Andrew Bynum stood after practice with a clipboard in his hand with a voter instruction sample ballot attached to it. His right shoulder was wrapped up in ice as a preventive measure because of a strained right rotator cuff.

Bynum smiled at all the media commotion and pronounced himself fit to play in tonight's game against the Clippers at Staples Center.

Bynum said his shoulder pain has lessened since suffering the injury in practice Monday and that his shoulder "really didn't hurt that bad."

"I feel a little bit of pain," he said. "But it doesn't bother me."

Asked if he was playing against the Clippers, Bynum was emphatic. "Yeah, there's no question about it," he said.

Bynum, 21, then walked away, saying he was headed to vote for the first time.

No matter how many minutes a player gets, whether it's two minutes or 40, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson wants him to accept it without complaint.

It's hard for some of the Lakers who aren't playing much, and it's equally hard on Jackson to shell out minutes on a team that is so deep and talented. He was able to play all 12 players on his active roster in the first two games because they were blowouts, but his goal is to keep his players fresh for the long haul.

So far, Pau Gasol is averaging 36 minutes a game, tops on the team. Kobe Bryant is second with 32. Luke Walton, who averaged 23.4 minutes last season, is averaging 4.7 this season, the least of any active player, though he has played in all three games.

"It's just trying to keep everybody prepared to contribute," Jackson said Tuesday. "Sometimes you can only play a guy a couple of minutes, or maybe five minutes.

"They just have to understand that whatever they have to do, to go in there and play is an important part of it."

Jackson recalled how he has inserted players for the last 30 seconds of a quarter and they found a way to contribute in that limited time.

"It's too early for guys to worry about it right now," Jackson said. "A coach can always read disappointment on a player's body language. But this is a team that wants to win and they know to do so they have to be willing to put 'me' second to team. That's an important aspect of it."

Clippers Coach Mike Dunleavy said that the only positive thing coming from their most recent loss to Utah was that nobody got hurt.

That's not a joke for the 0-4 Clippers.

Certainly Marcus Camby and Baron Davis felt the expected soreness when they got up and around Tuesday. But there were no apparent serious setbacks for Davis, who had sat out one game because of a sore left hip and is hampered by a sprained finger.

And Camby didn't play the entire preseason and missed the first three games of the regular season because of a bruised right heel.

"I was definitely surprised," said Camby, who played 26 minutes Monday in an 89-73 loss to Utah. "I thought I'd be a whole lot more winded than I was. Don't get me wrong, my lungs were definitely on fire. It was just like old times. I still have a whole lot of work to do and a whole lot of catching up to do."

Said Dunleavy: "He kept saying he felt OK and he was doing enough good things out there. He gave a good effort defensively, passed the ball and made some shots."

It sounded as though Davis' surprise return was propelled more by instinct, the same way he runs the court.

"That's like the story of my career," he said. "I'm always playing, always coming back the game before [I should]. Anything I feel I can give, I'm going to try to give. Any glimpse of hope. All I want to hear is, 'You're OK to play.' "

Davis was talking while his legs and hips were being stretched. He said the hip injury was more in the gluteus area. Unfortunately, he said, the pain of that new injury didn't take away from the discomfort of his sprained finger.

"I'm still having problems trying to adjust to the finger," he said. "Trying to get it stronger, mobile enough to where I can not play with a splint.

"It's just a process. Our team is just learning early. I think we're going to have our bumps and bruises early. We just want to be .500 around January, going into All-Star weekend. That's our goal."

Warriors center Andris Biedrins is usually the jovial guy in the locker room. Always smiling. Always joking.

But Monday, after the Warriors' 90-79 loss at Memphis, the corners of his mouth never turned up. His fun-loving demeanor was suddenly absent, replaced by gravity and a hint of irritation.

He was not happy about the Warriors offense.

"It's kind of not working out, especially like the last 10 minutes," Biedrins said after the Warriors shot 34.4 percent from the field. "I mean, we scored 12 points the last quarter. We can't win games like that, shooting 30 (percent) or whatever we had. We need to really change something, because we can't win games like that.

"We always take very hard shots," he added. "It's hard to score like that. If it's really important in the last couple minutes, you can't take so (many) bad shots. I just think that we just need to figure out what's a good and what's a bad shot."

Biedrins' frustration stems from his under-the-rim view of a Warriors offense that is lacking its usual punch so far this season. Perhaps most important, his comments underscore his development as a locker room presence and his confidence in his offensive growth.

Once content with deferring to the scoring talents of his teammates, Biedrins said the time may be coming when he stops sitting idly by while his teammates' addiction to low-percentage shots dooms the Warriors. He said he plans to do more than voice his opinion to the media.

"Yeah," Biedrins said when asked if he would demand the ball on offense. "But coaches say what we have to do in the fourth quarter and that's what we're doing. We're just executing what he's saying. ... Eventually, yeah. I think time will come. Step by step."

The next election of concern for the Utah Jazz comes this winter, when the committees which screen nominees for possible induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame go to work. The Jazz could be well-represented when finalists are selected during All-Star Weekend in February and when the Class of 2009 is announced during the Final Four in April.

John Stockton - the NBA's all-time assists and steals leader, who retired in 2003 - is eligible for the Hall of Fame for the first time.

Jerry Sloan, on the threshold of becoming the first NBA coach to win 1,000 games with the same franchise, is also Hall-of-Fame eligible. The Jazz have submitted the paperwork necessary to start the nomination process for Stockton and Sloan, and they will certainly do the same next year, when Karl Malone becomes eligible for the first time. "John's legacy with the Utah Jazz not only makes him a candidate, it makes him a first-ballot guy," said vice president of basketball operations Kevin O'Connor. "If you compare what John did to what other guys already in the Hall of Fame did, there's no question about it." Sloan agrees. "There's no doubt in my mind . . ." he said. "People talk about his statistics. But what I remember is the fact he never wanted to lose. His competitive nature was really something." Sloan is less vocal about his worthiness, despite 39 high-performance years in the NBA as a player, assistant and head coach. "It's been mentioned to me," Sloan said. "But it's something I'm not crazy talking about." Why? "I don't really know if I belong in that category," he said. Said O'Connor: "He is definitely deserving. His consistency of excellence is, well, I don't know who's done what Jerry's done. . . . He has always gotten maximum effort and maximum results out of his teams."

