NBA Insider with Ken Berger

You’ve probably seen the photo by now. If not, here you go (courtesy of my former employer, The Associated Press).

If body language tells a story, it is not a mutual hug. Even if I wanted to return Stephon Marbury’s mock affection, my arms were immobilized and pinned to my sides. I didn’t drop my digital recorder, so I can relay what my favorite point guard was telling me.

“I’m prayin’ for you, man.”

Great. Thanks.

This came much to the amusement of my assembled colleagues/supposed friends at the Knicks’ media day festivities today in Greenburgh. The photo pretty much shows the extent of it, so we were never in danger of having a Richard Todd stuffing Steve Serby into a locker moment.

Then again, there were no lockers.

This isn’t about me or anything I wrote, and shouldn’t be. I have been pretty clear in my opinion that Marbury has no place on this team, and that as long as he is here, he will disrupt the Knicks’ rebuilding process. I can report with confidence that many of his teammates feel the same way. The ones I talked to who witnessed the media throng around Marbury’s table, and his grandstanding bear hug involving yours truly, didn’t think it was funny or surprising. Mostly, they thought it was sad.

And it is.

Marbury’s teammates view him as a disease that won’t go away – a suitcase they wish could’ve been lost by the charter company on the 20-minute flight to Saratoga Springs this afternoon.

The right thing will be done, and Marbury will be gone – eventually. It will happen either when Donnie Walsh is able to unload him on some unsuspecting or desperate general manager, or when he can no longer tolerate the distraction.

Marbury went on and on today about the clarity he has, and about how he no longer cares what is written or said about him. It sounded an awful lot like the tune he was singing last July, when he opened up about the inner peace he’d found. Four months later, he left his team in Phoenix and flew home to New York to pout.

Not much has changed, people. Marbury says he is 25 pounds lighter, but the baggage he has thrust upon his teammates is heavier than ever.

Despite what he says, Marbury obviously still cares what is written about him. It is all getting quite boring. Listening to him go on and on about how kids read the papers and tell his kids all the bad stuff that is written about him made him seem like a relic from a bygone era – among other things. Several national NBA writers witnessed his screed, and their writing doesn’t appear on paper, but on the Internet. (They can’t believe he’s still on this team, either.)

I went to Greenburgh determined to find another issue to write about, because honestly, Marbury has gotten old. But as long as he is here, making a spectacle of himself, nothing else can move forward.

When I pointed out to him that his newfound peace and happiness speech sounded an awful lot like what he said last summer, this is what he said to me:

“To really be honest, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what you say. It doesn’t matter that you call me toxic and that you call me all of these different things. Because that’s what you’ve got to live with. It’s not me, it’s you. So I don’t feel like I have to explain anymore. I’m just going to let my game do my talking for me, and that’s it. Because speaking and saying something, it does nothing for me. Because any time that you can say the things that you said about somebody and feel like it’s OK, and allow people to read that, and when they read that, they think that you’re right on and you’re dead on? That’s a wild, crazy song to be trying to sing to somebody.

“But it’s OK, because I’m just going to pray for you, because that’s all I can do for you is pray for you. I can’t do nothing else. I don’t want you to be feeling like that, you going home with that inside you. You’ve got to lay down and chill with you family. I don’t want you to feel that no more. But like I said, it’s OK, because remember, I got kids too. And there’s kids that read the newspaper and they go back and they say things like that to my children. So it’s really personal, but then again it’s really not personal, because that’s who you are. So I’ve got to teach my kids not to be like you.”

A wild and crazy song indeed. Somebody please stop the music.

I plan to respond to all of your comments on my Marbury column, but first some non-Marbury news:

* The Warriors are mulling a potential fine or suspension for Monta Ellis, who signed a $66 million extension this summer and then hurt his ankle in a moped crash but told the team he got hurt playing pickup basketball. Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle surmises that owner Chris Cohan wants to make a bigger example of Ellis than G.M. Chris Mullin and coach Don Nelson do. Not coincidentally, Mullin and Nelson are working on the final year of their contracts. Don't expect Ellis' situation to be resolved before the week of Oct. 6, when Warriors brass plans to meet with Ellis' camp to discuss the matter, a league source with knowledge of the situation told Newsday.

* The Rockets have wisely matched Charlotte's three-year, $9 million offer sheet for restricted free agent Carl Landry.

