So Dominique Wilkins, Joe Dumars and Charles Barkley are into the Hall of Fame as players, but Adrian Dantley, Artis Gilmore and Bernard King out not? Sorry but I put Dantley into the Hall before Dumars…don’t believe me, well let’s see:

PPG FG% FT% 3FG% RPG APG SPG BLG Win % Titles All-Star

Joe Dumars 16.1 46.0% 84.0% 38.0% 2.2 4.5 0.9 0.1 56.1% 2 6

Awards: NBA All-Defensive First Team four times (1989, 1990, 1992, 1993), 1990-91 NBA All-Defensive Second Team, MVP of the 1989 NBA Finals, 1996-97 NBA Sportsmanship Award, 1993-94 Walter J. Kennedy Citizenship Award,

Adrian Dantley 24.3 54.0% 82.0% 17.0% 5.7 3.0 1.0 0.2 50.0% 0 6

Awards: All-NBA Second Team (1981, '84); NBA Rookie of the Year (1977); NBA Comeback Player of the Year (1984); NBA All-Star (1980, '81, '82, '84, '85, '86); Olympic gold medalist (1976), NBA scoring titles in 1980-81 and 1983-84, 2 time NCAA All America

Dantley was a far superior scorer (50% more PPG!!!), a more efficient scorer (+8 points in FG%), a better rebounder, and Dumars’ equal in both free throw percentage and steals…steals is surprising seeing as Dumars was considered such a great defensive player…Dumars was the better shooter from 3 point range and his teams won more, albeit by a small margin…in terms of awards, Dantley has the advantage in quantity and was the better NCAA player by far…as for the Olympics, Dantley was the best player on his gold medal wining team, while Dumars was cut from the 1984 team during tryouts…the only difference is that Dumars teams won more, which is very significant, but should not completely discount the huge advantage that Dantley has statistically… o be inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, a candidate must be approved by 18 of 24 members of the honors committee (composed of players, coaches and media members), who are basing their decision on the nominee's "total contribution" to the game. "There are no black and white criteria," says John Doleva, president of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. "Decisions are based as much on quality as on quantity. Players aren't voted in because they played for this many NCAA champions or participated in two NBA Finals or any set criteria."

Wow…Chris Paul had 17 points, 11 rebounds, 16 assists and six steals in the Hornets' overtime victory over the Warriors. Since 1973-74, when the NBA began keeping track of steals, only one other player reached those levels in each of those four categories in the same game. That was Magic Johnson, and he also needed overtime to do it (33 points, 15 rebounds, 17 assists and six steals vs. Denver on March 29, 1981).

Here are the top ten NBA players in dunks:

1 Dwight Howard PF ORL 194
2 Shaquille O'Neal C MIA 179
3 Shawn Marion SF PHO 175
4 Carmelo Anthony SF DEN 154
5 Dwyane Wade SG MIA 144
6 Pau Gasol PF MEM 122
7 Eddy Curry C NY 121
8 Andre Iguodala SG PHI 119
9 Ben Wallace C DET 118
10 Richard Jefferson SF NJ 114

Wow again…Seattle PF Chris Wilcox had 26 points and 24 rebounds in a win over Houston on Tuesday…

1) Ken Shouler of ESPN.com totally knows where I’m coming from:

Hall of Fame still neglecting a few greats

With Charles Barkley, Dominique Wilkins and Joe Dumars to be inducted, the Basketball Hall of Fame has elected three more NBA players than it did last year, when the Hall was criticized widely for leaving Wilkins and Dumars out in the cold. (Barkley was not yet eligible last year.) But bringing in 'Nique and Joe D. won't right all the wrongs. The Hall of Fame continues to neglect many of the best players ever. Here is an All-Star team of the greatest players still waiting for a call from the Hall.

