Opie gets his money…Guard Kirk Hinrich and the Bulls agreed Tuesday on a five-year extension, the maximum length allowed under league rules. The deal, which kicks in at the start of next season, is believed to be worth about $47.5 million….Sonics extended PF Nick Collison for 3 years and around $15 million, to which Collison responded by doing what he’s done since he was drafted…which is nothing…Point guard T.J. Ford and the Toronto Raptors agreed Tuesday on a contract extension. Ford signed a three-year deal with an option for a fourth year. The extension could pay the guard as much as $33 million….

Bulls KILLED the Heat last night 108-66…other than the Heat getting their rings, which was entertaining, this was maybe the most boring game I’ve ever seen, although Tyrus Thomas’ put back dunk was impressive…in the other TNT game was a little more entertaining, but somehow the Suns coughed one up to Lamar Odom and the nobody’s losing 114-106…although Andrew Bynum looked good as the starting centre, and someone will get all excited and put him on their fantasy team, the real surprise, or maybe disappointment was Amare Stoudamire who, other than a huge dunk on a feed from Steve Nash, was basically useless...he was stripped a couple of times in the post by Odom and just couldn’t seem to find his place in the offence…he also started to look a little stiff in the 2nd half, which can’t be good…

Wow…apparently Miami owner Micky Arison purchased rings for all 415 team employees…Janitors, servers, everybody…

Oh and as good as the Bulls looked, consider this…There will be plenty of money under the cap to re-sign Nocioni this summer and Deng and Gordon the next…Oh and the Bulls can swap picks with the Knicks this year as per the terms of the Eddy Curry deal, which means the Bulls might have a shot of drafting Ohio State centre Greg Oden…

Huh? Charlotte Bobcats coach Bernie Bickerstaff said Tuesday that veteran Brevin Knight will start at shooting guard ahead of Morrison, the No. 3 pick in the draft, in today's season opener against the Indiana Pacers…I’m sorry, but Bernie has lost his mind, starting his backup PG, who is maybe 5’11” over his 6’8” 3rd overall pick who is a true shooter/scorer…I can’t be the only one who thinks this is absolutely crazy…

Fantasy note: Wiz forward Darius Songaila is out for 3 months after back surgery…

I didn’t see the movie “The Devil wears Prada” starring Anne Hathaway but oh my goodness:

http://msn.foxsports.com/other/pgStory?contentId=5609578&pageNumber=2

1) Kelly Dwyer of SI.com has 10 things:

Preseason trends - Ten things we learned from all those exhibition games

Astute NBA observers will agree that the league's preseason can hardly be looked upon as a benchmark for how the rest of the season will turn out. And yet, there are some telling signs emanating from October that are worth breaking down. Here are 10 things that stood out in the preseason.

1. Bryan Colangelo's internationally flavored Raptors win five of six preseason games. What it means: This obviously won't cement Sam Mitchell's status as Raptor coach for the duration of 2006-07, but the strong preseason should allow him to keep his job past the first month. GM Colangelo has taken a patient approach with Mitchell, who could be the right guy to mold this group of youngsters into shape before a more orthodox voice takes over. Besides, Suns assistant (and potential future Raptors coaching candidate) Marc Iavaroni might not be ready to leave Arizona's dry heat just yet.

2. The new-look Bulls win six of eight preseason games. What it means: Scott Skiles' bunch have a tough early schedule, playing 11 of their first 15 regular-season contests on the road, while burdened with the expectations that come with the acquisition of two lottery picks and the offseason's biggest free-agent pickup. Early in training camp, Skiles emphasized getting prepared for the initial challenge, while insisting that his starters be prepared to stay on the court beyond the typical preseason playing time allotment. The Bulls appear to be in the proper frame of mind. But one disturbing trend: Ben Wallace's free-throw shooting. He made just 7 of 32 attempts (a 22 percent clip) during the preseason; and the stroke (way too much arc, right wrist in the wrong place) looks as pitiful as ever.

