Lebron James' 0-for-8 second half in the Cavalier's 102-94 loss to the Washington Wizards was enough to warrant the boobirds in Cleveland on Friday night.  James' struggles didn't get any better from the free throw line either, going 4-for-12 during the same span.

After missing a shot from the wing with five seconds remaining, he angrily ripped off his headband, threw it into the crowd and walked off the court.

"I put all the blame on myself," said James. "It was a bad performance by me."

The Washington Post is reporting that all appears to be well between Wizards Etan Thomas and Brendan Haywood after the two had an altercation during practice two days ago.

Haywood didn't start against the Timberwolves because he threw a punch during an otherwise "standard" practice altercation, according to a team source.

Thomas downplayed the altercation yesterday, calling it "a normal practice thing." He did not play against the Timberwolves, but that had nothing to do with what happened Monday, according to Coach Eddie Jordan.

"It was not a punishment, not at all," Jordan said. "It was not even close to being a punishment or anything like that. It was just the nature of the game [against Minnesota]."

Phoenix Suns guard Raja Bell has been replaced in the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout by Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas. Bell has been excused from the competition due to a family illness. The Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout will be held on NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by AOL, Feb.18 at Toyota Center in Houston.

Washington Wizards President of Basketball Operations Ernie Grunfeld announced today that third-year guard/forward Jarvis Hayes underwent successful surgery today to repair a non-healed right patella fracture.  Hayes will be reevaluated in six to eight weeks.   No timetable has been set for his return.  

?Jarvis is a big part of our team and it is unfortunate that this injury hasn?t healed properly,? said Grunfeld. ?After reviewing Jarvis? progress, it was decided that the best course of action was to have the injury surgically repaired.  We expect Jarvis to make a full recovery.?

Washington Wizards forward Gilbert Arenas has been named by NBA Commissioner David Stern to replace injured East All-Star Jermaine O?Neal (torn left groin) of the Indiana Pacers on the Eastern Conference roster for the 2006 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 19 at Toyota Center in Houston.

Arenas, in his fifth NBA season, is making his second consecutive All-Star appearance. East All-Star head coach Flip Saunders will determine which player will replace O?Neal in the starting lineup.

Knicks coach Larry Brown voted for all five Pistons starters to make the East All-Star team and at least three - Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton and Ben Wallace - made it as reserves, according to a league source. It is unclear if Rasheed Wallace will join them.

Toronto's Chris Bosh made the cut while the Nets' Jason Kidd and Washington's Gilbert Arenas did not make it, according to the source. Kidd or Arenas could be chosen by NBA commissioner David Stern as a replacement for Indiana's Jermaine O'Neal, who was voted a starter by the fans but will not play because of a groin injury.

The reserves will be announced on Thursday.

Washington Wizards guard Jarvis Hayes, who has missed the last 22 games with a fractured right patella, went through shooting drills for about an hour yesterday. It was one of the longest periods of on-court activity Hayes has engaged in since hurting the knee early in a game against the Los Angeles Lakers on Dec. 16.

"It's getting there," said Hayes, who missed the second half of last season after injuring the same knee.

Hayes, who played in 21 games with 13 starts, remains the team's fourth-leading scorer at 9.3 points per game. The team has no date for his possible return.

"He's progressing," Coach Eddie Jordan said. "There's going to be a telling point soon where we'll rev it up a little bit and say, 'Let's see if it's ready.' We need to see how it responds the next day and whether there is an aftereffect."