* Lakers rookie Sun Yue has mononucleosis. He was taken to the emergency room only hours after being introduced to the media at the Lakers' practice facility.

* OK, I can't help it. Some Marbury news. Heat president Pat Riley said he's not in the market for any free agents because the team is only $415,000 from hitting the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax threshold. There is a certain amount of double-talk here, because the Heat will bring 17 players to camp, leaving some wiggle room for a signing. Ethan Skolnick of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel warns Riley to stay away from Steph. Needless to say, I agree. Jeff Lenchiner of InsideHoops.com says the Knicks should keep Marbury. Needless to say, I disagree.

* Dwyane Wade says he wants to stay with the Heat, an attempt to quell speculation that he'll be going elsewhere in his opt-out year of 2010-11. Everyone will forget that he said this when he leaves.

* The Nets are installing the dribble-drive motion offense invented by Vance Wahlberg, now an assistant at UMass. Several NBA teams have inquired about the scheme, which Wahlberg perfected at Clovis West High School in Fresno. The Celtics used some sets during their championship run, and John Calipari's Memphis Tigers are 104-10 since adopting the system. With Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson gone, the Nets -- 25th in scoring offense last season -- need to try something. Question: Will LeBron like the system in 2010?

* Speaking of LeBron, Cavs owner Dan Gilbert is at it again, accusing sports writers on both coasts of insulting the city of Cleveland with speculation that LBJ will leave the Cavs in two years. His comments Thursday were almost identical to those he made a month ago. "People in your profession are very bored on both sides of the country," Gilbert said. "There's no basketball going on so they write this stuff." The only thing I'm bored with is Gilbert being oversensitive and not assigning equal blame to LeBron, who has done nothing to squash the persistent rumors.

I promised to link to my column today on Stephon Marbury, so here it is.

I plan to just keep changing the date and running the column every day until Marbury is released. Could mean a lot of page views for me.

The news is that Mike D'Antoni's agent, Warren LeGarie, arrived in New York today to meet with his client, calm the Marbury controversy, and help broker a solution.

Fun times!

Here is my column on the new czar of NBA referees, Ret. U.S. Army Gen. Ron Johnson. Today, I'll be tackling a much bigger issue. The imminent collapse of the world financial system? Nope. Monta Ellis risking $66 million on a moped ride? Nah.

It's the anticipated landing of an alien life form, scheduled for Monday at the MSG Training Center in Greenburgh, N.Y., with a return engagement possible in Saratoga Springs the next day. It's a bird ... it's a plane -- it's Stephon-a-non-grata-bury! (Nickname blatantly stolen from the Knix Fix and recycled without permission or regret. Sue me.)

I'll link you to my Starbury column, but I can't do that until it's written.

So for now, I will link you to a column by Greg Cote of the Miami Herald, which has already been written. Cote urges the Miami Heat to sign Stephon if/when the Knicks throw him overboard. Careful what you wish for, Greg.

Convicted former NBA referee Tim Donaghy was scheduled to begin serving his 15-month sentence Tuesday in a minimum-security federal prison camp in Pensacola, Fla.

USA Today's Jon Saraceno had this interesting Q&A with Donaghy's father, Gerry, a college basketball ref for three decades. Not surprisingly, Gerry Donaghy is very angry.

"I'm angry at the whole NBA — especially David Stern," the elder Donaghy said. "He stood up there [at the Finals] and put a show on in front of all those reporters and called [Tim] a rogue referee, when there's at least 10 other guys floating around in that organization that are doing things just as bad."

On Wednesday, the NBA will hold its annual officials camp in Jersey City, with the hierarchy charged with restoring credibility to the league's officiating taking center stage -- Ron Johnson, senior vice president for referee operations; Bernie Fryer, vice president and director of officials; and Joe Borgia, vice president for referee operations.

Alan Hahn nailed down the imminent release of Stephon Marbury in his story today. Barring a last-minute change of heart, it will be a pleasure to report on Mike D'Antoni's first training camp as head coach of the Knicks without having to contend with the Starbury Circus.

There has been quite a healthy debate in the Knicks' organization about what to do with Marbury. On one side, it was believed that taking a look at Marbury in camp -- both his physical and mental state -- was necessary before making any snap decisions. On the other hand, some top figures in the power structure recognized how much the Marbury sideshow would detract from the important work at hand for D'Antoni, who has the massive undertaking of not only restoring the Knicks to respectability and competitiveness, but also wiping the slate clean from the standpoint of national perception.

