NBA Plus: Risky trade for Jackson paying off for Bobcats

Charlotte minority owner and managing member of basketball operations Michael Jordan may be the one known as a gambler, but it was Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins going all in on this one.

Stephen Jackson as resident savior? It was as much a sure thing as saying resident nomad Larry Brown will be the team's coach five years from now.

But Higgins went for the deal anyway, taking the disgruntled and mercurial Jackson from Golden State in a Nov. 17 trade that has indeed turned the Bob- kitties into Bob-tigers. Despite losing to Orlando on Saturday, they were 9-3 in 2010 and 18-15 since Jackson joined – good for a tie for sixth place in the Eastern Conference and the very real possibility of the franchise's first playoff berth coming in its sixth season.

When it comes to the Bobcats' decision-makers, it's the jet-setting Jordan with the final say no matter where he is at the time, with Higgins and Brown weighing in throughout. But Higgins was the only one with a prior relationship with Jackson, meaning he had the best chance at weighing the risk against the reward.

Higgins was still the Warriors' general manager when Jackson was beloved in the Bay Area, when the 2006-07 team qualified for the playoffs on the final day of the regular season and pulled off an electrifying upset of Dallas in the first round. There was no guarantee this move could replicate that.

Jackson's trade demand early this season had included a desire to play for a winning team. And, as if Charlotte's history wasn't bad enough (it'd had 16 days of winning records in five previous seasons), the Bobcats were 3-6 at the time of the trade.

What's more, there was the matter of Jackson's contract – a combined $35.4 million owed from 2009 to 2013. Risk all around.

"I just said, 'Stephen, let's just try to treat this like a situation kind of like the one you just got out of, where you helped that (Warriors) club that hadn't been to the postseason in quite a few years get there,' " Higgins said of his conversations with Jackson immediately following the trade. " 'Come help this young ballclub, and we'll provide you with what you need.'

"With Larry and Michael and myself, we could manage him if we allowed the communication to be wide open. There's a risk in any trade you do, but he's what our team needed: another playmaker, another guy you could count on to score night in and night out. I thought it was the perfect fit."

It appears that way so far. Brown – the Hall of Fame coach who is no stranger to strong personalities or controversial characters – has the Bobcats ranked as the league's top defense in his second season with the club. Jackson and former Kings small forward Gerald Wallace form a fierce duo on the wings, both respected for their defensive dedication but more than capable on the offensive end as well.

Charlotte averaged 82.4 points through its first nine games, but 97.4 points in the 32 games since the trade. And Jackson – who has averaged 21 points (42.4 percent shooting), five rebounds and 3.5 assists while with the Bobcats – is far from the only player flourishing under Brown.

Higgins cited "the evolution of (fifth-year point guard) Raymond Felton" as a key factor. Down low, the Bobcats continue to defend the rim with a combination of starting center Nazr Mohammed and reserve 7-footer DeSagana Diop that has made up for the continued absence of Tyson Chandler (foot injury, out since Dec. 22) down low. All of which is evidence that marriage between the Bobcats and Brown is going quite well, too.

That hire had risk of its own in the summer of 2008, as Brown's debacle in New York led to a two-year exile of sorts from the league until his old North Carolina friend (Jordan) brought him in on a four-year deal. He was a relative success last season, as the Bobcats were in playoff contention until March and improved by three games from the previous season.

But much like the Jackson gamble, the well-chronicled past means the short-term solution is no guarantee of long-term success. What's more, Charlotte has quickly gone from a team building a young core to a veteran squad with no projected salary cap space until the 2011-12 campaign. For now, though, they will enjoy the payoff.

"With all situations, only time will tell," Higgins said. "You give (Jackson) the benefit of the doubt, continue to work with him and with us as a group and continually try to improve the team and get to that point where we're considered a very good team."

Playing well amid tragedy

Samuel Dalembert has been more than a humanitarian recently. The Philadelphia center is a good basketball player again, too.

Lost in the news of Dalembert's yeoman's efforts to help his homeland of Haiti after the devastating Jan. 12 earthquake has been his Herculean play this month – on a relative basis, anyway. The upswing started before the disaster, as the third-year center entered Saturday averaging 11.3 points on an eye-popping 68.9 percent shooting.

Through December, Dalembert had been shooting 47.2 percent. His rebounding has seen a spike as well (12.6 per game), making his situation among the more intriguing heading toward the Feb. 18 trade deadline.

The question now is whether that makes him indispensable to the 76ers or easier to trade. Dalembert – whose production has never lived up to his contract that has a combined $24.9 million this season and next remaining – has reportedly been available for quite some time, and league sources continue to indicate the Kings have interest.

Yet, as is often the case, economics stand in the way of a deal. The Kings would surely look to shed some of their own future salary in such a trade, but the 76ers are committed to approximately $65 million in salaries with Dalembert.

Meanwhile, Dalembert said he's no longer looking to be traded like he was last season.

"I love the guys we have here," said Dalembert, who visited Haiti on a goodwill mission between games on Jan. 18 and Jan. 20 and has donated $130,000 to relief. "Last year I felt like my talent was being wasted. But if I can be on the floor and help out, I'm happy. Now it's about winning."

The 76ers have done more of that lately, winning seven of their last 13 games.

Utah Jazz notebook: Gaines signed; Koufos reassigned

SALT LAKE CITY — Kosta Koufos is about to get a lot more playing time. It just won't be with the Utah Jazz.

The Jazz told the second-year center Sunday that they plan on reassigning him today to their D-League affiliate, the Utah Flash, according to Jazz spokesman Jonathan Rinehart.

The Jazz also confirmed that they intend to sign rookie point guard Sundiata Gaines today for the remainder of the NBA season, Rinehart indicated. That move will result in a financial gain for Gaines of another $215,336 — a pro-rated portion of the NBA minimum — to go with the $53,834 he earned during his pair of 10-day contracts.

That's a nice raise from his $19,000 D-League salary.

Koufos, who remains under contract with the Jazz, should join the Flash this morning for a shootaround and will likely see action tonight. The Flash host the Maine Red Claws, who are coached by Danny Ainge's son and former BYU guard, Austin Ainge.

This will be seldom-used Koufos' first trip to play with the Orem-based Flash this season and his second D-League stint.

Last year as a rookie, Koufos was sent down to the Flash on March 25, and averaged 16.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.6 blocks before being recalled after 10 games.

Koufos, who was drafted in 2008 after his freshman season at Ohio State, has struggled in his rare playing time with the Jazz.

The 20-year-old has only appeared in 21 of Utah's 43 games, averaging just 1.3 points on 40.9 percent shooting, 1.1 rebounds and a sparse 3.6 minutes this season.

As for Gaines, he has impressed the Jazz's front office — and made a national name for himself — since joining the team three weeks ago.

Gaines, of course, is most famous for hitting a game-winning 3-pointer to beat LeBron James and Cleveland only a week after being called up on a 10-day contract from the D-League's Idaho Stampede.

He earned a second 10-day contract even before his buzzer-beater, and has appeared in eight games with the Jazz. The University of Georgia product has averaged 2.9 points, 1.1 assists, 0.9 rebounds and 7.1 minutes in his short NBA career.

Utah had to make a decision on Gaines' future by Sunday when his second 10-day deal expired. He is expected to sign the contract this morning.

The announcement regarding these transactions was made after Sundays' practice, so neither player was available for comment. General manager Kevin O'Connor did not return a phone call Sunday but said Gaines has "carried himself well" on Saturday.

SMART TO START: Jazz coach Jerry Sloan made an interesting admission about Andrei Kirilenko, who has helped Utah win six of seven games since being reinserted into the starting lineup.

While complimenting Kirilenko for giving the Jazz an extra dimension with his shot-blocking, defense and improved shooting, Sloan second-guessed himself for having the nine-year veteran come off the bench for most of the season.

"I probably should have had him doing it (starting) early if I had been smart enough," the self-deprecating Sloan said.

"I just felt like in the beginning," he added, "we needed more experience coming off the bench, and I was probably — look back on it — probably wrong."

Kirilenko has shot 57 percent and averaged 12.6 points since returning to the starting five. He also has pulled in 4.3 rebounds and had 11 steals in Utah's hot stretch.

But Kirilenko, who practiced with a wrapped jammed knuckle on his left hand Sunday, isn't taking credit for the Jazz's turnaround. He says it's a team thing.

"We start playing better defensively," he said. "That's probably one of the keys for success, not me personally, but the team is getting better."

Though it's working well now, Utah is only 8-6 this season when Kirilenko starts.

HOT SHOTS: Utah's sizzling shooting didn't just help the Jazz cruise to a 116-83 blowout of the New Jersey Nets.

The game-long 61.1 percent shooting and 12-for-14 first quarter — an 85.7 percent mark that was the best for a period in 21/2 seasons — vaulted Utah to the top of the NBA for field-goal percentage.

The Jazz are now tied with Boston with a league-best shooting mark of 48.7 percent.

Suns seeking trade offers for Stoudemire

After recent discussions with Amar’e Stoudemire’s(notes) agent that didn’t appear to destine a contract extension, the Phoenix Suns have increased their efforts to trade the All-Star forward, league sources told Yahoo! Sports on Sunday night.

League executives say the Suns have become more active initiating talks over the past few days, and believe the franchise will take the best offer for Stoudemire before the Feb. 18 trade deadline. The Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, New Jersey Nets and Detroit Pistons are among multiple teams that have a strong interest in Stoudemire, sources say. The Arizona Republic reported Sunday night that the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers have also inquired about Stoudemire.

Cleveland Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns talking Amare Stoudemire trade, according to report: Windhorst Beat Blog

MIAMI -- The Arizona Republic reported late Sunday night that the Cavaliers are one of three teams to be in talks recently with the Suns about trading for star Amare Stoudemire.

The reporter on this story is the Republic's Paul Coro, which why there is a blog going up on this topic now and it is not being regarded as common fodder. Coro has a good reputation for being credible. For example, was the first to report the Cavs and Suns had re-started trade talks for Shaquille O'Neal last June.

I had not heard the Cavs have discussed trading for Stoudemire, but league sources have said the Suns are quite worried that Stoudemire plans to leave via free agency next summer and have been looking for a commitment from him now. If they can't get it, a source told me last week, they will press ahead looking to make a deal before next month's deadline.

The Suns have already made several salary-dumping trades over the last year, the biggest was sending O'Neal to the Cavs for Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic, which saved the team more than $10 million when both players were bought out (figuring in luxury tax savings).

It would be surprising that the Suns would want to do another salary dump trade with a star, but it isn't impossible. This move potentially could save team owner Robert Sarver another $10 million, and perhaps more.

The natural trade that makes sense here would be Zydrunas Ilgauskas and J.J. Hickson for Stoudemire. The Suns could also ask for draft picks, as the Cavs own their full slate of first-round picks in the future. The Cavs and Suns talked about Hickson in the O'Neal deal, but the Cavs wanted to keep him. So the Suns have a history of interest in Hickson. They also considered drafting him in 2008 but took Robin Lopez instead.

Straight up, this type of deal would save the Suns around $3.4 million off their payroll ($6.8 million including luxury tax). However, the Suns currently are a little more than $5 million over the luxury-tax line. It is possible they could then negotiate a buyout with Ilgauskas and get below the tax, which would probably enable such a trade to save them around $10 million in real money. The cash advantage could actually increase because, if the Suns got below the tax line of $69.9 million, they would be able to get their share from the fund created by the tax-paying teams. In other words, it would be worth millions more.

