Over the past two seasons, Milwaukee guard Sam Cassell has groused about his contract to reporters, teammates and management.

Complaining about $22 million over six years might seem like a stretch. But as one of the better point guards in the NBA, Cassell can claim he's underpaid.

Of course, no one forced Cassell to sign the deal, and there's nothing Milwaukee can legally do.

Because the Bucks want their key player to have peace of mind, the organization has offered the only thing possible under the collective-bargaining agreement: an extension with a relatively modest raise.

The deal is an extra three years totaling $17.1 million, which Cassell would start receiving after his contract expires this summer.

By making the proposal, Milwaukee is telling Cassell to pipe down and sign now or wait until the end of the season to try his luck.

The danger Cassell faces is that he will be 34 after this season. And in the luxury-tax era, almost no team will give a gaudy contract to a player nearing his mid-30s.

Cassell can take his teammate as an example. After his first All-Star season, Anthony Mason, 35, was told by Miami that he was too expensive to keep. Mason couldn't get a significant offer from any other clubs. Although the Bucks targeted Mason to provide an inside presence, they couldn't sign him until after training camp. Milwaukee had to maneuver by trading Scott Williams ? a key reserve ? so it could afford Mason.

Cassell has a point that he's underpaid, especially when compared to teammate Tim Thomas, who makes $9 million as a reserve.

But that's the drawback to the NBA's guaranteed contracts. They can't be ripped apart.

And if Cassell had turned out to be a scrub, he wouldn't have given anything back.

No Webber, no problem for Sacramento Kings

When Chris Webber became a free agent last summer, Sacramento's future seemed to hang in the balance. But last week, after Webber missed his second span of games, the Kings confirmed that they possess enough talent to flourish without last season's MVP candidate ? at least during the regular season.

Sacramento scored an NBA season-high 133 points while Webber watched from the side with tendinitis of his right ankle. It originally forced Webber to miss the season's first 20 games.

The most remarkable aspect of the Webber-less Kings is that they were among the top-rebounding clubs in the NBA.

Webber realizes that the Kings can win about 50 games without him. But the power forward has returned, if only to stop hearing the kooky medicinal suggestions from family.

"My aunt told me about the old remedy for a cold, where you put cow manure around your neck with some ammonia in there," Webber said.

"She said I had to put that bag around my leg."

Three-second calls

North Carolina may be struggling, but it remains the college program with the most former players in the NBA: 14 (Two happen to be among the best in the league: Vince Carter and Michael Jordan). The school with the second-most (11) is Arizona. ... If an award existed for most-regressed player, the leading candidates this season would be Indiana's Jalen Rose and Toronto's Antonio Davis. ... One way to appreciate the monstrosity of Shaquille O'Neal is to realize that the Lakers center dwarfs even Ben Simon, the popular, heavyweight dancer at Sonics games whose energetic moves belie his girth. ... Before this season, Pat Riley seemed like the quintessential winner. The last time the Miami coach experienced losing similar to now occurred during his first year in the NBA: his San Diego Rockets finished 15-67. But time must have healed those wounds. "I don't remember it being this miserable," Riley said. ... Two rookies who defend better than most NBA players: Sonics guard Earl Watson and Bulls guard Trenton Hassell. ... Players find it infuriating when a coach doesn't communicate about playing time. So after Brian Winters took over for David Cowens at Golden State, the new coach told center Adonal Foyle that he would see only garbage time until further notice. Foyle couldn't handle the truth. "It's horrible," Foyle said. "Certainly a vote of non-confidence. If I care about my job ? and I do ? it should be infuriating." ... Although NBC will be shut out of the NBA's next broadcast deal, Marv Albert is expected to take his biting commentary to ESPN or TNT, the league's broadcast partners for the next several years. ... It's worth noting that the perception of Allen Iverson has reverted to him being a reckless shooter now that Philadelphia is struggling. "We could have Michael Jordan out there," Coach Larry Brown said. "And if he just spotted up, I doubt he'd get the ball."