Wow, it must be that time of year…would that we all look this good at 40+ years old…more found here…http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/2006_swimsuit/

Three Team Trade Rumour: Denver send PF Kenyon Martin, PG Earl Watson and SG Voshon Lenard to the Knicks, Knicks send SG Jamal Crawford and SF Trevor Ariza going to Orlando along with Denver C Nene and Orlando sends SG Steve Francis to Denver…

Rasheed Wallace leads the NBA in technical fouls with 12, which is only one ahead of runner-up Kobe Bryant…not quite his 40 T’s he got way back with Portland…Wallace, incidentally, still hates his coach from the Portland days, Mike Dunleavy…After draining back-to-back 3s late in a recent game against Dunleavy’s L.A. Clippers, Wallace stared him down and offered a few remarks while backtracking up court each time. What did he say? “Obscenities,” the All-Star forward told reporters.

Raptors Win, but Kevin Garnett (23 points, 19 boards) absolutely destroyed Chris Bosh (8 points, 4 rebounds)…

If you’re married, you get this: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=greenberg/060213

King James hung 44 on the Spurs last night absolutely killing Bruce Bowen and Mike Finley…too big, too strong…

Speaking of the Cavs, look for them to attempt to deal for a new SG as Larry Hughes will need a second surgery on his right middle finger fracture…

Reason # 57945 Steven A Smith is an arse: Friday night on ESPN's NBA studio show, John Saunders asked Smith, if he "had" to blame anyone other than the players for the Knicks' pathetic state, who would he blame? "Larry" or "Isiah." "I would blame Larry Brown," Smith said without hesitation. "Isiah Thomas can't be absolved. But you (Brown) are the coach. Those are the players. You got a better roster than last year. Why are you worse? Why aren't we talking about the $50 million man with 'Mr. Fixit" as his nickname? The Hall of Famer about to head into the All-Star break around 20 games below .500. I just want to know. Because the last time I checked we knew the Knicks would stink up Madison Square Garden, and anyplace else for that matter. Still, we expected to see some progress by now. Nobody was looking for that from Thomas all by himself once Brown got here. So why is Thomas standing alone at the guillotine right now?"…Ummm, well Thomas built the team, not Brown…dummy…

1) SI.com’s Kelly Dwyer weighs in on his next 10:

The next 10 - Additions to All-Time Team more than their statistics

This Saturday night at 5 p.m. ET, in honor of the NBA's upcoming 60th anniversary, TNT will present 10 additions to the league's 50th Anniversary All-Time Team. The 10 new players, whittled down from a list of 36 nominees, will be voted on by the station's on-air talent -- a group made up of NBA legends and coaching luminaries, alongside the best and brightest minds in sports telejournalism. Inexplicably, I've been asked to offer my opinion on who should join the NBA's original 50 greatest players for SI.com (TNT's corporate partner), despite the fact that my basketball career never made it past college intramurals, my coaching skills would turn the 1967 76ers (68 wins) into the '73 Sixers (nine wins), and my on-air resume consists of a fleeting camera shot of the bottom of my jeans from a public Yao Ming tryout a few years back. Hopefully, this mea culpa will be ultimately disarming enough to fend off hate mail from all points between Boston and Los Angeles.Forging ahead, I decided to rank the 36 players in three categories:

Influence: Did the player contribute anything beyond points and rebounds to the game as a whole? If your legacy can only be surmised by your stats, then you didn't stand a chance with me.

Production: Through times of storm and stress, bettering bad coaches and substandard teammates, did the player come through with the numbers?

Contribution to winning teams: If there's any bias to my rankings, it came in this category. At some point, you have to play meaningful minutes of playoff basketball. And as it is within the game itself, more than anything, defense matters.

Even after the three-pronged breakdown, it still was quite the task to limit the list to 10. And with that in mind, fans should understand that both this list and TNT's final group should have no bearing on how you rank these players on your own. Each legend should have a special place in your heart, a feeling that cannot be diminished by arbitrary lists about who is better than whom. (This is, of course, another way of saying that my list is better than yours.) Herewith, the next 10 (followed by analysis of the 26 fellows who didn't make the cut) ...The Next 10:

Kobe Bryant: Our list's first entry has wowed both spectators and opponents alike with his potent all-around play and scoring exploits, but his greatest contribution might be a result of the attitude that has earned him so many detractors. More than any other player you'll read about here, Kobe's steely demeanor and dogged determination give him an on-court edge that wins games and turns off onlookers at the same time. But who can argue with these results? A three-time NBA champ, the 27-year old Bryant has played in eight All-Star games and averaged 23.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.4 assists -- numbers sure to rise as he enters his prime.

