Scott Pitoniak of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reports: Syracuse forward and projected Top-3 pick in this year's NBA Draft Carmelo Anthony might decide to spend another year in college.

During a post-game newsconference after his Orangemen advanced to the Final Four yesterday with a 63-47 victory over Oklahoma, Anthony said that he didn't want this Final Four to be his last.

?This is my first time going to the Final Four and, hopefully, not my last.?

SU coach Jim Boeheim, seated one person away, chimed in, ?I?ll second that one.?

Later in the locker room, Anthony told a reporter, ?Take that as a hint.?

The NBA Early-Entry deadline is May 12th.

Liz Robbins of the New York Times reports: New Jersey Nets forward Kenyon Martin got some good news on Sunday.

Results from the MRI on his sprained right knee were negative.

"That's very good news," the Nets' president, Rod Thorn, said. "It looks like he'll miss tomorrow's game, but hopefully he'll be able to come back as quickly as possible."

Michael Olowokandi is a lock to land in Miami according to Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune. Olowokandi, who was supposed to command a salary near $10 million dollars a season, has watched his stock plummet due to inconsistent play and injuries.

Pat Riley, who has always coached teams with a dominant post player, is said to covet the seven-footer.

Olowokandi meanwhile, is said to have already purchased a home in Miami.

Because of a schedule conflicts brought on by an 82-game NBA season, Utah Jazz forward Karl Malone seldom has the opportunity to see his daughter, senior center Cheryl Ford of Louisiana Tech, play in person.

Ford said she expects her famous father to be in attendance for today?s game with LSU.

Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune reports that the Chicago Bulls? number one priority this summer is to acquire a small forward. Smith says the Bulls will likely target Sacramento forward Hedo Turkoglu, Golden State?s Mike Dunleavy, and Memphis?s Shane Battier.

Smith feels Turkoglu would be the easiest to acquire since the Kings will be hard pressed to give him an extension due to commitments to other players on the team. Instead of losing Turkoglu, who will become a restricted free agent at the end of next season, for nothing, he suggests that the Bulls could offer their number one pick in the draft, assuming it is not in the top 3, Dalibor Bagaric, and a second round pick to acquire the talented forward. Turkoglu is said to be unhappy about losing his job in the rotation to Jim Jackson.

"I know I can't complain too much because attitude is important and it would be stupid of me to get too upset when we are winning," said Turkoglu, averaging seven points in about 18 minutes a game. "I know the people back home [in Turkey]?my parents, the fans?they are wondering what is going on."

Dunleavy could be the next easiest option. While the Bulls seem to be committed to Jay Williams as their future point guard, the present starter is Jamal Crawford. Should the Warriors lose Gilbert Arenas to free agency, point guard would become a need position for the Warriors- who were desperate for Jay Williams last summer. The Bulls could offer Jay Williams in exchange for Dunleavy, solving a logjam at point guard for the Bulls and logjam at small forward for the Warriors.

"I'm happy where I'm at," Dunleavy said. "No matter how poorly I do or how bad things are, this is only my rookie season. As a rookie, I haven't really been able to play through my mistakes. So when it comes time next year or a time after that, I'm going to appreciate playing big minutes. This organization had its reasons for picking me, a lot of reasons that don't have to do with being rookie of the year. They're expecting more things down the road. In the meantime, I'll let everybody else pass their judgments."

Finally, Shane Battier could fit the bill. Jerry West is known for being a guru when it comes to the NBA draft, however, Memphis will lose its selection in this years draft if it isn?t number one overall. They will acquire Houston?s pick, but if they make the playoffs, West is out of the lottery. Chicago could offer its lottery pick, again under the assumption it is not in the top 3, and Marcus Fizer for the Houston pick and Battier.

Battier is becoming one of the NBA?s best shooters and would bring a good defender to Chicago.

"I knew I wouldn't be in the same situation as I was last year, playing 40 minutes, so I wanted to become a very efficient player," Battier said. "The guys on the team and the coaches appreciate what I bring. I just try to come out and be valuable for our team, not just take up space on the floor. I'm a little bit awkward, but I get the job done."

