Bill Walton: Good afternoon wherever you may be -- I can say that it's afternoon because I'm in Bristol, Connecticut today! Who would have ever thought?? It's a week here at the mothership for me in early January. My lovely typer and I are sitting in the conference room of the ESPN.com building and never have i felt more comfortable, never have i felt more relaxed. I walked in the room to find a gigantic gong and I feel more at home right now than ever. So many things going on, the ball is in the air. Let's get going! Who wants to throw it down today?!

Jason (Cleveland, OH): thanks for chatting, bill! how does the larry hughes injury affect the cavs, and how do you think they will deal with their loss of him for the next 6-8 weeks?

BILL WALTON: With all due respect to the Nuggets and Suns triple overtime thriller, the game of the night last night was NY - Cleveland. I watched the entire array of games last night on the tens of TVs in the war room.... I realized then that i have to get home and re-do my home entertainment system at Club Red. .... But Cleveland has some problems. Thats a game they should have won. Flawed by the inability to put the Knicks away. I'm not sure why Cleveland is intent on walking the ball up the court and calling set plays when you have the game's greatest open court player -- maybe in history. LeBron is so big and so powerful, so mobile, so explosive, so dominant. I understand that Mike Brown comes from the Greg Pop school, but even Pop, once he got Tony and Manu, realized that you have to open it up. The Larry injury just exposes another weakness. Cleveland hasn't made the playoffs in 7 or 8 years. They are in the fourth spot now, that's all well and good, but you have to be able to win your home games against storied opponents.

BILL WALTON: With Damon Jones self-obsession, with Donyell Marshall's infatuation with the 3 and a lack of explosiveness, Cleveland is in a very precarious position. Wilkes has been doing a nice job off the bench but you still need to have the court/stage presence to be able to control the moment. When you look around the NBA -- Pistons, Spurs, Heat -- they have that, they know what it takes when it's time to screw things down and ensure the victory. That is where the challenge for Mike Brown and LeBron and whoever else believes they are a critical component to what one day will be a Cleveland championship team. They were far from it last night as it was the Knicks who played with more poise, determination and a great sense of self-identity. Who would have ever thought that we would link that last sentence to the New York Knicks.

Anthony (Chicago): Bill, I saw you on ESPN2 this morning on Mike and Mike. You mentioned Iverson never had a great second man to play with. It looks like Chris Webber is the best he'll do in his career. What are you thoughts on CWebb and on whether or not the Sixers might find a way to win at the highest level?

SportsNation Bill Walton: Chris Webber has been a historical level figure. But, age and injuries have taken a decimating toll. While it would have been very nice to see a young, healthy, dynamic C-Webb team up with AI, that's just not the way it is. With Philly being an awful defensive team and with a tough mix of aging vets who are unable to practice much. ... A young core of talented hopefuls -- Korver, Iggy, Dal -- where's the vision for Philly, where is the light. Where is the dreeam going? While we can all identifiy with Greg Boeck's fantastic USA Today feature cover story on AI's maturity and prevails, it's difficult for the fans to identify and relate to what is going on with this Philly team. One of the stunning turns in my research this week as I prepare for Boston at Philly on Friday night (ESPN) was that Boston and Philly -- two charter franchises -- are in the bottom six in home attendance.

SportsNation Bill Walton: While Boston is facing issues of conflicting directions between ownership and da-to-day management with Paul Pierce and Davis having statistically their best seasons -- the fans are throwing up their hands and saying, 'hey, we've seen this, we want better.'' With the best basketbal around the league being played by Detroit, San An, Phoenix, New Jersey and Memphis, the historically core fan base of the NBA in cities like Boston, Philly, NY, Chicago and L.A., the leauge is facing a realistic possibility that most of those teams may not even make the playoffs. As a fan ... all I ever wanted in life was more. So, with great admiration and respect for what Iverson and Webber and Philly have done I would like to see the Sixers on court performances move in the direction of what is happening in Phoenix. ... Which is playing the best and most exciting/entertaining style of basketball of any team in the league right now.

SportsNation Bill Walton: All that said, I'm definitely looking forward to the confrontation on Friday night -- Boston - Philadelphia. Russell - Chamberlain. What more could a man ask for??