The Thunder has signed Steven Hill, a 7-foot center out of Arkansas. The move comes one day after the team released point guard John Lucas III.

Hill, who went undrafted this year, averaged 4.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 blocked shots as a senior with the Razorbacks last season. Hill was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year during his junior season after averaging 2.8 blocks and 1.1 steals.

Hill returns the Thunder’s roster to the league-mandated maximum of 15 players.

Hill will be on the bench for Wednesday’s game against the Celtics, but it’s unlikely Hill will see playing time over centers Johan Petro, Robert Swift and Mo Sene. Because Hill is a rookie, he is eligible to be sent to the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA’s Developmental League.

Coach P.J. Carlesimo said in October that the team’s 15th roster spot will fluctuate based on need this season.

“It’s not going to be a spot that we put a guy on a team and he’ll be our 15th man for the whole year,” Carlesimo said. “It’s a guy who might be there for two months. It’s a guy who might be there for two days.”

Brandon Roy can list the number of bad passes he has made.

"There have been about four total this year already," Roy said. "And every time it's like I know right away."

Roy in each instance has let out a disgusted scream, which at times has been audible throughout the lower bowl. Usually one of the smartest and poised players on the Blazers, Roy has probably had more bonehead plays in the first three games than he did in all of the second half of last season.

"I'd say that's a true statement," Roy said. "I don't think I've made that many (bad passes) in a long time. But now I know it, it's in my head."

What's in his head is the way opponents are attacking Roy and the Blazers' bread-and-butter play - the pick-and-roll. Teams are aggressively trapping Roy like they always have after he runs off a screen. But in a slightly different twist, the Blazers first three opponents have used another player to run at LaMarcus Aldridge, which complicates Roy's option to pass back to Aldridge.

That tactic was best illustrated on Saturday in Phoenix, when Roy was trapped near the sideline. To get out of the trap, he passed toward Aldridge at the top of the three-point line. It was exactly what Amare Stoudemire anticipated, and the Suns forward stepped in front of the pass and took it the length of the court for a dunk.

"It's almost as if the defense is reading our plays," Roy said after his three-turnover performance against the Suns. "It seems like I'm looking for the open guy, but it seems like there is two, three guys to deal with: a dude guarding me, a guy trapping, and then another man helping. It's like OK, how do I deal with this?"

In his first two seasons, Roy said he would easily deal with traps off the pick-and-roll by immediately sending the ball back to Aldridge, who usually set the screen for him.

"I didn't even have to look," Roy said. "I knew LaMarcus would be open. But teams have scouted it, and they are saying 'No, we are taking that away.' "

Sebastian Telfair, suspended by the NBA for the first three games of the season, lost salary and almost a little piece of his home-entertainment system watching his Timberwolves teammates struggle to a 1-2 start.

Telfair is eligible to return to action tonight against San Antonio, but for those first three games he was banished from the team on game nights. So the backup point guard watched at home, on his wall-mounted television. The first, a victory over Sacramento, wasn't too bad. The other two, especially Sunday's loss, well ...

"If my TV wasn't on the wall, I probably would have kicked it in," he chuckled.

Instead of his energy balled up in the living room, Telfair now can take it out on opponents.

If Telfair plays, it will be his first game since March 7 when he sprained his left ankle at Sacramento, forcing him to miss the team's final 21 games.

The suspension stemmed from a guilty plea in September on a 2007 weapons charge, before he came to Minnesota in the Kevin Garnett trade.

It's a chapter in his life he now considers closed.

"I hate that it came up so long after" coming to Minnesota, Telfair said. "But it's in the past now. And I can move on."

His return comes in the nick of time for the Wolves.

Starting point guard Randy Foye is in the midst of a 3-for-24 shooting malaise over the past two games, including an 0-for-10 showing Sunday in Oklahoma City.

With the Nuggets no longer having an expiring Iverson contract coming off the books in the summer, they're staring at paying the luxury tax again next season.

Nevertheless, Chapman said nothing has changed with Linas Kleiza, who will be a restricted free agent. He remains a player the Nuggets want to re-sign.

Kleiza was close last week to a four-year, $25 million contract extension until Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke elected to not make the offer to maintain financial flexibility. But with the Nuggets since having taken on big dollars for next season, could that hamper Kleiza's chances of getting a lucrative Denver offer?

"I'm not thinking about it," he said. "We'll see at the end of the year what my future holds, if it's in Denver, if it's somebody else."

With Antonio McDyess not keen on returning to the Nuggets and wanting to remain with Detroit, Denver's negotiations with his agent, Andy Miller, apparently aren't going smoothly. McDyess is under contract at $6.8 million for both this season and next.

"I know there's some negative communication with Andy Miller," Karl said.

The Nuggets ideally would like a buyout of less than $10 million total. The Nuggets, who on Monday trimmed their payroll from about $77 million to about $74 million, hope to get it down to a level just above the luxury-tax threshold of $71.15 million.

McDyess' side, meanwhile, doesn't want to lose money overall. He would recoup at least the prorated minimum salary of $1.26 million if he re-signs with Detroit, which he can't do until 30 days after being waived.

Karl still is holding out hope of having McDyess.

"He'd be a really good veteran player to have," Karl said.

Chauncey Billups will wear No. 7 when he makes his debut Nov. 7.

That's the plan for the Denver native, acquired Monday from Detroit in the blockbuster deal in which the Nuggets gave up Allen Iverson, after Nuggets executive Rex Chapman said Tuesday it's unlikely Billups will play tonight at Golden State.

"He was in Charlotte, and he needed to go to Detroit," Chapman said. "He's got family and kids. There's a lot of other issues. He'll get here just as soon as he can."

The hope is Billups and center Cheikh Samb, also acquired in the deal, will make it to Denver to practice Thursday. Both are expected to be available against Dallas on Friday at the Pepsi Center, where Billups figures to get quite an ovation as he returns to play for the Nuggets for the first time in nine years.

