Ike Diogu is a bad man...

Enough with the Adam Morrison-Larry Bird Comparisons…Morrison is white and tall and that’s where it ends…don’t believe me? Fine, I’ll be back tomorrow with a comprehensive comparison of both as college players…

You know the fan chant that goes: “Let’s go Blue Jays, clap, clap, clap-clap-clap!” I just use the Blue Jays as an example but any two name or syllable team will do…well, UConn guard Marcus Williams made his return to the court on January 3rd at Marquette from a suspension for getting convicted of felony theft…you may remember he and another player were arrested and convicted from stealing laptops from other students in their dorm…well, as soon as Williams entered the at the 17 minute mark of the first half, the Marquette students let him have it with this: “Sto-len Lap-tops, jail, jail, jail-jail-jail!!” The chant went on for over 10 minutes…so funny…

Most ridiculous question asked by a reporter this year: “So Kobe, how much did Ruben Patterson, the self-proclaimed Kobe Stopper, have to do with stopping you from reaching 45 points tonight?”…Bryant's face looked like he’d eaten a lemon as he said: "Is that a serious question? Zero. Are you serious?" The reporter then proceeded to inform Kobe that Patterson was in the other locker room, woofing that he helped hold Kobe to 41 points…Tue. Feb. 21 10:30 p.m. ET the Trail Blazers play the Lakers at Staples Centre…Kobe may score 80…

Quote of the week: From Danny Ainge, GM of the Boston Celtics, who when told of SG Paul Pierce’s comment that he would rather be having his best statistical season for a winning team said: “ Duh…Who Wouldn’t?”

Umm…I think the Cavs miss Larry Hughes…2 nights ago the backcourt of Damon Jones and Eric Snow got outscored 48-5 by the Knicks' Stephon Marbury and Jamal Crawford…

Trade Rumour: Knicks send SF Malik Rose to the Wizards for PG Chucky Atkins…Memphis sends it’s $5 million trade exception to the Wizards for PG Chucky Atkins…

Wow…Seattle SF Rashard Lewis scored a season-high 45 points in a 113-104 win over the Orlando Magic last night after Ray Allen was ejected for scuffling with the Magic’s Keyon Dooling…Lewis was 12-of-18 from the field and 17-of-20 from the free-throw line…

Mehmet Okur scored 25 points and Andrei Kirilenko added 23, helping the Utah Jazz overcome Iverson's 46 points in a 110-102 victory over Philadelphia on Wednesday night. Milt Palacio had 17 points, Gordan Giricek added 16 and Okur had eight assists and eight rebounds as Utah won its third straight game on the road. The Northwest Division-leading Jazz have won eight of nine, improving to two games above .500 for the first time since starting 4-2."We got whatever we wanted on offense," Palacio said. "We ran our offense and knew that they were not the best defensive team. We tried to exploit that and take advantage of that." The Jazz shot 74.1 percent (20-for-27) in the second half, getting several easy baskets on uncontested layups. Philadelphia has the NBA's second-highest scoring offense, but second-worst defense.

1) Marty Burns of SI.com thinks he knows why the Kings suck this year:

Uneasy lies the crown - Lackluster play, injuries send Kings into tailspin

The biggest wreck in Sacramento right now isn't Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's motorcycle. It's the Kings, who have dropped eight of their last 11 games to fall to 13-20 on the season. Not coincidentally, their approval ratings around town have plummeted as dramatically as the Governor's. Kings fans, accustomed to 50-win teams, are growing frustrated. Some are calling for coach Rick Adelman's head. Others are blaming last year's Chris Webber trade. There's even a handful who believe it's all a master plan by the team's owners, the Maloof brothers, to make it easier to shift the franchise to Las Vegas. The Kings' biggest problem right now, of course, is that they are as banged up and bruised as Schwarzenegger after his collision last week with a car while riding his Harley. Without starters Bonzi Wells (due back this month after a partial groin suffered in late December) and Shareef Abdur-Rahim (out at least another month with a broken jaw), Sacramento is undermanned most every night. Not many NBA teams could lose two starters and expect to win many games. But in fairness to those angry Sacramento fans, the Kings weren't playing consistently well even before the injuries. The team's veteran core -- Mike Bibby, Peja Stojakovic and Brad Miller -- simply have not performed up to their usual standards. The bench has been a dud. It seems there has just been a general lack of energy on the floor too many nights. In Tuesday night's game at Memphis, for example, the Kings got off to a great start en route to an early 15-point lead. But then they began turning the ball over and standing around on defense, and soon enough the Grizzlies were on their way. At one point just before the half, Bibby -- who had played very well to that point -- tossed a lazy pass at midcourt that Mike Miller picked off and took the other way for a huge "and one" that put the Grizz ahead for good, 49-47, and sent the FedEx Forum crowd into a frenzy. It was a rather sloppy play for a veteran such as Bibby, but somewhat reflective of the malaise that seems to have gripped the Kings this year. It's no shame to lose to a strong Memphis team, but the way Sacramento fell apart and allowed Memphis to have its way was telling. Mike Miller wound up with a triple double off the bench ("Has that ever happened before?," Grizzlies veteran Eddie Jones asked afterward) while rookie Hakim Warrick exploded for a career-high 16 points. Of course, Tuesday's loss was nothing compared to Sunday's dismal home loss to a Pacers team playing without Ron Artest and Jamaal Tinsley. In that game, the Kings' Big Three combined for just 29 points on 29 percent shooting (10-of-35). Meanwhile Sacramento's defense allowed Indiana to go on a 23-6 run in the first half, and then a 12-2 run in the second in which Stephen Jackson was left free to bang home four 3-pointers in a 78-second span. By the end, the Arco crowd (who have now witnessed eight losses in the last 11 games at their one-time snakepit) were actually booing their beloved Kings. Naturally, Adelman has become the easy target for those Kings fans seeking a quick fix. Some blame the veteran coach for being too soft on his players. Others say his lame duck status (the Kings declined to offer him a contract extension last season, while the Maloofs apparently pursued Phil Jackson) has enabled the Kings to tune him out. Both charges might be true to some extent, but don't look for Kings GM Geoff Petrie to jettison his pal any day soon. "If you're going to choose a poison," he told the Sacramento Bee, "and one of them is patience and one of them is impatience, I'm going to choose patience." Then again, Petrie might also just be biding time. As one NBA league source pointed out, the Kings really don't have a ready assistant on the bench who could slide into the head job. Pete Carril is too old, while Elston Turner and T.R. Dunn have no prior head coaching experience. "I could see [Petrie] maybe making a move after the season," the source said. "But right now I don't think there's any [coaching candidate] out there who's going to turn it around." So for now the Kings plod on, waiting for their injured stars to return. But will their fans remain patient? It's hard to say. Many are still upset about last year's Webber trade, which brought back in return only veterans Corliss Williamson, Kenny Thomas and Brian Skinner. While the move was sound for financial reasons, it hasn't worked out for the Kings on the court -- especially with Webber once again putting up big numbers in his new home in Philadelphia. Some Kings fans even suggest the Maloofs made the decision to cut ties with Webber as part of a longer-term strategy to gut the team and make it easier to grease the path for a franchise shift to Las Vegas, where the operate the Palms Casino. The Maloofs vehemently deny it, of course. But it hasn't helped that the famous bachelor brothers -- often seen at Arco for games -- have missed several games of late. "What people have to understand is, we have had a lot of family illness," co-owner Joe Maloof explained in a phone call to a Sacramento Bee columnist Tuesday night. "My mom (Colleen) had a really, really serious scare. Then Gavin was sick for awhile, so there was a lot of personal stuff that hit us all at once. But we are not abandoning anybody. We are in touch with Geoff [Petrie] all the time, and we are going to be around a lot more now." Having the Maloofs back in their courtside seats will be nice for sure. But the pair the Kings really need are Wells and Abdur-Rahim. Until they get back, the Kings' woes are likely to continue.