In addition, because of a clause in his contract, Ilgauskas has already been paid about 75 percent of his $11.5 million salary this season. He would be owed a trade kicker of around $2 million, but the Suns could save up to $3 million in the swap from money already paid to Ilgauskas that wouldn't have to come out of their coffers. All of that is subject to negotiation, of course, but the point here is this is a potential deal worth lots of money to Phoenix if they worked all these details out. But, in short, it is complicated.

Coro reports that the Golden State Warriors and the Minnesota Timberwolves have also talked to the Suns. The Suns and Warriors nearly pulled a deal for Stoudemire last June before the draft but it fell apart. There is little doubt that both the Wolves and Warriors could put together more talent-rich offers for Stoudemire. The Cavs cannot and will not offer the same package of young players.

But with Stoudemire having the right to become a free agent this summer, it would be foolish for either team to trade for him without an agreement he'd re-sign with them. He already made it clear he didn't want to go to Golden State last summer, which was one of the sticking points to that failed trade. It is hard to believe he'd want to stay in Minnesota, which is in the middle of a large rebuilding project.

That factor reduces Stoudemire's value on the trade market and is why such a deal would make some sense for the Cavs. Stoudemire has said he wants to play for a contender, but probably would also be attracted to New York or Miami in the offseason. So the danger is the Cavs may find themselves renting him as well.

Another issue in thinking about this potential trade, however, is Stoudemire's relationship with O'Neal. The people in Phoenix say that O'Neal and Stoudemire got along just fine in the locker room, but they didn't so much on the floor. Their styles got in each other's way, and it was one of the reasons the Suns first thought about trading Stoudemire a year ago and then flirted with the idea again in the summer before trading O'Neal instead.

Stoudemire is a pick-and-roll specialist who loves going to the rim. O'Neal was often in his way. It is questionable whether pairing them together again would work on the floor or be acceptable to either player. There would have to be agreement on all sides, and that doesn't count Ilgauskas, who would have to agree to a buyout to make the trade even come together.

Of course, LeBron James is in the picture as a playmaker, but O'Neal and Stoudemire had Steve Nash, one of the greatest playmakers of this era, to help in Phoenix. So all of this could be simple posturing and due diligence from the Cavs. They'd have to be convinced the two could work together and that they would have a good chance of re-signing Stoudemire to go forward with it.

If nothing else, this rumor should create a lot of chatter, which is why fans like this time of year. If I didn't think there was some basis for it or that it wasn't possible, this blog would not have been written.

Crittenton pleads guilty to one count, gets probation in Arenas gun case

Washington Wizards guard Javaris Crittenton brought an unloaded handgun into the team locker room on Dec. 21 “because he legitimately feared for his life,” according to a statement by his attorney that was issued Monday and acknowledged Crittenton’s plea to a misdemeanor count of possession of an unregistered firearm.

Crittenton was sentenced to a year of unsupervised probation after a deal Monday where the NBA player pled guilty to one count of possession of an unregistered firearm. The second misdemeanor charge, attempted carrying a pistol without a license, was agreed to be dropped by prosecutors. Crittenton will do outreach work with young people, per Senior Judge Bruce Beaudin's orders.

The plea deal stemmed from Crittenton's confrontation with Gilbert Arenas in the Wizards locker room at Verizon Center which was sparked by an argument during a card game while on a Dec. 19 plane trip from Phoenix to Washington.

Arenas pleaded guilty to a felony gun charge in the case on Jan. 15, and will be sentenced March 26.

Monday’s statement from Crittenton’s attorney, Peter White, disputed a Washington Post report that during the climax of the Dec. 21 dispute, Crittenton had a loaded weapon and chambered a round.

“The government's proffer of facts to be filed today acknowledges that his handgun was not loaded and that he never threatened anyone with it,” read the statement.

According to a statement of facts provided in the Arenas plea, at some point during their argument on the plane, Crittenton challenged Arenas to fight. Arenas responded that he was too old to fight but could shoot him or burn his Cadillac Escalade.

Two days later, Arenas walked into the team locker room wearing a black backpack on his chest. He pulled out four guns, laid them near Crittenton’s locker and scrawled a note saying, “PICK 1.”

Crittenton walked in, saw the weapons and said, “What’s this?”

Arenas told his teammate that this was Crittenton’s chance to shoot him. Crittenton then picked one of the guns and tossed it across the room. "I don’t need your gun," Crittenton responded. "I've got one of my own.”

Crittenton pulled out what Arenas believed to be a silver-colored handgun, prosecutors said.

Arenas has been suspended indefinitely by the NBA since Jan. 6. Crittenton, who is injured, has not played this season.

An ESPN.com report on Friday said the two players could learn their definitive punishments from the NBA this week.

“With today’s misdemeanor plea to possession of an unregistered firearm, [Crittenton] accepts responsibility for his conduct,” said the statement from Crittenton’s attorney. “He looks forward to explaining his actions to the NBA and returning to the basketball court as soon as possible.”

Are shoes cutting Lakers' Ron Artest down to size?

Reporting from Toronto - Is it the shoes?

Something has caused Ron Artest to develop plantar fasciitis in both feet, and Lakers Coach Phil Jackson believes that something might be the shoes his small forward wears.

Whatever the case is, Jackson said Artest might have to sit out if he continues to have pain and remains ineffective.

"I've called his shoes concrete boots for about the last month," Jackson said. "Those shoes look like they are made for the Hudson River. But he stays with them and he gets his feet worked on. But he does not move really quickly. He looks like he's clogging around out there."

Artest endorses a shoe by a Chinese company called Peak Shoes, as do Dallas' Jason Kidd and Houston's Shane Battier.

Artest had another poor game Sunday against the Toronto Raptors, scoring five points. He played only 10 seconds in the fourth quarter.

"We haven't had any conversations about sitting out," Jackson said, "but if it continues, yeah, he may have to sit."

Artest disclosed his injury on his Twitter page Saturday.

His history has been to not complain about injuries.

"I just don't like excuses. That's it. No excuses," Artest said. "I don't want nobody saying, 'Oh, Ron Artest has got plantar fasciitis, so that's why he didn't play a good game.' No, I didn't play good or I didn't do what I did because that's just what happened. No excuses.

"It's gotten a lot better. So that's a good thing. I know I haven't been able to get the [defensive] stops I want to get this year, but I feel it getting better, so it'll come back around. You've just got to take care of it."

Mum on Bosh

Jackson, peppered as always about Chris Bosh, was willing to expound on how much the Raptors forward has improved.

"He's deliberate in the post, making things happen out there," Jackson said about Bosh, who had 18 points and 13 rebounds against the Lakers.

The next question gave Jackson pause: Would he like to see Bosh play for the Lakers one day?

"You know, I can't comment on that," Jackson replied. "The league slapped us one time for that. I'll leave that one alone."

The Lakers were fined $25,000 in December 2005 for violating the league's anti-tampering rule after Jackson said Bosh had become "quite a talent."

"There are some [players] that will be available [as free agents] in the year following that you obviously have to take a look at, and this kid here is one of them," Jackson said at the time.

What made the talk about Bosh more interesting is that a recent report said the Lakers were interested in acquiring the All-Star forward for Andrew Bynum, something the Lakers vehemently denied.

White House visit

The Lakers, as defending NBA champions, will visit President Obama at the White House today, which is something Derek Fisher said he's excited about.

"He's obviously busy with things other than watching basketball, but at some point or another, he's maybe seen you do what you do," Fisher said. "That's an exciting thought to think about, that he may actually know who you are."

Suns' Amar'e Stoudemire drawing trade interest

A league source said Golden State, Minnesota and Cleveland have shown interest in acquiring Suns power forward Amar'e Stoudemire.

Major hang-ups in a possible deal are the Suns' need to get good value in return and the other team's need to feel secure in knowing it has a chance to keep Stoudemire, who can opt out of his contract this summer.

Stoudemire has said he wants to play for a title contender but prefers to stay with the Suns, who met with his agent Thursday.

Stoudemire was upset about a recent report that said the Suns have locker-room tension involving him.

"Whoever that guy is, he's a liar," Stoudemire said of ESPN.com writer Chad Ford. "There's nothing to it. You can ask any guy in the locker room. Any coach. Even J-Rich (Jason Richardson) came to me and was like, 'Hey, did you read what the guy said at ESPN? That was BS.' I hadn't even read it, but the guy is a liar and didn't know what he was talking about."

Anthony out for Monday's game against Charlotte

Nuggets all-star Carmelo Anthony said he won't play in Denver's game Monday against Charlotte due to a sprained left ankle, explaining that "the best bet is to wait until Wednesday's game to get it better. It didn't swell up, so that's a good sign. ... I've had ankle injuries before, but this one is not as bad as the others."

With Melo out, Denver will likely start Joey Graham in his place, for that's who coach George Karl has started in other games Anthony missed due to injury.

Anthony is second in the NBA in scoring (29.7), trailing his friend LeBron James of Cleveland (29.9), and his absence will be huge against the Bobcats, a team that has lost just three games in January.

Anthony came to Pepsi Center today to receive treatment on the ankle and left wearing a protective boot to keep him from limping.

"It's a fashion statement," Melo said jokingly.

Andrew Bynum overslept, missed team flight

TORONTO — Andrew Bynum overslept and missed the Lakers’ charter flight from New York to Toronto on Saturday.

Maybe subconsciously he wanted to limit his time in Toronto after the rumored trade for Raptors star Chris Bosh.

Bynum put his bags outside his New York hotel-room door to be picked up for transport to the team bus but then went back for a 10-minute nap that turned into a 90-minute one, unfortunately for him. Bynum had to pay his own way and take a commercial flight that was a small jet, not so ideal for a 7-footer’s comfort level.

Bynum said he had to track down his passport, which the team usually carries for players, but made it into Toronto by 8 p.m. Saturday. Phil Jackson said Bynum will be issued a standard fine by the team.

“His bags made it to Toronto,” Jackson said, smiling, “but he didn’t.”

Kuester, Prince put aside their differences

During several stoppages in play in Saturday's loss, Tayshaun Prince would look over to the Pistons' bench for clarification.

And coach John Kuester would nod his head in affirmation.

So it appears that whatever Prince and Kuester argued about near the end of Friday night's blowout loss to the Pacers was put to rest.

"It was something that just happened during the course of the game, and we had our differences at that time," Prince said after Saturday's loss to the Blazers. "Obviously we were down 20 points at the time and it could all be a part of that.

"You move on from it, and you have more games to play."

Prince and Kuester would not reveal what was the actual issue, but both alluded to the fact that the team's losses and horrible performance against the Pacers might have had something to do with frustrations. Prince said arguments are common.

"Honestly it happens more times than what people think," Prince said. "It's just a situation that happened on the court.

"A lot of times it happens in the locker room, a lot of times it's not as much as it seems."

You can only tell so much from surface interactions, but you only have to go to last year to find an example of a coach-player relationship that deteriorated to the point of no return.

Rip Hamilton barely could hide an open distrust of then-Pistons coach Michael Curry, and Allen Iverson took several public, not-so veiled shots at Curry during the season. You have to figure player relations ultimately played a role in Curry's downfall.

In the meantime, Prince admits he is rusty after missing 32 of the first 43 games, and that may have played a role in a key turnover down the stretch against the Blazers.

Trailing by one point late, Prince tried to hit Hamilton coming off a screen with a defender trailing. He saw the Blazers' LaMarcus Aldridge had his back turned, but he turned around at the moment Prince released the ball.

Aldridge was able to get a hand on the pass, causing the turnover. Prince said he tried to pass it too quickly.

"It's tough, but I'm not going to complain about it, but I know the timing is not there," Prince said. "But, hey, it's something I've never been a part of, but I got to figure it out soon, because the guys depend on me to make the plays down the stretch."