Jo Jo White, Guard - Every year at this time, when the Basketball Hall of Fame announces its inductees to the Hall of Fame, White gets tense: "I really don't understand what the criteria are; you don't know who's doing the voting, and so you hold your breath. My gut hurts." At this point, having been passed over for many years, Jo Jo White says he is "numb" to the results. In White's case, the issue is consistency -- as in, the Hall should be more consistent in its considerations. Compare White with 2006 selection Dumars. Like Dumars, White won a Finals MVP. In addition, White's career points per game (17.2), assists (4.9) and rebounds (4.0) in the regular season and the playoffs (21.5, 5.7, 4.5) exceed Dumars' totals across the board. (Dumars did register four appearances on the All-Defensive first team.) But White deserves to be enshrined for two other reasons, reasons that have nothing to do with player comparisons. The first is his individual slate, and the second is his teams' success. With Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (then Lew Alcindor) boycotting the 1968 Mexico City Olympics and Elvin Hayes declining an invitation to try out, the United States had a challenge in maintaining its undefeated record in Olympic play. Pete Maravich (43.8 points per game) and Calvin Murphy (38.2) were not selected for the United States. White was. Against the taller, stronger squads of Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, which had two 7-footers, White and Spencer Haywood spearheaded the attack, and the U.S. won the gold. "He is probably as complete a player as you would want to run into in a university class," coach Hank Iba said in 1968. "His greatest assets are directing plays and an ability to shoot out on the floor. He is a great pro prospect." In 1969, popular wisdom said Boston general manager Red Auerbach should be drafting a center to replace the great Bill Russell. And NBA teams shied away from White because he had a two-year military commitment. Auerbach knew he needed to replace retiring playmaker Sam Jones, though, so he set out to pull some strings in Washington. Suddenly, White was in the Marine Reserves (which carried a June-December obligation) and missed only training camp and the first 12 games of the 1969-70 season. (The next year, Red got his man in the pivot, Dave Cowens.) White had been used to a walk-the-ball-up pace at Kansas, but he adapted to Boston's fast-breaking style. A speedy wisp of a guard at 6-3 and 190 pounds, he could stutter-step and blow by defenders or pull up on a dime and fire his patented line-drive jumper. He climbed from 12 points a game to 21, then to 23 in three years. A venomous New York-Boston rivalry flourished, with White going against Walt Frazier and the teams vying for preeminence of the East and meeting in the conference finals from 1972 to 1974. After losing to New York in 1972 and 1973, the Celtics knocked off an aging Knicks team in '74. They won Game 7 against Milwaukee on the Bucks' court as John Havlicek won Finals MVP honors. The snide remark around the league -- "Let's see Boston win without Russell" -- was laid to rest. Boston was back in the Finals against Phoenix in 1976. Cowens and Paul Silas punished the Suns off the boards and White dominated the scoring column, averaging 23 points and six assists for the series. He scored 33 points in the fabled Game 5, when Phoenix's Gar Heard hit a shot with a second left in the second overtime and Boston won in three overtimes, 128-126. It has been called the greatest NBA game ever played, and White's MVP performance in the Finals thus was overshadowed. But in a decade of parity, Boston joined New York as the only other team with two titles in the 1970s. Later, the Celtics recognized White's contributions by retiring his number 10 and raising it to their populated rafters. Has White slid through the cracks of history? Has he been forgotten by the Hall merely because his career ended 25 years ago? It would seem so.

Dennis Johnson, Guard - An all-around performer, D.J. played in six NBA Finals and was on the winning side in three of them. He was a five-time All-Star who was named to the All-Defensive first team six times (1979-83 and 1987). Johnson's deliberate, never frazzled, "What, me worry?" style lent itself to big-game performances. Although Boston's legendary front line of Bird-McHale-Parish is still celebrated, Johnson gets overlooked. Playing for Seattle against Washington in the 1979 Finals, Johnson undressed the Bullets' guards, registering 25 points per game and blocking 14 shots. The Sonics won in five, and Johnson copped the MVP for the series. Auerbach got Johnson from Phoenix for backup center Rick Robey and a couple of draft picks in 1983. Red's heist paid immediate dividends. With Johnson directing traffic, Boston won 62 games and took Los Angeles in the Finals. In Game 4, Johnson contributed mightily with 22 points and 14 assists. In Games 5 and 7, he again scored 22 points. In fact, as the NBA playoffs approached their historical apex in the 1980s, Johnson played in four consecutive Finals, from 1984 through 1987. Larry Bird said, "Johnson was the smartest player I ever played with." The duo's in-sync quality was never more evident than when Bird stole Isiah Thomas' inbounds pass in Game 5 of the '87 Eastern Conference finals and found Johnson streaking to the basket for a layup. Two years before, in Game 4 of the 1985 Finals, Bird had been double-teamed and found Johnson for a game-winning 18-footer as time expired. The only guards with more NBA All-Defensive awards are Michael Jordan (nine), Gary Payton (nine) and Frazier (seven). Like Frazier, Johnson will be recalled as a rounded, heady, clutch player who was essential to the championship teams on which he played.

