Laker General Manager Mitch Kupchak said Thursday he would not accept a sign-and-trade offer for Kobe Bryant under any circumstances ? a hard line against the likes of New York Knick General Manager Isiah Thomas and Bryant agent Rob Pelinka ? but might be forced to listen to bids for Shaquille O'Neal. A sign-and-trade arrangement would allow Bryant to get maximum money over seven years and still leave the Lakers. The Hawks have intensified their efforts to land homegrown talent Dwight Howard, offering both of their first-round picks -- Nos. 6 and 17 -- to the Los Angeles Clippers and agreeing to absorb the contract of at least one of the Clippers' unwanted veterans, sources familiar with the discussions said. In exchange, the Hawks would get the Clippers' No. 2 pick in next Thursday's NBA draft, clearing the way for them to draft Howard. Hawks general manager Billy Knight would not comment on the specifics of the trade talks but said Thursday, "It is true that we're trying to move up and improve our position in the draft." The Clippers appear willing to part with the No. 2 pick and are among the teams believed to be interested in getting well under the salary cap to make a push for free-agent-to-be Kobe Bryant. Bryant declared his intent to opt out of his contract after the Lakers lost in the NBA Finals. The Hawks plan to speak with Bryant but don't have a realistic shot of luring him away from Los Angeles. Knick President Isiah Thomas yesterday fired a warning shot at his former teammate, Detroit GM Joe Dumars: Expect a battle for free-agent Rasheed Wallace. Thomas tried to bite his tongue when asked if it was a good sign the 6-foot-11 Wallace did not proclaim he'd be back as a Piston, even after winning the championship. But in the end, Thomas gave away his intentions about going full-bore after Wallace, who, along with Kobe Bryant, are the two biggest fish in the free-agent derby that begins July 1. "Over these next couple of days, it is Detroit's shining moment," Thomas told The Post. "And I will respect their shining moment and let them have their peace before I try to cause holy hell for them." Thomas also has interest in the Pistons' backup power forward, restricted free agent Mehmet Okur. Two other ex-Knick big men are known to be on Thomas' free-agent short list ? Antonio McDyess, who had a strong finish in Phoenix, and Michael Doleac, whom Thomas tried to claim off waivers after he shipped him in the Tim Thomas blockbuster. Phil Jackson expects Laker owner Jerry Buss to tell him today that he will not be invited back as coach of the team, according to people close to Jackson, and that ought to make for an interesting meeting. Because sources within the organization said Buss expected Jackson to notify him that he has decided not to come back. Already, there have been reports and rumors of possible replacements for Jackson, from the established ? Pat Riley, Rudy Tomjanovich and George Karl ? to the organizational favorites ? Jim Cleamons, Kurt Rambis, Brian Shaw and Michael Cooper. But the people who count ? Buss and Kupchak ? have not begun that process. Larry Brown, who had evaded the question recently, said he?ll be back to coach the defending NBA champion Pistons. Even at the end of an arduous season, late in a storied career, he couldn?t walk away from a remarkable team. ?I love these guys,? Brown said Thursday at The Palace. ?They?ve made sacrifices for me, and there?s no way I?m gonna turn my back on them. It?s been a long year, but as long as I feel I?m helping players, there?s nothing else I?d rather do.? Isiah Thomas said yesterday he will "never say never" to signing Dennis Rodman, 43, but added that the Knicks have no plans of bringing the former Bad Boy to the Garden. The Raptors are willing to let Alvin Williams, Lamond Murray or Milt Palacio get away for nothing in return. According to league and Charlotte sources, the Raptors have left those three veterans exposed for the draft next Tuesday that will stock the NBA expansion Bobcats. There is no guarantee one of the players will be taken, though. The Charlotte Bobcats need to choose only 14 players from the 29 other teams and cannot select more than one from any franchise. They might also be thinking of other ways to obtain a point guard. Troy Hudson, very familiar to Raptor general manager Rob Babcock from their time together in Minnesota, is expected to opt out of his contract and become a free agent. Upon further review, TNT's Charles Barkley and ESPN's Sean Elliott decided not to invest in the Phoenix Suns' new ownership group. Barkley didn't want to spend $10 million and have no say in team decisions. Steve Kerr will invest but will stay with TNT, which creates a conflict. Memphis doesn't have a first-round pick and has made it clear around