Tim Duncan: When the NBA's initial Top 50 list came out in October '96, Tim Duncan was preparing to play his junior season with the Wake Forest Demon Deacons, and hardly concerned with his own potential place among the likes of Bob Pettit and Karl Malone in the legendary big forward strata. Nearly 10 years later Duncan may have eclipsed them all, winning three rings and two MVPs while ensuring that the San Antonio Spurs boast the best winning percentage in sports in the time since his rookie season. His offensive touch remains deft, his demeanor steady and his defense underrated in spite of eight appearances on the All-Defensive team. Duncan boasts career averages of 22.3 points, 12.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.5 blocks per game.

Kevin Garnett: As the first American-born high schooler to be drafted by the NBA in 20 years, Garnett's '95 debut was more than your garden variety hoops curio. Previous prep entries had included Moses Malone (a dead-set legend), Darryl Dawkins (league-wide punchline) and Bill Willoughby (talented afterthought). An an entire generation of potential NBA pros has watched Garnett make nine All-Star teams, six All-NBA squads and take home the 2004 MVP award. Garnett has only made it past the first round of the playoffs once in his career, but it's hardly for lack of trying. More than any other player of his generation, Garnett rivals Bill Russell in his ability to patrol the entire floor defensively, while the Minnesota Timberwolves' exacting offense runs through his paws nearly every time downcourt. Career averages of 20.3 points, 11.1 rebounds, 4.5 blocks and three combined steals/blocks hardly tell the whole story.

Allen Iverson: The shortest player ever to be selected first overall in the NBA draft, Iverson has his detractors, but he also alternately boasts the game's biggest heart, inflamed shooting elbow and cojones. For better or worse, he's your modern-day Jerry West, spending time at both guard slots, dominating the ball -- and, at times, his opponents. An MVP winner in '00-01, Iverson has also won two All-Star Game MVPs (though they aren't voting, this is a testament to the respect he's earned from his NBA peers), along with six All-NBA honors. At six-feet-maybe and 160-sometimes pounds, he's somehow willed his body to 27.8 points per game over a 10-year career, with 6.1 assists and 2.8 steals.

Jason Kidd: No less a hoop authority than the Newark Star-Ledger's Dave D'Alessandro calls Kidd "the best point guard of his generation," and it's hard to find fault in that description. All Kidd does is find the open man, run the break to perfection and make lots of lesser talent some serious cash in the open market. Kidd's ability to put a defense on its heels remained mostly unchallenged during his prime, as his end-to-end speed stood out like a '66 Mustang Fastback amongst the demolition-derby-like play that typified the NBA during his '97-04 peak. Still one of the NBA's top point men, Kidd has averaged 14.8 points, 9.2 assists, 6.5 rebounds and a pair of steals in a 13-year career that has included two Finals appearances with the once-downtrodden New Jersey Nets.

Bob Lanier: Curiously absent from the NBA's initial list, Lanier was a load among loads from '71-84, having to bang with the best of them over a 14-year career. The eight-time All Star more than held his own during the NBA's golden age for centers, culminating in a '80 name-check from pilot Roger Murdoch (played by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) in the movie Airplane. The Dobber was an immovable object in the low post, using a lefty jump hook and size-22 shoes to keep a downtrodden Detroit Pistons franchise afloat in the '70s before moving on to the Bucks in '80. He retired with averages of 20 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks per game.

Bob McAdoo: Essentially Lanier's polar opposite, McAdoo still managed to emulate Lanier's surprising absence from the NBA's Top 50 list. McAdoo used a sinewy frame and devastating touch to win the MVP award in '75, averaging 34.5 points, 14.1 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.1 blocks for a 49-33 Buffalo Braves team. Though pivotmen like Dave Cowens, Jerry Lucas and Willis Reed used their perimeter skills to contribute occasionally to their team's offense, McAdoo's play was a rarity at the time: a go-to center who preferred to do his damage from 18 feet. An influence on players as diverse as Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Garnett and Channing Frye, McAdoo sacrificed his own mark on the NBA's record books by coming off the bench for two Laker titlists in the early '80s and spending the final quarter of his pro career playing in Italy.

Gary Payton: The mouth that roared also made nine All-Star teams, won a Defensive Player of the Year award and led a dysfunctional SuperSonics team to the NBA Finals in '96. Reflections upon GP's prime may not result in the whiff of warm feelings that seemed to emanate from Joe Dumars' time on the court, nor the highlight reel of game-winning shots that marked Reggie Miller's career, but he did bring stellar production, at both ends of the court, in a pilgrimage that has entered its 14th year. While Lanier and McAdoo plied their trade in an era when giants roamed the earth, Payton had to make his way during a time when small guards like Mark Price, John Stockton, Kevin Johnson, Steve Nash and Allen Iverson ran the show -- no easy task, even for a player whose forte was defense. Payton's career averages of 17.2 points, seven assists, 4.1 rebounds, 2.4 turnovers and a pair of steals hold up to the work of the greats.

