All Star Game Hot Topic

What will the HOT TOPIC be at the All-Star game? According to Marc Stein of ESPN.com: "I'd say it's an off-the-board lock that the question every player gets over and over in Vegas will be John Amaechi-related. Or, more specifically: How would you handle an openly gay teammate?

The problem?

This is one of those questions that, hard as anyone tries, probably can't be answered conclusively until there actually is an openly gay NBA player.

There will naturally be plenty of tangible responses to the question to record or scribble down, but this would be one of those subjects where pretty much everyone is speculating. Steve Nash said it pretty well Thursday when he offered: "It's a very difficult situation to envision at this point because we haven't faced it."

No less an expert than Amaechi voiced that uncertainty back in 2002, years before revealing anything. In a Scotland on Sunday interview, Amaechi said at the time: "It would be like an alien dropping down from space. There'd be fear, then panic. [The NBA] just wouldn't know how to handle it."

My suspicion is that, even though he was exaggerating some, Amaechi is not far off, unless you believe something has changed in the five years since he made the argument.

I doubt it. Not inside NBA locker rooms."

Read more of Stein's article.

Carmelo Going to All Star Game Anyway

From ESPN.com: "Carmelo Anthony is going to the All-Star Game after all.

	Howard

	Anthony

The NBA's leading scorer was picked by commissioner David Stern on Friday as an injury replacement and will make his first All-Star game appearance on Feb. 18 in Las Vegas.

Anthony said he was not bothered being named as an injury replacement.

'It's still the All-Star Game, it still feels great, and I'm going to make the best out of it.'

Stern also added Dallas forward Josh Howard to the Western Conference team. He needed to replace Houston center Yao Ming and Utah forward Carlos Boozer, who will be unable to play because of injuries.

Anthony averages an NBA-high 30.8 points, but wasn't voted in by the fans and then wasn't chosen as a reserve by West coaches. He was undoubtedly hurt by missing 15 games when Stern suspended him for his role in the brawl at Madison Square Garden in December.

'I was remaining optimistic a little bit,' Anthony said. 'I wish it would have happened earlier. I didn't want to think about it that much, but I'm glad it happened. It's an honor.'

But Stern said he would not consider Anthony's penalty when deciding whether to consider him for a replacement spot.

'I guess it's a forgive and forget type of situation," Anthony said. 'I'm glad he did.'"

To read more, go to ESPN.com

Injury Update: Paul Pierce Has Elbow Infection

From the Associated Press: "Celtics forward Paul Pierce, who has missed 22 games and all of Boston's franchise-record 14-game losing streak, was sent home from Detroit on Tuesday because of swelling in his left elbow and a low-grade fever.

Pierce hasn't played since Dec. 20. He was diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left foot the next day and was expected to miss two to three weeks, but only recently resumed light practicing with the team.

Pierce went with the team to Detroit, though he was not expected to play against the Pistons. He was sent home before Tuesday morning's shootaround to meet with the team physician.

Entering Tuesday's game against Detroit, Boston was 2-20 since Pierce went out."

Read more on CBSSportslines.com

LeBron Wants More Fastbreaks

News on the Cavs from CBSSportsline.com: "With their offense sputtering during a rough stretch of an up-and-down season, some of the Cavaliers, most prominently James, are questioning the club's defense-oriented philosophy.

James, whose scoring average is down five points from last season, believes the Cavs would be better off playing at a faster pace, pushing the ball up the floor to quicken the game's tempo and score more points.

Larry Hughes has the same opinion, as do other Cleveland players.

That contradicts Brown's offensive style -- a deliberate, half-court flow of screens and patience he learned working on San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich's staff -- a system that helped the Cavs advance in last season's playoffs.

James, though, feels it's time for a change. It's time to run."

Read more on CBSSportsline.com

Pistons Winning on the Road

From CBSSportsline, "Chauncey Billups scored 18 points, Chris Webber and Wallace had 15 apiece and the Pistons reminded Cleveland who's the boss in the NBA Central with a 90-78 win over the Cavaliers on Sunday.

Billups added 10 assists, Wallace 13 rebounds and the division-leading Pistons won their fifth straight regular-season game over the Cavaliers, who pushed them to seven games in last year's playoffs.

With their third win in a row, the Pistons improved to 15-9 outside Michigan's state lines and are the only team in the Eastern Conference with a winning road record."

Payton Suspended One Game

From the AP: "Miami Heat guard Gary Payton was suspended one game without pay Monday for talking back to an official who ejected him during a win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday.

Payton will serve the suspension Monday night when Miami hosts the Charlotte Bobcats.

The incident occurred late in the second quarter on Saturday, when Payton, starting in place of the injured Jason Williams, was ejected by official Mark Davis for arguing a call. Before leaving the floor, Payton leaned in close and said something to Davis. The Heat won the game 117-98.

The 16-year veteran is averaging 5.6 points and 2.9 assists this season, both career lows."

Ben Wallace Ready to Play Against Sonics

From the AP, via ESPN.com - news on Center Ben Wallace, of the Bulls: "Ben Wallace surprised the Chicago Bulls by going from uncomfortable Friday morning to ready to test his bruised knee that night against the Seattle SuperSonics.

Ben Wallace

Center Chicago Bulls Profile

2007 SEASON STATISTICS GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT% 43 6.5 10.1 2.2 .455 .409

The head of Miami's Udonis Haslem hit Wallace's left knee late in last Saturday's win. The center and rebounding force missed the opener to Chicago's seven-game trip Wednesday at the Los Angeles Clippers. Then at the Bulls' shootaround Friday morning, he told trainer Fred Tedeschi and coach Scott Skiles that he was 'uncomfortable' moving laterally.

