Gary Payton is complaining about the playing time given to him by Lakers coach Phil Jackson. With the ability to opt out of his contract in the offseason, Payton may want to take his services elsewhere if he doesn't agree with the team's philosophy.

"I don't get it, but that's the way it is," Payton said. "This is his team. He's got to coach it the way he's going to coach it. Then I have to deal with it and I'll make a decision where I'll go from there.

"I've got to weigh a lot of things. Do I want to go back to being the guy I want to be, dominating on the ball, getting more looks, helping the team win? I'll weigh all that in the thing. I've got to go to a coach that's going to let me do that or whatever. I'm going to have to weigh it in at the end of the year, if I want to come back and try that. But right now, I'm not comfortable with that."

Celtics President Danny Ainge is planning to re-shape the team's direction.

"I got a lot of feedback last year in my conversations with players and agents, and they told me some interesting things," Ainge told the Boston Herald. "They told me they didn't like the way the Celtics play and they didn't like the weather and the media and fan pressures in Boston. And guys just didn't like a team that had players that didn't share the ball. Those were the sad realities of what I discovered when I took over.

"So I figured there's nothing I can do about the weather and nothing I can do about the media scrutiny, but we can do something about the style of play. We had to create an environment that people want to come to."

Warriors Center Erick Dampier could be a hot commodity in this summer's free agent market. Not only is he having the best season of his career, but he will also have the opportunity to opt out of the final two years, $17 million of his contract.

Dampier, second in the NBA in offensive rebounds per game (4.5), fifth in field goal percentage (.516) and sixth in double-doubles (31), is not showing his hand about what he wants to do after this season. But it's clear he's going to look around.

"I'm going to make that decision sometime this summer," said Dampier. "Right now, my goal is to finish the season strong and see what happens."

Vin Baker spent two days in Miami last week meeting with Heat president Pat Riley to discuss a possible contract offer, according to an ESPN.com report citing NBA sources.

Aaron Goodwin, Baker's agent, was quoted in the report as saying he expected his client to sign with a team ``by Tuesday at the latest.''

Ex-NBA player A.C. Green was asked whether he thought today's NBA compared to the game that he played in the 80's.

"Today's game in this league isn't even comparable to 10 years ago, 15 years ago, by any stretch of the imagination," Green said. "The only common denominator is the ball is round. The athletes are more talented across the board, but it's not the same approach or respect for the game."

Dion Glover has found a home. A day after clearing waivers, the former Hawks guard signed a contract with the Toronto Raptors for the rest of the season. Glover asked for his release from the Hawks Wednesday with the intent of joining a contender.

"They're going to make the playoffs, and I've never had the chance at the playoffs in Atlanta," Glover told reporters in Toronto.

One of the many problems the Knicks are struggling through during their current five-game losing streak is a lack of defensive intensity. Dikembe Mutombo feels the problem could be linked to his recent benching.

"My own observation from the sideline is I realize after 50-something games my teammates got used to having somebody who is an intimidator in the back," Mutombo said, trying to sound diplomatic. "I think they're kinda confused defensively because we didn't practice all of this."

Adding insult to injury: Not only is Mutumbo buried on the bench, there is speculation that he may be released if the Knicks sign Vin Baker. Cutting Mutombo after tomorrow would be especially cruel since it would prohibit Mutombo from qualifying for a postseason roster.

The Pistons were fined $200,000 last week for what amounts to little more than a miscommunication. The Pistons thought their two new players ? Rasheed Wallace and Mike James ? were eligible to play because they hadn?t heard otherwise from the league. The league said the onus was on the Pistons to call and find out whether the deal was complete. Is that really a $200,000 offense? It?s absurd. It presupposes that the Pistons were trying to pull a fast one, trying, in essence, to cheat.

McCoskey calls the fine "Garbage"

If the league wants to fine someone, why not fine New Jersey president Rod Thorn? Tell me this isn?t tampering:

Thorn, when he heard that the Hawks were about to send Wallace to the Pistons, made two phone calls to Atlanta General Manager Billy Knight, trying to talk him out of doing the deal. He told Knight that it was a horrible mistake for the Hawks and that they would be better served using Wallace in a sign-and-trade deal over the summer. Fortunately for the Pistons, Knight and Dumars have an excellent working relationship and Knight rejected Thorn?s self-serving advice. But isn?t that tampering? Isn?t that a finable offense?

WASHINGTON (AP) Wizards swingman Jerry Stackhouse plans to sit out the remainder of the year to rest his ailing left knee.

Stackhouse's latest injury was caused by overcompensating for his injured right knee, which kept him out for most of the season and never fully healed.

He talked with Coach Eddie Jordan and his teammates after he scored 20 points in 31 minutes of play in Saturday's 122-110 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, and that they support his decision.

``They see me laboring out on the floor,'' Stackhouse said. ``It takes a toll on my whole body. ... I've got to get back to being Jerry Stackhouse.''

Stackhouse, the Wizards' leading scorer last season, played his first game of the season Feb. 1 against Cleveland, and averaged 10.6 points per game in 11 games before his 20-point effort Saturday.

He said after Saturday's game that he rushed his return to the lineup.

``I've got to start thinking with my head instead of my heart,'' he said.

Stackhouse's exit means the Wizards are without their leading scorer from last year and this year. Larry Hughes had been averaging nearly 19 points a game before going on the injured list earlier this month with a broken left wrist.

WASHINGTON (AP) Wizards swingman Jerry Stackhouse plans to sit out the remainder of the year to rest his ailing left knee.

Stackhouse's latest injury was caused by overcompensating for his injured right knee, which kept him out for most of the season and never fully healed.

He talked with Coach Eddie Jordan and his teammates after he scored 20 points in 31 minutes of play in Saturday's 122-110 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, and that they support his decision.

``They see me laboring out on the floor,'' Stackhouse said. ``It takes a toll on my whole body. ... I've got to get back to being Jerry Stackhouse.''

Stackhouse, the Wizards' leading scorer last season, played his first game of the season Feb. 1 against Cleveland, and averaged 10.6 points per game in 11 games before his 20-point effort Saturday.

He said after Saturday's game that he rushed his return to the lineup.

``I've got to start thinking with my head instead of my heart,'' he said.

Stackhouse's exit means the Wizards are without their leading scorer from last year and this year. Larry Hughes had been averaging nearly 19 points a game before going on the injured list earlier this month with a broken left wrist.