Love this pic of the original "Plasticman" Stacey Augmon, one of my favourite NCAA dunkers ever...

Quote of the week: "We're doing everything to lose a basketball game right now. We're not sharing the ball and we're not trusting each other defensively or offensively." -- Lakers forward Lamar Odom, after his team lost its third straight Monday, 85-73 in Memphis…

The Jazz lost Deron Williams and Andrei Kirilenko to ankle sprains on Saturday…while Deron Williams is listed as day-to-day, Kirilenko will be out at least a week. Asked about the ankle sprain, Kirilenko said:"It feels not good. It feels bad."

Reason # 452 I like Richard Jefferson? After giving up 35 points to Tracy McGrady a night after Ron Artest game him 30 and knowing that Jefferson will be guarding Rashard Lewis tonight, who is coming off a 41-point night against Toronto, Jefferson points the finger directly at himself: "Me, personally, my defense," said Jefferson when asked why the Nets' defense warrants executions. "I can't let the opposing three-man score 65 on us on back-to-back nights. I can't be giving up those kind of points. Even though it's a team game and not every point is on me, I take responsibility. If we shut those guys down, both games are different. If I do a better job, those games are different. So it's on myself. I'm most disappointed in myself right now."

Boy…remember how good JR Rider was? Dude was 6’5” 225 lbs. of jumping jack and super strong…well, he’s currently anted on a $100,000 warrant and ran from police when they showed up at a bank after getting an anonymous tip that he was inside….Rider, who is only 34, was tackled in the street and taken into custody Saturday afternoon. Rider also faces a charge of obstructing or resisting police because he allegedly ran from the officers, who had been sent to U.S. Bank on Otis Drive after they got a call that a "wanted man" was inside. Rider was the fifth pick in the 1993 NBA draft and with Minnesota, Atlanta Portland and Denver…it’s too bad the dude had hall of fame talent, but hall of shame brains…

1) Peter Vescey of the New York Post is, as usual, nuts:

THINK the Pacers miss Jamaal Tinsley? Think the Pistons miss Rick Carlisle? Think a licensed NBA franchise ever malfunctioned more often in such an abbreviated amount of time than the Pacers did Saturday night when they gave the Bucks a 103-102 gift certificate? Think professional players are paid enough to convert at least half their free throws at crunch time? Think a legitimate title contender should be able to hold on to a 14-point (96-82) late fourth quarter lead on the road? How about an eight-point spread with 49 seconds left? Think Ron Artest, Anthony Johnson, Stephen Jackson and Fred Jones should've been allowed on the team charter after aborting TEN of 16 open 15-footers? Artest botched three in a row during that blight, setting off the choke detection alarm, and added another shortly thereafter. Johnson tanked two-for-two. Jackson backfired three consecutive times on the front end. And until Jones short-armed one of two on Indy's last possession he'd turned in his most flawless (17-point) performance in memory. Think the Pacers are on course to negotiate with playoff pressure if they can't cope with Milwaukee's mob six games into regulation? Think Carlisle might decide to utilize his team's most accurate foul shooters (Austin Croshere and Sarunas Jasikevicius) next time an opponent is forced to foul and it's somewhat important for his team to make a point or two? Think Jackson should know a little something about clock management after five years in the league, one as a vital contributor to the champion Spurs? Think it might've made more sense for him to dribble off precious seconds on a fast break rather than hightail it to the basket and get fouled, thus freeze drying time with 1:02 remaining? Think Jackson was thinkin' about doin' what's good for the team or paddin' his stats? Think Johnson earned the Bomar Brain Award—for the little dummy in all of us? Think Johnson can concoct so much as a plausibly lame reason for grabbing Michael Redd as he lofted an off-balance trifecta with the Bucks trailing by FOUR with 7.3 seconds to go? Think Johnson had a thought in his head with two seconds left, Pacers up two, when he inexplicably backed up to the 3-point line and stumbled on it as he waited on slashing Mo Williams? Think it might've been a good idea to make Williams' difficult 29-foot shot more difficult by crowding him or maybe getting a hand in his face, or was Johnson too traumatized by then? Left to attend to business of his own devise, the league's second leading bench scorer (a few 10ths of a percentage point below Speedy Claxton's 17.4) simply pulled up from 4-point range and drained the plunger. Think opponents aren't aware how easy it is for fleet feet and jabbing hands to unnerve Johnson — five turnovers, three assists in 34 minutes? Think the Pacers still think they're as tough as they thought they were before their mental breakdown? Think Tinsley really has a sinus problem or is it more like a staff infection? Think Brooklyn's best point guard was really ill the last two games, or was it a coach's decision that made him sick? Despite putting up decent stats in the first three quarters against the Heat, he failed to see daylight in the final quadrant when Carlisle mysteriously neglected to re-deploy the team's maestro. Think Tinsley stayed in Indiana rather than travel with the team to Milwaukee because he was ailing or because Carlisle told him to stay home?
Think what you want, but CEO Donnie Walsh maintains Tinsley (back at yesterday's practice) was sick enough to see the team doctor who prescribed mediation. Think the Pacers are mature enough to dethrone the Pistons for the Eastern crown? Me thinks I might want to rethink my pick to win it all this season. *How is it that Malik Rose took the shot in the last minute against the Warriors? What possessed Larry Brown to insert him only moments before? Four minutes, 0-2 from the field and Rose is your go-to-guy? Who designed that play, Golden State assistant Mario Elie? Naturally, Brown's coaching was the difference against the Kings. Oh and by the way…Shaq's wife told reporters over the weekend that she doesn't expect The Big Ankle to be ready to go this month.