The question now becomes, are the Knicks finished searching for a short-term replacement for Marbury at point guard? A few weeks ago, the Knicks had exploratory talks with the Pacers about banished point guard -- and native New Yorker -- Jamaal Tinsley. Those talks didn't go very far for the same reason the Knicks' efforts to trade Marbury stalled. Why bail out the Pacers with a trade when they'll otherwise have no choice but to waive Tinsley?

The following comment from Pacers coach Jim O'Brien in the Indianapolis Star today pretty much sums up Tinsley's situation. The team has removed Tinsley's nameplate from his locker, and O'Brien was asked if Tinsley will be a distraction when the team opens training camp next week.

"I don't see how it's a distraction," O'Brien said. "I'm just worried about the guys that have uniforms."

The Knicks' interest in Tinsley underscores the notion that Chris Duhon is viewed as more of a backup than a starter. Whether D'Antoni and Donnie Walsh will be able to find a better stopgap remains to be seen, but the fact that they've been kicking tires is telling.

UPDATED 11:28 p.m. A person with knowledge of the discussions said the obvious sticking point with Tinsley is his contract, which has three years and $21.45 million remaining. So Pacers owner Herb Simon better start flexing his buyout muscles. Question: What is the NBA record for buyout money paid to New York-born point guards in the same week?

Jerry Colangelo said Monday at a Special Olympics benefit in Arizona that he's "leaning toward" making another championship run with USA Basketball.

“I’m kind of leaning toward continuing, but we still have some things that we’re talking through just in terms of organization,” Colangelo said. “I’m kind of inclined to continue because it is my connection” to basketball.

The point is, Colangelo can do whatever he wants after restoring American basketball to its rightful place in the world with a gold medal in Beijing. Interestingly, he hedged his comments, saying, "It's my call," and, "The infrastructure is in place for USA Basketball going forward.”

If Colangelo stays on board for the world championships in 2010 and/or London Olympics in 2012, he'll have a major decision to make that will shape USA Basketball for the foreseeable future: Who will succeed Mike Krzyzewski as coach? Coach K already has expressed doubts about whether he will return to coach the team in the next round of international competition.

My thoughts? Colangelo should choose the next coach, and my money is on Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni. The international game is increasingly about offense, which is Mike D's forte. Plus, he's immersed in international basketball and is as visible a coach as there is in the NBA owing to his new -- albeit challenging -- perch in New York.

Sean Deveney of Sporting News checked in with Chris Paul at the third annual charity event in his hometown of Winston-Salem, N.C. Given a choice between resting after a vigorous summer of basketball with Team USA and spreading his charitable wings with a personal touch, Paul decided, "I am tired, but, I guess I can rest next summer."

Good stuff.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban -- a renowned member of the basketball blogosphere -- posted some angry emails from critics of Josh Howard and even included their email addresses. His point was to embarrass those who made knee-jerk and venomous comments in reacting to Howard's casual YouTubery about the national anthem.

Some of the emails Cuban posted contained blatant racist remarks about Howard. Say what you want about Howard claiming he doesn't observe the national anthem because he's black, but that comment didn't rise to the level of hatred and bigotry displayed in the emails Cuban posted in his blog.

Upon further reflection, Cuban deleted the emails Friday night, about 24 hours after they went online. The post was replaced by the following, titled, "I Made My Point."

"I thought it was important to point out the hatred and ignorance of so many who quickly judge people they have never met, based purely on soundbites and headlines," Cuban wrote. "I wanted to point out the irony of them experiencing the onslaught of attention from suddenly and unexpectedly being placed in the media spotlight from a throwaway comment."

Cuban said he wanted those who'd emailed him to receive "the same level of hate, ignorance and judgment as Josh had and that's what bothered me all day. ... Hopefully something good came from it being posted."

On one level, I agree that ignorant fools reacting in a vicious, racist way to Howard deserved to be exposed. On the other hand, if you send an email to someone, do you have any reasonable expectation that it will be posted on a Web site for the whole world to read?

In this way, those who emailed about Howard may have learned the same lesson Howard did. Anything you say or write in today's society is fair game. So be careful what you say and write.

Here is the column I wrote after visiting with Dwyane Wade in the city today. Here is the news that I saved for my loyal blog readers: D-Wade said he’d love to play for Mike D’Antoni in New York.