Billups will don No. 7 for Denver. He wore No. 1 in Detroit, but J.R. Smith, who has that number for the Nuggets, said Billups didn't want it.

Smith had been planning to switch next season to No. 23 but now says he'll keep No. 1 because "it looks good on me."

Overall, Billups feels good about heading to Denver.

"He's excited, but there's a part of him that's going to miss Detroit," said Karl, who spoke with Billups on Monday and still is trying to reach Iverson. "He's going to have that happy depression of what a great six years it was for him there. But I think every day he'll be excited to see this new team."

Anthony Carter, who will start tonight at point guard before Billups takes over, doesn't figure the deal will result in a lengthy adjustment period because "Chauncey's pretty smart."

"It's going to be on the fly because we don't have a lot of practices," Karl said.

He said Billups' "biggest adjustment is probably going from a possession team to a fast-break team."

Alando Tucker underwent successful arthroscopic surgery on his left knee, and the Suns now place his rehab and recovery time at four weeks - the longest scenario in the projected two- to four-week timetable.

Team physician Thomas Carter removed some loose bodies from the left kneecap, which is believed to be the source of the pain and swelling that has bothered Tucker since training camp.

Just how strange will it be to go head to head against your twin brother at the highest level of basketball?

Nets rookie center Brook Lopez, a minute older than Suns rookie and brother Robin, thought about the question and then shook his head.

"I can't put into words how strange this is," he said. "I'd like to try to explain it, but I can't do it justice.

"Robin and I knew the day was coming, but not so quickly into our careers. It would have been nice to play a few more games first."

But NBA schedule-makers are known for a sense of humor - as are some coaches. So at 5:27 of the first quarter, when Nets coach Lawrence Frank sent Brook to the scorer's table, Suns coach Terry Porter immediately played his Lopez card as well, as their mom, Deborah Ledford, cheered from the stands wearing a Nets shirt and a Suns hat.

"Let's find out who the real Lopez is," Porter said before the game. "I hope they don't pass to each other. I'm just calling straight post-ups, and see if (Robin) can score against his brother."

Alas, the jury is still out. Robin was 0-for-2 in seven first-half minutes - missing on a post-up move before having a second blocked by his brother. Meanwhile, Brook was 0-for-3 and had three turnovers in 10 minutes. Each finished the game with two points and were a combined 2-for-10 from the field.

Robin joked that he had heard his brother was talking trash in the media, and Brook obliged with a pregame smile, saying "Let's just say I'm more concerned about (guarding) Shaquille O'Neal."

The brothers talk several times a day, although usually never about basketball.

"We have lots of other similar interests and family things that take up the conversation," Robin said. "That's our job, and it's nice to talk about something else. We both appreciate it."

The Kings are doing more than losing. They're losing bad.

The 20-point average margin of defeat in the 0-4 start doesn't tell the story, especially in the 125-91 loss to the Sixers. They trailed by 40 points in the fourth quarter, and it takes all kinds of haplessness to make that happen. In 16 quarters of play, the Kings have won just two (and one shouldn't count since it was the fourth quarter against Miami in which they trailed by 31 points after three quarters). They have yet to lead after the first quarter. Most likely, their 111.8 points per game allowed will be worst in the league by the time the beans are counted this morning and their 52.2 percent opponents' field-goal percentage will be pretty close to the bottom too.

Now comes a home opener against Memphis on Wednesday that could be equal parts relief and panic for Kings coach Reggie Theus and his staff. Sure it's nice to not be facing Boston or the Lakers, they might be thinking, but what if it's another loss? Any loss in that game won't sit well with all involved.

What's more, the Grizzlies' reputation as sure-thing NBA cellar dwellars may not match their actual ability. Coach Marc Iavaroni and his bunch are 2-2 after wins over Orlando and Golden State and losses to Houston and Chicago. Before we jump ahead, though, let's listen in on what was an incredibly-candid visitors locker room at the Wachovia Center on Monday night.

It's open mike night, because introductions aren't really necessary when it comes to moments of clarity like these. As a quick sidenote, none of this was Donte' Greene's fault, especially since he was inactive again and is looking more and more every day like he may be headed for the D-League (he's not getting better in a suit and he's repeatedly said he would be open and enthusiastic about the notion of playing big minutes as a Reno Bighorn).

In order for the Spurs to trade Vaughn and Bonner, another team would have to want Vaughn and Bonner. Vaughn is more valuable to the Spurs than he would be anywhere else — his greatest asset is his knowledge of the Spurs' system. Bonner, meanwhile, has another season left worth $3.2 million on his contract after this one. That would seem to make him difficult to move.

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich turned a discussion on the importance of defense into a defense of the importance of the world championship as an entity, in and of itself.

The subject was defense, Gregg Popovich's favorite topic when it comes to basketball.

Or is it?

On a night when nationalism took center stage in America, Popovich segued from the importance of defense to NBA championship teams to the arrogance of calling the NBA title the world championship.

“The Celtics,” Popovich said, “were a great defensive team last year; Detroit was a great defender when they won it. When we've won, we've been first or second or third in all those defensive categories, and Miami was the same when they won it.

“If you're going to get an NBA championship, that's where you've got to go.”

Then, Popovich got on a rant about the importance of international competition.

“Notice,” he said, “I didn't say world championship. There's no such thing for these teams, although many haven't figured that out yet.

“Did any of us who won a championship play anybody in Spain or Russia or Italy, or any other country, other than the United States?

“I don't know why it's called the (baseball) World Series, and I don't know why they call (the NBA title) the World Championship. I never have gotten it. I still don't get it, but people continue to do it. One would think either stubbornness, or hubris, or something like that had something to do with it. But in these days, when things are so obvious, it's remarkable to me that people still can't figure that out.”

Sam Cassell has not been on the active list this season, but he does not object. His emphasis this season is to be ready if called upon while preparing for a coaching career he has planned since playing for Rudy Tomjanovich with the Rockets.