NOTEBOOK: Ben Gordon (right groin) is close to returning, and there's a good chance he could be in the lineup Wednesday against the Grizzlies.

Kevin Garnett’s got C’s back

The return of Kevin Garnett doesn’t guarantee an instant personality makeover.

The Celtics [team stats], who arguably haven’t played a complete game since Christmas Day in Orlando, can go from fairly good to ugly in a matter of several possessions.

But last night’s 95-89 win at the Garden against the Los Angeles Clippers carried a touch of redemption.

After a spotty first half that played into their worst jump shot sensibilities, the Celtics broke out with one of their finest second-half attacks in recent memory.

Garnett, who scored seven of the C’s last 14 points, boosted an entire building when, after sprinting down the floor to foil a Clippers rush by breaking up a Baron Davis pass, pumped both fists at the crowd and shouted, “I’m back.”

So, all concerned hope, is his team.

“It’s coming,” coach Doc Rivers said. “You know, we’re not there yet, but it’s coming. And that’s what you want. As a coach you always want to say it’s coming, because that means you’re improving and taking steps forward. . . . The game (Friday night against Portland), we didn’t play great, but we won. Tonight, we didn’t play great the entire game, but we played in stretches. So it’s definitely coming. You can feel it. I’ll be glad when it gets here.”

That’s another way of saying this team faces miles of improvement before the real Celtics, at least the team most feel still exists, round into form for a stretch run.

Not coincidentally, that progress will mirror Garnett’s own.

“I think that I am just talking, trying to bring a certain amount of defense, a certain amount of energy to the defensive end,” Garnett said, eschewing the view, accentuated by his on-court proclamation, that he is back. “Two rebounds is not enough for me. I know that I am a better rebounder than that. It’s timing. I am not perfect. I will get better at that as the year goes on, but for the most part I am playing my lane and doing what I am supposed to do.”

The Celtics trailed 44-43 at the half and took a preponderance of quick, early-in-the-shot-clock jump shots, but Rivers called for the necessary adjustments, and they scored all but one third-quarter basket - a Paul Pierce [stats] (22 points) jumper - from the paint. The third-quarter stretch featured some of the C’s finest passing of the season.

Rondo, the primary force during the turnaround, finished with a 16-point, 12-assist double-double to go along with four steals and seven rebounds.

“I thought I counted 12 points (by the Clippers) on our gambles in the first half, and (assistant coach) Armond Hill said there were 11 times when we didn’t make the next pass,” Rivers said. “So our thought in the second half was make the next pass. The game’s simple when you do that. Our guys did it, and they started doing it to a fault. But I would rather fix that problem than the other way.”

The Cs, apparently secure with a 77-69 lead, started to come apart with 6:25 left. Craig Smith, the former Boston College star, scored 11 straight Clippers points. A Smith free throw, followed by a Davis drive, cut the C’s advantage to 80-76 with 4:17 left.

Garnett responded with a 12-footer, followed by a Rondo free throw for an 83-76 lead with 3:40 left. Garnett spun on Chris Kaman, drew the foul and hit the second of two free throws 1:34 later, and with 1:04 left gave the Celts an 86-78 lead with a bank hook off Rondo’s final assist.

Treys from Ricky Davis and Baron Davis, and a deep jumper from Rasual Butler, made the last minute interesting, but the C’s were able to settle this one from the line. Garnett, Ray Allen, Rondo and Pierce combined to hit 9-of-10 free throws during the last 34.8 seconds.

Condensation creates slippery situation for Celtics

The Celtics [team stats] were fortunate to put last night’s game to rest.

A wet floor - the result of unseasonably warm weather and condensation forming on the parquet above the hockey ice - nearly led to a postponement.

“The first seven, eight minutes I didn’t think we were going to finish this game,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said about conditions so wet that a mop-wielding Garden maintenance crew had to dry the floor during timeouts. “It reminded me of the game (in 1989 when Rivers was playing for the Atlanta Hawks) when the court was wet on our side offensively, and (the C’s) got up by 30 and called the game.

“But (Los Angeles Clippers coach) Mike (Dunleavy) and I were very close to calling it. The next guy that slipped in the next two minutes, and the game was over.”

Said Rasheed Wallace: “It made it a little slick out there. Had to play cautiously the whole game. You saw a couple of guys slipping out there like Peggy Fleming tonight. It’s part of it, though, when you play in arenas that have ice under the floor.”

Davis’ name game

Glen Davis, in the wake of his latest trouble, is seeking an image change.

The Celtics forward hasn’t gone as far as Bengals receiver Chad Ochocinco, who officially changed his last name from “Johnson” in honor of his jersey number: 85.

But Davis said before last night’s 95-89 win that he no longer wants to be known as “Big Baby.” The new moniker for No. 11, albeit unofficial, is “Uno Uno.”

After he was fined $25,000 last week for cursing at a Detroit fan, anything will help.

“I’m not feeling like Big Baby anymore, I need something different,” Davis said. “Someone get a blog. I need suggestions.”

When a reporter suggested the “Uno Uno” tag, Davis said, “I like that.”

Rivers initially wasn’t so sure.

“Oh boy, no comment,” he said. “Actions change your image most of the time, but we’ll see. It’s a start, right?

“I don’t know what his reputation was, so I’m not so sure,” Rivers said of whether his young forward needs to change his reputation. “He’s young. He has to grow up in front of a lot of people, where most people his age don’t. He’s not a bad kid - we just have to give him time. Some you don’t and some you do. The ‘he’s not a bad kid’ part is the savior of it all.

“I think we can all learn from our mistakes, and he can as well. Usually his mistakes have come from emotion, and hopefully you mature and learn from that. Usually his mistakes are not anything calculated. It’s all emotional. He’s trying to do his best.”

Camby, KG similiar

Marcus Camby, in his 13th season, essentially is the same NBA generation as Kevin Garnett. The UMass legend even possesses a similar skill set. The only difference is in the notoriety between the two big men.

“They’re very comparable. They’re very similar,” Rivers said. “They play with a great deal of intensity. Kevin may play with more energy, Marcus is a better shot blocker. Kevin may be a better on-ball defender, but they’re very similar players.”

An early return

There is a slim chance, according to Rivers, that Marquis Daniels could make his return on Feb. 10 in New Orleans, the last game before the All-Star break.

“We’re hoping the first game after the All-Star break, but there’s a slight chance he’ll be able to play down in New Orleans,” Rivers said. “That would be good for him because he would get one game going into the break, and then we could come out of the break with him on the west coast.”

Celtics content, but won’t rule anything out

The fast-approaching NBA trade deadline figures to be an interesting game of musical chairs, with teams tracking in two distinct directions. While some are seeking to add ammunition for their playoff runs, others are gathering salary cap space to be players in this summer’s free agent market.

The latter situation could make some intriguing players available to the Celtics [team stats], who opened a roster spot for a reason when they let Lester Hudson go.

“No,” coach Doc Rivers said before last night’s win against the Clippers when asked if he thinks the Celts need to make a move. “I like our team. I would be willing to go into the playoffs exactly the way we are right now. If we can improve, we improve it, and that would be great, too.

“But if we started the playoffs with the 12 guys or whatever number we have and everybody was healthy, I love our team.”

That said, he would not hesitate to make an addition by the Feb. 18 deal deadline.

“No, never,” Rivers said. “Never afraid of that. But having said that, I like our team.”

He’s not lying. But this is also a team that added a point guard each of the past two years, and it’s fair to say the Celtics wouldn’t be averse to acquiring a little guy who can bring the ball up the floor, hit an open jumper and not make Rivers break out in a rash when he goes to the free throw line in the final two minutes of a game.

And if a big guy of decent quality was to get bought out or otherwise become available (e.g., a P.J. Brown type), the Celts would graciously accept such insurance for Kevin Garnett and Rasheed Wallace (68 combined years old) and Kendrick Perkins [stats], who’s too tough to avoid another shoulder problem.

But while there could be talented people falling from the NBA sky, the Celtics won’t be the only ones trying to make a fair catch. The Cavaliers reportedly are trying to get something worked out for Phoenix’ Amare Stoudemire, and Orlando is said to be a presence in the marketplace as well. Atlanta already has made a major pickup in Jamal Crawford, though no one expected him to have this big an impact.

The better teams obviously are looking to do something that will separate them from a powerful pack.

“Let’s pray Cleveland doesn’t get everybody that I’ve heard rumored is going there,” Rivers said. “My goodness, they would have a logjam at every spot. But they’re clearly active and they’re clearly looking to improve their team. I think we all are, but it’s very difficult to make moves.

“I don’t know who we call elite - us, whoever. But in the East there’s four teams right there, and they’re all close. Everyone sees themselves with a chance to win it. I don’t blame them.”

Rivers is well aware that general manager Danny Ainge has been on the phone, surveying the landscape.

“You never just stand still,” Ainge said last night. “But it usually doesn’t lead to anything. You’re always talking to teams to see if there’s anything that might improve your team, but you don’t make a trade just to make one.”

Some names out there now are far more prominent than that, however. According to conflicting sources, Toronto is going to move Chris Bosh to avoid losing him as a free agent, or it is keeping him. Portland is definitely or not definitely making Andre Miller available. The Wizards are or aren’t taking offers for Antawn Jamison. It’s fair to assume the Suns will seek a new home for Stoudemire if they can’t get a commitment about the future.

“I really think it’s the same stuff we hear every year,” Ainge said. “But the salary cap and luxury tax are still there, and that makes things tough.”

Craig Smith shines for Clips

They sat in different corners of the Los Angeles Clippers’ tiny visitors locker room last night at the Garden, two professional basketball players who in earlier, simpler times passed through Massachusetts on their way to the big time.

One of them, a fellow named Marcus Camby, once took UMass to an appearance in the Final Four that was wiped off the books just as John Calipari was getting the last bus out of Amherst.

The other, Craig Smith, finished his Boston College days second on the Eagles career scoring list, trailing only Troy Bell.

Camby, of course, is much better known. A onetime first-round draft pick by the Toronto Raptors, Camby is a defensive whiz who is in the 14th season of what has been a distinguished NBA career.

Yet by the time last night’s game was in the books, the Celtics [team stats] emerging with a 95-89 victory, it was the 26-year-old Smith, not the soon-to-be 36-year-old Camby, who enjoyed this trip down Memory Lane.

Camby, both knees strapped in ice, his feet dunked in a bucket filled with more ice, was coming off a game in which he had scored three points and collected 14 rebounds in 26 minutes.

Smith, coming off the bench, lit it up in the fourth quarter, scoring 11 straight points for the Clippers, finishing the night with 13. It was easily the best effort he has had against the Celtics in his three years in the NBA. Going into last night’s game, he had played a combined 19 minutes in seven career games against the Celtics.

“The times I’ve been here since I’ve been in the NBA, I haven’t really had good games,” he said. “But I told myself early on tonight that I need to have a good game - not for me, but for the team. So I just tried to assert myself in this game to be aggressive.

“I was trying to turn it up a little bit more. I felt at the beginning of the fourth that the Celtics were being real aggressive, so I took it upon myself to also be aggressive. . . . If I got the ball, just take it to them or make a play of some kind.”

Smith, born in Inglewood, Calif., is now playing for his hometown Clippers. But don’t for one second think that Boston merely was a stop-over on his way to the NBA.

“I look at Boston this way: I came here as a child and I left here as a man,” he said. “Boston will forever be in my heart, and to see the Celtics get back to the top in the East is pretty big. But for me, I just have to see it as a regular, ordinary game.”

Except that last night was anything but ordinary.

“He’s been great, scoring a lot for us coming off the bench,” Camby said. “I know he’s excited about being back in the area, having gone to BC.”