Bernard King, Forward - At his rapid-fire peak -- three scorching years in New York from 1983 through 1985 -- King was an irrepressible offensive force. "There has not been a better post-up 6-6 or 6-7 player in the league than Bernard King," says Hubie Brown, who coached him in New York from 1983 to 1985. In a recent interview with ESPN.com, Brown recalled King's "complete book" of offensive moves, including a lightning quick catch-turn-release and an up-and-under -- not to mention his ability to finish on the fast break, where he was a no-frills blur swooping to the basket. "In my lifetime of coaching, he is one of the two assassins that I have been fortunate to coach," Brown adds. "Neither pressure, defensive alignments nor game situations were going to prevent him from scoring or doing something sensational." Brown continued: "He and Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar] were the two players I coached who demanded the ball with their eyes. King was never a vocal leader; he led by example -- in his practice habits and his focus during the game and his ability to execute under extreme pressure." Anyone watching the Knicks from 1983 to 1985, more than a decade after their peak, was treated to a Kingly feast on a nightly basis. Easily the greatest offensive player in franchise history, King gifted his mates with 60 against New Jersey on Christmas Day 1984. Before King, New York could never boast a player who averaged 30 points per game, nor one who poured in 50 points in back-to-back games, as King did against San Antonio and Dallas in 1984. All told, in three seasons with New York, he scored 40 or more 23 times. His playoff performances included a record-setting five-gamer against Detroit in 1984 in which he averaged 42.6 for the series (later bested by Jordan's 45.2 against Cleveland in 1988). In March 1985, with the Knicks all but eliminated from the playoff hunt, King hustled back on a fast break and -- in an attempt to block a shot -- ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament. King led the league in scoring that year but didn't return until two seasons later. Studying his own injury, and rehabilitating with the same tenacity with which he played, King reinvented himself with a face-the-basket attack. He averaged 28.4 points and made the All-Star team as a member of the Washington Bullets in 1991.

Adrian Dantley, Forward - Dantley has been nominated four times but has never received the welcome call from Springfield. "I'm not surprised," Dantley said. "Someone called and said, 'Be patient.'" "I know the ballplayers who I played against who are in the Hall of Fame. I know what I did against Clyde Drexler when he came to Utah and against James Worthy." Just 6-5, Dantley was nonetheless a dominant low-post player. He is one of the few basketball players in history to average 30 points a game for four straight seasons (1980-81 to 1983-84), and he led the league in scoring twice. Noting that Dantley was "one of the most undersized power forwards ever to play the game," Brown nonetheless pointed out Dantley's post-up prowess: "He not only put up the points year in and year out but he got to the line and was such a great foul shooter." Dantley's seven-year body of work in Utah was a marvel to behold. Before Karl Malone became Utah's iron man, Dantley put up consecutive scoring averages of 28, 31, 30, 31, 31, 27 and 30 on 54 percent shooting. He led the league in free throws five times and, in 1984, tied Wilt Chamberlain's record for 28 free throws in a game. In the 1984 playoffs, he scored 32 points per game. He did it all with a simple formula. "I took the bigger players outside, and the smaller ones inside," he says. Several weeks before his 33rd birthday, Dantley, then playing for Detroit, was averaging 19 points per game but was shipped to Dallas for forward Mark Aguirre. Four months later, the Pistons were capturing their first of consecutive NBA titles without Dantley. Dantley blamed Thomas for going to management and engineering the trade for Aguirre, a longtime friend. "Everybody knows what went on there," Dantley says. If nothing else, Dantley's career illustrates how chance plays a role, even in a great career. Had he not been traded from Detroit in February 1989, he likely would have played on one title team, maybe two, and his career might be perceived much differently.