2) Kelly Dwyer of Si.com reports that the Wiz are rolling:

Wizard of Washington - Arenas keeps Washington rolling atop the Southeast

I'd just like to point out that NBA cheerleaders wouldn't dream of having intimate, pre-marital relations, thank you very much. Unless, of course, you're a starting small forward. That changes everything. Let's look at what else this classy league has to offer ...

Champs

The Wizards improved to 5-1 this week, riding the contributions of a white-hot Gilbert Arenas, a healthy Antawn Jamison, and a startlingly-good defense. Arenas' takeover isn't shocking, what with Larry Hughes in Cleveland and new addition Antonio Daniels struggling to stay healthy. The Wiz have needed their All-Star to dominate on offense, and so far, so damn good -- GA averaged 31 points per game on 54 percent shooting last week, while adding 7.7 assists. He's also allowing players like Jarvis Hayes and Caron Butler, scorers who need the ball, to flourish alongside him. Everyone's drinking the Soma, and warm and fuzzy feelings abound. What's really impressive is the Washington defense. In their first six games, the Wizards gave up just 97 points per 100 possessions, the fifth-best mark in the league. Opponents are shooting 39 percent from the field against this team, which is tops in the NBA. And even when Elton Brand torched coach Eddie Jordan's squad for 31 points in a loss last week, he did most of his damage on tough, contested shots (as this breakdown shows). As the Heat limp out of the gate, you have to like Washington's chances early on, even if six of their next seven are on the road.

Philadelphia's turnaround makes no sense, like a guy who puts on a suit to steal newspapers or the fact that Chuck Berry has yet to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor. The Sixers opened the season with three losses, by an average of 15.3 points, and looked clueless on both ends of the court. Kyle Korver couldn't shoot, Allen Iverson and Chris Webber shot too much (at an alarmingly inefficient rate), and the entire group looked uninterested in defense. Since then, though, they've taken down the Pacers in Indianapolis, the Mavericks and both Los Angeles teams. Those are quality wins, my friends. Andre Iguodala has hit two out of every three shots he's taken this season, and Iverson has turned in a solid 3-to-1 assist to turnover ratio.

Out west, Minnesota's Kevin Garnett is having another one of those MVP-caliber seasons that everyone seems to gloss over every year. He's leading the 3-3 Timberwolves in points (21 per game), rebounds (11), and assists (6.2); though his 1.7 blocks per game ranks second on the team to Eddie Griffin's 2.4. Let's pick it up a bit, OK KG? The Wolves lead the NBA in blocking only 7.6 shots per game. Oh, and on top of all that the Big Ticket donated $1.2-million to Gulf Coast relief on Thursday. Solid week.

Chumps

The Nets are ready for spring, which kind of stinks for them because they have 75 games left in the season before the playoffs start. The Atlantic Division favorites lost three of four this week, to the Shaq-less Heat, a still-learning Pacers squad, and a Houston team that lost by 20 in Boston a day after trouncing the Nets. The real problem here is the team's defense, or lack of it, and the way they sleepwalk through 10-minute stretches before getting their act together. It's as if they expect star power and an impressive Q Rating to rotate to help penetration or make the extra pass. Coach Lawrence Frank has four potential practice days this week to whip his club into shape.

It's been an equally rough going early on for coaches with stern visages and receded hairlines. Houston (2-4) coach Jeff Van Gundy and Chicago (3-2) taskmaster Scott Skiles have presided over so-so starts, but the underpinnings are in place for disasters. Skiles continues to trot out a starting lineup that includes second-year forward Andres Nocioni and Darius Songaila, while Luol Deng and Michael Sweetney sit on the bench. As a result, the Bulls are usually down by 8-10 points midway through the first quarter, before the more talented (but, apparently, "less scrappy") Sweetney and Deng come off the pine with Sixth Man of the Year Ben Gordon. Skiles has hinted that a lineup change could be in the offing, which is great news for his team, because he's putting an unbelievable amount of pressure on them by creating these early deficits.

It took Van Gundy two months to adapt to his personnel last season, and unfortunately that looks as if the same will be the case in 2005-06. Why JVG demands that his team trap penetrating guards on every possible defensive possession is beyond me, even if his roster is so clearly overmatched. Coming off a 10-turnover night last Wednesday against the Pacers, Miami guard Dwyane Wade was able to easily see past the traps against the Rockets on Thursday, regularly finding the open man while calmly getting his own shots to fall. Sunday night against the Celtics, Van Gundy needlessly sent Stromile Swift to trap anything that moved. Stro finished with three steals and three blocks, but his ball-hawking opened the door for Raef LaFrentz to finish the first half with seven 3-point field goals. Van Gundy's in-game adjustments are about as slow and ineffective as Houston guards Derek Anderson and David Wesley, who seem ready for the glue factory. Houston will be in the thick of it come May, but like last season, it'll take a while for everything to flesh out.

Golden State's 4-3 record is impressive, especially considering their recent road jaunt (in New York on Sunday, followed by games in Milwaukee, Chicago, Oakland and Phoenix), but Mike Dunleavy Jr. is struggling mightily. Signed to a head-scratching contract extension in October, the Duke product has hit less than a quarter of his shots this season, and averaged only 6.6 points and four rebounds in 30 minutes a night. Even worse, the player once heralded as the next great point forward has just 14 assists (to 14 turnovers) on the year.

