The once-proud fans of the Portland Trail Blazers are on the verge of abandoning the team they formerly supported with glee.

For the first time since the Rose Garden opened in 1995, non-sellouts are the norm, and often several thousand seats are unoccupied. If the playoffs were now, the Blazers wouldn't qualify for the first time since 1982.

Recently, Sports Illustrated wrote a scathing piece on how far the team had fallen in terms of interest, standing in the community, quality of personnel in its management and players. The lightning rod was Bonzi Wells' quote about fans' waning interest.

"We're not really going to worry about what the hell they think about us," Wells told reporters. "They really don't matter to us. They can boo us every day, but they're still going to ask for our autographs if they see us on the street. That's why they're fans and we're NBA players."

Now check this out.

In the team's next home game, against Detroit last Friday, Wells was in uniform but did not play because of a knee injury. During the game, a feature on the replay screen asked players what their favorite Christmas gift was as a kid. When it came time to show Bonzi's taped response, the fans booed so loudly it could not be heard.

Look mom, I'm on TV:

When Maurice Evans, a 6-5 guard who went undrafted last summer, signed with Minnesota, his family invested in NBA LeaguePass so they could watch every Minnesota game on television.

After Evans played his first NBA game at New Jersey, a scoreless minute at the end of the first half, he called home to see what his family thought. They didn't know what to think, because they hadn't seen a thing. "I couldn't believe it," Evans told the media. "I called home and I said, You see me? You see me?' And they were like, When did you get in? We watched intently the whole game and didn't see you.' My agent missed me, my mom and dad, my sister - everybody missed me. I was like, Man!' "

Bomb threat:

A bomb threat was called in to Philips Arena in Atlanta near the end of the game last Saturday. Shortly after the Hawks' 101-88 victory, coaches were informed of the situation. "I was made aware right after the game was over," Hornets coach Paul Silas told reporters. "The guys were in the shower and I told Big Shot [equipment manager Dave Jovanovic] to tell them what was going on. They didn't believe him at first. They thought it was some sort of a joke. So, I came in there and told them it was real. They moved pretty fast after that and we got on the buses and got out of there."

Goldie locks:

The Heat is a miserable 5-21 following last Friday's loss and Brian Grant is willing to try anything to help his team snap out of its funk.

Grant cut his dreadlocks. He hopes it will snap him out of his seasonlong malaise.

"Each and every player on the team has to look at his performance and decide if they're giving the team everything that they can give," said Grant to the media, who's averaging under 10 points and about seven rebounds. "I'm admitting it, putting it out there. I'm telling you right now, you're not getting Brian Grant out there. "

The big payback:

New Jersey coach Byron Scott was horrified to hear Jayson Williams, a former Net, suggest on NBC Scott had paid Kenyon Martin to put a hard foul on Karl Malone as payback for Malone's postgame last month: "My wife told me about that, too," Scott told reporters. "Somebody called her last night and asked her did she hear Jayson Williams said that I paid Kenyon Martin 50 bucks. If I'm going to play Kenyon Martin to take out somebody, it's going to be a lot more than $50, first of all. And that's a ridiculous statement. I mean, no way. I wouldn't pay my guys. I'm not that way, first of all. I wouldn't want anybody to take somebody out."

The handshake:

Knicks guard Latrell Sprewell provided the other big news of the week when he shook hands with P.J. Carlesimo for the first time in four years since he tried to choke his former Golden State coach.

Sprewell had opportunities in the past to do it but he said that he didn't want to be a hypocrite. However, time, distance and the New York revival of his career apparently caused him to soften his stance. Carlesimo was the color commentator for the NBC telecast. After the game, Sprewell was on his way to an ESPN Radio interview when he stopped at the table where Carlesimo was sitting. He said, "Merry Christmas," to Carlesimo. He offered his hand to Carlesimo. Carlesimo accepted, wishing him a happy holiday in return.

"It was so long ago," Sprewell told reporters. "Time heals all wounds. It's Christmas. We really should be thankful for a lot of things."

New coach:

Now that Dan Issel has resigned, because of an ethnic slur, assistant Mike Evans has taken over as interim head coach of the Denver Nuggets until further notice. General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe was faced with a decision.

"We're fine the way we are, but I might want to add an assistant coach," Vandeweghe told the Denver Post. "I have a few guys in mind that I would consider, but I don't want to name any names just yet. I haven't thought about it a lot because before today I still thought Dan [Issel] might be coming back."

