Nba Players

The NBA's free-agent period, which opened Thursday, is not nearly as long or as ballyhooed as those for Major League Baseball or the NFL, but is no less vital to the 138 players who are available, or to the 30 teams. Tucked in among the list of players are a fair share of has-beens, never-weres and aspiring hopefuls, to be sure. But there are enough gems to make this one of the most interesting free-agent periods in recent memory. However, with most teams at or near the league's salary cap limit, expected to come in around $44 million when it is calculated later this month, not many clubs can be completely active.

WASHINGTON - I find myself in the unpleasant position of defending Larry Bird. Guy shreds my heart in the '84 Finals, his evil Boston Celtics defeating my valiant Los Angeles Lakers, and now, just 20 years later, here I stand between him and the torches and pitchforks of the mob. Still, Larry Legend is getting a bum rap, and I can't stand by and watch that, even if he is a former Celtic. It seems that during a televised roundtable on ESPN on June 10, Mr. Bird was asked whether the NBA could use more white stars.

Some nights, when she looks down at the other bench, Trudi Lacey, head coach of the WNBA's Charlotte Sting, might see someone in a pantsuit similar to hers. Mainly though, her counterpart these days is wearing a suit with a tie, and that makes her scratch her head. "Yeah, an endangered species," said Lacey with a chuckle, "women that coach women's basketball. I think the W is still in front of WNBA. But that's OK. It's a challenge. I'm a competitor." A look around the WNBA, which has begun its eighth season, reveals decreasing numbers of women head coaches.

FOR SUCH A high-tech, truth-speaking revolutionary, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban sure seems to have his head up his Wi-Fi. Of course, this is the same truth-speaking revolutionary who said Kobe Bryant's rape trial would help spike interest in the NBA. Some of us prefer our NBA interest spiked by Carmelo Anthony's poise, LeBron James' 1,000th point and Jerry Sloan's 900th win, but there's no accounting for taste. The Kobe comments kicked off this NBA season. Now, just in time for All-Star Weekend - no, it's not just a game if a fleet of stretch Escalade limos are involved - Cuban has a new cause celebre: the wisdom of sending NBA players to the Olympics when owners like him have these guys signed to guaranteed, multimillion-dollar contracts.

COLLEGE PARK - Tahj Holden is eager to see how he and his fellow big men from the Maryland Terrapins fare in their first trial run. Drew Nicholas is glad to break up the monotony that marks a full month of grinding practices. Coach Gary Williams is especially interested to see how his young players fare under the glare of a game that means more than a typical exhibition opener. Tonight before a national audience viewing the first televised game of the 2002-03 NCAA season, the defending men's basketball champions will mark their unofficial debut in the brand-new Comcast Center by welcoming a famous traveling basketball show that promises not to be a pushover.

WILMINGTON, N.C. - For now, call Jared Jeffries the Stealth Rookie. While the glare of the spotlight during the Washington Wizards' training camp this week has been focused on such well-known targets as Michael Jordan, Jerry Stackhouse and Bryon Russell, Jeffries has been able to elude attention, mainly by keeping his 6-foot-10 head down and focusing on the task. "That's the great thing about having guys like that on your team," Jeffries said. "It kind of takes some of the attention away from you, and I can get comfortable and do what I have to do, to learn my role on this team and learn from guys who have already proven themselves in the NBA."

DENVER - The flow of people through the lobby of a posh downtown hotel is a steady one. They've come hoping to see something, or, more accurately, someone. The situation plays itself out in 27 other cities around the United States and Canada. The faces change, but the scene is almost always the same: Some fans get wind of where the Washington Wizards are staying and come to the team hotel wondering where Michael Jordan is. One energetic young woman has driven in from the suburbs with an autograph book, hoping to get Jordan's signature for her husband.

Sam Cassell glided down the court last night like a gazelle, that familiar bald head gleaming under the lights, that smile revealing teeth as white as piano keys. As he dribbled past the half-court line, he reversed the ball to a waiting teammate. People screamed and cheered, and there was a question as to who was having more fun - was it the crowd of 5,000 who paid to watch Theo Ratliff's NBA and Celebrity Charity Basketball game at the Baltimore Arena? Or was it Cassell? A tough call.

Fourteen professional basketball players will take time away from their vacations to participate in the first Champions for the Community charity basketball game tonight at the Baltimore Arena. The game, hosted by Atlanta Hawks center Theo Ratliff, will be played by two teams of top players from around the NBA and will benefit the Associated Black Charities. At 6 p.m., fans will see a game featuring local amateur and pro players, such as Bootsy Thornton, formerly of Dunbar High, and Shawnta Rogers, formerly of Lake Clifton High, as they take on a comparable squad from the Washington area.

STEVE FRANCIS IS TAKING advantage of the system. Again. Nearly two years ago, critics were questioning if he could make it big in the NBA after playing only one season, his junior year, at the University of Maryland. Could he handle the point guard position in the NBA? Did he lack discipline because he only stayed in the system for a year? Would the physical style be too much for him on a nightly basis? And then came the ultimate insult: Some people insinuated that if Francis left Maryland early, he wouldn't come back to get his college degree because he was too dumb.