51? 51 points, are you kidding me? A few days ago I didn't think the Pacers could beat a high school team by 51. Granted the Bulls aren't the cream of the NBA crop but still, beating another professional team by 51 points (during what I am now calling a drought, not a slump) is unheard of. It is the biggest margin of victory in a NBA game this year. And almost more impressive it was done mostly by the bench, as each starter only played between one and two quarters. So how did this happen, and more importantly, what does it mean? Is this all Tim Haraway's doing? Will the Pacers get two win for their effort? Okay probably not, but it may be the final shove to get them back on track for one last run this season. Tonight the Pacers won again against a playoff team from "dominant" Western Conference, even though they were basically out played for most of the game. The Pacers won the hustle points as they got every loose ball and they played extraordinary defense. Eric Strickland stuck to Stephon Marbury like white on rice, in what possibly was the best defensive effort Marbury has ever faced (he scored only 10 points). Ron Artest finally showed us why he IS worth having on the team as he basically set the tempo on both ends of the court. The Pacers are beginning to look like the team that was once 33-13 (seems like along time ago doesn't it) the way they have played defense and have played unselfishly on offense. They are getting healthy, with the exception of Reggie who is still playing injured, and Tinsley who is having family problems; and seem to be getting a new spark of the bench from Tim Hardaway. Yes, there is finally some optimism for the Pacers, and isn't ironic the on the night they begin to look like their former selves, they clinch a playoff berth? Is it an omen, I hope so. Weekly Predictions: The Pacers are hot, this may be fun again! Last Week:2-2 Season Total:17-15 VS. Kings: This will show us what the Pacers are really made of. A win would be huge for both teams but the Pacers are at home where they seem to thrive. Pacers by 2. @ Cavs: Pacers don't "thrive" as much on the road, but the Cavs have basically mailed in the season and are looking for losses ? hey you would be too if it meant a chance at Lebron. Pacers by 1300(okay not really but you get the idea) @ Pistons: If the Pacers win the two aforementioned games this game will be the biggest to this point in the season. I'm sticking with Pacers even if it is on the road. Pacers by 1 (a Reggie Miller three, hopefully)

Utah played five of its last six games at the Delta Center after enduring a stretch in which it played 9-of-11 games on the road. During the four-game homestand, the Jazz posted victories over the LA Clippers, Boston, Portland and most recently Milwaukee to improve their overall home mark to an impressive 27-10.

However, the Jazz are about to embark on another road swing. The team plays its next three games in foreign gyms and five of its upcoming six, starting Saturday in San Antonio.

Jerry Sloan. Surely the Utah Jazz would lose some steam this season, what with John Stockton turning 41 and Karl Malone no longer playing like an All-Star.

Not as long as Sloan is the coach. He has taken a slightly altered cast - including Most Improved Player candidate Matt Harpring and No. 2 all-time assists leader Mark Jackson - and led the Jazz to its 18th consecutive winning season, the longest such streak in the NBA.

Sloan was suspended seven games for shoving an official, but it's his fire that has kept the Jazz among the West's elite.

Tim Duncan didn't need to bury a last-second turnaround jumper over Karl Malone. He had little reason to yell at the crowd. Or, disappointingly, shake his hips.

Compared to his last meeting with Utah, Duncan spent the end of Saturday's game in a much more relaxed state. He simply sat on the bench and stretched his legs.

Duncan got his work done early, scoring 30 points in the first three quarters before watching along with the sellout SBC Center crowd of 18,797 as the Spurs' reserves finished off a 101-81 rout for their 12th consecutive victory over the Jazz.

Miller is 27 and will become a restricted free agent this summer. He could sign for big money with another team ? say, if John Stockton retires in Utah, where he played college ball ? and the Clippers easily could deem it too expensive to match, and he's gone. End of Miller experiment. After one season.
     
"Who knows?" Miller said.
     
Elgin Baylor is the Clippers general manager who thought Miller would be the perfect addition. Which is not to blame Baylor. Most everyone else figured it was a smart deal.