“When I first got here with Rudy, (he) and I used to have a lot of one-on-one conversations on the team planes about preparation, communication and dealing with egos,” Cassell said.

Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James had the Hornets' Rasual Butler isolated in a one-on-one matchup in front of a sellout crowd Saturday night at the New Orleans Arena.

It appeared as if James had made up his mind to drive the lane. But Butler, who started in place of injured Peja Stojakovic (sprained right ankle), stepped in front of James. Instead of giving up a dunk, Butler forced him into a hurried pass to Anderson Varejao.

Last season, Butler was not known for making defensive stops. And, he shot only 35 percent and lost his spot in the rotation to rookie Julian Wright by midseason. When the Hornets made their playoff run, which ended with a Game 7 defeat to the San Antonio Spurs in the second round, Butler didn't leave the bench in 12 games.

But tonight, even if Stojakovic starts, Butler -- a key contributor to the Hornets' 3-0 start -- likely will be one of the first reserves in the game against the Atlanta Hawks. Stojakovic practiced Tuesday.

During the Hornets' 104-92 victory against the Cavaliers, Butler scored 14 points and made two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter after Cleveland tied the score at 83.

"His confidence is back and he feels good, " Hornets Coach Byron Scott said. "He has worked his butt off, and he has made some big shots in the second half."

In last week's 108-95 victory at Phoenix, Butler had two blocks and scored six points. He made a 3-pointer after the Suns closed to 86-81 with 6:21 remaining.

Butler came to training camp last month motivated to earn playing time. He enrolled in a Yoga class this summer. He lifted weights five days a week and helped build his endurance with boxing workouts. On the court, he did not leave each day until he made 500 jump shots.

"There is a saying that you have to do what you have never done before to earn what you've never gotten, " Butler said. "My approach this year had to be more serious because I didn't have a defined role as some of the other guys in our regular rotation. I just wanted to improve."

Jerry Stackhouse isn't going to cause a ruckus over coach Rick Carlisle's decision not to play him Monday night against Cleveland.

But that doesn't mean it didn't hit the veteran swingman where it hurts.

"I don't put myself above the big picture," Stackhouse said. "Hopefully, I have a future with this organization going forward.

"But it's tough being who I've been and having such a short leash. Long stretches on the bench, that's tough. I'm looking to play and extend my career beyond this year."

Stackhouse had a game or two last season when he suited up and didn't play. But those were pre-arranged sit-downs that he and then-coach Avery Johnson had agreed on. Monday's situation was different.

Carlisle said he's still banking on Stackhouse being a piece of the Mavericks' puzzle this season.

"He's a pro and he's still a damn good player," Carlisle said. "In an effort to sort things out, he gets a DNP last night, which is tough – it's tough for me, too. But he and I talked about this a couple days ago. He's going to do the right thing for the team."

Added Stackhouse: "I've been around a long time, and I don't think it's anything to panic about. You never know. One small thing happens, and I'm right back in."

And he was, as the first player off the bench against the Spurs on Tuesday. Stackhouse scored three points in 18 minutes.

It began as a mandate from the Grizzlies' highest perch -- owner Michael Heisley -- to end the matador style of defense.

It continued with the hiring of a specialist, assistant coach Kevin O'Neill, and with roster changes.

Albeit four games into the regular season, the once unarmed Grizzlies are among the four best defensive teams in the NBA -- and proud of it.

"We actually want to play defense," rookie center Marc Gasol said flatly when asked the difference between this team and the Griz squad that turned in embarrassing performances on that end of the court a year ago.

"You're not always going to make shots," Gasol continued. "But you can play defense every game."

The Grizzlies (2-2) embark on a four-game road trip that begins tonight at Sacramento (0-4) before winding through Golden State, Denver and .

They're packing a brick wall, too.

Memphis is holding opponents to just 85.3 points per game on 37.5 percent shooting, which ranks second in the NBA. Last season, the Griz surrendered 106.9 points (28th) on 48-percent shooting (30th).

In holding each of its opponents to less than 100 points to start this season, Memphis already surpassed the longest such stretch from the 2007-08 campaign. The Grizzlies only went three consecutive games (Dec. 19-22) holding opponents to fewer than 100 points.

"We've come in from preseason and training camp and said we're going to be a tough, defensive-minded team," fourth-year forward Hakim Warrick said. "We've stuck with it. Even in practice you can see it. Our offense really struggles. We get up into each other with intensity."

Say this much for the Griz: They're scrappy. Memphis isn't hounding teams into a bunch of turnovers, but personal pride and a grasp of team schemes has translated into "no open shots," according to reserve point guard Kyle Lowry.

Flip Saunders will collect $5.5 million that Detroit owes him this year as the last year of his four-year contract. He has had time to reflect.

"You sit back and kind of evaluate what people are doing, both from a college and pro standpoint, and maybe that helps solidify the things you were doing and maybe believing even more in what you were doing," he said. "You always miss (coaching) as far as not having a team, but probably not as much because of my mind-set going into this year that when this thing happened in Detroit, I wasn't going to do anything or pursue anything going into this year. My mind-set was maybe to take a step back a little bit."

Saunders said he will coach again.

"Probably more so the NBA; college would have to be the right situation," he said.

Joe Dumars can't announce what free agents he covets while they are still under contract with other teams. But because the Pistons are grooming a young backcourt and have Tayshaun Prince signed through 2012, most likely he would target big men when and if he shops the free-agent market.

Carlos Boozer and Chris Bosh would be more logical targets.

Besides, does anybody really think LeBron James is going to leave his hometown Cleveland, a mid-market franchise, to play in another cold-weather, mid-market town? Not going to happen.

Redd said the chances were poor that he would play against the Wizards and the team lists him as "day to day" on the injury report. A knee injury could have been much more serious.

Redd showed up at the team's practice facility early Tuesday morning to get treatment and later spent time in the swimming pool doing conditioning work.

"It still hurts, still sore," he said. "Getting better, though. We've been treating it the last two days like crazy. Just want to get healthy. Continue to get better. So I've been here all day, working my butt off trying to get it right. It's got to heal."