There will be one immediate change. Vandeweghe said John MacLeod will join the bench staff full-time. MacLeod was hired in September as a consultant.

Vandeweghe played for MacLeod when he was coaching the New York Knicks. MacLeod also coached Dallas and Phoenix. Besides his NBA experience, MacLeod also coached Notre Dame and Oklahoma.

The administration also includes Clyde Drexler, who fills the role of Vandeweghe's special assistant. While Drexler has been involved in all aspects of running a pro basketball franchise, his attention also could be turned to the playing floor.

Evans began his stint as the official interim head coach with a 2-3 record while running the team in Issel's absence.

Lost opportunity:

Philadelphia had until Christmas Eve to use the medical exception they received for Matt Geiger, who retired last month with chronic knee problems. They did not. "We actively tried to figure out things," Larry Brown told reporters. "But nothing that we really wanted to do was available, and we didn't think there was anything that made our team better, or was physically or financially responsible."

Rumor mill:

Rumors have it that the Knicks will go after Magic coach Doc Rivers at the end of the season. Rivers said that he isn't going anywhere and he's under contact through 2004-2005.

"No way," Rivers told reporters. "Kris isn't leaving, so I'm not." Kris is Rivers' wife.

Streakers:

Houston's losing streak finally ended last week at 15. It was the longest since the move to Houston in 1971 and two shy of the franchise record set in the 1967-68 season. When the streak ended, confetti fell. Walt Williams fired the ball to the rafters. Cuttino Mobley stood at midcourt with his arms raised and prayed. Moochie Norris cried. "I never won a championship," Williams said. "It must be a feeling close to this."

New touch:

Minnesota's Kevin Garnett, a master of routine, has added a new touch to his free-throw shooting regimen.

Garnett now leaves the free-throw line to touch the basketball in the referee's hands before every set of free throws. He doesn't do it before every shot, just every set of shots.

Garnett explained to the media: "Everybody tries to get their own rhythm, whether it's shooting free throws or shooting 3-pointers. I can remember when Chris Webber used to do the little crank thing with his leg before he shot a 3, and it's very similar to that.

"It's working, it's going for me. And you know what? I'm not going to stop it. I think some of the refs get aggravated because it's slowing the game down and they're ready to get out of there, but it's working for me."

C'mon J-Will:

"With Jason Williams, you don't know what you are going to get," Clippers coach Alvin Gentry told reporters. "Nobody can deliver the ball like Jason. Not Jason Kidd. Not nobody. But the next time down the court, the ball might be in the fifth row. Don't get me wrong. I love watching him play. But I don't have to coach him. He makes plays that nobody makes, good and bad."

There were some anxious moments for Hornets players and coaches shortly after last Saturday?s 101-88 loss to Atlanta after a bomb threat was made to Philips Arena near the end of the game.

"I was made aware right after the game was over," Hornets coach Paul Silas said. "The guys were in the shower and I told Big Shot (equipment manager and Belmont Abbey alumnus Dave Jovanovic) to tell them what was going on. They didn?t believe him at first. They thought it was some sort of a joke. So, I came in there and told them it was real. They moved pretty fast after that and we got on the buses and got out of there."

Hornets forward P.J. Brown said it was the first bomb scare he could recall since he was in junior high in Winfield, La.

"It was kind of weird," Brown said. "But in these days and times, you just never know."

Charlotte guard Baron Davis said he took the threat seriously at first, unlike some of his other teammates.

"I hurried up and got the hell up out of there," said Davis, who was in elementary school in south central Los Angeles during the riots following the first Rodney King verdict.

After searching the arena, officials found no validity to the threat.

Home sweet home

The Los Angeles Clippers stretch of 27 home wins in 36 games is their best stretch since the early 1990s when Larry Brown was the team?s coach.

Brown feels confident this current Clippers? group, coached by Shelby?s Alvin Gentry, can continue the franchise?s renaissance.

"I?ve watched them," Brown said. "They?re terrific. They?re fun to watch, they?re doing great. There?s a lot of athletic teams in the league now but they?re way up there. And they?re young and they play with enthusiasm.

"I just think Elton Brand has made such an impact. He plays with effort, he gets you 19 and 10 or 11 rebounds every game. Never takes a lot of shots. Doesn?t make mistakes. That was a heck of a trade. And he?s a great character kid, which is something that every young team needs. When you?ve got a guy like him that comes to practice and works hard every game and every possession, it?s a tremendous teaching aide to young people."

Brand, the former Duke star, was acquired on draft night last June from the Chicago Bulls.

