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It's only one game

by Chad Ford

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Also Below: Extensions deadline today | Garnett, Wolves end extension talks | You've got to be Kidding | Spree worked up over Nailon | Peep Show

The temptation is almost too much to bear. Two days into the regular season you either want to scream "I told you so" or you're privately suffering from the "What the [censored] was I thinking syndrome."

Settle down. Pick yourself up. Hold off the ticker tape parade. Cancel the wake. It's only one game. It's only one game.

Halloween is tonight. My guess is that when some of you wake up in the morning, something else may be lurking behind that mask that your team is wearing. But in the spirit of the occasion I thought we'd touch on a few Tricks and Treats from Wednesday night's games.

TRICK

That loud screeching noise you heard late Wednesday night was the Wizards' bandwagon grinding to a sudden halt over here at ESPN. It's about time. If you've been reading this column over the past month you know what I think of the Wizards. Their two best players play the same position, their frontline is young and inexperienced, they don't have a point guard, they have no perimeter shooting and Michael Jordan can't play forever. Exhibit One: the Wizards' 78-68 loss to the Raptors. The Wizards shoot 29 percent from the field. They make only two threes. The starting frontline gives them a total of 16 points. Their point guards manage a combined total of four assists. And Michael? He went 4-for-14 from the field. Too early to put them in the NBA basement? Sure. They will play better than this and in fairness, the Wizards replaced all five of last season's starters for the opener. But claiming they're one of the top two or three teams in the East? Please.

Remember how the Mavs were going to start playing defense this season? The Mavs' defense Wednesday night had more leaks than the Pentagon. They gave up 109 points to the Grizzlies, allowed the Grizz to shoot 56 percent from the field and gave up 29 basically uncontested points to rookie Gordan Giricek. Speaking of wishful thinking, Shawn Bradley's most improved bid got off to a slow start. His line from Wednesday: 13 minutes, 4 points, 3 boards, 1 block.

Who says Yao Ming's opener was a disappointment? Yao said in the preseason that he thought he had to learn to be more like Kelvin Cato. One zero-point, two-rebound game later . . . mission accomplished.

Shaq's out, Kobe's in the locker room having his ankle taped and the Lakers magically transform into the Nuggets as the Blazers go on a 20-0 run. Speaking of the Nuggets, here's something Nuggets fans won't see again this season. With the Wizards and Rockets games over, I switched to the Nuggets-T-Wolves game only to watch the Nuggets go on a 15-0 run. It's the equivalent of witnessing Shawn Kemp pass up an all-you-can-eat buffet. It just doesn't happen very often. Speaking of the T-Wolves . . . Kevin Garnett should walk out of those contract extension talks and demand that owner Glen Taylor get him some help.

Jay Williams flashback. Four missed free throws in the last minute. Thank goodness Celtics coach Jim O'Brien picked Antoine Walker, shooting 1-of-10 from beyond the arc, to take the last shot instead of the Truth. Big win for the Bulls. Bigger loss for the Celtics.

Tim Duncan may be the reigning MVP, but with the game on the line last night against the lowly Golden State Warriors, Adonal Foyle blocked his shot to end any chance the Spurs had left. Foyle would finish with 6 blocks and 6 personals. Duncan, a notorious slow starter, is now averaging 19 points and 9.5 rebounds per game on 37 percent shooting against teams starting Soumalia Samake and Erick Dampier down low.

The surprise isn't that Elton Brand had a tough game after missing the entire preseason schedule after foot surgery, but the fact that it took the Clippers 27 minutes to figure it out. The All-Star power forward gimped around to zero points and three boards in 27 minutes. 27 MINUTES. He shot 0-for-6 with each attempt more futile than the last, and the other L.A. team is still wondering how it could lose to the Cavs on its home floor on opening night.

I love all the pregame hype, which is why I tuned into the pregame ceremonies for the first home game ever for the New Orleans Hornets. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall when Hornets owner George Shinn walked into the locker room and told Baron Davis and company that they would have to wear shiny silver capes for the introduction. The only thing that was missing was the Superfly soundtrack and 12 pairs of moon boots.

The capes weren't the only weird things going on in New Orleans. The Hornets decided to tap into the large voodoo constituency in New Orleans. The team set up a "Jazz graveyard" in front of the arena, had macabre hooded dancers carrying faux torches, followed by gothic women in "Kiss" masks dancing to a remixed version of Michael Jackson's "Thriller." After that spectacle was over, the P.A. announcer asked everyone to bow their heads for, of all things, a prayer. With the Jazz lined up solemnly on the court and fans bowing their heads, New Orleans mayor C. Ray Nagin offered the invocation. "We ask two things, Heavenly Father: That the Hornets beat the Jazz tonight, and that New Orleans wins an NBA championship this year." I'm not making this up. Karl Malone was stunned. "I pray, but I don't ever pray to win. I pray to stay healthy. I never heard anybody pray for the other team to get beat." And commissioner Stern was left babbling, "I believe that religion is a personal thing, and should be." Maybe Shinn and Co. prayed for better tickets sales. The Hornets, not only sold out on opening night, they exceeded capacity by 368 people.