The Week Ahead - With New York's victory over the Kings on Sunday night, only the Raptors and Hawks are left winless. The Raptors have a better chance of ending their run of futility this week, though a home-and-home against the Sixers and a trip to Boston doesn't guarantee a W, it should be an easier stretch than Atlanta's trips through San Antonio, Dallas and Oklahoma City. The Raptors actually showed some life in an overtime loss to Seattle on Sunday, as Charlie Villenueva contributed 26 points and 12 rebounds off the bench. CV had been averaging eight points and three rebounds in 26 minutes a game prior to the close loss. Coach Sam Mitchell went with Mike James (36 points) and Jose Calderon (12 assists) in the backcourt for long stretches, while Jalen Rose and his goatee stewed on the bench. Meanwhile, in Atlanta, the Joe Johnson-as point guard experiment ended after two games. Boston is flying under the radar with a .500 record, which hides a pair of close losses (including an 82-81 decision to the Pistons). The solid play should continue this week, save a risky tilt in Detroit, with home games against the lowly SuperSonics and Raptors. The C's have to be encouraged by the play of Paul Pierce, who has averaged more than 26 points per game on 49 percent from the floor, while adding eight rebounds and five assists per game. Mark Blount is funky; he can't rebound worth a lick (3.8 in 32 minutes a game) but he is contributing 13.2 points per game. The Warriors will have three tough but winnable games this week, with contests at home against the Bulls and the Bucks, followed by a trip up to Portland. They need to take advantage, because starting on the 20th, they'll play seven games in ten nights. Carlos Boozer's triple-bypass, er, hamstring pull should see him returning sometime next weekend. In the meantime, his Jazz will have to take on the Knicks, Kings, Suns and Grizzlies -- all winnable games, but not without either Boozer, or an injured Andrei Kirilenko. The over/under on Tuesday's Timberwolves-Rockets pairing should be around 48. Coincidentally, the spread for the same night's Spurs-Hawks game will be 48 as well. Interesting week for the 4-1 Bucks. They'll fly West to take on the Clippers, Warriors and Kings. As good as T.J. Ford has been this year (15 points, 10 assists, five boards and more than two steals in 39 minutes a game), backup Maurice Williams is averaging 17 points in just 25 minutes per game. Mo also has hit 12-of-16 from 3-point range so far. Really looking forward to Washington's visit to Cleveland on Tuesday. LeBron James hasn't disappointed this year, but his shot selection still leaves a lot to be desired. He's too focused on delivering the knockout punch, trying a silly Steve Francis-esque crossover to free himself up for a flat-footed 3-point attempt. No reason for that. Luckily, he's kept the turnovers down. And now it seems Larry Hughes (22 points, nine rebounds and seven assists against the Magic on Sunday) is coming around. All of which has kept the 5-2 Cavs just off the lead in the NBA's toughest division.

Ruminations - Only one team (the Charlotte Bobcats) averages more possessions per game than the Phoenix Suns so far this season, which makes Charlotte's league-leading 11.8 turnovers per game all the more impressive. By comparison, the Chicago Bulls are tied with the Suns for the most possessions per game, and they average 17.2 turns per contest. Danny Fortson is averaging around nine rebounds per 40 minutes played this season, which is a drop off from his marks of 13.3 per 40 from last season, and 16 per 40 in '03-04. It might be time for The Pigtailed One to stick his game in the closet, for good. Kwame Brown isn't helping the Lakers. The 23-year-old is averaging 6.3 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.8 turnovers in 27.3 minutes per game. He's blocked just one shot for the year and is hitting 46 percent of his free throws. The guy just hasn't figured out a way to change the flow of the game in any regard. Orlando? Slow, boring, mediocre. Dwight Howard? Springfield-bound. The real "Baby Shaq" is averaging 15.7 points and 10.3 rebounds a game, numbers that would look a heck of a lot better if the Magic didn't walk the ball up court at every opportunity. Let's hear it for New York and its nine-figure payroll, which figured out a way to win its first game on Sunday. Though his trades and signings usually leave us prone to giggling fits, Isiah Thomas' draft-night touch cannot be questioned. Rookie Channing Frye is the real deal, averaging more than 10 points and six rebounds in 19 minutes a game. David Lee is a game-changer, and though the usual stats may not show it, second-year forward Trevor Ariza is an all-around wonder. The Knicks are +23 points on the year when Ariz'er (as TV analyst Walt Frazier calls him) is on the court. Too bad Isiah'er traded all his upcoming draft picks to the Bulls.

