Top pick Greg Oden's second summer league game with the Portland Trail Blazers was better than his first, but still not up to the high profile center's expectations.

Two days after he was disqualified with 10 fouls in 20 minutes, Oden had 13 points, five rebounds and nine fouls Sunday in a 72-68 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Summer league rules allow for 10 personals.

"I felt more comfortable, but we lost so it doesn't matter," Oden said. "I'm all about winning."

Oden picked up his ninth foul with 3 minutes, 23 seconds to play, but didn't foul out. Fouling out twice, with double the amount of fouls at his disposal from this winter at Ohio State, would have been embarrassing, he said.

"The guys tell me it won't be like this during the regular season," said Oden, who scored four points in the final minute. "They are trying out new guys (referees) who are trying to make a good impression."

Oden had six points, three rebounds and three fouls in 14 first half minutes. He picked up his first foul 36 seconds into the game, but appeared more comfortable. He had three fouls in the first 2:59 Friday and spent most of the game on the bench.

The 7-foot, 250-pound Oden had three blocks in the first quarter and took out some frustration with a backboard-rattling dunk that resulted in a technical for hanging on the rim. He finished with four blocks.

"I need to start bringing it to guys and establish how I will play in the regular season," Oden said.

Oden played with more energy and aggression, Portland coach Nate McMillan said. Assistant Monty Williams is coaching the summer team, but McMillan has attended both games.

"What I really want him to do is get his feet wet and have some fun," McMillan said. "These guys are all fighting for jobs and he already has one. He's going to see the best from everybody."

Chris Quinn knows the Miami Heat have spent plenty of time this offseason trying to add another point guard. Over the next week, he gets to audition for a piece of that job.

Quinn will be the primary ball handler for Miami's entry in this season's Orlando summer league, a six-team event that opens Monday. The second-year pro from Notre Dame is the only member of Miami's current NBA roster on its summer squad.

"I'm very excited to get a flow going, hopefully play a lot of minutes,'' Quinn said.

Undrafted a year ago, he signed with the Heat last July and played in four summer league games, putting up extremely modest numbers - 3.8 points on 31 percent shooting, with five assists and three turnovers in 59 minutes.

But he showed enough court savvy to merit a training camp invitation and made the Heat's regular season roster. Quinn played sparingly in 42 games, averaging 9.7 minutes, 3.4 points and 1.5 assists with three double-digit scoring efforts.

"This year was very much a learning experience for me,'' said the 6-foot-3, 175-pound Quinn. "I learned a lot about life in the NBA and also with the veterans we have on our team I was able to pick up a few things. I know the ropes better than I did.''

Miami has made securing another point guard to add depth behind incumbent starter Jason Williams a priority. The Heat have been linked to Milwaukee's Mo Williams, Memphis' Chucky Atkins and Denver's Steve Blake - a South Florida native - among others. They could sign a player as early as Wednesday when the free agency window opens.

But Quinn doesn't let the Heat's pursuit of others bother him.

"I just control what I can control,'' Quinn said. "I'll work as hard as I can. I'll play as hard as I can.''

Heat coach and president Pat Riley, who will not run the summer squad - assistant Erik Spoelstra draws that responsibility - said he likes the progress he's already seen out of Quinn this summer.

"He's really strong, he's picked up some quickness and I think if you play him 25 or 35 minutes a game he'll show you a game,'' Riley said. "I'm confident that he'll play well.''

Free agent swingman Morris Peterson was in Salt Lake City, looking forward to meeting with the Utah Jazz.

"I'm going to their facility in the morning to talk with ownership, general manager Kevin O'Connor and people on the coaching staff and in the front office," Peterson said in a telephone interview with The Associated Press on Sunday night. "Since I have some control as a free agent, I really want to play with a winner, like the Jazz, and with a team that believes in me."

Peterson, who turns 30 next month, said Detroit, New Jersey, Cleveland, New Orleans, Miami and Toronto have expressed an interest in him. He has spent his entire seven-season career with the Raptors.

The 6-foot-7, 220-pound Peterson, who can play shooting guard or small forward, has career averages of 12 points along with nearly four rebounds, two assists and a steal.

His production and playing time fell last season -- averaging 8.9 points and 21.4 minutes -- one season after career highs in scoring (16.8), rebounding (4.6), steals (1.3) and minutes (38) a game.

Peterson produced sporadically during a first-round series against the Nets in the 2007 playoffs. He scored 17 points in Toronto's Game 5 win, then had nine points, eight rebounds, two steals and a block in the next game when the Raptors were eliminated.

After helping Michigan State win the 2000 national championship, Peterson was drafted 21st overall by the Raptors. He averaged 14 points in his second and third NBA season and 12 1/2 in his fourth season.

As a restricted free agent in 2004, the New Orleans Hornets signed Peterson to a $15 million, three-year offer sheet and Toronto retained him by matching the deal.

As an unrestricted free agent, Peterson might get a contract for the midlevel exception that will pay as much as $6 million annually.

"Some of the big free agents like Vince Carter, Rashard Lewis, Chauncey Billups have done their deals already, so I think it's going to start picking up for a lot of other free agents still out there," Peterson said. "A lot of teams have contracts with their first-round picks done, too, so they can really start focusing on free agency.

"I don't have any other visits set up right now and I've got my basketball camp Tuesday back home in Flint, so I'm ready to find a comfortable fit wherever that may be for the next step in my career."