2) Chuck Klosterman of ESPN.com is so wrong and so right:

Adam Morrison is kind of like Larry Bird. He's not exactly like Larry Bird, but he's closer to Bird than any college player of the past 20 years. This similarity, it would seem, is obvious. However, I find myself uncomfortable writing the sentence, "Adam Morrison is kind of like Larry Bird." I am well aware some people will consider this sentiment to be potentially racist, and my unconscious, internal reaction is to mildly agree with them. Aging American white people have been waiting for another Larry Bird in the same way aging hippies have been waiting for another Bob Dylan, but nobody ever gets what he or she wants: Tom Gugliotta ended up being Beck; Keith Van Horn turned out to be Conor Oberst; Mike Dunleavy is probably Ryan Adams. But Adam Morrison -- at least on the collegiate level -- is closer to Larry than Robert Zimmerman was to the Wallflowers: He moves like Bird, shoots with the same kind of range and release, and displays an identical offensive mentality. He is confident and performs well under pressure. He doesn't pass as deftly (or as often) as Bird, and he doesn't rebound as aggressively (or as often) as Bird, but he has the same body frame and an analogous mustache. Gonzaga is a small school from a second-tier conference, just like Indiana State. These men are not clones, but they share important, undeniable qualities. Yet I remain vaguely unnerved by this comparison, and I am not alone. For the past three months, I have heard numerous pundits insist that Adam Morrison is not like Larry Bird, and that anyone who draws such a connection is a languid, biased thinker. It's the most counterintuitive of paradoxes: Politically, it feels as though Bird and Morrison should not be compared, and this is because both of them are white. Which raises a question that creeps into many sports arguments without ever being addressed directly: What do we do when two white (or two black) athletes are similar for clichéd, unprogressive reasons? I was reminded of this quandary while watching Vince Young destroy USC in the BCS Championship. Young is a hypermobile quarterback who throws the deep ball with velocity and the short ball with accuracy. Obviously, there are many white QBs who have possessed these traits: Steve Young, John Elway, Roger Staubach. But it seems intellectually insane to compare Vince Young to Steve Young instead of to Randall Cunningham. When I recall Cunningham at his absolute best (i.e., that Monday night game against the Giants in '88, when Carl Banks couldn't knock him down with a ball peen hammer), it immediately makes me think about Vince Young in the Rose Bowl. Steve Young was a more effective quarterback than Cunningham, but Cunningham was more dangerous and harder to contain; this is what makes Randall and Vince alike. And this comparison is specific: Young does not seem like Michael Vick or Steve McNair. He only resembles Cunningham, who is coincidentally black. But I still hate making this argument, because it sounds like coded language and racial misdirection, even when it's true. This is an especially complicated issue for hoop magazines like Slam, where so much of the coverage is devoted toward the introduction of obscure young talent. In fact, Slam makes cognizant -- and at times wildly creative -- efforts not to compare upcoming white players to previously established Caucasians. We've sort of half-jokingly mentioned for years that we should address this in print, with a small monthly feature or something," Slam editor-in-chief Ryan Jones says. "The inspiration, as it is for a lot of things we do, is other media -- lazy broadcasters and sports columnists who compare Dirk [Nowitzki] to Bird or Keith Van Horn to Bird or pretty much any other tallish white guy to Bird. Mostly, I think people just don't try very hard, which is especially true among members of the media. The most recent example of Slam consciously comparing a white dude to a black dude was my assertion that 'David Lee has a lot of Marcus Camby in him.' They're both superlong and sort of surprisingly athletic for how tall they are, they're both good energy guys, and both of them make a living on putbacks. Admittedly, the laziness here is that Camby used to be a Knick and Lee is now a Knick rookie, but at least I'm trying." What makes Jones' sentiment especially interesting is what he uses as criteria for comparison: Because he watches well over 100 NBA games a season, he has a very nuanced sense of what makes two guys similar ("superlong," "good energy guys," etc.). Casual fans tend to paint their ideas with