THE best thing about the NFL season is the NBA season is just around the gully, and over the ridge to Grandpa Stern's house we go.

With training camps scheduled to open for business as unusual Sept. 29, the configuration of numerous rosters - the pool's in but the patio ain't dry - remain exceptionally uncompleted.

The Nets' aversion to assuming Ruben Patterson's rack of baggage, as well as his $25 million, four-year guarantee, coupled with the Blazers' unwillingness to take on Dikembe Mutombo's full ($37.6M) two-year guarantee, appears to have terminated talk of a Kenyon Martin-Rasheed Wallace exchange.

A last-ditch offer by Jersey to accept Jeff McInnis ($3.3M/$3.6M) in the package instead of Patterson was rejected by Portland, divulges a source. McInnis may be a knucklehead but the Blazers can ill afford to surrender him in light of Damon Stoudamire's enduring marijuana issues that may very well earn him starter's minutes in the slammer. Without Stoudamire - as well as free-agent defectors Scottie Pippen and Antonio Daniels - McInnis would be the last point guard standing; unless you think walk-on Robert Pack can make a difference.

The three-way proposition involving Antonio Davis also seems to have shattered in mid-dialogue. Again, Blazer boss Paul Allen is disinclined to take on a three-year guarantee (especially the final payment of $13M), which doesn't include Davis' 71/2 percent - not 15 percent as I initially reported - trade kicker. Apparently, our economy is so bad that even billionaires are being intimidated by the league's luxury tax.

At the same time, Raptors GM Glen Grunwald has withdrawn his support of coach Kevin O'Neill's interest in acquiring Mutombo at his current income. If Mutombo were to become a free agent - which won't happen unless he agrees to relieve the Nets of roughly a third of their obligation - the Raptors would be all over him.

In the meantime, I'm informed Grunwald and Danny Ainge are discussing a swap of Davis for Tony Battie and free agent-in-waiting Eric Williams. Considering Boston's cap already is sky high ($60M this season, $59M next) it's doubtful that deal will go down. That is, unless Ainge can figure out a way to "capsize" Vin Baker.