With Redd ailing and point guard Luke Ridnour still bothered by back spasms, it's possible the Bucks might take on the Wizards without their starting guard tandem.

Ridnour, who is also listed as "day to day," played in the first two games of the season despite his bad back but then sat out the last two games. He took part in only the non-contact portion of practice on Tuesday and said afterward that he felt some improvement.

"I've just been taking it day by day and it's getting better," he said. "I can stand up right now, which is a good sign. So I'm definitely making progress. I got to run a little bit for the first time so it was great not to be so locked up. Just to get to move around again is a good feeling. For anybody who has had that happen to them, it's not fun."

And given his reputation as a demanding, hard-nosed coach, the Wizards believe Scott Skiles is making his presence felt.

Getty Images Bucks forward Richard Jefferson has averaged 17.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in two starts this season.

"You know they're going to play hard, and they're going to play hard because if they're not playing hard [Skiles] isn't going to play them," Wizards guard DeShawn Stevenson said. "We've got to go out there hard and get ready for a tough, defensive-minded coach and try to play defense and get our own offense going."

Subtle changes this season signal Skiles' players have bought into his philosophy.

"Defensively, they've looked great over the last couple of games," forward Caron Butler said. "I saw their game against the Knicks, and they did a lot of different things. They took Jamal Crawford out of the game. It was tough for David Lee to get into a rhythm because [Milwaukee center] Andrew Bogut was playing well on both ends of the floor. ... I even noticed Michael Redd is really concentrating on being aggressive on defensive end. He's always aggressive on the offensive end but a little reluctant on the defensive end, but now you see him really getting down into his stance and getting after you.

The key for the Wizards is simple, however.

"Our energy level needs to be high," Butler said. "We can't get off to a slow start like we did in Detroit. In Detroit, we were resilient at the end of the game, and we managed to come back from a 20-point deficit, but we can´t keep putting ourselves in situations like that."

Magic Coach Stan Van Gundy singled out PG Jameer Nelson and Turkoglu for being careless with the ball against the Bulls. Each had four turnovers -- or eight of the 19.

"The 19 turnovers . . . That's 19 times we didn't get a chance to get a basket," Nelson said. "I'll take the blame for some of that. As a point guard, I've got to get us better shots and get the ball to the guys in better situations."

Turkoglu took exception to Van Gundy's belief that he's a little out of shape and "when he gets a little tired, he doesn't want to do anything except jack up jump-shots."

Turkoglu said playing 40 minutes tends to tax anybody, but added, "I wasn't feeling well [Monday night]. Even though I missed shots (3-of-16), I had seven assists. It's part of my game. I need to take better shots."

The Denver Nuggets and Miami Heat had a lot in common until Monday.

Both teams had two maximum-salary players, one of them in the final year of his contract who didn't factor into the team's long-term future. Both teams also were considered, at best, fringe playoff teams in their respective conferences, despite featuring one of the league's elite stars. And both teams needed significant upgrades at point guard and center spots if they were going to change that perception.

On Monday, the Nuggets differentiated themselves from the Heat, turning that star with the expired contract, Allen Iverson, into Chauncey Billups and Antonio McDyess, two steadying influences that transformed the Denver roster from ill-fitting to enviable.

Of course, the Nuggets might be a little more committed to the right now than the Heat, which has next season's free agent class in its sights and probably wouldn't have been willing to accept Billups as its signature second piece alongside Dwyane Wade. But it doesn't mean the Heat can't make a move that matters in the very near future.

Marion was to get his custom mask after practice Tuesday. He suffered a broken nose during Saturday's 100-87 loss at Charlotte.

"I wanted to practice today," Marion said. "I can't do anything without [the mask], though. If I get any kind of bump on it or anything it can go any way."

Marion said he took a hit from Charlotte forward Gerald Wallace but didn't realize he'd broken his nose at the time. He said he's suffered a broken nose before. But that was during a summer pickup game so he didn't have to play with a mask.

He expects the new mask will work better than the non-custom version he didn't like.

"I know they are going to try to get it perfect," he said.

Coach Erik Spoelstra said Marion would try wearing the mask at this morning's shootaround.

"As long as the mask is fitted well, he can't damage it any further," Spoelstra said.

Point guard Raymond Felton (right hamstring strain) sat out practice Tuesday, and said if he feels Wednesday as he felt today, he couldn’t play against the New York Knicks.

Center Emeka Okafor strained his left shoulder in a collision with Ryan Hollins late in practice. While he was in considerable pain right after that collision, the Bobcats anticipate Okafor playing against the Knicks.

Felton suffered the hamstring injury in the first quarter of Monday’s loss to the Detroit Pistons, when he made a sudden stop while guarding Rodney Stuckey. He played some in the second half, but the injury tightened up overnight.

Felton is so willing to play through pain and injury, the Bobcats have occasionally had to force him to sit out for his own good. So when he said “I have no idea’’ whether he’ll be ready against the Knicks, he must be seriously hurting.

Coach Larry Brown said he’d likely start rookie D.J. Augustin against the Knicks if Felton can’t play.

Larry Brown hates the New York Knicks so much, he urged one of his best friends to accept the job leading that franchise out of the fog.

Yes, it was Brown who pushed Donnie Walsh to become Knicks' general manager, after those same Knicks tossed Brown to the curb after one season as coach 21/2 years ago.

So if you're expecting bile and venom when Brown's Charlotte Bobcats face the Knicks tonight in Madison Square Garden, you'll be disappointed. Brown just wants this game to pass quietly.

“To be honest, I'd like to get it over. They're going to ask me a thousand questions, and I have a job here that's pretty challenging,” Brown said Tuesday.

“They” are the New York media – a rare species of journalist that made Brown's one season with his hometown team even more complicated. Tabloids have a knack for turning disagreement into argument, argument into rift, rift into feud.

He has intimidated and dunked on everyone in his path since entering the NBA 16 years ago.

He has manhandled starting centers, backups, double-teamers and all others who dared tangle with him in the post. He has torn down backboards and broken defenders' spirits. He forced teams to alter their strategy, resorting to a "Hack-A-Shaq" technique to slow him down.

