So long to Jalen, who had 16 points and 11 assists in his debut for the Knicks...I'll always love his draftt day suit as pictured here...

Now that Jalen and his 1.5 years and $24+ million left have been traded for Antonio and Kendra Davis, I am left to wonder: Why would the Knicks do this?

a) They got a draft pick…OK, so the Knicks have a bunch of big men and truly needed a scoring small forward…and I guess the Knicks get a 1st round pick in the deal although it will probably end up around No. 20 overall being as it’s Denver’s through NJ and Toronto…However, it smacks of Isaih being Isaih…given the fact that the Knicks are WAY over the cap, Rose will actually cost $48 million given the Luxury tax penalty the Knicks will have to pay dollar for dollar on Rose’s salary…Only Isaih would pay $48 million for a draft pick…

b) They got a scoring SF…well yes, but Davis was a “Larry Brown-type” guy, whereas Rose is not a “Larry Brown-type” guy at all…he does not defend, does not rebound and remains convinced he is a star and not a role layer…if you remember the last time Jalen played for Larry Brown, Brown got tired of Rose's lax defence benched him…now Brown will probably have to start Jalen at the SF spot to justify the trade, which will further limit the development of Qyntel Woods, David Lee and Trevor Ariza…

In the end, the Knicks are not done dealing, but the mess that is Isaih gets worse and worse…

Trade Rumour deluxe: Orlando PG Steve Francis to Denver, with two Nuggets players, PG Earl Watson and SF Byron Russell, going to the Knicks. The Knicks send SF Trevor Ariza to Denver and SG Jamal Crawford to Orlando. The Nuggets send C Nenê and SG Voshon Lenard to the Magic….whew…

Draft sleeper: Cal State Fullerton junior PG Bobby Brown…at 6-foot-2 and 170 lbs. averages 18.2 PPG, 2.8 RPG and 3.7 APG, including 37% from three…and Grizzlies GM Jerry West loves him…

Good Superbowl, not great but good…MVP Hines Ward had my favourite quote after his five-catch, 123-yard game: "The great ones don't miss balls in the Super Bowl," Ward said. "And I want to be considered one of the great ones. To be named MVP is a great honour, but I still left some plays out on the field. I could have had an even better day." Dude won and he’s still critical of himself…love it…

Raptors got Clipped…Elton Brand scored 30 points, Cassell added 27, and the Clippers moved 11 games over .500 for the first time in team history with a 115-113 overtime victory over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. Chris Bosh did his best with 29 points, 16 rebounds and 6 assists, but missed the potential game tying 17 footer as time expired in the OT session…and Shaun Livingston, who was drafted 4th overall ahead of Rafael Araujo, is absolutely terrible…he can dribble, but cannot defend, cannot rebound and has no strength going to the basket…

Don’t look now but the Dallas Mavericks, at 36-10, are playing some great defence…They won their 10th straight at Memphis 81-80 on Wednesday and it was also the 10th straight game they have held an opponent under 100 points, a franchise record….

However, my favourite team right now has to be the Suns who lead the NBA in scoring (106.6), assists (27.0), FG percentage (47.2) and FT percentage (79.7)…

Stats: Allen Iverson was 14-for-14 from the foul line on Saturday. Only two NBA players have had better games from the line this season: Chris Bosh, who was 17-for-17 on Jan. 20, and Dirk Nowitzki, who was 15-for-15 on Dec. 23.

Funny…Referee Bernie Fryer hit Shareef Abdur-Rahim with a technical foul in the first quarter for nothing more than a vehement hand gesture. Remember, Abdur-Rahim's broken jaw is still wires shut and dude can’t even talk…

1) Marc Stein of ESPN.com likes the Rose-Davis Part II trade:

By trading Rose, Raptors showing they want Bosh

It might only be an interim era, but the Wayne Embry Era in Toronto has started nothing like the Rob Babcock Era. Babcock's first move, even before he gave away Vince Carter for a pittance, was the disastrous selection of Rafael Araujo with the No. 8 pick in the 2004 draft. Embry's first strike as Babcock's temporary replacement was Friday's removal of Jalen Rose from the Raptors' payroll, which wipes away a $17 million obligation for next season. The Raptors certainly don't have a great need to bring Antonio Davis (and wife Kendra) back to Canada and will meet with Davis on Saturday to determine whether a Toronto reunion is best for all parties. But they desperately needed Davis' expiring contract as part of their plan to get way under the salary cap this offseason and find a beefy sidekick who can help protect Chris Bosh … and thus help convince Bosh -- unlike Tracy McGrady and Carter -- to pledge his future to Toronto. That's why Embry, along with a $3 million check to the Knicks from Raptors ownership, was willing to part with the first-round pick (via Denver) that Babcock clung to. As for the sidekick search, file away this name: Nene. Denver's injured power forward/center will be a restricted free agent this summer and a target for any team with salary-cap space, with Chicago and Atlanta already known to be interested. But the Raptors just added themselves to the short list of clubs that might be able to put forth an offer that the Nuggets deem too rich to match or (more likely) forces Denver into a sign-and-trade & especially if Embry can follow through on his efforts to move swingman Eric Williams before the Feb. 23 trading deadline. Something else you should know: Nene has some little-known Canadian ties. His original NBA interpreter and personal manager, Joe Santos, was born and raised just outside of Toronto, which might actually give the Raptors a bit of a free-agent edge for once. Even if Nene can't be lured north of the border out of Denver, having significant cap space is vital as the Raptors try to start over around Bosh. They need to make a splashy acquisition or two to convince Bosh that he would be wise to sign a long-term extension before next season, and cap room makes the Raps a contender for not only Nene -- whom doctors expect to recover fully from his Opening Night knee tear -- but perhaps sharpshooting free agent-to-be Peja Stojakovic, a move that would be well-received by Toronto's expansive Serbian community as well. Either way, Toronto just increased its options and manufactured some hope after a dark season and a half under Babcock. More moves that do that and Embry, who at 68 has made it clear he prefers an advisory role to the thought of replacing Babcock full-time, might be asked to reconsider.

2) Chad Ford is excited about the draft, as usual:

Draft watch: Carney leaps

It's time for another NBA draft update. Who's on the rise and who's falling? Check out the Top 100 (where, for the first time in more than a month, a new player has cracked our top 10). High riser: NBA scouts have had a love-hate relationship with Memphis forward Rodney Carney his whole career. He has always been one of the premier athletes in college basketball. Every muscle fiber in his body appears to be fast twitch. But is he a basketball player? The fact that the debate over this question has dragged into his senior season is telling ... but Carney (finally) seems to be answering the question in the affirmative. Two things are really making a difference for Carney this year. One is consistency. For the first three years of his career, Carney seemed to want to melt into the background. He would disappear for long stretches of games and seemed to stumble whenever Memphis had a big game. Questions about his desire and toughness were everywhere. This year, most of those question marks are behind him. Carney has been a model of consistency and played well in several big games, with the only exception being an early-season loss at Duke. For the first time in his career, it seems as though he's more basketball player than athlete, and that's saying something. Two, his shooting has improved dramatically, opening his game to a different level. Carney was never a bad perimeter shooter, but he's shooting career highs from the field and the 3-point line this season. His 42 percent shooting on 3s, when you factor in his number of attempts, makes him the rare superathlete who is also a legit threat from the outside. Put all that together and he has been quickly moving up into the mid-lottery for many NBA teams. We've put him at No. 7 in our latest Top 100. That's close to the ceiling for Carney, but he has a realistic shot at landing there if he plays this well in the tournament. Sleeper: Everyone, Insider included, made a big deal about Pittsburgh's big man Chris Taft last season. It looks as though we might have been focusing on the wrong guy. With Taft languishing on the bench in Golden State, center Aaron Gray has taken over the middle for the Panthers and has matched, if not surpassed, what Taft did in his sophomore season. When you factor in that Gray is a legit 7-footer, and has the girth (he weighs in at 270) to handle the middle full time, he might end up being a better prospect. He's not a great athlete, which keeps him from getting mentioned as a potential lottery pick, but his combination of rebounding skills and touch around the basket have several NBA scouts whispering that he could move up into the late first round if he were to declare for the draft. That might not be a bad idea for Gray. Given the dearth of centers in this year's draft and his stellar play of late (he dropped 23 and 12 on UConn on Tuesday), his stock might never be higher. We still have him rated as a second-rounder, but on draft day, size seems to trump other factors. College kids: It's good to see Temple guard Mardy Collins finding his groove again. We had Collins ranked as a late lottery pick in our preseason rankings but dropped him all the way to the early second round after he couldn't seem to find the basket at the start of the season. Lately, though, Collins has been fantastic, scoring 28 points on Xavier, then scoring 21 points and handing out 12 assists versus Maryland. Given how much scouts love him (and big point guards in general), it won't take much more of that for Collins to resurrect his draft stock. He still can't shoot a lick, but given all the factors in his favor, it looks as though scouts are willing to live with that flaw. Speaking of redemption, Oklahoma point guard Terrell Everett did an excellent job reviving his draft stock with his mastery of Texas over the weekend. Poor shooting and an unbelievable number of turnovers (4.1 per game) had nearly killed his once-promising stock. But a different Everett showed up Saturday and absolutely destroyed the Longhorns. Everett finished the game with 25 points on 10-for-15 shooting, handed out eight assists and turned the ball over only three times. If he could keep doing that on a regular basis, he'd push himself right back into the first round. For now, he's still on the bubble as scouts continue to refer to him as a poor man's Antonio Daniels. West Virginia's Mike Gansey doesn't look anything like an NBA player, but scouts are having a hard time ignoring what he's doing this season. For a guy that one scout called a poor man's J.J. Redick, he sure looks as though he could be more. For starters, he's shooting at a better clip from 3-point land than Redick (49 percent compared with 44 percent). He is also a much better rebounder than Redick, keeps his turnovers down and, although he doesn't look it, is a better athlete. He hasn't had the hype Redick has had this season, but a couple of scouts have whispered that he might be a better NBA prospect. He's still a second-round prospect at this point, but the buzz is growing. There are a couple of freshman point guards scouts also are keeping an eye on, especially given the failure of the rest of the point guard prospects to produce up to expectations. Kansas freshman Mario Chalmers is living up to his billing as the second-best high school point guard prospect in his class. (Duke's Greg Paulus was ranked No. 1 and is still regarded as the better pro prospect). After getting off to a rocky start, Chalmers has been great for KU lately, averaging 15.1 ppg, 6 apg and 3.6 spg while shooting 47 percent on 3s in his last six games. He might not want to test the draft waters this year, but if he keeps this up, he'll be one of the top point guard prospects in the country next year. Syracuse freshman Eric Devendorf also turned some heads last week with a 21-point performance against Villanova in front of a number of NBA scouts. Devendorf is playing the two at Syracuse, but a number of scouts think he can make the transition to the point in the pros. He's very quick and seems to be able to get to the basket at will from either direction. He's shooting at a great clip on 3s and does a decent job running the offense when Gerry McNamara isn't on the floor. He's not great defensively at this point, but scouts see him as one of the brightest young point guard prospects for the 2007 or 2008 draft. International man of mystery: We've been writing about Switzerland's Thabo Sefolosha for the last several years, and it looks as though some of the potential is finally starting to turn into production. Sefolosha, a long, lean, athletic swingman, is playing in the Italian League and having a career season, averaging 12.1 ppg and 5.5 rpg for Angelico Biella. He had 26 points and nine rebounds and shot 3-for-5 from 3-point range Sunday in an Italian League game. Sefolosha is a superb athlete who thrives in the open floor. He's an excellent ball handler and passer who has really improved his shot over the past season. He still needs to work on his shooting off the dribble and get stronger, but add his name to a list of international players that teams are intrigued with in the late first round. Recent history says a few teams late in the draft don't want a rookie on their roster and would prefer to develop their asset in Europe. Sefolosha is the kind of player who will get a long look by teams in that situation. Right now, we have him ranked as a second-rounder, but it takes just one team to change that on draft night. He's fallen ... Can he get up? At the start of the season, many NBA scouts had Arizona guard Jawann McClellan ranked as a leading two-guard. His combination of athleticism and shooting prowess had scouts licking their chops. But a first-semester suspension because of grade issues and his season-ending surgery to repair ligament damage in his left wrist have dropped him off the NBA map this season ... and possibly beyond.