Artis Gilmore, Center - Gilmore is the greatest eligible center not in the Hall of Fame. "I have no idea why he's not in," said Brown, who coached Gilmore with Kentucky, including in 1975, when the Colonels won the ABA championship. "He's the most dominant center in the history of the ABA. He dominated college basketball at Gardner-Webb Junior College, then at Jacksonville, and was the Most Valuable Player in the 1975 playoffs. In the playoffs, he posted overpowering statistics, averaging 24 points and 18 rebounds. He was All-ABA first team five years in a row.
"In the NBA, he revitalized the Chicago franchise and played for a great team in San Antonio with [George] Gervin. But San Antonio couldn't get past the Lakers, who went to the Finals in eight of 10 years. "He was extremely coachable, a hard worker, and got along with his peers. He played big in big games. So I don't understand why he is snubbed [by the Hall of Fame]. I have difficulty with that, because I don't know what else he could have done. I don't know what else to say, other than I don't know who is presenting his case. How your case is presented is important." Could it be that he played so long in the ABA? If so, we've had enough already of this canard that the ABA was some vastly inferior league. If it was, why were eight former ABA players in the All-Star Game in 1977, the first year of the ABA-NBA merger? "What can I say?" Gilmore says about his not being inducted. "I think everything has been said for quite a while. It's not the ABA and NBA Hall of Fame, it's the Basketball Hall of Fame. It would be a tremendous honor, but I'm insulated from the [voting] process. The statistics and accomplishments should stand up under that scrutiny." No question. One of the strongest men ever to set foot on a basketball court, Gilmore set records at every level. He averaged 38 points per game in high school, scoring 75 in one game. To this day, he holds the NCAA career record with 22.7 rebounds per game. In 1970, he led the Jacksonville Dolphins to the NCAA championship game, where they lost to UCLA, 80-69. Gilmore posted 16 rebounds and 19 points, but UCLA harassed him into 9-of-29 shooting. He still was selected for the All-Tournament team. His 16,330 rebounds are fourth all-time in pro ball, behind only Chamberlain, Russell and Abdul-Jabbar. He scored 24,041 points. The two totals combined are good enough for seventh place in history. Gilmore is the game's all-time leader in field goal accuracy at .599. He was one of three members of the 20,000-point, 10,000-rebound club who didn't make the NBA 50th Anniversary All-Time Team in 1996. The other two were Walt Bellamy and Dan Issel. Both of them have been elected to the Hall of Fame.

Jo Jo White, Dennis Johnson, Bernard King, Adrian Dantley and Artis Gilmore -- that's my quintet of snubbed Hall of Famers. I'll trot them out there against 'most anyone and take my chances.

2) Former Bulls guard BJ Armstrong with some thoughts on Bron Bron and the Cavs:

LeBron passes on final exam

Editor's Note: B.J. Armstrong answers a few questions after Wednesday's Cleveland-New York game.

Q. The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Heat, Lakers and Mavs in a nine-game win streak. And then Wednesday, they fell on the road to a Knicks team that had lost nine straight, 96-94. How big a relief is this for New York?

A. A very good win for them. They gave the effort, and it's good to see that sense of professionalism. Jamal Crawford (37 points) carried them. I know how difficult it is, when a team struggles and all sorts of things are swirling within the team and media. My first year in Golden State (1995-96), we didn't make the playoffs, and I had been used to being in the playoffs with Chicago. All of a sudden you're on the outside looking in. So you learn to look within, and know the importance of playing with a purpose, with professionalism.

Q. In losing to the Knicks, LeBron James dished to Larry Hughes for an open 3, which would have won it, instead of taking a final tying shot himself. Was that the right move?