Because Boston is such a lousy college sports town, we have a habit of overlooking the great young players who pass through. We had one of the nation’s best college quarterbacks when Matt Ryan was playing up at The Heights. As for college hockey, we get to see some of the best players in the country. We even get the occasional college baseball star who makes it to the big leagues, Northeastern’s Carlos Pena and Boston College’s Chris Lambert being two recent examples.

And from 2002-06, we had a chance to see Craig Smith light it up for the Eagles.

“I had a lot of friends from Boston College here tonight,” Smith said. “I still follow BC. They had a tough one down in Blacksburg (against Virginia Tech) the other night, but they have a big one (tonight) at home against Clemson, so hopefully they can pull it off and start winning some games.”

Funny how it works: It took a visit by the Los Angeles Clippers - the Clippers! - to remind us that, despite our reputation of being a hardcore big league sports town, we really do send the occasional college boy to the big time.

Kendrick Perkins, Rajon Rondo make amends

Statistics rarely tell the whole story, but two numbers jumped off the scoresheet when the Celtics [team stats] met the Clippers back on Dec. 27 in Los Angeles. Twenty-seven and 24.

The respective point totals of center Chris Kaman and point guard Baron Davis were impossible to ignore, particularly for the men entrusted with defending them, Kendrick Perkins [stats] and Rajon Rondo [stats].

The two Clippers had fairly well controlled the game, shooting a combined 19-for-32. And Davis hit a 22-footer over Rondo at the buzzer for a two-point LA win.

“Perk and I were laughing and joking before (last night’s game) about it,” Rondo said. “For some reason, our two guys got off last game, and we knew that we had to step up and take the challenge. At the end of the day, we had to man up and try to get stops. Me and Perk were talking and we pride ourselves on defense.”

Rondo and Perkins probably weren’t really laughing before this rematch, but they had room to smile after the 95-89 win. Kaman made 5-of-19 shots on the way to 10 points. Davis hit a late meaningless trey and two free throws to get to 16 points on 5-for-13 shooting.

According to coach Mike Dunleavy, Kaman missed some open looks and Davis still ran the show well (seven assists to Rondo’s 12). But the Clippers shot 50.7 percent in LA and just 38.8 percent at the Garden.

“I thought last game just watching on film they were going at us a little bit,” Perkins said. “I came into the game thinking I’ve just got to make it tough on Kaman. I know he’s been playing good, so I just came into the game thinking defense more than anything. I thought I let him set up shop wherever he wanted to go last game. This game I was trying to keep a body on him, play him physical.”

The team chose not to adjust.

“We don’t change our defense very often,” coach Doc Rivers said. “We are who we are. We just did our defense better. I thought we had a better sense of urgency. Rondo’s whole job was to stay square, make (Davis) make shots over you instead of the reach. And I thought Rondo did a terrific job just making him make shots over him and allowing our bigs to help and get back.

“And then I thought our bigs did a good job. When they did help, they got back and our guards got back out to their guards. We worked on it, but it’s what we should have done the first time. It wasn’t adjustments. It was just doing it right.”

Rondo acknowledged the assistance.

“The bigs helped out a lot,” he said. “I was just trying to keep him in front of me as much as possible. We mixed it up. The first play they posted, we threw a trap at him and I think it kept him off guard all night. I don’t think he knew whether we were going to come or not. My job was to maintain the ball, try not to reach so much, keep the ball in front of me.”

LeBron James hits foul shots to lift Cavs

LeBron James hit two free throws after a scary tumble with 4.1 seconds left for the winning points, and Dwyane Wade missed a jumper at the buzzer as the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Heat, 92-91, last night in Miami.

Wade finished with 32 points for Miami, all but two of them in what was an epic first-half shootout between superstars. But he missed two big free throws with 41.2 seconds left, part of a 1-of-6 showing from the line by the Heat in the fourth quarter - and it cost Miami dearly.

Pacers 109, 76ers 98 - Danny Granger scored 26 points and Dahntay Jones had 18 points as Indiana earned a split of the home-and-home series with host Philadelphia.

Jones scored seven straight points late in the fourth quarter that helped the Pacers put the game away and improve to 6-18 on the road.

Grizzlies 99, Magic 94 - Zach Randolph had 23 points and 19 rebounds, O.J. Mayo added 20 points and Memphis won its 11th straight home game by holding off Orlando.

Dwight Howard led Orlando with 27 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks for the Magic.

Hawks 102, Rockets 95 - Josh Smith scored 22 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Atlanta snapped a 10-game losing streak in Houston.

Joe Johnson scored 20 points and Jamal Crawford added 17 as the Hawks won in the Toyota Center for the first time in seven visits.

Bulls 98, Spurs 93 - Derrick Rose shook off flulike symptoms to score 27 points and Chicago won its third straight, topping host San Antonio.

Kirk Hinrich added 18 points for the Bulls, who again impressively beat a Western Conference team with a winning record on their seven-game road swing after surprising Houston and Phoenix last week.

The Bulls also acquired starting shooting guard Devin Brown from the New Orleans Hornets for backup 7-foot center Aaron Gray.

Jazz 124, Suns 115 - Carlos Boozer had 21 points and 20 rebounds and rookie Wesley Matthews scored 10 of his career-high 21 points in the fourth quarter as Utah rallied for a win against Phoenix in Salt Lake City.

Nuggets 104, Bobcats 93 - Chauncey Billups scored 27 points, Aaron Afflalo matched his career high with 24 points and depleted Denver beat visiting Charlotte for a season-high seventh straight win.

Stephen Jackson had 22 points and Gerald Wallace added 20 for the Bobcats, who lost their third in a row since a franchise-tying six-game winning streak.

The Nuggets decided not to suspend J.R. Smith over his behavior on the bench that angered management.

Hornets 98, Trail Blazers 97 - Chris Paul made a 15-foot jumper with 3.8 seconds remaining, lifting visiting New Orleans over Portland.

Elsewhere in the NBA - Wizards guard Javaris Crittenton pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor gun charge in Washington, explaining he had a pistol because he feared teammate Gilbert Arenas would shoot him or blow up his car after the two argued about a card game. The hearing marked the first time authorities confirmed Crittenton was involved in a confrontation with Arenas, who pleaded guilty Jan. 15 to a felony gun charge. Crittenton, 22, was sentenced to a year of unsupervised probation.

Name that Baby

Celtics forward Glen Davis has long gone by the nickname “Big Baby.” But in the wake of last week’s $25,000 fine for cursing a fan in Detroit, Davis is seeking a new moniker. One suggestion is “Uno Uno” in reference to his No. 11 uniform. But we know Herald readers can come up with even better suggestions.

So e-mail them to sports@bostonherald.com with the subject line “Big Baby nickname.” We will run the best of the best in tomorrow’s paper - and who knows, your suggestion just might stick.

Just call Big Baby ’Uno Uno’

Glen Davis, in the wake of his latest trouble, is seeking an image change. The Celtics [team stats] forward hasn’t gone as far as Bengals receiver Chad Johnson, who officially changed his name to Ochocinco in honor of his number 85. But Davis said before tonight’s game that he no longer wants to be known as "Big Baby." No. 11’s new, albeit unofficial, moniker is "Uno Uno." After getting fined $25,000 last week for cursing at a Detroit fan, anything will help. "I’m not feeling like Big Baby anymore, I need something different," said the Celtics forward. "Someone get a blog. I need suggestions."

When a reporter suggested the Uno Uno tag, Davis said, "I like that."

With Kevin Garnett back, Green find way

Above all, according to Celtics [team stats] coach Doc Rivers, the return of Kevin Garnett has signaled a return to certain principles that had started to fade.

“He’s the guy who holds everyone else accountable on the Celtic way to play, and without him I thought that was slipping,” Rivers said following yesterday’s practice, raising an issue that has struck a chord elsewhere in the lineup.

“I told him last year when he was out that it was good to even have his voice on the bench, because it was so important for the young bigs so early in their careers to have his voice in their heads,” Ray Allen said. “Definitely with him back in the lineup there is a trickle-down effect. “Kevin has never been an individual player. Statistically he’s never been a big scorer. He’ll dominate statistical categories from all aspects - from rebounding to scoring, assists, to get steals, the intangibles go on there as well.

“Really, defensively is where his ego comes into play, and he makes sure that everyone is on the same page.”

With the Celtics about to play five times in seven days, Garnett’s own focus will be on acclimating to the grind.

“It’s definitely a challenge,” Garnett said. “At the same time it’s a measuring stick for where we’re at and where we’re trying to be. We’re trying to prepare ourselves for later on in the season, and this stretch is good for that.

“When you’re traveling, (playing) back-to-backs, you try to stay as positive or mentally strong as you can. You see where you’re at and what you’re made of as a team - how you lose games and how you bounce back.”

No hitches

Garnett’s return from a hyperextended right knee continues to move along without any hitches. He ran through yesterday’s full workout.

“I’m not a doctor, but I’m a person who works really hard at what I do,” he said. “I come in here every day with the same intensity, the same mindset to get better and that’s what it is. I have no timetables. This game is full of injuries. If you go through every team, every guy is beat up on the roster and I’m no different.

“I feel very strong and very positive. I have to piggy-back on that and carry on.”

Said Rivers: “Kevin’s knees are fine. We’re more concerned about his endurance and how that affects his body. The games I’m concerned about with Kevin will be the Atlanta game (Friday) because it comes off a back-to-back with Orlando, and the Washington game (on Feb. 1) because it comes off the Laker game.”

Girding for grid

The early start to practice had a populist reason: The AFC Championship Game started at 3:30.

“I’m either Bears, Patriots [team stats] and then the underdogs,” Rivers said of his own allegiances. “I like (Brett) Favre ’cause he’s old as dust. He’s a forty-ish guy, so I would like to see him do well. I think it will be a tough day, but I wouldn’t mind seeing him do well.

“(Glen Davis) is (a fan of) whoever is good that day, but there hasn’t been a lot of talk about it because all of their teams are out. They did want practice at 12, so that means something.”

Obama meets with NBA champion Lakers

President Barack Obama holds a personalized Los Angeles Lakers team jersey presented to him by Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, left, as he honored the 2009 NBA basketball champions Lakers today at the White House.

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has welcomed the NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers to the White House.

An avid basketball fan, Obama says no team exemplified excellence on the court more than the Lakers did last year in winning their 15th league championship.

Obama said he was especially excited to meet Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who has won 10 championships, though he didn’t hesitate to remind the team that six of those victories were with Obama’s hometown Chicago Bulls.

Obama commended the players not only for their athletic achievements, but also their work off the court. The players held a fitness clinic for Washington-area school children Monday, and several players are donating money to relief efforts in Haiti.

Raptors claw by Lakers

Hedo Turkoglu made two free throws with 1.2 seconds left as the Raptors beat the Los Angeles Lakers, 106-105, last night in Toronto.

Andrea Bargnani scored 22 points, Chris Bosh and Jarrett Jack each had 18 and Marco Belinelli added 15 for the Raptors, who are 6-0 at home this season against Western Conference opponents.

Kobe Bryant missed a last-second jump shot and fell one assist shy of his first triple-double of the season, scoring 27 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. Bryant, who shot 11-for-24, has 16 career triple-doubles.

Bryant took an inbound pass from Luke Walton but his fadeaway jumper rimmed out as the Lakers lost for the second time in three games.

Pau Gasol scored 22 points, Andrew Bynum had 21 and Jordan Farmar 17 for the Lakers.

Mavericks 128, Knicks 78 - Drew Gooden stepped into the lineup with 15 points and 18 rebounds, and visiting Dallas coasted past New York for the biggest win in franchise history while missing two starters.

Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry each scored 20 points, and the Mavericks, who led by as much as 53, put on a shooting clinic in beating the Knicks for the eighth straight time. Dallas shot 58 percent from the field, was 12-of-22 from beyond the arc and 16-of-17 from the foul line.

David Lee had 11 points and 14 rebounds as the Knicks lost for the sixth time in eight games.

Clippers 92, Wizards 78 - Chris Kaman scored 20 points, Marcus Camby had 12 points and 19 rebounds and Los Angeles snapped an eight-game road skid to surpass last season’s win total with the triumph over Washington.

Baron Davis had 11 points and 11 assists, and Rasual Butler scored 14 points for the Clippers (20-23), who won despite a 3-of-16 performance from 3-point range.

Antawn Jamison had 20 points and 10 rebounds, and Brendan Haywood added 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Wizards, who have lost three straight.

Elsewhere in the NBA - The Denver Nuggets are talking about a possible punishment for sulking guard J.R. Smith, whose behavior has rubbed management the wrong way.

Smith didn’t attend an optional practice, after which coach George Karl described his behavior on the bench Saturday night as “eclectic.” Karl said he would meet with the team’s brass before deciding what to do.

Changes in starting lineup seem to agree with Sixers

Change, big or small, had to be made. Maybe it was a little late in coming, maybe it came just at the right time - at the beginning of the second half of the season.

Coach Eddie Jordan shuffled his starting lineup Friday night against the Dallas Mavericks, moving Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams to the bench and promoting Elton Brand and rookie Jrue Holiday into starting roles.

No one benefited more than Young, who posted 22 points in each of his subbing roles. He talked after Saturday's 107-97 win at Indiana of feeling more freedom on the court.

Talk about freedom - with the new lineup in place and Young finding rejuvenation off the bench, the team not only has won both games but also has become more of the team many thought they would be before the season started.

In the two games, the Sixers have jacked up an average of 91.5 shots a game. In the first 41 games, the average was 10 fewer.

It's two games, and maybe the extra shots won't become a constant, but there certainly seem to be good reasons for the trend.

First, the defense has been far better the last couple of games, as has the rebounding, as you would expect with a frontcourt that includes Brand and Sam Dalembert. The team seems to be concentrating on getting out and running more, thus leading to more shots and a faster game.

In Saturday's win over the Pacers, the Sixers shot a paltry 41.2 percent (40-for-97). But they grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and got out on the break again. And when they needed baskets in the halfcourt offense, Brand was beastly, collecting a game-high 23 points.

So what necessitated the move after 41 games? Certainly the 13-28 record played a big part. But the most important element precipitating the change was Brand.

"Elton is playing better," said general manager Ed Stefanski. "No doubt he is getting his legs under him some more and moving better than he was at the beginning of the season. He gives us a bigger presence."

So forceful was Brand against the Pacers that he often was double-teamed in the post when he got the ball. He responded by dealing four assists. What also has been refreshing about Brand is that he has been a big asset in the team's quest to run.

"I do know when we have Elton in there, we can run as much as we want," Stefanski said. "I've never been a proponent that we can't run with Elton. He's a hell of a trailer, who can catch the ball and hit that 15-foot jumper on the [secondary] break. I will also say that we have posted him up quickly. We are still pushing it ahead, and then post him up right away. We have a lot of guys who can rebound and then throw out to, like, Allen Iverson and Andre Iguodala and Lou and Jrue."

Holiday taking over for Williams was more for defensive purposes than anything else. With Williams and Iverson starting games, the Sixers were fielding an awfully small backcourt. Holiday lends size to cover the opponent's two guard, while still providing speed.

"When you're starting two small guards, it's tough defensively," Stefanski said. "We wanted to get Jrue in there with Allen. Although Lou and Allen do cause matchup troubles with other teams due to their speed, it was hurting us a little bit on the defensive end."

So far the change has brought success. And with success comes happiness, even for new subs Williams and Young.

"Both guys were disappointed when they were told that they were being taken out of the starting lineup," Stefanski said. "And I told them that I'd be disappointed if they weren't upset. They are both very young guys, but they both handled it extremely well, very professionally. They both said that if it helps the team win, they'll be OK with it. It's only been two games, but so far, so good."

Six shots

Jrue Holiday missed part of Saturday's game after a cut on his head required 12 stitches. He returned later in the game . . . After tonight's home game against the Pacers, the Sixers will play at Milwaukee on Wednesday . . . Sam Dalembert grabbed 12 rebounds on Saturday, the ninth time in 10 games he has had 10 or more. He is averaging 13.3 in that span . . . The Sixers have won the last four games in which Elton Brand has scored 20 or more points . . . Andre Iguodala has scored fewer than 10 points the past two games . . . The Sixers are 7-4 when Allen Iverson scores 15 or more points.

Knicks president Walsh still has eyes on Rubio

When the Timberwolves visit the Garden tomorrow, they'll be without the 19-year-old floppy-haired Spanish point guard the Knicks still covet.

Ricky Rubio, whom the Wolves drafted sixth, is playing in Spain this season, switching teams to FC Barcelona. That actually turned out well for the Knicks, who are still marking his progress.

Knicks international scout Kevin Wilson, who's responsible for their pick of Danilo Gallinari, lives in Barcelona and the Regal Barcelona team is his hometown club. It has been well-documented Wilson is friends with the Rubio family and Ricky's parents would love to see the Timberwolves deal him to New York.

Wilson is in town this week as the Knicks have their scouting meetings as a prelude to the Feb. 19 trading deadline and discussing available point guards will be a priority.

Knicks president Donnie Walsh told The Post the last time he spoke to Wolves president David Kahn, his former assistant in Indiana, he was told Minnesota wasn't accepting trade offers now. Rubio is averaging 5.6 assists for Barcelona and showing marked improvement, but he's still leery about spending his career in Minnesota.

"David has told me he wants to bring Ricky over for next season," Walsh told The Post.

Beyond signing a maximum free agent, the Knicks will be in the market for a point guard this offseason since Chris Duhon and Nate Robinson will become free agents and aren't likely to be re-signed.

* Mavericks owner Mark Cuban doesn't feel the Knicks are in the lead for LeBron James just because they will lead the league in cap space. The Mavericks will be under the cap if they renounce Erick Dampier and Josh Howard.

"It doesn't matter," Cuban said. "With any top-tier player, when they have multiple choices for [maximum] money, it really comes down to where he thinks he has the best chance to win. That's up to each individual organization to convince him of that. New York is a great selling point, Miami is a great selling point, Dallas, Chicago, Los Angeles, Memphis. Maybe he's a huge Elvis [Presley] fan."

Cuban is host to next month's All-Star weekend that will be played in the new Cowboys Stadium. Cuban said 85,000 tickets have already been sold and the NBA is deciding whether to add more. Cuban would like to break the stadium record of 105,000.

"It could be for north Texas, the largest party weekend in the history of the United States," Cuban said.

* David Lee's All-Star candidacy may have taken a hit because of the Knicks' recent 2-6 slide, putting them nine games below .500.

D'Antoni said: "If [Lee] were on one of the top teams, without a doubt. If he doesn't make it, it's because we didn't win enough."

The Main Event: David Stern made the NBA FUN-TASTIC!

David Stern is hailed as one of the best commissioners in any sport, in any era.

Named NBA commissioner in 1984, Stern inherited a league with image problems. Rumors were the league had a widespread drug problem. Two-thirds of the teams were losing money.

Refusing to limit his audience to 18- to-40-year-old males, Stern encouraged teams to enhance entertainment.

Non-basketball entertainment became an even higher priority when the league expanded to 27 teams, adding Miami and Charlotte in 1988, then adding Orlando and Minnesota in 1989.

Because wins would be few for new four expansion teams, Stern's message was teams should play upbeat music, hold fan contests and develop mascots.

A few years later, halftime acts became a staple, featuring Frisbee catching dogs, hypnotists and performers like Tanya Crevier, an expert dribbler who could spin nine basketballs on her fingers at once.

Former Miami Heat marketing vice president Bob Ruf said Stern was ingenious.

"You're closer to the action than most sports," Ruf was quoted 20 years ago. "You hear the grunts and groans. Why not heighten the experience?"

Nuggets won't suspend Smith for sulking on bench

DENVER (AP) -- The Denver Nuggets have decided not to suspend J.R. Smith over his behavior on the bench that rubbed management the wrong way.

Smith will be allowed to play against Charlotte on Monday night, although Rex Chapman, vice president of player personnel, didn't rule out some sort of punishment for the guard.

Smith, who has been mired in a prolonged shooting slump, sulked on the bench Saturday night, when he played a season-low 12 minutes and scored just three points in a win over New Orleans.

Nuggets coach George Karl said Smith will come off the bench, as usual, against the Bobcats. Star forward Carmelo Anthony will miss the game with a sprained left ankle and Joey Graham will start in his place, Karl said.

Hornets deal guard Brown to Bulls for backup Gray

CHICAGO (AP) -- The New Orleans Hornets have traded starting shooting guard Devin Brown to the Chicago Bulls for backup 7-foot center Aaron Gray.

The 31-year-old Brown has played in 39 games for New Orleans this season, starting all but two games. He is averaging 9.7 points per game and has made nearly 37 percent of his shots from 3-point range.

The Bulls this year have missed the scoring of guard Ben Gordon, who signed with Detroit before the season. The trade was announced Monday, before Chicago played at San Antonio and the Hornets at Portland.

The move opens the way for rookie Marcus Thornton, who has averaged 9.4 points in only 18.6 minutes per game, to start for the Hornets. It also brings New Orleans within about $424,000 of getting under the NBA's luxury tax threshold.

Gray, who is in his third NBA season, averaged 2.3 points and two rebounds in eight games this season with the Bulls.

Glen 'Big Baby' Davis wants to drop nickname

BOSTON (AP) - -- Boston Celtics forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis is looking to change his image. Step One: Drop the nickname.

Davis, who missed the start of the season following surgery for a broken thumb he sustained in a fight with a childhood friend, was recently fined $25,000 for directing inappropriate language at a fan during a game against Detroit last Wednesday.

"I'm in the public eye. Kids look up to me. You just can't make those kind of statements," he said before Monday's game against the Los Angeles Clippers. "It (stinks) that you have to learn this way, how to keep your emotions intact. I know who I am as a person, and hopefully my fans know who I am as a person, that I am a good guy. I'm not a troublemaker or a fighter."

Davis went on to say that he'd like to drop his `Big Baby' nickname. When asked what he'd like to use in place of it, a reporter suggested "Uno. Uno."

He smiled and agreed.

"No comment," Boston coach Dic Rivers said, when informed Davis no longer wanted to be called `Big Baby."

Then asked if it was a sign Davis was ready to mature, Rivers said: "That's a start, right? He's young. He's got to grow up in front of a lot of people."

During the summer, Davis signed a contract that will pay his $6 million over the next two years.

He said he now understands what he needs to do and appreciated the Celtics' understanding this season.

"Sometimes, in the game of basketball, you kind of show your emotions in a different way, just like when you go to work and you get a staple in your hand or your boss is messing with you," he said. "In my job, it's just a different experience. I'm a young guy who is trying to learn how to live life in this sport and adapt to this lifestyle. There are some tough bumps. The Celtics have done a great job of sticking with me and understanding."

Davis, in his third season, is averaging 5.8 points and 4.1 rebounds.

Davis played a key role in Boston's playoffs last season with Kevin Garnett missing the entire postseason because of a knee injury. Davis hit a game-winning buzzer-beater in Game 4 of the second round against Orlando before the Celtics lost at home in the seventh game.