3) Marty Burns of Si.com thinks the draft sucks this year:

Better days ahead? - Hawks-Bobcats clash gives fans chance to dream

Call it the anti-Super Bowl. The Hawks and Bobcats meet up Wednesday night in Charlotte with absolutely nothing at stake. Well, maybe there is one thing ... The two NBA doormats are locked in a heated battle for the most ping-pong balls in next May's draft lottery. For fans of the Hawks (12-31) and the Bobcats (11-35), it's a chance to dream: Wouldn't Atlanta hoop heads love to see LaMarcus Aldridge of Texas in one of those yellow Hawks uniforms next year, running the fast break with Joe Johnson on one side and Josh Smith on the other? And wouldn't Charlotte denizens enjoy watching Adam Morrison of Gonzaga curl around a pick from Emeka Okafor, take a feed from Raymond Felton and splash one of his high-arching jumpers? Or maybe it would be UConn's Rudy Gay, Duke's J.J. Redick, LSU's Tyrus Thomas or one of the two international stud power forwards in this year's field, Andrea Bargnani of Italy or Tiago Splitter of Brazil. But can Bobcats and Hawks fans realistically expect a dramatic turnaround from their clubs next season, even if one were to get the No. 1 pick? Probably not. Scouts say neither Aldridge nor Morrison -- or any of this year's top draft prospects - is what might be called a "high impact player." In other words, there is no Tim Duncan or LeBron James in this field. There are some talents who could develop into that kind of player, but nobody capable of taking a floundering franchise and hoisting it on his shoulders. For Atlanta, it has to be especially frustrating. The Hawks desperately need a center or a point guard, but this year's draft (as of right now) doesn't seem to feature a top candidate at either of those spots. Instead it's stocked heaviest at small forward, where Atlanta already has a logjam with Smith, Josh Childress and Marvin Williams (last year's No. 2 overall pick). That's why the Hawks might lean toward the 6-foot-11 Aldridge if they do get the No. 1 pick, though it could change depending on what they decide to do with free agent-to-be Al Harrington. The Bobcats appear to be in much better shape to parlay the No. 1 pick into some immediate help on the court. They already have Primoz Brezec at center and the Brevin Knight/Felton combination at point guard. They are also pretty solid at power forward with Okafor and Sean May, and at small forward with Gerald Wallace. They basically need a shooting guard and more depth on the perimeter. Morrison's ability to hit the outside shot and readiness to play would seem to make him a good fit, though Gay's superior athleticism could prove tempting. Of course, the Hawks and Bobcats also could look to trade the pick. Either way, the lack of immediate help for down-and-out teams like Atlanta and Charlotte is something of a problem for the NBA. With so few players staying in college three or four years, there simply are not many finished products coming out in the draft. Too many Aldridges and Gays. Not enough Duncans. Thus, teams at the bottom that most need the help right away are pretty much forced to take players who require years to develop (think Eddy Curry in Chicago or Shaun Livingston in L.A.). In turn, this enables the better teams way down the draft board to snap up readier players or international talents (say, Josh Howard in Dallas or Tony Parker in San Antonio). "It's like a vicious cycle," says one Eastern Conference assistant GM. Or a lot like life in the USA these days: the rich get richer, and the poor get ... well, the chance to hope and pray. Meantime, the NBA doesn't get as many dramatic turnarounds from season to season. The kind of turnarounds that give hope to bad teams and make an otherwise meaningless regular-season game like Wednesday night's Hawks-Bobcats contest a little more fun to watch.

