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Saturday, November 21

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The Golden State Warriors are optimistic that the Stephen Jackson trade will make it easier for them to re-sign Anthony Morrow at the end of the season. Morrow will be a restricted free agent and Raja Bell’s contract will be coming off the books. The Warriors should save about $20 million in the deal. Vladimir Radmanovic’s contract expires after next season. Yahoo! Sports

The Rockets would love to trade McGrady, 30, for a player around whom they could build, but those players aren't being shopped. Regardless of how McGrady leaves, he will leave. He's done here. The Rockets say McGrady will practice Monday and then have his knee examined. There'll be a discussion of when he might return. The Rockets think he might be weeks away from returning. McGrady thinks he should be back already. Whenever he returns is almost beside the point. Now it's just a matter of how quickly the Rockets can rid themselves of him. Houston Chronicle

Not a single team besides the Knicks has shown any interest in scooping Iverson up since he left Memphis and cleared waivers. If that landscape doesn't change, A.I.'s earnings for the season will amount to the $437,609 he earned from the Grizzlies, leaving the rest of his original $3.1 million contract from the Grizzlies behind to become a free agent. ESPN.com

Michael Wallace: With Iverson available after NYK backout, only way Heat considers him is if he takes non-g'teed deal & agrees 2B reserve. Twitter.com

What about the Magic, who just lost point guard Jameer Nelson for at least a month due to a knee injury? "I like where my team sits right now," GM Otis Smith told me Friday. The Nuggets, who enjoyed a mostly positive experience with A.I.? "Zero interest," said a person familiar with their plans. Iverson's former coach, Larry Brown, has been quick to call every team on his speed dial and recommend his former point guard/nemesis. But that says everything you need to know. Imagine getting a call from a colleague recommending that you hire someone. Aren't you just dying to ask, "If this guy's so good, why don't you hire him?" CBSSports.com

As for Sixers coach Eddie Jordan, he shrugged off what the Knicks’ decision meant relative to his team. “I don’t lose any sleep about the Knicks or any team in the East signing him,” Jordan said. “He’s still a terrific player, but it doesn’t concern me.” Delco Times

So if D’Antoni wanted Iverson and Walsh clearly was leaning that way as well, why didn’t it happen? Look no further than Dolan. To his credit, he spent two years trying to remove Stpehon Marbury from the roster and now that Marbury is gone Dolan doesn’t want to bring in another player with a history of creating drama. New York Daily News

Walsh insisted that the Knicks’ decision had nothing to do with Iverson’s baggage. “I want to really make it clear that it has nothing to do with Iverson,” he said. “He’s a great player, I’ve always admired him. I think he’d be a great addition for a team that’s in a different position than we’re in,” he said. “I hope he gets picked up,” Walsh added. He recounted playoff battles with Iverson when Walsh was with Indiana and Iverson was with Philadelphia. “I always had a lot of respect and admiration for him, so it really has nothing to do with him.” New York Times

Walsh was again asked if even a small part of the Knicks’ decision to back away from Iverson was based on his reputation. “No, not really,” Walsh said. “Everything I’ve heard about Allen, he’s straight. I didn’t think that was going to be an issue with us.” New York Times

Both sides denied a Yahoo! Sports report that the situation degenerated into a heated argument before the Rockets' previous game at Minnesota. The report quoted a person close to McGrady who was not identified. "I don't know where that came from," McGrady said. "We talked but it was nothing that was reported like that. I mean, screaming and all." Adelman shrugged off the report as "our world of the Internet." "It seems like nowadays people want to dwell on one particular thing that may be newsworthy," he said. "Or maybe catch your eye when you look at it." ESPN.com

Whether the argument actually happened, it's clear that McGrady considers himself much further along in his recovery than the team's timetable. "I don't know," he said. "It's all about what they want to do." ESPN.com

There's another problem with this theory. Alexander wants to win. If there's one thing we've learned about him, it's he's as committed to winning as almost any owner in pro sports. Alexander is said to be livid that McGrady would accuse him of such a thing. McGrady has made $120 million of Alexander's money in his time with the Rockets and has gotten kid glove treatment in every way. Houston Chronicle

