Charlotte is said to be offering the Magic the best of the veterans on the expansion list. Tracy McGrady has said he wants to play with a more talented team and have a good chance to make the playoffs. Among those veterans made available to Charlotte are said to be Antoine Walker, Jerry Stackhouse, Eddie Jones, Kerry Kittles, Antonio Davis, Jerome Williams, Brian Grant, Brian Skinner, Tony Delk, Danny Fortson, Vitaly Potapenko, Jake Tsakalidis, Calvin Booth and Penny Hardaway. The Magic would get the No. 4 pick and Charlotte would get the No. 1 pick to take Emeka Okafor and build around him. As for Ray Allen, who enters the final year of his contract next season, Seattle has yet to begin serious negotiations with him, Wally Walker said. "There's a lot that needs to be done," he said. Grizzlies center Lorenzen Wright was left exposed for the Charlotte Bobcats expansion draft later this month, the Charlotte Observer reported in its Sunday edition. Citing sources - likely within the Bobcats - the newspaper revealed that Wright, Troy Bell, Ryan Humphrey, Dahntay Jones, Bo Outlaw, Theron Smith, and Jake Tsakalidis have been made available to the Bobcats. Portland's Shareef Abdur-Rahim reportedly is pushing to be traded, and the Nets are interested in case they lose free agent Kenyon Martin. Chucky Atkins heard the news and took a while to digest it. He was told the Celtics left him unprotected in the expansion draft to stock the new franchise in Charlotte, N.C. It doesn't necessarily mean he won't be back in Boston. But it does signify to Atkins that the team doesn't want him back. "If they aren't going to protect me," he said yesterday, "then I don't want to be there. Why would I want to be somewhere where they didn't want me? If you're going to leave me unprotected, that's a slap in the face to me. I could have stayed in Detroit." Detroit forward-center Mehmet Okur, one of just a handful of quality big men available on the free agent market this summer, said Sunday he's open to listen to any interested team, which could possibly include the Heat. However, Okur added, ``but I want to stay here first.'' Sonics President Wally Walker acknowledged the possibility that Nate McMillan, who is in the final year of a four-year, $10.8 million contract, will coach next season without assurances of future employment with the team that he has been a member of since 1986. One juicy draft rumor involves the Magic, who hold the No. 1 pick. It goes something like this: The Clippers trade their No.2 pick for the Hawks' No. 6 and 17 picks, putting Atlanta in position to take Atlanta phenom Dwight Howard. The Clippers don't need him; they have more power forwards than season-ticket holders. Atlanta then must deliver the Clippers the player they want and persuade Orlando to not take Howard. To do that, the Hawks add a sweetener to the deal (future pick, salary dump) and the Magic take Emeka Okafor. Given Vince Carter's frequent injuries and his salary ($12.5 million next season), there wouldn't seem to be much of a market for him. But tensions appear to be on the rise in Toronto. Carter lobbied for Julius Erving to be the general manager, but Erving apparently wasn't given serious consideration before Minnesota's Rob Babcock was hired. The Spurs' Bruce Bowen exercised his option to become a free agent. The Heat has made getting a big body its No. 1 priority, but Mehmet Okur doesn't seem to be what Miami needs. The Heat needs a banger, someone to provide an inside presence and that's not what Okur does best. It's expected Utah, Phoenix and Denver will make a run at Okur, and perhaps Atlanta. Okur said he doesn't have a priority list of which teams he'll talk with or visit. "It might be anywhere," he said. If the Sonics adopt a win-now attitude, they would seem to have little use for their No. 12 pick in the June 24 draft. Wally Walker said there's interest in the draft pick and described trade talks as "heating up." He declined to comment on if the Sonics would include players in those discussions, but days earlier, general manager Rick Sund said the team would explore several possibilities. Rookie of the year LeBron James and "The Apprentice" runner-up Kwame Jackson were among the fresh celebrities spotted Sunday night at the Palace. And, yes, that lady in the red sweater was the Red Wings' own Karen Newman, singing backup for Kid Rock (and showing she knows a song besides "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "O Canada"). But, no, that wasn't Jack Nicholson in the gold jacket -- it was local Jack impersonator Craig Janos, who was booed until he put on a Pistons cap. It looked like a Magic alumni meeting in Chicago, the NBA's version of the NFL's winter meetings. Looking for their next gigs: former GM John Gabriel, ex-assistant coaches Paul Pressey and Mark Hughes, and former players Sam Vincent, Monty Williams and Rod Strickland. Vincent and Williams will talk to the Magic, who are in need of three assistant coaches. Williams helped coach the Chicago camp. Strickland wants to be a scout if he ends up retiring. The Pacers have interest. Who Knew?Pistons owner Bill Davidson also owns the Tampa Bay Lightening, which won the Stanley Cup, and the Detroit Shock, which won last summer's WNBA championship. If the Pistons win the NBA title, Davidson would become the first major-league owner to win three championships over a 12-month period. Just Wondering... Since when did the WNBA become a major American sports league? Normally at this time of year, Ben Wallace is in Richmond, Va., working out at his alma mater, Virginia Union. He won?t be back for a while ? he has a date with the U.S. Olympic team after the Finals are over ? but the folks at Union haven?t forgotten him. ?Ben Wallace is Virginia Union?s most prized ambassador,? university vice president Prince H. Brown told the Richmond Times-Dispatch. ?He has, most assuredly, shed new light on and brought great prominence to the university. Z-100's Shelley Wade chats with Brandy tomorrow (1 p.m.) ? covering everything from Brandy's new love, L.A. Clippers star Quentin Richardson, to her past love, L.A. Lakers star Kobe Bryant (who accompanied Brandy to her high school prom). Wade will ask Brandy about rumors she had words at a Lakers game earlier this year with Bryant's wife, Vanessa. Brandy has a new album, "Afrodisiac." http://www.benmaller.com/