But after riding an exercise bike during the day, Wallace told Skiles, 'I'm ready.'

'I like to be prepared,' Wallace said, sliding compression wraps over both knees in the locker room about 75 minutes before tipoff.

Skiles said there is concern for now over Wallace being able to play in back-to-back games, but Chicago doesn't have those until Thursday and Friday at Sacramento and Golden State. The Bulls' next game is Sunday at Utah.

'He said he's going to communicate with me if he's not feeling well. He's lying,' Skiles joked.

Wallace, who signed with the Bulls as a free agent in July, is averaging 6.5 points and 10.1 rebounds this season."

More NBA All-Star Drama for 'Melo

Tony Mejia, from CBSSportsline.com, reports on more All-Star drama for 'Melo: "Dilemmas, dilemmas.

On the one hand, David Stern has the fans to think about. They, after all, are who this All-Star Game is for, and they want to see Carmelo Anthony.

More than 1.3 million fan votes were cast for 'Melo, making him the highest vote-getter not to have his ticket to Vegas punched.

On the other hand, Stern has to concern himself with cleaning up the game. It's one thing if the fans chose to overlook Anthony's Dec. 16 actions that got him suspended for 15 games, or if coaches respected his excellence and voted him in. But instead, the Denver star's fate lies in Stern's hands.

Now, Stern has to do the right thing, and that's to not look like hypocrite when he selects two injury replacements for the Western Conference team.

Because the league office's punishment of Anthony in mid-December was so harsh, Anthony missed one-third of the action these All-Star selections are supposed to be based on. Despite being the NBA's leading scorer, Anthony hasn't done enough to merit a spot on a very crowded West roster, because he hasn't played enough.

And although Anthony wrote a nice letter to Denver fans before his return and took his punishment like a man, without an appeal, the fact is that his actions in the Knicks/Nuggets brawl are part of his first-half résumé. The punch-slap, the scurrying backward, the losing his mind -- all of it.

Stern has said he doesn't expect to take Anthony's suspension into consideration, but how can he not?"

To read more, go to CBSSportsline.com

Hot Rumors

From FOXSports.com's Ben Maller: "Knicks coach Isiah Thomas has gone out of his way on several occasions to praise the Detroit organization this season. Some have theorized that he is keeping his options open in case Flip Saunders does not return as Pistons coach."

Read more on Ben Maller's page!

Carmelo Anthony Out of All Stars

From ESPN.com "One bad night may have overshadowed all the good Carmelo Anthony has done this season.

The NBA's leading scorer was not among the seven reserves announced Thursday night for the Western Conference team that will play in the NBA All-Star Game.

Denver teammate Allen Iverson was chosen, extending his streak of All-Star appearances to eight. He started the last seven games while playing for Philadelphia. Anthony, who is averaging 31.3 points but missed 15 games while suspended for his role in the brawl at Madison Square Garden, was the most obvious omission.

Earlier Thursday, Anthony said he hoped his suspension wouldn't prevent him from earning his first All-Star spot.

'I hope no one holds that over my head over anything,' he said. 'Things happen. One incident like that is held over one person's head, life ain't fair.

'I did my punishment. I could've easily kept my name out there by appealing it and doing other stuff about it, but I just did my 15 games suspension and hopefully put that behind us.'"

Read more on ESPN.com

Suns, Mavs, Rockets Playing Well

From cbssportsline.com: " The opening month of 2007 belonged to Phoenix, which managed to avoid defeat until its final game, winning 15 of 16 in January. The Suns also strung together a 17-game winning streak from Dec. 29 through Jan. 28.

Top five teams: 1. Phoenix Suns; 2. Dallas Mavericks; 3. Houston Rockets; 4. Toronto Raptors; 5. Washington Wizards.

Phoenix captured the imagination of the league again, surpassing the 15-game winning streak it launched in December by going on yet another run in January. The Suns (15-1) matched the best January record in NBA history, tying the 1962-63 Lakers.

Only Phoenix's excellence could prevent the Mavericks (14-2) from enjoying the top spot, but Dallas still managed to maintain the NBA's best overall record.

Houston was strong, winning 10 of 14 games despite the absence of Yao Ming, getting everyone else to pitch in just a little more to make it work. It helped that Tracy McGrady returned to the top of his game, vying for Player of the Month honors.

A great story began to develop north of the border, where Toronto (10-5) used its winningest month in years to climb up to .500, finishing January a game ahead of New Jersey in the Atlantic Division. They beat the Wizards (10-5) at home on Jan. 31 to edge them out for the No. 4 spot, but that bunch has nothing to hang its heads about, either. As February begins, surprising Washington sits atop the Eastern Conference."

To read more, go to the article on CBS Sportsline.com

Utah Jazz - Boozer Out

From cbssportsline.com: "Scratch Carlos Boozer off your MVP ballot.

Boozer's breakout season hit a major snag Wednesday when MRI results taken over the weekend revealed a hairline fracture in his left knee. He'll be out at least a month.

The Jazz power forward was injured when he inadvertently knocked knees with the Hornets' Tyson Chandler while defending an entry pass. The knee swelled up immediately despite not looking like too severe an injury, and Boozer has been on crutches since.

Boozer, likely to be named to the All-Star team by Western Conference coaches when reserves are announced Thursday night, will certainly miss the game, opening up yet another spot on the West team. That means you should expect Shawn Marion to make a victorious return to Vegas, his old college town."

Read more on CBS Sportsline.com