broader strokes; normal people view the meaning of sports through the prism of mass culture. And since virtually no one in America understands the machinations of mass culture as well as Malcolm Gladwell, I decided to get his thoughts on this particular conundrum. Gladwell writes for The New Yorker and is the author of "The Tipping Point" and "Blink" (he also really, really respects Kris Kristofferson). One of his most interesting (and previously unpublished) concepts is his "White Gunner Theory," which might partially illustrate why I feel nervous comparing Morrison to Bird. "The black/white stereotyping in basketball," Gladwell said, "crudely breaks down somewhere along these lines: fast/slow; me-first/team-first; leaper/smarts and footwork; shooter/passer; ability/effort. The key psychological term here is attribution -- that is, 'What reasons do we use to account for someone's achievement?' So if we take a white player and a black player with exactly the same statistics, we might nonetheless explain their success very differently." What Gladwell is basically saying is that there are certain "athletic" qualities traditionally applied to black players and certain "old school" qualities traditionally applied to white players. However, if you didn't pick up that notion on your own, you might want to quit reading right now because it's about to become considerably more complex. "More significantly," Gladwell said, "this means we ignore aspects of someone's achievement that contradict the stereotype. Hence the 'White Gunner' -- a type of player we struggle with because he is white yet simultaneously embodies all the stereotypes we've reserved for blacks. Tom Chambers is the White Gunner poster child. Rex Chapman was another example. I would argue that Pete Maravich was not, if only because he embodies some completely sui generis Cajun thing that defies the normal black/white breakdown. "This fits into another psychological theory, which is called cross-race recognition theory," Gladwell says. "It suggests that when we mentally process the appearance of faces different from our own -- in other words, faces that we're not familiar with -- we categorize by race and color and ethnicity. But when we process faces from our own race that we're far more familiar with, we categorize by feature -- by eyes and mouth and hair and eyebrows. That's why the old adage about how all black people look the same to whites (and vice versa) is true: When we look at someone of another race, we're not remembering them by using the kinds of features that make it easy to distinguish an individual. We're just coding them as 'black' or as 'white.' My point? In basketball, the 'face' we're familiar with is black. We code black players by feature, so we can make endlessly subtle distinctions between players: There is a David Thompson 'type,' which is quite unlike a Grant Hill 'type,' which, in turn, is quite unlike a Gary Payton 'type.' But I think we code white players by category. They are simply 'white,' and we don't make the same kind of sophisticated distinctions among them. So we miss the 'White Gunner.' Does that make any sense?" It absolutely does; it's the same reason every rock critic in 1988 wanted to compare Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid to Jimi Hendrix. The reason we feel strange drawing reasonable comparisons between two white small forwards or two black quarterbacks is because both idioms are relatively rare, and -- perhaps unconsciously -- we're aware that we might be might be missing all the details we've been conditioned to ignore. This has become less of a problem in pro football because there are now lots of black, dissimilar quarterbacks. But it has become even more confusing in pro basketball, despite the fact that the league suddenly looks "whiter." European players like Nowitzki and Andrei Kirilenko (and South American players like Manu Ginobili) mix and match the aforementioned Gladwellian dichotomies; these athletes exist outside the stereotype of American white players and American black players. We don't know where to place them. Europe appears to be an entire continent of White Gunners. I'm not sure what any of this means (or proves), beyond the fact that I will no longer deny that Adam Morrison is a lot like Larry Bird, which -- all things considered -- is not exactly a life-altering watershed. However, perhaps these ideas will convince Mel Kiper Jr. to go on "The Charlie Rose Show" in April and say something like, "Reggie Bush is not the next Gale Sayers -- he's actually more similar to Red Grange!" Because that would be stellar.

