Miami Is Not A Player: The Miami HEAT have no plans to get involved in a big dollar contract before training camp opens at the end of September. HEAT sources shot down the notion of Ben Gordon coming to Miami in a sign-and-trade, citing that the only way it worked for Chicago was if Shawn Marion was included, and neither the HEAT nor the Bulls seem too interested in that deal. The other issue at play is the fact that Ben Gordon is more of a two-guard, would eat into Dwyane Wade's minutes to be effective and wouldn't solve the play making issue - so count the HEAT out of the Ben Gordon discussion. Delonte West? The HEAT do have some interest in West but his six-year, $30 million price tag is not too appealing to the boys in South Beach. HEAT sources say they understand where the rumors come from, as the HEAT are lacking a true "named" player at point guard, but they explained that coming into camp the team is pretty impressed with the progress and dedication Marcus Banks has shown, and Mario Chalmers more than impressed in the Orlando Summer League in July. Add the ability for D-Wade to be a playmaker, Daequan Cook to be another ball handler and the HEAT do not feel they have to make a move. Now if someone wants to take Mark Blount and his $8.5 million contract off Miami's hands they'd make that move, but for a team sitting north of $68 million in salary commitments, Miami does not look to be a player in long-term contracts at all this year. The game plan for the HEAT has been to be a player in free agency next year when the HEAT could have as a much as $14 million to entice a free agent to Miami. Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur, Lamar Odom, Andre Miller and Allen Iverson will be looking for new deals; Miami isn't going to mess up next year for Ben Gordon or Delonte West, this year.

Selling The Knicks?: Cablevision, the parent company of the New York Knicks is having some shareholder issues. Share price has not moved – sitting at roughly $32 a share, fairly close to its 52-week high of $35 a share - and shareholders want to know what the Dolan Family is going to do about it. To appease shareholders Knicks owner James Dolan has been holding a series or "town hall" meetings with shareholder groups trying to soothe their concerns. One very popular concept is Cablevision selling off the Knicks, the Rangers and Madison Square Garden and putting the cash to the bottom line – most experts say the group of assets is worth more than $1 billion. While clearly a popular idea for shareholders and an even more interesting idea for Knicks fans, informed league sources said the idea of Dolan selling the Knicks is almost impossible for a couple of reasons, the biggest being value – the Knicks franchise value is at an all-time low compared to other NBA franchises, and that is due to years of bad basketball and even worse management decisions. The other reason is the Jimmie Dolan connection. James Dolan loves owning the Knicks, almost as much as he loves being a bad musician – sorry Jimmy – add the fact that Dolan can point to selling low as a bad idea, selling off MSG and the teams that play there is not likely. It's going to be talked about a lot, because it seems selling them off is what Cablevision shareholders want.

No Brandon, No Problem: The Portland Trail Blazers are not very concerned about missing Brandon Roy in training camp, in fact one Blazers' source said its going to create more opportunities for new players to be on the floor and for Brandon to be rested and ready for the season. Brandon had successful knee surgery last week to repair a meniscus tear in his left knee, and will miss the bulk of training camp and almost all of pre-season. As special a player as Brandon has become in the NBA, injuries and nagging injuries have been a problem every year. Brandon missed eight games last year, and 25 games his rookie year. The Blazers know that in order for them to be serious players in the Western Conference they are going to need Brandon Roy healthy, but more importantly they are going to need to learn to play without him in the event of an injury - and with Brandon that's been more likely than not.

No Urgency In Orlando: Hey Magic fans… the roster is basically set, so quit asking… just kidding. The Orlando Magic and their rabid fan base have been fun this summer, but sadly beyond a couple of toss-in roster players the Magic are not looking seriously at any major moves before camp opens on September 27th. The Magic would like to add a third point guard and there is always the lingering question of what to do with J.J. Redick, but neither of these issues seem to be at the top of the Magic's to-do list. As it stands today Redick looks like he's coming to camp to compete for a role on this team. Magic sources say they understand that things may be broken with J.J. after two seasons of being parked on the bench, but they also point out that if J.J. get real minutes and a role on this team there is a belief that things can be fixed. The other side of the J.J. situation is that his value is tremendously low because he has not played. One league source said the Magic were struggling to get a first round pick for a player they took in the first round, so why sell J.J. at a loss, bring him to camp, establish some value and move him along when his value is higher? There had been a rumor floating around, suggesting the Magic and the OKC TBA's – also dubbed The Thunder – were pondering a swap involving Nick Collision coming to Orlando in a package that was to include Tony Battie. Magic sources have assured me that Tony Battie is not going anywhere and that the love affair fans and the media have with Nick Collision in Orlando is not going to happen, at least not before training camp. The Magic feel Tony Battie is the answer to their toughness question and Tony is in great shape and well rested. Should the team struggle early or Tony not fit back in where he's expected that could change the situation, but Magic sources were pretty clear that beyond a few small tweaks, you are looking at your 2008-2009 Orlando Magic roster now.