3) Marc Stein of ESPN.com thinks Michael Redd and the Bucks are really improving:

Redd's cred keeps rising

The season was about to start when the lefty with the killer touch from outside was asked if his fat new contract made him a shooter wearing his own target. Even before the Milwaukee Bucks started winning, Michael Redd saw it a bit differently. "I had more of a bull's-eye on me last year," Redd said. It's an interesting assertion that Redd, for the record, presented a day before the Bucks pilfered Jamaal Magloire from the New Orleans-Oklahoma City Hornets. Now? With Magloire? The $91 Million Man has an even better shot of backing up the argument. That's because Redd didn't just get a max deal from the Bucks. He got help, too. The sort of help that suddenly makes the Bucks one of the most intriguing teams in the league, entering a four-game road trip in the West that will be followed more closely because Milwaukee has started 4-1. The Bucks committed to pay Redd as much as the rules allow -- more than Redd's catch-and-shoot game can justify to some -- as a statement of intent from owner Herb Kohl. The senator unexpectedly decided he was ready to spend whatever it took to keep Redd, even after the failed coaching pursuits of Flip Saunders and Doug Collins, as part of one last run at building a winner. So Kohl knew he had to start by securing the franchise player of the moment, especially after underpaying Redd for three seasons at $4 million per ... and with Cleveland initially targeting Redd ahead of Larry Hughes. It didn't hurt that Redd has always been a solid citizen whose diligent work to develop his slingshot jumper gradually transformed 2000's No. 43 overall pick into Ray Allen's successor as face of the franchise. Critics inevitably seized on Redd's passing and defensive limitations, but any criticism of the contract has two major holes. 1) The Bucks, coming off a 30-52 season in which Redd had almost no help, would have been slammed a lot harder had they failed to re-sign him. 2) Handing Redd a max deal didn't stop this small-market surprise from spending more and surrounding the Stein Line favorite with four new starters. Look at the Bucks now. There's lots of promise on the roster general manager Larry Harris has assembled for new coach Terry Stotts, even if it's also an inexperienced team that still has a lot of blending ahead. Far more promising than a mere 4-1 start is Milwaukee's ability to field players who address each of the three critical needs for success in today's NBA. The Bucks have a top-shelf dribble penetrator now that backcourt dynamo T.J. Ford is back from a career-threatening spine injury. The Bucks unexpectedly have a well-rounded frontcourt rotation with Magloire, a legit power player, arriving to protect No. 1 overall pick Andrew Bogut and Joe Smith, which also turns Dan Gadzuric into a likely down-the-road trade chip. And Redd, of course, fills the shooting void to keep the floor spaced, as one of the league's most feared bombers. Ford's return and Bogut's selection means Redd is playing with passers again, as in 2003-04 when Ford was a rookie and Redd earned an Eastern Conference All-Star berth. Magloire's entrance enables Bobby Simmons, who was signed to split time at small forward and power forward, to play primarily as a big three where he belongs. There's some depth, too, with Smith, Toni Kukoc and Maurice Williams joining Gadzuric off the bench. The line of questioners will start forming at Redd's locker if the Bucks' early promise, seen mostly recent in Saturday's comeback triumph over title-contending Indiana, is followed up by a bad trip out West. Yet if you add up all of the above, you can understand why the $91 Million Man is already playing like a man without burdens.

4) SI.com’s Lang Whittaker has a soft spot for Stephon Marbury:

A soft spot for Steph - Knicks' Marbury is awfully hard to root against

It was the fall of 2000, and I'd been in New York City for all of about three weeks. I'd moved up from Atlanta to take a job at SLAM magazine, and I quickly found myself penning my first cover story, on then-Nets point guard Stephon Marbury.When my wife and I moved to the big city, we initially lived in a tiny one-room apartment near the U.N. Living above a nail salon turned out not to be a problem, but two people in a room about the size of a U-Haul truck just wasn't good for anyone involved, so we found a bigger place. Only problem was that moving day was the same day Marbury had cleared for me to hang out and interview him at his boyhood home in Coney Island. Of course, this didn't make me the most popular person at home. I hadn't even received my first paycheck yet, and was flaunting a negative bank account balance, so it was slightly surreal to find myself riding around Coney Island in a Bentley convertible, while wifey was back in the city bossing around a moving crew. When I explained my dilemma to Steph, he laughed and noted I better do something nice for her. Perhaps I could buy her flowers before returning home, I suggested. "No," Marbury said, "you should get her something different, something nice ... like maybe a pair of shoes or a purse." Steph and I hit it off, and even though I didn't buy/couldn't afford a purse, I took his advice and did my best to make her feel special when I got home. The first time I saw Marbury play was in the first game of his only season at Georgia Tech. I'd heard about him because he was the most highly touted prep prospect that year, but seeing him in person was unsettling; that's how good he was. It was just an exhibition game against the venerable traveling Marathon Oil team, but Marbury's talent was palpable. He played with a low center of gravity, but seemed to rise 36 inches off the floor on every jump shot. He was explosive off of pick-and-rolls, and he moved like a viper, constantly about to strike. I'd seen Dominique, Bird, Jordan and Magic play in person, and I could recognize greatness. Marbury was special, even then, and I knew he was going to get better. I'll always remember returning to my parents' house after the game and telling my Mom that Marbury might be the best basketball player I'd ever seen. Now, Marbury is beginning his 10th NBA season. He's been traded for Jason Kidd, Ray Allen and Charlie Ward. He's been to two All-Star Games, and is one of two players in NBA history to post career averages of at least 20 points and eight assists per game. (The other player was some guy named Oscar Robertson.) He's durable like a running back -- last year he was second in the NBA in minutes played -- and he's still as explosive as ever, breathtaking to watch as he fires off a pick-and-roll and attacks the rim, the ball protected tightly between his forearms. Greatness, however, has mostly eluded him. He's never made it past the first round of the playoffs, and he's been tagged with a reputation of a guy who improved his teams mostly by leaving. Now he finds himself as the best player in the NBA's biggest market, and for the first time he has an established coach, someone who's actually won in the past and demands respect. As I've contended throughout his career, the problem generally isn't Steph, it's the rest of his team. The Knicks are such a mess right now that even Larry Brown doesn't have a clue what to do. Rookie forward David Lee, for instance, was inactive for the first two games, then had eight points and 10 boards against the Warriors, and has played a total of 13 minutes since. Matt Barnes started the first three games, was inactive for the next two, and then started last night in the Knicks' first win. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised to see Brown suit up Cal Ramsey and Willis Reed. This week, with the team reeling, Marbury's name has started to pop up again in trade talk and on back-page headlines. As usual, he doesn't seem to care, playing his game while trying to learn Brown's system, passing the ball to guys he knows probably can't hit the open jumper. He may never win a title, but as a guy who came from a sprawling family that was jammed into a Coney Island project, it's hard to argue with the notion my friend Ben presented recently: That no matter how his career concludes, perhaps Steph has already made it. And forgive my bias here, but I find a guy who's come from where Marbury has come from impossible to root against.

