According to a report from the Philadelphia Inquirer on Sunday, four groups are still in the running, including one that includes Hall of Famer Julius Erving and entertainer Will Smith, a Philadelphia native.

Eric Musselman…new Kings coach and soon to be owner of a brand spanking new criminal record for DUI…he was so drunk that when officers were booking him at the station he gave his home address as Arco Arena…dummy…

Reminds me of the time that then Blazers SF Qyntel Woods was arrested for DUI and then subsequently charged with possession of marijuana…when police pulled him over and approached the vehicle, they noticed smoke pouring out of the windows. The officer tapped on the glass and literally had to fan the pot smoke out form the front of his face as the window rolled down…he then asked Woods for identification and Woods was so stoned he reached into his wallet and handed the officer his Topps NBA rookie card and then offered to sign it for the officer…the official police report states that once the officer called for assistance because he could not stop laughing…

Speaking of the Kings, centre Vitaly Potapenko is in danger of begin cut due to his inability to pass a mandatory team conditioning test…apparently dude is the white Oliver Miller right now…way fat…

Remember Mahmoud Abdul Rauf, or as he was previously known Chris Jackson…aside from being one of the 5 best high school players ever, dude tore up the NCAA as the quickest guy this side of Allen Iverson at LSU and then had a decent NBA career until he was blackballed by the league for refusing to respect the American National Anthem…anyway, he has turned up in the Greek League playing for Aris Thessaloniki…

Now that the Mavs Josh Howard and the Suns Boris Diaw have signed extensions, the next 4th year player who’s up is Chicago PG Kirk Hinrich…

1) From Austin Bruton of Dime Magazine, 10 Q’s with Steve Nash:

10 Sense: Ten Things Straight From...

After putting up 18.8 points and 10.5 dimes per game in ’05-06 and leading the Phoenix Suns to another division crown, Steve Nash won his second straight NBA Most Valuable Player trophy. But for all the debate and controversy over the MVP voting, no one can argue Nash’s status as the best point guard on the planet.

1. The hardest guy for me to guard? Probably Jason Kidd. The hardest defender on me? Jason Kidd.

2. A point guard has a lot more on his shoulders, more than just the physical and the mental part of taking care of himself. He’s got to take care of his teammates, understand the direction of the team … there’s a lot for a point guard to learn. It is the hardest position for sure to adjust to when you’re coming into the League. Not as extensive as a quarterback, but it’s similar. You have a lot more to think about than the rest of the guys.

3. I definitely don’t think I’m the best player in the League. I think I do contribute a lot to my team and I feel proud about that. But on a pure ability level, I can’t compete with (a lot of) other guys. I find a way to have the same impact by trying to use my head.

4. If I played Steph one-on-one, he’d beat me every single time.

5. I think the international game is definitely a lot more open-minded. I think in our part of the world sometimes we can be a little closed-minded.

6. More than anything, I think it’s about having the right motivation. You’re trying to make the right play instead of just trying to rack up assists.

7. I think it’s great for the game that teams are trying to run. The game is best when the ball moves and players move. When the game gets stagnant, I don’t think it’s an effective game for many teams – only the teams with the biggest guy. That’s not a good game for the fans, it’s not good for the sport, it’s not good for the skill development of kids, and it’s not good for using your head.

8. I’m pretty good at soccer, but it would take me a lot of training to compete at that (Major League Soccer) level.

9. I looked up to Isiah Thomas and John Stockton.

10. There are a lot of great players that deserved the MVP as much as I did. I understand that and appreciate it, but for whatever reason, I won it. It’s a great argument and it’s an impossible argument. But let the argument go on as far as I’m concerned.

2) Marty Burns of SI.com thinks something is fishy:

Not-so-Fabolous night - Telfair's necklace stolen ... Celtics lie ... rapper shot