Nick Van Exel also got into the Halloween spirit a little early. His "Sanford and Son" Grady beard is setting a new low for facial hair.

TREAT

The international kids can play. Raef LaFrentz had absolutely no shot at guarding Pau Gasol. Gasol ended the game with 27 points on 10 of 12 shooting, grabbed 10 boards and kept the Grizzlies in the game early. He's added a sweet mid-range jumper to his arsenal and appears poised to make another big leap this eyar. Gasol was topped only by his teammate, rookie Gordan Giricek, who went off for 29 points on 10 of 13 shooting. Gasol said that Giricek "is talented and brave enough to go to the hole every time and shoot the ball." On the Mavs' side of the ocean, Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash had a combined 44 points, 21 assists and 11 boards.

Speaking of the Grizzlies (I spent a lot of time watching them play the Mavs), as a Kansas fan I want to lodge an official protest. Why didn't Drew Gooden play like THAT in the NCAA Tournament? KU, not Maryland, would be the reigning NCAA champs if the Jayhawks got that effort from Gooden. He was an absolute beast down low against the Mavs. If he keeps that intensity and coach Sidney Lowe keeps giving him those minutes, Jerry West is looking like a genius . . . again.

We all know Ron Artest is crazy, but is there a more frustrating defender in the NBA? He missed the entire preseason only to come back on opening night and just maul the [censored] out of every Rockets player who got in his way. The offense is still a little shaky. Don't let the 20 points fool you. He hit a few miracle shots to get there. If I'm Donnie Walsh, I up my offer and sign him to an extension today. If he keeps going at this point, he'll become the small man's Ben Wallace and his asking price will go through the roof this summer.

Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady look scary together and hopes are already high after the Magic's 2-0 start. But be wary. The Magic opened against the two shakiest frontlines in the East. They're getting virtually nothing from their frontcourt. Their next three opponents -- the Hornets, Kings, and Pacers -- won't let Hill and McGrady get in the lane at will.

Brent Barry is the most underrated player in the NBA. I know it's been a grand total of one game, but so far this year, Barry is as close to walking on water as you want to be. He scored 25 points, went 9 for 12 from the field including 5 of 6 from long range while also adding 5 blocks, 3 steals and 2 assists to a Sonic victory.

Arvydas Sabonis is as slow and lumbering as ever. And, after a year sabbatical at the age of 37, he has never been more effective: 6 points, 7 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in 10 minutes of play.

Glenn Robinson and Jason Terry take 46 of the Hawks' 84 shots. What happens when Shareef Abdur-Rahim returns?

Not sure whether this is a trick or a treat, but Michael Olowokandi's 18 points, 13 rebound game is worth mentioning. I'm not sure what it means, but I believe that Olowokandi finally understands that he's got about an extra $40 to $50 million riding on putting up those kind of numbers every night.

Penny Hardaway continues to state his case for the starting two guard position. Hardaway and Joe Johnson played similar minutes, but Hardaway outplayed Johnson in virtually every way. I know it's not P.C. to stick up for Little Penny, but why not give him a little love for the next few weeks until he stubs his toe and sits on the IL for the rest of the season?

The Warriors blow out the Spurs? Like we said, it's only one game.

Happy Halloween.

Extensions deadline today

Today is the deadline for players from the draft class of 1999 to sign extensions. So far, only Steve Francis, Baron Davis, Shawn Marion and Jeff Foster (of all people) have been able to nail down a deal.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported today that the T-Wolves were unable to come to an agreement with Wally Szczerbiak. No real surprise there, but the back story is pretty interesting. According to the Tribune, Szczerbiak told his agent, Gary Wichard, on Friday to come down from his max contract demands. "Wally told me, 'Come off the max to get a deal done,' " Wichard said. "He said, 'I like Minnesota, I like the fans here and I want to stay here and play with Kevin Garnett.' "

The T-Wolves, however, rejected the offer. Team owner Glen Taylor has said that other financial concerns — the looming luxury tax, the possibility of Terrell Brandon's salary coming off the team's cap figure if Brandon retires, Garnett's possible extension — have made Szczerbiak's deal a lower priority. "It isn't the agent, it isn't Wally," Taylor said. "Circumstances are just more difficult on that one."

Sounds a little ominous, doesn't it?