3. Trail Blazers center Jamaal Magliore averages nearly 22 minutes per game, but contributes just five points, four rebounds, one block, and 3.6 turnovers per contest. What it means: The points you can explain away; Magliore shot 58 percent during preseason and was rarely the initial focus in any of Portland's half-court sets. The rest is bad news for a Portland team that wants to use Mags as bait to bring in something special before February's trade deadline. With Joel Przybilla having won the starting center gig, and rookie LaMarcus Aldridge due to return from the injured list soon, the Blazers can ill-afford Magliore's pitiful play -- whether it comes in short or long stretches. Another note from Portland's preseason: it appears as if coach Nate McMillan will be giving his 22-year old rookie, Brandon Roy, all the minutes he can handle. Roy averaged 35 minutes and 15 points per game during the preseason.

4. Don Nelson's up-tempo Golden State Warriors win five of six, Baron Davis leads team in scoring at 27 points per game. What it means: Davis looked fantastic, shooting 55 percent from the field, making half his three pointers (attempting just two a contest, down from 6.6 a year ago), while leading a Warrior team through a promising preseason. Better yet, young guards Monta Ellis (13.7 points in 28.5 minutes) and Dajuan Wagner (12.7 points in 24 minutes) have found a way to contribute even with Baron playing 37 minutes a night. Still, it's easy to remain skeptical about these Warriors. Opponents eventually will learn to be patient on offense and work the clock to exploit Golden State's weaknesses; that should bring the Warriors back to Earth. Until then, it'll be a fun watch.

5. The Heat's Gary Payton averages 5.3 points and 2.3 assists in nearly 24 minutes per game, shoots 31 percent from the floor. What it means: Payton was a liability on both ends for the Heat during the preseason, and coach Pat Riley can't afford a slow start with Jason Williams on the injured list. Even after J-Will returns, will Riley have it in him to scour the ranks of the NBDL (he lambasted the NBA's minor league two weeks ago) or available NBA point men to shore up his backcourt? The latter could alienate the touchy and already frustrated Payton beyond repair, but Miami's chance at a repeat will rely heavily on a competent point guard to sop up minutes alongside Dwyane Wade.

6. The league's best rookie in the preseason wasn't Andrea Bargnani, Tyrus Thomas, Rudy Gay or Randy Foye, but Rockets sharpshooter Steve Novak. What it means: Yao Ming can function in the post, and Tracy McGrady can work his magic off the dribble safe in the knowledge that Novak can make defenders pay for sagging off of him on the outside. The Marquette product averaged 12 points in 24 minutes per game, shooting 53 percent from the floor and 48 percent from behind the three-point line. Boston Rajon Rondo isn't far behind, averaging 11 points, five assists and two steals in 30 minutes per game for the Celtics.

7. The Mavericks average 82.6 points, lose five of eight games, shoot 38 percent from the floor. What it means: Dallas is as good a championship contender as any, and most of its offseason replacements (upgrading Adrian Griffin to Devean George, Darrell Armstrong to Anthony Johnson, Keith Van Horn to Austin Croshere) should fit in nicely. But it will take a while, especially with Dirk Nowitzki pacing himself after a brilliant stretch at the World Championships, and the rest of the team coming off a 105-game run in 2005-06. The early returns haven't been pretty, as Dirk (41 percent) and newly extended forward Josh Howard (48 percent) are the only Maverick perimeter performers to hit more than 40 percent from the field. The good news? The squad is dominating the boards, and the defense has looked sound in spite of having to recover quickly from all those long misses.

8. Youngsters J.R. Smith and Linas Kleiza average a combined 28 points for the Nuggets in 45 combined minutes. What it means: The Nuggets are developing some perimeter threats. Both Smith and Kleiza shot 40 percent from behind the three-point arc, and though they don't contribute much in other areas, they'll at least provide Denver's stable of power forwards with some breathing room down low.

9. Kevin Martin leads Kings in scoring with 17 points per game, shoots 52 percent from the floor, 48 percent from three-point range, and 83 percent from the free throw line. What it means: He averaged 1.63 points for every shot he took in the preseason; by comparison, Kobe Bryant averaged 1.30 points for every shot he took last season while throwing in 35 points a game. Martin's True Shooting Percentage, a number that takes into account a player's efficiency on all types of attempts and free throw performance, was 65.1. That's a mark that would have led the league last year, when Martin was fourth (behind Steve Nash, Chris Wilcox and Josh Childress) with a 60.4 True Shooting Percentage. In other words, Martin is a flat-out marksman.