A federal jury awarded $260,000 on Monday to one of two men who sued NBA star Allen Iverson after they said they were beaten by his entourage at a Washington nightclub in 2005.

The jury's decision against Iverson and his bodyguard, Jason Kane, covers bar patron Marlin Godfrey's medical bills and pain and suffering. But the jury chose not to award punitive damages, which could have significantly raised the damage award.

Godfrey and another patron, David Anthony Kittrell, sued the Denver Nuggets guard for $20 million, saying they were beaten by his entourage in July 2005. The attacks, they said, followed their refusal to vacate the Eyebar club's VIP section for Iverson.

Iverson testified last week that he didn't see the fight, and was whisked out of the club before the brawl became serious. He said the two men suing him were merely trying to cash in on his fame and fortune. Iverson's 90-minute testimony was the only court appearance he made during the case.

The nine-member jury in U.S. District Court deliberated for about 13 hours over three days before reaching its verdict.

The jury found that Kane was liable for assault and battery of Godfrey, who was awarded $250,000 for pain and suffering and $10,000 for his medical bills. Iverson was found negligent for failing to supervise Kane. The jury did not find either of the men liable for assaulting Kittrell.

Attorneys for Iverson and Kane said they were disappointed and planned an appeal. Iverson lawyer Alan Milstein also said the NBA player's absence from the trial was not a reflection of his opinion of the court case, an argument frequently made by the plaintiffs.

"Mr. Iverson was here every day through me," Milstein said. "He has defended himself vigorously and he continues to defend himself vigorously."

NBA spokesman Tim Frank and Nuggets spokesman Eric Sebastian both declined to comment.

Godfrey's lawyer, Gregory Lattimer, urged jurors Monday to award punitive damages, saying the only way to send a message to Iverson was through his wallet. Jurors were told before their deliberations that Iverson makes $23 million each year.

But Godfrey said after the verdict that he was not disappointed he was only given the award for medical costs and pain and suffering.

"For me it was never about the money," he said. "It's always been about holding them accountable."

Lattimer told jurors during the trial that when his clients declined to leave the VIP section of Washington's Eyebar on July 20, 2005, Kane and another man, Terrance Williams, delivered a "viscous, doglike beating," kicking and stomping on Godfrey.

He said Kane and Williams beat Godfrey so badly that he blacked out and suffered head injuries, damaged ear drums, and long-term psychological problems.

The lawsuit claimed Iverson was responsible for the brawl because he failed to properly supervise Kane and Williams -- but it did not claim he took part in the fight. The suit also accused Kane of assault and battery for allegedly beating Godfrey with items that included a bottle.

Jury foreman Dave Peterson said "there was no question" that Iverson was negligent in failing to control Kane that night. And he said Iverson's presence in the courtroom and involvement in the case did not sway jurors.

"The fact he was a superstar was really not something we could consider as a factor," he said.

Williams was not working for Iverson that night and was not included in the lawsuit, but Godfrey and Kittrell tried to prove that he has been a de facto security guard for Iverson in the past.

They showed jurors an excerpt of the MTV practical joke show "Punk'd" in which Williams is seen handling security duties during a setup of Iverson. Williams said he was merely hamming up for the camera. The jury agreed, ruling that Williams was not working for Iverson the night of the brawl.

Kane denied taking part in the fight, saying he left with Iverson as trouble brewed. Kane was not present for Monday's verdict.

Iverson faces another lawsuit for another nightclub fight involving his security in Hampton, Va. That happened less than two weeks before the Washington fight.

Top draft pick Greg Oden needs to have his tonsils removed and is expected to miss the rest of the Portland Trail Blazers' summer league games.

After he tapes the ESPY awards in Los Angeles, he will undergo a tonsillectomy Saturday, at the Vancouver Clinic in nearby Vancouver, Wash., the team said.

Recovery time is expected to be two to three weeks.

"Greg felt that this was the right decision to make in the interests of his health, and we support that decision 100 percent," Trail Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard said. "The sooner he gets the procedure done, the sooner he can get back on the court at full strength."

Oden, a 7-foot center who played one season at Ohio State, was the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

In his summer league debut, Oden scored six points and had two rebounds before leaving with 10 fouls, the maximum allowed in the summer league. The Blazers lost 74-66 to the Boston Celtics.

In his second game against Dallas, a fatigued Oden finished with 13 points, five rebounds and nine fouls. The Mavericks won 72-68.

Oden will miss Sunday's matchup with Seattle that would have pitted him against No. 2 pick Kevin Durant.

"They'll make more money during the regular season," Oden jokingly said earlier this week.

Oden will also miss the U.S. Senior National Team's camp July 20-22 in Las Vegas.

Sports fans know LeBron James can dunk. They'll find out what kind of comedy chops the Cleveland Cavaliers star has on the ESPY Awards.

The 22-year-old NBA star and late-night host Jimmy Kimmel are co-hosting the annual show honoring the year's best sports moments Wednesday night at Hollywood's Kodak Theatre. It airs on ESPN on Sunday night.

"I'm not really a comedian,'' James said after rehearsals Tuesday. "I'm just a funny person. All my stuff is kind of on the fly. I'm all about doing things that are unexpected.''

James will be the second athlete to host the show, joining seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, who did a ribald monologue last year.

"I know how far I can go with things,'' James said. "I'm not that type of guy to single out anybody. I'm a team player.''

Kimmel made no such promises.