An All-Star from each team ... wouldn't that be an idea?

Are we ready for Brook Lopez (with ball) as an All-Star?

The NBA All-Star Game is as much about entertainment as it is about competition, and the league makes no claims to the contrary.

Besides, we all know that for sheer intensity, for determined defensive posturing and for sweaty, exhausting battles, the serious action comes from the All-Star selection process.

The gripes are endless: Too much fan input. Not enough fan input. Favoritism and/or grudges dictating the coaches' selection of reserves. Superstars representing the wrong conferences. Broken-down players who shouldn't be invited at all.

There is no perfect way, not in a league with 30 franchises, in a game with only 24 available roster spots, in a sport where using 12 players typically is too many in 48 minutes. But there are other ways. All sorts of ways, in fact, for choosing who goes and who stays, who sits and who plays, who gets recognized for a half-season of stellar baskeball and who gets honored for a professional lifetime spent providing thrills and fun.

Just for argument's sake -- oh, there most definitely will be arguments, if not blood -- let's look at one alternative way: Major League Baseball's way.

We're not talking about using the All-Star Game to dictate homecourt advantage in the Finals. Nor are we worried about NBA commissioner David Stern someday declaring a tie because one coach or another ran out of point guards. No, we're talking about the selection process in which every team in the league gets to send a player to its sport's midseason classic.

What if the NBA built its All-Star squads that way?

If the Board of Governors bumped the All-Star roster sizes from 12 up to 15, there would be enough spots for 30 players, 30 teams, and some obvious benefits and costs on both sides of the idea.

Pros

•The All-Star Game would have the broadest possible appeal, if not necessarily the deepest. Every team, every market would have some skin in the game. Or, at least, on the bench.

•Fans of the league's bottom feeders would have something to look forward to in the dead of winter, in a season perhaps already lost, rather than having to wait another three months for the oasis of the Draft Lottery.

•This system would put an end to the application of any "unwritten rules'' used by the conference coaches in picking reserves. Some of them, for instance, think All-Stars only should be drawn from teams with winning records. Some of them don't. Some seem to believe that the teams having the very best seasons should get multiple All-Stars -- even if no one else on, say, Cleveland really merits it. Also, the way things are now, coaches in theory can "game'' the system -- since they're not permitted to vote for their own players, they may be tempted to vote for an off-the-wall, undeserving choice just to avoid supporting their guy's chief rival.

•It might attract bigger names to participate in the the All-Star Saturday events, since it would be the only way for the league's best sidekicks and second bananas to crash the weekend party.

Cons

•If we think there are omissions now, there would be some egregious ones using the democratic-representation model. Imagine sending Malone all those years without Stockton, or vice versa. Choosing just one of Boston's Big Three would be like plopping down for a Three Stooges marathon and getting strictly Larry Fine's scenes.

•Having no natural teammates could spoil some really special moments. Like in 2006 when the East used four Detroit players together with Paul Pierce. It was a nice nod to Detroit's "team vs. superstar'' approach and gave us a taste of what an entirely different format -- letting the NBA champions, intact, take on the league's stars -- might be like.

•There would be a whole bunch of undeserving All-Stars, however we would define that. Also, in the hands of crafty agents, that status could be whipped into a whole bunch of overpriced contracts. Look, my guy has gone to four straight All-Star Games! Well, yeah. Because he plays for the Clippers.

•Bigger rosters would mean more potential heartbreak for guys who wouldn't get on the court for more than a few token minutes. Then again, the guys who were just lucky to be there would likely know who they were and could be expected to sit there and enjoy the show.

•There could be potential headaches for the coaches, too, who could wind up stiffing a guy on his All-Star moment and thus fueling him with bonus motivation when their teams meet in the season's second half.

Then again, if we're going to tinker, why not adjust for the bigger rosters -- a 25 percent increase from 12 to 15 players -- by adding a fifth quarter to the game. Divide a game of 60 minutes by 15 players, the math stays the same as 12 guys for 48 minutes.

Hey, we're just brainstorming here, right?

For the record, here are my guesses at the possible -- and eminently arguable -- All-Star squads if every team had to be represented and there were 15 (but only 15) spots per side:

EASTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

Atlanta: G-F Joe Johnson. (Sorry, J-Smoove, you're not your team's franchise guy yet.)
Boston: G-F Paul Pierce.
Charlotte: G-F Stephen Jackson. (No rules on how long a guy has to be there.)
Chicago: G Derrick Rose.
Cleveland: You know. What's-His-Name.
Detroit: C Ben Wallace.
Indiana: F Danny Granger.
Miami: G Dwyane Wade.
Milwaukee: C Andrew Bogut. (Size does matter, Brandon Jennings.)
New Jersey: C Brook Lopez.
New York: F David Lee. (Uh, second thoughts about this system now creeping in.)
Orlando: C Dwight Howard.
Philadelphia: G Allen Iverson. (Naysayers will miss him when he's gone.)
Toronto: F Chris Bosh.
Washington: F Antawn Jamison. (Weekend furlough from the Verizon Funhouse.)

WESTERN CONFERENCE ALL-STARS

Dallas: F Dirk Nowitzki.
Denver: F Carmelo Anthony.
Golden State: G Monta Ellis.
Houston: G Aaron Brooks. (Uh oh, this squad is getting small.)
L.A. Clippers: C Chris Kaman.
L.A. Lakers: G Kobe Bryant. (See, Memphis wasn't all bad for Pau Gasol.)
Memphis: F Zach Randolph. (Never imagined typing that name and "All-Star" on same page.)
Minnesota: F Al Jefferson. (A trip down lone-All-Star memory lane for the Wolves.)
New Orleans: G Chris Paul.
Oklahoma City: F-G Kevin Durant.
Phoenix: F Amar'e Stoudemire. (The West needs bigs, so Nash has to enter Skills contest.)
Portland: G Brandon Roy.
Sacramento: G Tyreke Evans. (He gets a pass on the Rookie Challenge then.)
San Antonio: F Tim Duncan. (Ouch. Flying solo really snubs this team.)
Utah: F Carlos Boozer. (New reason for Jazz to trade him -- open All-Star spot for Williams.)

Smart coaches, take heed of these deserving reserves

Count Kevin Durant (left) and Brandon Roy among our shoo-ins as West reserves.

Now that the votes for the All-Star game starters are in (it's stunning that Steve Nash overtook the idle Tracy McGrady for a starting berth; call me cynical, but the last fan totals for All-Star always have felt, um, what's the word?--Chicagoish?), we have the usual caterwauling and grumbling about who did and didn't get in on the first go-round.

(Just so we're clear, again, it doesn't bother me in the least that Allen Iverson was voted in. It's the fans' game. Now, they do have to have some standards; it would have been ridiculous for Tracy McGrady to start after playing just six games. But as long as the guy's been playing for, say, three-quarters of his team's games, vote for whomever you like.)

No problem here with Iverson, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett and Dwight Howard in the East, and Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony, Tim Duncan and Amar'e Stoudemire in the West. But who should join them?

We're here to help.

Sticking with the rule that the coaches -- who pick the reserves -- have to take at least two guards, two forwards and one center as backups, here's who a smart coach would vote for when the backups are announced Thursday night at 7 p.m. ET on TNT, before the Celtics-Magic at 8:

EASTERN CONFERENCE RESERVES

Guards: Joe Johnson, Hawks; Rajon Rondo, Celtics

Forwards: Paul Pierce, Celtics; Gerald Wallace, Bobcats; Chris Bosh, Raptors

Centers: Joakim Noah, Bulls; David Lee, Knicks

NOSES TO THE WINDOW: Derrick Rose, Bulls; Josh Smith, Hawks; Andre Iguodala, 76ers; Antawn Jamison, Wizards

Rondo (first in the NBA in steals, third in assists), is playing the best ball of his career and is an absolute no-brainer, as is Johnson (21.1 points per game), looking for his fourth straight All-Star appearance for the now-for-real Hawks.

Both get the nod over Rose, who's overcome a slow start because of an ankle injury to become the Bulls' leading scorer, the beneficiary of getting off the ball more this season. (Would Gilbert Arenas, averaging 22.6 ppg, have made it if he hadn't been suspended indefinitely? Yeah, he probably would have. Yet another consequence of an amazingly stupid decision.)

Joakim Noah has All-Star-quality skills.

Pierce's numbers (18.8 ppg) aren't as high as they could be, but that's a function of Boston's increased depth as much as any dropoff in his skills, and he should be a cinch for his eighth All-Star appearance. You don't see Wallace on national TV very often, but trust me, there's not a forward in the league playing any better than Wallace, who's averaging a double-double (18.5 ppg, 11.1 rpg) for resurgent Charlotte. Bosh (23.9 ppg, 11.1 rpg) has carried Toronto back into the East playoff picture while trying to figure out his own future.

In part because each has helped lift his team into the postseason race, all got the nod over Iguodala and Jamison, a good guy -- a great guy -- who deserves better in Washington. But you can't reward a guy whose team has flamed out so miserably. No argument if you think Smith's all-around excellence this season in Atlanta should be recognized.

Noah is one of the league's most improved players, and Lee is going to be very, very productive next season for somebody else as he is this season in New York. His play this season should be rewarded, as the Knicks (aside from a huge loss Sunday) have picked it up of late.

WESTERN CONFERENCE RESERVES

Guards: Deron Williams, Jazz; Brandon Roy, Blazers; Chris Paul, Hornets

Forwards: Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks; Kevin Durant, Thunder; Carlos Boozer, Jazz

Center: Chris Kaman, Clippers

NOSES TO THE WINDOW: Monta Ellis, Warriors; Rudy Gay, Grizzlies; Carl Landry, Rockets; Zach Randolph, Grizzlies

Carl Landry? Yeah, Carl Landry; he's been sensational this season for Houston. Randolph has been a revelation for Memphis. The Grizz knew Randolph could and would score, could and would rebound, but they never imagined he'd be a leader, a team guy and a non-pain on the daily.

Nowitzki has never been more complete in Dallas, Boozer has bounced back from a tumultuous offseason to mount monster numbers (19.3 ppg, 10.6 rpg) in his walk year. Durant (29.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg) is a lock, unless you're a moron or sleep-deprived (as I was late Sunday, when I forgot him initially, until my man Jeff Case caught my boneheaded omission and hipped me to it). We knew KD could score, which he's showing again this year, but Durant also gets props for hitting the glass on the regular and significantly improving his D; Highway 35 is much tougher to navigate this season, and the Thunder is within sniffing distance of the playoffs because of it.

Williams must -- must -- make his first All-Star team this season. Utah has no shot at winning when he's not on the court. Ditto Portland; even though the Blazers have won once or twice without B-Roy when he's been out with a bad hamstring, they wouldn't do it on a regular basis. He's too good and too willing and able to take over games in the fourth quarter. Paul is the one NBA player that we'd love to inject with truth serum, to see what he's really thinking these days. But he's not letting anything bother him on the floor, where he's just as dominant as ever. So while Ellis (26.1 ppg) has been incredible at Golden State this season, he doesn't deserve the nod over anyone in that trio, and Gay's terrific play of late has to take a back seat, too.

Will Deron Williams finally make an All-Star squad?

Making the case for Kaman is easy. He averages 20.4 ppg and 9.1 rpg; he shoots 51 percent from the floor and 75 from the line, and no one is playing better in the pivot right now. But even he isn't sure he's going to get rewarded.

"Do I think I'm an All-Star?," he told me last week. "I think I am an All-Star, but I don't know if that's what's going to happen. You just never know. It's tough when you don't win. We're kind of on that cusp of winning a lot of games. You look at some of the games we played this year that we let slip away. We were up three or four games 20 points or more and we let teams come back and beat us ...