Through it all, Shaquille O'Neal never stopped smiling.

The Phoenix Suns center no longer is the young Diesel who once dropped 49 points on the Indiana Pacers at Market Square Arena while with the Orlando Magic.

He is also no longer the self-proclaimed Superman who averaged 38 points per game while leading the Los Angeles Lakers past the Pacers in the 2000 NBA Finals.

O'Neal is now 36. He is averaging 13.0 points and 9.7 rebounds in the Suns' first three games. His Hall of Fame career is nearing the end. Tonight, O'Neal makes his only scheduled stop at Conseco Fieldhouse this season. He might visit again once next season, and that could be it.

"I met him when I was in like sixth grade at a Boys and Girls Club (in Washington, D.C.) when he came to visit," said Pacers rookie center Roy Hibbert, who will face O'Neal tonight for the first time. "I have fond memories because he was one of my favorite players growing up.

"But when I step on the court, it's all business. I doubt he remembers me anyways. I'm just going to go out and play hard. He was dunking on people and I had his jersey when he was with Orlando."

If Antonio McDyess, 34, negotiates a buyout with Denver of the last two years of his contract, he would have to sit for 30 days before he could rejoin the Pistons because of the so-called Gary Payton Rule.

It was named after the former NBA All-Star who he was traded from Boston to Atlanta at the 2005 trade deadline. He rejoined the Celtics a few days later after the Hawks agreed to release him. Now, players who get traded and are then waived are forced to wait 30 days before re-signing with their former team. They can sign with other teams right away.

Pistons president Joe Dumars said at the news conference Tuesday to introduce Iverson that he would welcome McDyess back but didn't know what would happen in Denver.

"We'll let you know something when we know something," Nuggets vice president of player personnel Rex Chapman told the Associated Press after practice Tuesday.

Nuggets coach George Karl wouldn't mind having McDyess around.

"Antonio used to be a runner, an athlete, a rebounder, a rim-hitter," Karl told the AP. "Now, he plays the game. He'd be good for us."

So in the meantime for the Pistons, while much has been made of the loss of Billups and rightfully so, they might miss McDyess more right away.

The reinvention of the Pistons is under way, with Iverson bringing superstar credentials to a team long known for shared roles and defense. The other thing Allen Iverson brings? He said it eagerly, like a guy who hasn't won it all but refuses to accept it will end that way.

"I definitely feel like I have a great resume, but there's a big hole in it," Iverson said. "Even though these guys won a championship already, I'm pretty sure they want another one. I think I'll be even more hungry because I haven't won. I'd like to think I'm that missing piece. As far as on the court, I'll still be the same guy, playing every game like it's my last. And I'll try to do things the right way."

Doing things the right way surely hasn't been Iverson's career slogan so far. He was amazing when he led Philadelphia to the 2001 NBA Finals but he has had his spats, including his infamous rant about practice when he played for Larry Brown.

He joked about it Tuesday and said he's much more mature, married and the father of five. He sounded eager to shed ugly labels, which is what happened for longtime stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce last spring, when they won with the Celtics.

"I look at what those guys did and they deserved every bit of it," Iverson said. "When I look at this roster, I just feel, why not us? I'm willing to sacrifice whatever I have to sacrifice to get it done. I've tried it my way plenty of times and it hasn't been done. I know this is a tough-nosed team that relied on their defense, and I have to step that up. But I know I'm gonna fit here. Anything coach (Michael) Curry wants me to do, I can get it done."

Other early season problems can be contributed to those two surgeries — one for a sports hernia that required Williams to take it easy during the offseason.

''I expected to struggle a bit — not struggle — but be slow to get it going,'' he said. ''But it's still frustrating at the same time when you're used to making plays and used to making shots.''

Williams threw frustration to the wind Monday night and led the Cavs down the stretch. After three quarters, he had five points. He scored nine in the fourth.

More impressive is that he got his shots, involved his teammates and helped the team to pull away. Most of the production occurred with LeBron James getting rest.

''Mo is a guy we feel can go out and create shots for himself and create shots for others. That's what we did,'' coach Mike Brown said.

Eric Snow tossed up his hands in mock celebration, after eight misses he finally made a shot and it was a big one, too. The fourth-quarter bucket was part of the difference in a one-point Cava- liers' win over the Washington Wizards on Feb. 2 of last season. It was a gutsy perform ance with just eight players the day after the team pulled off a 10-player trade.

In the moment, Snow probably did not realize it was the last shot he'd make and attempt in his career. But by the next morning when he looked down at how swollen and stiff his left knee was after playing 32 minutes, he started to consider it. It was then he began dealing with the reality his 13-year career was coming to an end.

"It was tough to come to terms with it," Snow said in an interview with the Plain Dealer last week. "Spending most of last season injured helped me mentally and emotionally start to deal with the life change of probably never playing again."

Snow is, in effect, retired from the Cavs now. He hasn't been around the team since undergoing a required physical the day before training camp started.

Because of the knee, he flunked it, which was no surprise.

He is still on the roster because this is the final year of his contract, though he and the Cavs have filed paperwork and begun the process of retiring due to a disability for the knee which he injured a little more than a year ago in a pickup game.

Within the next few months when several missed-game thresholds are met, the Cavs hope to win approval from an independent doctor to remove him from their books and save $7.3 million in luxury taxes and several million more with insurance coverage.

Snow is the third player to seek a disability retirement due to chronic knee problems in the last year. Darius Miles left the Portland Trail Blazers after missing two seasons with knee issues, though he hasn't given up on his career yet. Shareef Abdur-Rahim retired from the Sacramento Kings and joined the team as a coach in September.

Last week, Snow started his post-

For now, Derrick Rose isn't thinking about a rivalry with Lebron James or the Cavs. When the teams meet tonight at Quicken Loans Arena, Rose simply is viewing it as an opportunity for the Bulls to measure themselves against one of the better teams in the league.

''It should be a good experience to see where we're at, seeing whether we can defend a player like him,'' Rose said. ''He's a great player, and he puts a lot of pressure on your defense when he drives.''