McGrady took his campaign to Adelman on Wednesday and got the same answer. McGrady denies the discussion got heated, but it was telling that he wasn't on the bench that night. He was off pouting. That's not the end of it. McGrady dumped out an equipment container the other night and put on his uniform and paraded around the locker room. Why? Because by wearing the uniform he would prompt reporters to ask how he was feeling and when he might play and to let him know how much the world misses him. Houston Chronicle

Now about the whisper campaign. Only a fool would think McGrady isn't the source of those Yahoo reports about his return date and that meeting with Adelman and the impact of the insurance money. Houston Chronicle

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“There was no misunderstanding,” Hollins said of the bizarre breakup with Iverson. “He knew what his role was when we met in Atlanta (over the summer), that he would have a chance to compete for a starting job, but even if he looked like the better person for the starting position, that I was going to do what was best for the team. I was going to start the person who I felt needed to start.” Delco Times

While acknowledging Iverson’s talent for scoring, Hollins strongly hinted that Iverson didn’t have the willingness to be a well-rounded veteran for a young team in need of guidance. “He scored like he always scored,” Hollins said. “But there’s more to grasp to this game ... you have to play defense, you have to rebound. Guys who are talented score in this league, but there have been a lot of guys who have scored and never won. And you wonder why all these teams with young guys who are scoring 20 points a game aren’t winning. It’s not just about scoring. “You get older, and young guys come in and take over ... If you want to stay around, continue to have fun and enjoy this lifestyle, adjustments have to be made. Delco Times

The Celtics do not have one signature win in this early season, and don’t even think of counting that Opening Night gift in Cleveland, whose own coach said he wished he could have had three more weeks of practice. “I just think our team’s playing awful overall,’’ said Doc Rivers after the Celtics lost by an 83-78 score to the Orlando Magic last night. It was the third consecutive Friday the Celtics have played a quality foe at home and in those games they are 0-3. It’s a thoroughly disorganized bunch right now, and the only positive thing to say about the situation is that it’s not yet Thanksgiving. Boston Globe

“Against great defenses down the stretch it is sometimes hard to free people up,’’ said Orlando coach Stan Van Gundy. “You gotta have a guy, a Paul Pierce, a Vince Carter, a Dwyane Wade, a LeBron James, someone who can get a shot against a good defense. Vince can get off a good quality shot all the time. At least you will have a chance, even if the defense is good.’’ Boston Globe

Rasheed Wallace gave a strong performance on the boards in relief of foul-prone Kendrick Perkins in the Celtics’ 83-78 loss to Orlando last night. But Wallace continued to struggle with his 3-point shooting. “I ain’t worried about it, honestly,’’ said Wallace, after he missed all eight 3-point attempts. “I probably rushed about two or three of them. Other than that, it’s good looks, they’re just not going for me. I’m not worried about my offense now. It’s still early in the season, I know I won’t be shooting like this for the duration of the season. Boston Globe

With Garnett stranded on the sideline while his right knee ached with bone spurs, the Celtics were eliminated by the Orlando Magic in the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs after having two opportunities to win the series. Their dreams of back-to-back titles vanished. “Like everybody else, I was very [mad],” Garnett said. “[Mad]. Very [mad]. Very [mad]. Very [mad].” Yahoo! Sports

“It leaves a bitter taste in our mouth,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers. “But I thought they were the better team. Could we have done things different or better? I hope we could’ve. But we didn’t and we didn’t win.” Yahoo! Sports

There were constant rumors Garnett would miraculously return to help at some point during the playoffs. For the Celtics, however, there was no Willis Reed moment. Rather, Garnett helplessly watched as he focused on getting the best possible medical advice. “I wasn’t happy about my situation – very tough for me,” he said. “I didn’t hear none of that [speculation] but I pretty much listened to my body and went through all kinds of formal testing and met different specialists and all kinds of stuff,” he added. “I had no idea what was being said and what people thought of; I was more in tune to what I was doing.” Yahoo! Sports

Boston Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo is shooting an abysmal 25 percent from the free-throw line. Teammate Ray Allen(notes) says Rondo has some problems with his mechanics, but Allen is trying not to say too much to keep from confusing Rondo. “He told me if [my advice] didn’t help out than he wasn’t talking to nobody,” said Allen, who is shooting 89.3 percent from the free-throw line. “He’s really just finding his way. He’s really watching what I’m doing from the free-throw line and watching Paul [Pierce]. You know Paul; he wishes his free throws in when he starts getting the little funky arm [movement].” Yahoo! Sports

