A few notes while emptying out the reporter's notebook...
• Allen Iverson is doing nothing to hide his delight at possibly being voted an All-Star in his upheaval season, calling the fan support that could result in a February trip to Dallas as an East starter "just a great feeling."
Iverson trailing only Dwyane Wade among guards in the latest set of returns is not a great surprise. It is, however, emerging as a potential personal highlight in a career that has already included nine appearances in the midseason showcase, with this level of backing coming despite a bad breakup with the Grizzlies and a brief retirement before returning to his Philly roots. "That would be probably one of the best feelings, besides getting voted to my first one," Iverson said. "This one right here, being everything that's been going on this season."
• Brutal salary, sure, but Tracy McGrady should generate decent trade interest despite the double negative of making $22.4 million plus injury concerns. Any expiring contract is attractive, especially heading into this free-agent summer, and he has an added appeal as a potential scoring addition for a playoff club, health willing. The bigger problem is the Rockets probably needing to take back the same amount of salary, depending on the trade partner, without inhaling a bad contract with years to run. At least T-Mac has a bad contract with months to run, the reason his imminent departure is not an automatic.
• The new greatness of LeBron James is his growth as a dominant distributor, with at least nine assists in three of the last five games and double digits in six of 18. James is currently seventh in the league with 7.8 assists per game. He's the only non-point guard in the top 10, raising the possibility that he could average double figures in assists for an entire season later in his career. "I don't see anything out of his reach," Cavaliers coach Mike Brown said.
• We hear you loud and clear, Suns. Beating the Lakers and Celtics within 48 hours this week was an underlined statement in response to four losses in the previous six games. That was hardly the actual Celtics, with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce sidelined, but winning by 18 on Wednesday after dispatching L.A. by 15 on Monday was Phoenix playing with a force that had been missing. The Suns just declared they are not going away.
• Maybe the Bulls are just waiting for New Year's before giving a shove to a teetering Vinny Del Negro, not wanting to appear permanently heartless after firing Scott Skiles on Christmas Eve 2007 and having Tim Floyd, ahem, resign on Christmas Eve 2001.
Or maybe they looked at the schedule and decided Dec. 31 to Jan. 11 was as good a chance as any coach could hope for to get some forward momentum: two games against the Pistons and one each against the Magic, Thunder, Bobcats, Bucks and Timberwolves. Those six opponents have a combined .441 winning percentage. Right now, lasting until the second week of January would be an accomplishment for Del Negro.
• Andrew Bynum has gone from recording a double-double in eight of the first nine games of his comeback season with the Lakers to none in the last 20. That inconsistency would be concern enough, even with the encouragement of averaging a solid 14.8 points and 8.1 rebounds in 31.4 minutes after missing 32 games with a torn knee ligament.
The bigger issue is that the slump has coincided with the return of Pau Gasol, continuing the question of whether Bynum and Gasol can be effective playing together. It's not just that Bynum has had to accept a decreased role in the offense, either. He failed to get at least five rebounds in five of 15 December outings, a serious hit to what was once a building All-Star campaign.
• Erick Dampier -- yes, Erick Dampier -- is the overlooked factor in the Dallas success. He's at 9.8 rebounds and 1.96 blocks a game, an important contribution under any circumstances and especially since it is coming in just 27.2 minutes per game as the starting center. Damp is 35 years old and on pace for the second-best rebounding year of his career.
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