Dennis Rodman: You've got a lot to ignore with this one. You're going to have to look past the silly hair colors, the needless piercings (including that one in Rodman's lower lip that has given him a gap between his two front teeth), the played-out-by-'99 tinted sunglasses and the depressing publicity stunts. And, in a way, you're going to have to look past his comparatively paltry averages of 7.3 points and 13.1 rebounds in 31.7 minutes a game. What you need to remember about Rodman are the myriad ways he defended some of the greatest players in the history of the NBA. In the defensive realm, an area that is frustratingly difficult to statistically quantify, you sometimes just have to go with what you see -- and I've never seen anyone guard players like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Scottie Pippen or Shaquille O'Neal better. Come point guard or pivot beast, Rodman was masterful, moving his feet, anticipating angles and driving opponents batty on his way to five championship rings. If that's not enough, consider that Dennis rebounded over 23 percent of all rebounds available while he was on the floor -- far and away the best mark in NBA history.

Dominique Wilkins: Fans cried foul when the Human Highlight Film was left off the NBA's original Top 50 list, seemingly in favor of a series of graybeard bank-shot artists, but 'Nique shot to top of our list when it came time to create a Top 60. And though he shot back down to the bottom of the list for the purposes of this column (alphabetical order being what it is), Wilkins' 24.8 points per game average (11th all time) helps him stand out among the new additions. Spending the bulk of his time with an Atlanta Hawks squad that was outclassed in the East by the Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls, Wilkins still managed to lead the league in scoring in '86, win two Slam Dunk titles and take part in a classic tête-à-tête scoring duel (and not mano a mano, because they shot with both hands) with Larry Bird in Game 7 of the '88 Eastern Conference semifinals. That loss was as close as Wilkins ever got to the ring, as his NBA career was derailed in the mid-'90s after an Achilles tear and time spent playing overseas.

On the outside looking in:

Mark Aguirre: A beast in the low post and facing the basket, Aguirre averaged 20 points per game in just 30 minutes a night with the Mavericks, Pistons and Clippers.

Walt Bellamy: An unfortunate omission from both the Top 50 and my top 60 list, Bellamy was a natural scorer who may have sacrificed team play in favor of 20-point, 13.7-rebound career averages.

Maurice Cheeks: Dogged defender and sturdy playmaker for a series of legendary 76er teams. Only Cheeks's steady hand could keep disparate personalities like Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Andrew Toney and Charles Barkley happy with their touches. Career averages of 11.1 points and 6.7 assists.

Adrian Dantley: One of the sneakiest, and most unlikely, post players in recent NBA history, Adrian Delano Dantley somehow took advantage of a 6-5 frame and a screwy free throw routine to average 24.3 points per game in a 15-year career.

Bob Davies: Before the And1 Tour hit basic cable, and even before Bob Cousy made sleight of hand cool, Davies was dribbling his way through five professional leagues and dropping plenty of dimes along the way.

Joe Dumars: Look up the line, "If you'll look up the line 'consummate pro' in the dictionary, you'll find a picture of Joe Dumars" in the dictionary, and -- well, you get the idea. It's been used that much. Joe D was a gem of a player, coming out of tiny McNeese State to act as a level-headed force on two Pistons championship teams, using defense and a tough in-between game to contribute where he could. He averaged 16.1 points and 4.5 assists per game in a 14-year career.

Alex English: A versatile scorer who made a 30-point night look as simple as (insert politician/popular entertainer/out-of-work coach here), English averaged 21.5 points per game over 15 seasons. He is also known for his place among the ranks of millions of writers who have failed to make poetry America's favorite art form.

Joe Fulks: The first player to bring the jump shot to professional basketball, "Jumpin' Joe" was an absolute scoring machine in the '40s -- once averaging 26 points per game for a Philadelphia Warriors team that didn't even average 84 a night.

Artis Gilmore: Drafted into the ABA to patrol the paint defensively, Artis ended up developing a powerful low post game, though it was wasted in the NBA on an also-ran team like the Chicago Bulls and a nearly-ran team like the San Antonio Spurs. He retired in '88 with averages of 17 points and 10 rebounds.

Gail Goodrich: A talented if temperamental scorer, Goodrich averaged 18.6 points and 4.7 assists with the Lakers, Suns and Jazz. His 25.9 points per game paced the '71-72 Lakers, who won 33 straight and 69 overall.

Connie Hawkins: A pioneer on several levels both on-court and off, Hawkins's best years were behind him by the time he entered the NBA in '70. He averaged 16.5 points and eight rebounds for the Suns, Lakers and Hawks.

Tommy Heinsohn: Apparently, he's not just the cranky guy who seems upset that Raef LaFrentz picked up his third foul of the first half. For another generation, he's a bit more than the guy on CBS who had to muffle strains of jubilation after seeing Magic Johnson miss a free throw against the Celtics. And to yet another generation, he's much more than the coach with the thick tie who painted a lot and looked like he wanted to strangle Paul Westphal. Heinsohn took home eight rings as a player, averaged nearly 19 and 9 on a loaded Boston Celtics team, and tossed a pretty mean skyhook.

