that his defense is ahead of his offense right now. He's an excellent rebounder and shot blocker. He does have a nice handle and a good, but not great, jumper. He's very long and runs the floor well. He's a good, but not great, athlete. He's fearless and doesn't mind contact in the paint. Scouts say his athleticism and coordination are also improving. Despite his youth, scouts say Splitter plays like a 25 year old.

Negatives: Scouts just aren't sure what position he plays. Probably power forward, but he needs to improve his inside scoring if that's the case. Scouts feel he's probably a little too slow-footed to play the three, which hurts his cause a little.

Summary: Placing Splitter isn't easy. After a solid season for TCB and the Brazilian national team, his stock is on the rise. He's big, tough, experienced and is excellent on the defensive end. His offensive potential is still largely untapped, partly because of his role on Tau. Two big question marks for Splitter: Will he be able to get out of that atrocious buyout with Tau? The Spurs have been unsuccessful working out a buyout for teammate Luis Scola, therefore it's an issue. Second, with talented veteran big men like Scola and Peja Drobnjak on the roster, will Splitter get the playing time he needs to prove to scouts that he's ready for the NBA?

Ronnie Brewer Shooting Guard (Rank: #7) 6-7, 220 Age: 20 Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR)

Season Averages
YR GMS MIN PTS REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF FG% FT% 3P% PPS
2004-05 30 31.8 16.2 4.8 3.4 2.0 1.7/1 2.5 0.5 2.0 .475 .655 .396 1.35
2003-04 28 32.4 12.2 5.5 3.4 2.6 1.3/1 2.0 0.7 1.7 .481 .574 .266 1.31

Similarities: Somewhere below LeBron James and above Joe Johnson

Positives: Some scouts believe that Brewer, at 6-foot-7, has the tools to be at least a part-time point guard in the pros. That makes him an incredibly sexy prospect. His excellent athleticism, long arms and ball-handling skills have drawn comparisons to Marquis Daniels and John Salmons. However, Brewer plays with an aggressiveness that often surpasses what Daniels or Salmons did at the collegiate level. He is an excellent defender who uses his long arms to swipe away passes in the lane.

Negatives: Brewer's outside jumper needs a lot of work. He improved his 3-point shooting percentage to a respectable 39 percent last season, but he's still got a ways to go.

Summary: Brewer is drawing some LeBron James and Joe Johnson comparisons from scouts, which is a good thing. He does have a similar build (after adding nearly 15 pounds this summer) and game to LeBron, but he doesn't have that sixth sense about the game that LeBron has. Although he's not the shooter that Johnson is, he's more aggressive and athletic. A big year should make him a lock for the top 10.

Adam Morrison Small Forward (Rank: #8) 6-8, 205 Age: 21 Gonzaga (Spokane, WA)

Season Averages
YR GMS MIN PTS REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF FG% FT% 3P% PPS
2004-05 31 34.2 19.0 5.5 2.8 1.7 1.7/1 0.6 0.5 1.9 .498 .758 .311 1.30
2003-04 30 20.6 11.4 4.3 1.4 1.2 1.2/1 0.4 0.3 1.2 .530 .732 .309 1.37

Similarities: Larry Bird

Notes: The dude looks like he should be hosting a "Star Trek" convention. But when he gets on the court, there are very few people who can light it up the way Morrison can. Like every white player who can hit a jump shot, he is typically compared to Larry Bird. In some ways, the comparison is more justified with this kid. Morrison struggles with diabetes. Several times he's had to take insulin shots during games. Other players have gone on to have successful careers with the disease, but it's certainly a big question mark if you're thinking about handing him a three-year guaranteed contract.

Positives: His confidence in himself and his game is palatable. His ability to consistently make tough shots with a hand in his face might be his most appealing aspect. His knowledge of the game, his passing ability, his silky-smooth jumper and his fierce competitiveness all are Bird-esque.

Negatives: He has average (at best) athleticism, heavy legs, so-so defense, poor 3-point shooting (31 percent last season) and his struggle with diabetes scares some scouts.