How much do you relish a match-up like that defensively? -ELLIS: You know, I could do that day-in, day-out. It’s just… it was great, getting out, getting steals, getting us running, getting everybody involved in the game. It was just a fun game. That’s what we’ve been missing and it felt good. San Jose Mercury News

There’s so much focus on your offense. Do you think your defense gets overlooked? -ELLIS: It definitely gets overlooked. I hear people saying that Monta can’t play defense, this and that. But if you look at it, if you just go back and look at all the tapes, Monta really don’t get burned like people think he does. I go out and do whatever I need to do. San Jose Mercury News

The Warriors' video staff had erased all images of Stephen Jackson before the three pregame videos aired Friday. Jackson was shipped to Charlotte on Monday. San Francisco Chronicle

Coach Flip Saunders rarely likes to criticize his players after losses, offering explanations for their poor performances. But he let 'er rip after this game, blasting his team for surrendering a season-high 127 points and allowing the Thunder to shoot better than 50 percent from the floor and beyond the three-point line. "You score [108] points, you should win," Saunders said. "We didn't defend." Washington Post

"We focused on offense and we forgot all of our defensive concepts," Saunders said. "We have not evolved to be a total team, where we can grasp everything." When asked if he should expect more from a veteran team, Saunders said, "You hope so, but they haven't shown any ability to carry over. That's what most disappointing. They scored, we came to our bench worried about our offense." Washington Post

Sloan cited last Wednesday's home win over Toronto, when Boozer scored a team-high 22 but missed 4-of-8 free-throw attempts "and the fans got on him a little bit." "Everybody's going to jump on him, waiting for him to make a mistake," the Jazz coach said. "That's the way life is. You have to fight through that." Deseret News

Griffin has his work cut out for him. But if can get healthy – and stay healthy – he could help improve the team’s fortunes. His biggest challenge now is not overworking himself. He swims, but has refrained from any weight-bearing physical activities. He isn’t expected to get another MRI until the end of the month. “A lot of people have been positive and telling me to just wait it out, don’t rush, don’t do anything that will further delay the process,” Griffin said. “Obviously, I want to play. Having not played at all makes it even worse. I just try to keep myself busy and understand why I’m not rushing.” Yahoo! Sports

Brent Barry was the last white player to win the NBA’s dunk contest in 1996. Houston Rockets rookie forward Chase Budinger hopes to be the next. Budinger has already had several highlight reel dunks this season and has impressed teammates in practice with some of his more creative attempts, including one where he somehow taps the ball off the rim then the backboard before flushing it. “I’ve got a few tricks,” said Budinger, who is a former high school volleyball star. “I can do some stuff.” Yahoo! Sports

Pete Mickeal: Brandon Jennings had two good games last year against me in the Euroleague when I played with Baskonia. Actually, his two best games in the Euroleague were against us! Anyway, yeah, I watched the game. 55 points. European basketball, NBA basketball… Two different games. I think he scored 29 points in one quarter. In Europe, it’s highly unlikely you could have the chance to do that. He played one-on-one from the top of the key, screen and roll, shooting every time. That’s not gonna happen here. We can play zone defense, clog the lane. I don’t know what the scouting report was on Jennings, but I know it was wrong! He just played one-on-one from the top of the key and the big guy let him shoot. He didn’t show him respect, so he started getting that kind of confidence. And once you start making shots, you can penetrate to the basket, mid-range, three-pointers, everything. HoopsHype.com

Pete Mickeal: This guy is great on screen and rolls. Left handed, so crafty with the ball… Now he’s going to get more attention and he can create more opportunities for other teammates. Now the big guy is gonna have to step out and help the guard on the screen and roll, so he will have the chance to find Andrew Bogut under the basket or find the guy on the weak side. The main thing with Jennings is that he doesn’t play like a rookie. He’s more like a second-year player. Anytime you’ve spent your first year in Europe playing in the Euroleague, competing against some of the best players in the world, competing against men, you don’t feel like a rookie when you go to the NBA. You learn the team basketball, how to play the game. You spend a lot of time in the gym working on your shot, team defense, strategy. If you are a good player, you’ll be able to do the adjustment. It’s not easy to play in Europe. HoopsHype.com

