John (Chicago): Are the Pistons going to contest any of the technicals against Rasheed Wallace? I think it's bunk how a lot of the refs single Rasheed out. They need to focus on doing their job. They are clearly out to get him.

SportsNation Marc Stein: Yes. Teams do contest Ts occasionally and one team exec told me that Ts are rescinded (but not announced as such) roughly 10-to-15 percent of the time. With 'Sheed at 13 Ts for the season, meaning he's three away from a one-game suspension, I'm sure the Pistons will protest against anything protest-able.

SportsNation Marc Stein: Furthermore: 'Sheed's T count is obviously, eventually going to cost Detroit its streak of starting the same five guys every game, since I highly doubt he can make it through the rest of the year getting only two more. You also have to wonder how many one-game suspensions he'll get . . . and how that might impact Detroit's ability to hold off Dallas and San Antonio for the best record in the league and home-court advantage in the Finals. One-game suspensions, remember, follow No. 16, No. 18, No. 20, etc. The good news? 'Sheed's T slate IS wiped clean before the playoffs. However . . . a new T count DOES start in the playoffs and one-game suspensions start when you get your seventh T. Can 'Sheed stop himself at six Ts in the postseason?

J.P (toronto): How does the rest of the NBA view the Raptors signing of Bryan Colangelo? Does this give the Raps some credibility??

SportsNation Marc Stein: More credibility than they've ever had. This is huge for the Raps because they've rarely had experience -- or a name -- in either the coach or GM spots. And, yes, I am intentionally trying to forget the Lenny Wilkens Era.

devlin(mn): marc- did the wolves hurt themselves by not making a trade? and where has this spurt of offense come from?

SportsNation Marc Stein: Uh . . . they did make a trade. And when you consider that they traded away one of the most popular players they've ever had in Wally World, it was an even bigger trade than when they brought in Spree. Just one reason (of many) why they were never going to entertain the thought of trading KG at midseason. One monumental decision at a time.

Dan (DC): At this point in the season, there is one player who should be the consensus MVP front-runner -- Dirk Nowitzki. If team success is an important criteria, Dirk individually is having a better season than anyone from the other 5 big contenders except for Nash. Dallas has a better record than Phoenix, and Nash has an all-star in Marion to help carry the load, so Dirk should beat out Nash. Ditto for Billups, who has 3 all-star side-kicks. Any thoughts?

SportsNation Marc Stein: Dirk is my No. 2 right now. Phoenix rolling the way they have without Stoudemire keeps Nash at No. 1. But if the Mavs end up winning the West and winning 65 games, I might have to find a coin. Dirk definitely deserves more props for what he has done this season . . . which includes improvement on defense that no one will ever give him credit for.

jeff(NY): Marc, what is your take about the report that Dolan is going to speak publicly about the state of the Knicks? Can we expect to hear him saying that Isiah is no longer the GM? Thanks.

SportsNation Marc Stein: I'd bet the other way. Don't you think Isiah has to run all these moves past Dolan before pulling the trigger?

Scott (Modesto): Would I be making a bold assumption by saying that the Cavs are going to fall apart after the All-Star break and miss the playoffs again?

SportsNation Marc Stein: I want to say yes. I hope that's true. I want to see LBJ in the playoffs as much as anyone. The difference this season compared to last season is that the Cavs have a much bigger cushion above the No. 9 spot -- seven games at this point compared to only three at the same stage last season -- to make a third straight fade less likely.

John (Chicago): Marc, you are not answering my question. Why are the refs singling Rasheed out?

SportsNation Marc Stein: A) Read your question again. I did answer it. B) Stop being paranoid. Singled out? This guy used to get 40 Ts a year.

matt (Chicago): Marc, is rashard lewis going to be inplay this summer? I believe he is a superstar player hidden in seattle. Somehow I think the sonics, could trade old for new and rebuild. Your thoughts?

SportsNation Marc Stein: Another guy Isiah loves. Another guy whose team, I submit, will have very little interest in the pieces NY has to offer. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe the Knicks have a shot here. But there will be a long line for Lewis if the Sonics make him available.

Nathan (Kingston, Ontario, Canada): Hey Marc, thanks for taking my question. I was just wondering if the Lakers are going to be able to hold on to that final playoff spot. This year seems to be strikingly similar to last year where they faultered in the 2nd half.

SportsNation Marc Stein: No team came out of the All-Star break with more home games left on their schedule than the Lakers. It's on them to win home games, which seems to be a problem.


matt (Chicago): Hey Marc, don't the bulls have enough money to let thomas sit out the whole year. Why the buyout? Does he even deserve it?

SportsNation Marc Stein: If they can save close to $5 million, that's pretty significant. That's why the Bulls would let him go. But I like hearing that Paxson is insisting that Thomas signs in the West if they let him out. I don't even know if that's something you can put in writing, but I like the thinking.

Josh (Atl): News flash: Joe Johnson can play the point and play it effectively. It took him 20 games or so, but he has really come to understand how to run an offense, especially off the pick and roll. The Bucks zone gave the Hawks a problem, but not because they couldn't hit open jumpers in that game. The Nets tried the zone last night and got burned when they played it.

SportsNation Marc Stein: Last time I spoke to Joe, his reservations about playing the point were not ability-based. He simply wondered if he could handle the physical toll of handling the ball and defending top perimeter scorers all night because the Hawks are so young and thin at this point. He has to do more than most PGs on that team. But I'm not surprised at all that he's playing well now. I've written numerous times since last summer that, no matter how many times someone suggests that Atlanta gave up too much to get him, that's the nature of restricted free agency. You have to give up a ton to get an asset away from a team that has the right to match. Very, very rarely does a team just let a guy go. Phoenix was NOT going to let an asset like Joe just walk no matter what you've heard.