Summary: Morrison is one of the toughest guys to rank. A small handful of scouts have him ranked in the top five. Others have him in the teens or early 20s. The scouts who have him ranked high emphasize his toughness, midrange shooting ability, versatility, basketball IQ and killer competitive instinct.

Al Horford Power Forward (Rank: #9) 6-9, 235 Age: 19 Florida (Grand Ledge, MI)

Season Averages
YR GMS MIN PTS REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF FG% FT% 3P% PPS
2005-06 3 22.0 10.0 6.7 3.3 1.0 3.3/1 1.0 2.0 3.7 .818 .667 .000 2.73
2004-05 32 22.8 5.6 6.5 0.9 1.0 1/1.1 0.8 1.6 2.5 .480 .582 .000 1.41

Positives: He is a long, athletic big man who should be a beast as a shot blocker and rebounder. Flies up and down the floor. Coaches say that he's grown and added muscle over the summer. Has the frame to add even more muscle.

Negatives: He's raw. Not a ton of offensive skills in the post yet. Unproven. Not much of a perimeter game.

Summary: Ranking Horford as a top-10 player is obviously a bit of a stretch. He's completely unproven. But scouts love his body, size and athleticism and saw just enough promise from him toward the end of last season to justify putting him here. There just aren't many athletic, pure power forwards available in the draft. If Horford has a good season, the top 10 is a real possibility. If he has a breakout season, he'll be in the top five.

Josh McRoberts Power Forward (Rank: #10) 6-10, 230 Age: 18 Duke (Carmel, IN)

Season Averages
YR GMS MIN PTS REB AST TO A/T STL BLK PF FG% FT% 3P% PPS
2005-06 2 22.5 6.0 6.0 0.0 1.0 - 0.5 0.5 3.0 .625 .286 .000 1.50

Notes: The best high school player in the country not to declare for the NBA draft last spring.

Positives: McRoberts has it all. He can score inside and out, handle the ball, shoot the 3 and defend. To top it off, he's an above-average athlete -- something scouts had wondered about in the past.

Negatives: There are some questions about what position he will play in the pros. Experience and strength will be issues for at least the first year.

Summary: McRoberts is going to be an absolute stud at Duke and, in a couple of years, will be a lock for the high lottery if he continues to improve. He has more game on both ends of the court than Mike Dunleavy, who went No. 3 a few years back. However, he says his plan is to stay at Duke at least a couple of years. McRoberts said playing at Duke was a lifelong dream, and there's no reason for him to skip it. He's going to be a perfect fit there and will only improve his draft stock.

2) Kelly Dwyer of Si.com thinks Kings PG Mike Bibby is not getting it:

Leadership vacuum - Bibby's play on, off court will determine Kings' fate

For a few golden weeks, following the news of Amaré Stoudemire's knee surgery, the Sacramento Kings were actually the favorites to win the Pacific Division this year. Funny how a 3-5 start can turn wide-eyed optimism to shoulder-slumping despair. The team that won the division crown in 2002 and '03, that was the preseason favorites throughout much of the Lake Show's most recent reign, the team that demonstrated the value of unselfish basketball, has seemingly been on the edge of disaster this season. But if I were a Kings' fan and knew how far the franchise had come in seven years, this would be just fine. Seven years ago this franchise was unable to throw enough free-agent dollars to even keep Michael Stewart, a former Kings ball boy turned promising big man. But now it's a crisis if the team isn't headed for its sixth straight 50-win season? Even if it meant employing a draft dodger in Vlade Divac, even if it cost Chris Webber his knee and gave rise to the notion of being "Doug Christie'd" -- the about face was worth it. But when you factor in that Sacramento has looked passive on defense and hideously sluggish on offense in suffering its five losses, and the unlikelihood that chronic underperformers Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Bonzi Wells can help shake the team out of its malaise and those oft-maligned, but to me, underappreciated alternate gold uniforms, then you can see why the Kings may be shuffling into panic mode. (Or, they could be just a good team getting off to a poor start. Let's start with the freak-out stuff first, in case I ever want to be on basic cable TV) The season-opener in Oklahoma City was an eye-opener for two reasons, primarily because they lost by 26 to a Hornets team that managed only 18 wins last season and doesn't figure to be much better this season. Just as stunning was that a team that averaged almost 104 points a game last year only scored 67 against the team that was the worst in the league last year. The Kings then lost two of three before seemingly putting it all together in a determined 16-point win last Friday over the Nuggets. It all fell apart two nights later against the previously-winless Knicks, who made the Kings look like a crew of scurvy-ridden sailors fighting over the last lime in the hull. The next day, in practice, coach Rick Adelman mustered up every ounce of meanness in his collective being, telling the assembled throng that, during the Knicks game, he "didn't see any semblance of what they've done in the past. That is a concern. I told them [on Monday], 'I can put you in a different offense. I know every offense that's been run in this league for the last 20 years.' I know our offense works, but it has to come from within, and I don't see an urgency." It sounded a lot harsher in person, I'm sure. Adelman's team responded with a 36-point win over the Jazz on Tuesday, which sounds like what we've come to expect from the Kings until you scan the box score. Missing in action for the Jazz were Matt Harpring, Gordan Giricek, Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko and Keith McLeod. That's four starters, and even if McLeod is the worst starting point guard in the NBA, he's still a starter, dammit. Milt bloody Palacio led the Jazz in scoring that night and he shouldn't be trusted to lead any team in anything more than high-fives and suggestions of the night's choice in gentlemen's clubs. You have to beat a team like that by 36. So what's gone wrong? It probably starts with Mike Bibby, who has improved his shooting to 40 percent, but scared everyone by shooting 36 percent in the preseason and missing 17 of his first 22 attempts to start the season. Bibby's usual touch from the outside makes him borderline un-guardable in a screen-and-roll situation. But without that sharp eye and with his increasingly lackadaisical decision-making, Bibby has left the Kings with a power vacuum. He just doesn't seem interested, and that attitude has carried over to the team's prime: brilliant all-around center Brad Miller and bearded small forward Peja Stojakovic. Miller hasn't been making good choices all season. He needlessly drives into traffic, tries to stretch defenses with perimeter shooting when a pass inside is more necessary, or he picks up a charge in the paint when a defense is begging to be shot over. Peja's shooting stroke has looked fine -- always has -- but he just seems ... different. Never one to jump over people, which isn't a problem when you're dropping 23 a night -- Stojakovic still appears hesitant with his body and his shot this year, even if the stats (21+ points per game, 46 percent from deep) don't reflect it. Maybe it was that sense of danger, that threat that Peja could unload at any time, which allowed the cutters to roam free in Adelman's offense. Either way, if teams aren't scared of Peja hitting his fair share of wild shots in a game, then this team will be hurting. As for the new guys, Abdur-Rahim's been a hit, shooting 54 percent from the field and playing huge down the stretch of the team's lone close win -- a one-point triumph in Phoenix. Wells, on the other hand, has been ... OK. He may be scoring 12 points per game, but he's needed 12 shots per game to do it. In the past, Doug Christie and Cuttino Mobley each were able to run delayed fast-breaks, with Peja and Bibby spotting up for jumpers. In transition and in the half-court this season, though, Wells looks hesitant if he has to dribble more than once or twice. Perhaps Wells would benefit from a move to the bench, while second-year guard Kevin Martin takes over as starter. Though Martin still takes some silly shots and confuses with his forays to the basket, he has shown a solid ability to handle the ball in transition. But this team's fortunes will be told by Bibby, whose leadership skills are largely untested. At Arizona, Miles Simon handled the cajoling and yelling duties for Bibby, while at Sacto the tag-team of Divac and C-Webb handled the locker room (for better or worse). Remember, Bibby received his initial NBA "instruction" in Vancouver from Lee Mayberry, a kindly soul who couldn't out-shout a pneumonia-stricken gnat. It's not so much that Bibby can't be effective leading by example, because that's usually enough on a talent-rich team. But a true leader also has to be dynamic, showing off several facets of stewardship, and that's been lacking this season in Sacramento. Maybe Bibby doesn't have to get into his teammates' faces after an on-court mistake, but it wouldn't hurt to remind them of their latest misstep during the next dead ball. Maybe he could throw in an impression or two, with lilting verbal tones and exaggerated movements. A mother joke wouldn't hurt either. Try to rhyme something. I've plenty of suggestions for "Stojakovic." And really, that's all it should take. This can be a damn good basketball team, and their early schedule was no picnic: Detroit, Denver (twice), Phoenix, the Rockets -- tough teams. But the Kings have better talent than their record suggests. Bad teams don't win games by 36 points, even if it is over a depleted Jazz squad. Of course, great teams don't usually lose by 26 to the Hornets. But this probably isn't a great team anymore. This is probably a team that is good enough to win a weak division and entertain us with their daring-do in the process. And if Kings fans take issue with that, then I'm pretty sure Michael Stewart is ready and willing to listen to whatever offer Sacramento can muster up.

