Even after the NBA draft, the biggest international player remains a mystery.

Yi Jianlian did not travel to Milwaukee on Friday to be formally introduced. He has no plans to visit, either, with responsibilities playing for the Chinese national team starting this weekend in Dallas and then the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Agent Dan Fegan pushed for the 19-year-old Yi to go to a city with a heavy Asian influence, and general manager Larry Harris said Fegan was shocked that the Bucks selected the 6-foot-11 Yi with the sixth pick in Thursday night's draft.

Messages left for Fegan at his office and on his cell phone were not returned Friday.

According to Census data, Milwaukee has a little more than 1,200 Chinese residents, but those that are here are encouraging Yi to check out the city.

"I was happy to see we had drafted him," said Steven Siy, a 41-year-old immigration attorney who attends a handful of Bucks games each year. "It's good for the community, and it's good for Wisconsin."

Siy said that Yi will help people in China create a view of Wisconsin that either doesn't exist or is negative in a place known more for beer and bratwurst than cultural diversity.

"People in China think Wisconsin and Milwaukee consists of just farmers and we don't have any large cities or culture here," Siy said. "If we have a player like Yi, we'll have a large following in China."

Milwaukee has a sister-city relationship with Ningbo, China, and two years ago, the city commerce association's China Council, along with the Bucks, brought the Beijing Ducks in for a series of exhibition games in an effort to strength ties with China.

The association has been working recently with a developer to transform the vacant Pabst Brewery, five blocks from the Bucks' home at the Bradley Center, into a cultural destination with about 40 to 80 Asian stores as part of an international trade center.

"This was definitely big news for us and for the Chinese businesses we've been talking to," said Mike Mervis, representative for developer Zilber Ltd. "We're assuming their knowledge of Milwaukee will go up significantly. I think it has a huge impact on Milwaukee and China."

Mervis said they hope to have the trade center open by "the 2008-09 season."

"We're very prepared to market Milwaukee to Chinese businesses and Chinese tourists," Mervis said. "There may be a lot more happening in this town that Yi or his representatives aren't aware of."

Paul Swangard, director of the Warsaw Sports Marketing Center at the University of Oregon, said there's little doubt about the exposure Yi would create for one of the NBA's smallest markets.

"It's the same thing in Seattle with Safeco Field now that Ichiro is there," Swangard said of the Japanese influence that followed Ichiro's arrival. "For small-market teams, they are huge potential revenue drivers and I would guess (the Bucks) are saying, 'We want a piece of that, too."'

When Michael Jordan played for the Bulls, a large contingent of Chicagoans made the 80-mile trip to Milwaukee to sell out the Bradley Center. Cubs fans make up about half the crowd in Miller Park when they play the Brewers.

But Swangard said those examples aren't close to the level of fanaticism in Asian communities.

"It is something that Americans don't necessarily see all that often, and any good marketer would know that having a player of his caliber with his domestic notoriety -- if you draft him, they will come," Swangard said. "I think that's a truism that's been born out of Asian athletes that have been brought into not only the NBA, but major league baseball."

Harris said he understands the preconceived notions about Milwaukee, but says players like the city because it provides a "safe haven" with the luxury of Chicago nearby.

"It's a smaller market, but if we develop the mentality to win, then people will come," Harris said. "San Antonio is small. Utah is small, too, and they're in the playoffs. There's a lot of different small markets. It really comes down to lifestyle, the weather, but at the end of the day, we play indoors and we play half the season here and we deal with it."

Siy, for one, shunned moving his family to New York or San Francisco despite chances to join the larger Asian communities that Yi's representatives seek.

"You never feel lost here," he said. "We may not speak the same language, but we play the same sport."

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban claims in an ongoing dispute with his former coach that Don Nelson used "confidential information" to help the Golden State Warriors pull off a stunning first-round playoff victory.

That accusation is part of Cuban's response to an arbitration claim Nelson has filed against Cuban to get $6.5 million of deferred compensation, which Nelson said he is owed for his time with the Mavericks from 1997-2005.