4) Mike Kahn of FOXSports.com with his mid-season awards:

Time to hand out midseason hardware

We're closing in on the NBA All-Star break, passing the midway point of the season game-wise, and there are plenty of emotions to be had. We can look at the Detroit Pistons with the fifth best start in NBA history, as they have laid a path toward their third consecutive trip to the NBA Finals. That's not to mention the spectacular play of Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Steve Nash and a slew of other players. On the flip side, we have the pathetic Ron Artest saga dragging into its second season, and half the teams in the league are playing less than .500 ball heading into Thursday night's games. Both the Northwest and Southeast Divisions have just one team that has won more than half of its games, and the Atlantic Division barely has two. There is a tale of two franchises — one heartwarming and another very sad. The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets have overcome being dislodged from their home as a result of Hurricane Katrina and are surprisingly in the thick of the playoff race in the West. Then there are the Seattle SuperSonics, continuing to rant about the same lease they signed when purchasing the team in 2001, and now threatening to move the team if they can't get $220 million from the state legislature. And incredibly enough, they have the audacity to be asking for $350 million if someone is interested in purchasing the team that they paid $200 million for and can no longer afford to keep. On the floor, they have reverted back to a marginal team after winning a playoff series last year for the first time since 1998. Nevertheless, there have been some great rookie additions to the league this season and the spectacle of an All-Star game in Houston in a couple of weeks gives the league reason to be excited. So without further adieu, here are our midseason awards.

Coach of the Year - Flip Saunders, Detroit Pistons: The perfect hire for a team that was primed on defense the past few seasons. Saunders sat there patiently while the deal to get Larry Brown out of town was completed, and the moment he was hired, the offense opened up and the Pistons exploded out of the gate. Others who will make a run at the award are Los Angeles Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy, Dallas Mavericks coach Avery Johnson and Hornets coach Byron Scott.

Worst coach - Bob Weiss, Seattle Supersonics: He hadn't been a head coach in more than a decade and essentially was a loving uncle to the players as an assistant on the Sonics through three head coaches. They walked all over him, and he was fired after a 13-17 start. The bigger folly was hiring him in the first place. Keep an eye on Golden State's Mike Montgomery as the next guy to go.

MVP - Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons: This was a tough call, but he is the rock on this team, running the offense, delivering the clutch shots and essentially controlling the tempo of every game. This will be the season he's finally rewarded by being selected to the All-Star team. Also under consideration are Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Elton Brand and Steve Nash.

Least valuable player - Ron Artest, Sacramento Kings: He didn't earn this award on the Kings, just the Pacers. Artest has destroyed the Pacers two during two consecutive seasons, first as the instigator of the brawl at the Palace in November of 2004 that got him suspended for the rest of the season. Then he said he didn't want to play for the Pacers anymore early into this season — rendering him inactive. It's the worst statement any professional athlete can make to his teammates, the franchise and the public. They should ship him out to the Mars Basketball League.

Rookie of the Year - Chris Paul, New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets: Paul looks like the second coming of Phil Ford, the former North Carolina and Kansas City Kings great. He's quick, strong and relentlessly effective going to the basket or delivering to his teammates. Top pick Andrew Bogut has also been superb for the Milwaukee Bucks. He has some Arvydas Sabonis in him when it comes to shooting, passing and general demeanor on the floor. The Knicks have no reason not to be ecstatic with Channing Frye either.

Rookie bust - Marvin Williams, Atlanta Hawks: Williams will eventually become a fine player in the league, but it was ludicrous considering the makeup of this team that they take him instead of Paul when they desperately needed a point guard. Maybe they believe he'll replace free agent Al Harrington, but they had an opportunity to have all the pieces — and keep Harrington with a bright future. The Portland Trail Blazers taking prep star Martell Webster, when they already have a roster filled with youngsters, was also unrealistic for their needs. It will be years before he's ready.