Grant Hill: A brilliant all-around career that was cut short by injury just as he entered his prime, Hill has nevertheless averaged 20.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.7 assists since entering the league in '94.

Dan Issel: Like Hawkins and Artis Gilmore, Issel's best work came in the ABA, where he was an integral part of winners in Kentucky and Denver. The Horse averaged 20 points and eight rebounds over nine NBA campaigns.

LeBron James: Potentially the finest player ever to lace up sneakers, he's yet to even sniff the playoffs, much less 250 career games. Maybe in another 10 years.
Dennis Johnson: Devastating in the clutch, DJ was a Finals MVP and won three rings with the SuperSonics and Celtics. He averaged 14 points and five assists in 14 seasons.

Kevin Johnson: Injuries also derailed Johnson's promising career, as he and Mark Price essentially inspired the point/shooting guard hybrid that remains popular to this day. KJ averaged 18 points and nine assists over 12 seasons but managed to play more than 70 games a year only four times after his first two campaigns.

Bernard King: One of the game's finest scorers, and someone who could put together the ugliest 40 points you've ever seen, King's career was sadly halted by a knee injury in '85. The master of the turnaround jump shot, King averaged 22.5 points per game in 874 career contests.

Tracy McGrady: A smooth all-around player, Tracy is well on his way to the Hall of Fame. T-Mac has averaged 22.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 4.4 assists in nine seasons with the Raptors, Magic and Rockets.

Reggie Miller: Reg was The Man in the final seconds, but an inattention to defense and rebounding makes him a late cut from my list. Still, you have to appreciate the way he reengineered his offensive game before the '99-00 season and the fact that had Miller not retired, he could still be contributing to a winning team both this season and next.

Sidney Moncrief: An innovator, Moncrief was the first "point forward" to be called so by name, and ran the show (on both sides of the ball) for a criminally underrated Milwaukee Bucks team that routinely won 50 or more games in the '80s.

Chris Mullin: Nagging injuries seemed to curtail him every other season, but they didn't stop Mully from averaging 18 points per game on 51 percent shooting over 16 campaigns.

Steve Nash: It's hard to believe that this potential repeat MVP winner had to enter a training camp in '00 with the stated goal of trying to beat Howard Eisley out for a starting role. Nash has had a bumpy ride to the top, but the results have been worth it.

Dirk Nowitzki: The first dominant European player, Nowitzki eschewed both American universities and orthodox basketball instruction on his way to career averages of 21.6 points and 8.5 rebounds in eight NBA seasons.

Dwyane Wade: The mini-Jordan, both in stature and in comparative games played (1,072 to 187); Wade is averaging 22.3 points, five rebounds and six assists so far in his young career.

Jo Jo White: A steady playmaker who could score in bunches when his Celtics called for it, White averaged 17.2 points and 4.9 assists over 12 seasons.

2) Mike Kahn with his 10 things column for Foxsports.com:

Mediocrity reigns as All-Star break approaches

As we head into the final days before the NBA All-Star break — highlighted by next weekend's festivities in Houston, the most pronounced factor in the league has been mediocrity. Only seven teams in each conference entered this week with better than .500 records — with the Los Angeles Lakers the lone team directly at .500.

1. Item: The Northwest Division is led by the 28-25 Denver Nuggets, with no other team having won at least half of its games, while at 27-22 the New Jersey Nets are the only team in the Atlantic Division playing better than .500 ball. Both the Central Division and the Southwest Division have four teams each playing winning basketball — featuring the best records in the NBA. The Pacific Division has two teams above .500, as does the Southeast Division. What this really means: At least three-quarters of the NBA teams are either bad or mediocre. Once you get past Detroit, San Antonio, Dallas, Miami and Phoenix — with the Los Angeles Clippers (yeah, the Clippers), New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies on the bubble — there are no other good teams. Anybody who watched Miami edge Detroit Sunday saw a great game. Those are two exceptional teams, and a game like that is truly an exception in the league these days. There are a number of reasons why, which always begin with the dilution of talent in a 30-team league. But there's more to that. General managers became enamored of drafting high school and international players beginning in 2000 and the consequences are the state of the league today. We saw the Indiana Pacers — on the brink of a title — trade Antonio Davis for the rights to prep star Jonathan Bender before the 1999-2000 season and they lost in six games in the finals to the Lakers. Bender never panned out due to knee problems and unofficially retired this past week. The next season, Darius Miles went third right out of high school, and he's now on his third team and still a disappointment. Topping it off was the 2001 draft — with Kwame Brown going No. 1, as six of the top eight picks were teenagers — and five years later here we are. Too bad David Stern couldn't push through his desire to reserve the NBA for 20-year-olds at the youngest — but at least he had the right idea.