Riley still hopeful

Miami?s slow start this season has had Pat Riley going through a rollercoaster of emotions. At times, he wants to get rid of his entire team. At others, he?s hopeful of a playoff run.

"The Eastern Conference is so bizarre," said Riley, who has never missed postseason play in his 19 previous seasons as a head coach. "I will continue to believe we can make the playoffs until we can?t make it. We are only five games out. Think about how sick that is. We have lost 20 games already, and we are only five games out of a playoff spot."

Tough times in Portland

Following a Sports Illustrated story on how far the Portland Trail Blazers have fallen in terms of interest and standing in the community, things haven?t improved. In fact, Bonzi Wells has suffered even more.

Wells was quoted in the story saying, "We?re not really going to worry about what the hell they (Portland fans) think about us. They really don?t matter to us. They can boo us every day, but they?re still going to ask for our autographs if they see us on the street. That?s why they?re fans and we?re NBA players."

In the next home game after the story appeared, Wells was in uniform but did not play due to knee injury. However, during the game, a feature on the in-house replay screen asked players what their favorite Christmas gift was as a kid. When it came time to show Wells? taped response, the fans booed so loudly it could not be heard.

It's fun to wonder. It's human nature to ask, at times, "What if?"
Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders does both when he thinks back to the offer last summer to coach the Portland Trail Blazers. It's part of a career-long habit of pondering what he would do if he coached one team or another.

But after a Wolves franchise-best 19-9 start, he says he's glad he stayed put.

"I wouldn't have chosen Minnesota if I didn't think it was a better situation," said Saunders, who listed family comfort, love of the state and unfinished business with the team as factors for his decision to sign a contract extension with the Wolves.

There is nothing new in the Trail Blazers' role as the NBA flag-bearer for arrogance and insolence. They have made no secret about how little regard they have for anyone else. They have shown open disdain for the public with their behavior for several seasons and then actually went so far as to announce it last week.

Long ago, they were a nice, overachieving small market success story, beloved in Portland.

They have turned into boorish louts, treating anyone outside their private club with the scorn Rasheed Wallace shows officials.

When Sports Illustrated offered a look at the attitude of the Trail Blazers, Bonzi Wells gave the Blazers' way a face.

Big night for the Jazz: They overcome a 19-point first-quarter deficit and some serious first-team lethargy to beat the Trail Blazers, and in the process they finally reach a .500 plateau that a month ago looked a long way off.

How quickly things change, both in a season and a game.
   
A couple weeks ago the Jazz might have lost this game, as they did in previous blowout defeats at the hands of the Raptors, Hawks, Suns, Spurs and even these same Blazers.
   
But this team may have turned a corner, as evidenced by a 99-87 victory Thursday over Portland at the Rose Garden.
     
"First we wanted to win a couple games in a row, then we wanted to get to .500," said Utah's Karl Malone. "Now, who knows? Anything can happen."
     
You might not think a 15-15 record would be momentous for a team with the Jazz's tradition, but keep in mind this team has struggled mightily the past two months. They are not above taking pleasure in even a relatively minor moment.

Those fans and reporters in Portland are ready for something to take place with this team.  On Thursday, the Utah Jazz defeated the hapless Blazers after falling behind by 23 points IN THE FIRST QUARTER.

Can things get much worse for the team with the $85 million payroll that threatens to top $100 million next year?  

There was almost a shocked looked to everyone in the Blazers locker room. Nobody, it seemed, could believe things could go so bad.

The majority of the 19,310 at the Rose Garden were flooding the aisles to leave this wreck of a game with as much as four minutes left. Those who stayed booed as the final buzzer sounded.

"The ups and downs of Portland's enigmatic season are no longer coming game-to-game.  Now they are coming quarter-by-quarter."

Steve Luhm writes, "Forget all of the other numbers: John Stockton's 20 points and 11 assists. Karl Malone's 19 points, including 13 in the fourth quarter. Bryon Russell's 18 points, including a life-giving 11 in the second quarter, when the Jazz surged ahead after an early 23-4 deficit. Forget them all."

With less than three minutes left in the game Wednesday night, Kings center Vlade Divac stood around the bench area during a timeout spraying his teammates with a can of Enviro-Duster.

The air blasts, usually used by the radio crew to ward off talcum for the players' hands, were surprising to all. But maybe not as much as a suffocating Kings defense that limited the Portland Trail Blazers to a season-low point total in an 89-74 victory at Arco Arena.