5) I am not a religious man, but this article from Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN.com is too cool:

Church is Redd's gift to his grateful father

Thanks for nothing, Michael Redd. Thanks for sticking it to every son with a father. Thanks for raising the gift bar so high we'll need four Sergei Bubkas and a Huey to get over it. You couldn't do what the rest of us did, could you? Maybe swing by the grocery store to get a Hallmark card. Pick out a nice tie at Target. Kid the old man about his birthday cake becoming a fire hazard. These are the old reliables. No, you had to make us all look bad, including the rest of your multi-millionaire peers in the NBA. At least they have the decency of being predictable. They buy their pops one of the five crown jewels of big ticket items: car, boat, vacation, fractional jet ownership, house. Didn't you get the e-mail? You bought your dad a house, all right, but it was a house of worship -- the newly named Philadelphia Deliverance Church of Christ in your hometown of Columbus, Ohio. Great. Now the rest of us look like total slackers. It's a handsome church, I'll give you that. Pristine white exterior. Steeple. Stained glass windows. Rose-colored interior. Seats 500, easy. Your dad, pastor James W. Redd, says he still can't believe the dream came true. "Every now and then you catch yourself drying tears," says the longtime pastor. Oh, sure, rub it in. Cue the string music while you're at it. Turns out father and son have been talking about dreams since Michael was a senior at West High School in Columbus, the same school where James also earned prep All-American hoops honors. James was recruited by Bob Knight, Digger Phelps, George Raveling, even a bald-headed crazy named Dick Vitale. He still has the letters. But James' mom was ill at the time, so he decided to stay home and attend Capital University. No regrets. He met his wife, Haji, there. "No her, no Michael Redd," he says. "It's all about timing." Father taught son how to play, and how to pray. Michael was 2 when his old man set up a pink trash can in the hallway and taught him to shoot a whiffle ball or rolled up sock into the makeshift basket. Michael was 14 when his old man knocked him down on the court during a one-on-one game. James always believed in the business end of an elbow or hip. But Michael got up. And beat him for the first time. "He played me like a grown man," says Michael. "And that was the right move, too. He tested my heart." James worked at the Pepsi Cola plant Monday through Friday, and at church on Sunday. The place wasn't exactly the National Cathedral. The family attended a storefront church in a strip mall, and later James' congregation move to the basement of another area church. One day, said James, they'd trade up to something above ground. Michael had a better idea. "Dad," he said before his senior year at West, "if I get to the NBA I'm getting you and mom a new house and a new church." James knew Michael had talent, but the NBA and a church purchase? "He wasn't sure," says Michael. "I'd tell him, 'Oh, ye of little faith.' " Redd led the Big Ten in scoring as an Ohio State freshman. But he was still on the board when the Milwaukee Bucks selected him two years later with the 43rd pick of the 2000 NBA draft. No. 43s usually end up in Turkey, Russia or selling cellphones at outlet mall kiosks. But Redd stuck. He signed a multi-year deal in 2002 (and bought his folks a house). Then this past August, after leading the Bucks in scoring (23.0, 11th best in the NBA), Redd signed a maxed-out, 6-year, $91-million deal to stay in Milwaukee. He drives a Bentley or a Range Rover, but keeps a Bible in each. He has six of the Good Books. And ever since he turned pro, Redd has tithed to his church. But the new contract allowed him to make good on the vow to his faith, to his father, and to himself. So a few months before James' 50th birthday, Michael made it official: it was time to bid on a prime piece of church property on the east side of Columbus. "That was the first thing in my heart," Michael says. "The Lord, he gave me life. What I did was to give it right back to Him. That's the least I could do, is buy a church. The very least I could do." The Redds won't divulge exact figures, but those familiar with the church purchase say Michael wrote a check in the millions. There were other contributors, but nothing close to all those zeroes and commas given by Michael. "Without hesitation," he says of his decision. "You reap what you sow. You reap what you sow." The closing on the church came in late August and was attended by a small congregation: James, Michael, and Haji. James was the first to unlock the church doors. "Probably one of the best moments in our life as a family," says James. The dedication of the church was about a week later. No more storefront location. No more basement "Spectacular, man," says Michael. "The place was packed. My dad was pretty emotional." We're so happy for him. Thanks to Mr. Perfect Son, the rest of us have to come up with new gift-giving ideas. The battery-operated singing bass is probably out of the question now. Meanwhile, Redd and the Bucks are off to a nice start, and James' congregation grows a little bit each week. Next August, Michael is getting married, though he hasn't picked a location yet. All anyone knows for sure is that his fiance's father is a preacher, too. Great. I wonder what he'll get.