3) John Carroll of Scouts Inc. thinks Eddie Jordan is on the hot seat in Washington:

Coming into Wednesday's game, Washington Wizards coach Eddie Jordan's team had lost five of its last six. They'd given up a whopping average of 111 points during that slide. That's a glaring stat. Jordan, in his third year leading the Wiz, shook things up before their game with Atlanta. The changes included inserting Calvin Booth and Michael Ruffin in the starting lineup. Additionally, seldom-used reserves Donell Taylor and rookie Andray Blatche got ample opportunities and made the most of them. The result was a 103-72 win over Atlanta. Just what the doctor ordered for a struggling team. Dominating the boards (52-31) and making more steals (15-8 advantage) are signs of energy -- good signs for the Wizards. Although it's just one game against the Hawks, I thought Taylor was tremendous. Sometimes when you're down, you get a chance to see a player who you might not have used, had you not been in this predicament. Taylor played well right away, made nice passes, and looked athletic and comfortable. And the teenage Blatche gave them good energy and production. Despite his team's recent struggles, there's no question Jordan is the right coach for this team. One of the most difficult things to do is to get a team to buckle down and defend year after year. Nate McMillan was like that in Seattle; you push guys, but it's very difficult to get good performances by pushing year after year. That's the challenge for Jordan. Part of their dilemma as a team is their star, Gilbert Arenas, obviously a major talent. He's a point guard, but not really a point guard. He's putting up big numbers, but is he making others around him better, or just making himself better? I don't have the answer. And who's the shooting guard now? Caron Butler and Jared Jeffries are wing players. Antonio Daniels and Chucky Atkins are just not the same as Larry Hughes. Arenas and Hughes gave them some more flexibility as the backcourt last year. I think they're missing Juan Dixon and Steve Blake in certain roles, coming off the bench and playing what I would consider "team" basketball. They don't really have a stable front line. Antawn Jamison has always been good as a sixth-man type. If they had a big time center, the Wizards would have more flexibility playing him at power forward. They don't. They need Jamison, Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas to be more consistent offensively. The question now, what's going to carry over from tonight's game? Is the lineup going to stay the same? Can they do that over the next 10 games and be consistent? As is stands now, Washington, Boston, Chicago or Orlando are teams not doing particularly well that could slide into the playoffs with improvement. There are 49 games left for the Wizards. Jordan's proven he can turn a team around.

4) Mark Berman of the New York Post reports that the Knicks are looking to deal:

NO ONE TAKING KNICKS' Q

Knick president Isiah Thomas is finding out that Quentin Richardson and his bad back are not in high demand. The Knicks' offer of Richardson for point guard Earl Watson, the kind of young ball handler Larry Brown craves, has been rejected by the Nuggets. A free agent signee over the summer, Watson became eligible for trade Dec. 29. The Nuggets are willing to trade Watson to balance their roster — they already have two point guards in Andre Miller and Earl Boykins. A league executive familiar with the Nuggets thinking said Richardson is not the guy they want. The Knicks have yet to pony up center Jerome James. The Nuggets are entertaining offers from at least three teams. The Knicks' trade for Richardson — they have up Kurt Thomas to get him — was held up last June because his contract was not insured for a career-ending back injury. Richardson has missed games this season because of back spasms, an indication the insurance adjusters knew what they were doing. Richardson has four years left on his pact. "It's a red-flag," the league executive said of Richardson's contract. Isiah Thomas's stance in talks with other clubs continues to be his unwillingness to give up any of his draft picks of the last two years. "Now that they're winning, we'll see if they change" the executive said. Trevor Ariza, selected in 2004, could be expendable now, as Qyntel Woods has beat him out and David Lee has been converted to small forward. Ariza is also a free agent this summer and will look to cash in.

5) Chris Sheridan of ESPN.com checks out the very weak 2006 Free Agent class:

Free agent class of 2006 chock full of point guards

Imagine a free agent class that included Paul Pierce, Chauncey Billups, Mike Bibby, Dirk Nowitzki, Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis. Now that'd be something to save some salary cap space for, eh? Well, all of those players can become free agents 18 months from now by exercising early termination clauses in their contracts, making the summer of 2007 shape up, at least potentially, as one of the greatest free agent classes in NBA history. But for now, we have the summer of 2006 to look forward to, and let's just say that this year's class wouldn't do all that well in a pickup game against the 2007 class. What's more, there's very little chance that the No. 1 player on the 2006 list will even go on the market. But there still are some intriguing players, and we'll take an early stab at a top 25:

1. Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons (Unrestricted) Don't expect Big Ben to tower over the market. Pistons president Joe Dumars and Wallace will quietly work out a four-year contract (anything longer would bring the dreaded "over-36" rule into play) likely starting somewhere in the area of $11-12 million per year. Wallace will be eligible to earn much more -- as a 10-year veteran he can get a deal with a starting salary equal to 35 percent of the salary cap ($18.2 million if the cap comes in at $52 million) -- but all indications, including his plans to have an attorney rather than an agent do the contract, point to his staying with the powerhouse Pistons.