“I mean, I love offense. Why wouldn’t I?” Wade said during a promotional trip to the NBA Store. “I love him. When we’re in practice, I love Nate McMillan, but I want to be on Mike D’Antoni’s team because Nate is preaching all defense and Mike is preaching all offense.”

Asked how D’Antoni will go from being an assistant coach for Team USA to head coach of the rebuilding Knicks, Wade came up with, “It’s going to be exciting.” Easy for him to say.

“We had a lot of dialogue throughout every practice because we open up against the Knicks the first game of the season,” Wade said. “So I look forward to seeing Coach on the other side on the 29th when we play here in New York.

“He’s a great coach. He’s unbelievable. He’s a very smart coach, especially offensively. He’s got a tough job on his hands, not just because of the team he has but because of the city he’s in. But I think if anybody can do it, he’s one of the guys that can do it. You’ve just got to have patience. And I think he’ll have patience.”

Speaking of patience, Wade may need to develop some if speculation is accurate that Miami is the most likely landing spot for Stephon Marbury if and when the Knicks part ways with him through a trade or (more likely) a buyout. The Heat need a point guard, but won’t give up much of anything for Marbury if they know the Knicks are going to have to boot him anyway.

Having played on the 2004 Olympic team with Marbury, Wade knows all that he brings to the table – good and bad. But he skillfully dodged my question about whether he could play with Steph.

“My experience playing with him in ’04, I didn’t really play with him because I was his backup,” Wade said. “The three or four minutes that he came out, I had an opportunity to get in there. So I never really played with him.

“You never can judge a guy by what you’ve heard because if that was the case, then Shaq wouldn’t have been the ideal teammate for me as well. He came to Miami and everything I heard about him, none of it showed. You can’t ever judge a guy by what he’s done in his past or what you’ve heard about him.”

Anyway, Wade said he believes playing in the Olympics has him more ready for the season than if he’d chosen to sit out and rest his surgically repaired left knee, which shelved him for the final two months last season.

“Not playing the last 23 games of the season, if I’d have gone the whole summer [without playing], that would have been a long time without competition,” he said. “I had an opportunity to play against the best competition in the world, and I was very healthy doing it. Coming into next season, I get a jump-start. I’m in a better position now than if I didn’t play in the Olympics.”

For you shoe buffs: Wade did nothing to quell rumors that he’s unhappy with Converse and is looking at other options when his shoe deal expires. Asked if he sees himself with Converse long-term and if he likes his shoe, Wade said, “I’m under contract for another couple of years.”

With Converse, and with the Heat.

There is a YouTube video circulating in which Josh Howard proclaims that he doesn't observe the national anthem because he is black.

I am not going to post or link to the video because 1) it contains offensive language, and 2) I don't care what Josh Howard had to say to a random person with a cell phone camera at a flag football game in July.

I have a couple of words of advice for Mr. Howard, though. First, I concur with Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who said, "I have explained to him that cell phone cameras are not your friend." Second, the charity flag football game was arranged by Allen Iverson. I know Allen Iverson, and Josh ... you're no Allen Iverson. But clearly, you need to do a better job choosing your friends, whether they are filming you with a cell phone camera or not.

What should be of concern to Mavericks fans and management is Howard's stunning display of poor judgment over the past few months. In July, he was arrested in a drag-racing incident and charged with speeding (94 mph in a 55-mph zone), careless and reckless driving, and speed competition. He has a court date next week in North Carolina. In April, he admitted to marijuana use in interviews with the Dallas Morning News and the ESPN Radio affiliate in Dallas. The latter interview was on the "Michael Irvin Show," another example of a poor choice in friends.

And you Knick fans thought Zach Randolph was going to be a problem.

Cuban says the Mavericks have a plan to address Howard's situation in training camp. He made a similar comment when Howard admitted his marijuana hobby. At some point, the plan to address Howard's situation will be to trade him.

Gilbert Arenas hasn't blogged in a while; his latest post was Aug. 4, which would earn him a stern memo if he worked at Newsday. Now comes word from Ivan Carter of the Washington Post that Arenas will miss all of training camp and the first month of the regular season after having his left knee scoped again.

"I just had some floating debris in there that was slowing me down," Arenas told the WP. "It was irritating the knee so we decided to go in there and clean it out. This should actually allow me to come back faster."

OK. Sure.