3) Branson Wright of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports on the good play of Larry Hughes for the Cavs:

Hughes is clicking on all cylinders

The Larry Hughes Show was not prime-time material during the first few games of the season. There was the night he scored 21 points against the Memphis Grizzlies, but he did not have any assists. He began the season with six assists in the opener against the Hornets, but he was lucky to get three rebounds. Hughes has played well in his last two games. During that span, Hughes is averaging 22 points, 7.5 assists, 6.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals. It's similar to his average of 22 points, 6.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2.89 steals per game last season with Washington. He is a well-rounded player, which is why the Cavaliers signed him as a free-agent last summer. One of the most versatile players in the league, Hughes has never been about loading up on points. "That's why we went after him," said Cavs coach Mike Brown. "We truly believe he was a guy that will have stats in all of the categories. One of the main things that made him stand out from the [other free agent] two-guards were some of those numbers like rebounding and assists. We felt he could do a little bit of everything well. I don't know if he'll get it every night but he's capable." Hughes will certainly try. "[Versatility] is what I bring to the table," said Hughes, who had 22 points, eight assists and four rebounds in Tuesday's victory against his former team. "The fun thing is doing different things on the court. I don't want to specialize in one thing. I want to rebound the ball, pass it off, shoot well and play defense. That's a fun way to play basketball. That's how you gain the respect of your teammates, coaching staff and the fans. Everyone respects a guy who can go out and do different things on the court." The acquisition of Hughes gave the Cavs a solid defender and a great complement to LeBron James. Hughes is similar to James in his ability to penetrate and find the open man. But Hughes is different because he's a better defender. James is enjoying the new partnership. "If he didn't hurt his thumb, he would've been an All Star last year," James said. "Larry's doing everything we want him to do and he's still getting better and more comfortable with the offense. This is just the beginning for Larry Hughes right now." Former Milwaukee Bucks guard Sidney Moncrief dominated the 1980s with his versatile play. Not only was Moncrief one of the best defenders during his era, he also had the ability to score, rebound and make assists. In a recent interview, Moncrief likened his game to Hughes' style of play. Hughes was flattered with the compliment. "It's always an honor anytime you get respect from guys that came before you," Hughes said. "It's all positive when great players say good things about you. The compliments are good but I'm going to continue to try to get better."