Most Improved Player - Boris Diaw, Phoenix Suns: This was the toughest call of all because Hornets forward David West has been a huge reason why they have raised their level of pla, and he's tripled his stats. But Diaw was the only player coming over in the controversial Joe Johnson deal, and he had done little for the Hawks. Still only 23, the 6-foot-8 Diaw has delivered 11.7 points, 6.5 rebounds and 5.9 assists — consistently threatening triple-doubles — out of the high post or running the floor. West's 17.0 points and 8.0 rebounds have been vital for the Hornets, and he is only getting better. If the Hornets make the playoffs, he'll probably win the award.

Most deteriorated player - Grant Hill, Orlando Magic: With four ankle surgeries, the hernia surgery this past summer just didn't do it, either. It's a sad story for a great player and even better person. But at 33, it's obvious his body is breaking down elsewhere, and he's only played in 11 games this season. He loves the game and is still a borderline All-Star when he plays. Then again, when will that be?

Top sixth man - Mike Miller, Memphis Grizzlies: This was such a logical move for coach Mike Fratello, and it has paid huge dividends as Miller has remained healthy this season and is consistently productive scoring, running the floor and moving the ball. He's an ideal sixth man on a team that is, for the most part, locked into the fifth seed. Jerry Stackhouse will be an enormously productive sixth man all season for the Dallas Mavericks, too — as long as he stays healthy.

Worst starter - Pape Sow, Toronto Raptors: OK, all together now ... who? He's just the latest futile attempt by the Raptors to have what we may loosely refer to as a starting center. They signed him from the Arkansas RimRockers of the NBA's Developmental League. There's a joke in there somewhere, but suffice to say he's still in the developmental process.

Best defensive player - Ben Wallace, Detroit Pistons: No one changes the flow of the game more than Big Ben. He'll block a shot, spin into a full-court trap or take over the backboards with explosive rebounds that will obliterate another team's momentum. San Antonio's Bruce Bowen and Utah's Andrei Kirilenko also are dominant defensive players who alter the game by taking particular players out of their offensive rhythm.

Worst defensive player - Flip Murray, Seattle SuperSonics: He's arguably the worst defender on the worst defensive team in the league. The Sonics guards have been rolling out the red carpet down the lane all season, and Murray is the prime culprit. He's a terrific one-on-one offensive player, but if he wants to take his game to another level, he's got to become a team player on both ends of the floor.

Top executive - Joe Dumars, Detroit Pistons: He was underrated as a player, and he's in the same role as president of the Pistons. He filled the roster with under-appreciated players to construct the best starting lineup in the NBA, and continued to blend the chemistry by hiring the best coach available for his squad. Joe D continues to be functioning at a more complete level of effectiveness than any one else in that position.

Worst executive - Rob Babcock, Toronto Raptors: Things had gotten so bad, ownership fired him before February because they were just as concerned about what deals he would make as the deals he wouldn't. Even if this past draft of Charlie Villanueva and Joey Graham, and the signing of Jose Calderon ends up to be as effective as it could potentially be, his trading of Vince Carter for virtually nothing was something the franchise will require many years to overcome.

Surprise team - New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets: They were uprooted from their homes for a strange city not on the NBA map, and coach Byron Scott has had them playing fast, loose and effectively all season. Led by rookie Chris Paul, young forward David West and a crew of young castoffs, they're hanging in the playoff chase. That's not to underestimate the Clippers, but they looked to be competing this season with the off-season additions of Sam Cassell and Cuttino Mobley.

Disappointing team - Indiana Pacers: Picked by many to win the Eastern Conference upon the return of Artest, he turned them upside down again, Jermaine O'Neal continues to break down and may be out for the year, and Jamaal Tinsley plays rarely as his body continues to fall apart. It's a sad state of affairs for what has been one of the marquee franchises in the NBA over the past 15 years.