2. Item: The Pistons became only the second team in history to have four players voted to the All-Star team by the coaches — Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace and Rasheed Wallace — none of whom were elected by the fans to start in the game. Tayshaun Prince was the lone Pistons starter left off the unit. What this really means: The 1967-68 San Francisco Warriors were the other team to accomplish that feat, but finished only 43-39. The Pistons have already won 41 of the first 50 games. They obviously have a special starting lineup that the coaches duly recognized, but that's not the question. The question is their depth and ultimately their ability to deal with the Heat in the conference finals. Their teamwork at both ends of the floor is unparalleled, with coach Flip Saunders replacing Larry Brown seamlessly as they vie for their third consecutive Eastern Conference title. But what we don't know is if they can hold off a Heat team, now coached by Pat Riley. The time has apparently come for president Joe Dumars to get past holding on to the No. 2 pick of the 2003 draft — Darko Milicic. The reasons why Milicic doesn't contribute a lick in his third year are now irrelevant. The window to win is still now. It's time to move on presuming he has decent trade value. Get a veteran power player to help deal with Shaquille O'Neal and some scoring off the bench. Everybody wanted to believe Darko would develop, and we're cool with the perspective that Prince was a good fit — despite the availability of Carmelo Anthony. But just imagine if that pick had been Dwyane Wade ... think he would fit into those 144 minutes divided between the two guard spots and small forward? Just consider that would be 36 minutes apiece for Billups, Hamilton, Prince and Wade!

3. Item: The Heat became the 13th consecutive victim of the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night, which in and of itself wasn't a problem. But the 112-76 score screamed of boredom and concern for the Heat in the big picture. Then came Sunday's thrilling 100-98 win over the Detroit Pistons, and the entire perspective seemed to swing. What this really means: There is plenty of reason for Riley to be concerned about this team he constructed around O'Neal and Wade. Oh, the Heat will have no issues finishing with the second-best record in the East despite their woeful record against the Pistons, Mavericks Spurs, Suns and Nets — a startling 2-11. It's more an indictment of the rest of the East's other teams. Why? The Heat should cruise into the conference finals. However, this season is about Riley coaching them to the NBA title. Instead of building around O'Neal and Wade, he brought in pronounced personalities in Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, Gary Payton and James Posey to replace well-defined role players. Payton played really well on Sunday, and he could be a key — particularly on the defensive end if he has help in the half court. But he is 37, and when it comes down to it, the games will be won or lost around O'Neal and Wade. O'Neal had 21 points and two blocks in the first half, and down the stretch, it was all about Wade. He scored 18 points of his 37 points in the fourth quarter, including the final 17 points for the Heat — including the game-winner with 2.3 seconds left. Unquestionably, Wade is as good as any player in the league in the fourth quarter. But it was just one game in Miami. Can this group sustain it for an entire series against the Pistons? The questions linger.

4. Item: Kenyon Martin poured in a season-high 34 points and grabbed 10 rebounds Friday night to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 113-104 win over the Dallas Mavericks — ending the Mavs' 13-game winning streak. What this really means: The gem by Martin put an odd stamp on a bizarre week for the veteran power forward. The jury is still out on whether or not he encouraged one of his friends in the stands to confront a Denver fan, who was irritating Martin with criticism for not dressing for a game. Witnesses are contending he did, and if found to be true through investigations by the Nuggets and the NBA, he will undoubtedly receive a stiff suspension. Meanwhile, he's been the subject of trade rumors, despite his sluggish recovery from off-season knee surgery and his maximum contract. As the Nuggets struggle to stay over .500 and retain a slim lead in the anemic Northwest Division, figuring out whom they want to keep or deal appears to be the biggest problem. The only two players who haven't been the subject of trade rumors are Carmelo Anthony and Marcus Camby. Just the thought of Steve Francis joining this team, even if it means moving Martin and Earl Watson sounds like the recipe for even bigger problems than even a mad scientist such as coach George Karl could handle.

5. Item: And speaking of Francis, his production continues to slide off the charts — as do the Orlando Magic — with the trade deadline looming. The Magic lost for Sunday at Boston for the eighth time in nine games despite the return of Grant Hill — with 15 points in 20 minutes — from a 13-game hiatus with his problematic groin tear. What this really means: Francis is fading fast. He had just nine points on 4-of-11 shooting, with four assists and four rebounds. They've lost four in a row and he has failed to reach double-figures in any of these games, making just 14-of-39 of his field goal attempts (.356), while averaging 7.8 points, 4.8 assists and 4.0 rebounds. Francis turns 29 next week, and with a maximum contract and with the rap of being neither a point guard, nor a shooting guard and having played in just one playoff series in his NBA career — his value is clearly questionable for a top drawer team. It's hard to fathom that the Denver Nuggets would give up key big men to throw him into the mix.