"I'm not really looking to mock anybody, but there are certain things that have to be addressed and I will,'' he said. "Hopefully, (Barry) Bonds will show up and Kobe Bryant.''

Kimmel said the sight of him and the 6-foot-8 James on stage will remind viewers of "Twins'' co-stars Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"A lot of athletes are guarded and they learn to speak in clichs and they learn how to never say anything,'' Kimmel said about James. "He doesn't seem too worried about embarrassing himself.''

The 39-year-old comedian said James has "a little surprise performance'' planned.

James wouldn't provide details, but said, "It's not basketball. It's not bashful, either.''

Here is who shined and struggled in NBA summer league play on Tuesday, according to various front-office personnel and scouts around the league.
1. Coby Karl, Los Angeles Lakers - Karl is perfect for the triangle offense. He can pass and make open shots, and he knows how to space the floor. He did all three things in a 98-95 overtime loss to Philadelphia as he finished with 23 points on 8-for-13 shooting.

2. Rodney Carney, Philadelphia 76ers - Carney is a gifted, athletic player who has a ton of potential. He showed off that talent with some nice moves to the basket and an impressive shooting stroke from the outside (where he was 3-for-3 on three-pointers). Carney, the 16th pick in the 2006 draft, finished with 30 points.

3. Renaldo Balkman, New York Knicks - The controversial 20th pick last year is proving that Isiah Thomas can at least evaluate talent. Balkman scored 10 points in a solid offensive effort that helped the Knicks beat China 88-65. Balkman's strength, however, is his endless motor while defending and rebounding. Running all over the court to make play after play, he added seven rebounds and five steals in 25 minutes. He is the type of unsung hero that is found on every NBA championship team.

4. Aaron Brooks, Houston Rockets - Extremely quick, Brooks can get into the lane whenever he wants. In a 90-76 win over the Clippers, the 26th overall pick in last month's draft had solid finishes around the basket and showed nice range on his jump shot in going 3-for-6 on threes. Brooks also distributed the ball, recording eight assists to go with his 21 points, and did a good job pressuring the ball. If he continues to play like this, he could really help the Rockets.

5. Von Wafer, Denver Nuggets - Wafer shot the ball very well in scoring 19 points in an 87-83 loss to Dallas. He showed excellent range on his jump shot in making three of four three-pointers, and he was effective putting the ball on the floor and getting to the free-throw line (where he went 8-for-11). The Nuggets need help at the point guard position and they need better three-point shooting. Wafer might at least solve the shooting problem.

6. Marco Belinelli, Golden State Warriors - Belinelli continued his impressive shooting from long range. The 18th pick made two of three shots from beyond the arc and is now a combined 12-for-18 on threes in summer league. He not only has shown the ability to shoot the ball but has also shown he can put it on the floor and pass it. The Warriors have been ecstatic with Belinelli, who finished with 15 points in a 90-80 loss to San Antonio.

STRUGGLING

1. Nick Young, Washington Wizards - There is no question that Young is talented and one day will be good. But that day certainly was not Tuesday. Although Young is athletic and has a nice shot, the 16th pick struggled with his shooting, handling the ball and playing defense against the Kings. He finished with 11 points (3-for-14 from the field), seven fouls and three turnovers as his Wizards fell to Sacramento 75-64.

2. Jason Smith, Philadelphia 76ers - Smith has all the physical tools to be a good NBA player. He is tall, strong and athletic. He also has a nice jumper but unfortunately he plays with no passion. He just goes through the motions on the court and he's going to struggle against NBA big men with his current effort. The 20th pick finished with 10 points on 4-for-11 shooting.

3. Yi Jianlian, Milwaukee Bucks - Yi again struggled against a strong, athletic defender. The 2007 sixth overall pick did not make a field goal against the Knicks and finished with three points, nine fouls and five turnovers. Yi has looked lost on the court for most of the summer league, and the physical nature of the game is really bothering him. Yi, however, is athletic and can shoot the ball, so it should just be a small adjustment period before he becomes a solid NBA player.

4. DeSagana Diop, Dallas Mavericks - It is bad enough when anyone plays almost 20 minutes in summer league and scores zero points, but it is especially bad when that person is a starting center in the NBA. Diop, however, accomplished that feat on Tuesday. When watching Diop play offense it seems that he has never touched a basketball in his life. He has few moves and a bad touch around the basket. It is a good thing that Dallas has several good offensive players because Diop is a huge offensive liability.

The Detroit Pistons lost Ben Wallace to free agency last year. They weren't going to let Chauncey Billups get away, too.

Billups signed a $60 million, five-year contract Wednesday, returning to the team he helped reach five straight conference finals. The contract is worth $46 million guaranteed over four years and includes a team option for the fifth year.

"One of the toughest positions to fill in this business is the point guard position, and that's why it was imperative that we re-sign Chauncey," said former Pistons player Joe Dumars, now the team's president for basketball operations.

"We said from the beginning that re-signing Chauncey was our top priority, and now we can move forward knowing that Chauncey will continue to lead this team."

The Pistons wanted to bring back Wallace last year, but Chicago swooped in with a $60 million, four-year offer that was about $10 million more than Detroit was willing to pay the iconic center.

While Wallace was vague when asked about his future when the 2005-06 season ended, Billups made it clear he wanted to return.

"Everyone knows I love this team, this town, being a Piston," he said last month after Detroit was eliminated from the playoffs. "I really grew up here, made a name for myself: All-Star, champion, MVP.