Portland's Shawn Kemp is in the midst of changing the direction of his life and Cavs coach John Lucas is especially happy with the results.

"I'm glad to hear he's doing well," Lucas said. "He's in better shape and I'm so proud of him, not in a basketball sense but as a person."

Kemp, a five-time All-Star forward, told reporters in Portland that he is committed to taking care of his eight children with five women (the last three with his current wife, Marvena, with whom he lives in Portland), financially and as a father.

Kemp said some guilt lingers about leaving the Trail Blazers late in the 2000-01 regular season to enter a rehabilitation program.

"I felt like I let the team down from that standpoint," Kemp told the media. "Maybe late in the season, maybe in the playoffs, I could have helped the team. It was tough to leave the guys, but at the time, I was more worried about myself."

After several months in rehab, Kemp says he has conquered his substance-abuse problem. But he's not taking anything for granted.

"I would be a fool to say you are going to recover 100 percent and never have to worry about it," Kemp said. "There are certain steps I have to take, and I continue to do that. But I think I'll be fine. I'm drug-free. I don't drink. I have handled all my responsibilities. People have the right to feel however they feel about what I have done in the past, but I would hope they will judge me after seeing how I handle this year."

Kemp has taken care of financial obligations for the five children he fathered out of wedlock during the early years of his NBA career. He told reporters that he is trying to make a personal connection with each of the kids, who live in various parts of the country.

"It is my responsibility, and I have to take part in it," Kemp said. "That's how I was raised. You never just want to leave something up to a dollar figure; you want to be a part of someone's life. I have handled that the best I possibly could."

Kemp is averaging 5.6 points and 2.9 rebounds in 12 minutes a game. He is making $12.8 million this season, $21.5 million next season and $25 million in 2003-04.

"Of course I feel like I deserve more minutes, but this coaching staff is trying to get a feel for things, and it just hasn't been my time," Kemp told reporters. "I'm thinking there is going to be some time during the season when they are going to have to come to me. It's up to me to be ready."

Another All-Star slight:

Jason Kidd is just fifth among guards in the early balloting for the Eastern Conference All-Star team. And that has coach Byron Scott hot.

"People are crazy," Scott told the media. "They're not watching. You have to be damn near blind to have him fifth. There's a lot of competition [among the guards], but he's the best point guard in the league, period. East, West, North, South, I don't care where you go. He's the best point guard in the league."

Out for the count:

Orlando's Grant Hill continues to have trouble with his left ankle. Hill had surgery last week. The purpose of the surgery was primarily to remove spurs, which doctors insist aren't related to his previous surgery, but also to make multiple incisions into the site of the previous surgery and pack them with proteins and enzymes that will help the healing process.

Hill said he expects to return healthy and ready next year.

Love isn't in the air:

Remember that "We are the world" and "I love you, you love me" theme between Allen Iverson and coach Larry Brown earlier this year? Take a closer look.

After practice last week, a practice that Iverson missed because of a reported injury, Brown had this to say: "We had everybody here but Allen, which is typical. We had a great practice. We had an amazing practice. They came in and worked hard. I loved it. But when you don't have everybody out here, you don't know [about the team's capabilities]."

Brown also had this to say about the disparity in shots between Iverson and his teammates: "We could have Michael Jordan out there, and if he just spotted up, I doubt he'd get the ball."

Team of the year:

The Wizards, with nine consecutive wins, are the second-hottest team in the NBA. This is their longest streak since 1982-83. "I've been here a long time and to have something like this and for it to mean something, this early in the season, and for us to be in the thick of things is great," point guard Chris Whitney told reporters. Added Jordan: "I felt this team could play well but I think we're surprising ourselves in terms of how everybody's fit into a role. We're starting to excel, and we're doing it successfully on the road and we're starting to exert some type of dominance here. I wouldn't say dominance but some comfort here. It's a big growth for us." The main reason the Wizards are playing well is Jordan's teammates have finally found out how to play with him - and vice versa.

Oak wants to go:

Chicago's Charles Oakley wants to leave the lowly Bulls and one of his preferred teams plays its home games in California.

"My door is open," Oakley told reporters. "Anything purple and gold coming down the street has a chance to come by my house. I wouldn't mind coming off the bench and playing 15 minutes, backing up Shaq [Shaquille O'Neal]. It's an investment not for the money, but for the ring, something you play your whole career for. . . . I don't want to be here. It's not good for no one - coach, players. You pick up bad habits losing. I haven't had bad habits in 17 years. It's like a lot of rock stars - a lot of them go to drugs or alcohol."

