Fearing they are re-living the franchise's worst nightmare -- the loss of another superstar -- the Orlando Magic will meet with Tracy McGrady next week to seek a definitive answer to the most-asked question in town: Does T-Mac want to stay in Orlando or not? If McGrady tells the Magic he does not or balks at the question, the club will begin plans to trade him and reshape their rebuilding blueprint. Talk at the predraft camp persists that the Bulls and Pacers are entertaining trade possibilities for Al Harrington, whose salary closely resembles Scottie Pippen's. The Bulls don't appear willing to include their No. 3 pick in the talks for now. Those who know believe that, sooner or later, former Cavs guard Steve Kerr will become general manager of the NBA Phoenix Suns. Kerr, a TNT basketball analyst, recently joined an ownership group that purchased the Suns. Word is Randy Wittman, a Wolves assistant, remains a strong candidate for the Atlanta Hawks' head coaching job, and also might be interviewed by the Toronto Raptors. The Bobcats would seem unlikely to have interest in Glenn Robinson, who is signed for next season at a little more than $12 million. Aaron McKie is under contract through 2007-08, at a total of $24.5 million, Greg Buckner is signed through 2007-08 at a total of $12.96 million. Coleman has $6.5 million guaranteed over the next two seasons. Todd MacCulloch, whose career remains in jeopardy because of a foot neuropathy, has more than $19 million coming over the next three seasons; if he were to retire, the team could recoup 80 percent of that via insurance. As of last night, the Nets were expected to expose Kerry Kittles during the June 22 expansion draft so he could be chosen by the incoming Charlotte Bobcats, while the Knicks were almost certainly going to let Allan Houston be eligible for selection. Houston will not be among the Bobcats' selections, however, because he makes $18 million next season, and Charlotte's inaugural payroll cannot exceed $29 million. Moreover, Charlotte would find it impossible to reroute Houston to a team that really needs him, because no team with cap space will take a chance on a 33-year-old with a bad knee who missed 40 percent of the 2003-04 season. The Nets yesterday submitted their list of protected players for the upcoming expansion draft. Those exposed were believed to be Kerry Kittles, Alonzo Mourning, Tamar Slay and either Lucious Harris or Rodney Rogers. And while Kittles is the most attractive name, Slay may hold the most appeal to the expansionist Charlotte Bobcats. The Magic will hold an individual workout today in Chicago for high school star Shaun Livingston, a 6-foot-7 point guard. The Los Angeles Clippers were high on Sebastian Telfair this spring, but since landing the second pick in the draft, they seem more likely to select Okafor, Howard or Harris, unless they opt to trade the pick to a team like Atlanta. The Hawks covet Howard because of his hometown roots and apparently have offered the Clippers their Nos.6 and 17 picks in the first round. The Knicks are hoping to keep Vin Baker. ``We definitely would like to have him back,'' club president Isiah Thomas said. ``We like him. He played good for us.'' As to whether Baker will go for the best money or stick with New York for less because of how well things worked out for him there after his departure from Boston, Thomas said, ``Every player (goes for the money). That's the game. The Washington Wizards are expected to expose former Maryland guard Juan Dixon, veteran swingman Jerry Stackhouse and forward Christian Laettner in the expansion draft, according to a league source. Word is the Toronto Raptors hired player personnel director Rob Babcock from the Timberwolves as general manager when their top choice, former Wolves personnel official John Hammond of the Detroit Pistons, said he wouldn't accept the job until after the NBA playoffs. Former Toronto Raptors head coach Butch Carter took a swipe at the team's new management structure, saying it's top heavy with decision-makers. "I liked it in the old days when there wasn't any money, and so you didn't have to hire 20 people to do what one person should be able to do,'' Carter said in a telephone interview yesterday with The Fan 590. He said that while the financial model for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment is "unbelievably successful,'' he liked it better when the budget wasn't as large and there were fewer people. "You didn't find all those people giving you suggestions, you just had to get it done.' Danny Ainge expressed strong disagreement yesterday with Larry Bird's stated belief that the NBA needs more white superstars, but he was just as direct in his opinion that Bird is not prejudiced on the basis of color. ``I think that Larry was way off base by saying that we need stars who are a certain type,'' said the Celtics director of basketball operations, reacting to remarks by his former teammate that aired last night on ESPN. ``But I honestly don't believe that Larry is racially conscious. I just think that Larry said some things that I don't agree with, but I don't think Larry ever will consider a player because of his race at all. I'm certain that Larry is not out looking for white players. I never saw any sign of that in Larry in all my time with him.'' Sebastian Telfair may have seen his NBA stock take a dramatic dip yesterday. Lincoln High's star point guard, who declared for the draft last month and has signed an endorsement deal with Adidas worth over $15 million, was not among the select group of players invited by the NBA advisory council to meet with the media tomorrow and take part in physicals at the end of the pre-draft camp. Billy King confirmed what U.S. Olympic team coach Larry Brown and NBA vice president Stu Jackson have said all along: 76ers star Allen Iverson