"Don may know that (Dirk) Nowitzki likes to turn toward his left shoulder not his right shoulder, but we don't think that's a trade secret or confidential information," Nelson's attorney, John O'Connor, said by phone Friday from his San Francisco office. "Cuban apparently does."

Cuban didn't respond to e-mail Friday, when he had left hip replacement surgery. A team spokeswoman said the Mavericks had no comment about the arbitration case.

The Warriors became the first No. 8 seed to win a best-of-seven playoff series to knock out the top-seeded team, winning in six games. The stunning end to the Mavericks' season came a year after they made it to the NBA Finals, then lost in six games against Miami after taking a 2-0 series lead.

The counterclaim by Cuban, in which he also contends that Nelson violated a noncompete clause in his Dallas contract when he became Golden State's coach last summer, was first reported by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Friday.

Nelson's arbitration claim was filed May 1 after failed attempts to settle the dispute with Cuban. The claim was filed while the playoff series between the Warriors and Mavericks was still ongoing.

"Don is a bit embarrassed that he is part of this, and that people might think this was his idea," O'Connor said.

Nelson's contract with the Mavs included a clause that called for arbitration to settle any disputes.

A panel of retired judges will hear the case later this year, likely in October or November, after both sides have time for depositions and discovery. Any ruling by the arbitration panel is final and binding, without any right of appeal.

When he resigned as the Mavericks' coach in March 2005 and replaced by hand-picked successor Avery Johnson, Nelson still had a deal to remain a team consultant through 2011 for about $200,000 a year.

In Nelson's claim, he contends he was never paid a consultant fee and thus was free to take another job.

Cuban has said Nelson returned to coaching after repeatedly telling the billionaire that Dallas would be his last job.

The money Nelson is seeking stems from the days before Cuban owned the team, back when the Mavericks were draft lottery regulars and Nelson was hired as the general manager to clean up the mess. He overhauled the roster, made himself the coach and discovered how well the combination of Michael Finley, Steve Nash and Nowitzki worked.

The team became playoff regulars after Cuban bought the team in 2000 and injected money and enthusiasm. Nelson was his mentor early on, and they made for an entertaining tandem.

Nelson, whose 1,232 victories are the second-most in NBA history, returned last summer to the Warriors and led them to a 42-40 record, enough to earn a playoff spot on the last day of the regular season. Dallas was 67-15, but was 0-3 during the regular season against Golden State.

Vince Carter opted out of the final year of a contract with the New Jersey Nets that would have paid the All-Star guard $16.3 million this coming season.

Nets' President Rod Thorn said Saturday the team was informed Friday that Carter would test the free agent market, but he remained optimistic the 30-year-old swingman would return next season.

"Unless he's changed his mind, we're hoping he's back," Thorn told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "He said he wants to return and we've always said we wanted him back."

The two sides have talked about a contract for the past month, and they are close to an agreement on a four-year deal worth more than $60 million.

Any new contract could not be signed until July 11. If the two sides reach an agreement, Thorn said the team is prohibited from announcing the deal until then.

Kurt Schoeppler, Carter's agent, has not returned telephone calls left at his Cleveland office since the negotiations began. He did not return a call on Saturday.

Carter averaged team-highs of 25.2 points in the regular season and 22.3 for the postseason.

If there is a knock on Carter, who will be entering his 10th season, it's his failure to step up in the playoffs. He shot less than 40 percent from the field in the postseason and he made several big mistakes.

Carter turned the ball over in the closing seconds of Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal against Cleveland with the Nets down two points and 2-1 in the series. He also was somewhat of a no-show for the deciding Game 6, scoring 11 points while having more turnovers (5) than baskets (4).

The other potential free agent the Nets would like to lock up is center Mikki Moore, who took over the starting job after Nenad Krstic was lost in December with a knee injury.

Moore averaged career-bests of 9.8 points and 5.1 rebounds while leading the league in field goal percentage .609.

A big man who can score has been the Chicago Bulls' biggest need for two seasons.

So when general manager John Paxson said they're still in the market for one, nobody was surprised.