"We'll see how it works out."

An e-mail seeking comment was sent Wednesday to Billups.

It appears that the deal worked out for both sides because even though the two-time All-Star was one of the NBA's top free agents, other teams didn't seem to be willing or able to compete with Detroit's offer.

In 2004, Rasheed Wallace re-signed with the Pistons in a similar situation, for $57 million over five years, after he and Billups helped the franchise win its third title.

Billups has guided Detroit on the court during what has been one of the league's most consistent stretches in two-plus decades.

He was the NBA finals MVP three years ago, when Detroit beat a Los Angeles Lakers team that included Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, and he nearly led the Pistons to another title the next year.

Since 1984, only the Lakers have been more reliable in the playoffs, with a run that ended with a sixth straight conference finals appearance in 1989.

Billups joined the Pistons as a free agent in 2002 after bouncing around the league.

The former Colorado star was drafted third overall in 1997 by Boston and was with Toronto, Denver, Orlando and Minnesota in his first four years in the league.

In Detroit, Billups became one of the NBA's top point guards with his steady leadership and clutch shooting, along with the willingness to learn from each of his three coaches in Detroit: Rick Carlisle, Larry Brown and Flip Saunders.

Billups averaged 17 points, 7.2 assists and two turnovers last season, finishing second in assist-to-turnover ratio and helping the Pistons to the best record in the Eastern Conference. He made the All-NBA third team.

His best season statically was two seasons ago, when he was on the All-NBA second team after averaging career highs in points (18.5), assists (8.6) and was selected to the NBA All-Defensive second team for the second straight year.

The player known as Mr. Big Shot was off his game, though, in each of the past two conference finals as Detroit was eliminated. Against Cleveland this year, he averaged 15.3 points, 3.5 assists and 3.8 turnovers while uncharacteristically struggling in pressure-packed situations.

"I played as hard as I could, but I didn't play that great," he said when the season ended. "I'm sure some other guys in this locker room could say the same thing."

But the Pistons wouldn't have reached the NBA's final four in each of the past five seasons without Billups, whose unique ability to run the team was underscored when he was sidelined with injuries last season.

Billups might have a chance to play in the conference finals for a sixth straight year.

Barring a major trade, he will be in one of the top backcourts with Richard Hamilton. The Pistons also feature three talented frontcourt players: Wallace, Tayshaun Prince and Antonio McDyess.

Detroit hopes to improve its depth and future by re-signing restricted free agent Amir Johnson, who has impressed the team despite playing just 11 NBA games since the 6-foot-9 forward was drafted out of high school in 2005.

Chris Webber, who ended the season as Detroit's starting center, is an unrestricted free agent. It's not clear if Webber wants to play again, or if the Pistons want him back. If Webber is not re-signed, center Nazr Mohammed likely will be retained unless the team can't acquire a better center through trades.

Detroit drafted guards Rodney Stuckey and Arron Afflalo last month in the first round, adding depth after dealing Carlos Delfino and expecting Lindsey Hunter to retire or play a limited role on the court.

Jacque Vaughn and Matt Bonner each re-signed multiyear deals Thursday with the NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. Terms were not released.

Vaughn, 32, a 10-year veteran who also has played for Utah, Atlanta, Orlando and New Jersey, averaged 3.0 points and 2.0 assists as point guard Tony Parker's backup last season. He appeared in 64 games in his first season with the Spurs and also played in all 20 playoff games.

Bonner, 27, also joined the Spurs last season after two years in Toronto. The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 4.9 points and 2.8 rebounds in 56 games.

The Detroit Pistons and forward Amir Johnson agreed to an $11 million, three-year contract Thursday, keeping the restricted free agent with the team that drafted him out of high school.

Johnson, 20, played in just 11 NBA games in two seasons, but the Pistons made bringing him back a top priority after re-signing Chauncey Billups on Wednesday. Several teams reportedly had interest in Johnson.

At 6-foot-9-inches and with a 7-foot arm span, Johnson is known for his athleticism. The Pistons took him with the 56th pick in the 2005 NBA draft out of Westchester High School in Los Angeles.

Johnson averaged 5.9 points last season. He scored a career-high 20 points on 10-for-14 shooting in the season finale against the Celtics.

This season, Johnson is expected to get a chance to play regular minutes as a backup power forward. He spent parts of each of the past two seasons playing in the NBA's Development League, where he dominated opponents, often leading the Pistons' affiliates in scoring and rebounding.

Johnson is expected to play in the Pistons' summer league finale on Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas. He missed the first four games as his contract situation was completed.

The Dallas Mavericks re-signed swingman Devean George on Thursday to a one-year deal.

Terms of the contract were not disclosed, but agent Mark Bartelstein has said George's deal is worth roughly $2.4 million.

George, who turns 30 next month, averaged 6.4 points and 3.6 rebounds last season. He played 60 games, starting 17, and averaged 21.4 minutes.

George would've made around $2 million under the deal he signed last summer, but opted out of it last month. Bartelstein spoke with several teams, only to find that the best combination of salary and championship potential came from Dallas

The Los Angeles Lakers re-signed Luke Walton to a multiyear contract Thursday.

The 27-year-old Walton, who has played all of his four NBA seasons with the Lakers, had become an unrestricted free agent and received a six-year deal, reportedly worth $30 million, to remain with the team.