the league that Stromile Swift is available. Is he a better fit for the Bulls than Luol Deng? Deng, who will work out for Washington on Friday, doesn't think so. ""I'm pretty confident about my athleticism, and I thought I showed it [Thursday]," he said. The interim title has been removed from Nets coach Lawrence Frank's title. Nets CEO Rod Thorn confirmed yesterday that the team has picked up the option on Frank, the NBA's youngest head coach at 33, for next season. There are still talks ongoing regarding a longer deal. Isiah Thomas confirmed the Knicks are in discussions with the Bobcats about a trade. The Post reported yesterday Isiah had spoken to Charlotte prez Ed Tapscott about trading Othella Harrington, who's in the final year of his contract and whom the Knicks protected, for a player the Bobcats can select in Tuesday's expansion draft. The Bobcats could also have interest in Dikembe Mutombo, whom the Knicks also protected and is in the last year of his pact, and their second-round pick. Heading the list of players piquing Isiah's interest is Aaron McKie, who has a long-term deal the Bobcats aren't crazy about. The Knicks are unsure of their 2-guard position because of Allan Houton's knees. Other notables the Bobcats could pick for the Knicks are Ruben Patterson, Marcus Fizer, Lorenzen Wright and Danny Fortson. Timberwolves assistant Randy Wittman has been mentioned for NBA coaching jobs with the Atlanta Hawks, the Toronto Raptors, the Timberwolves and the Boston Celtics, and college jobs with Indiana and Minnesota. They're just rumors, Wittman said Thursday. benmaller.com
Heres Saturdays A return to the Orlando Magic might be amenable to Shaquille O'Neal. It probably would mean his friend and neighbor, Tracy McGrady, a member of the Magic who also has forced a trade, would have to swap places with him. Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks, and O'Neal have a good relationship, and Cuban has one of the league's highest payrolls. The Mavs have four players -- Antoine Walker, Michael Finley, Antawn Jamison and Dirk Nowitzki -- making maximum-level contracts. Free agent Steve Nash could also be looking at a contract in eight figures. Team sources indicate that Dirk Nowitzki is the closest the Mavs have to an untouchable player. Everyone else on the roster could be involved in order to land O'Neal or McGrady. The Mavs have a number of players with lesser contracts -- Eduardo Najera, Shawn Bradley, Danny Fortson, Tony Delk, etc. -- who could be used to make the numbers work. This is not to say it's impossible for John Weisbrod and Johnny Davis to be successful, but if you were Tracy McGrady, would you trust your future to a rookie GM who played hockey and a head coach with a career record of 42-111? Not if you have a choice. Not if you can go play for an organization like the Indiana Pacers, whose president is Larry Bird versus an organization like the Magic, whose president is the owner's son-in-law. And as for Weisbrod, this trade better be good. If indeed he does trade T-Mac to Indiana, he'd better get Al Harrington, Jamaal Tinsley, Jonathan Bender, Ron Artest, Ron Artest's shrink and John Cougar Mellencamp. Otherwise, Weisbrod is going to be portrayed as the clumsy hockey pug who handled these delicate negotiations as if he were checking T-Mac into the glass. The Lakers, who traditionally had not paid their head coaches top dollar before Phil Jackson arrived in 1999, already have contacted several candidates. As the Daily News first reported Thursday, they have targeted ex-Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich as a leading candidate for the head coaching position. USC coach Henry Bibby also is considered a candidate, league sources said, while Magic Johnson and even Larry Brown have been mentioned for the post. Johnson is part-owner of the Lakers, and Brown has ties to GM Mitch Kupchak, a fellow North Carolina product. Kenyon Martin, who passed up a $66 million extension last summer, is seeking a maximum contract worth perhaps $85 million to $90 million over six years. Teams like Atlanta and Denver may come after the All-Star forward when they can begin negotiating on July 1. The Nets can match any offer and Nets sources have said all season that they plan to do so. Bulls GM John Paxson said he has received what seems like ''a million'' calls inquiring about the third pick. Paxson said he does not think he can work a deal for Indiana Pacers forward Al Harrington. A team insider said Paxson wants more than Harrington for the No. 3 pick. And Paxson does not want to acquire Minnesota Timberwolves guard-forward Wally Szczerbiak because he will be owed $9 million next season. ''That's too much to take on,'' Paxson said. Charlotte GM Bernie Bickerstaff confirmed he had made a trade