Paxson had drafted a 6-foot-11 forward - Florida's Joakim Noah - with the ninth pick on Thursday when he made that statement. He had added athleticism, a rebounder, a shot-blocker, someone who helped his school win back-to-back NCAA championships. He had injected some emotion, a free spirit, into a rather conservative locker room. And he had acquired a player whose shot is, to be kind, a bit awkward.

So the search continues.

"As time goes on, yeah, I'm going to have to address some of the needs,'' Paxson said. "If we felt that was going to happen in the draft, we would have done that. Obviously, we didn't. We went a different direction. We still needed size.''

The Bulls don't have salary cap room, meaning an offensive-minded post player would have to come through the mid-level exception or a trade.

Although Minnesota's Kevin Garnett is on the block, Paxson is reluctant to break up his core of forward Luol Deng and guards Kirk Hinrich and Ben Gordon. He refused to include Deng in a trade with Memphis for Pau Gasol before the deadline last February, and the Bulls went on to win 49 games and reach the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1998.

It was a big step for a team that endured back-to-back first-round playoff losses, and Deng seems poised to jump to the All-Star level.

He had his best season, setting career highs in scoring (18.8 points), rebounds (7.1) and shooting (51.7 percent). Gordon, a subject of trade rumors, averaged a career-high 21.4 points. And both just finished their third seasons.

It's easy to understand why Noah would look forward to joining the Bulls. And it's easy to understand why they took him, awkward shot and all, even though they already have an offensively challenged big man in Ben Wallace.

"This is a great situation, a team that's going to win a lot of basketball games, and I can't wait to be a part of it,'' Noah said.

He hates to lose - a trait he might have inherited from his dad Yannick, the former French Open champion - and he didn't do much of that at Florida. The Gators became the first team in 15 years to win back-to-back NCAA titles last season. Noah was the Most Outstanding Player of the 2006 Final Four, but Paxson thought back to what he saw at the Jimmy V Classic early that season.

"There's this kid that was just flying up and down the floor, blocking shots, point of the press,'' Paxson said. "This is a process of building, and we felt this was the right guy at the time.''

While choosing Noah, the Bulls passed on 7-footer Spencer Hawes of Washington - a more polished offensive player. The two worked out together at the team's practice facility this month, and although Noah was disappointed in his performance, Bulls coach Scott Skiles liked what he saw from both players.

About the only thing he and Paxson did not like seeing was Noah's choice of clothing at the draft. He wore a cream-colored pinstriped suit with a bowtie, and let his hair flow rather than pull it into a ponytail.

"We understand we're going to have a few discussions with him once in a while,'' Paxson said, grinning. "But again, it's not necessarily a bad thing that he has that type of personality.''

Skiles said, "There are guys who are over the top with that kind of stuff, and we never got the feeling he was. We liked him right away. He's been well-coached. He's a winner. He's got energy every single day on the practice floor. ... The way he goes about his business and the commitment he showed (at Florida) to his team and those kind of qualities, it's great.''

The former Knicks executive who is suing coach Isiah Thomas for sexual harassment alleged in court papers that Thomas urged a cheerleader to flirt with referees and guard Stephon Marbury cursed at her, according to newspaper reports Saturday.

Anucha Browne Sanders, a former senior vice president of marketing and business operations, filed documents to answer the Knicks' attempt to have her lawsuit dismissed.

In the papers, which were unsealed Friday, Browne Sanders alleges cheerleader Petra Pope told her Thomas encouraged Pope to flirt with officials before a game against the Nets in 2004, the Daily News reported.

"What she told me was that Isiah asked her to go into the referees' locker room and make them happy," Browne Sanders testified.

Sanders said Marbury directed an obscenity at her after she complained about the player's cousin -- who was also employed by the team -- had made graphic sexual comments to her staff.

Marbury, in a January deposition, acknowledged calling Browne Sanders a derogatory name, according to the New York Post.

Sanders also claimed a member of her staff admitted to consensual drunken sex with Marbury after a night at a "gentlemen's club" and said "she did not believe she could say no because of who Marbury is."

Sanders said her decision to inform officials about the encounter led to her being fired, according to the New York Post.