A. LeBron has to shoot it. They were down 18 in the fourth quarter, and they had tied it because LeBron stepped up and scored 21 of his 36 points in the fourth. If he's good enough to get you to the dance, he should be good enough to win it. When he made that pass to Larry, he's got to know this is only Hughes' second game back. You don't expect Larry to have the legs and stamina to make a shot at that point in the game. LeBron has that type of talent where if he's going to reach a level of greatness, then he's going to have to face the fears of losing that game. Because in the long term, he needs to accept the responsiblity of losing the game, just as he accepts the responsibility for getting them back. There's only about five players who can play at that level at that stage of the game. With greatness comes responsibility.

Q. Is LeBron the MVP? Why or why not?

A. You can make a case for him. I would say he's not the MVP. There have been players who have had more significant years, in particular Kobe Bryant. LeBron's having a great year. In his third season, he's still developing and still learning what this league is all about. He's been sensational for this stage of his career. You have to honor that. He's not complete as far as being the total package. He still has some things that need to be worked out.

Q. How important is it for him to develop his post-up moves?

A. As LeBron continues to grow, he's going to have to find a way to play the game more efficiently than he's playing -- and learn how to play below the free throw line. Scoring the ball isn't the problem for him, but scoring it more efficiently is what's needed. Receiving the ball below the foul line with a live dribble -- that's the most efficient way to score. And he's got to learn to play with his back to the basket. In the playoffs, he's going to see more and more complicated double teams.

Q. Flip Murray was a big boost to Cavs when they got him from Seattle in February. What's the best way to keep him contributing at a high level as Larry Hughes likely takes away some minutes?

A. What I see in Flip, who will be a free agent at season's end, is what I saw in Chauncey Billups when Chauncey was in Minnesota. Somebody is going to get him at the right time and the right price, just like Joe Dumars got Chauncey at the right time and price. Flip has been unbelieveable. He's not only filled in well, but he's carved out a niche. I think he's adept enough with the ball to play point. And I know that he knows he's pretty good. He's got some toughness about him. I would suspect he will play a bigger role in the playoffs. He'll be a big reason they advance, if they do.

Q. Evaluate Larry Hughes as a defender, please.

A. Larry Hughes is a risk taker. He's always in passing lanes, getting deflections. I'd almost call him a gambler on the defensive end. There's a difference between Larry and Ron Artest -- Ron shuts you down, Larry gets his steals. I wouldn't say he's a great one-on-one defender, but he makes some tremendous defensive plays.

Q. What do the Cavs need from Zydrunas Ilgauskas for playoff success?

A. We know he can score. I'd like to see him step up defensively, contesting shots, shutting down the lane. I think he can make his biggest contribution on the defensive end, giving them blocked shots and intimidation.

Q. Seems like Cavs-Wiz is going to be a first-round matchup. Thoughts?

A. This looks like it's going to be one of the better series. There's going to be a lot of emotion with Hughes playing his former team. It's a tough matchup for Cleveland, with the three scorers they have in Washington. Also, the consistency of the Wizards' scorers, not to mention their experience, will certainly pose some problems. So I expect it would be atough series, going 6 or 7, and if Cleveland's not careful, Washington could easily come in and win one or two in Cleveland.

3) Mike Kahn of FOXSports.com with his 10 things column:

This was the kind of game the NBA, circa 2006, has been waiting for desperately. Reminiscent of the Game 7 shootout of the 1988 Eastern Conference semifinals in the Boston Garden between Larry Bird and Dominique Wilkins, LeBron James led Cleveland over Dwyane Wade and Miami on Saturday afternoon in a game that ended with the two embracing. It didn't have the same pressure of Bird scoring 20 of his 34 points in the fourth quarter to offset the 19-of-23 shooting and 47 points from Wilkins so the Celtics could advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. However, James and Wade clearly provided just as much drama and excitement, creating hope for the future popularity of the league. Presumably, this is just the start of a great rivalry between the two as they became only the second duo in NBA history to each have at least 40 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in the same game — Elgin Baylor of the Los Angeles Lakers and the St. Louis Hawks' Bob Pettit did it in 1961.