2. Al Harrington, Atlanta Hawks (Unrestricted) Harrington, just 25, will have eight years of NBA service time when this season is complete. His free agent deal can be worth as much as 30 percent of the cap ($15.6 million if the cap is $52M), although few would judge the athletic small forward as a max player. Although he'll be one of the few quality free agents out there, if Chicago spends its cap space on someone else, his options might come down to New Orleans and Charlotte -- or a sign-and-trade deal to a team willing to pay Harrington's price. If Atlanta decides to trade Harrington before the Feb. 23 deadline, his new team will acquire his Bird rights and can exceed the cap to retain him.

3. Jason Terry, Dallas Mavericks (Unrestricted) Just two years after losing Steve Nash, the Mavs could be in position to have another playmaker bolt town if the market brings Terry an offer that owner Mark Cuban would not want to match. But the Mavs have Terry's Bird rights and can give him a deal with 10.5 percent raises, while other teams could offer only 8 percent annual raises. Terry will likely succeed in getting a five- or six-year deal, and it's a safe bet at this point that the Mavs will keep him.

4. Vladimir Radmanovic, Seattle SuperSonics (Unrestricted) They don't come much more one-dimensional than Radmanovic, the 6-foot-11 sharpshooter who knocked down eight 3-pointers Sunday against the Knicks and somehow grabbed 12 rebounds Monday against Philly. After turning down a $42 million offer from Seattle last summer in favor of a one-year tender, Radmanovic needed to play to boost his value. He wasn't playing under Bob Weiss, but Bob Hill is starting him and drawing up new plays to get him open looks. He's only 25 and many believe he has more long-term upside than his countryman and fellow free agent Peja Stojakovic.

5. Peja Stojakovic, Sacramento Kings (Early termination option) Peja ranked below Vlad? Well, just look at the way Stojakovic's numbers have deteriorated from where they were two years ago -- his scoring average has dropped from 24.2 to 17.0, he's making less than 40 percent of his 3-pointers, and his overall shooting percentage is his worst since his rookie season. Maybe that's a product of the miserable season the Kings are having, or maybe it's a sign that Stojakovic's skills are already deteriorating at age 28, when he's on the verge of a once-in-a-lifetime contract opportunity.

6. Nene, Denver Nuggets (Restricted) The Nuggets are of the belief that some team will make Nene an offer that they'll have no interest in matching, which is why they've been listening to trade proposals from teams interested in acquiring the 23-year-old Brazilian who blew out his knee the day after turning down an extension from Denver.

7. Mike James, Toronto Raptors (Player option) It's time for the 30-year-old to cash in, having gone from journeyman to career backup to starter in Toronto, where he's the steadiest offensive player for the Raptors, with the exception of Chris Bosh. After Terry, he's looking like the best free agent-to-be guard out there.

8. Bobby Jackson, Memphis Grizzlies (Unrestricted) It gets crowded quickly when you talk about the number and the quality of free agent point guards, and this former Sixth Man Award winner falls into the mix somewhere along with James, Speedy Claxton and Sam Cassell.

9. Joel Przybilla, Portland Trail Blazers (Unrestricted) Portland has received steady, if unspectacular, production from the 7-foot-1 26-year old already in his eighth NBA season. A strong second half of the season could up his value past the mid-level exception.

10. Speedy Claxton, New Orleans Hornets (Unrestricted) Despite being stuck all season behind Rookie of the Year front-runner Chris Paul, Claxton ranks third in scoring, second in assists and second in steals on the Hornets.

11. Sam Cassell Los Angeles Clippers (Unrestricted) This summer will mark one of the few instances during the past decade when Cassell will not be unhappy with his contract. Believing he has been underpaid throughout his career, Sammy wants one more deal.

12. Bonzi Wells, Sacramento Kings (Unrestricted) There remain plenty of character issues concerning Wells, who was sent home by the Grizzlies last season right when the playoffs began. He's out for the rest of this month with a torn groin muscle.