Alex (Miami): Peace, love & prosperity to you, Mr. Walton. Do you think Shaq still has it in him to be the most dominant player in the NBA? Or do you think that age & weight have finally caught up with him?

Ron (Shrewsbury): With the number of injuries and his weight problems, can Shaq ever get back his dominate self, or his he hiding this by "letting" Flash be the focus of the O?

SportsNation Bill Walton: Shaq, sadly at this point in his career, seems to be in decline. And, worse yet, appears to be losing interest with apparently the approach that they'll just take care of business during the playoffs. I did the game last week in Phoenix where we saw diverging currents of nba history. Will Shaq be able to turn it on once the playoffs arrive? His situation is very analogous to a great boxer at the end of his career. It's always said about those great pugilists that they lose it in between the fights. The amount of preparation, sacrifice, commitment, etc to all the things necessary to get to where Shaq once was is going to have to be there again for the hope, dream and vision of what Pat Riley has put together. They brought in all of Shaq's friends. And I'm sure it's a great time! At the end of the day, maybe it will work, because while everyone talks about San An and Detroit being locks for another head-to-head confrontation, Miami and Phoenix are the most likely teams to disrupt your early summer travel plans.

SportsNation Bill Walton: While Shaq is not the player that he once was, I'm old enough to remember when the numbers for what Shaq puts up for a whole game these days used to be his first quarter numbers. I'm also old enough to know that if anyone can do it, Shaq is the one. Because, there is no one in this era who really has the stage presence of Shaquille O'Neal. That ability to combine all the elements of what it takes to win the toughest of games. While Miami can take great pride in handing the Trailblazers the second worse defeat in the history of the Rose Garden, and as the Heat take on a Golden State team tonight that appears so desparate that they are willing to take a wild ride with Ron Artest, the entire heat franchise has to be aware that they can't wait too long or else Pat Riley is going to be looking around and asking himself -- Boy, life with the family at home sure sounds pretty nice.

Jason (NAPA): When will the Pacers let go of artest and most importantly when will the warriors get him?

SportsNation Bill Walton: Artest. We have been overwhelmed here at ESPN.com with the interest in Ron Artest. The gammut of emotions scan the entire spectrum from ''We gotta have this guy'' to ''Theres no way I' would buy a ticket to see this guy'', to ''Larry Bird is reallly a hick from french lick for wanting to get rid of this incredible guy'', to Larry has the greatest level of credibility in his willingness to sacrifice short-term gain to what is in the best interst for his beloved Pacers.

SportsNation Bill Walton: I will take a few moments to address Ron Artest and his sad, disapointing, embarrassing and unfortunate situation. ... Ron Artest has taken what Rodman and Sheed once were to new depths. Ron Artest has serious problems. This man simply can't help himself. One on one, he is a very likeable, gentle soul. But Ron Artest's life has always been about disruption. Every aspect of it. You can never get by that.

SportsNation Bill Walton: Ron lives in his own world of crazed weirdness. So, his next destination -- if indeed there is one -- will have to be an equally crazed, weird place of desperation. There is no question of Ron Artest's innate basketball and athletic competitive skills. While I acknowledge that with Ron, there is always short-term gain, at the end of the day, you can't count on the guy for anything. So, why on earth would you ever give up anything of real value to acquire him?? Ron Artest has placed himself on the same road to oblivion as Latrell Sprewell and Terrell Owens. We can only hope that the horizon is much closer than it really is.

Neal (New York): Even with the most recent accolades made by Kobe, do you think he will ever reach Jordan status with regards to being the ultimate winner?

Kevin ( Cancun , Mexico ): Do you think Kobe Bryant ranks in the top 10 players of all time ? Why is the media so down on him ? Isn´t he the hardest working player in the league ? From the only bigger UCLA fan than you . Thanks

SportsNation Bill Walton: With all the interest on the great run Kobe is on right now and when you are talking about historical comparisons to the players who Kobe has clearly put himself in the same category as -- Wilt, WEst, Jordan, Baylor -- it's important that we acknowlege Kobe's brilliance but also analyze the differences which are profound.