1. James, the 21-year-old wunderkind, led the Cavs to their seventh straight win with 47 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists — his sixth triple triple-double of the season and 10th of his young career — including 18 points in the fourth quarter. What this really means: The Cavs moved to 13 games over .500 for the first time in 13 years with the win, just days after qualifying for the playoffs for the first time since 1998 — when James was in junior high down the road in Akron. This late season surge is another example of how the 6-foot-8, 240-pound forward continues to raise his level of play as he learns how to dominate games and help his teammates do the same. Perhaps more importantly, injured guard Larry Hughes, who has not played since Dec. 31 due to a broken finger on his right hand, is practicing again and due back this week. There are those who believe the Cavs have little chance to get past the first round, but if Hughes can regain some sharpness, and James continues to expand his game with Flip Murray chipping in, they are far more dangerous than a lot of the other teams in the Eastern Conference would care to admit. With Washington, Indiana and Milwaukee battling it out for the fifth spot, the Cavs will have home-court advantage and will be favored against all three, and with the exception of a rejuvenated Indiana team, a likely winner. And they don't figure to be pushovers for the Detroit Pistons in the second round, either.

2. Wade, like James in his third season from the spectacular 2003 NBA Draft, poured in 21 in the fourth quarter, finishing with 44 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. What this really means: Whereas James is awaiting the return of Hughes, Wade now is in the familiar position of wondering about the ramifications of the latest injury suffered by All-Star center Shaquille O'Neal. O'Neal hyper-extended his left knee during last Monday's win over Indiana, and doesn't know how or why it happened. He didn't play in Saturday's game or in the previous Wednesday's win over Toronto (but he did play 36 minutes with 18 points and nine rebounds in the previous Sunday's 90-78 loss to the New Jersey Nets). O'Neal has missed 21 games this season, and as the final two weeks of the regular season approach, his sub-par performance in last season's playoffs that left them just minutes short of winning the Eastern Conference has crept back into the minds of those who watch the 34-year-old big man closely.
Will the swelling become chronic down the stretch run, and if so, how effective will he be? And what about the torn calf muscle suffered by Alonzo Mourning that will keep him out until the playoffs? Clearly, this is Wade's team to lead at this point, but the bigger question is whether or not O'Neal can step up and help significantly, considering they have a less effective cast around them than the one that took them to the brink of the Eastern title last spring. Keep in mind that the Heat entered the week having lost four of their last five games on the road.

3. The Nets continued to roll this week, clinching a playoff spot and moving to within a game of clinching the Atlantic Division title with their 12-point win over the Heat on Sunday. What this really means: This marked a season-high 12th consecutive win for the Nets. More importantly, as likely second round playoff opponents, the Nets have won the last three meetings with the Heat after losing to them in November. With the trio of Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson and Jason Kidd rolling in high gear, unlike the adjustment period going on last season at this time — Carter being acquired via trade and Jefferson coming back in the playoffs from a ruptured ligament in his wrist — this has become a superb offensive team at key moments. Young 7-footer Nenad Krstic is also much more consistent and effective than last season at the big forward spot, with Jason Collins providing some physical presence defensively and on the boards at center. What we're left wondering is whether or not they'll get anything from the bench of Lamond Murray, Cliff Robinson, Jacque Vaughn and Zoran Planinic. It brings to mind their change of heart about Shareef Abdur-Rahim during the preseason and the X-rays on his knee. They undoubtedly could have used his low-post presence to finish off the offensive versatility, and his knee hasn't given him any problems. Nonetheless, the Nets are closing in on only their second 50-win season since joining the NBA in 1976, which speaks volumes about coach Lawrence Frank and this group.