Phoenix Suns guard Jason Richardson grew up admiring Michael Jordan. He played for Jordan in Charlotte. But he does not wear No. 23 for Jordan and is not on the LeBron James pulpit that the league should retire the number. Richardson grew up idolizing Dominique Wilkins and got handed No. 23 without request at Michigan State because his high school No. 32 was retired for Greg Kelser. Arizona Republic

"It is somewhat good to honor Mike," Richardson said. "He is the greatest player to play this game. But to think about retiring his number, there's too many great players you'd had to retire. "Bill Russell won the most championships and the things he went through in the '60s playing in Boston when it was kind of racist still. John Stockton's most assists. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's points. There are so many guys that you can't do it. "They may come up with something to honor him but retiring his number isn't the greatest idea." Arizona Republic

Arash Markazi: Melo once told me he takes his time so he doesn't have to talk to the media but they've all left and he knows I'm not leaving till he does. Twitter.com

Arash Markazi: Nuggets players talk back more to heckling fans than any team I've ever seen. Twitter.com

Jared Dudley: I have BREAKING NEWS @realgranthill33 is now on Twitter.. We converted him over u gotta follow him. Twitter.com

Gasol is experiencing soreness again. "A lot of it," he said Friday, before quickly clarifying. "Not in the hamstring. I mean overall, just from not playing for a while. There's no workout compared to a basketball game." Los Angeles Times

Chris Tomasson: Word is Michael Redd most likely to return Wednesday at New Orleans after missing what will have been 10 games with a left patella strain. Twitter.com

Harris will come off the bench against the Knicks, who said no to free agent Allen Iverson. How long Harris plays is yet to be determined. There are no restrictions on his minutes, but Harris is returning from a strained right groin he suffered in training camp and aggravated in the Nets' second game. They don't want to overplay Harris and risk re-injury. Bergen Record

Marc Stein: Tyreke also quite amused we all thought precautionary X-ray on his hand might be trouble. Clearly was implying he's too strong to be hurt. Twitter.com

From now on, Nuggets forward Chris Andersen will be able to play at ease. What a difference one MRI makes. Still, for the foreseeable future he'll play with knee tendinitis, though he was inactive Friday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. But his mind knows better days are ahead. And in this case, that is every bit as big as how quickly his body heals. "My knee is feeling better, but mentally I'm stronger," Andersen said. "I couldn't jump. I couldn't move laterally. It was something that was bothering me, and then I was thinking negatively about it because I asked a bunch of people about it and they were telling me their situation with this type of problem. Denver Post

The Big Cat can see himself prowling the court for Canada at next summer's FIBA world basketball championship in Turkey. "Representing my country is an honour and a privilege and it's something I've entertained," Toronto native and Miami Heat centre Jamaal Magloire said last night when asked if playing at the 2010 worlds is on his radar. "I'm looking forward to more dialogue with the Canada Basketball." Toronto Sun

Magloire has yet to formally commit to the worlds, but the former Eastern Commerce star is leaning toward playing, which would mark the return of a proverbial prodigal son, and would be a major boost for coach Leo Rautins and his team, which will almost certainly include San Antonio Spurs forward and former Toronto Raptor, Matt Bonner, as well as Magloire's Miami teammate, centre Joel Anthony. Throw in some senior European-based professionals such as Carl English, Jermaine Anderson and Aaron Doornekamp and Canada, ranked 19th in the world, might actually do some damage in Turkey. Toronto Sun

After a surprisingly strong debut season in the Euroleague, playing for possibly the biggest overachievers in European basketball—Partizan Belgrade-- expectations were always going to be extremely high for Czech teenager Jan Vesely going into this year. While his minutes are up (24 per game on average compared with 18 last in both the Adriatic League and Euroleague) and his production has risen accordingly, it’s increasingly clear that this is not going to be the breakthrough season that some NBA scouts had hoped for. Part of that might have to do with the very obvious fact that Partizan is sporting a much weaker squad this season, having lost arguably their three most important playmakers on both ends of the floor in Novica Velickovic (Real Madrid), Milenko Tepic (Panathinaikos) and Stephane Lasme (Maccabi Tel Aviv), as well as a double-digit scorer in Uros Tripkovic (DKV Joventut). In their place they brought a very athletic but extremely inexperienced and often-erratic American combo guard in Bo McCalebb as their main (lone?) facilitator, and a couple of blue collar but physically limited big men in the form of Lawrence Roberts and Aleks Maric. The team seems to be struggling a lot more this year in both the Euroleague and Adriatic League so far (5-6 record combined), but obviously it’s still extremely early, only 11 games into the season. DraftExpress.com