6. Item: Point guard Stephon Marbury is expected to be out until at least through the All-Star break with a sprained left shoulder and the New York Knicks continue to sink deeper into the cellar of the Atlantic Division — losing eight of the first nine games Marbury missed. What this really means: Anything and everything could happen to this team by the time Feb. 23 has come and gone. Whether it's dumping Penny Hardaway's contract, or dealing for Kenyon Martin — or agreeing to part with Channing Frye, Nate Robinson or David Lee ... the combination of Larry Brown and Isiah Thomas together means anything is possible over the next 10 days. Maybe Eddy Curry is the only player off limits, maybe not. It makes no sense to trade Frye when Curry and he should be their front court combination for the next decade. Sure, Martin brings more fire, but the combination of his body breaking down and his volatility — although needed by the Knicks — makes him a huge risk on just the third year of a seven-year maximum deal. And if they really think Earl Watson will be the difference-maker as a point guard ... then they're really not doing their homework very well. They also are looking at the power duo of Reggie Evans and Danny Fortson in Seattle to help Curry — and the Sonics are ready and willing to part with both players for anything close to the right price.

7. Item: Carlos Boozer, sidelined with a hamstring tear the first 49 games this season, played six minutes in Utah's 14-point win over the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night. He then played 12 minutes in Saturday's 14-point loss at Houston — contributing eight points, one rebounds and three assists in the two games combined. What this really means: After playing in just 51 games last season, the first appearance of Boozer this season raised as many questions as it provided answers. The Jazz lured him away from the Cleveland Cavaliers prior to last season with a stunning $68 million contract and almost immediately he was at odds with coach Jerry Sloan. Rumors of him being shopped in the trade market followed, then came a foot injury that kept him out the remainder of the season. It's been so long since Boozer has played, they're starting all over again to see if he fits on this squad. That could be good. That could be bad. The only certainty is that they grossly overpaid for him and now it's up to Sloan to see if he can make him fit. The problem is, they've only got about 10 days before the trade deadline to move him. But what kind of value could he possibly have after playing in just 52 out of a possible 132 games?

8. Item: Slowly but surely, USA basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo is piecing together what he hopes is a team for the 2008 Olympics that requires a three-year commitment. The latest tripe coming from the mouth of Ron Artest is that he wants to be considered. What this really means: Yeah, Artest has about the same chance of being named to the team as his hero Dennis Rodman. Or maybe even Rodman's ex-wife Carmen Elektra. As the NBA desperately attempts to attract the mainstream sports fan, Artest continues to make it nearly impossible to take him or the league seriously. He is loaded with talent, but it is always overshadowed by his incredibly out-of-touch personality. Indeed, Artest is likely to help the Sacramento Kings get tougher overall and perhaps even make a run at the playoffs despite their horrendous start. But even if he does, he remains a blight on the league, and for him to even mention that he would like to play on the Olympic team is an embarrassment to the league and USA basketball. Then again, the only way to prevent this running joke from continuing would be to impose a gag order on him for the rest of the season. And what fun would that be?

9. Item: For all the talk surrounding the incredible start of the Detroit Pistons and the transformation of the Dallas Mavericks, take a look at the defending champion San Antonio Spurs for a moment. What this really means: Despite the foot problems suffered by Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili and the general lack of health of their free agent veterans Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel, the Spurs are right there. Right there. In fact, following the Pistons' loss Sunday at Miami and the Spurs' win at Indiana, the Spurs are 40-10, and just one game behind the Pistons for the best record in the NBA. For whatever reason, nobody wants to believe they're the best team. Well, guess what? Tony Parker is not only hot and heavy with Desperate Housewives star Eva Longoria, he's now an All-Star point guard and nearly impossible to stop from getting into the lane. Considering their depth and experience, does anybody really think the Spurs shouldn't be favored to repeat as champions and win their third title in four years?

10. Item: The Seattle SuperSonics dropped an overtime decision to the Denver Nuggets Sunday night, falling to 7-14 since Bob Hill replaced Bob Weiss as coach and 20-31 overall — a full 16 games behind their pace of a year ago. What this really means: It's hard to fathom where this franchise is going — literally and figuratively. Ownership is busy screaming at the top of their lungs about the need for relief from their horrible lease at KeyArena — the same lease, by the way, that allowed them to buy the team at a cut rate of $200 million in 2001. They never really tried to make things right for Mr. Sonic — coach Nate McMillan — so he bolted for Portland last summer. On the court, things aren't any better, with Hill begging for a trade that helps their flagging backcourt situation. They're the worst defensive team in the league for a number of reasons. McMillan's focus is gone and so is the on-the-ball pressure from Antonio Daniels and shot-blocking threat of Jerome James. The latter two free agents weren't worth the money they were asking, but the two toughest players left — Reggie Evans and Danny Fortson — don't play. In other words, it's a mess with Ray Allen in the first year of his $80 million contract. The resolution? Sell the team and/or trade Allen for some high-level young players. This five-year plan to reach elite status is in its fifth season and this will be the fourth time in six seasons the team has failed to reach the playoffs. Suffice to say ... the plan isn't working.