4. Just when it appeared the San Antonio Spurs would actually be challenged for the top seed in the Western Conference, the Dallas Mavericks went East and finally suffered the consequences of injuries to key players in their rotation. What this really means: Struggling without Josh Howard, Devin Harris, Adrian Griffin, Marquis Daniels and Keith Van Horn, the Mavs went 1-for-3 on their recent East Coast swing and fell what seems like an insurmountable three games behind the Spurs in the loss column. More specifically, the Mavs entered Sunday's game with the Denver Nuggets 8-7 since Howard went down with a strained left hamstring — splitting the last 10 games. Things are so bad they've petitioned the league for an exception, and rumblings abound that they're considering the addition of former Seattle star Shawn Kemp, who is 36 and hasn't played since the 2002-03 season with the Orlando Magic. Well, Howard returned Sunday, and the Mavericks crushed the Denver Nuggets 103-79, with Howard contributing 20 points, five rebounds and two steals. It further emphasizes what we've been thinking for a long time. While Dirk Nowitzki is clearly the superstar on this team, Howard is the embodiment of everything coach Avery Johnson needs and wants on this team. Howard is a tireless defender, crashes the boards, runs the floor on the break and moves the ball on offense. The only certainty is that Howard must be as close to 100 percent as possible for the Mavs to seriously push the Spurs. Otherwise, they're bound for a second round exit … again.

5. The dress code was back in the news this week when several players went on record saying the league is considering a unilateral ban on all tights worn by players because they don't conform to the uniform code. What this really means: We can only hope this is just another case of the league floating a concept to check the temperature and doesn't carry this out. Some people may believe the tights don't look particularly great when some players where them, along with preventing all teams from having the same look. But really, who cares? With headbands, wristbands, socks and various pads for knees, elbows and any other vulnerable part of the body, why would tights be a problem? Perhaps more importantly, the tights are therapeutic for all players with leg problems. Their tight fit helps keep tight or strained muscles warm and even prevents cramping and awkward stretching to a certain extent. If the "NBA dress police" are so concerned about the look, then at the very most they can assert the tights must be the same color as the uniforms. Certainly, they can get one of their licensed distributors to help take care of that, can't they?

6. The return of Amare Stoudemire from microfracture knee surgery in October lasted all of three games before the Phoenix Suns decided to pull the plug on their 23-year-old star — perhaps for the rest of the season. What this really means: Stoudemire had 20 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in his season debut against the Portland Trail Blazers, while playing just 19 minutes. But in the next two games, he played a combined total of six points, seven rebounds and one block. Now, there is stiffness and some swelling in both legs. Well, no kidding. Short of overcompensating, obviously the Suns knew there was no chance of further damage; so every one had to agree it was worth a shot. Now is when it gets dicey. Not only would it be really risky to push it now because he is so uncomfortable, but clearly there is also some fear involved on Stoudemire's part. The 6-10 power player has just signed a maximum contract prior to the season and has the potential to be a dominant player for the next 10 years. Should Stoudemire return in another week or two, the fear of further damage from a lack of balance and a subsequent loss of confidence could have long-term ramifications. Because of the relatively young age of the Suns' roster (with the exception of Steve Nash), this would be crazy. They're very good without him; Tim Thomas has been a huge help, and Kurt Thomas will be back soon from his foot injury. There are too many examples of guys set back or hurting their careers over the long haul for taking similar risks. A summer or strengthening his game physically and mentally will be well worth the wait.

7. The Indiana Pacers retired Reggie Miller's No. 31 on Thursday night in Conseco Fieldhouse while losing to the Phoenix Suns 114-104. That translates into three uniform retirement ceremonies this season — including Scottie Pippen in Chicago and Karl Malone in Utah — and three losses for the home team. What this really means: Not much other than celebrations rarely guarantee victories for the home team. In the case of Miller, the event was filled with family members, former teammates and certainly worthy of every plaudit imaginable for a guy who helped lift the franchise into a perennial Eastern Conference contender and warrant the construction of their special building in 1999. The 11th pick of the 1987 draft, Miller is the Pacers' all-time leading scorer with 25,279 points in his career, which is 12th in NBA history. His 3-point totals of 2560-for-6486 are the most in NBA history as well. But perhaps more important has been the way this Riverside, Calif., and UCLA product embraced this Midwestern town for all 18 years of his career. Suffering through the loss of his home due to arson, he established a foundation for burn victims, and it has become legendary in the state. Indeed, Miller was well deserving of the tribute, just as he will be when he is inducted into the Hall of Fame — presumably on his first ballot four years from now — as one of the great clutch shooters in the history of the game.