offer to the Los Angeles Clippers. The Bobcats hope to trade up from No. 4 in Thursday's draft to the Clippers' No. 2 slot. "There's a good possibility that we'll move to" No. 2, Bickerstaff said. "Now it's out of our hands; what we would be willing to do is on the table." Bickerstaff said a deal with the Clippers wouldn't have to be consummated by Tuesday's expansion draft. Did Phil Jackson's forthcoming book seal his exit from the Los Angeles Lakers? One Left Coast source told me, a day before his ouster: "People out here are wondering whether Jackson will even be able to work with the Lakers after the book comes out. It's harsh. And he slams Kobe Bryant." Yesterday's announcement that Jackson will be leaving the Lakers coaching spot makes this a moot point. But the Penguin Press book on leadership could add to the problems of Bryant, whose trial date for a Colorado rape charge has not yet been set. Sparring between Jackson and Bryant has been heating up the sports pages for months. Shaquille O'Neal on leaving the Lakers: "Everybody knows I love L.A.," O'Neal said. "I love the police officers here. But everything has to be done right. That's just Mitch using me as a scapegoat. Don't believe it. "He says he was waiting for me [to demand a trade]. But that's how things go down when you get in over your head. I've always been a scapegoat here." Even though Antonio McDyess has called Isiah Thomas "sneaky" and felt dissed by the Jan. 5 trade to Phoenix, he is interested in returning to the Knicks this summer, according to his agent. The Suns are still looking for cap room so they can make Kobe Bryant a maximum contract offer. McDyess' only chance of returning to Phoenix is if the Suns don't get Kobe. Tracy McGrady, star guard of the Orlando Magic, has told the franchise he wants to be traded, the Sentinel has learned. A deal could be made before the National Basketball Association draft Thursday night. A highly placed league source said Friday that McGrady informed the Magic he wanted out in December, and the team has been exploring the best offers. Magic General Manager John Weisbrod would not comment. The Indiana Pacers, the Houston Rockets and the Phoenix Suns could be potential trade partners for McGrady, a four-time all-star and two-time league scoring champion. The Magic have an interest in Lakers free agent Derek Fisher, who could be signed with the team's $4.5 million exception. They also could acquire a point guard in the McGrady deal. Even with its spending limited to the $5 million salary-cap exception in free agency, the Heat will be in position to make runs at the likes of Mark Blount, Etan Thomas, Chris Mihm, Mehmet Okur, Antonio McDyess, Greg Ostertag and Adonal Foyle. While no one connected with the Raptors will confirm whom Rob Babcock has spoken to, the same candidates who lost out to Kevin O'Neill a year ago are resurfacing as possibilities. They include Dwane Casey, the associate head coach of the Seattle SuperSonics, Detroit Pistons assistant Mike Woodson, Sam Mitchell, who was an assistant in Milwaukee last season before joining the expansion Charlotte Bobcats, and Randy Wittman, an assistant with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Former Golden State head coach Eric Musselman and ex-Atlanta coach Terry Stotts are also thought to be in the running. Tom Izzo, Michigan State's head coach, has been approached by the Raptors, but Babcock said yesterday hiring someone with NBA experience is "very important. Will Jerry Sloan return for a 17th season in Utah? "I believe Jerry will be back," Jazz president Dennis Haslam said Friday, shortly after Bobbye Sloan, 61, died following a fight with pancreatic cancer. "We certainly want to support him in whatever endeavor he chooses, but I think he will want to keep himself busy," Haslam added. "If he should choose to retire, that's certainly his choice." Haslam said he has discussed the issue with Jazz basketball operations senior vice president Kevin O'Connor, and "We fully expect him to be back in the saddle." The Charlotte Bobcats and Phoenix Suns are close to a deal in which the Bobcats would get a future first-round pick and cash in return for taking the final season of Jahidi White's contract. White, a 6-foot-9, 290-pound center/forward, will make about $5.9 million next season. NBA sources confirming the trade talks did not disclose how much cash or which future pick the Suns were offering. Adding to the drama is the possibility that Juwan Howard and Drew Gooden could also possibly be moved in the coming days, according to the source. The Magic are expected to hold on to the top pick in Thursday's draft and select either college Player of the Year Emeka Okafor or Atlanta teen Dwight Howard. Earlier in the playoffs, Tex Winter, Phil Jackson's