3) Great Article on Uncle Cliffy from Tara Sullivan of the Bergen (NJ) Record:

Nets' sage keeps rolling on

EAST RUTHERFORD -- The Nets' universe is defined by its three brightest stars: Vince Carter, Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson. This is indisputable. But while those three luminaries deservedly shine most brightly, there is one teammate's shadow that can cover them all. When Cliff Robinson's 6-foot-10 frame appears, everyone takes notice. At 39 years old and with 17 years in the NBA, Robinson commands respect. Throw in his recent on-court contributions and the respect quotient only intensifies. He is not one of the big three, but when it comes to experience, Robinson stands alone. "For him to bring the amount of energy he did [Sunday] -- you're counting on a guy who's been in the league 17 years -- that speaks volumes about the type of person and player he is," coach Lawrence Frank said after practice Monday. "He's been tremendous for us. He's given us a great spark." When Robinson came off the bench to score 16 points in New Jersey's 94-79 win over Milwaukee, not only did he move into 10th place all time for playing his 1,279th NBA game, he also hit double figures for the fourth time in five games. Called on to start the second half because of the ejection of center Nenad Krstic, Robinson did his damage in just 29 minutes. "Cliff is the ultimate professional," Jefferson said. "He's not just here to play games, just to say, 'Hey I'm here in my 17th year.' He's out there to compete, to play at a high level, and the last few weeks, he has." For the Nets to have any hope of making noise in the playoffs, they need to get consistent frontcourt play, and Robinson's ability to come off the bench is a key to that. Up first, however, is the two-game road trip that precedes the All-Star break, one that begins tonight at Detroit against the team with the best record in the league. "It's going to be difficult because they're coming off a loss" Sunday to Miami, Robinson said. "To go in there and beat those guys is going to be a tall task, but it's something we're capable of doing." Those are the type of confident words Robinson shares with teammates. "As you get older you tend to let it go no matter what situation you're in," Robinson said. "If you feel you have something to say, you let it go. I've always been vocal from the time I came into the league. As you get older -- I played 17 years -- you think guys would look at me with some kind of respect. "But even more than that, the things that these guys, the big three, have done in this league, I've been there and done that." Robinson has won league's sixth man award (1993) and been named an All-Star (1994), evidence of his versatility. "It's just a matter of me going out there and trying to be consistent with what I bring," he said.

4) Marty Burns of SI.com with his NBA Notebook:

Waiting for liftoff - Rockets' play anything but All-Star quality this season

The eyes of the pro basketball world will be on Houston this weekend for the NBA's All-Star festivities. Maybe that's why the Rockets are suddenly painting the gutters and cleaning the yard. Sunday's win over the Knicks was Houston's sixth in seven games as it tries to tidy up its ramshackle hut of a season. Picked by many to be a top contender in the West, the Rockets instead have been one of the league's biggest disappointments. As of Monday, Houston was 21-30 and in last place in the Southwest Division. The Rockets have been particularly awful at home, where they have posted an 8-16 record at Toyota Center. They are the only NBA team with a significantly worse record at home than on the road. Not even the selection of Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming to the starting lineup for Sunday's All-Star Game can clean up the stench. The Rockets, of course, have been devastated by injuries. McGrady missed 13 games with back problems, and Yao missed 21 with a toe injury. Throw in the loss of starting point guard Bob Sura (back and knee), who went down before the season, as well as the extended absences of Derek Anderson (right calf strain) and Jon Barry (calf injury), and it's easy to understand how Houston has fallen. But even when T-Mac and Yao have been around, the Rockets have not looked like a serious title contender this season. Yao has not played at superstar level. Stromile Swift, signed to a five-year, $30 million free-agent contract, has been a bust. The Rockets appear old and slow at certain spots. The guys who can score don't defend, and the guys who defend can't score. Most night it seems they need McGrady to be great offensively to have a chance to win. After a dismal home loss to the Lakers last week, Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy criticized himself and his team for not forging an identity. "In general, when you looked at our team last year, we were a hard-playing team ...," Van Gundy told the Houston Chronicle. "This year, we have no foundation. We're neither hard-playing nor are we smart. That's the responsibility of the coach." In winning six of their last seven, though, the Rockets seem to be showing signs of. While their recent victims include only the Bucks, Sonics, Sixers, Jazz and Knicks (twice), the Rockets are starting to get contributions from players other than T-Mac: Yao has had games of 27, 27 and 24 points in the past week; Rafer Alston is averaging 8.4 assists over his last seven games; David Wesley has been heating up from outside. On Sunday, they beat the Knicks despite McGrady scoring just seven points on 3-of-20 shooting. Through it all, their defense has been pretty good all season. Despite all the injuries, Houston ranks fifth in the NBA in scoring defense (91.1 points allowed) and third in field-goal percentage allowed (42.7). "We're playing good basketball," Alston said Sunday. "This is a solid team effort. We just have to sustain it until the end of the year." Houston made a big run late last year to get into the playoffs, prompting optimism among fans that the team could do it again. But this year the schedule down the stretch is much tougher. Of their 17 remaining home games, 11 are against likely playoff foes (including the Mavs, Suns, Cavs, Grizzlies, Nets and two each against the Spurs and Clippers). The Rockets also have a six-game Western road trip in early April. The Rockets are going to need to stay healthy and develop cohesion quickly if they're going to survive that schedule. Otherwise, this weekend's All-Star festivities might be the last hurrah for pro hoops fans in Houston in 2006.