Most underrated player - Elton Brand, Los Angeles Clippers: Because he plays for the Clippers, no one seems to notice that Brand is averaging 24.9 points, 10.4 rebounds and 2.56 blocks per game. He is only 6-8, but he has arms like he's a 7-footer that block shots, and he can score from anywhere around the 15-foot perimeter almost at will. If he can stay healthy and the Clippers make the playoffs, he'll be an MVP candidate.

Most overrated player - Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana Pacers: He's talented, had virtually the same numbers as Brand before tearing a groin muscle and he might be out for the season. Perhaps that's not fair for someone so vital during the Pacer's run over the past half-dozen seasons, but J-O has been injured continuously. Add with the retirement of Reggie Miller and the need for some player to call out Artest, O'Neal should have done it before things got carried away. All of that screams of the simple fact that he's a very talented player but not the superstar so many claimed him to be for the past four seasons.

All-NBA - First team

F-LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers: He made a move of the century this week.
F-Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves: Consistently great with no help at all.
C-Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs: Maybe too quietly putting up typical numbers.
G-Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers: Carrying the Lakers to the playoffs.
G-Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons: He seemingly gets better every game.

Second team

F-Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks: He's an extraordinary 7-foot talent.
F-Vince Carter, New Jersey Nets: He's back to superstar quality.
C-Shaquille O'Neal, Miami Heat: When he's healthy, he's still dominant.
G-Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat: He's spectacular as ever, but the team isn't.
G-Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns: The best at helping teammates in the league.

5) Mike wells of the Indy Star reports on the end for the former Raptors number 5 overall pick:

Bender calls it a career - Bad knees keep former 1st-round pick from reaching his potential with the Pacers

After taking time to contemplate his decision, Indiana Pacers forward Jonathan Bender did what many thought he would do: He ended his pro basketball career. After six-plus injury-plagued seasons with the Pacers, Jonathan Bender has decided to discontinue his NBA career. Here are some key details of the announcement that came Saturday: Bender is not officially calling his departure a retirement, because that technicality would prevent him from collecting a paycheck from the team for the next two years. Bender is in the final two years of a four-year, $28 million deal. He's making $7,175,000 this season and will make $7.7 million next season. A Pacers insurance policy will cover his salary. Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said the team plans to appeal to the league to get salary cap relief under the career-ending injury exception. The team should get an answer midway through the summer. "Due to a medical condition in my knees, I will not be able to continue playing basketball," the 25-year-old Bender said in a statement Saturday. "I feel very fortunate that I had the opportunity to spend six seasons with the Indiana Pacers and I want to thank the organization for their support and encouragement. As difficult as it is for me right now not to be playing basketball, I know that I will always have the memories of my teammates, the fans, the Pacers management. For that, I am grateful." Injuries kept Bender, the fifth overall draft pick in 1999, from becoming the player many thought he would be. He showed flashes in his six-plus seasons with the Pacers but played a total of 76 games the past three seasons because of problems with his knees. Bender, a 7-footer who could play shooting guard and both forward positions, had his best season in 2001-02, when he averaged 7.4 points and 3.1 rebounds. Bender's decision to end his career wasn't unexpected. He hasn't been around the team since the middle of November, and he put his house on the market later that month.
"I feel bad for him, because he was an unbelievable talent, and I know he wanted to get a chance to show that talent in the NBA," Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said. "But he never really did. He showed flashes of it every now and then, but because of his injury he never had a chance to really show what type of talent he had. Obviously it's a loss to us, because he was a player that really could have affected our team in a positive way." It was obvious Bender was headed for another injury-filled year early this season when it was determined he would have problems playing in back-to-back games. Prior to the Nov. 12 game at Milwaukee, Bender went out to warm up only to return to the locker room, where he told coach Rick Carlisle his knee was in too much pain to play. Bender said last month he has no cartilage in his left knee and that his right knee is headed in that direction. He also said he's scheduled for arthroscopic surgery on his right knee in March. "It wasn't him that gave in, it was his knee that gave out," Pacers forward Austin Croshere said. "He never really got a fair chance. I remember him having these problems from day one. It's sad to see anybody's career cut short. He never got a chance to show people on a big stage what he was capable of. It's a very frustrating thing for any athlete." Bender took a lot of criticism from fans for his inability to stay healthy. "Anybody who would question Jonathan Bender's heart or pain tolerance doesn't know how to read (a magnetic resonance imaging test). The MRIs from this year compared to a year ago were significantly worse," Carlisle said. "I can only imagine how much pain he's been in. He's one of the tougher guys I've been around, because I know how difficult it was for him to be on the floor at times. "I'm just happy there's been a resolution to the situation. He's done a good job setting himself up for the future for a life beyond basketball. I'm thrilled for all those things."