4) John Lopez of the Houston Chronicle reports on the lost Ndudi Ebi:

Ebi's demise a cautionary lesson for all

NDUDI Ebi's dream is not over, but we should hope the charade is. There will come a time when one of Houston's greatest schoolboy basketball players will realize he was just a gullible, misinformed kid. Maybe that time will come when the checks from the Minnesota Timberwolves stop coming next year. Maybe it will be when Ebi is hustling for $50,000 a year in Europe, but hopefully it will be sooner. Ebi wasn't ready for the NBA three years ago and might not be ready now. Not yet, anyway. But when he was everyone's All-American and called the next best thing to LeBron James in 2002, so many agents, rating services and hangers-on told him he was ready. He started believing it. As soon as Ebi realizes he was wrong and starts over — not with a guaranteed contract, but in a gym full of players hungrier than him, and renewed humility in his heart, perhaps things will begin to change. Humble beginnings ... Until then, he will not be the Ndudi Ebi we once knew. He won't be the humble Ebi, who at Westbury Christian High School promised his family he would attend the University of Arizona at least for a couple of years, so he could grow and mature. He won't be the Ebi who used to carry a notebook into the locker room before high school games, writing down inspirational messages to himself, listening to pregame devotionals, nodding and convincing himself he would always have perspective. He won't be the Ebi who as a 15-year-old was turning down money and limousine rides to all-star games by shoe company representatives because he was loyal to his school and summer teams. He won't be the Ebi who was always quiet and levelheaded, the son of Nigerian parents who not only never pushed their son into basketball, but hardly understood the game or watched Ebi play — concerned more with his academic progress. Those days are hardly olden days. Yet after being chewed up and spat out by the NBA, the pages on which Ebi's rise to stardom were chronicled now seem faded, yellowed and ragged around the edges. ... give way to greed Ebi became a different kind of person when he started listening to the wrong people. His is a classic case of gullibility and greed. Agents came calling, telling him lies. He started thinking that just because he was running up the floor of the McDonald's all-star game with LeBron that it meant he was as prepared for the NBA grind and lifestyle. He wasn't. That much became clear soon after the Timberwolves made him a No. 1 draft choice, 26th overall. Last month, after two fruitless seasons riding the bench, never developing into what the Timberwolves hoped — pronouncing himself too good to consider the NBA developmental league or Europe — the Timberwolves waived the 6-9 forward. Few doubt Ebi could easily recover from his Minnesota slap in the face and become a quality NBA player. But Ebi's demeanor and parting shots from Minneapolis were disturbing to anyone who ever cared for him. They spoke to the depths of confusion the once-grounded Ebi has fallen. "You don't know anything," Ebi told Minneapolis-St. Paul reporters last week. "You don't know if I'm smiling right now. You don't know if I'm crying. You don't know if I've got a gun to my head. You keep asking me questions like I'm a chump. ... I'm not a chump." He spoke in the third person and fired off non sequiturs: "Now I just think I'm going to go into poetry, manual labor and live life like a regular guy. ... If you believe that, you don't know Ndudi Ebi. You wrote all that stuff down, didn't you? So you don't know Ndudi Ebi." This was not the same Ebi who seemed to have it all figured out as a 17-year-old. This was a 21-year-old kid thrust into the real world too soon, believing it was all right there for the taking, but never understanding what it took to grasp it. This was someone who always was told he was a superstar, believed it when a guaranteed $2.2 million contract came his way, then suddenly was overwhelmed. "It's a good example of why not to leave early," said John Lucas, a former Rockets guard and longtime counselor for troubled athletes. "He didn't know how to play. He wouldn't have been playing right away if he had gone to Arizona, either. He had the ability. He just wasn't ready. "The problem with rankings and things you read everywhere are they make people think they're better than they are. Everybody (in summer basketball) promotes their own guys so they can get shoe money. The guys ranked highest aren't necessarily better. They're just the guys who got ranked higher." Teams are showing interest in signing Ebi, notably the San Antonio Spurs and Denver Nuggets. His talent is unquestioned. He is sure to get another chance to chase his NBA dream, but until Ebi swallows his pride and remembers the focus and humility he had as a teenager, nothing will change. He has made one smart call. Ebi will return home and start working out with Lucas this weekend. Lucas, as always, will talk bluntly with the kid he tutored before the 2003 draft. He will tear apart Ebi's game and rebuild it. He will tell Ebi what he has told drug addicts, flops and failures. "Life is nothing but a bunch of start-overs," Lucas said. "It's what you do with them that matters."