Thomas and Madison Square Garden are listed as the defendants in the lawsuit, which charges them with sex discrimination and retaliation. Marbury is not a defendant in the lawsuit.

Browne Sanders filed the lawsuit last year, claiming she was fired "for telling the truth" while going through internal channels to stop the harassment. She has accused Thomas of telling her he was "very attracted" to her and "in love" with her and tried to kiss her.

The 44-year-old former Northwestern basketball star is seeking reinstatement to her job and unspecified damages.

Madison Square Garden said she was fired because she "failed to fulfill professional responsibilities." MSG said in a statement Saturday that the lawsuit was "riddled with fabrications."

In seeking a dismissal of the lawsuit, Thomas said Browne Sanders brought the action to harm him and secure a financial payout from him and Madison Square Garden.

The Charlotte Bobcats face heavy competition in their effort to re-sign leading scorer Gerald Wallace.

The Bobcats were one of eight teams that contacted Wallace when the NBA's free agency period began at midnight Saturday. Dallas, Orlando, Milwaukee, Detroit, Miami, Portland and Golden State all made inquiries, a person close to Wallace said Sunday.

The person, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, said Wallace hasn't agreed to a deal with any team.

Bobcats part-owner Michael Jordan said last week that re-signing Wallace was one of the team's top offseason priorities. Bobcats vice president of basketball operations Bernie Bickerstaff did not immediately return a phone call Sunday.

Wallace averaged 18.1 points and 7.2 rebounds a game last season, when he made just over $5.5 million. He opted out of the final year of his contract, which would have paid him about $6 million, to become an unrestricted free agent. Wallace could command more than $10 million a season in a deal that could run as long as six years.

The Bobcats took on the first big contract in their three-year history last week when they acquired swingman Jason Richardson from Dallas in a draft-night trade. Richardson, who the Bobcats hope will be the go-to scorer they've been missing, is due about $51 million over the next four seasons.

The Bobcats believe a nucleus of Richardson, Wallace, power forward Emeka Okafor and point guard Raymond Felton would get them to the playoffs next season.

The Bobcats, whose $41 million payroll was well under the salary cap last season, still have the money to pay Wallace. Orlando and Milwaukee are also under the cap. Several other teams would have to do a sign-and-trade deal with Charlotte.

Wallace said near the end of last season that he wanted to re-sign with Charlotte after the Bobcats gave him a chance to play. Wallace, who left Alabama after one season, spent his first three years in the NBA at the end of Sacramento's bench.

But the Bobcats selected the 6-foot-7 slasher in the 2004 expansion draft, and he quickly blossomed.

It didn't take long for Ray Allen to show his new coach what adding a veteran can do for the Boston Celtics.

Holding up his No. 20 uniform on Monday for the traditional news conference photo shoot, Allen displayed it front-facing, so the jersey read "Celtics." Minutes earlier, when newly minted draft choices Glen "Big Baby" Davis and Gabe Pruitt posed for a similar picture, they held it so their names were shown.

"OK, now turn it around," Boston coach Doc Rivers chided them. "That's the only name that matters."

The Celtics acquired Allen on draft night last week for the fifth overall pick, which turned out to be Georgetown forward Jeff Green, along with Delonte West and Wally Szczerbiak. The move signaled Boston's intention to build a playoff contender around Paul Pierce and Al Jefferson, rather than adding more young pieces to an already young team.

"When you're playing with veterans, they know what to do. It's going to make it a lot better," Rivers said at the team's practice facility. "They're professional. It helps everyone. It helps Ray having Paul. It helps Paul having Ray. It helps Al."

Rivers said another draft choice might have helped out the starting lineup. But by adding Allen, a seven-time all-star, instead of another highly touted youngster, he also gets a veteran presence that can carry the team when Pierce needs a rest.

"When Paul comes out, you have Ray on the floor," Rivers said. "Hopefully, we won't have the times any more when Paul sits for 30 seconds and we've got to bring him back into the game."

The Celtics picked Pruitt, from Southern Cal, with the 32nd overall pick, and then grabbed Davis with the 35th selection that they got back from Seattle with Allen. They're both expected to leave on Tuesday for the Las Vegas Summer League.