Elton Brand, Lamar Odom, Andre Miller and Corey Maggette aren't getting jack thanks to owner Donald Sterling. "That's completely crazy. I don't know what they're doing. That's their thing, though....," former Clipper Darius Miles told the L.A. Times. "Elton Brand made the All-Star team last year and he didn't even get a contract [extension]. He's the only big-name player in his [draft] class that didn't get a contract. [Houston's] Steve Francis got a contract, [New Orleans'] Baron Davis, [Phoenix's] Shawn Marion. They're all in Elton's class, Andre's class. They only signed Mike [Olowokandi] for one year...."

Rip Hamilton, Jason Terry, Kenny Thomas and James Posey have been told to wait until next year. Which leaves two Pacers, Jonathan Bender and Ron Artest.

Pacers president Donnie Walsh negotiated with their respective agents on Wednesday, and both sides voiced optimism that agreements can be reached before today's 6 p.m. ET deadline, the Indianapolis Star Tribune reported.

Bender's representatives also expressed optimism that something would happen today. Artest, on the other hand, didn't sound so optimistic.

"I'll probably wait to become a free agent," said Artest, who didn't hurt his cause with his performance against the Rockets. "I'll let it play itself out and see what they're talking about next year and try to get something done." Walsh, however, was more optimistic. "Whether we get it done now or after the season, I want Ron Artest here," he said.

Wolves won't meet Szczerbiak deadline

Steve Aschburner / Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Bender, Artest deals must be done today

Mark Montieth / Indianapolis Star

No longer a Clipper, Miles speaks his mind

Mark Heisler / Los Angeles Times

Is This All They Have to Offer?

Diane Pucin / Los Angeles Times

Garnett, Wolves end extension talks

Talks seemed to have stalled between the Wolves and Kevin Garnett on that pay cut, I mean extension, with the Wolves. According to the St. Paul Pioneer Press, The Wolves and Garnett came close to agreeing on a four-year, $75 million contract extension but the two sides decided Wednesday to halt negotiations until after the season.

Currently, Garnett makes 80 cents a second. The proposed package by the T-Wolves would average $19 million a season, a $9 million a year pay cut.

The question is, even at $19 million per, whether Garnett's worth the money. Talent wise, no question. But if his pay check keeps you from adding more talent, what's the point? "His salary hasn't prevented us from doing anything," coach Saunders told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "We have to get other players to make him better. That's what we're trying to do."

Whatever. Owner Glen Taylor has been adamant about avoiding the luxury tax and has put off re-signing Wally Szczerbiak until he can get a better feel for what KG will agrees to. That looks like prevention to me.

Wolves to wait on Garnett extension

Charley Walters / St. Paul Pioneer Press

Garnett will earn his pay

Bob Sansevere / St. Paul Pioneer Press

You've got to be Kidding

I'm apologizing in advance for missing this classic story out of the N.Y. Times Wednesday. We all know that Tim Duncan is returning to San Antonio next season, which makes Jason Kidd the free-agent flavor of the year.

He's loving every minute of it and he's taking the media along for the ride. Too smart for his own good, it's only a matter of time before someone starts calling him on his vague "I love N.J. right now" statements that really say nothing about his intentions next summer.

"As of July 1 you will be like a high school kid, being recruited," Kidd told the Times. "That should be fun because my family has never gone through that before. It will be kind of good for them to see what actually happens in that period."

Then, he added with a smile: "We'll give New Jersey every opportunity not to have to go through the courtships. The big thing is to look at it as my last deal."

Of course, that's a load of crap. Rod Thorn would give Kidd a blank check today if Kidd agreed to re-sign. Thorn has bent over backwards to expedite the rebuilding of the Nets just to stay in the Kidd sweepstakes.

What has it gotten him? Listen to Kidd's wife and relocation expert. "It's a perfect world," Joumana said. "Why would I want to move?" Then she answered her own question. "The bottom line is, we want a championship," she said. "I'll tell you what will have me pick up and move everything. If Jason needs to go to a team that he feels he can go to."

"The message that should have transpired as a result of this summer is a commitment to win," said the Nets' chief executive, Lou Lamoriello. "You never lose sight of fiscal responsibility, but you have to capture a time when there is an ability and a potential to take the next step."

Kidd agrees, we think. "This team has its talent, it has the ability to be good," Kidd said. "The key is health, No. 1, and you have to have that same chip that we had last year."

What just happened?

Down to Earth but Larger Than Life

Liz Robbins / New York Times

Spree worked up over Nailon

Lee Nailon's in; what does that mean for Spree?

"He's [Nailon] true to the position," coach Don Chaney told the N.Y. Post. "He's a true small forward. I think it's great, great to have a bonafide small forward in that position and a guy who can score. He can definitely score. He can face up and shoot the ball and he can also post-up."

So if Nailon is the true small forward the Knicks have been looking for, where does that leave Spree when he returns? "Whenever you have three at a position, it's somewhat of a problem," Chaney said. "It's a good thing Sprewell can play two and three."

