Milwaukee coach George Karl ranks among the NBA's most successful coaches, but he has gone overboard with personal and public criticism of his best players.
After the Bucks squandered a 20-point lead in Tuesday's win at Indiana, Karl said, ``Our leadership from our stars, Sam Cassell and Ray Allen, has been awful. They're selfish. They think the game is won. They don't pass the ball like we do most of the game. All we have to do is have some patience and professionalism.''

Karl has made similar comments several times in the past two years, often targeting forward Glenn Robinson, who missed Tuesday's game with an injury.

Although Allen took blame for taking poor shots, Cassell was furious at Karl's latest rant. ``We won a game,'' Cassell said. ``I don't want to hear that [expletive].''

Cassell calmed down the next day: ``No big deal. He knows how I feel. I know how he feels.''

Then Karl had the audacity to blame the Milwaukee media: ``You write it crazier than it is. That's the way Sam and I compete.''

If Karl wants to challenge his players behind closed doors, that's one thing. But his repeated public attacks have grown old, even more so because his team might be the best in the East. Cassell, Allen and Robinson have every right to be fed up.

Yes, we know how much abuse Lakers C Shaquille O'Neal takes. But that's no excuse for his windmill punch that -- had it connected -- could have done serious damage to Bulls C Brad Miller eight days ago.
O'Neal's three-game suspension, costing him $238,000 per game, should have been at least two games longer to further discourage that kind of thuggery.

O'Neal was unaware that Charles Oakley, not Miller, committed the hard foul that prompted his tirade.

``Shaq gives out more than he receives,'' Miller said. ``When he hits you with an elbow, it's equivalent to four fouls on him. He goes for the face shots, too.

``I'm glad I didn't turn [before O'Neal's punch]. That would have really hurt bad. I'm not stupid. I know I'm overmatched there. Oakley came to my rescue and saved me from probably having a couple of black eyes and hurting for a while.''

Although the Hornets are likely headed for New Orleans, the NBA should continue to push for a new arena in Charlotte before granting approval. Moving from the 27th-largest television market to the 43rd doesn't make sense. Returning to New Orleans, a city without much corporate money and one that already lost an NBA team, doesn't make sense, either.
Relocation needs approval of a majority of the league's owners, who will listen to the advice of a yet-to-be-appointed Board of Governors committee. Ironically, one of the owners opposing the move is Michael Heisley, who relocated the Grizzlies from Vancouver to Memphis this season.

``I'm tired of the whole thing,'' Hornets coach Paul Silas said.

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban makes several valid points about NBA referees, especially his suggestion that a third party should be hired to evaluate them. But when will Cuban realize his constant whining will get him nowhere?
Cuban's public squabbling with David Stern will make the commissioner less likely to implement changes. And Stern should realize the only way to muzzle Cuban would be making the Mavericks forfeit draft picks. Cuban said he would sell the team under that scenario.

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Sonics SF Rashard Lewis, 22, said he will opt out of the final year of his three-year, $13 million contract this summer and demand a multiyear deal starting at the maximum $10.6 million. As if that's not enough, Lewis also wants the Sonics to extend PG Gary Payton's contract beyond next season.
``I'm going to look at my options if they want to mess around money-wise,'' Lewis said of the Sonics. Lewis isn't an All-Star but might be the best unrestricted free agent in a weak class.

Spurs C David Robinson, on his limited playing time late in games: ``That's something I'm obviously not comfortable with.''

Celtics rookie SG Joe Johnson has faded after a fast start. ``He has to learn how he can get his shots,'' F Paul Pierce said. ``He also needs to be more aggressive.'' And Boston's two other rookie first-rounders, F Kedrick Brown and G Joseph Forte, haven't shown enough to crack the rotation.

With their 26th win Wednesday, the Nets already equaled their total for all of last season. But it took Michael Jordan to draw their first home sellout crowd this season, including Spike Lee and Michael J. Fox.
Much of the credit goes to Nets president and former NBA vice president Rod Thorn, who traded Stephon Marbury for Jason Kidd and signed Todd MacCulloch. ``I never thought I was going to leave [the league office],'' said Thorn, 61. ``Then I got the itch to get back in the game. Some of it was ego. I just wanted a hand at building something.''

Former Celtics coach M.L. Carr, telling The Boston Globe why Celtics F Antoine Walker has been better received this season: ``His coach [Jim O'Brien] isn't throwing him to the wolves like the last one [Rick Pitino did. The kid took a lot of hits, and that was wrong. It's a lot easier to like Paul Pierce. He smiles. I fooled everyone for years by smiling, but that's not Antoine's demeanor.''

Knicks F Latrell Sprewell denies he would be pleased with a trade: ``The culture, the people, everything about the city feels like this place is meant for me. Even when I'm done playing, I think I'll live in New York. You would have to put me on the Lakers to get me out of here.'' But Sprewell cannot refuse a trade.

Delusional comment of the week from Bulls F Ron Artest, explaining why he shouldn't lose playing time to Eddie Robinson: ``I'm on the verge of being an All-Star.''

Cavs coach John Lucas, bemoaning his team's lack of talent after a 96-64 loss to Portland: ``When you have Ruben Patterson and Derek Anderson coming off the bench [for the Blazers], they would be starters for me. Shawn Kemp [would start] for me. How am I going to win?''

Pacers PG Jamaal Tinsley, an early rookie of the year candidate, has begun to level off. His shooting percentage has slipped to 38 percent, and Travis Best (who has requested a trade) is playing more often late in games.

Pistons No. 1 pick Rodney White, who drew raves from Washington's Michael Jordan before the draft, can't break into coach Rick Carlisle's rotation at SF. ``He has been beaten out by two veteran guys,'' Carlisle said of Michael Curry and Corliss Williamson. ``He can work harder.''

Utah won 17 of its first 25 games after second-round rookie C Jarron Collins (earning $332,000) became starting center, beating out Greg Ostertag and John Amaechi. ``Jarron has to keep working because he doesn't have [a guaranteed contract],'' coach Jerry Sloan said. ``That's the problem with guys in this league sometimes -- they have guaranteed money so they stop working.''

Jazz F Karl Malone admits he wants to break Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's NBA scoring record (38,387).
Malone would need to play in every game and average 22 points to break the record by the final game of the 2003-04 season, when he will be 40.

``I think about it a lot,'' he said.