10. The Knicks' Jalen Rose doesn't score a point in 28 preseason minutes, while Malik Rose plays all of one game and 14 total minutes. What it means: As poor a judge of talent and chemistry as Isiah Thomas is when it comes to trading for and signing players, he at least has an advantage over Larry Brown in knowing when to award minutes to washed-up, overpaid veterans. Jalen Rose was released on Monday. Where will he end up? See No. 5.

2) Mike Kahn of Foxsports.com also has 10 things:

NBA players should honor Red's legacy


There has to be a bigger reason why basketball icon Arnold "Red" Auerbach died at the age of 89 over the weekend — perhaps not coincidentally on the eve of the 2006-07 NBA regular season.

1. Item: The thought process that occurs with the mention of Auerbach obviously begins with his nine championships in 11 seasons as coach and president of the Boston Celtics. Frequently it ends with the audacity of him lighting a cigar from the bench (or later in the stands) whenever the game was in hand for his Celtics. What this really means: He brought so much more to the game than just winning, but only if you were able to get past the gruff exterior to notice. He shattered racial myths with the genius of Bill Russell and his teammates, stressed defense and rebounding — and the fast break often appeared to be choreographed by Bob Fosse. Auerbach made the sixth man a vital cog of every team and consistently stressed the importance of winning over statistics. Rather than merely sticking a needle in Wilt Chamberlain when he became the first NBA player to earn $100,000 a year, he gave Russell $100,001 as a symbolic representation of the importance of winning over individual statistics. So as we begin this NBA season it is imperative to keep in mind all of these "Red on Roundball" rules. While the hand-wringing over the new ball is bound to persist, chances are the concerns over the zero tolerance for verbally attacking the officials will vanish once the players learn to control themselves. More importantly, this NBA season should be dedicated to him in a more simple fashion — with teamwork, defense, fast breaks and the sixth man. It's about everybody understanding the big picture instead of the snapshot in the mirror. And then — perhaps only then — the epiphany will hit everybody else precisely why Auerbach was so proficient at winning. It was about far more than the desire to smoke a cigar, and this could be the year that today's Celtics president, Danny Ainge, proves he finally gets it as well.

2. Item: This past week has been historic for the Seattle Sonics, but while there is this incredibly overt celebration of their 40th season, it smacks far more of a final-season farewell tour with the NBA Board of Governors' approval of the sale to the eight-man partnership from Oklahoma City led by Clay Bennett. What this really means: Within days, young starting center Robert Swift tore the ACL in his knee, CEO and president Wally Walker was fired, and Bennett's group was officially welcomed to the fold. Thus far, there isn't even a murmur of a new arena in the Seattle market despite the hopes of the naive, and the clock has been ticking since Bennett gave the area a year to prove it cared enough in his first press conference. But even that would be naive to believe considering he rejected local offers to join his ownership group, and then added four more from Oklahoma City. Meanwhile, the loss of Swift will be but a blip on the map compared to the emotions that surround the exit of Walker, who stunningly left the broadcast booth in 1994 to become president of the team. They were superb for four years as he retained the core of players and coach George Karl from the Bob Whitsitt era. And then slowly, the collapse and resentment began to erode all the good that had been built. He even orchestrated the sale of the team from Barry Ackerley to Howard Schultz, while adding the titles of partner and CEO to his resume. But the problems worsened and they won only one playoff series after 1998. And by the time the team was sold, the acrimony that had developed between the politicians, fans and Walker was too great, so it was a relief when he was set adrift. Now, however, as the Sonics hope to somehow garner local support for a new arena, it seems Walker and Schultz made sure that if they couldn't make it work locally, they'd make sure nobody else did either. What a sad commentary for what should be a celebratory season for the Sonics and their fans.