"It's an honor for me to play with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, two guys who are really supreme at their positions," Pruitt said.

Davis was a star of LSU's Final Four run in 2006 and nearly declared for the draft after last season. But he returned for his junior year, and his stock dropped when his numbers dipped and missed several late games with a strained quadriceps.

Davis, who led the Southeastern Conference in rebounding last season while averaging almost 18 points, admitted being disappointed that he wasn't drafted in the first round, but vowed to make the most of it.

"Everybody wants to go in the first round. ... In spite of what happened, I have the chance and I'm in the NBA now," he said.

"It just means so much, being in basketball, to hear the 'Boston Celtics.' You think about immortality, all the championships, being a part of this organization is a blessing. I"m happy they gave me the chance, happy they believed in me."

Allen, who turns 32 next month, averaged a career-high 26.4 points last season, his 11th. He had surgery on April 7 to remove bone spurs in both ankles, but said Tuesday his feet were "perfect ... like having two new pairs of feet."

"Ray's a fantastic player coming off one of the best years of his career," Celtics basketball boss Danny Ainge said. "He's a player we as an organization has tried to acquire many times in the past. We think he's a great fit."

Allen played at Connecticut in college and was drafted by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the fifth overall pick in 1996, then traded to Milwaukee. One pick later, the Celtics took Antoine Walker.

Allen was traded from Milwaukee to Seattle in 2003 and said the past 4 1/2 years was like "being in the doldrums." But now he's so excited to be back in the Northeast.

"This was a long time coming," Allen said before holding up his jersey to show off his new team.

"I love that," Rivers beamed. "Did you see that?"

Rashard Lewis is leaving the Northwest and taking his game to Orlando.

One of the most sought-after free agents this offseason, Lewis agreed to a "maximum contract" with the Magic, his agent Tony Dutt said Tuesday.

Lewis made the decision late Monday night after meeting with Magic officials in Orlando.

"He had a comfort and a gut feeling and he feels they have a championship core, and that's what he wants to do is win a championship," Dutt said.

The terms of the deal are still being worked out, but Lewis is expected to receive a deal in the range of $15 million per season. The Magic wouldn't comment Tuesday, citing league rules that an agreement cannot be announced until July 11.

Orlando can only sign Lewis to a five-year contract, while Seattle could sign Lewis to a six-year deal. Dutt said the Magic and Seattle are in discussions about a sign-and-trade deal that would give Lewis that sixth year, help Orlando clear some salary and give Seattle something in return.

Sonics officials would not comment on the possibility of a sign-and-trade.

"That he's going to Orlando doesn't change the fact that he had good years in Seattle," Dutt said.

Lewis opted out of the final two years of his contract with Seattle in late May, leaving behind a guaranteed $21 million, and hoping to cash in with a big money contract from any number of suitors.

Seattle, the only team Lewis has played for, had the first chance to meet with the 6-foot-10 forward Sunday morning in Houston. Seattle was among 20 teams that contacted Dutt on Sunday, the first day of NBA free agency. New Seattle general manager Sam Presti just traded Ray Allen to Boston, but said publicly his hopes for the future included Lewis teaming with No. 2 overall pick Kevin Durant.

But the Sonics and Lewis never got into discussions about money and soon after his meeting with Seattle, Lewis boarded a plane for Orlando and liked what he heard from the Magic, including the chance to play with Dwight Howard.

Lewis told the Florida Today newspaper Tuesday afternoon that Orlando was at the top of his list from the start, largely due to the opportunity to team with Howard.

"Me and my agent sat down and talked about it after the season and we determined that Orlando would be No. 1, and when they gave me that call on the first (of July) I was just so excited," Lewis told the newspaper, while waiting at the Orlando airport for a flight to Houston.

"I'm just extremely excited because this seems like the perfect fit. We've got a great big man in Dwight Howard and the team is still real young, so we're only going to get better and better together. If you look at it, if you want to win a championship you have to have that big man, and with Dwight here we can do that."