Rose also puts immense pressure on a defense with his drives to the basket, but his style is completely different. James is as quick and agile as any guard but is built more like a power forward. He can beat you with his quickness or his power. Rose has good size for a point guard at 6-3, but he still looks like a boy among men when he drives into the paint.

Both, though, are similar in the way they finish around the basket, seemingly capable of getting off any shot against any defender.

Another thing they have in common is both were No. 1 picks who have the added burden of playing for their hometown teams. Although they have met only in passing before now, Rose said he always has admired what James has done on and off the court.

''I looked up to him when I was in high school, and he was one of my role models,'' Rose said. ''I saw how he handled the pressure. Everything is just business with him. He's so mature for his age.''

Upbeat despite being mired in one of the worst shooting slumps of his five-year career, Deng said he talked to coach Vinny Del Negro on Tuesday's flight from Orlando to Cleveland about finding ways to extract himself from his depths.

The Bulls surely need Luol Deng's shooting and scoring to rise to his more typically steady levels. Management didn't give Deng a six-year, $71 million deal last off-season for grounded numbers like 10.3 points on 31.8 percent shooting, including 0-for-8 Monday night against the Magic.

"The way our offense is, I have to find a way to be effective," Deng said. "I don't know how yet, but I have to figure it out. I'm trying to find little stuff, cutting.

That's when it was pointed out in town that the Detroit Pistons, in making their blockbuster trade for Allen Iverson, had suddenly become big players in NBA free agency in the summer of 2010, when Bosh could opt to become a big catch. And if you know anything about the history of this NBA outpost, you'll know it's taken far less to induce hand-wringing hysteria in a certain segment of the hoop-tuned public.

It's a grand tradition of slow-news-day speculation that probably peaked at the height of the Vinsanity, when then-coach Butch Carter spouted conspiracy theories about the NBA plotting to abscond with Vince Carter to a big U.S. market. But these days you can't even count on the local coach to fuel the flame

"That's what we need in the world – more stupidity," said Sam Mitchell, speaking of the sudden buzz around Bosh 2010. "Like, we don't have enough, so we need to just create some stupidity."

No.4, too, refused to approach the issue with Vince-ish aloofness or Butch-esque zaniness. Maybe we're all minute-to-minute, but as of 12:43 yesterday afternoon, Bosh said he knew exactly this much about his future: "I'm just, like, trying to get to my nap at two o'clock."

He laughed a little.

"I live in the moment. I don't make plans. I don't think two years ahead. I don't think a week ahead," he said. "People don't like it, but hey ..."

Raptors players see tonight's game against the Detroit Pistons, who also have started the season 3-0, as a big measuring stick -- even if coach Sam Mitchell wants to take that rod and bust it over the heads of media members.

Mitchell thought we were over-hyping this clash of undefeated teams, spiced up by the arrival of Allen Iverson to the Pistons.

"How many games do we have left?" Mitchell demanded yesterday at the Air Canada Centre. "Seventy-nine right? And we've got measuring-stick games already? It's the biggest game of the year? What are we measuring?"

The cautious coach no doubt will be ecstatic if his club wins and gets off to its best start since taking four of five in 1999-2000.

He also is wary that people would make too much of a Raptors loss.

But newcomer Jermaine O'Neal, who has been adamant that the club tries to embrace the swagger of a winner, says this is exactly the test the Raptors need.

Are these pockets of inefficient play the result of developing team chemistry after so many off-season additions?

Backup guard Lou Williams shook his head when asked if the team still needed time to build cohesion because of newcomers Elton Brand, Royal Ivey, Kareem Rush, Theo Ratliff and Donyell Marshall.

He said that most of the team has played together since the summer. "The majority of that process is over, and now we just need to go out there and put it on the floor," said Williams, who is averaging 12.5 points off the bench.

Added Williams, "I think we should be 4-0 at this point. Both those losses we should have won. We had chances to win."

The Sixers (2-2) have lost to the Raptors (3-0) and the Hawks (2-0), while defeating the Knicks (1-2) and the Kings (0-4).

They play the Miami Heat (1-2) tonight, and the Orlando Magic (2-2) tomorrow.

The New York Knicks have no plans to do anything with Stephon Marbury, except pay him his $21.9 million salary and give him a great seat to watch all their games.

Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni and team president Donnie Walsh said that they will not waive, buy out or trade Marbury. They also will not let him play in games, unless there is an injury to their top three guards, Chris Duhon, Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson.

After Walsh met with both D'Antoni and Marbury on Monday, the Knicks announced Tuesday that they feel the issue is dead. Marbury will be inactive until further notice.

"It is resolved," D'Antoni told a larger-than-usual contingent of reporters after practice on Tuesday. "It is. Pretty soon that story is not going to be fun to read because it is going to be the same old story.

"You are going to be beating a dead horse," he said.

Marbury, 31, was the face of the Knicks under Isiah Thomas, but D'Antoni has been lukewarm, at best, toward Marbury since training camp. So why keep the former All-Star, who has been a distraction in the past, on the team?

"It is a lot of money," D'Antoni said. "He has a contract, rightly so. If somebody gets hurt, we might need him. Why not? Steph has been great. He is part of the team. We are trying to do what is best for the Knicks."

Walsh said the case is "closed" on the Marbury controversy. Walsh said that he leaves playing time decisions to his coaches and does not interfere. Still, why keep Marbury on the team if there are no plans to play him?

"He is a good player," Walsh said.

When the media were allowed into practice Tuesday, Marbury rode a stationary bike alongside the injured Eddy Curry. Marbury did not participate in the Knicks' drills but was involved in the team's post-practice huddle.

Marbury, who does not have an agent, will be a free agent at the end of the season.

The Players' Association, however, is prepared to assist Marbury with the situation. The 31-year-old doesn't have an agent.

"We've helped Stephon in the past," PA executive director Billy Hunter Jr. said, "and we'll continue to help him whenever he asks."

Hunter did not want to address the specifics regarding Marbury. Last year, though, Marbury filed a grievance with the Players' Association when he was docked a game's pay for leaving the Knicks while they were in Phoenix.