Defensively is where Vesely probably shows the best upside, as not only does he have a terrific physical profile for a small forward, he appears to have the lateral quickness to match. Its impressive to see the way he slides his feet and is able to stay in front of perimeter players, something that gives his team all kinds of options guarding the pick and roll. He plays extremely hard on top of that, trying to contest everything around the basket and closing out extremely well on the perimeter. Being such a big guy defending players much smaller than him, and being relatively inexperienced on top of that, he’s not immune to being beat off the dribble from time to time, but the potential he shows on this end of the floor remains considerable. DraftExpress.com

It will be interesting to see how Vesely’s agents, David Bauman and Aleksandar Raskovic, go about deciding whether or not to enter their client’s name in this year’s draft. Vesely is under contract with Partizan until 2013, but the team (like almost all clubs in former Yugoslavia) has fallen on hard times financially lately, and may be tempted to sell him to a bigger European team if they were able to cash in on a significant buyout. The NBA's meager 500,000 dollars (the maximum allowed under the CBA) likely won't interest them as much. Either way, Vesely could probably use another Europe to continue to polish up his skill-set. DraftExpress.com

Mike Dunleavy is almost out in L.A. It seems that Clippers players, according to sources, are not big on Dunleavy and much prefer the kinder, gentler assistant Kim Hughes. The Clippers may soon give in on that count and dump Dunleavy, who is sitting on a 4-9 mark, disappointing for a team expected to compete for a playoff spot. Dunleavy has long been suspicious of Hughes, and the two have been at loggerheads, but Hughes isn’t exactly angling for Dunleavy’s job — he likes to teach (witness the results he’s gotten from Chris Kaman), and running a team would take away from his time to work with big men one-on-one. But there are those in Clipperland who feel that Dunleavy, who is both coach and general manager of the team, is grinding this team into the ground. Action should come soon. Sporting News

The Los Angeles Clippers entered Friday having lost five of six games, increasing speculation about coach Mike Dunleavy’s job security. Two NBA sources with knowledge of the situation said a firing didn’t appear imminent – at least until Dunleavy is given a chance to coach the team once guard Eric Gordon. Yahoo! Sports

“Donald is frustrated, but still being patient with Gordon out,” one source said. Yahoo! Sports

Team president Rod Thorn suggested Thursday that the theory that Frank is safe until the Nets get whole may not be accurate. Just because seven players have missed significant time is no excuse for not winning at least a few games, Thorn said. "The reality is that we're not the only team that has people who are hurt," Thorn said. "Other teams do, too. A lot of the teams we've played have had key guys injured." New York Daily News

But while acknowledging that the Nets may not be "as equipped to overcome (injuries) as some other teams are," Thorn also said the Nets need to figure out a way to post some wins, and soon. While Thorn has been a strong supporter of Frank, the longtime Nets exec may not have a choice but to make a change if the team continues to lose. "From a fan's perspective it doesn't matter. They want to see a win and they don't care who's out and who isn't out," Thorn said. "That's irrelevant to them because that's part of the game. Some nights you don't have your full complement of people; nobody does. You want to compete as hard as you can and try to win as many as you can." New York Daily News

Take it from a guy who coached a college basketball team that lost 22 games in a row: "Brighter days are ahead" for the hapless Knicks and Nets. Jeff Ruland, the former Iona College coach who endured heaps of frustration and futility in the awful 2006-2007 season, said the NBA teams "have to stay positive." "Obviously you have to have some talent, but the biggest thing is you have to stay together," Ruland said Friday. "Screaming, crying and doing all that stuff isn't going to make the problem go away." New York Daily News