Lewis is coming off his best season, when he averaged career highs in points (22.4), rebounds (6.6) and assists (2.4). His age (28 next month) and his ability to hit 3-pointers or score on the low block made Lewis a targeted commodity for many teams.

It has been quite the rise for Lewis. He entered the NBA draft out of high school in 1998, but surprisingly fell out of the first round, getting taken by Seattle with the 32nd pick. He matured into an All-Star during the 2004 season when Seattle reached the conference semifinals, and averaged 20 or more points each of the last three seasons.

"This is one of the most exciting days of my life, next to getting drafted into the NBA," Lewis told Florida Today. "I'm just so exited about seeing my future here and being involved with a first-class organization. I can't wait to get started because I think we can win a championship here someday."

The Magic pulled their qualifying offer for free agent Darko Milicic, making it unlikely the 7-footer will return to Orlando.

Milicic was a restricted free agent, meaning Orlando could have matched any offer. The change, announced Tuesday, means he can sign with any team.

The Magic have said they want to retain Milicic, but are also shopping for a free-agent scorer. Seattle SuperSonics forward Rashard Lewis is set to join the team, but it's not official until the signing period opens Wednesday.

The Magic most likely don't have enough salary cap space to keep Milicic and lure Lewis, who will probably make about $15 million annually.

Milicic, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2003 draft, averaged eight points and five rebounds last season. He was drafted by the Detroit Pistons but scarcely played in 2 1/2 seasons there

Kevin Durant and Jeff Green, the second and fifth overall choices in last week's NBA draft, signed contracts with the Seattle SuperSonics on Wednesday.

The 6-foot-9 Durant, just 18, is a forward who earned Associated Press college player of the year honors in his one season at Texas. He also won the Adolph Rupp Trophy, the Naismith Award and the Wooden Award.

He will make $3.476 million as a rookie and $3.736 million in the second year. Green will earn $2.548 million in his first year and $2.739 million in the following one. The SuperSonics have one-year options for the players' third and fourth years.

The 6-9 Green, also a forward, played three seasons at Georgetown, averaging 13.2 points and 6.5 rebounds. Green, 21, was named to the AP All-America third team in 2006-07 and, as a junior, helped the Hoyas make their first NCAA Final Four appearance since 1985.

Both players are in Las Vegas for the NBA summer league and will make their professional debuts on Friday when the Sonics face the Dallas Mavericks.

Desperate Housewives" star Eva Longoria will marry her French beau, NBA champion Tony Parker, on Saturday. They have kept details of their upcoming nuptials under wraps.

Longoria's spokeswoman, Liza Anderson, would only tell The Associated Press, in an e-mail, that the wedding will be "a big, happy ceremony with lots of family and friends."

Parker has said the cake will be made in France, but has refused to say much more, telling reporters that organizing a wedding is "a girls' thing."

A French official confirmed Thursday that the couple had chosen Vaux-le-Vicomte, a 17th-century chateau 34 miles southeast of Paris, as the venue for their wedding festivities.

Guests reportedly will include Longoria's "Desperate Housewives" co-stars, teammates from Parker's San Antonio Spurs, Victoria Beckham and other celebrities.

The privately owned chateau near the village of Maincy is shielded from prying eyes by 8 miles of high stone walls.

"It's definitely happening there on Saturday," Lionel Walker, regional head of tourism, told the AP. It is "the best free publicity we could ask for."

A small army of guards is expected to lock down the sprawling, 1,235-acre grounds, and a public road leading to the chateau may be sealed off.

A red slash blocking out Saturday in the datebook of the Saint-Germain-l'Auxerroix church in Paris is the only hint that it may be where Parker, 25, and Longoria, 32, will tie the knot. The church, which is across from the Louvre Museum, once served the French royal family.

Paris Match magazine reported the couple would try to give paparazzi the slip by entering through a back door, and that Longoria would change into her wedding dress in the priest's quarters.

Some reports say Longoria has chosen a classic gown by Los Angeles-based designer Monique Lhuillier, while others say she will wear a Vera Wang design.

Longoria will reportedly wear Chanel couture for the civil ceremony, which is rumored for Friday at Paris' City Hall.