Here is my column today on how the financial crisis if affecting NBA players and former players. In particular, it’s mostly about former Knick Hollis Copeland, who is one of the lucky ones. First, he evidently is very good at his job selling equity research for Williams Capital in Manhattan. Second, Williams Capital still exists.

Copeland has an interesting story – or at least I hope you’ll think so. But the part of the column that will reverberate is this: In speaking with William Diamond, who is Charles Oakley’s longtime business manager, the discussion turned to how much wealth current NBA players might have lost Monday when the Dow plunged 504 points in the wake of the Lehman Brothers collapse.

Diamond’s guess, which I find entirely credible: At least $100 million.

Think about it. If you assume that only 25 percent of the 450-500 current NBA players have money in the stock market – and I believe that number would have to be low – and you assume that each lost $1 million, there you have it. Even if you assume that they lost a half-million each, you’re still talking about $50 million of NBA wealth nuked in one day.

"There were probably a lot of upset phone calls made in the last 48 hours to agents and money managers on what type of hit they took," Diamond said.

I was about to say that this makes me feel better, considering my losses amount to tip money for NBA players. But this shouldn’t make anyone feel good, no matter how much you're in for.

Stephon Marbury, due to make $21.9 million this season, tops Sporting News' annual list of overpaid players. Let's face it: This was a race for second place, with Antoine Walker ($9.3 million) getting the unofficial title as second fiddle to Starbury.

I don't know if you've noticed, but there's an ongoing crisis in the American financial markets. If you haven't noticed, I paraphrase Joe Pesci from my favorite movie, "My Cousin Vinny," when he chastises the Alabama chef for slapping 10 pounds of lard onto the griddle in a wildly irresponsible method of cooking prep.

"Have you heard of the ongoing cholesterol problem facing the country?" Uncle Vin asks.

I'm intrigued by how the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy and AIG teetering on the brink will reverberate through the sports world. I turned to Sports Business Daily for such information, and found a link to a Star-Ledger story.

Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek spent 21 years at Lehman, including a stint as chairman that began in 2002. Fortunately for him, he got out before the crisis hit. But he said the Wall Street chaos will spread to sports in one way or another.

For example, I suspect we will see fewer suits in the seats than usual at Knicks games this season. As for the other NBA team in the metropolitan area, I wonder how Barclays' apparent deal to buy portions of Lehman for $2 billion will affect that company's commitments for naming rights to the Nets' new Brooklyn arena.

More to the point, I wonder how all the commercial and residential real estate ties to the Brooklyn arena will affect its timetable for completion.

A guy on FOX Business Network just used the term "coughing and wheezing downstream" to describe the ripple effect of gasoline prices from Hurricane Ike. I suspect there will be a fair amount of coughing and wheezing in the sports world from Hurricane Lehman.

LeBron James has them buzzing in Cleveland again, and it isn't good.

First, LBJ irked Cleveland fans -- some of the most loyal and provincial in the country -- by wearing a Yankees cap at a Yankees-Indians playoff game. Then, to take this in chronological order, he lapped up questions about his affinity for New York during a Team USA appearance in the city before the Olympics. (You remember, New York is his favorite city and Brooklyn his favorite borough.)

Then -- blasphemy! -- he showed up on the Dallas Cowboys' sideline during warmups before the season opener against the Browns. Worse, he chatted with Jerry Jones and hugged Terrell Owens.

If LeBron played in Philadelphia and not Cleveland, he would've been run out of town for that. Adding insult to injustice, he was wearing his customary Yankees cap while doing it. To some Cleveland fans, this was akin to turning the knife after sticking it in.

Browns receiver Braylon Edwards attempted to defend James' Cowboy canoodling in this story, but his comments sure read like an indictment of the King to me.

"It didn't bother me," Edwards said. "As I've gotten to know LeBron, LeBron isn't a Cleveland guy. LeBron only plays for the Cavaliers, and who knows if he even likes the Cavaliers? He doesn't like the Indians. He doesn't like the Browns. He's a guy from Akron who likes everybody but his hometown.

"I don't know how that's possible, but it is what it is, and he is who he is. You know, it's LeBron."

Ouch.

I have a few things to say about this. The crux of my point is that people in Cleveland need to chill.

I can say this because I worked there, I liked it there, liked the people as much as any place I've lived, and I know how the sports fans think there. Many haven't had a whole lot to cheer about during long stretches of their lifetimes, and despite the rebirth of their sports town in the past two decades, they still get a little paranoid and sensitive from time to time.