6) Liz Robbins of the New York Times with a terrific article on my favourite NBA ref (as in “ I love Dick…”):

Referee Takes Longest Whistle-Stop Tour

Armed with a whistle and a smile, Dick Bavetta has run with four generations of superstars. He has never been shy. Bavetta once rebuked the Lakers superfan Jack Nicholson for leaving the court with three minutes to go in a blowout. "I told Jack, 'Do I get up and leave early?' " Bavetta said, recalling the moment with his throaty laugh and Brooklyn accent. "He went back to his seat." At 66, Bavetta is not going anywhere besides back to the basketball court. He is the Cal Ripken Jr. of referees, never missing a day of work in his 31 years in the N.B.A. Bavetta will referee his 2,135th game Wednesday, surpassing the retired Jake O'Donnell for the most regular-season games in league history. "I guess if you stay around long enough and get old enough, you get to this point," Bavetta said. "I still feel like I'm celebrating my 16th birthday. I'm blessed with good health — why not keep doing it?" He spoke by phone before refereeing the Hornets-Spurs game Wednesday. Bavetta had already been dodging traffic in downtown Oklahoma City at 6:30 a.m., on his usual 8-mile, 80-minute run on a game day. "I feel it invigorates me," he said. Bavetta gave himself just one day off from exercise after last season's N.B.A. finals. "As this game has evolved and as I've gotten older," he said, "I've learned you really can't turn it on and turn it off." Ronnie Nunn, the N.B.A.'s director of officials, said no one had adapted better to the game's demands than Bavetta. "I tell these guys that if a man at 66 can cover the baseline like he can cover it, you really don't have any excuse," he said. Bavetta's physical regimen is spartan, but his personality is flamboyant. Witness his vaudevillian block calls when Bavetta throws his hands on his hips, arches his back and sways with a pelvic thrust. "Whenever I see the old training tapes, I think, 'I look like Joe Cocker or John Belushi,' " Bavetta said. "All the referees in the room laugh and say, 'There he goes again — he's going to throw his back out!' " Bavetta honed his style for nine years in the old Eastern League. During the week, he would referee games in the Catholic High School Athletic Association in New York, then he traveled around the region on weekends for the Eastern League games. It took him 11 years in the N.B.A. before he worked playoff games; he is now a postseason fixture. Bavetta recalled two regular-season games as personal highlights. The Celtics-Sixers rivalry had boiled over on Nov. 9, 1984, when the referee Jack Madden broke his leg in the third quarter, leaving Bavetta to work alone. As the benches cleared, Bavetta saw Larry Bird and Julius Erving exchanging punches, and he ejected them. "I guess the N.B.A. figured, 'If this guy could handle this, he could handle anything,' " Bavetta said. Bavetta was not expecting a punch from Jalen Rose, then with the Indiana Pacers in 2003. At Madison Square Garden, Rose was aiming for Patrick Ewing when Bavetta's nose got in the way. Bavetta was back refereeing a Nets game the next night. "I love Dick, we patched things up," Rose said Friday. "I'm proud to be one of his fans. He's a funny guy, and he's a great ref." Bavetta prides himself on defusing situations with humor and shrugging off criticism. Tim Hardaway of the Miami Heat once dubbed him Dick (Knick ) Bavetta for his calls in Heat-Knicks games. "By not taking myself too seriously, I really don't take the comments too seriously," Bavetta said. "There's nothing they can say I haven't heard before." Or seen.