Sprewell acknowledged Wednesday the signing of Nailon will add fuel to the fire of trade rumors.

"It's not going to make it any better," Sprewell admitted. "It's a little fuel. . . When I come back, I'm coming back to play. I'm coming back with somewhat of a chip on my shoulder. I'm going to be going crazy out there. I'm looking forward to coming back, but I think [Nailon] is definitely going to help us.

"If it gives them that flexibility [to trade me] or not, that's just speculation and whatever happens, happens. I'm going to play if I'm here or somewhere else. I have a job to do. Whatever team I'm on, I'm going to be 100 percent committed to that team, whether it's here or somewhere else. I'm just looking forward to playing again. I love playing the game."

Nailon Joins Team

Marc Berman / New York Post

Spree: I'll Be Back With A Vengeance

Marc Berman / New York Post

Peep Show

Lakers: L.A. fans can breathe a sigh of relief. It looks like Kobe Bryant's ankle injury isn't serious. "[i'm] happy it's not worse," Bryant told the L.A. Daily News. "I felt a lot of crunching. So I just tried to relax. I knew from experience if I could walk off the court, put some pressure on it, I felt like I could come back in the game and play. It's hurting pretty bad right now."

Magic: Horace Grant, the team's only veteran low-post player, estimated it could take anywhere from 10 days to a month before he's back on the court.

Spurs: Steve Smith missed Wednesday's game with a strained right groin and will undergo an MRI today to determine the seriousness of the injury. The MRI should determine whether Smith has any type of ligament or muscle tear. "We were hoping it was a cramp," Smith told the San Antonio Express News. "Right now we're saying groin pull. I hope it's not anything worse."

Nuggets: Donnell Harvey said his agent told him his contract probably will not be extended by today's deadline. But Harvey said he's not concerned. "Yeah, I heard that [the Nuggets] weren't going to pick it up," Harvey told the Rocky Mountain News. "But it really doesn't matter. I'm going to go out and play hard like I always do and leave it on the court."

Celtics: The team placed Kedrick Brown on the injured list, but that does not mean the guard/forward will have to sit out the first five games. Because the Celtics started the season with only a 12-man roster, Brown can come off the injured list any time he's ready. Also, if the Celtics find a player they like they would have to put him on the active roster right away. "You can take [brown] off any time, and who knows, out of the clear-blue sky maybe something happens where ownership decides to add another guy," coach Jim O'Brien told the Boston Globe. "If that happens, you can't bring a guy in from the injured list. And you would not want to put Kedrick down three games into the season because he's going to be ready before then. We have no anticipation whatsoever of anything falling out of the sky."

Wizards: Coach Doug Collins went with Christian Laettner over Brendan Haywood as the team's starting center. Collins said he went with Laettner because he wanted someone with more experience alongside second-year player Kwame Brown early in the season.

Grizzlies: Wesley Person got the surprise start over Shane Battier on Wednesday. Person continued to struggle from the perimeter, but with the emergence of Gordan Giricek, Battier may keep his role as the team's sixth man. "When they asked me to play 40 minutes last year, that's what I did," Battier told the Memphis Commercial Appeal. "If they ask me to play 10 to 15 minutes this year, I'll do that the best I can."

Bulls: Jalen Rose was upbeat after the Bulls' surprising win. "We're not going to go 82-0," Rose told the Chicago Tribune. "But we're a deeper team and we have enough guys to pick us up if someone is struggling. We're going to have growing pains. We're going to have Jay Williams miss four free throws at the end of the game. We're going to have nights where Tyson Chandler plays 17 minutes and gets ejected. Or Eddy Curry plays and doesn't get a rebound."

Warriors: Scott Ostler of the San Francisco Chronicle is panicking over the Warriors' impressive start. "There is a real danger that the Warriors have abandoned their very vital role in Bay Area pro sports. The other teams make us nervous wrecks by taking us close to the promised land, then leaving us brokenhearted. The Warriors were always our bedrock, a team you could count on not to count on. You could relax with the Warriors. You could go to sleep watching their games. Even the players did. They weren't going anywhere, weren't going to raise your expectations, they were going to suck with amazing consistency. "

Road Gets No Easier for Lakers

Tim Brown / Los Angeles Times

Grant not eager to rush return

Jerry Brewer / Orlando Sentinel

Spurs notebook: Hope for the best

Johnny Ludden / San Antonio Express-News

Nuggets' top pick more at ease now

Chris Tomasson / Rocky Mountain News

Brown to spend short stay on injured list

Shira Springer / Boston Globe

Laettner, Not Haywood, Starts

Steve Wyche / Washington Post

Battier, bench make no sense

Geoff Calkins / Memphis Commercial Appeal

New season, new result

K.C. Johnson / Chicago Tribune

Musselman working some magic

Scott Ostler / San Francisco Chronicle