Jason Kidd

Phoenix Sun guard Jason Kidd keeps opposing NBA teams on their toes. He shoots! He plays tough defense! But most of all he passes. "I try to picture the play before it happens," says Jason.In the 1997-98 season, Jason was second in the NBA in assists with 9.1 per game. He also tied for the lead in triple-doubles.Off the court, Jason collects baseball souvenirs. His favorite collectible is a bat signed by Seattle Mariner Ken Griffey Jr.Comic CardsHere are some funny sports cards from kidsSon, go to your roomBrandon D., 11Cypress, Calif.

Don't write off Lakers Shandel Richardson Sun Sentinel It's still kind of hard to write off the Lakers. You have to think a team with Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash and Dwight Howard will at some point get things together. The Lakers will be the surprise team of the second half of the season because they simply have too much talent to miss the playoffs. We've seen it in spurts, now expect them to sustain it for long stretches. The key for them, just like every other team, is staying healthy.

NBA games lost yesterday: 8.Total games missed: 187.Earliest estimated date season can start: Jan. 1.Negotiations: A session scheduled for yesterday was canceled.Projected player salary losses (through Jan. 1): $330 million.Today's best canceled game: Chicago at Phoenix. Michael Jordan and the Bulls take on Jason Kidd and the Suns.Pub Date: 11/29/98

DALLAS — As the No. 2 pick in the 1994 NBA draft by the Mavericks, Jason Kidd practically has walked in John Wall's shoes. Kidd entered the league after his sophomore year at California with tons of hype, an electrifying game and the ability to create a buzz with his frenetic play while getting the ball up and down the floor. Fast-forward to this season, and Wall is following a blueprint similar to Kidd's. Wall was the No. 1 pick last summer by the Wizards and entered the league with tons of hype after playing just one season at Kentucky.

NBA Dallas@Phoenix 10:30 P.M. [TNT] I realize it's a little past a lot of folks' bedtime, but maybe Shaquille O'Neal will make his Suns debut against the Mavericks. Then again, maybe not. In either case, Dallas-Phoenix is good NBA TV, with Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire on the Suns' side and Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard for the Mavericks (with maybe Jason Kidd on the way).

Opponent: Dallas MavericksSite: USAir Arena, LandoverTime: 7:30TV/Radio: HTS/WWLG (1360 AM), WTEM (570 AM)Outlook: The Bullets look for a season sweep of the Mavericks, having recorded a 103-94 win in Dallas on Dec. 9. The Mavericks (8-20) have lost 12 of their past 14. Injured F Jamal Mashburn (sore knee) is considering arthroscopic surgery. G Jim Jackson (16.9 ppg), F George McCloud (15.1 ppg) and G Jason Kidd (13.7 ppg, 9.0 apg) are the top healthy players. For the Bullets, whose three-game winning streak ended on Tuesday, G Calbert Cheaney (sore right leg)

1 Pie for breakfast: Good morning, sleepyheads. The Orioles and Red Sox are on MASN HD at 11 a.m. 2 Pi for dinner: The Bowie Baysox are celebrating 3.14159265 ... during a 7:05 p.m. home game against Erie. 3 Plate coverage: The Athletics' Jason Giambi visits his old pals at the new Yankee Stadium (ESPN, 7 p.m.). 4 Dishing it: Pass time with Jason Kidd and Tony Parker in the Mavericks-Spurs playoff game (9:30 p.m., TNT). 5 Last slice: Polish your clubs and check out baltimoresun.

Amateur sports Kwan wins honors Figure skater Michelle Kwan, disappointed with a bronze-medal showing at Salt Lake City, wins the Sullivan Award as the nation's top amateur athlete in 2001. [Page 2d] Basketball Nets down Wizards Jason Kidd (left) scores 21 points to help New Jersey beat Washington, 101-88, and clinch the Atlantic Division, the Nets' first division crown since joining the NBA in 1976. [Page 2d] Football Sheppard visits Ravens Florida cornerback Lito Shep pard, expected to be a first-round pick in next weekend's NFL draft, pays a visit to the Ravens, who are in need of sec ondary help.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- Does the 1991 Beach Ball Classic have its greatest collection of high school basketball talent in its 11-year history?Maybe."There's no doubt it's the best [holiday] tournament this season," said Brick Oettinger, recruiting columnist for The Poop Sheet, which covers the Atlantic Coast Conference. Oettinger is a member of the Beach Ball Classic all-tournament selection committee."You can argue that it's as good as any tournament any time, anyplace."The '91 Beach Ball Classic begins today with six of its entrants ranked in the top 25 in the country.