3. Item: Unlike Seattle, the Orlando Magic market and owner Rich DeVos proved they do care about retaining the NBA. This season could be the turnaround on the heels of DeVos agreeing to contribute to a $350-million-plus arena. What this really means: Such a move can only mean good karma for this team that suffered so after committing $90-million-plus contracts to both Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill, only to see them play together all of about five minutes. But with McGrady gone and Hill in the final year of his contract following incessant ankle operations, the hopes are immense that he will be able to contribute not only on the floor but also leading this exceptional young group. Center Dwight Howard has superstar written all over him, and the beleaguered 7-1 Darko Milicic has grown up and appears to have found a home to make them potentially the most dynamic power duo in the game. Add in young point guard Jameer Nelson, Carlos Arroyo, Hedo Turkoglu and rookie J.J. Redick, and they could be the new rising power in the East — which would really be a tribute to the patience of DeVos. Two years ago, they were awful and appeared to be the next team to sell. Now we're actually talking about them as a model of development.

4. Item: Apologies for belaboring my fascination with the Los Angeles Clippers, but after 23 years of watching owner Donald Sterling essentially embarrass the NBA, he proved last year and continues to prove he finally gets it. What this really means: Over the weekend, he signed young center Chris Kaman to a five-year, $52-million extension, so he now has Kaman, Elton Brand, Corey Maggette and Tim Thomas for the foreseeable future. Add to that the potential brilliance of young point guard Shaun Livingston — with veteran Sam Cassell hanging around a couple more years to help — and this team will be a contender in the West this season.
The final piece of the puzzle appears to be closure on a new contract for Dunleavy, who has been the architect of this redesign. Is Dunleavy worth $6 million or $7 million a year on the open market? Not likely. But what he did to magically extract the losing culture that had pervaded the franchise makes him worth more to Sterling's billion-dollar wallet and ego than he could possibly be to any franchise. Close the circle with Dunleavy and the Clippers are headed for bigger and better things this season than anyone could have imagined prior to last season.

5. Item: People kind of forgot about the fine job Bernie Bickerstaff did assembling young talent on the Charlotte Bobcats, if only because virtually all of them were injured last season. But now, with Michael Jordan becoming a minority partner and president, people are noticing again. What this really means: Fans, media and the like will always take a disproportionate view of whatever Jordan does — although that hasn't amounted to much other than a brand name since his retirement. That in no way diminishes what Bickerstaff has done, adding Adam Morrison to the group that includes Gerald Wallace, Raymond Felton, Sean May and the forgotten 2005 rookie of the year Emeka Okafor. The hope is, this group will rekindle the spirit of the original Charlotte Hornets before owner George Shinn ran them into the ground and out of town. But if the city is patient and allows this impossibly young group time to mesh and understand the NBA game on and off the court, they've got a chance to be very special. That's not to say they're going to compete for the playoffs this season ... but if they catch some breaks health-wise, they could make enough noise to play a role in who does.

6. Item: Speaking of patience, it's a brand new word for Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan — also on and off the court. So much animosity has developed between the Blazers and the largest newspaper in the state — The Oregonian - that the newspaper hired an independent reporter to study and report on what went wrong. What this really means: Meanwhile, McMillan has a group of youngsters, led by rookie Brandon Roy, that will take time to regroup. When he left Seattle in the midst of all the problems with Walker and Schultz, he was thrilled to be able to stay in the Pacific Northwest for family reasons. But what he didn't realize in the wake of his big contract became apparent quickly in president Steve Patterson's issues in the media and in the Blazers office. He didn't know how badly things had deteriorated with players Darius Miles and Zach Randolph. But with Kevin Pritchard on his side as the assistant general manager and director of player personnel, they had a great draft and finally see some light. Heck, Randolph even lost 15 pounds to add bounce. That's not to say the Blazers are going to cause ripples in the Western Conference playoff race, nor will losing get any easier for McMillan — far too competitive to accept status quo. But once they're able to unload Miles (it would be worth it to eat the money just to get his negative demeanor off the court and out of the locker room) and figure what to do with Patterson (on the last year of his contract as president), they'll make enough progress to allow McMillan to settle into his job. And once that happens, they'll start sneaking up on teams and this disheartening turn of events that ruined the once powerful Blazers market could gradually begin the healing process.