To paraphrase Bill Parcells, professional sports are not for the well adjusted -- especially in Cleveland. Did you hear anybody from Queens griping when LeBron said he liked Brooklyn better?

More than any other team, the Cowboys have fans all over the country whose families have been fans for generations. If there's a team that's acceptable to root for over the hometown team in any pro sports city, it's the Cowboys -- again, with the exception of Philadelphia.

LeBron's taste in sports teams -- whatever you think of it -- shouldn't reflect at all on his loyalty to the Cavs or the city of Cleveland. He displays that loyalty on the court -- and in the practice gym and weight room, where he has worked to achieve his goal of becoming the best basketball player of his era. He gives his heart and soul to the Cavs, and carried what was essentially a D-League team to the NBA Finals two years ago. What more can you ask?

I am with my old friend Bud Shaw of the Cleveland Plain Dealer on this one. Cleveland fans had better appreciate this man and stop jumping on him every time he hugs someone or puts the wrong baseball cap on his head.

The following question was put to Shaw, the fine P-D columnist, in this interview on SportsMediaGuide.com: "Is LeBron destined to leave the Cavs? Say it ain’t so."

Here is Bud's answer:

"That’s a question that strikes at the heart of the Cleveland sports fan because it ratchets an already deep-set inferiority complex. LeBron is a local guy AND HE STILL MIGHT LEAVE? Not just leave but go to New York?

"I believe James will leave and when he goes it should be with no feelings of guilt associated with abandonment. He’ll have given the Cavaliers seven years. That’s enough of a commitment even if they don’t win a title before he goes. And if they do win a title, he’ll have delivered something the city hasn’t seen in almost a half century. When you’re 23 and grilling Warren Buffett for his keys to success, and when the talk is of becoming a 'global icon,' it tells me he’s thinking a little beyond the 330 he’s got tattooed on his body. That’s the Akron area code. Me? When I was 23 I was only drinking shots with Warren Buffett. And now I forget everything he told me."

Another of my Cleveland compadres, Bill Livingston, correctly defended LeBron in his column today. Another columnist, Phillip Morris, trashed him. I say leave the guy alone. And enjoy him while he's still there.

UPDATED 5:44 p.m. I was pleased to see that Terry Pluto, one of my friends and mentors, joined me in defending LeBron today. As a former NFL writer, it was also nice to see someone artfully point out that Braylon Edwards should perhaps stay out of this debate, given his four drops and two illegal motion penalties on Sunday against the Cowboys.

Kobe Bryant has announced on his Web site, www.kb24.com, that he will NOT have surgery on his injured right pinkie finger. This only days after announcing that he planned to announce on his Web site the date of the surgery.

I'm dizzy from all these announcements.

"I have always felt that I can still focus and play at a high level even through various injuries," Kobe said. "That's really just part of the game. When the doctors told me recovery from a procedure could be 12 weeks, I just decided now was not the time to have surgery. What it really came down to for me is that I just didn't want to miss any time 'punching the clock' for the Lakers, given all we are trying to accomplish as a team this NBA season. I am just really excited and looking forward to being there with the guys when camp opens in a few weeks. That is a real bonding process and if I can avoid being on the sidelines for that, God willing, I will."

I'm all about finding alternative forms of media, because the perspective can be so refreshingly different than what we're used to in the mainstream. So, I quote blogger Paula Duffy from Examiner.com, who wonders, "Is he just a drama queen or can he truly not need surgery on a torn ligament or tendon on his right hand?"

Answer: Yes and yes.

Wages of Wins does it again. Whether you agree with their statistical approach or not, you have to admit they provide more than their share of fodder for NBA debate.

With Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon entering the Hall of Fame last week, there's no debating that they were two of the best centers in NBA history. Who was better? Olajuwon, by a lot, according to this analysis by W.O.W.

There's a lot of evidence here, but not a lot of wow factor. The numbers merely prove what seemed to me a fair assertion -- that Hakeem was a better and more impactful all-around player.

David Falk, no doubt, would beg to differ. Ewing made $124 million during his 17-year career. Hakeem only made $99 million in 18 years.

Ric Bucher of ESPN The Magazine reports that the league has suspended its attempts to replace the leather ball with the unpopular composite version.

As Stephon Marbury would say, amen.

