|  | | The popular urban myth: The Ewing lottery was fixed. |
The conspiracy theorists are already complaining about how the 2003 lottery (aka the LeBron James sweepstakes) will be rigged. How can the NBA prove the fix isn't in? Easy. Pull Ping-Pong balls on live TV, even if it means sacrificing shots of Jerry Krause's face contortions, writes Marc Stein in his weekly report.Chat wrap: Senior NBA writer Marc SteinMavs' mental anguish | East depth charged
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| Grant |
Because the NBA's waiver period is 48 business hours from the time of the notice, thereby precluding players from clearing waivers on a weekend, Horace Grant remained ineligible to clear and then sign with a new team until Monday morning. Not even the Los Angeles Lakers, mind you, have made a clear declaration of interest, since health isn't the only concern with HoGrant. Grant left the Lakers on not-so-amicable terms to join Orlando for the second time in the summer of 2001. Fact is, he has always been outspoken. Another locker-room rebel is hardly what the sniping Lakers need, much as Grant's ability to defend down low and stick jumpers would be appealing, provided his knees and back heal sufficiently to allow the 37-year-old to play sometime soon. The manner of Grant's Orlando departure would also have to be a worry. Since he's the first guy on record to complain about Doc Rivers' handling of players, and since relating to players is widely regarded as one of the key factors in Doc's immediate success as a coach, you're strongly inclined to side with Rivers' contention that Grant was at the heart of Orlando's turmoil and had to be released. So the likelihood of a second Grant stint with L.A., and third with Phil Jackson, apparently depends on whether the Lakers, at 10-15, have bottomed out. The Magic, meanwhile, play on without him, perpetually fearful about the threat of long-term injury to Tracy McGrady and Grant Hill and thus convinced that it doesn't need the strain of a third player shuffling in and out of the lineup. ... Click for more on Houston's problems, Scot Pollard's rehab, Pau Gasol's rejuvenation and Steve Logan's long winter.
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| STAT OF THE WEEK |
15 That's how many losses the Lakers lugged into Sunday's game against Orlando, same number of losses they suffered in Phil Jackson's first season in L.A. Since a 16-1 start last season, the Lakers are a mere 51-38 in the regular season for a winning percentage of .573.
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| STAT OF THE WEAK | 2,433 That's how many more fans Akron's LeBron James attracted to Cleveland State for his national-TV debut Thursday night (11,523 total) than the Cavaliers drew for a home win over Toronto the night before (9,090). Which should help explain why the Cavs are begging the league to reinstate the territorial-rights policy for top draft picks.
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| SPEAK OF THE WEEK |
 "He's unguardable right now."
—Dallas' Dirk Nowitzki on teammate Nick Van Exel, whose recent surge (17.9 ppg in the last eight games on .477 shooting and .455 on 3-pointers) helped enable Nowitzki to sit out an extra game Saturday to rest his sprained right ankle. Nowitzki should return Tuesday against Indiana.
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Marc Stein, the senior NBA writer for ESPN.com, writes "The Stein Line" every Monday during the season. To e-mail him, click here.
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| STEIN SIDELINES |
SLAMS AND DUNKS
 The league is still evaluating the weekend rant from Pat Riley, whether to fine or even suspend Riles for his loud suggestions that multiple referees -- but most notably Steve Javie -- penalize the Miami Heat because they don't like the Heat's slicked-back coach. Yet just imagine if Riley can ever prove his assertions. The NBA would have an eyesore considerably uglier than Saturday night's shameful fan uprising against the ref crew in Salt Lake City. Riley's insistence that Javie, a year ago, told him that "it's giving us absolute delight to watch you and your team die," would merit way more than a fine. Provided, again, the comments are verified.
More Slams and Dunks
WHAT A SCOUT SAYS
 About Houston's Yao Ming, whose Rockets play host to Indiana on Wednesday night on ESPN: "It seems like he's getting better faster than we can track it. He's obviously going to be a very good player in this league for a long, long time. He has a great touch offensively -- he can score on the block or face up and shoot up to 15 feet. His passing skills are even better. He makes others better with his passes to cutters or open men on double-teams. He has kind of a funny-looking shot from the baseline; it looks like he's just throwing the ball toward the rim. But he is very effective shooting the turnaround jumper and I know he's been working on a jump hook we haven't seen in the games yet. He's getting better at using his body and working to get good court position. He's so big and strong, he can practically go anywhere he wants to go on the court. Defensively, he can bother anyone he is guarding and block shots. A weakness right now is when he's off the ball. He's slow to react in those situations and he doesn't move over quick enough to stop drives. He's playing with hands too much instead of anticipating drives better and plugging up the middle. But you have to put a body on him at both ends and be physical. When you're guarding him, you have to get a body on him early. You can't let him get to his spot, turn and catch. The thing is, he's always going to shoot a high percentage from the floor because he only takes quality shots. And he's also a very good free-throw shooter, so he makes you pay when you put him on the line. Because of his size, he'll always rebound well, too. There are so many positives and you can see he's only scratching the surface."
MAILBAG
 I know all the hype about LeBron James. But after Yao Ming's first 20 games in Houston and his impact on the team, can you tell me if the draft was held today, who would be picked No. 1?
We went to people smarter than us who actually make these decisions and there are a few teams out there who say (albeit insisting on anonymity) that they indeed would have picked LeBron last June if he had somehow made it into the draft. The majority, though, say they would have taken Yao, with or without the benefit of hindsight.
More Mailbag responses
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