7. Item: They've brashly put signs up in the bright lights of Times Square — right in the New York Knicks backyard — claiming the real NBA team plays across the Hudson River in the swamp of the Meadowlands. What this really means: Indeed, the New Jersey Nets are in a far better place than the Knicks are — heck, the Rutgers basketball program is too. But the Nets remain a long way from locking up their dream move to Brooklyn and really cutting into the Knicks market. There is a history with the Knicks that supercedes the horrific moves by Cablevision and president/coach Isiah Thomas. There is a fan base that will always be there. Meanwhile, the core of the Nets is very good, but not great. Richard Jefferson and Nenad Krstic are both young and very talented. But Jason Kidd is very close to the age where his performance will drop off dramatically — particularly after the microfracture knee surgery. Vince Carter can opt out of his contract next summer and their two prized rookies — Marcus Williams and Josh Boone — are both out indefinitely with injuries. Granted, the Nets should feel good about their chances to repeat as Atlantic Division champions — if only because the division is so weak. And if they stay healthy, they could contend in the East, but it isn't likely. And unless they do, it would be a good idea to stay on their own turf.

8. Item: The one team that is impossible to get a read on would be the Houston Rockets. One day, they look great with Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming providing spectacular inside/outside play, the next day one or the other continues with his chronic bout with injuries. What this really means: It will be interesting to see how patient owner Les Alexander is with all the money he is paying Yao and McGrady. Yao's foot problems moved to his ankle last week, and everybody is just waiting for McGrady's back to act up again. But the funny thing for coach Jeff Van Gundy is how close they are to being serious contenders in the West. The additions of Shane Battier and Bonzi Wells give the Rockets more defense and offensive explosiveness. And that can come inside or outside — which is depth and versatility the Rockets have sorely lacked around their stars. So if for just one season Yao and McGrady can avoid injuries — this team is as capable as any of challenging the Spurs and Mavericks in the West. In other words, the Texas two-step just became three..

9. Item: Now that the Golden State Warriors have struck a deal to rename the Oakland Arena, "Oracle Arena," with the naming rights going to the software enterprise company from Silicon Valley, the timing sure is odd. What this really means: Deep down, does anybody else believe they named it "Oracle Arena" because they really consider the return of Don Nelson as coach the renaissance of the Bay Area basketball oracle? Whatever owner Chris Cohan and general manager Chris Mullin believe about Nelson, he is a 66-year-old who was content wearing flowered shirts and sipping whatever he wanted on Maui. But he also loves money and basketball — in that order. And he couldn't say no. So Nellie is back for a second trip with the Warriors and the hope is he can end this horrendous run of 13 years out of the playoffs — the longest in the NBA — dating back to his last decent year with the Warriors before getting fired. But playing smallball and point forwards is nothing new or innovative now. Some teams just do it better than others. More importantly, is he going to be able to get through to Baron Davis, Jason Richardson, Mike Dunleavy and Mickael Pietrus? Can Troy Murphy actually play center in this manner? All of this will come out in the wash, whether it is really an oracle leading the way to The Oracle or not.

10. Item: Evidently, it was just fine with the NBA front office and the Board of Governors for Mark Cuban to be the Dallas Maverick. But now that it has become clear that he is also the NBA maverick ... it's not OK. What this really means: Numerous reports have the Board of Governors now implementing an "owners" code of conduct and Cuban has remarked that it certainly appears aimed at him. It so addled him that he resigned the NBA show on Sirius Satellite radio he had agreed to do on behalf of the NBA because he's tired of the double-talk from the other owners. On one hand they love that he's out there and promoting the league. On the other hand, when he's criticizing the obvious holes in their game, they want him to put a sock in it. Well, in case you haven't noticed, folks, Mark Cuban doesn't work that way. He marches to his own beat, whether others like it or not. Usually, it isn't harmful (verbally) unless he's biting back. He's no more arrogant than a lot of the other owners, just a lot more vocal about it. Of course, he shouldn't be mouthing off about the officials publicly any more than coaches or players — regardless of their ineptitude. They're all allegedly in this together. But if the NBA wants to be significant in its marketing plans because of his personality, charisma and business acumen, then they'd better be willing to take some of his critical remarks. In the high-powered world of the NBA, there is no more potent figure than Cuban — the rest of the BOG just has to accept him as a maverick for life. And with that, we'll float away in a cloud of cigar smoke ... vintage red.