Henry Abbott of True Hoop brings us the latest fallout from that New York Magazine story on Stephon Marbury back in November. It's a debate about God and atheism between Marbury and the author, Tommy Craggs, courtesy of Deadspin.

Hey, only three weeks until the Marbury Circus opens for business in Saratoga.

My man Alan Hahn was right on the money in his latest story today about the Zach Randolph-to-Memphis talks. It seems only a matter of time until Z-Bo leaves the building.

I'm told by someone familiar with the trade talks that while the Knicks have been turned off by some of Memphis' demands -- such as paying some of Randolph's deferred money and surrendering a first-round pick -- neither is a deal breaker for Donnie Walsh. Rather, Walsh is expected to insist upon something that Isiah Thomas whiffed on when he acquired Eddy Curry from the Chicago Bulls: For the Knicks to include a first-round pick in the deal, the source said, it must be lottery-protected for several years.

Also, if the Knicks include a first-rounder, presumably they would need to get another player back in the deal and send another one to Memphis to match the salaries. Hakim Warrick would be an ideal fit for Mike D'Antoni's system. Although the Knicks are beginning to assemble a small army of small forwards, D'Antoni is good enough to mix-and-match another one into the fray. The Grizzlies also have a glut of point guards with Mike Conley, Kyle Lowry, and Javaris Crittenton.

Kobe Bryant will have surgery on the right pinkie finger that was injured back in March in a game against the Nets in New Jersey.

I guess you can't fault Bryant for playing in the Olympics with an injury he knew would require surgery, given how well he played with the injury. But Jeff Lenchiner of InsideHoops.com astutely questions why Kobe has delayed the surgery until now. Team USA wrapped up the gold medal more than two weeks ago in Beijing.

Kobe will be announcing on his Web site, www.kb24.com, when he will be having surgery. He will miss the Lakers' training camp, preseason, and likely their season opener as well.

November NBA games are becoming like two-a-days in the NFL. No need for veterans to be in attendance until things get serious, I guess.

"More Than a Game," the film documentary about LeBron James and his high school teammates, debuted at the Toronto Film Festival over the weekend to positive reviews. Sports films can be a tough sell, but a distributor for the LBJ movie could be on board soon, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Suggestion: Perhaps James Dolan's Rainbow Media unit could make a play.

Sam Amick of the Sactown Bee has an item today that Shareef Abdur-Rahim is contemplating retirement at 31 as his body continues to break down.

My journalistic curiosity says, "Hmmmm." With $6.6 million expiring after the 2009-10 season, couldn't Shareef hang on for two more years and "retire" on the Knicks' bench, thus giving Donnie Walsh some more expiring money to shed for his 2010 free-agent bonanza?

Jerome James has been retired on the Knicks' bench for two years. As Mr. Fixer likes to say over at the Knicks Fix, just bloggin.

On the eve of his induction into the Basketball Hall of Fame, Pistons owner Bill Davidson sat down for a Q&A with Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press. The most fascinating part of the exchange was this cryptic yet very telling explanation of the feud between Davidson and Isiah Thomas.

Q: Who's your best-ever Pistons hire?

A: No, no. There was no point in going into it. ...We just come from different backgrounds. He had to fight his way up, and I didn't have the problems he had growing up. There's a lot of good things about Isiah, but when we had our parting, it was over something pretty substantial.

Very interesting stuff. Is it worth calling the Knicks to see if Isiah is available for comment?

Darko Milicic's agent, Marc Cornstein, wouldn't be the least bit opposed to a trade that would send his client to the Knicks and Zach Randolph to Memphis.

"If a trade were to happen to New York, Darko would be very excited to play with Coach D'Antoni," Cornstein said in a phone interview Friday. "He's an outstanding coach and has a great understanding of the European player. I also have great appreciation to Memphis and the opportunity they've given him as well. So I look at it as a win-win either way."

The deal under discussion would be Milicic and Marko Jaric -- Marko & Darko -- to the Knicks for Randolph. Other pieces could be involved on both sides.

Milicic has two years at $14.5 million left on his deal, which would be wiped off the books in time for the Knicks' stated goal of clearing cap space for a free-agent spree in the summer of 2010. Jaric would be owed $7.625 million in 2010-11, but that's almost $10 million less than Randolph is owed that year.

The scenario, confirmed by two people familiar with the discussions, has hit an impasse with the Grizzlies' desire for the Knicks' to pay some of Randolph's deferred money. It's not clear whether that snag will kill the deal. Stay tuned.