"I think my numbers and what I do for my team is an All-Star level, but it's also like a popularity contest sometimes, and I don't try to be popular. It's not what I'm doing. I'm here trying to win games and play basketball. I'm probably not a fan favorite. I can almost guarantee you that."

Why does he believe that?

"I'm different," he says. "I'm just a different person than the average guy. In the summer I'm out shooting guns and hunting, fishing, and just doing this stuff that the average player isn't going to be doing. I don't really do a whole lot of partying -- not that there's anything wrong with that -- I just don't get into that. I try to relax and I'm at home and play video games, or watch a movie, hang out with my friends. It's not like I'm out there partying. I just think I'm a little bit different, and that makes me less popular."

Come on -- you want this guy hanging out with Cuban at Hotel Zaza in Big D next month, don't you?

Dribbles

•Have you ever, I texted Mavs Coach Rick Carlisle late Sunday, won a game at any level -- Biddy Ball, rec league, pickup on the blacktop in western New York state -- by 50 points?

"Not very often," he texted back, "but it has happened."

I'm not going to lie -- I didn't see Dallas' 128-78 evisceration of the Knicks Sunday afternoon at the Garden, so I can't speak to the level of ineptitude the Knicks sunk. Workout, writing and kids, in that order, got in the way. But normally, in blowouts of that magnitude, things tend to snowball and quickly get out of control. The Knicks actually led by one late in the first quarter and only trailed by six midway through the second.

And then, wow.

A 17-7 run to end the first half.

A 38-11 run in the third quarter.

A 16-4 run to start the fourth quarter. (Question: what New York fan was still in the building at this point, with the Jets' kickoff in Indianapolis in the AFC title game less than an hour away?)

With 5:50 left in the fourth, a dead ball forced the mandatory under-six-minutes timeout. The Mavs came to their bench. The score was 113-60. I always wonder what you say to your team then.

"Told them to be professional and play the right way," Carlisle texted, and they did, giving up only three points of their 53-point lead the rest of the way to hold on by two score and 10. It was the largest margin of victory in Dallas' history, and the third-largest of all time. No doubt LeBron looked upon the proceedings and said "yes! I want to be a part of that next season! Where do I sign?"...

•The Suns have come back to earth after their scorching 14-3 start. Not that Steve Nash didn't see it coming.

Channing Frye's struggles mirror the Suns' woes.

"We had a great start in November," Nash said, echoing what he'd told me then, "but we didn't have the talent to expect to keep rolling through the league like that."

Phoenix was executing in the halfcourt the first six weeks of the season, rebounding by committee and looked a couple of steps quicker than almost everyone. Now there's 40 games' worth of wear and tear on those skinnier legs, the Suns aren't making threes in bunches and other than Amare Stoudemire, they don't have much to turn to inside.

Channing Frye made Phoenix almost unguardable the first month or so of the season (and made team president Steve Kerr look awfully smart, signing him for two years and $3.8 million), as a big man who stretched defenses with unbelievable 3-point shooting. Frye shot 46 percent from the floor in October, November and December, making 46 threes in October/November and 38 in December. But in January, Frye's numbers are down, to 37.9 percent from the floor and just 20 threes. That led to Alvin Gentry shuffling his lineup, with Robin Lopez replacing Frye at center and Leandro Barbosa taking over for Jason Richardson at shooting guard. (But Barbosa is now going to be out a month following wrist surgery.)

"With Channing," Gentry said this week, "he played himself into a major part of everyone's scouting report. When he came into the season, he'd made 20 threes his whole career. After five games of making six threes he became important on the scouting report. They don't leave him anymore."

Same with Jared Dudley, who was a terrific sixth man in October, November and December. Like Frye, Dudley shot 46 percent from the floor the first two-plus months of the season, averaging 28 threes per month. And like Frye, Dudley has had a horrible January, shooting just 34 percent from the floor, with just six threes.

"They've seen what some of our guys were doing, and taken that away," Nash said. "To be honest, we've had a lot of open looks. We've got to look ourselves in the mirrior and say how do we get to be better?"

Of course, that's led to the annual start of the Amare Stoudemire Rumor Season, with STAT saying he'll go wherever he thinks he has a chance to win, and almost no one believing that's the Land of the Sun. The problem, at least one source notes, is that Stoudemire is looking for a deal even more lucrative than Pau Gasol's three-year, $57 million extension from the Lakers. An even $20 million per year for three years, to be exact...

•The Pacers' Roy Hibbert has had an interesting three games this season with the east's standard bearer in the middle, Dwight Howard.

Game 1: Dec. 14, at Orlando

Player Points Rebounds Blocks FG FT +/- Howard 21 23 4 4-10 13-22 +7 Hibbert 8 5 0 4-5 0-0 +11

Magic won, 106-98

That brought us to ...

Game 2: Jan. 5, at Indiana

Player Points Rebounds Blocks FG FT +/- Howard 11 15 2 2-6 7-12 -3 Hibbert 26* 8 4 10-19 6-9 +12 *=career high

Pacers won, 97-90

How good, I asked Howard a few days later, was Hibbert that night?

"You mean when he busted your (bleep)?," asked the always helpful Matt Barnes, walking alongside us.

"He was on fire," Howard said. "I don't think I've ever seen him hit as many shots as he did. It was a great night. Hopefully he keeps working, and it won't happen to me again."

Game 3: Jan. 20, at Orlando

Player Points Rebounds Blocks FG FT +/- Howard 32 11 1 8-13 16-24 +15 Hibbert 3 3 2 0-2 3-4 -22

Magic won, 109-98

Okay, it didn't. But Hibbert has gotten Howard's attention.

"I don't think there's anything different," Howard said of Hibbert. "He plays the same way. He's always an aggressive scorer. I've been seeing him since I saw him at the Jordan Classic. He didn't make the Jordan Classic game with the world wide one, but he made the (preliminary) game that was just for the guys from D.C. I saw him then, and just to see his development from them to now, it's amazing to see how hard he's worked. So hopefully he can keep working and never get satisfied with what he's done so far, and I think he has a chance to be a really good player in this league."

Top O' the World, Ma!

(Last week's ranking in brackets)

1) Cleveland [2] (34-11): Key stretch coming without injured Mo Williams, West.

2) L.A. Lakers [1] (33-11): Annual long road trip, annual mid-season slippage.

3) Denver [6] (29-14): Picking it up after some sloppy losses to lesser foes.

4) Atlanta [3] (28-14): Now we'll see for certain: San Antonio, Houston, Boston, Orlando this week.

5) Orlando [10] (29-15): Two blowout wins may have stemmed the tide.

6) Boston [4] (28-13): KG's back -- just in time for Cs to stay with East leaders.

7) Dallas [5] (28-15): Mavs' 16-8 road record is best in west.

8) Portland [8] (27-18): Latest Blazer (Bayless) goes down, Blazers keep winning.

9) Utah [9] (25-18): Jazz looking to ease logjam at shooting guard position?

10) San Antonio [7] (25-17): Spurs need an injection of energy.

11) Phoenix [11] (26-19): Losing steam at the wrong time.

12) Houston [12] (24-19): Rockets not getting it done on D.

13) Memphis [NR] (23-19): Still could use some help on the bench, but starters are thriving.

14) Miami [15] (23-20): Beating Wizards, Kings don't erase concerns.

15) Toronto [14] (23-22): Big win Sunday night over Lakers keeps the ball rolling.

Team of the Week

Nuggets (3-0): Denver is still looking for big man depth for the stretch, but the Nuggets' top eight or nine players at the moment are rolling -- six straight overall -- and trying to put distance between themselves and the rest of the scrappy Northwest Division.

Team of the Weak

Nets (0-4): How can you, in good conscience, give it to anyone else? New Jersey dropped all four of its games on its Western road swing this week -- by an average of 25 per game! Yikes. The Nets are 3-40, on an 11-game losing streak, and halfway to breaking the seemingly unbreakable 9-73 mark of the 1973 Sixers.

Nobody Asked Me, But ...

Why did we spend so much time last week listening to an attention-seeking buffoon (whose name I will not mention) "promoting" an all-white basketball league that is little more than a sick publicity stunt, when we can rightly celebrate a true benchmark this week -- the 100th anniversary of African-Americans in pro ball?

The great Claude Johnson has spent the past several years chronicaling the lost contributions of African-Americans to professional basketball before the NBA was formed in 1947 with his blog, The Black Fives. "Fives" refers, of course, to the number of players on a team; at the turn of the previous century, basketball teams were often referred to as "Fives." Johnson's blog has made that almost forgotten history come alive, detailing the trials and tribulations of teams from the celebrated New York/Harlem Rens (whose last living player, George Crowe, hasn't been feeling well lately; send him some good vibes and prayers today) to obscure squads like the Los Angeles Red Devils and Washington 12 Streeters.

Through Black Fives, I learned that this Friday will mark the 90th anniversary of the accreditation of the first African-American official, Chris Huiswoud, who was sanctioned by the AAU to work a game on Jan. 29, 1920, and that this coming October will mark the 100-year anniversary of the formation of the first all-black for-pay team, the New York All-Stars. The All-Stars were formed by Major Hart, a former rifleman who served the United States during the Spanish-American war.

For a century, basketball has become the game most synonymous with African-American athletes, coaches, general managers and ownership. (As in the Negro Leagues in baseball, blacks were owners of their own teams decades before Bob Johnson bought his way into the NBA's ownership group.) But while African-American participation in Major League Baseball has fallen dramatically in the last 30 years -- and there are a lot of arguments as to why that's happened -- blacks continue to be dominant in the NBA. The quality of today's game can be debated reasonably, by people who aren't seeking to exploit racial tensions to line their own pockets. But what can't be denied is the contributions made by African-Americans to the game we all love.

At any rate, it would be a much better use of your time to check out BlackFives.com than waste brain cells on some yahoo. It's a great site that provides a public service to anyone who wants to really know the history of the game -- and has some great gear on sale to boot.

... And Nobody Asked You, Either

The Kobot 2000 finds your human sympathy amusing.

From Fernando Galindo:

I just couldn´t wait to read your column, I have to say it righ(t) now. I just watched the Cleveland - Lakers game, and I was amaze(d) of the quality of the game... As for the Lakers, guys like Gasol and Bynum they just wait the ball to fall in his hands, they don´t look for the rebound, they don´t jump at all to grab the ball. I mean, those stats are deceiving...

Last thing is about Kobe Bryant. I am big fan and I know you are also, but in the last weeks maybe you are one of the few people who has said it, he hasn´t been at his usual level... And we know the reason: he has so many injuries, and a lot of guys of the NBA media, exalts the kind of warrior that he is, but this subject has two sides... A warrior? Yes, but... He is putting himself and his team in great danger. But I feel that the decisition of Kobe is on himself only, where is the coach? Must he allow that? Kobe needs rest. Kobe is stubborn, but is not his decision only.

Sundiata Gaines' story inspired plenty of others.

Fernando, you make a good point, but there's not a coach on this planet that wouldn't take Kobe even at 80-85 percent every night.

Bringing people together since 2009 From Judy Woods:

Thanks for the full background on [Sundiata] Gaines. I'm a huge Cleveland fan, but thoroughly enjoyed that 3-pointer.

Still makes me smile too, Judy. And thanks to Jinny Giery, the PR director for the Idaho Stampede, where Sundiata played in the NBA D-League before getting the callup to Utah, for your help and for your nice note.