6) Mike Kahn of Foxsports.com with his 10 things column:

10 things we learned this week

So you're looking for a new coach, don't want to spend a lot of money, and want him to respond with an agreeable nod to every request (demand). Then ask your players who they would like to be coach, and, well, you've got the Seattle SuperSonics with their affable new coach Bob Weiss.Yes, last year's surprising Northwest Division champion Sonics, who scared the super out of San Antonio Spurs forward Tim Duncan's star in the second round of the playoffs, set a club record after losing three consecutive games by an average of 31 points this week before going into overtime to knock off the winless Toronto Raptors Sunday.

1. Item: There are those around Seattle who believe last year's 52-win Sonics were the NBA version of the 116-win Seattle Mariners — an inexplicable alignment of the stars that produced unexpected success. But basketball people believe the achievement was directly related to the tough focus by the coaching staff, led by Nate McMillan and Dwane Casey, now the head coaches at Portland and Minnesota, who felt they were hung out to dry by management entering last season. What this really means: Players spent far too much time in training camp lauding Weiss about how much more fun they were having and how much less stressful it is with Weiss as opposed to McMillan. No kidding. And since when do NBA teams hire the coach that the players want? Weiss has a two-year guaranteed contract at a relatively meager $2 million per season with an option for a third year. Behind him is franchise favorite Jack Sikma, with just as gentle a demeanor as the 63-year-old Weiss, who in three separate head-coaching stints had two winning seasons. Weiss is a good guy, a fine magician and a knowledgeable NBA man after some 40 years as a player, assistant and head coach. But that doesn't make him the right choice to take a young team that is still trying to figure out its personality. McMillan gave them focus and toughness that kept them in games with defense and the ability to execute on offense. Plus, the Sonics didn't put up the money it required to retain free agent guard Antonio Daniels, who more often than not ran the offense and won many a game in the fourth quarter last season. Sure, it's early, and the Sonics still have a chance to compete in the relatively weak Northwest Division. But it's pretty hard to fathom that kind of run from a team that allowed 96.6 points a game last year, but which is giving up 111.2 points a game and .503 shooting from the field. Somewhere, Nate McMillan is cringing ... but to be sure, the Sonics players are happy he's not the one running practice today.

2. Item: The New York Knicks staved off a late run by the Sacramento Kings to pull out a 105-95 win at Sacramento Sunday, preventing first-year Knicks coach Larry Brown from beginning a season 0-6 for the first time in his Hall of Fame coaching career. What this really means: This was going to take time and everybody knew it. The roster that team president Isiah Thomas has constructed is ill-suited to Brown's defensive-oriented, share-the-ball style. What he does like are the three rookies — Channing Frye, Nate Robinson and David Lee. Young forward Trevor Ariza is another athletic player cut from the cloth Brown likes. But the questions still linger of what center Eddy Curry is capable of accomplishing, heart problems or not. They are very likely stuck with the horrid summer signing of lazy and overweight 7-footer Jerome James, and that's just the start. The more crucial questions come from whether guards Stephon Marbury and Jamal Crawford will ever get on the same page as Brown. They are the talented, athletic players Thomas sought to build the foundation of the team around, and they are clearly not the kind of players Brown has ever had success with, considering they are shooters and generally lax defenders. And that leads to the next question, of course: What will happen once Thomas starts spinning the dial again with trades? It will be fascinating to watch.

3. Item: Speaking of the Kings, their 2-5 start is shocking. Many people (present company included) believed that they had emerged as the team to beat in the Pacific Division in the wake of Amare Stoudemire's knee surgery in Phoenix. What this really means: They have emerged as the team that can be beat. They haven't utilized Shareef Abdur-Rahim in the low post as expected, and Bonzi Wells has been careful not to step on any toes, so he's been ineffective at best. Point guard Mike Bibby just isn't the kind of leader they need and Peja Stojakovic, with rumblings about his impending free agency non-stop, has been blowing hot and cold. As for center Brad Miller, he has been softer than usual, which doesn't help matters either. Adding to their woes was the tasteless video of urban decay in Detroit they showed prior to their loss to the Pistons, which drew a $30,000 fine from the NBA. Nonetheless, this looked like a great re-mix by president Geoff Petrie. He shipped out Chris Webber last season, then traded Bobby Jackson this off-season, and let both Cuttino Mobley and Darius Songaila walk. Coach Rick Adelman has built an exceptional coaching career based on his ability to win with any kind of player (the nightmare in Golden State being an exception). Although it is very early, there is clearly something wrong with this team and how Petrie dishes out culpability will interesting and may come sooner than later.

4. Item: The odds are enormous that the Toronto Raptors will win several games this season. But when that first victory will come is a question a lot of our friends up north are contemplating. What this really means: Indeed, the Raptors did come from 18 down to send the game with Seattle into overtime Sunday, but if they were going to get a win, wouldn't it be at home against a team that had lost its last three games by an average of 31 points? With Wayne Embry gradually becoming a more vital cog in their personnel decisions, the leash on general manager Rob Babcock is now being measured in centimeters. Maybe somehow, some way, coach Sam Mitchell can push rookie Charlie Villanueva to become a player instead of a talent, and coupled with Chris Bosh and young Mike James, they can form some semblance of a future nucleus. But things have been going downhill for several years and the way Babcock gave away Vince Carter was inexcusable. Unless he can make a good deal by moving Rose and gaining some young talent, the Carter deal will be his demise and if they're still in single digits in the win column in January, Babcock is the likely scapegoat for the embarrassment — provided Mitchell doesn't resign first.

