And if you figure Jazz fans won't welcome Boozer back after all that time, Sloan says you're wrong there, too.

"We've got to be fair with [Boozer] to start with," Sloan said. "I don't want to put him out there until he's healthy enough to play. His career is worth more than mine and I've believed that with any player I've ever coached. If he gets himself healthy, we will bring him back, but if he doesn't, we can't do anything about that. It's a tough break, but every team has those.

"But I think our fans will accept him. I've seen guys that have been in drug rehab that have come back and get standing ovations for that, and everybody gets behind them. I think if he comes back and works hard, people will accept that.

"He's been close twice and then he's had an unfortunate thing happen. You can't do anything about it if [Boozer's hamstring] tears. I don't care who you are. If it's a strain, that's a different story, you might be able to fight through it. But that isn't what he's had. People have obviously questioned us, but we want to do the right thing for Carlos."

The Warriors are still exploring trade possibilities after declining to part with rookie forward Ike Diogu as part of a package for Ron Artest, but they're working from a different deadline than the Feb. 23 trade buzzer.

Golden State has a sizable trade exception ($5.3 million) from last year's Clifford Robinson deal that would allow it to absorb more salary than it gives away, but the exception expires Feb. 14.

The size-craving Warriors remain interested in Milwaukee's Jamaal Magloire after pursuing him hard in New Orleans, but the Bucks -- trying to avoid the slip from playoff contention that has befallen Golden State -- aren't expected to consider offers for Magloire until the offseason.

Three more reasons why Minnesota was moved to break up the Kevin Garnett-Wally Szczerbiak partnership after 6 ½ seasons:

1. The Wolves got three rotation players for one if Marcus Banks can consistently offset his QB deficiencies with his defensive prowess.

2. The Wolves haven't had a great athlete in the backcourt since Stephon Marbury, which is why -- even though the roster is overloaded with guards -- they're tempted to resist outside trade interest in Banks.

3. The Wolves believe Garnett minimizes Mark Blount's chief weakness (rebounding) and maximizes Blount's ability to step out on the floor and score. Offense is what Garnett needs most from his center to dissuade defenses from swarming him, and Blount does just that.

Chris (New York City): The Spurs can't put their best guys on the court for two games straight, and Detroit hasn't had so much as jammed a finger in two years. How long do the Pistons need to go uninjured before we should start seriously wondering if they've made some sort of nefarious pact for their souls?

Stein: You might be overstating it just a tad, but your point is noted. It's amazing how Antonio McDyess, after a season and a half in Detroit, suddenly seems durable.

The Spurs, though, are increasingly hopeful that their main guys will be sufficiently sturdy in the springtime. Shock-wave foot treatments seemed to have helped Tim Duncan's mobility -- at least he looked pretty spry last weekend up against his old pal Kevin Garnett -- and I'm betting that Manu Ginobili will gradually start to look like the All-Star he would have been if not for a variety of leg injuries.

Dallas and Phoenix naturally see what's happening with Duncan and Ginobili and privately believe San Antonio is more vulnerable than anyone anticipated when the season began. But the Spurs are known for their second-half surges and chances are that'll apply to their health as well.

"Listen. They're an elite team."

Indiana coach Rick Carlisle, responding to skepticism about the Dallas Mavericks' 36-10 record.

With the Pistons facing Flip Saunders' old team Wednesday night, perhaps Ben Wallace wanted to show the Wolves just how much he enjoys Flip's system these days. Or perhaps we're reaching for a theory to explain the quirk we saw from Big Ben against the Wolves: 17 boards and zero points in Detroit's 90-74 triumph.

It was just the fourth time in the past 10 seasons that a player grabbed at least 17 rebounds without scoring a single point, putting Wallace in an exclusive club with Seattle's Reggie Evans (0 and 17 in January 2005), Chicago's Dennis Rodman (0 and 21 in December 1997) and Denver's Ervin Johnson (0 and 17 in April 1997).

Since the NBA began tracking rebounds in 1950, there have only been 24 games in league history in which a player went scoreless while collecting at least 15 rebounds. Rodman accounted for half of those games.