|  | | Cuban and Nelson aren't seeing eye to eye on a new deal. |
What Don Nelson wants, Don Nelson usually gets from Mark Cuban. That's why it's so shocking that Cuban actually said no to Nelson's request for a contract extension now rather than later. Could the dispute derail the Mavs' march to the West's top seed? Marc Stein has the answer in his weekly report.Chat wrap: Senior writer Marc Stein Love lottery live, too? | Mavs' mental anguish
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| James |
It's been a while, right? Time, surely, for a fresh LeBron James anecdote. Something besides the bit about Allen Iverson going to watch LBJ play Sunday night? OK, fine. Try this instead. Seems James (surprise!) found his way into a few of Michael Jordan's Chicago pickup games over the summer, despite breaking his left (non-shooting) wrist in early June. The kid apparently fared decently, too. MJ, the story goes, saw enough to bequeath the privilege of giving James a head-to-head Jordan Rules initiation. "He'd didn't want to deal with all that youth," one witness said. "He told Jerry Stackhouse to go after him." Significance of the story? No, it doesn't mean James will be making an instant impact next season. He's a swingman and, like Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady, still figures to need at least three seasons before scoring freely. And, yes, it was just a pickup game. The story, though, should hush naysayers who see James on TV against overmatched high schoolers and then ask what dominating them proves. ... Click for more on Jerry Sloan's "day by day" existence as Jazz coach, Houston's new center of attention and Dallas' little big man.
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| STAT OF THE WEEK |
6 That's how many teams in the East, with a third of the season gone, are maintaining a 50-win pace. In the previous two seasons combined, the East had five 50-win teams.
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| STAT OF THE WEAK | 3 That's how many teams in the West, with a third of the season gone, are maintaining a 50-win pace. In the previous two seasons combined, the West had a dozen 50-win teams.
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| SPEAK OF THE WEEK |
 "We've been together 18 years. Even in a marriage, that's a long time."
—Utah coach Jerry Sloan, explaining why he was quarreling with Karl Malone last week before a fence-mending victory in Dallas on Friday.
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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
 Say what? Michael Jordan is joining Robert Johnson in Charlotte when he's done playing? If there's any substance to that theory, which is getting plenty of circulation, that's when Kwame Brown and the rest of the Wiz will have cause to seriously question the whole purpose of MJ's comeback. Not now. There shouldn't be much long-term harm done this season to the development of Washington's youngsters, even if Jordan continues to insist on a veteran-driven run at the East's No. 8 slot. That all changes, though, if His Airness doesn't hang around to rebuild this franchise from the front office. That's where he can make the most lasting impact in D.C. -- by staying or going for starters. As for hints, MJ's strongest statement to date about returning to the Wiz presidency is: "That's my intent."
More Slams and Dunks
WHAT A SCOUT SAYS
 About the Phoenix Suns, who sit a surprising fourth in the West with a third of the schedule complete: "For all the negative things people say about Stephon Marbury, he's playing a lot better. He's not crazy with the ball; he's setting guys up. When I saw him, I don't think he took a jump shot in the first three quarters. But the biggest difference with that team is the defensive intensity. Amare Stoudemire's defensive energy has turned that team around. It's basically the same team you saw last year, but with Stoudemire they're getting up on people. He plays every play like it's his last. If not for Yao Ming, this guy is the Rookie of the Year. He seems like a mature player already. He takes everything right to the rim, but he doesn't get carried away trying stuff he can't really do. He guards fours and fives, he runs the floor and they win with him in the lineup. The Suns don't score a lot of points, but when they do make blocks and steals, they all get out on the break."
MAILBAG
 OK, you ranked the power forwards. In what order would you rate these point guards: Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Andre Miller, Steve Francis, Gary Payton and Baron Davis?
This one was tougher. But here goes:
1. Kidd
2. Nash
3. Francis
4. Payton
5. Davis
6. Miller
More Mailbag responses
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