longtime assistant, said the only team he could see Jackson coaching is the Knicks, with whom he spent 11 seasons as a player. Jackson has already coached in the league's other two largest markets, Chicago and Los Angeles, winning six titles in Chicago and three in Los Angeles with O'Neal and Bryant. If the Lakers are unable to trade him, sources close to Shaquille O'Neal said he would report to training camp, play one more season with the team and then opt out of the final year of his contract. One player said Friday to count him out: veteran center Horace Grant, who played for Jackson-coached championship teams in Chicago and Los Angeles but finished last season on the injured list. Informed Friday of Jackson's departure, Grant said: "I'm done for good, for real. I can't see myself, at this stage of my career, playing for any coach but Phil Jackson." Oregon's Luke Jackson highlighted a list of 12 NBA draft prospects who worked out for the Sonics this week. It has been a busy five weeks for Bulls operations chief John Paxson, who has evaluated 40 draft prospects and free agents during workouts and a minicamp at the Berto Center. Today, it might come to an end with a scheduled return visit for Arizona 6-7 sophomore forward Andre Iguodala, a Springfield Lanphier graduate whose stock has been rising and who could get picked in the top five. The Bulls own the No. 3 pick in Thursday's draft. In a move that could be made to free up money to re-sign Kenyon Martin, the Nets and Blazers have discussed a trade that would send the Nets' first-round pick to Portland for cash considerations, according to a Western Conference source. The Nets own the No. 22 pick in Thursday's draft. Nets CEO Rod Thorn and Blazers GM John Nash had no comment on the deal that likely would include a player or two from Portland with a non-guaranteed or small contract. The Nets, who talked to Portland earlier this month about a possible deal for Shareef Abdur-Rahim, are concerned about retaining Martin, a restricted free agent. Three league sources believe that new owner Bruce Ratner, who is expected to be approved by the Board of Governors by the end of June, wants to save money and that could make keeping Martin very difficult. Draft prospects are not the only people the Celtics want stopping by the team training center in Waltham. According to another source close to the Celtics, the team has been pursuing the services of Sacramento assistant Pete Carril. After a yearlong hiatus, Carril returned to the Kings bench last season, but his contract runs out June 30. Clearly, the Celtics would benefit from the experience and success that earned Carril a place in the Hall of Fame in 1997. The work of a team with three first-round draft picks is never done. With that in mind, the Celtics will bring in three players for workouts next week and a fourth for a physical. Boston will get a closer look at 7-foot-5-inch Russian center Pavel Podkolzine, 7-3 Puerto Rican center Peter John Ramos, and 6-9 Kris Humphries, a forward out of Minnesota. All are viable considerations for the Celtics' No. 15 selection in Thursday's NBA Draft. Boston will also pick at Nos. 24 and 25. The Wizards have the fifth pick in the draft, their highest selection since they took Kwame Brown with the top pick in 2001. Deng is the player Washington is believed to covet most. The 6-foot-8 Deng plays the same position as last year's 10th pick, Jarvis Hayes. League sources said the Chicago Bulls, who have the third pick, made a move to contact the Wizards about Hayes' availability, but Washington doesn't appear to be shopping him. "Right now Jarvis is important to us," coach Eddie Jordan said. "He's a definite threat from the outside. A lot of teams would like to have him, so that means he's good."
Upon further review, TNT's Charles Barkley and ESPN's Sean Elliott decided not to invest in the Phoenix Suns' new ownership group. Barkley didn't want to spend $10 million and have no say in team decisions. Steve Kerr will invest but will stay with TNT, which creates a conflict. --------------------------------------------- What confilct will that create Im just wondering because people like magic who are in the lakers front office are on tnt without any problems. Do you mean in between him and barkely? That is the story that is intresting me the most right now because the others are basically more than 80% just roomers that start every off season. Another reason I want to know why it would cause a conflict is because i9f he just joined the tnt group last year wouldnt he have to remain on the tnt team to honor his contract with them?
I think the conflict may be that Magic is a special guest on the show. Where Kerr is a paid employee, and does play by play. Which would make calling any Suns game difficult.