That would more than triple the $1.4 million salary he received last season.

The 6-foot-8 Walton averaged career highs of 11.4 points, five rebounds and 4.3 assists in 60 games last season, all starts. He played 33 minutes a game, led the team in scoring twice, five times in rebounds and 18 times in assists.

He scored 20 or more points four times, including a career-high 25 on Dec. 8 against Atlanta, when he went 10-of-18 from the floor.

"This is where I wanted to be when the whole free agency started, and the fact that we could agree on a six-year, long-term deal is very exciting to me," Walton said Thursday at a news conference at the Lakers' training facility.

"I'm looking forward to helping this team and getting back to the playoffs and eventually bringing some more championships back to Los Angeles, where the trophies belong."

Walton, the son of NBA Hall of Fame member Bill Walton, was taken out of the University of Arizona by the Lakers with the third selection in the second round (32nd overall) in the 2003 NBA draft. He has averaged 10.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists in 73 career starts with the Lakers.

Overall, he has averaged 5.3 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in 262 career games

His stature as the sport's forever transcendent star - never mind his flawed history as a basketball executive - easily transformed Michael Jordan into the sport's most crudely judged executive. Around the league, people get a perverse pleasure when his decisions go awry, when he's humbled in a suit the way he never was in shorts.

Now, Jordan, the Charlotte Bobcats' part-owner and full emperor, has his executive legacy on the line. As it turned out, he was afforded the ability to trade the Bobcats' lottery pick for Golden State's Jason Richardson on draft day and, on Wednesday, re-sign burgeoning star Gerald Wallace.

As much as anything, this had hinged on owner Robert Johnson's willingness to stop treating Charlotte like a D-League franchise. He has had the league's lowest payroll and gutted the administrative staff and, ultimately, this summer promised to be an acid test for tenure.

Whatever minimal interest there's been in the NBA's return to Charlotte, staying on the cheap would've been a doomsday scenario for the franchise's future. Still, Jordan made a terrific draft-day deal for Richardson, because keeping North Carolina's Brandan Wright, or taking another teeny bopper, would've been crippling to the organization's credibility.

"In 10 years, maybe that's the wrong move," one Eastern Conference executive said, "but that's absolutely the right thing for Charlotte now. They couldn't add another young piece there, especially with a young coach (Sam Vincent) coming in."

Together, Wallace ($57 million) and Richardson ($51 million) give the Bobcats reason to believe that they're now playoff contenders in the East. They had to keep Matt Carroll, a shooter they developed, and did so for six years at $27 million. Bernie Bickerstaff did an underrated job constructing a formidable core through the expansion years, and now, Jordan gets the chance to make pro basketball relevant again in Charlotte.

"I thought we could've been a playoff team last year," Emeka Okafor told me recently from the NBA Players Association high school basketball camp. Now, management wants to talk to Okafor about a contract extension and the prospects of a trio with Wallace and Richardson has staying power. They're all in their mid-20's, all developing players.

They'd better hope that Jordan is still a developing executive, too. Drafting Kwame Brown with Washington's No. 1 pick six years ago, one of the worst picks ever, deserves to stain him forever. For Jordan, it was a window into how little preparation, how little research, went into his work. Drafting Adam Morrison was a lousy start to his ownership tenure a year ago (How in the world is he still on the Team USA trials roster?), but it's too early to declare him a bust.

Nevertheless, it appears Jordan's presence has, if nothing else, pressured Johnson into spending on his team. Jordan didn't want the embarrassment. Vincent could turn out to be the next Red Auerbach, but it was lost on no one that the Bobcats made him the lowest-paid coach in the league this summer. To be fair, Vincent has paid his dues what with several seasons in South Africa and Nigeria before returning to the States in the D-League and on Avery Johnson's Mavericks staff. Still, he was the kind of hire the Charlotte budget demanded the team make, a faceless assistant so thrilled to get the offer that he wouldn't haggle over his salary.

Jordan has surrounded himself with his usual cast of cronies, including Rod Higgins and Buzz Peterson. As much as competency, Jordan values loyalty around him. That's true with most league executives, but it wouldn't hurt him to have some original thinkers surrounding him. Nevertheless, Jordan was smart enough to keep Bickerstaff in the front office, even if he didn't want him as coach anymore.

For now, Michael Jordan has survived the scrutiny of the summer with something the Bobcats didn't have prior to his arrival: a playoff team. For Jordan's tattered front office legacy, it's a start.

THE NEXT ODEN?

Ignore the college recruiters - NBA executives and scouts are fascinated with 7-foot-2 John Riek, a Sudanese immigrant who surfaced last season at Our Savior New American on New York's Long Island. With his dominant performance at the LeBron James camp in Akron last week, Riek solidified himself as perhaps the most desired commodity in amateur basketball.

He's a junior in high school, so he won't be eligible for the NBA until 2010. Nevertheless, this didn't stop comparisons to Greg Oden from pro and college personnel. Maybe most intriguing about Riek have been the private debates about his age. School officials are listing him at 17, but even Riek says he isn't sure about his true birth date. Said one Western Conference scout, "I think he could be as old as 26."

Of course, one Big East assistant coach insisted, "It would not surprise me if he was 30 years old."

Our Savior New American is a one-room school house where the coach happens to be the teacher, and several college sources believe Riek is eventually destined for the Winchendon Prep School in Massachusetts. Foxsports.com's Jeff Goodman reported that Riek has been accepted (surprise, surprise) and will soon enroll.