Who's up - Elton Brand, Clippers…Now that he's earned his All-Star bid, he seems intent on cracking the MVP race. The 6-foot-8 workhorse had a career high-tying 44 points (on 17-of-26 shooting) to go with nine rebounds in Friday's victory over the Grizzlies. He followed with a 29-point, 15-rebound effort in Sunday's loss to the Bulls. Brand, recently named to his second All-Star team and first since '02, has now scored 30 or more points in seven of his last 10 games. Not coincidentally, the Clippers have won 10 of their last 13 overall to claim the fourth-best record (30-19) in the West.

Who's down - Mike Dunleavy Jr., Warriors…He has played better of late, but he still probably wishes he were playing for the Clippers (and his dad) right now. The 6-9 small forward has lost his starting spot to Mickael Pietrus and found himself on the bench for long stretches the past few weeks. A career 35 percent shooter from 3-point range, Dunleavy has managed to hit just 24.5 percent (36 of 147) from there this season. He contributed 14 points and five assists in Saturday's victory over the Cavs, but he has a long way to go to start earning that six-year, $45 million contract extension he signed last October.

Rumor mill - Derek Anderson on the block? The veteran shooting guard has played in just 20 games this season because of knee and calf injuries. With Houston's recent acquisition of Keith Bogans, Anderson suddenly looks like the odd man out. Even Van Gundy admitted recently that the team might look to deal him some place where he could contribute. The Nuggets, in need of a shooting guard, might be tempted to take a flier on the nine-year veteran. It is doubtful, however, that the Rockets would be willing to trade Anderson within the conference. The Heat, Nets, Magic and Sixers are among the Eastern teams that might be interested. Anderson, 31, earns $1.6 million on his contract this season and holds an option for next year.

Grudge match of the week - Tues., Feb. 14: Nets at Pistons…There should be no love lost in this Valentine's Day matchup between two Eastern Conference rivals. Two weeks ago the Nets ended the Pistons' 11-game win streak with a 91-84 triumph at Continental Airlines Arena. Chauncey Billups scored 14 of his 30 points in the fourth quarter to keep Detroit close, but Jason Kidd (23 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists) hit a huge 3-pointer in the final minute to seal it for New Jersey. The Pistons surely will be out for revenge as the series shifts to the Palace of Auburn Hills.

Three seconds: The Heat finally got the proverbial monkey off their back with that win over the Pistons on Sunday. But Shaquille O'Neal had one of his best games, and it still took a last-second Dwyane Wade jumper (and some close misses by Detroit) for Miami to win at home in a game that meant a lot more to the Heat than it did to the Pistons. Bruce Bowen's value to the Spurs cannot be overestimated. Bowen not only guarded Raptors All-Star power forward Chris Bosh down the stretch in last week's OT win at Toronto, but also came over to block a shot under the basket that sealed the triumph. Meanwhile he's hitting 45 percent from 3-point range. Kenyon Martin's latest incident with the fan in Denver shows again why David Stern had to take a tough stand on Antonio Davis. K-Mart swears he didn't send a representative to silence the heckler. But he and other players will think twice about going up to confront anybody now that they know it's going to cost them.

Around the rim - Emeka Okafor will be out at least another five weeks with his sprained ankle, Bobcats coach Bernie Bickerstaff said. Okafor, the '05 Rookie of the Year, already has missed more than 20 games with the injury. ... Jazz forward Carlos Boozer had two points in six minutes in his long-awaited return Friday vs. the T'wolves. It was Boozer's first action since Feb. 14, '05 ... Kidd apparently wasn't amused by Hornets coach Byron Scott's recent comments that he had been the victim of a mutiny in New Jersey. After missing a triple-double by one rebound in Monday's victory over the Hornets, Kidd slammed the ball down at the end of the game and admitted he had wanted to get one "against those guys." ... Houston placed Swift on the inactive list for Saturday's game against the Jazz because he missed the start of Thursday's practice. It was the second time this month that Swift had been held out of a game for being late for practice.