Hot Thomas:

Isiah Thomas was kicked out of the game against Toronto with 40 seconds left. Alvin Williams had clearly stepped out of bounds right in front of him (and referee Leon Wood) but it wasn't called. Then guard Jamaal Tinsley was called for fouling Mo Peterson on 3-point shot. It was a good call, but Reggie Miller appeared to have been fouled on a 3-point shot by Vince Carter shortly before that and it wasn't called.

"I will never understand how Morris Peterson can get more respect in this league than Reggie Miller on the same identical plays," Thomas told reporters. "The same identical plays."

With that, Thomas walked out of the post-game interview without taking more questions.

Oops:

With less than a minute left in the first quarter at Memphis, Milwaukee's Michael Redd pulled off his warmup jacket to enter the game, only to reveal that he had his jersey on backward. Redd looked horrified. "I'll never live that down," he told the media.

Words of wisdom:

After losing 14 straight games, the Rockets can still be one of the best teams in the NBA. All they have to do, Kelvin Cato said, is win their next 14. Wow, Kelvin, why didn't someone think of that sooner? "If we won every other game, nobody would say anything," Cato told reporters. "Now we lost 14 in a row. If we win 14 in a row, we'd be one of the best teams in the league."

Big man on court:

The Timberwolves' Gary Trent credits his build to large, strong bones. "I have noticed sometimes when [we] run pick and rolls, the other team's point guard won't run into me, he'll stop," Trent told reporters. "Point guards are little dudes, shoulders separate easy on those guys. Or on a downscreen, instead of a man coming down the middle, he'll loop around me real far. But all that does is create an open shot for one of my teammates."

How to defend Shaq:

Golden State forward Danny Fortson was forced to line up against O'Neal last week. It was a long night.

"It is tough, tough, tough. I thought that I could move him, but I guess I was wrong," Fortson told the media. "I tried, but it didn't work. Maybe it was the back-to-back but I don't know. Maybe he is just really heavy. I couldn't budge him."

L.A. heat:

For some reason, O'Neal gets up for the Clippers and center Michael Olowokandi. The Lakers crushed the Clippers, 110-80, last week and Shaq was very satisfied.

"They have a lot of talent over there but we run this city," O'Neal told reporters. "We run this building. As long as I'm here, that's how it's going to be."

Santa Kemp:

Kemp has run his Christmas program for needy kids for nine years, dating to his Seattle days. Kemp, his wife and a friend personally wrapped all 400 gifts given out last weekend. "It's a way of putting a smile on some kid's face," Kemp says. "It's just a joyful feeling. I have a lot of fun with it."

Look out:

The biggest surprise in Portland this season has been Steve Kerr, a throw-in in the Steve Smith-Derek Anderson trade. Kerr has shot superbly and is the team's top backcourt reserve. Coach Mo Cheeks told the media: "He's been unbelievable. He is one of my favorite players, and I didn't know that until he got here. Playing on the great teams he played on, he learned how to play basketball. He has a basketball mind. He prepares himself to play every night, in practice and games. Every time he's on the court, even if he doesn't make a shot, he does something positive. The guy is a basketball player."

C-Webb:

Chris Webber's sprained ankle continues to bother him. He missed the first 20 games, came back for six, then bailed last Wednesday at Seattle. He tweaked the ankle during the first quarter of the 102-98 victory Tuesday vs. Detroit. He got up limping after a drive to the basket and showed signs of being limited the entire evening, even though he scored 19 points, grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds and had three steals.

Artwork:

Seattle guard Desmond Mason is such an established artist that Mason has signed a deal with Fleer to draw copies of 10 players: (Webber, Iverson, Ray Allen, Carter, Kevin Garnett, O'Neal, Kobe Bryant, Baron Davis, Steve Francis and himself. Mason will draw them on a large piece of paper, then Fleer will scan the drawing, downsize it and create cards. They will only make 500 copies, something his agent negotiated so that the cards will be considered collector's items.

Trick baby:

Seattle coach Nate McMillan put a bad move on his team last week when he told his players that if they executed the final play and made the basket, he would cancel the next day's practice.

So Rashard Lewis took a pass at the top of the key and hit a turnaround jump shot. He ran to the other end of the court with his arms in the air as his teammates joyously mobbed him. "I lied to them," McMillan told the media. "There's no way they are getting tomorrow off with Sacramento coming in. But they fell for it."