remains bound for Athens, Greece. Iverson and San Antonio's Tim Duncan are the only original members remaining of what USA Basketball thought would constitute the 12-man roster for this summer's Olympics. Former Sixers assistant Alex English didn't stay unemployed long. He was hired as director of player development/scout for the Toronto Raptors. English, who spent the last season as a Sixers assistant, is also helping coach the players competing at this week's pre-draft camp. The Sixers worked out two players yesterday who are projected as lottery picks and aren't participating in the pre-draft camp. They held separate workouts at Hoops the Gym, a private gym in Chicago, with 6-3 Wisconsin point guard Devin Harris and Shaun Livingston, a 6-7 high school all-American point guard from Peoria, Illinois. "Both of them were very impressive," said Billy King, Sixers president and general manager. What's unfathomable is why the media-savvy Larry Bird would dignify the question with an answer, "Does the NBA lack enough white superstars?" Does the term "no comment" sound a gong? "How stupid do you think I am?" Bird must've thought to himself. "Stupid enough to answer this." Which only goes to show you can't take the hick out of French Lick. Rumor mill: The buzz among general managers was that the Dallas Mavericks were not protecting point guard Marquis Daniels, an Orlando native. Did you know?By playing two minutes Thursday, Darko Milicic, 18, became the youngest person ever to play in a Finals game. Ben Wallace of the Detroit Pistons found it hard to describe what it's like to be hit by Los Angeles Lakers center Shaquille O'Neal: ``I could tell you, but you really wouldn't understand unless you got hit by him. I've never been hit by a Hummer or an Escalade, but I've been hit by Shaq and it's not cute.'' It?s a wonder Pistons fans could watch Game 3 of the NBA Finals for all the star spying they did ? at least those lucky enough to sit near the celebs. Among the stars were rapper Eminem, actress Renee Zellweger and filmmaker Spike Lee. Actor Jack Nicholson was said to be there but was never spotted. Eminem sported a No. 3 Ben Wallace jersey, red baseball cap and prescription glasses. The homegrown rap star sat behind the Lakers bench with his little brother, Nate Mathers, and D12 rapper Proof. Posted June 11, by Ben Maller Discuss in the Forums | Link Who Knew? The Lakers are 0-7 when down two-games-to-one in the Finals. The Lakers checked into a Birmingham hotel Wednesday night, drawing news media and more than 100 Pistons fans, who gawked and ? and in some cases ? even heckled the players. A 23-year-old Troy man was arrested for disorderly conduct and several dozen people had to be cleared from a rooftop parking lot along Pierce Street near the Townsend Hotel around midnight after repeatedly honking car horns and shouting toward the tiny hotel to disturb the visiting Lakers. ?It got pretty crazy,? said Commander John VanGorder, who heads criminal investigations for the Birmingham Police. ?We?re used to seeing sports figures and entertainers who stay, shop and dine here. People normally treat them with respect, at worst, ask them for an autograph. But that wasn?t the case last night.? J.B. Bickerstaff left his job as the Timberwolves' radio analyst to become an assistant coach with the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, so Wolves broadcast manager Skip Krueger is beginning another offseason search for a broadcaster. Bickerstaff was hired last year after Mychal Thompson departed as the team's television analyst to become the Los Angeles Lakers' radio commentator. Jim Petersen was shifted from radio, creating the spot for Bickerstaff. Krueger's list of candidates includes former Wolves LaPhonso Ellis and Pooh Richardson, who has made appearances on "Minnesota Sports Tonight" -- an L.A.-based Fox Sports Net show. Both were considered for the Wolves opening last year. While the consensus of NBA talent evaluators is that there are very few, if any potential, No. 1 picks at the camp, one player who could rise to that level is Drago Pasalic, a 6-11 forward from Croatia who will turn 18 the day before the June 24 draft. Bill and Connie Bournias tried Thursday to be inconspicuous as they scanned the posh Townsend Hotel lobby for athletes and celebrities. As the Lakers came down from their rooms, the couple, from Bloomfield Hills, hoped to catch a glimpse. "It's exciting to see the athletes," Connie Bournias said, blushing. Until the Lakers return to Tinseltown, the Townsend in Birmingham is the team's home. And since they checked in, hundreds of starstruck fans have tried to get as close to them as possible. All day, the fans pressed against velvet ropes with NBA jerseys and pens in hand. They snapped photos of players, commentators and anyone who might have been someone. When the Lakers arrived at the hotel Wednesday, the street in front of the Birmingham hotel was filled with residents. They eagerly took any acknowledgement they could get from the players. Late-night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel was scheduled to return to the air a day after his anti-Detroit wisecracks got his show pulled in southeast Michigan -- and then across the entire ABC network. The show was reinstated Thursday following the snarky host's latest apology and assurances his joking about the likelihood of post-Pistons victory violence in Detroit would cease. "Jimmy Kimmel Live" was expected to be broadcast early Friday after Game 3 of the Pistons-Lakers NBA Finals, though it was possible it could be canceled again if the game ran long. Angry Detroit supporters and Kimmel's backers argued on his show's message board Thursday over the importance of the host's remarks. A writer calling himself PistonsInSix wrote, "Apologize to Motown, or we will destroy you." Benmaller.com