SportsNation Bill Walton: Kobe, like Artest, is an extremely polarizing figure on all fronts. From a hoop perspective, people say he takes too many shots, has horrendous shot selection. ... ALL the great players take bad shots. But, Kobe is stuck in a very similar situation as Michael Jordan was early on. Playing with bad players. But that does not take away from the fact that Kobe Bryant is the best individual perimeter player in the game today (Duncan best interior). What separates Kobe from the other phenomenal forces in today's NBA (Le Bron, Tracy, Vince, Dirk, Iverson) is that Kobe plays both endsd of the court. He regularly guards the other team's top offensive weapon which is one of the reasons why Phil Jackson is so tantalizingly intrigued by acquiring Artest.Phil knows full-well that even though you are the most phyicaly fit and talented in the game, there is no way you can do that every day and to be able to hold up the same way that MJ's ultimate success was so dependent on Scottie Pippen guarding the other team's top player every game. Phil Jackson sees an opportunity to recreate that.

SportsNation Bill Walton: Kobe is regularly criticized for being tough on his teammates. ALL great players have alwyas been tough on their teammates. What's differnet with Kobe is that he has never really shown any interest whatsoever in developing any relationship with his teammates, coaches, fans or media. Kobe is a loner by nature who doesn't interract well with others. Unlike Michael, who loved that interraction, unlike Shaq who is generally very likable,Kobe finds himself alone on many different islands. The fact that Kobe Bryant leveled Mike Miller with the despicable forearm shiver is just another incident along the roller coaster of emotions that has become Kobe Bryant's life. .... Stay tuned, we are getting close to the highest point of the ride.

Steve (Norwalk, CT): Thank god you're chatting today Bill. If it were anyone else we'd be hearing about how the Knicks 4-0 start to 2006, including a 3OT win, a blowout, and a huge win IN Cleveland was all just a fluke and Steph, Larry and Isiah are all son's of the devil. Do the Knicks finally matter again?

SportsNation Bill Walton: The Knicks are becoming a REAL team -- FINALLY!! How sad it's been in the four years that ESPN has had the NBA contract that the Knicks have been so awful. Larry Brown is finally getting through to this current roster. Larry Brown-- his history -- is that his teams always start terribly and then get better. This si the time of year when that kicks in. Tangible results. Larry Brown is like your basic training drill sergant in the army where all these lost souls come in and wonder what life will be like is broken down by the drill sergent and then builds them back up. We saw the most complete manifestation of that lst night in Cleveland. Some of the Knicks recent victories have been accomplished against the sisters of mercy and aided by the kindness excuse me BLINDNESS of the referees. Please check out my new site ilovetherefs.org. Please check out the foul on Curt Thomas at the end of OT Knick victory. ... BUT .... Now the Knicks are a team. Ball movement, cameraderie, spirited bench, and most importantly a belief that they can get this done combined with beautiful guard play of Marbury supported by Crawford. Evolving post play with Curry and developing young talent like Frye, Robinson and Lee.

SportsNation Bill Walton: The Knicks, who just 10 days ago were on the precipice, now find themselves riding the tsunami of a 4-game win streak and we've actually got emails this morning here at ESPN.com inquiring about where and how can we get Knick playoff tickets. ... Who would have ever thought????

SportsNation Bill Walton: The long strange trip continues! After the week that I'm having here at Bristol, Connecticut, I'm giving serious thought of leaving Club Red in Balboa Park San Diego, six blocks from the hospital that I was born in, and moving here full-time. While those plans are still being formulated, we realize that we didnt' get to nearly all the topics or questions today. I'lll try to be more concise in the future, I will see you right back here in chat at 1 ET tomorrow. Back-to-back! But, right now, I've just simply got to go because Kobe, Shaq, Ron and Sprewell are waiting outside the door for me to help me find my way home. Thanks everybody! We're in triple overtime heading for the fourth!

SportsNation The ShowGirl: Thanks Bill, thanks everybody. And, as Bill said, he'll be back here in Bristol, chilling with me again tomorrow for another chat! So, if you didn't get your questions answered today, send 'em in here for tomorrow's go-round! ...

SportsNation The ShowGirl: http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=10440

I love Bill. One of the few national sports casters who is not afraid to say when the Knicks are actually playing well.

Steve from Norwalk, thats me.