But now, we must agree to disagree. From Tyson Camp:

Thank you for writing such a touching piece on a wonderful moment in the NBA. As a lifelong Jazz fan, I was in delirium the night Gaines hit that buzzer-beater against LeBron and the Cavs. I couldn't be happier for a guy like Gaines who deserves all the accolades and attention that he is getting...

I do disagree with you on one thing though: the Jazz retro green uniforms. How can you not love them? It's so refreshing to see a classic look out there on the floor. In any case, they are immensely better than the dull and uninspired regular uniforms that often reflect the team's play. For me, I'll take the green and gold Jazz note over the navy blue BLAH look any day of the week.

That's not classic. Billy Eckstein singing at the Rainbow Room is classic. A Cadillac Coupe de Ville is classic. That pea soup green uniform is not classic.

MVP Watch

(1/18/10-1/24/10)

LeBron James (34 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 10.7 apg, .484 FG, .761 FT): Will have even more of a burden on him now that Cavs will be without Mo Williams (shoulder) for 4-6 weeks and Delonte West (broken finger) for at least a few days. Cleveland may have to rely a little more on Shaquille O'Neal while the guards heal, and that may not be a bad thing during the NBA's Dog Days. Shaq developed a good rapport with James in December and showing opponents another gear can only help Cleveland down the stretch. But defenses will load up on James even more in the coming days, making Boobie Gibson & Co. beat them.

Kobe Bryant (24 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 6.5 apg, .479 FG, .800 FT): Playing through two broken bones in his finger, a bad back, probably a couple of other things he's not telling us about. Not looking to force things, but still capable of pulling it out in the end -- can't believe that fadeaway from 26 feet rimmed out in Toronto Sunday.

Carmelo Anthony (27 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 3.3 apg, .338 FG, .800 FT): Didn't shoot it great and turned his ankle good late in Saturday's overtime win over New Orleans. But 'Melo was still the Western Conference player of the week as the Nuggets continued their dominance at home and put some space between themselves and the west's other contenders behind the Lakers.

Dirk Nowitzki (22.5 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 2 apg, .530 FG, .875 FT): Lost out in fan voting for a starting forward spot in the Western Conference, but the Diggler looks like he's sufficiently recovered from that shoulder injury.

Tim Duncan (20 ppg, 12.7 rpg, 3 apg, 1 bpg, .395 FG, .667 FT): Crossed the career 20,000-point plateau in Friday's loss to the Rockets, but the Spurs dropped four of five after looking like they'd turned the corner earlier this month. There has been noticeable defensive slippage from a team that's prided itself on choking the life out of opponents' halfcourt sets.

Dropped out: Brandon Roy

By the Numbers

10 -- Consecutive games won at home by Memphis, a team record.

18 -- Consecutive losses on TNT by the Suns after said Grizzlies beat them on Monday on Martin Luther King, Jr., Day.

$1,600,000 -- Amount that Thunder owner Clay Bennett agreed to pay litigants of a class action lawsuit last week. The suit, filed by three fans of the former Seattle SuperSonics on behalf of 1,000 season ticket holders, alleged that the Seattle ticket holders had the right to maintain their season tickets through this season after they renewed them while the team was still in Seattle in 2006, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

I'm Feelin' ...

1) Induction of the Dream Team (there is only one) into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame next August, as first reported by Jackie MacMullen this week. Being in Barcelona in 1992 and witnessing the U.S. men's Olympic team play against the game of basketball, not any one opponent, is among the highlights of my career.

2) LeBron's getting defensive in the final seconds Saturday night.

The original Dream Team is Hall of Fame-bound.

3) Great Games Friday: Celtics over Portland in OT and Rudy Gay's game-winner for Memphis over Oklahoma City (though we had to wait for Kevin Durant's last-second good look to hit the back rim).

4) Insert Nets joke here

5) Appropos of nothing: How about this for the inaugural class of Halftime Act Hall of Fame: the Jesse White Tumblers, Christopher , Quick Change , the Two Gymnastics guys and the Red Panda performer who tosses plates on her head while on a unicycle ? Feel free to offer your suggestions to daldridgetnt@gmail.com.

6) Having no discernable musical talent, it always amazes me to see creative people putting something together, more or less, on the fly. That's why it was fascinating to see Jay-Z, Rihanna, Bono and The Edge performing "Haiti a mi amor" during Friday's Haiti telethon. My guess is that song came together sometime Thursday night, they rehearsed it once or twice Friday morning and were singing in front of millions Friday night. Incredible.

7) I'll ask again: what do Jim Caldwell's critics say this morning? His team is in the Super Bowl, his key players are healthy and no one is going to remember the Colts' regular season record in two weeks if they're holding the Lombardi Trophy. That was a great Jets defense Peyton Manning dissected Sunday, and who knows if he'd been on the field if it had been he who'd taken that blindside hit in that now-meaningless loss to the Jets in Week 16 instead of backup Curtis Painter?

Not Feelin' ...

1) Holy moly. The Knicks lost by 50 on Sunday? At home? To a team playing without its starting point guard and starting center? Didn't Byron Scott get fired for that?

2) Don't think we'll hear any more pregame prognosticating from Miami's Michael Beasley, who foretold an "easy win" over the Bobcats Wednesday morning. Final at Time Warner Cable Arena Wednesday night: Charlotte 104, Miami 65.

3) Come on, YungBuck3! Love your Tweets! Don't shut it down!

4) The Kings' collective adjustment to Kevin Martin's return. Yes, they were on a decent roll while he was out injured, but he's back now, and they have to find a way to make it work.

5) Really? The Knicks lost by 50 at home?

6) I'm not in Leno's corner, to be sure, but the more I think about it, the more I can't work up much outrage for poor, put upon Conan. You know, the guy who got $32 million to take the spring and summer off.

7) I think we can all agree that we're all better off without John Edwards anywhere near the White House, right?

Tweet of the Week

What is this Boston thing people are talking bout I'm lost like the tv show
---Knicks guard Nate Robinson (@nate_robinson), Wednesday, 10:01 a.m., responding to rumors that the Celtics are trying to trade for him.

Mr. Fifteen

This week's Mr. Fifteen is Clippers center Brian Skinner. The 33-year-old Skinner once was one of the league's top per-minute rebounders as a starter and key rotation player for Milwaukee and Sacramento, two of Skinner's seven stops in his 12-year NBA career (he was also involved in trades sending him to Toronto and Chicago, though he never played for those teams). But after some time as a spot starter for Los Angeles last season, Skinner has appeared in just 10 games this season, totalling just 102 minutes, and is behind centers Chris Kaman and DeAndre Jordan and power forwards Marcus Camby and Craig Smith in the Clippers' rotation.

Me: How do you stay ready when the minutes are so sparse this season?

Brian Skinner: For me, personally, I work out. I work out, I make sure I get my cardio, I make sure I get my routine. If I play, I know I'm changing my routine the next day, 'cause tomorrow's not promised. I think the one thing, I've been traded a lot. I've moved around a lot of places. So I look at it (as) I'm not necessarily playing right then and there. I'm playing for other teams that are potentially looking. It's more of a pride thing for me, to make sure I'm staying ready, to make sure I'm doing what I need to do, so when the opportunity happens, it's not because I didn't prepare.

Me: Do you consider it a compliment that you've bounced around so much, because teams think you can handle that role?

BS: I played for some of the best coaches that ever coached this game. I take it as a privilege. Some people say 'journeyman;' I say it's privileged. I look it as, I've been in 12 years. I'm in shape. I'm taking care of what I need to care of. And opportunities are going to come, opportunities are going to go. My job is to make sure I'm ready when they do.

Brian Skinner is doing what he can to stay prepared.

Me: Is there a fraternity of guys who've been in the league 10, 12 years and managed to stick around year after year?

BS: I've been a starter, to the sixth guy, to the last guy, like now. I'm not getting a lot of time and I'm not getting a lot of minutes. I think I'm just trying to be opportunistic right now, be positive, encourage the other guys, and try not to bring any negativiity to the team. It's frustrating, obviously. It's always frustrating. You want to play. But, you know, it's going to happen. It's going to happen one way or the other. But I've enjoyed the time I've had here. I enjoy working out and I enjoy being with the guys and the camraderie.

Me: Is there temptation to go to Europe?

BS: Always. I mean, always. You want to play. Sometimes people go for the minimum, when they can get way more money. It's not even about that. It's about passion and love for the game. When you lose that, you don't need to play anymore. You need to go and find something else and begin the second segment of your life. Yeah, that's always an option. That's not always the first option. You start to distance yourself even moreso with the NBA, with the rigorous schedule and having to leave your family and leave your loved ones. But that's always an option. Heck, yeah.

Me: What advice do you give guys in similar situations?

BS: Stay positive and don't let anyone else take your joy. That's my thing. I'm not going to let anyone else take my joy. I might be disappointed, but you know, it's not going to carry out onto the court. You have a selfish, I think, kind of temptation that goes along with it, and you talk a big game, but when you get on the floor, you remember why you play the game. It's a love and it's a passion. So, my thing is, continue to work hard, obviously, be seen, not heard, whether it's anything with the coach, and always have that same kind of joking attitude, and be who you are. Don't let the game change you. It's not going to make you any better; it's not going to be make you any worse. But stay true to yourself.

Me: As the season goes on, do you foresee an opportuntity here as the season goes on and the rotation gets shorter?

BS: Some of it's political. Some of it is and some of it's not. Some of it's just preferences. I can't control what the coach does. I can't control what the team does. I can control what I can do, and I do with the time I get. That's all I can do. It's easy to see you get frustrated about that. You can't let it affect you. Because if you do it'll eat away at you and it'll take away everything that you possibly worked hard for. It'll take all the mental intensity that you have. It'll take everything physically. You're not going to want to come in, you're not going to want to do the things. You're going to say 'you know what? I'm just going to go home early.' You've got to stay focused and do the same things consistently. And if you do that, it's going to eventually pay off.

Me: Does Ricky Davis (his Clippers teammate) lord it over you because he was taken one spot -- 21st -- ahead of you in the first round in 1998?

BS: Nah, you know what, we haven't really talked about it. I played with him in Cleveland [in 2001-02] and we never talked about it. But you've got guys from (the) second-round draft picks, and some point in time, third round, back in the day, they don't remember that you know, you played well and got the opportunity. It's about opportunity. It's about the chance, making the most out of it. It's about five minutes. I remember Kevin Martin, in Sacramento, (behind) Bonzi Wells, couldn't play. Kevin didn't play at all, and everybody was talking about him, different things. And he came out. The first 10 games, he shot 60 percent from the three, and after that, he took off, and now he's Sacramento's, one of their leading scorers. You see that, and it can happen to anybody. Anybody that you think is quiet, and just mediocre, and they really don't have a heart and passion for it, you can see that build, you can see that fire build up slowly, and they can become a great player. So, anything can happen.

Me: So if they give you one shot, you can show them you can still get it off the glass?

BS: All I need is one. One chance. That's it. I just sit the bench right now and wait for coach to call my name.

They Said It

"Just like every team, people have disagreements. We're all men, and men know how to handle things. We handled that like we were supposed to, like men, and now we're better people because of that. We're better teammates."
--Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay, from this week'sTNT Overtime Insider podcast , on how he and teammate O.J. Mayo handled friction between them.

"Last season, we made a stand at the defensive end. For some reason, we were shutting teams down and teams couldn't score. We was known in the playoffs as the (expletive) team. We want to get that edge back."
--Denver's Carmelo Anthony, telling me how the Nuggets have lost some of their defensive intensity from last season.

"He possibly could be our second-best post-up player if not our best post-up player."
--Bucks Coach Scott Skiles on the newly acquired, 35-year-old guard Jerry Stackhouse, signed last week to replace the injured, lost-for-the-season Michael Redd.