Their total salary bill would be $112.7 million if they make no trades or minor free-agent acquisitions. Comparatively, they spent about $86 million last season, including luxury taxes. None of this includes Phil Jackson's $12-million salary to coach this season. Basically, owner Jerry Buss keeps reaching for his checkbook. "As long as we keep winning, I think he'll keep doing it," center Andrew Bynum said. Los Angeles Times

Veteran play-by-play man Ralph Lawler and analyst Mike Smith were suspended for tonight's Clippers telecast on Fox Sports Prime Ticket for comments made during Wednesday's telecast, according to sources with knowledge of the decision but not authorized to speak publicly. Fox issued this statement at 5:03 p.m. today: "We regret the remarks made by Clippers announcers Michael Smith and Ralph Lawler during Wednesday's telecast. While we believe that Michael and Ralph did not intend their exchange to be offensive, the comments were inappropriate. We extend our apologies to Hamed Haddadi of the Memphis Grizzlies and to anyone who was offended. We have addressed the situation with Michael and Ralph and have taken appropriate action." Los Angeles Times

Smith: “Look who’s in.” Lawler: “Hamed Haddadi. Where’s he from?” Smith: “He’s the first Iranian to play in the NBA.” (Smith pronounced Iranian as “Eye-ranian,” a pronunciation that offended the viewer who complained.) Lawler: “There aren’t any Iranian players in the NBA,” repeating Smith’s mispronunciation. Smith: “He’s the only one.” Lawler: “He’s from Iran?” Smith: “I guess so.” Lawler: “That Iran?” Smith: Yes. Lawler: “The real Iran?” Smith: “Yes.” Lawler: “Wow. Haddadi – that’s H-A-D-D-A-D-I.” Smith: “You’re sure it’s not Borat’s older brother?” Smith: “If they ever make a movie about Haddadi, I’m going to get Sacha Baron Cohen to play the part.” Lawler: “Here’s Haddadi. Nice little back-door pass. I guess those Iranians can pass the ball.” Smith: “Especially the post players. Lawler: “I don’t know about their guards.” Los Angeles Times

Reached after a meeting with Fox officials Friday, Lawler said, "I'm really sorry with the decision. I deeply regret that anything we said offended even one good Clipper fan or anyone else. I am not a bigot." Smith, in an e-mail Friday night, would only say, "Ralph is an incredible broadcaster, an amazing colleague and a wonderful friend." Los Angeles Times

Arash Markazi: Haddadi hasn't heard clip yet but off the transcript his manager says one game suspension seems light considering tonight's game is on ESPN. Twitter.com

"Yeah, I just found out," Baron Davis said in the locker room afterward. "But it is a business. If they offended somebody, I'm sure they didn't do it on purpose. It was nothing they did on purpose. We stick by them. They're great people. They're family men. And I think it was just an unfortunate situation. But we'd love to see them on the sideline." Los Angeles Times

The Sacramento Monarchs unexpectedly folded today. The team was a WNBA pioneer and the only basketball champions to rule Arco Arena. Concerns for the Kings hastened the collapse, said team owner Joe Maloof. "We love the Monarchs, but it's time to re-focus," Maloof said. "Everyone in this business environment ... you have to do what has to be done. Our focus is to turn the Kings around, and to do that, we have to put all our efforts and good salespeople on the Kings." Sacramento Bee

The reaction within the Monarchs organization was one of shock and disappointment. According to Whisenant, who is both coach and general manager, several players and employees broke down when contacted Friday morning. "Ticha (Penicheiro), DeMya (Walker), Kristin (Haynie) and Hamchetou (Maiga-Ba) were all together at one of their apartments," said Whisenant, "and we're all down in the dumps. Sacramento Bee

Nike and LeBron James might start over when it comes to a design for a new mural to replace the one that's featured prominently across the street from Quicken Loans Arena. The ''Witness'' mural, which stands 10 stories tall, was to be replaced by one featuring a bare-chested James with scales, the slogan ''Ready for Combat'' and the Nike logo. ''Anything that has my name on it has 150 percent of my input,'' James said of the mural. Akron Beacon Journal

Nike and James developed the sign to promote the shoe and apparel manufacturer's combat-technology line — a form of padded, compression underwear. Nike developed the line to enhance an athlete's performance. Because James has been wearing the items and Nike has begun selling them, James said it was the right time to change his campaign. ''I think we made our mark with the 'Witness' campaign,'' he said. ''Everyone knows what that's about and knows what it means and what it stands for.'' Akron Beacon Journal

