For the past several days, rumors have been circulating around the NBA was that the Bucks were considering dealing veteran center Jamaal Magloire, whose contract expires after next season and who is expected to seek a "max'' deal.

But GM Larry Harris denied he had any trade talks involving Magloire, specifically with the Toronto Raptors. Magloire is a native of Toronto and has publicly acknolwedged he wouldn't mind playing for the Raptors.

Bucks GM Larry Harris said Wednesday night that he was not counting on making any moves before the 3 PM EST deadline.

"Certainly there's dialogue within the league, but as far as the last 48 hours, there really hasn't been much contact with other teams," Harris said before the Bucks met the Chicago Bulls at the United Center.

"The calls I've received today have been more to investigate what else is going on in the league. For us, we're still a team that is young and trying to figure our way out in this first year together. So I don't anticipate any changes in this roster."

If the Bucks were to make any deals, it likely would involve one of their big men, although Harris has said he is satisfied with his power forwards and centers.

Jamaal Magloire's contract expires after next season - he makes $8.3 million this season and next season - and he's looking for some team to show him the money.  

Some NBA insiders claim Magloire's agent, Arn Tellum, wants to land his client a "max'' contract. And Tellum, unquestionably one of the best agents in the business, might pull it off.

But Tellum isn't likely to hammer out a deal with the Bucks. Bucks owner Herb Kohl gave shooting guard Michael Redd a "max'' contract for nearly $91 million last summer and, considering the small market the Bucks play in and considering Kohl's pockets aren't as excessively deep as some owners like Paul Allen's in Portland or Mark Cuban's in Dallas, he isn't likely to sign off on another monsterous contract any time soon. That's especially true when you consider Kohl will have other significant salary concerns in the next couple of years with point guards T.J. Ford and Mo Williams, not to mention Bogut.

The prevailing thought among some NBA front office officials is that if Magloire/Tellum don't come down on their contract demands, the Bucks will trade Magloire this summer to a team that is willing to accommodate him. But then, Magloire's trade value could diminish. Other teams would know that Magloire would become a free agent after the 2006-2007 season, and that they might be able to sign him later as a free agent.

The NBA's trading deadline is Thursday afternoon. By then, it wouldn't be totally surprising if Harris had returned one of those calls he received last week.

It took Utah less than a year to honor Andrew Bogut.

Utah retired Bogut's jersey on Saturday during halftime of the Utes' game against Air Force, hanging his No. 4 from the rafters.

The Aussie is the seventh player in school history to have his jersey retired. The ceremony came less than a year after he played his last game for the Utes, a loss to Kentucky in the NCAA regional semifinals.

Bogut received several rousing ovations as he stood by the scorers' table and watched the jersey unfurl next to Bill McGill's No. 12.

Bogut smiled and waved to the fans, who made it through a snowstorm to get to the game. Fans in the student section waved Australian flags and chanted "Bo-gut! Bo-gut!"

"This is really emotional for me," Bogut told the fans.

Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Simmons won't be prosecuted over allegations that he fondled and punched a woman in an incident that led to his arrest Oct. 3.

Assistant District Attorney Chris Liegel said conflicting accounts of the encounter left him without enough evidence to prosecute Simmons for a crime. Simmons has been free on $700 bail since the day of his arrest. Police referred recommended charges of misdemeanor battery and fourth-degree sexual assault, also a misdemeanor, to prosecutors.

Police said that after leaving Da Jungle, a nightclub at 618 N. Broadway, a woman asked for a ride and got into Simmons' car, where Simmons and another person were already sitting. The woman told police that Simmons groped and punched her.

After Liegel said no criminal charges would be filed, Simmons' attorney, Michael F. Hart, said Simmons was pleased with the outcome.

Nenad Krstic has never been accused of being a troublemaker, especially in comparison with someone like Jamaal Magloire, who is one of the league's toughest individuals.

But it was Krstic who was thrown out at halftime of the Nets' 94-79 victory yesterday, after a brief tussle with the Bucks center. Though replays showed Magloire getting in some hard shoves as the two tangled on their way to the glass, Magloire was given only a technical, while Krstic was ejected for the second time in his career.

"I didn't do nothing," the Nets center protested. "From the start of the game ... everybody tried to push me. I didn't react (until) just at the end of the half. He pushed me first and I pushed him back. That's it."

Referee Mike Callahan said, "We felt that Krstic was the aggressor with a forearm to the head, and that is why the participant was ejected."

Mo Williams is eager to get back in the Milwaukee Bucks' lineup.

After spraining his left ankle late in the Bucks' victory over Toronto on Jan. 27, the 6-foot-1 guard has missed the last six games. He will be out tonight when the Bucks play Charlotte at the Bradley Center, and his return date remains uncertain.

But Williams said Friday that he was making steady progress. When he does return, the Bucks finally will have their point guard tandem of T.J. Ford and Williams together.

They also can turn to backup guard Charlie Bell, who returned on Jan. 27 from a knee injury that sidelined him for nearly six weeks.

"I'm getting better," Williams said. "I never have had an ankle injury of this magnitude before. I've had to tell myself, 'Come back when you're ready.' "

A jet carrying the Milwaukee Bucks and other passengers made an unscheduled stop late Monday night at Gerald R. Ford International Airport because of ice on one of its engines.

The ice developed on the Midwest Airlines jet engine while flying at 20,000 feet, airport spokesman Bruce Schedlbauer said Tuesday.

The airplane with 74 passengers landed in Grand Rapids, Mich., at 11:50 p.m. ET Monday, he said.

The passengers got on another plane and continued their flight to Milwaukee, departing around 2:30 a.m. Tuesday. The Bucks were flying out of Cleveland after losing 89-86 to the Cavaliers.

Schedlbauer said the engine sustained damage, but he described the landing as precautionary, rather than emergency.

The Warriors are still exploring trade possibilities after declining to part with rookie forward Ike Diogu as part of a package for Ron Artest, but they're working from a different deadline than the Feb. 23 trade buzzer.

Golden State has a sizable trade exception ($5.3 million) from last year's Clifford Robinson deal that would allow it to absorb more salary than it gives away, but the exception expires Feb. 14.

The size-craving Warriors remain interested in Milwaukee's Jamaal Magloire after pursuing him hard in New Orleans, but the Bucks -- trying to avoid the slip from playoff contention that has befallen Golden State -- aren't expected to consider offers for Magloire until the offseason.

Milwaukee Bucks coach Terry Stotts might have a valuable frontcourt option when his team meets the Memphis Grizzlies tonight at the Bradley Center.

Veteran forward Joe Smith, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Dec. 6, could return to the lineup if he receives clearance from the Bucks' doctors and training staff.

On Friday, the 6-foot-10 Smith went through his first full-scale practice since having surgery, and after the session he was optimistic about getting some playing time against Memphis.

"It feels good to me, but I've been like that for the last two weeks," said Smith, who has missed 37 games this season. "I was able to give it a good test today."