SHOOT FOR THE MOON

Lost in the flurry of free agent signings on Wednesday, including Jason Kapono to the Toronto Raptors, could've been a reminder why Toronto's Bryan Colangelo is perhaps the best general manager in the league now.

Remember this name: Jamario Moon.

If you happened to stop into the Armory in Albany, New York, last year to witness coach Micheal Ray Richardson's act, you couldn't help but notice Moon, the rarest of sightings left in the decaying Continental Basketball Association - a true-to-life prospect.

Moon, who's 6-8, was the CBA's defensive player of the year and a first-team all-league choice. He went undrafted out of a Mississippi junior college in 2001, bounced around several leagues and finally found a believer in Colangelo. The Raptors held a mini-camp two weeks ago and signed him to a non-guaranteed two-year contract.

"The kid really impressed," Colangelo wrote in an email Wednesday. "Now we will see if he can pick up the NBA game."

A heartbroken scout for another Eastern Conference team who watched Moon play in the CBA said, "Don't be shocked if that kid turns out to be a contributor for the Raptors."

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Despite reports that former Los Angeles Lakers guard Smush Parker was destined for Greece, his agent, Billy Ceisler, said Wednesday that he was negotiating with an Eastern and Western Conference team for Parker. ... New Jersey Nets president Rod Thorn is wise to resist overpaying for Mikki Moore, the one-year wonder threatening to leave the team as a free agent. The Chicago Bulls are interested, but Thorn doesn't seem willing to offer more than $10 million for three years. Some executives wonder if Moore, a journeyman, won't just revert back to his non-descript self after a career year with the injury-decimated Nets. The Bulls are a possible destination for the forward/center, especially now that the Memphis Grizzlies have signed Darko Milicic. Thorn and Nets coach Lawrence Frank met with Jamaal Magloire on Wednesday in Orlando and could decide to stop pursuing the rail-thin Moore for the bigger, stronger Portland Trail Blazers free agent.

The New Jersey Nets signed a deal with guard Vince Carter on Friday that will keep the eight-time All-Star in New Jersey at least through the 2010-11 season.

Carter will receive $66 million guaranteed -- which includes four years plus a partial guarantee for a fifth year -- and could make as much as $80 million, according to a person involved in the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity because the Nets haven't announced the terms.

The framework for the deal was first reported on July 1.

Carter recently became a free agent when he opted out of the final year of a contract with the Nets that would have paid him $16.3 million next season.

Though New Jersey announced the opt-out at the end of June, speculation over Carter's future was a constant undercurrent during a season in which the Nets struggled to maintain consistency before finishing 41-41. New Jersey reached the second round of the playoffs, losing to Cleveland.

Carter said all along that he would address the situation after the season, and on Friday he acknowledged that he had difficulty envisioning himself in a uniform other than New Jersey's.

"I knew it could happen. It's about patience and waiting for the right time," Carter said at a news conference. "I kind of put it on the shelf and wanted to concentrate on my season, and I probably played my best basketball this year because of that."

Carter was the only Net to play in all 82 games last season and averaged 25.2 points, six rebounds and 4.8 assists.

"How many other guys can do that?" Nets general manager Rod Thorn said. "You can count them on one hand. We certainly would have been remiss if we'd let Vince get away, and fortunately, that didn't happen."

The re-signing of Carter, the NBA's fourth-highest scoring active player with a career average of 24.1 points, indicates that the team feels its nucleus -- Carter, Jason Kidd, Richard Jefferson and rehabbing center Nenad Krstic -- is strong enough to contend for a title, with a few tweaks.

"It was important to me to keep the core group together because we understand each other, we know our likes and dislikes," Carter said. "We all get along. That's the ingredient, is having guys who really know each other like the back of our hands, and I felt that was really important."

The Nets have failed to advance beyond the second round of the playoffs in the last four years since reaching the NBA finals in 2003 against San Antonio. In 2005-2006, Carter's first full season with the team, he averaged nearly 30 points in the postseason but the Nets couldn't match Miami's bench and were eliminated by the Heat in the conference semifinals.

Last season Carter averaged 22.3 points to lead the Nets in the postseason, but he shot less than 40 percent from the field and made several big mistakes.

He turned the ball over in the closing seconds of Game 4 of the conference semifinals against Cleveland with the Nets down two points and 2-1 in the series. He also struggled in the deciding Game 6, scoring 11 points while and committing more turnovers (five) than baskets (four).

New Jersey will have Krstic back for next season after he missed 56 games with a knee injury, but the Nets are still seeking to add another big man. That could be journeyman Mikki Moore, who replaced Krstic and averaged 9.8 points and 5.1 rebounds and shot a league-best 61 percent from the floor.

However, Thorn indicated Friday that Moore had received offers from several teams and didn't make it sound as though the Nets would match them.

"Not necessarily," he said. "We'll decide what we feel is prudent and see if that's good enough to get something done."

The Nets have reportedly met with 6-foot-11 veteran Jamaal Magloire, who averaged 6.5 points, 6.1 rebounds and shot 50 percent from the floor while averaging 21 minutes for Portland last season.

Also on Friday, the Nets waived veteran forward Clifford Robinson, who had spent the last two and a half seasons with the team.

Robinson led New Jersey's bench players with averages of 6.9 points and 3.3 rebounds in 2005-2006, but he was suspended for five games during the postseason for violating the league's drug policy midway through the conference semifinal series against Miami.

