When asked about Stromile Swift's subpar performances of late, coach Mike Fratello insisted Swift isn't operating a full strength.

His right knee still is bothersome.

"He's had so many shots point blank that he's not converted," Fratello said. "His lift is not what it's going to be eventually."

Swift acknowledged the pain when pressed about his tentative play on offense and why he hasn't become the shot-blocking force the team expected.

"I can't explode," he said. "It's humbling. The MRI and X-rays have been negative. They don't see anything and just say it's a sprained MCL. All I know is its still bothering me."

Three-day-old conjecture that All-Star Pau Gasol is available for a trade compelled team owner Michael Heisley to issue a public service announcement to the rest of the NBA.

"There's no damn way that anybody is going to trade Pau Gasol," Heisley said, his voice booming through the telephone. "I'm telling you that ain't going to happen. That's out the window."

Heisley reacted Tuesday to growing speculation generated first by a New York report that said the Boston Celtics had inquired about Gasol.

"Here's a scoop," Heisley said. "I'm going to contact Cleveland to try and get LeBron James. So put in the paper that Cleveland's interested in getting rid of LeBron James.

"Why would we trade our franchise player? Just like why would the Lakers trade Kobe Bryant? Why would Cleveland trade LeBron James? That's not going to happen. We're not trading Pau."

Heisley said he's confident Gasol would remain a Grizzly for a long time, even with the team's pending sale.

While Pau Gasol follows the trade rumors, Memphis owner Michael Heisley doesn't need to.

"There's no damn way that anybody is going to trade Pau Gasol," Heisley said, his voice booming through the telephone. "I'm telling you that ain't going to happen. That's out the window."

Heisley said that he expects Gasol to be part of the franchise regardless of who owns it.

"Here's a scoop," Heisley said. "I'm going to contact Cleveland to try and get LeBron James. So put in the paper that Cleveland's interested in getting rid of LeBron James.

"Why would we trade our franchise player? Just like why would the Lakers trade Kobe Bryant? Why would Cleveland trade LeBron James? That's not going to happen. We're not trading Pau."

While NBA fans follow the Pau Gasol trade rumors, also paying close attention to them is Pau Gasol himself.

"It's not the first time that my name appears in the rumor section of the NBA," Gasol said. "It's not something that worries me at this time although I am following the story from the press.

"The only thing that has changed with respect to the past is the delicate situation of the Grizzlies in terms of results, as well as the changes that have taken place within the offices with the change of ownership.

"My aim right now is to return to play and help the Grizzlies win games," Gasol said. "I will soon return to train with the team. It's not a question of whether I want to play for the Grizzlies or not."

League sources indicate that the Grizzlies could do a deal that would send Mike Miller to the Los Angeles Clippers for Corey Maggette.

The Clippers need a perimeter shooter and the Grizzlies could use Maggette's toughness on offense.

According to a source that spoke with Peter Vecsey, Danny Ainge has made several trade offers to the Memphis Grizzlies with the hope of acquiring Pau Gasol.

Gasol has begun running sprints and is expected to return in a few weeks.

Damon Stoudamire was surprised to read a report on Saturday in the Miami Herald that mentioned his name as a point guard that could be dealt to Miami.  So was head coach Mike Fratello.

"What are we going to do? Have Jake (Tsakalidis) bring the ball up court?" Fratello said jokingly.

Miami has a shortage of healthy point guards, but so does Memphis, who just lost Kyle Lowry for an extended amount of time.

For the first time this season, Heat coach Pat Riley publicly acknowledged that his search for a boost to get his struggling team going might extend beyond the team's roster.

Injuries and inconsistent play have hampered the Heat through a 4-8 start. Along the way, Riley has changed his starting lineup, his strategy and, he said, his patience level with the team's sporadic play.

Next could be a roster change, possibly at point guard, where Jason Williams and Gary Payton are battling knee injuries and Dwyane Wade has, at times, been overextended while logging extensive minutes at both guard positions.

Asked before Friday's game if it might be time to consider a roster move to land a veteran point guard, Riley said: ``Probably. Yeah. I think, probably. You've gotta do your due diligence. And plus, I'm not going to make any kind of lateral move.

``It's gotta be somebody who can play. I can play Dwyane there. I'd rather have a 50 percent Dwyane as a point guard than somebody who can't play.''

Riley already has gotten a close-up look at two potential veteran point guards the Heat might consider pursuing.

Seattle Sonics reserve Earl Watson has been unhappy with his inconsistent playing time.

Memphis' Damon Stoudamire and Atlanta's Tyronn Lue might also be attractive options because both are playing on short, relatively inexpensive contracts and fit Riley's win-now, rebuild-later philosophy.

''We've got a long list,'' Riley said.

Memphis coach Mike Fratello was proud of the Grizzlies' defense. But he didn't get carried away about holding Washington's Gilbert Arenas to just three points.

"We defended for four quarters consistently ... but you also have to take into account that you caught him on a night when things would not fall for him," Fratello said after Memphis' 95-80 victory Friday night.

Grizzlies rookie guard Kyle Lowry could miss most of the season after fracturing his left wrist on Tuesday night in a loss at Cleveland.

Lowry's left wrist was placed in a cast after he was injured in the second quarter. The official release states he will "be out indefinitely." But Grizzlies coach Mike Fratello said before Friday night's game against the Wizards that Lowry's absence will be extensive.