Smits

Los Angeles -- "NYPD Blue" star Dennis Franz says he knew it wasn't going to be easy replacing David Caruso when his sexy co-star left the ABC hit series for feature films earlier this season."

For those of you in a hurry, here's the deal on Jimmy Smits' debut in "NYPD Blue": There are bare buttocks, but none of them belongs to Smits.Smits joins the ABC series tonight (WJZ-Channel 13 at 10 p.m.) as Det. Bobby Simone. He's replacing David Caruso, who played the sometimes-unclothed Det. John Kelly. (Caruso left in a salary dispute. Kelly quit rather than accept a transfer.)It seems a natural enough replacement. As attorney Victor Sifuentes, Smits often was shirtless on another Stephen Bochco series, "L.A.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Washington Bullets coach Wes Unseld tried three centers against Indiana's Rik Smits. He might as well have inserted himself into the lineup.Smits, the Pacers' 7-foot-4 pivotman, scored 25 points, grabbed nine rebounds and blocked two shots last night at Market Square Arena, as Indiana cruised by the Bullets, 116-96.Smits seemed to have his way from the opening tip, scoring eight points on Bullets starter Kevin Duckworth in seven minutes before Duckworth sat down until the final three minutes of the game.

When it comes to film and TV adaptations of Stephen King's works, the best thing to expect is not too much. However, this weekend's ABC miniseries, "Stephen King's The Tommyknockers," defies those low expectations by being passably entertaining from start to finish.Well, almost to the finish.As with "Stephen King's IT," another ABC miniseries that gathered an interesting cast and began with an interesting presence, "Tommyknockers" (Sunday and Monday, 9 p.m. on WJZ, Channel 13) builds to a climax that's more of an anticlimax.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Considering how poorly the Washington Bullets shot in the second half last night, it figures Pervis Ellison couldn't connect when he tried to punch Rik Smits.Ellison tried to get at Smits during a fourth-quarter altercation, but, like the Bullets, the 6-foot-10 center couldn't hit his target. The team and Ellison left Market Square Arena after a 116-96 defeat before a crowd of 10,008."Right now I'm out of answers," said Bullets coach Wes Unseld. "I'm frustrated with losing, but the season has a long way to go."

In his six seasons in Indiana, trash-talking forward Chuck Person was fingered as the principal reason the Pacers were labeled classic underachievers, never advancing past the first round of the NBA playoffs.But now Person is playing with the Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Pacers, who have lost eight of their past 11 games, still are pointing fingers, only this time they've discovered a bigger scapegoat: 7-foot-4 center Rik Smits.Everyone has been waiting for the Netherlands native to blossom into a superstar since he averaged 15.5 points and 2.0 blocks his second year as a pro. But the agile giant, who is a fine shooter, hasn't fulfilled the expectations of his teammates, making him a target for criticism.

LANDOVER -- Forward Pervis Ellison and guard Darrell Walker of the Washington Bullets each was fined $7,500 by National Basketball Association vice president of operations Rod Thorn yesterday for belligerent behavior in Wednesday night's overtime victory over the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis.Ellison, who was ejected in the fourth quarter for fighting with Pacers center Rik Smits, was suspended for one game; Ellison sat out last night's contest with the New York Knicks. The penalty cost him 1/82 of his salary, an estimated $21,000.