What’d you think of (Jordan's) Hall of Fame speech? Charles Oakley: I told him a long time ago speak your mind. They know you’re a great player. Let people know. Let them know you’re great not because you want to be great or because you worked on your game but because it was a struggle to the top. A lot of things didn’t go his way. You wouldn’t think so because he’s the best player to play basketball… He’s got a resume say he’s the greatest, he’s got a resume that says ‘hey.’ He had to jump over some hurdles to be great. SLAM

Would you be disappointed if he hadn’t spoken his mind? Charles Oakley: At first he said he wasn’t gonna say nothing. I knew he was going to say something. A lot of us [were] in the hotel, just talking about basketball, about life, the NBA, and this moment… For me it’s a statement that you did something nobody else could accomplish along the way. Somebody might have got 10,000 rebounds but you might have got 8,000 offensive, that’s something special… And look, I told somebody on Facebook, they keep asking when the Knicks are going to retire my jersey. They probably will never retire my jersey. The only way they’ll retire my jersey is if I marry Dolan’s daughter, and I never see that happening in life. People ask me that, but I don’t know. SLAM

You want it to happen? Charles Oakley: That’s tough though. They retire your jersey that’s a big statement. A lot of people telling me, since I quit from basketball, a lot of people telling me that I was as good as this, good as that. I didn’t look at myself that way. I get so many praises now. I didn’t know I was decent. I thought I was just an average player. They’re telling me I was more than average, they said I was a statement. That was a great comment, to hear that from people because I just took it as an everyday job and went to work… I was always myself, never looked for someone to give me a handout, just did it. A lot of people can’t go out with someone praising them. I wasn’t like that. I just went out and had fun, I had a good time, went everywhere, didn’t worry about this and that happening. SLAM

The Idle Hour Country Club board will discuss the membership application of former University of Kentucky basketball player Sam Bowie on Monday, said board chairman Phil Scott. If accepted, Bowie would become the first African-American member at the country club on Richmond Road. In the past, Idle Hour has been criticized for having no black members. Bowie said in an interview this week that he didn't seek membership to end the criticism. Scott said Friday that current members at Idle Hour nominated the Bowie family, as is the club's policy in all cases. "We have no restrictions with respect to race, color, creed, national origin," Scott said. "Membership is made up of a diverse group of folks that enjoy one another's company. That's the sum total of it." Lexington Herald-Leader

The Prince George's County (Md.) Circuit Court has set up a preliminary schedule for guard Delonte West's gun case. The trial was initially scheduled for this week but was canceled when he was indicted on broader charges earlier this month. West is scheduled for an initial arraignment next Wednesday, but he will not have to be present for it. The Cavs have a game that night in Detroit. There have been a number of motions already filed, including one from West's lawyer to suppress certain evidence. There is a motion hearing scheduled for Jan. 29. Currently, West's trial date is set for Feb. 18, but that is subject to change. Cleveland Plain Dealer

Torn by his father's death and the lack of a finalized offer, former NBA star Jayson Williams did not show up yesterday for an anticipated guilty plea in the 2002 death of a limousine driver. The former New Jersey Net remained in South Carolina, and Superior Court Judge Edward Coleman adjourned the court date without setting another, according to the judge's chambers. Newark Star-Ledger

Williams was scheduled to be retried for reckless manslaughter for mishandling a gun that fired and shot Costas "Gus" Christofi, 55, on Feb. 14, 2002, at the estate Williams owned in Alexandria Township. Earlier this week, however, sources familiar with the case said Williams was expected to take a deal that would allow him to plead guilty to aggravated assault in exchange for up to three years in prison, with 18 months of parole ineligibility. The state Attorney General's Office is prosecuting the case, and the lawyers are under a gag order. Williams had never formally agreed to a deal because the details had not been finalized, said longtime friend Akhtar Farzaie of Somerville. Grieved by his father's death, he couldn't process what had been placed before him so far. "It's the fact that he's still grieving the loss of his father, and also the details of the plea deal have not been fully worked out yet," Farzaie said. "He wants to focus on it 100 percent." Newark Star-Ledger

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