Last season Robinson averaged 4.1 points and 2.4 rebounds in 50 games.

Robinson ranks seventh in NBA history in games played (1,380), 13th in minutes (42,561), 33rd in points (19,591), 16th in three-point field goals made (1,253) and eighth in personal fouls (4,175).

Kevin Durant struggled again with his shot Friday night, this time with superstar LeBron James sitting courtside.

Durant missed his first six shots and finished 9-of-23 in the Seattle SuperSonics' 85-74 loss to the Golden State Warriors. He was 13-of-16 from the free throw line, however, to finish with a summer league personal-best 32 points.

Many fans in the Thomas & Mack Center crowd were there to get a glimpse of Durant, the second overall pick in last month's draft. But the attention quickly turned to the seats when James and five friends arrived 10 minutes into the game.

Sitting across from Golden State's bench, James was playful with the NBA hopefuls and even shouted instructions to a team of grade school players during a halftime exhibition.

James hosted the ESPY awards on Wednesday in Los Angeles and Durant missed Seattle's game to attend the event. He said there was no added pressure with one of the league's top players observing.

"That's my man. He told me that he was coming," Durant said. "He was just another person in the crowd."

Durant is 18-of-59 in three games, but gained some momentum with a pair of steals that led to easy dunks. He also was able to create off the dribble, finding success when driving to the basket.

"Anything to get you going," Durant said. "Every game I play, I try to get better and that is what I did tonight."

Durant has been trying to find more than his shooting touch. He had his first assist of the league midway through the fourth quarter, a simple handoff to a teammate on an uncontested breakaway, and added three rebounds. He only had one rebound in each of his first two games.

A day after losing center Mikki Moore to free agency, the New Jersey Nets reached an agreement in principle with former All-Star Jamaal Magloire on Saturday.

The deal is contingent on Magloire passing a physical. Contract terms were not immediately available.

The Nets also announced that they had requested waivers on guard Hassan Adams.

Magloire averaged 6.5 points and 6.1 rebounds in 81 games last season with the Portland Trail Blazers. The seven-year veteran averaged 8.4 points and 8.1 rebounds in 23 starts.

"We are very pleased to add Jamaal to our roster," Nets president Rod Thorn said. "He is an experienced low-post player who will add depth to our frontcourt rotation."

An All-Star in 2004, Magloire has career averages of 9.0 points and 7.5 rebounds. The 19th pick in the 2000 draft, he also has played with Charlotte and Milwaukee.

Moore signed a three-year, $18 million contract with Sacramento on Friday. The 7-footer averaged career highs of 9.8 points and 5.1 rebounds last season while leading the NBA in field-goal percentage at nearly 61 percent. He started 55 games filling in for injured Nenad Krstic.

Adams, who played at Arizona, was the 54th selection in the 2006 NBA draft. He played in 61 games for the Nets, averaging 2.9 points and 1.3 rebounds.

The suspense surrounding Alonzo Mourning's playing status for next season is nearing an end.

The seven-time All-Star center said he'll make it known "very soon" whether he'll return to the Miami Heat or retire, a decision he's been contemplating for the 2 1/2 months since the team was eliminated in the first round of this year's NBA playoffs.

"I have not quite yet spoken to the people I need to speak to," Mourning said Saturday night at the benefit dinner for his annual Zo's Summer Groove charity fundraising weekend. "I've got a good feeling about the Miami Heat and what direction they're trying to go in."

The person Mourning is waiting most specifically to speak with is Pat Riley, the Heat coach and president who was scheduled to begin a vacation Saturday. Riley and Mourning have left several phone messages for each other in recent days, and the team has made it clear that it wants the 6-foot-10 former Georgetown star to come back.

If so, it would be Mourning's 15th season, not including a year he missed because of kidney disease and a transplant that followed in December 2003. He has said several times in recent weeks that his decision, in large part, would hinge on Riley's plans for next season; the coach of five NBA champions still hasn't said if he'll be back on the Miami sideline.

"I want to be a part of a team that their main mentality and focus is winning, plain and simple, across the board," Mourning said. "Everybody needs to be hungry going into the situation from day one, and that's from training camp on."

Mourning has averaged 17.4 points in 813 games over his career and has been selected to play in seven All-Star games. Mourning has been the NBA's defensive player of the year twice, finished second in balloting for the 1999 MVP award and is one of 10 players in NBA history with more than 2,300 blocked shots.

He started 43 games last season for the Heat, who relied on him heavily after Shaquille O'Neal missed about half the season following knee surgery. Mourning isn't the scorer he once was -- he averaged 8.6 points this past season -- but ranked sixth in the league in blocks per game, and his average of 5.44 blocks per 48 minutes was, by far, the best in the NBA.

"My body is still able to make an impact on this game," Mourning said. "I'm healthy, I feel strong, I feel great, my doctors continue to give me the thumbs-up. But I don't know yet. I really don't."

Mourning's charity event, now in its 11th year, has raised over $6 million for charities that benefit children across South Florida.

Alonzo Mourning is coming back, one more time.

Ending nearly three months of suspense about his future, the Miami Heat center said Sunday night at his annual Zo's Summer Groove charity game that he'll play again next season -- a choice he kept secret to the end, insisting he was still deciding just hours before the actual announcement.