There's something about NBA players, training camp and nightclubs that's making for a volatile mix this month. Two weeks ago, it was Pacers guard Stephen Jackson firing off his gun and getting hit by a car at a strip club. Now comes the bizarre case of Celtics point guard Sebastian Telfair. While visiting a club in New York City late Monday, the night before his team's exhibition game with the Knicks, Telfair said he had a $50,000 gold chain stolen from around his neck. According to press reports, the 21-year-old Brooklyn native had parked his Bentley in front of Justin's, a popular night spot owned by hip hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs. When informed that the car might be towed, Telfair and his fiancée moved it to a nearby parking lot where he encountered four men, one of whom ripped the pricey bling off his neck. But here's where the case gets bizarre. Almost as bizarre as the Stephen Jackson episode. When Telfair went back in the club, according to the New York Post, he reportedly spotted the sticky-fingered assailant hanging with the crew of rapper Fabolous. Telfair didn't call police, but he reportedly was seen talking on his cell phone. Some two hours after, Fabolous -- also a Brooklyn native - was shot and wounded in the left thigh while standing outside the club. New York police are investigating whether there was any connection between the robbery and the shooting. Telfair says he is simply a victim. He has cooperated, even leaving Tuesday night's game at halftime to help pick suspects out of a lineup. Meanwhile, Fabolous has more to worry about than his wounded leg. After being shot, he and some companions drove away from the scene in their SUV. When stopped later by police, Fabolous and three members of his crew were arrested and charged with having unregistered loaded weapons. Maybe the sequence of events was just a coincidence, but the incident won't help Telfair's image. Last February, as a member of the Blazers, the preps-to-pros phenom was fined by the team for carrying a loaded gun in a bag on the team's private jet. He claimed the gun belonged to his then-girlfriend and that he had accidentally grabbed the wrong bag. Boston GM Danny Ainge, who acquired Telfair in a trade with the Blazers this past summer, can't be too happy. To explain Telfair's mysterious disappearance at halftime (he had 14 points and two assists while outplaying his cousin Stephon Marbury), the Celtics PR staff told the media it was because of "sickness." That lie was supported after the game by Ainge and coach Doc Rivers. On Wednesday, Ainge continued to stand by Telfair, while Rivers defended his decision to mislead the media. "I knew I was not going to make this a circus for the guys in the locker room," he said. "If I had to lie [about the stomach ailment], I had to lie on that." Oh, what a tangled web we weave ... And if players are going to insist on wearing $50,000 pieces of jewelry when out on the town, shouldn't they hire some muscle (as in a licensed security guard) to accompany them?

Your turn, Chris Kaman - With Josh Howard (four years, $40 million) and Boris Diaw (five years, $45 million) agreeing to rookie contract extensions, the heat is now on the Clippers to come to terms with center Chris Kaman. The stringy-haired 7-footer reportedly wants a five-year deal worth around $55 million. The Clippers are offering $50 million over the same span. Kaman says he wants to stay in L.A., but he also wants a fair deal. He and his agent, Rob Pelinka, only have to look at recent free-agent contracts for Samuel Dalembert (six years, $64 million) and Tyson Chandler (six years, $63 million) to get an idea of his worth. The Clippers are worried about staying under the luxury tax next season, especially since Shaun Livingston will be up for his own rookie contract renewal, but they really have no choice. If the Clippers don't sign Kaman before the Oct. 31 deadline, they could still keep him next summer by matching any offer he receives on the open market. But it's going to cost them more than it would now. As one of the few good young true low post centers in the game, Kaman will almost certainly get an offer in the $11 million per year range.

What was Isiah thinking? - Isiah Thomas' tirade against Greg Anthony after Wednesday's Knicks practice was petty and misguided. Doesn't Thomas realize that Anthony is getting paid by ESPN to give his opinion? Thomas said he singled out Anthony because he was a former Knick. But Anthony played for six teams in his career. If he can't criticize the Knicks, Blazers, Grizzlies, Sonics, Bulls and Bucks ... well, that's 20 percent of the league. Thomas also noted that he worked as a TV commentator, and that he never would have criticized the Pistons. Oh really? Did he tell NBC that before he signed a contract? If not, they should demand a refund.

3) Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports on the Rockets:

New Rocket boosts add pressure for T-Mac, Yao, JVG

One splashy offseason move is typically all it takes around here. We saw it again in September, just like the summer before. The Houston Rockets signed Bonzi Wells and, almost instantly, were widely proclaimed to be back among the NBA elite. Those who actually play and work for the Rockets know it isn't so. They remember all the premature praise in circulation this time last year, when Stromile Swift, improbable as it seems now, was afforded full-fledged Missing Piece Status upon signing up to serve as Yao Ming's new frontcourt sidekick. Good health, then, is merely the No. 1 worry for a team that managed to put Yao and Tracy McGrady on the floor together in only 31 of its 82 games last season. Another biggie? "You've got to manage the hype," Rockets coach Jeff Van Gundy said. "For us, it's all projections and predictions at this point. I've told our guys, I don't want them to underestimate how good they can be. But I also don't want them to underestimate how far we have to go." Van Gundy is famously pessimistic, true, but he's hardly exaggerating about the length of the journey. The Rockets haven't won a playoff series since 1997, went 0-8 last season against their fellow Texans from Dallas and San Antonio, and can't even dream about playoff glories until they know their two superstars can manage the injuries that have habitually interfered with McGrady's vulnerable back and Yao's left foot. It's not as if they're off to the best start, either. Yao has already missed a good chunk of this month with a serious (at least to Van Gundy) toe ailment. And Wells, thanks to persistent groin trouble and then a root canal, has yet to get through a full practice with his new team, meaning he'll undoubtedly start his Rockets career delivering a good bit less than the 23.2 points and 12.0 rebounds he averaged in the playoffs for Sacramento. It also means that Van Gundy will likely open the final season on his contract without a single look at his best five players on the floor as a unit before opening night. Spend time around the Rockets, though, and you don't sense any here-we-go-again discouragement ... yet. Even Van Gundy has been joking about his "new personality" and an accompanying promise "to focus on the positives." Maybe that's because the Rockets made more than one splashy move, which makes a return to the playoffs likely if they can find some sustained health. On draft night, remember, Houston traded the rights to the promising-but-enigmatic Rudy Gay -- and free-agent misfit Swift -- for Shane Battier, one of the league's most revered role players. The Rockets also acquired Kirk Snyder from the Hornets at a minimal cost to add size to their too-small backcourt, scored what appears to be a draft steal with second-round sharpshooter Steve Novak and imported 2004 draftee Vassilis Spanoulis after the versatile guard helped Greece upset Battier's Team USA in the semifinals of the World Championship in Japan. So there was a buzz about the Rockets and their revamping even before the September score of Wells at a bargain of $2.1 million this season, after Wells famously rejected a $7 million-a-season offer from the Kings. Wells' arrival, helped along by McGrady's behind-the-scenes lobbying, inevitably ramped up what Van Gundy termed "the hyperbole of the preseason" ... and justifiably so if he can fit in as a third scoring option. "They asked me about him," said Battier, who played with Wells in Memphis. "I told them that Bonzi is a fiery guy, and sometimes his cup runneth over as they say, but I think a lot of that has been circumstantial. On this team, I think he can be a really good player. He'll be able to get shots and minutes and the ability to produce, and that'll keep him happy." Of course, it appears Houston will need November and December to figure out whether it's best to bring Wells off the bench as the featured gun for the second unit or squeeze him into the starting lineup. If they ultimately choose the latter, Battier's presence is critical, since it's his ability to masquerade as a power forward, in a league where long-limbed three men who can shoot and defend increasingly find themselves at the four spot, that would give Wells sufficient down-low space to operate. Battier might find himself at power forward quite a bit anyway, in spite of what that might do to the Rockets' ability to rebound, with Van Gundy among the growing legion of Yao-watchers who believes that the giant in the middle would benefit most playing alongside a four-man who can shoot and pass. There might also be times when Van Gundy tries Wells as his power forward in a lineup featuring Snyder and McGrady, with the idea that the Rockets' increased size at the swing positions could compensate for how small Houston generally looks when Yao is on the bench. The success of all those possibilities, mind you, flows from the fact that McGrady looks quite spry and smooth these days, especially considering that his oft-interrupted 2005-06 season ended in March. "Tracy is ready for the season to start," Van Gundy declared, relishing what he describes as a "renewed sense of upbeatness" from the 27-year-old. Said McGrady: "Yeah, man, I am back. I'm healthy. I'm just excited for the season. I think we have a really good chance of being a great team." Oh, yeah. Sometimes the hype comes from the Rockets themselves. T-Mac recently announced that Houston's fortified depth, athleticism and perimeter shooting makes this "the best team I've been on in my 10 years in the league." He was a bit more restrained in our chat, knowing that the Rockets -- McGrady, Yao and Van Gundy, specifically -- have some win-now pressure to manage, as well. The coach always feels it, but so do these two stars, neither of whom (a) has gotten out of the first round yet and (b) knows for sure how long his body will cooperate. "You guys are going to put us wherever you're going to put us," McGrady said of the projections and predictions. "It's good if you're all going to have us high, but we haven't proven anything yet. You've got to have the right chemistry. Guys have to be willing to sacrifice their games. Injuries occur -- you saw what happened around here last year. Just because we have Bonzi and Shane, we've still got to go out and prove ourselves."