She divorced Tyler Christopher, an actor on the long-running ABC soap opera "General Hospital," in 2004, after two years of marriage.

Stackhouse is sticking with Dallas, agreeing to a three-year deal to remain the Mavericks' sixth man.

Stackhouse agreed Thursday night to a deal that will pay him more than the midlevel exception, which is expected to be set at roughly $6 million. While details were still being finalized Friday, the contract can't become official until the NBA's signing period begins Wednesday.

"It's great news for me and my family," Stackhouse said. "This place has become home for me."

The 32-year-old Stackhouse was a free agent for the first time and could have gone for one last big payday and another chance to be a starter. Instead, he was comfortable with his setup in Dallas and stayed true to his vow of re-signing.

Stackhouse said "the teams that had money had interest, but they had more pressing needs." He didn't want to wait for them and he also didn't like the idea of starting over. The Mavericks are his fourth team and would be the one he's with the longest if he plays out this contract; he's already played three seasons in Dallas.

"At this point in my career, I don't want to be part of young guys who don't have a realistic chance of winning," he said. "Here in Dallas, I have a chance to share my experiences good and bad, from 12 seasons in the NBA, and at the same time we're fighting for something. ... We still feel good about our chances."

Stackhouse helped the Mavs reach the NBA finals in 2006, then was part of their franchise-record 67 wins this past season. Although that feat was overshadowed by a first-round ousting by Golden State, it did nothing to sour Stackhouse on the club.

"I was part of it, so what am I going to be sour about?" he said. "We made our bed and now we have to lay in it. Maybe next year we'll have a little bit different approach.

"Last year, we came in so angry because of what happened in the finals (blowing a 2-0 lead over Miami) that we wanted to blow the world away in the regular season and smother all the disappointment and hurt. But we maybe wore ourselves out," he added. "Now we need to take the postseason approach. Look at San Antonio: sputter, sputter, sputter, then hit a nice spurt at the end. Hopefully we can kind of copy that. We've been taking pages out of their books for years anyway."

When Dallas acquired Stackhouse before the 2004-05 season, there were questions whether a player who'd been the focus of every team he'd been on could handle being a role player. But he embraced the chance to extend his career and play for one of the league's best teams after years of struggling to make the playoffs in Philadelphia, Detroit and Washington.

His scoring has dropped from a career-best 29.8 points in 2000-01 to a career-low of 12 this past season. Yet the two-time All-Star is still capable of scoring in bunches. Last season, he posted his best 3-point shooting percentage (38.3) and his second-best field goal percentage (42.8). Stackhouse also provides strong leadership in the locker room and has developed a close relationship with Dirk Nowitzki, the league MVP.

This is the first move the Mavs have made in free agency. Forward P.J. Brown, who is pondering retirement, is among the other players the team is considering.

Andres Nocioni agreed to a five-year deal to return to the Chicago Bulls, and there is a team option for a sixth year.

"He's glad to be back," George Bass, Nocioni's agent, said Friday. "We've been very aggressively working on it."

The deal officially cannot be signed before July 11. Financial terms were not available, but the Chicago Tribune reported it was for approximately $38 million. Nocioni was a restricted free agent who had drawn the attention of the Memphis Grizzlies.

Nocioni, a 6-foot-7 forward who has been a standout performer for the Argentine national team and also played in Europe, originally was signed by the Bulls as a free agent on Aug. 11, 2004.

He averaged 14.1 points and 5.7 rebounds during this past regular season but was limited to 53 games -- 31 starts -- by plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

Known for his hustle, aggressive defense and an improved 3-point shot, the 27-year-old Nocioni averaged 8.8 points in 10 playoff games. The Bulls swept the Miami Heat in the first round before being ousted by the Detroit Pistons in six games in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

Greg Oden's foul troubles followed him to the NBA.

The Portland Trail Blazers center, the first overall pick in last month's draft, picked up three quick fouls in the opening three minutes of his professional debut Friday night in the Las Vegas summer league and fouled out with 10 fouls.

"It's amazing," said Oden smiling. "I usually get thrown out after five."

League rules allow 10 fouls before disqualification.