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- Does the 1991 Beach Ball Classi have its greatest collection of high school basketball talent in its 11-year history?Maybe."There's no doubt it's the best [holiday] tournament this season," said Brick Oettinger, recruiting columnist for The Poop Sheet, which covers the Atlantic Coast Conference. Oettinger is a member of the Beach Ball Classic all-tournament selection committee."You can argue that it's as good as any tournament any time, any place."The '91 Beach Ball Classic begins today with six of its entrants ranked in the top 25 in the country.

Last week's ranking in parentheses. 1. Lakers 20-4 (1): It's still not nice to upset Mother Nature, or Kobe. 2. Celtics 20-5 (2): Not yet immortal: 11-0 run ends in home loss to … 76ers? 3. Magic 19-7 (5): Jameer Nelson, leader young & restless teammates missed, close to returning. 4. Cavaliers 20-7 (6): Reportedly looking for major deal after missing out on Trevor Ariza, Stephen Jackson. 5. Hawks 19-6 (7): Where can this lead?

John Wall remembers the conversation vividly, as tends to happen when the coach of the college team you grew up dreaming to play for is on the other end of the line. Wall said North Carolina coach Roy Williams told him the Tar Heels were still interested in the high school star, and that he'd call again once the NCAA tournament was over. "He (said) he would call me when it's over and he never called," Wall said. "He never offered me. That's the decision he made."

1 Pie for breakfast: Good morning, sleepyheads. The Orioles and Red Sox are on MASN HD at 11 a.m. 2 Pi for dinner: The Bowie Baysox are celebrating 3.14159265 ... during a 7:05 p.m. home game against Erie. 3 Plate coverage: The Athletics' Jason Giambi visits his old pals at the new Yankee Stadium (ESPN, 7 p.m.). 4 Dishing it: Pass time with Jason Kidd and Tony Parker in the Mavericks-Spurs playoff game (9:30 p.m., TNT). 5 Last slice: Polish your clubs and check out baltimoresun.

Improper anchoring caused boat accident nfl An agency investigating a deadly boating accident involving two NFL players and their two friends in the Gulf of Mexico concluded it was caused when the vessel was improperly anchored and the boat capsized after one of them tried to throttle forward to pry loose the anchor. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's investigation also cited carelessness and operator inexperience as contributing factors. The errors came when a storm front was moving in, making the water very rough.

BEIJING - That the best relay swimmer of a generation should go it mostly alone on a daily basis has almost an old-school feel. No uber-controlling coach on the deck barking out orders, and certainly no one telling him what he can and can't do out of the pool. If Jason Lezak needed someone to time his practices at home in Irvine, Calif., he would have his wife do it, at least before she recently started her job as an emergency room nurse in Anaheim. Jason Lezak and high maintenance won't be found in the same sentence.

NBA Dallas@Phoenix 10:30 P.M. [TNT] I realize it's a little past a lot of folks' bedtime, but maybe Shaquille O'Neal will make his Suns debut against the Mavericks. Then again, maybe not. In either case, Dallas-Phoenix is good NBA TV, with Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire on the Suns' side and Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard for the Mavericks (with maybe Jason Kidd on the way).

Marquise Kately came east to start over a year ago, trading the University of California and college basketball's big time for Morgan State and college basketball's hinterland. To Kately, it didn't matter that the Bears haven't had a winning season since 1989, haven't won the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference since 1977 and have never played in the NCAA Division I tournament. "I already know all that," he said, brushing aside Morgan's dismal past. "We're trying to make history now." As much as anything, Kately came east to play for Todd Bozeman, a former Cal coach who was starting over himself in Baltimore in 2006 after recruiting sanctions kept him out of the NCAA for 10 long years.