Matt (San Antonio): Do you see NBA "fixing" the problem with seeding in the future, with regard to sixth seeds sometimes getting better draws than fifth seeds, and with the top two teams of a conference landing in the same division and drawing each other in a 1-4 match-up? And if so, how would you expect them to tweak it? Thanks in advance.

SportsNation Marc Stein: Yes. This was talked about more at All-Star Weekend than just about any issue. The system will be changed. The league is never going to re-seed after every round of the playoffs -- that creates too many logistical problems for teams, media, etc. I also think the league doesn't want the road to the Finals to change from round-to-round. The most likely tweak is seeding the three division winners AND the team with the next-best record based on winning percentage. Doing it that way in the West this season, if the season ended today, would make it: No. 1 Dallas, No. 2 San Antonio, No. 3 Phoenix, No. 4 Denver. That would keep the Mavs and Spurs in separate brackets until the conference finals . . . and, just as importantly, make the fifth seed more valuable than the sixth seed and thus dissuade teams like the Clips from wishing they could tank games.

Noah (Santa Monica, CA): Stoudemire is cleared for 5-on-5. Should teams start getting worried? Now all they need are ten healthy players for a scrimmage.

SportsNation Marc Stein: Good one. I still think it's going to be a while for Amare. At All-Star Weekend, I was told "about a month." I'm not expecting him in a real game until late March at the earliest.

Brian (edison): I have to say that I'm annoyed, borderline outraged, that AI got snubbed by the Olympic committee, he deserved a chance for Gold in a better situation, is it possible that Coach K told the committee to pass on Iverson and take JJ Redick instead?

SportsNation Marc Stein: Me, too. I know AI can be a hard guy to play with, but I LOVE his patriotism. This guy really cares about wearing the Team USA jersey. Which counts extra with me.

Charles (San Jose): Marc, Shawn Marion scored 75 points and pulled down 39 rebounds in 2 Suns wins last week. ESPN.com made sure to point out how rare that is. Yet Yao Ming was POW. Think the NBA is going a little out of their way to promote him?

SportsNation Marc Stein: I think the league did the Suns a huge favor. Matrix plays better when he's angry.

Walter (New Hampshire): Marc, What is your take on the Celtics' recent 3-1 west coast swing? Do you agree with Greg Anthony's rosy assessment of their future?

SportsNation Marc Stein: Rosy is going a bit far, but I haven't changed my post-trade opinion. I think Wally is a better fit alongside Pierce than Ricky because a shooter like World can spread the floor better. West, Perkins and Jefferson have all shown flashes that offer some hope. And I wasn't even including Gomes, who has some decent role-player potential. They're still more than one piece short, unless that piece is a cloned Larry Legend, but I see the seedlings of a team here.

Oak (Houston): Does your heart stop every time Michael Jordan enters the room?

SportsNation Marc Stein: A reference, no doubt, to one of the scenes Simmons described in one of his genius columns from All-Star Weekend. The answer is no. MJ does nothing for me and never has. Sorry. I'd take Magic, Bernard King or McAdoo -- and scores of Titans -- over MJ any day. Turned down the chance to go to his All-Star birthday party, even.

SportsNation Marc Stein: And, no, he wasn't the best guard on the '84 Olympic team. That could only be Leon Wood.

Keith (Atlanta, Ga): One last trade deadline question.... Who's the biggest loser for NOT participating in the trading at the deadline? Are the Hawks and Harrington at the top of your list?

SportsNation Marc Stein: No. If the Hawks lose Harrington without compensation in the summertime, then they've lost big-time. But as long as they get something for him, they haven't lost anything.

Jeff van Gundy: Will my team make the playoffs?

SportsNation Marc Stein: The problem, besides a tougher schedule than most teams have, is who will fall out? I'm guessing the masses would say Hornets, but I see the Lakers as most vulnerable.

Todd (Tucson): Is the Committee going to permanently make us wait until Tuesday to read the power rankings? Or is the Committee just in a post All Star Game funk?

SportsNation Marc Stein: Go back to school and work on your reading. Or check your eyesight. They were there Monday as always. They're there every Monday except after the All-Star break.

Richard (Flagstaff, AZ): Looking at Robert Sarver, are we seeing the birth of the next Bill Davidson (his eyes) or Donald Sterling (my eyes)? His penny-pinching in the offseason could have seriously hurt us, and the man who saved his hide by making the best of the situation with excellent deals/acquisitions (Colangelo) has been allowed to walk. Do I have reason to worry?

SportsNation Marc Stein: Sarver is more Davidson-like. This "cheap" stuff is getting out of hand. He fronted the most expensive purchase of a team in league history: $401 million. He gave Nash a $60-plus million contract that, at the time, everyone thought was crazy money for a 30-year-old point guard. He reupped Amare for the max when there were concerns about his knee. He probably should have signed Joe for $50 million when he had the chance but I can't blame him for preferring a trade to keeping Joe at $70 million because it's hard to put pieces around four $10 million guys (don't forget Marion) . . . as the Pistons know very well (that's why they've been forced to trade Okur and Darko). As long as Sarver takes care of D'Antoni, I don't see a reason to panic. D'Antoni is yet another gem and he'll have a bigger voice now. The Suns will be fine and so will the Colangelos -- Bryan gets the chance to really run his own show now and Jerry's job of trying to turn Team USA around is plenty big and offers its own big rewards.

Zack (Wichita): Who's winning Thursday's big game in San Antonio?

SportsNation Marc Stein: I'm feeling Mavs. I just see them going in there and letting the nation know that they're not afraid of SA.

SportsNation Marc Stein: Gotta go. We'll do it again next week. Thanks for all the questions, as always.