13. Michael Olowokandi, Minnesota Timberwolves (Unrestricted) The plan when Kandi Man signed a three-year deal in Minnesota was to take a three-year chance on establishing a higher value than the mid-level exception he signed under. Three years later, he's still worth the mid-level only.

14. Drew Gooden, Cleveland Cavaliers (Unrestricted) He's been traded twice, and may have a third trade in his near-future. But someone will foot the bill for a 24-year-old power forward averaging nearly a double double this season, even if he does struggle with grasping Cleveland's defensive principles.

15. Nazr Mohammed, San Antonio Spurs (Unrestricted) The dropoff behind Ben Wallace in terms of free agent centers brings us all of the way down to No. 15. Mohammed has been used sparingly behind Rasho Nesterovic this season, although that could change if San Antonio moves him before the trade deadline.

16. Latrell Sprewell, Minnesota Timberwolves (Unrestricted) Former teammate Rick Brunson told the New York Daily News that he spoke recently to Sprewell and expects him to sit out until March before signing with a contender.

17. Tim Thomas, Chicago Bulls (Unrestricted) Look for Thomas to be dealt by the deadline or bought out after afterward so he can reestablish some value before going on the market. The Bulls are paying him, but have told him they don't want him around.

18. Keith Van Horn, Dallas Mavericks (Unrestricted) There's going to be a huge pay cut for Van Horn, the No. 2 overall pick in 1997. He's making $15.7 for the Mavericks.

19. Matt Harpring, Utah Jazz (Unrestricted) There will end up being a job someplace in the NBA for Harpring, who is being limited to 25 minutes per game while working back from a knee injury.

20. Chris Wilcox, Clippers (Restricted) One of the few players who might actually end up playing for the team with which he signs an offer sheet next summer, since the Clips won't match anything too long. Los Angeles might trade him before the Feb. 23 deadline, however.

21. Lorenzen Wright, Memphis Grizzlies (Unrestricted) The Grizz are still waiting for some consistent production from the big man whose numbers peaked a half-decade ago.

22. Trevor Ariza, New York Knicks (Restricted) The Knicks will likely match any offer for the youngster from UCLA derided as "delusional" by coach Larry Brown just a few days ago.

23. Melvin Ely, Charlotte Bobcats (Restricted) Another player who could be moved before the trading deadline. 'Cats likely won't be interested in paying him what he'll get on the open market.

24. Jorge Garbajosa, Unicaja Malaga Not a true free agent, as his Spanish League contract has only a buyout clause, but would be the most sought after big man coming out of Europe if he could manage to get out of his current contract.

25. Drew Nicholas, Benetton Treviso He has been called a poor man's Eddie House, an undersized shooting guard (from Maryland) who's currently leading the Euroleague in scoring at 18.8.

Others:

Unrestricted: Chucky Atkins, Wizards; Marcus Banks, Celtics; Jon Barry, Rockets; Tony Battie; Magic; Rasual Butler, Hornets; Kelvin Cato, Magic; Reggie Evans, SuperSonics; Devean George, Lakers; Lindsey Hunter, Pistons; Toni Kukoc, Bucks; Flip Murray, SuperSonics; Jannero Pargo, Bulls; Gary Payton, Heat; Nick Van Exel, Spurs; David Wesley, Rockets.

Restricted: Keith Bogans, Bobcats; Antonio Burks, Grizzlies; Francisco Elson, Nuggets; Drew Gooden, Cavaliers; Jared Jeffries, Wizards; Fred Jones, Pacers; John Salmons, 76ers; Jiri Welsch, Bucks.

Player options: Derek Anderson, Rockets; Ryan Bowen, Rockets; Greg Buckner, Nuggets; Eddie House, Suns; Mark Jackson, Nets; Jeff McInnis, Nets; Mikki Moore, Sonics; Ruben Patterson, Trail Blazers; James Posey, Heat; Darius Songaila, Bulls; DeShawn Stevenson, Magic; Maurice Taylor, Knicks; Chris Webber, 76ers; Eric Williams, Raptors.

6) Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle with an interesting Shaq article:

Shaq's free pass negated 'real' fun

As a man given a lifetime free pass in the NBA, Shaquille O'Neal tends to toy with people. Certain things elude him, such as world championships (lately) and universal respect, but he's a Sherman tank in a world of Chevys and Mercedes. The notion never fails to amuse him. Heading into the Arena at Oakland for Wednesday night's game against the Warriors, O'Neal knew he was going to have an in-the-paint field day against the vaguely familiar names of Diogu, Foyle and Biedrins. He decided against addressing the media before the game, but behind the scenes, his jovial nature was never more evident. Most NBA heavyweights work out with weights, tightly wound tubing or massive exercise devices. Shaq gets down with humans. Summoning Bill Foran, the Miami Heat's solidly built strength and conditioning coach, Shaq lifted the man onto his back and lurched him into the air a few times. Then he effortlessly flipped Foran into a horizontal position and did a few curls with him. You figure Shaq's idea of a really good time is dangling refrigerators outside a second-story window, perhaps sipping tea with his free hand. Dwyane Wade, merely the league's most priceless athletic specimen outside of Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, was relaxing on a nearby table. Now in full hilarity mode, Shaq leaped over that table from a standing position -- fairly amazing for a man of his size. It could have gone so wrong. In fact, someone cried out in mock horror. But this was Shaq. He pulled it off, smiling all the while. There are a few good reasons why Shaq doesn't win the title every year, and not all of them are named Tim Duncan. This is a player strapped by his own vulnerability -- a veritable gazelle in some ways, but nevertheless a giant in futile pursuit of finesse. If Shaq had any kind of inside touch, his admirable footwork would earn him an endless flow of successful floaters and short bank shots. Instead -- and some put the blame on his outrageously large hands -- Shaq struggles with the soft stuff, often missing horribly. At the free-throw line, he commits every known sin. When his feet should be together, squared up at the line, he places his right foot miles ahead of the left. He bends his knees, apparently as a token gesture, then shoots from a position so stiff and erect, he could serve as a lamppost. To top it off, he shoots the ball awkwardly from around head-level, all of it adding up to a truly pathetic array of mislaid bricks. So right there, with those two weaknesses, Shaq costs himself a solid 15 points per game. He also struggles with weight issues, injuries and his own motivation, to say nothing of what appears to be a lifetime mission to make Bryant look sick. It's really a shame that Shaq wasn't born 40 years earlier. There's no question he'd be a force in any era, and we don't mean to dismiss the prime of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar or Bill Walton, but in terms of the punishment dealt out by big men, today's NBA is a cakewalk compared to, say, the 1965-66 season. There were just nine teams in the league then, and in terms of muscle and intimidation, only the Lakers (Gene Wiley, Darrall Imhoff, LeRoy Ellis) were soft. Baltimore (until a midseason trade) offered Walt Bellamy, a bruising 7-footer who could run like the wind, plus the incomparable power forward Gus Johnson. Cincinnati had Wayne Embry, built along the lines of two offensive linemen, while the Warriors had Nate Thurmond and the perennially angry Tom Meschery. St. Louis? Smooth Zelmo Beaty and nasty Bill Bridges. The Knicks? Willis Reed. Detroit came at you with 7-foot Ray Scott and the young Dave Debusschere. And all of that was a prelude to the Celtics, with Bill Russell, and the 76ers, with Wilt Chamberlain and the imposing Luke Jackson. Sorry, but Shaq simply has no idea. Adonal Foyle? Marcus Camby? Yao Ming? Veritable dandelions compared to the Russell-Chamberlain years. Being a center 40 years ago meant going against at least one large, dangerous man virtually every night. That's what we mean by Shaq's free pass. He knows it, too. Life is just one big hoot for the big fella, and good for him, taking it all in such good humor. More prime-time athletes should have such a mischievous, frivolous nature. By the late stages of the third quarter Wednesday night, the game seemed completely in Miami's hands. Wade was otherworldly (talk about a different approach than Golden State's; Wade has made only three 3-pointers all season) and Shaq was dominant. He changed shots, blocked others, threw down some monster dunks. At one point, the notoriously fumble-prone Foyle held the ball aloft with one hand, in search of an assist. Shaq simply took a step forward and poked the ball into the stands. Toying. Forever toying. That, along with his rings and his numbers, is how he will be remembered.