5. Item: The Utah Jazz entered the week sitting atop the Northwest Division despite Carlos Boozer still not having played a game due to a hamstring injury. But now they'll be without Andrei Kirilenko for at least a week after he suffered a sprained ankle. What this really means: Mehmet Okur heeded the words of coach Jerry Sloan, is in the best shape of his life and is off to the best start of his career. Top draft choice Deron Williams is off to a good start and looks every bit the successor to John Stockton. Whereas Kirilenko will be back — he is one of the top five defenders in the league and improving offensively — the questions continue about Boozer. Regardless of whom they have on the roster, Sloan should will them to an improvement over their 26-56 debacle of a year ago ... but for them to seriously challenge in the division, they need Okur, Boozer and Kirilenko healthy up front. Gordan Giricek is adequate as their shooting guard, and there's enough coming off the bench if everyone is healthy to be solid. So if you think those rumors that Boozer was being shopped last year despite just having signed the $68 million free agent contract were bogus, think again. Owner Larry Miller is not one to throw money around, and considering Boozer has played in just 51 of the first 89 games with the Jazz since signing the deal, there's a good chance general manager Kevin O'Connor is still looking for takers. Please!

6. Item: The Phoenix Suns ended their three-game home losing streak Saturday night with a 16-point win over the Golden State Warriors. In the previous three games they had blown double-digit leads in the second half. What this really means: Despite losing Stoudemire to knee surgery and trading Joe Johnson, the Suns still look like the team to beat in the division with the two Los Angeles teams, the Warriors and the Kings figuring to all put up a great battle. But this win was even more significant because it was the 100th for coach Mike D'Antoni, who was relegated to Europe for virtually a decade before the Denver Nuggets brought him back to the states. Now D'Antoni is looking like the coach of the 21st century with his flexible approach to the game and high-throttle offense. He has turned to young guard Leandro Barbosa to add some fire to the starting lineup next to Steve Nash, and the 22-year-old Brazilian has responded by averaging 21.0 points and shooting .585 from the field the past three games. He is whippet quick, with long arms that bring to mind a young Maurice Cheeks. The Suns didn't look like a team to be concerned with this season on the heels of the devastating Stoudemire injury, but the way they perform for D'Antoni, apparently anything is possible.

7. Item: First the knees, then the back, and yet, Tracy McGrady did return for the Houston Rockets Saturday night and scored 30 of his 35 points in the second half of a 99-91 win at New Jersey. What this really means: Obviously, McGrady is a superstar of grand proportion, but there apparently will always be a constant unknown with him. When will the tendonitis in his knees create unbearable pain? And once they manage to get the knees under control, how long will it be before he stains his unstable back again? Still only 26, McGrady's body has the dependability of a player six years older. And yet, the Rockets are better this season, helping Yao Ming up front with Stromile Swift, and McGrady in the backcourt with the more explosive Rafer Alston. But if the Rockets are going to be serious contenders in the West — which most believe they will be by the end of the season — they have to figure out a way to stabilize McGrady's back and keep a handle on his knees. It's not an easy task, but in this day and age of strength and conditioning growth, you would think they'd have some manner in which to slow these chronic conditions on a superstar in his mid-20s.

8. Item: Seven games into their season, the Denver Nuggets not only have lost Nene for the season with a major knee injury, but Kenyon Martin clearly is still having problems recovering from microfracture knee surgery as well. Keeping them alive and heading in the right direction is the most underrated center in the game — Marcus Camby. What this really means: In case you missed it, Camby had 18 points, 22 rebounds and seven blocks in the Nuggets' 11-point win over Minnesota. And it's not as if that is a random performance, considering Camby had 20 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks in their loss at Sacramento. For the season, Camby is averaging 16.1 points, 14.1, 3.71 blocks and 1.43 steals per game. Although he isn't likely to maintain any of those numbers, they are representative of career-highs, and the 6-11, 230-pounder has averaged double-figures in rebounding five of the past six years, double-figures in scoring four of the past six and at least 2.0 blocks in four of the past six as well. There has consistently been so much talk about Carmelo Anthony, Martin and occasionally Nene, nobody seems to notice what a consistently superb player Camby has become. And perhaps more importantly, Camby, 31, has played in 165 out of a possible 191 games the past two-plus seasons — more than 87 percent — the best run of health of his career.

9. Item: The good news is despite so many issues, nobody panicked in Philadelphia after losing their first three games under new coach Maurice Cheeks. They bounced back to win the next four. What this really means: The Sixers do have the kind of team that can compete to win the Atlantic Division now that appears the rest of the team is matching the intensity of Allen Iverson, who already is averaging 30.1 points, 7.9 assists and 2.57 steals per game. It was way too premature to say Chris Webber couldn't play with Iverson; although his assists are down at 2.4, he's putting up 19.3 points and 9.3 rebounds. But Webber wasn't really the issue anyway, as much as people love to pile up on him. This was more about everybody else. Second-year swingman Andre Iguodala had to step up like he did in shutting down Kobe Bryant when they beat the Lakers last week. Kyle Korver had to stop hesitating to shoot and be aggressive — finally he did. And now, John Salmons is beginning to look like the second coming of Aaron McKie, a much-needed versatile player on both ends of the floor. If it was too early to write off any team, it was these guys — particularly since they haven't had center Samuel Dalembert healthy yet.