Walsh said on Sunday that he planned to talk to Marbury, and according to a source, the two had a very "generic" five-minute conversation yesterday in which nothing significant was discussed. In talking to the media yesterday, Walsh sounded like he was curious to get some answers as to what exactly is going on.

Asked yesterday what couldn't be resolved yet, Walsh replied, "That I'm not going to set a timetable. That I want to make sure that everybody's on page with what we're trying to do."

He said he wasn't contemplating a buyout yet.

There would seemingly be only two possible resolutions here - either Marbury plays for the Knicks, or they don't have him on the team anymore. When presented with that, Walsh replied, "I'm not going there."

But Walsh didn't sound overly inclined to simply waive Marbury. He said he wasn't thinking about having him leave the team, and when asked if the Knicks might as well play Marbury considering that he's healthy and on the roster, Walsh seemed to see the logic.

"That's the whole point," he said. "I would agree with that."

Power forward Stromile Swift thought the worst when he came crashing down on his back at the end of the Oct. 17 practice. He was relieved that the nasty fall resulted only in a bone bruise and muscle spasms

"I thought something was maybe fractured or something," Swift said. "But the X-rays came back negative, so that was good. Let’s hope I can get back as soon as possible. It was a scary fall and all."

Swift shot Tuesday for the first time since the fall.

"Over the last week, I made some big improvements," Swift said.

His return will give the Nets seven big men. He seems a likely candidate to be moved since he’s in the last year of his deal, thus making his contract appealing.

That, for all intents, was Bobby Simmons' role in the Nets offense over the first two games.

And he's not blaming anyone but himself.

"There are a lot of things I need to do more of, off the ball," said the small forward, who had but three field goals and one assist over 46 minutes entering Tuesday night's game against the Phoenix Suns.

"Whether it's just cutting, making it to the open spot ... maybe driving it more, and getting involved, instead of just waiting for the ball in the corner. That's on me, for the most part. When you're (running) this offense, you never know when you're going to get it. So when you're in position to make plays, you have to make them."

It's too early in the process to consider this a serious problem, but the Nets are desperate for offensive balance, and getting five points per game from the guy replacing Richard Jefferson is insufficient.

Yes, Simmons is supposed to get more touches.

But no, they don't run any plays for him.

And somewhere between those two realities is a riddle Lawrence Frank is going to have to figure out.

"The more the ball moves, the more opportunities he'll have," the coach said. "There's always things we can do for any player. If you want to get someone going, you can do it. Now, is it in the best interest of the team? I just think with Bobby, he's got to add a defensive presence because he's a strong, physical guy. The more the ball moves the more opportunities he'll get."

Nets coach Lawrence Frank was incensed after the game that his team's defensive breakdowns allowed Phoenix to both score 44 points in the paint and shoot 67 percent from the 3-point line for another 36 points.

"It's hard when you're constantly pulling the ball out of the net," Frank said in his concession speech, "and we just didn't do good job."

Yet somehow, the Nets kept it within about 10 points for most of the first three quarters, trading baskets and hoping not to go under.

"We talked about it there in the huddle," Frank said as he prepared to combine metaphors as seamlessly as the Suns meshed their offensive attack. "It's fools gold. You're going to run out of bullets. They have more bullets than we do."

Vince Carter scored 19 points and handed out five assists to pass Stephon Marbury on the Nets all-time assist list before leaving the game with a twisted ankle after things were already out of hand. Yi Jianlian added 15 points.

The Suns didn't break away until they extended their lead to 92-77 after three quarters, which was their largest margin to that point. The Suns game plan was to exploit their size and talent advantage down low with O'Neal and Amare Stoudemire against the Nets young big men, Yi, Josh Boone, Brook Lopez and Ryan Anderson.

"We had to give up something," Carter said, "and Shaq is an All-Star, of course, and Amare is a proven all-star. It was an experience for all of our young guys and we have to take the challenge. We still have a long way to go and a lot to learn. It's just going to be like that."

The Celtics, like every other contender, were intrigued by Monday’s trade that sent Allen Iverson from Denver to Detroit for Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess and Cheikh Samb.

But the C’s attention is focused particularly on the Denver side of the deal, with McDyess reportedly set to be bought out of his contract.

According to a league source, the Celtics would be especially interested in bringing in the veteran power forward. The C’s initially attempted to sign McDyess in 2004. He instead chose to sign with the Pistons, who at the time were opening defense of a world championship.

Most observers expect McDyess to return to Detroit after the league’s mandatory 30-day waiting period. But McDyess, reportedly upset by the trade, can expect to hear from the Celtics if a buyout does indeed go through.

Though Leon Powe and Glen Davis have performed admirably behind Kendrick Perkins [stats], the Celtics eventually will need a player with more length to fill the role that P.J. Brown held on last season’s championship run. McDyess, a starting member of Detroit’s front line, would be the perfect replacement for the since-retired Brown.

Kendrick Perkins and Glen Davis muscled Yao Ming into a disoriented 4-of-14 performance, including a 1-of-8 third quarter when the Rockets center jammed a dunk attempt off the bottom of the rim.

And unlike during Saturday night’s loss in Indianapolis, when the Celtics gave new meaning to the concept of sleepwalking, their performance was sharp.

The tone also mirrored the toughness of a Celtics win over Houston during the exhibition season.

“There was a lot of fake trash talk by both teams,” coach Doc Rivers said. “And there was great execution by us. With Ray playing the way he did, it takes great execution by all of us to make that happen.”

That would include picks - lots of picks - for the smooth jump shooter.

“When we play badly it can be because of what we do on offense,” he said. “We’ll turn the ball over, and take the first shot available. But tonight we got a lot of good looks, and I was on the right end of it.”

The Celtics, clinging to a 101-96 lead with 34 seconds left, were about to confront their most pressing early season issue - poor free throw shooting. Paul Pierce missed a 15-footer coming out of a timeout, and replays clearly showed Tony Allen foolishly fouling McGrady in 3-point range down the other end.