"It's a different game (in comparison to college). They call it different," Oden said. "There are a lot of things you can't do with hand movements and hand checks."

Portland trailed by double digits for most of the game as Oden was a non-factor in a 74-66 loss to the Boston Celtics. He had six points and two rebounds in 20 minutes.

"I couldn't get into a groove tonight," he said. "There's always a lot of pressure out there because of who you are."

Oden, who battled foul trouble during his only season at Ohio State, had four fouls in the first half and was limited to four points in eight minutes. His woes continued in the third quarter as he picked up three early fouls, including an offensive one for pushing off, in the opening 2:59.

The 7-foot, 250-pounder showed his potential late. He drew sympathy cheers for hitting a jumper with five minutes to play and followed with a monstrous block, but was hardly the force inside Portland expects.

"He's been under the weather the last week or so. This is the summer league and we want guys to come out and play," said Portland coach Nate McMillan. "There were four or fives times when we couldn't get the ball to him in the post."

The sun smiled on Tony Parker and Eva Longoria's wedding day, breaking through after days of gray Paris skies. Their VIP guests, though, were concealed by big black umbrellas.

Glamour and security went hand-in-hand as the NBA champion and star of "Desperate Housewives" exchanged vows Saturday in a church across from the Louvre Museum.

The Roman Catholic ceremony at the Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois Church -- frequented by French royalty in centuries past -- was stage two in a weekend wedding extravaganza.

First, the mayor of Paris pronounced Parker and Longoria husband and wife in a civil ceremony Friday. Then a priest married them Saturday afternoon. Next up: an exclusive bash at a storied French chateau.

Stars of all stripes -- actors, athletes, musicians -- joined the couple for their nuptials.

Longoria's fellow "Housewives" garnered the most attention from several hundred mostly French fans outside the church, who booed bodyguards for blocking their view.

Teri Hatcher, in a silky blue gown, came with her 9-year-old daughter Emerson Rose. Felicity Huffman, in a beige dress with ruffled v-neck collar, brought husband William H. Macy. Nicolette Sheridan wore a strapless pink gown.

Marcia Cross, who stars in the series as Bree and recently gave birth to twins, was not expected to attend.

Sheryl Crow and the head coach for the San Antonio Spurs, Greg Popovich, were among guests who didn't stay concealed behind the huge black umbrellas bodyguards used to shield them from public view.

Police also erected 10-foot-high wooden panels in front of the church, and the bride and groom kept well out of sight.

After the guests and wedding party left in red buses and a black Rolls Royce, fans stormed the church, grabbing up the white lilies spread out across the large medieval hall.

The Rev. Dominique Schubert told The Associated Press that he formally married the 25-year-old Parker and 32-year-old Longoria in a full Catholic wedding ceremony. He gave no details.

For the civil ceremony, Parker, who was born in Belgium and grew up in France, asked Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe to officiate. Parker's friends translated when Delanoe gave a speech calling the basketball star a model in the fight against racism.

"I married a friend to the woman he loves. It was touching, moving, very warm and at the same time very relaxed," Delanoe said on RTL radio Saturday.

And romantic, he added: "They kiss all the time."

He praised Longoria's choice of dresses and designer -- she wore a pink Chanel mini dress on her way into the town hall, but changed into a white dress in the district mayor's office. French law requires a civil ceremony even when couples marry in a church.

Saturday started gray but the skies cleared by the time the wedding guests arrived at the church. Fans stood through drizzle and shine.

"I love the series and I came out today for the chance to see Eva, the 'American in Paris,"' said Lola Michot, a 16-year-old high school student from the eastern French city of Besancon. She waited outside the church for hours for a glimpse.

Heather Biehl, a 34-year-old English teacher from San Francisco now living in the southern French city of Aix-en-Provence, came across the hubbub with her mother and very excited 8-year-old daughter.

"The atmosphere was crazy out here. I thought maybe it was (French President) Nicolas Sarkozy," she said.

The couple and their entourage have given very few details about the wedding, but media reports said they were to follow the religious service with a bash at Vaux-le-Vicomte, a 17th century chateau 35 miles southeast of Paris.