Herren's injury is minor etc.

[Hironaka <j.hironaka@unesco.org>]

Boston Herald on the Herren injury:

Paul Pierce (bruised sternum) and Eric Williams (bruised right knee)
should be fine, but the biggest sigh of relief came when an X-ray of
Chris Herren's left ankle revealed nothing major. Herren rolled the
ankle and twisted his knee after stepping on Antoine Walker's foot as he
moved on defense.

``It's just a sprain,'' Herren said yesterday after returning from the
exam. ``I'm not sure how long it's going to take to get back, but I
don't plan on it being that long. The problem is that sometimes ankles
are a little tricky. They can be tough to predict.''

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Boston Globe on yet another 2001 draft center prospect:

Yao Ming is 7-5, perfectly proportioned with great footwork, agility,
and talent. He's not Mark Eaton, Manute Bol, or Shawn Bradley. He shoots
as well as Rik Smits. He has terrific hands.

He would have to declare for the 2001 draft as an underage player. If he
did, there is a unanimous opinion as to where he would go: No. 1.

''He's a tremendous athlete,'' says Sixers coach Larry Brown, who saw
Yao up close and personal at Sydney. ''He has tremendous skills. He has
a huge, huge upside. He reminds me of Bill Walton as a freshman at UCLA.
He has solid fundamentals. He holds the ball above his head. I was
shocked by his skills. He blew me away.''

Adds Dallas assistant Donnie Nelson, ''What's there not to like about
Yao? He's gotten better every year I've seen him.''

------

Peter May on the Celts roster

One of the possibilities being considered by the Celtics regarding their
crowded roster is to waive Greg Minor and possibly Hot Rod Williams.
Neither will play this season. Both players' contracts expire at the end
of the season and Minor's is insured. The only way the Celtics would not
continue to collect insurance (80 cents on the dollar) from Minor's deal
is if the player were quickly to sign with another team, which isn't
going to happen. The way the insurance works is a player has to be idle
for 41 games (half a season) before the payments begin. Minor is well
past that date.

------

Peter May on some other NBA news:

Rookie Desmond Mason, meanwhile, seems to have earned a spot in the
Sonics' starting lineup. Coach Paul Westphal waxed poetic about the
ex-Oklahoma State swingman during a conference call last week, comparing
Mason to Michael Finley, whom Westy had in Phoenix. ''He has the same
kind of approach to the game,'' Westphal said. ''He's got the similar
athletic ability and he's similar in the way he attacks both offensively
and defensively. When Michael was a rookie, he reminds me of Desmond in
that they are both defensive players first and they're very mature and
professional.''

p.s. I believe Gene Kirkpatrick was a big Mason booster. I'm glad as
heck the Lakers didn't draft him. :-)

----
(Don't count out the Cavs)

The Cavaliers got 18 points and 11 rebounds in 30 minutes from Zydrunas
Ilgauskas in Cleveland's 91-84 victory Thursday night over the Lakers.
''He has played in every game and says his foot feels fine,'' reports GM
Jim Paxson. ''The biggest thing seems to be his timing and adjusting to
how the officials are calling the game after missing so much time. He's
a bit rusty. But he's progressing well and feeling pretty good. We're
happy about that and, obviously, if he's able to play for us, that would
be huge.''

-----
(Good luck Chauncey)

Guess who was leading the Timberwolves in scoring heading into the
weekend? None other than old friend Chauncey Billups, who, you may
recall, the Celtics gave up for Kenny Anderson. Is it too soon to start
calling Flip Saunders the Father Flanagan of the NBA? The Wolves have
rescued more than a few careers, including that of the late Malik Sealy.
Now, it may be Billups's turn. Saunders even mentioned Billups and
Stephon Marbury in the same sentence. ''He [Billups] is a very strong
player, maybe not as quick as Stephon but he does have the ability to
get into the paint and is extremely competitive,'' the coach said.
''He's picked up a lot of our things and he's given us a new dimension
with his ability to get to the basket and make plays for other
players.''