Stu Inman, who helped build the Portland Trail Blazers' 1977 NBA championship team, died of an apparent heart attack. He was 80.

Inman collapsed in his Lake Oswego home Tuesday and was pronounced dead at the hospital, his son, David, said Wednesday.

It's the Trail Blazers only title since entering the league as an expansion team in 1970.

Minnesota guard Rashad McCants, nearing a return from microfracture surgery on his right knee, was on the active list for the Timberwolves' game against Sacramento on Wednesday night.

LeBron James' sore toe may be sore until summer.

The Cavaliers forward, who has missed two of Cleveland's last three games to rest a sprained right big toe, said Wednesday that his injury could linger for the remainder of this season.

"I hope not, but I think it will," James said following practice. "It's like you jam your finger or you get a light ankle sprain, those are the things that don't really get back until after the season. It's a concern, but not a big concern as long as it keeps getting better and progressing every day."

Team sources have informed the Washington Times that Antawn Jamison will be sidelined two to eight weeks with a sprained left knee.

"We have dug down, and we are playing with big confidence right now," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan told the paper. "But you always feel like you're playing on the edge of disaster. We know how precious and fragile it can be. Things like [Jamison's injury] happen in this league."

Bobcats reserve center Othella Harrington will undergo surgery Thursday to repair torn cartilage in his left knee and is expected to miss three-to-six weeks.

Harrington, sidelined four of the past five games, is averaging 2.7 points and 1.7 rebounds in less than nine minutes per game.

Carlos Boozer's career season has been put on hold.

The Jazz announced Wednesday that Boozer has a broken bone in his left leg and will be sidelined four to five weeks.

Utah's leading scorer and rebounder, Boozer underwent an MRI and a series of X-rays, which revealed a hairline fracture of his left fibula. The 6-9 forward suffered the injury in the first quarter of Saturday's loss to the Hornets.

The Los Angeles Clippers today signed guard Doug Christie to a 10-day contract, it was announced by Vice President of Basketball Operations Elgin Baylor.  Christie will be in uniform and available to play tonight when the Clippers host the Chicago Bulls.

A 14-year NBA veteran, Christie has averaged 11.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game over his career.  Christie tallied 3.7 points and 2.6 assists in seven games played for the Dallas Mavericks during the 2005-06 season.

During the 2001-02 NBA Playoffs, Christie averaged 11.1 points and 5.8 rebounds in helping lead the Sacramento Kings to within one game of the NBA Finals, losing to the Lakers in overtime of Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals.  In 58 career playoff games, Christie has tallied 9.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

Toronto Raptors forward Andrea Bargnani, the first overall selection in the 2006 NBA Draft, and Milwaukee Bucks forward Andrew Bogut, the first overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, lead a list of 18 players selected to play in the 2007 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam on Friday, Feb. 16 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Joining Bargnani on the Rookie team this year are the Los Angeles Lakers' Jordan Farmar, the Minnesota Timberwolves' Randy Foye, the Toronto Raptors' Jorge Garbajosa, the Memphis Grizzlies' Rudy Gay, the Utah Jazz's Paul Millsap, the Charlotte Bobcats' Adam Morrison, the Portland Trail Blazers' Brandon Roy and the New Jersey Nets' Marcus Williams.

Teaming with Bogut on the Sophomore team are the Los Angeles Lakers' Andrew Bynum, the Golden State Warriors' Monta Ellis, the Charlotte Bobcats' Raymond Felton, the Indiana Pacers' Danny Granger, the Houston Rockets' Luther Head, the New York Knicks' David Lee, the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets' Chris Paul -- the 2005-06 T-Mobile Rookie of the Year -- and the Utah Jazz's Deron Williams.

When Kobe Bryant was a free agent in 2004, Isiah Thomas and the Knicks flew to Southern California armed with their mid-level exception.  Despite being nearly $100 million short of what the Lakers offered, Bryant listened to their offer.  

?The reason why I even was interested in taking that meeting was because of this city,? the 28-year-old Bryant said in an interview Tuesday morning. ?Because I always loved this city. Always. Ever since I came here, growing up in Philadelphia, there?s always so much energy and so much buzz in this city. How passionate they are about basketball, how knowledgeable they are about basketball.?

Bryant, a nine-time All-Star, excitedly ticked off the names of the Knicks legends Walt Frazier, Willis Reed, Earl Monroe and Dave DeBusschere and said, ?I just wanted to play here so bad.?

?I know what it?s like to have a team here that?s successful and how the city rallies around it,? he said. ?So I was very interested. And if they had more cap flexibility, it?d definitely be a place where I would end up. I might have picked the Knicks.?

Reports out of Charlotte have the Pistons showing interest in Brevin Knight.

The Pistons have long had interest in Knight, going back to last season. But there haven't been any new talks.

The 5-10 Knight makes $4.4 million this season and has a team option for $4.2 million next season. The Pistons, in the past, had talked about dealing Dale Davis ($3.5 million) and Flip Murray ($1.7 million) to the Bobcats.

The Pistons have reportedly given up on trying to deal Davis, instead focusing on Nazr Mohammed.