8. The Los Angeles Clippers clinched their first winning season in 11 years with their 106-91 win over the Utah Jazz on Friday night. Elton Brand and Sam Cassell had 22 points apiece, which is a microcosm of why the team has been so effective this season. What this really means: Brand provides the inside dominance, and Cassell does it from the perimeter. Although they are the two keys to the success of the team, it's the way coach Mike Dunleavy employs the rest of the talent that will allow the Clippers not to just make a token playoff experience but to push the Dallas Mavericks — the Clippers' presumed first round opponent. Consider the fact that Corey Maggette is back, healthy and playing well. Vladimir Radmanovic and Cuttino Mobley provide them with dangerous streaks of long-range shooting. And it has been very easy for everyone to overlook young 7-foot center Chris Kaman, who is getting better all the time — averaging 11.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks, while shooting 76 percent from the free throw line. The Clippers won 49 games when they were known as the Buffalo Braves, coached by Jack Ramsay during the 1974-75 season, and 46 a year later. Theie best record since leaving Buffalo is 45-37 for Larry Brown during the 1991-92 campaign. Now is their chance to set a new standard, and won't it give hope to every franchise in professional sports?

9. Kobe Bryant poured in a game-high 43 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 104-88 win over the Houston Rockets, trying Bryant with Elgin Baylor for the franchise record of 23 games of 40 or more points in one season. It's also the fourth time in seven games he's scored 43.
What this really means: It would be a ridiculous understatement to say Bryant is at the hub of everything the Lakers accomplish, of course. But it's young big man Kwame Brown who has raised his level of play as the Lakers have won seven of 10 and moved five games over .500 for the first time all season. He's averaged 12.0 points and 8.0 rebounds since starting center Chris Mihm rolled his ankle, as coach Phil Jackson and the rest of the Lakers have patiently waited all season for Brown to make some progress. When the Lakers completed a sign-and-trade with the Washington Wizards for the first overall pick of the 2001 draft, they obviously believed Brown was going to be worth the three years and nearly $25 million they've guaranteed him. They obviously figured all those rumblings about his lackadaisical approach to the game were a result of being abused early on by Michael Jordan and that Jackson would snap him out of it. To be sure, Brown hasn't shed the label, and he has yet to show the flashes of brilliance that excited everyone in the first place. But he's making progress and gaining confidence, if not quite playing at a steady intensity. Having said that, if Mihm is moving around well by playoff time, and takes some of the post pressure away from Brown, it could provide the 6-11, 255-pound Georgia native with the opportunity be a difference-maker and make the Lakers that much dangerous when they play the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs.

10. The Sacramento Kings defeated the Clippers 106-96 on Sunday for their 12th consecutive win over the Clippers and retained a two-game lead over the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets for the final playoff spot in the West. What this really means: The win was the third in a row for the Kings, who had lost five of seven before this streak. All the talk has been about how Ron Artest has transformed this team, how much pressure is on lame duck coach Rick Adelman and the decisions that president Geoff Petrie is going to have to make at the end of the season. But all of that is dwarfed by the persistent rumblings about owners Gavin and Joe Maloof wanting to move this nomadic franchise elsewhere. But whether we're talking about anyone from Rochester, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Omaha, Sacramento or any other city involved with the history of this franchise, helping this team get to the playoffs couldn't possibly be more important to anyone else than Shareef Abdur-Rahim. Coming off the bench since Jan. 19, when he returned from a three-week absence due to a broken jaw, he's played in 736 career games. That's far and away the most games any active player has participated in without making the playoffs. In fact, Abdur-Rahim is a handful of games less than 200 behind Tom Van Arsdale for the all-time record of playoff futility. And while Van Arsdale's record certainly appears safe for now, the sense of desperation is palpable for Abdur-Rahim. With his sound post game, A-plus locker room and off-court demeanor, plus the way the Nets rejected him in the fall, no one deserves a reprieve more than this guy.