10. Item: On Sunday, LeBron James became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 4,000 points — more than seven weeks before his 21st birthday, and nearly a full year sooner than Kobe Bryant, the previous record holder. Fifth in the league in scoring at 26.7 per game, his shooting numbers are all at career-high levels — .496 from the field, .393 from 3-point range and .833 from the free throw line, but he is down 7.4-4.3 in rebounds and 7.2-3.7 in assists. What this really means: James and the new Cavaliers are still getting to know each other. With the addition of Larry Hughes, James will be receiving the ball more than he's passing it, and with the aggressive Hughes, plus Donyell Marshall and Alan Henderson hitting the boards, he'll be out on the break more. That being said, it will still be up to James to lead the Cavaliers to the playoffs for the first time since 1998. And to do that, he must move the ball effectively out of the double-teams that will attack him, and attack the boards with his uncommon strength, quickness and jumping ability. There are no more excuses for this team. They've fallen apart at the end of the past two seasons when they appeared playoff-bound. The talk is constant about how mature James is, and his statistics reflect that. But all that really matters at the end of the day are the number of wins your team compiles and this is the year he will be held fully accountable come spring — at the ripe age of 21.

7) Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee reports that things are not well in Cow Town:

Petrie's hand will be forced if team continues to flop

Whether owed to intelligent design or simply the evolutionary, natural order of things, the Kings have arrived at a place that is putting the squeeze on basketball president Geoff Petrie. A few more games like this - lack of energy, lack of teamwork, lack of fundamentals, lack of anything that warrants the familiar, full-throated support of the Arco Arena crowd - and the Big Boss will be forced to make an excruciatingly difficult, emotional move. He will have to change coaches, change directions, adjust the attitude. He will have to silence the crowd. Or when was the last time the Kings were booed on four separate occasions, booed as they trudged off the court, dispirited losers of a 105-95 decision Sunday night to the previously 0-5 New York Knicks? The grumbles about head coach Rick Adelman are becoming louder and more pronounced. The season-ticket holders are griping less about the price of admission than the quality of the effort. Acknowledging the changing face of the franchise necessitated by the health of Chris Webber and Bobby Jackson, along with the advanced age of Vlade Divac and Doug Christie, most Kings partisans are patiently awaiting Petrie's next masterful rebuilding project. There is a grudging acceptance of the obvious need to move on. But not like this, not at this point of the season. The league's most loyal, impassioned fans deserve more, certainly more inspired, enthusiastic performances than what the Kings have delivered of late. "Come on, guys, act like you care," bellowed one fan seated behind the press table. "Did you guys already quit?" yelled another. Certainly it appears so, that the players are no longer responding as Adelman begins his eighth season here as head coach - an eternity by NBA standards. Utah's Jerry Sloan is an anamoly, an NBA freak of nature. Most coaches cite four to five years in one location as the outer limits of sustained employment. And while every coach is subjected to second-guessing on the airwaves and in print, the Kings' ongoing dilemma is less about X's and O's than about heart and soul. Are they listening? Do they still hear him? Is he still able to inspire, long one of Adelman's strengths? For whatever reason, it simply isn't happening, not on defense, where the Kings appear sluggish, repeatedly failing to converge in the lane (relinquishing a stunning 52 points in the paint to these Knicks), and on offense, where the scheme seems ill-suited for the current assemblage of starters. There is no semblance of a collective commitment, or even of feistiness, and the body language is acutely troubling; this is a dead team walking. "We had no communication out there tonight," said Mike Bibby. "We need to work out our problems because I know they can be fixed." These Kings might not be contenders, but surely they are better than they have displayed, clearly too deep and too talented to allow a formerly winless New York club to waltz into Arco and sprint out with its first victory. The Knicks and new coach Larry Brown needed a victory in the worst way. Yeah, well, so did the Kings. Yet once again, they squandered the best homecourt advantage in the league, provoking deserved catcalls and criticism almost shockingly uncommon in this old barn of a building. Besides allowing the visitors to dominate the basket area, the Kings committed 21 turnovers, often because of a basic failure to move the basketball. Shareef Abdur-Rahim belongs in the low post, and when not otherwise being the recipient of Brad Miller's crisp, creative passes, more swiftly passing out to open teammates. Bonzi Wells needs to stop fretting about his reputation and let loose with a few demonstrative dunks. Miller has to reassert himself as a bruiser underneath. Peja Stojakovic has to repeat his 31-point, eight-rebound, two-assist performance and absolutely should be the Kings' No.1 offensive weapon. And Bibby has to find his game, then find Peja. "I don't know what it is," the dejected point guard said afterward. "The system ... I can't seem to get him (Stojakovic) the ball." The voices in the locker room have become a siren song, confusion and dysfunction reigning. Kenny Thomas wonders why he isn't playing. Brian Skinner can't get on the floor. Same for the physically punishing Corliss Williamson. Newcomer Jason Hart even openly questioned the team's mental preparation. "We didn't have the correct approach to the game," he said Sunday night. So if you're Petrie? So if this continues? He will be out of options, forced to make the logical, if painful decision, never mind the absence of an obvious (and defensive-minded) replacement. He will have to cut the cord.