Truth was, Mourning's decision was made weeks ago. The Heat's reign as NBA champions ended with a first-round sweep this past season by the Chicago Bulls, and he simply isn't willing to let that be the final chapter in the book he's writing on his career.

"I want to redeem myself and try to help this team redeem ourselves as an organization and try to get back on track," Mourning said. "That wasn't the Miami team you saw in the playoffs last year. ... I was embarrassed. I was truly embarrassed by that outcome. I know for a fact we're a better team. It left a sour taste in my mouth and it's time to really end it all on the right note."

This was the third straight summer Mourning considered retirement before choosing to keep playing. Next season will be his 15th in the NBA, not including a full year he missed with kidney problems that led to him getting a transplant in 2003.

"It will definitely be my last year," Mourning said.

Mourning averaged 8.6 points last season for the Heat, and his 5.44 blocks per 48 minutes led the NBA by a wide margin. He started more than half of Miami's games last season while Shaquille O'Neal recovered from knee surgery, and the Heat clearly wanted him back -- especially since his $2.8 million salary for next season makes the seven-time All-Star a bargain.

Some of his teammates weren't surprised by the decision.

Heat forward Dorell Wright, who played in the charity game along with a list of NBA players that included Carlos Boozer, Sam Cassell and Damon Stoudamire, predicted before the game that Mourning would be back, simply based on the weightlifting regimen he'd been following this offseason.

"I love having Zo in the locker room and out on the court," Wright said.

And Mourning's decision suggests that Heat coach Pat Riley may be returning as well.

Mourning said repeatedly in recent weeks that Riley's status for next year would weigh heavily on his decision. Riley started a lengthy vacation this weekend and was not immediately available for comment Sunday night, but Mourning indicated that he expects the coach of five NBA champions to be on the sideline again.

"I think it's only fitting that he comes back for my final year," Mourning said. "I think it's only appropriate. I'm going to throw that at him. ... He has to come back and be a part of my last year. He has to do that. It's only appropriate. We started together and hopefully we can end it together on a positive note."

Mourning's return is the first offseason personnel move that worked out to Miami's liking.

The Heat lost 3-point specialist Jason Kapono to Toronto in free agency, may see free agent forward James Posey sign elsewhere in the coming days, and Mourning said guard Gary Payton won't be coming back to Miami -- although neither Payton nor the team has publicly expressed those sentiments.

Miami also missed out in its pursuit of Milwaukee point guard Mo Williams, who agreed to take a $52 million, six-year deal and stay with the Bucks. But Mourning said he's certain the Heat will find help elsewhere before next season begins.

"There's other players out there that can possibly be available," Mourning said. "Decisions have to be made in order to possibly obtain them. I'm going to leave it to Pat Riley."

He also promised that he would be a vocal force in the Heat locker room next season.

"I want us to finish off on a very strong note," Mourning said. "I'm speaking on behalf of the organization. I don't think we're going to settle for anything less than getting to the finals and having an opportunity to win a championship."

A couple hundred people were crowded around Dwyane Wade on Monday, watching the standout Miami Heat guard take a ceremonial 16-footer to officially open a refurbished basketball court at a city park.

It'll be a while before Heat fans see him attempt another shot.

Although Wade said his rehabilitation from knee and shoulder operations is going well, the 2006 NBA finals MVP may not be ready to play when Miami opens training camp in early October -- casting some doubt whether the Heat's top scorer will be on the floor when the regular season begins.

"I'm a fast healer, but my doctor really wants to make sure I'm well and I'm healthy and we don't have to go through this process again," Wade said at the court dedication, part of a program sponsored by Staples and his Wade's World foundation. "He'd rather for me not to rush back to get in training camp and maybe aggravate something early in the season."

Wade had surgery on May 15, both on his left side. He said the knee operation, which was to relieve tendinitis, typically is followed by a three-month rehab program. But the shoulder procedure -- necessary because he dislocated the joint in February, causing him to miss 23 games -- usually requires six months before a patient is fully healed.

The regular season opens in late October.

"I want to make sure I'm as healthy as possible and play the most games I can play without going in and out of the lineup," Wade said. "I'd rather take it slow now and really hit it toward the end."

Wade came back to the Heat late in the regular season, saying the shoulder wasn't a big concern. Still, he was so hobbled by the knee condition commonly called "jumper's knee" that the normally high-flying guard could barely dunk for his first few days after rejoining Miami's lineup. He limped noticeably at times.

Miami was swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Chicago Bulls, and Wade had surgery a couple of weeks later.

"It's a long process," said Wade, a three-time All-Star who averaged a career-best 27.4 points last season. "It's not an overnight thing. So I'm taking it a day at a time and I'm coming along. ... It's tough to rehab the whole left side of your body at one time, but I'm making it work."

Wade has been rehabbing for about two months, mostly in his hometown of Chicago. His range of motion with the shoulder is improving -- "you can see under my arm now," he said, raising the limb a bit for emphasis -- and was able to take a couple shot attempts without grimacing.

He, Shaquille O'Neal and Jason Williams combined to miss 94 games last season, a stat that clearly didn't help Miami's championship defense. Wade said he'd ideally play in all 82 regular-season games next season, yet has made it clear that he won't rush back just to be in uniform on opening night.

Wade was appearing in South Florida one day after Heat center Alonzo Mourning announced he'll play one more season before retiring.

"You give us a healthy Shaq and a healthy D-Wade for a full season," Mourning said, "and I like our chances."