The NY Daily News’ Frank Isola reports that New York and Portland are discussing the former acquiring Ruben Patterson and/or coach-killer Darius Miles. The Blazers want contracts that are coming off the books ; the Knicks have offered Malik Rose.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Sekou Smith reports on an actual interesting moment or two during Monday’s Heat/Hawks exhbition.
Keep an eye on Esteban Batista (above, left). El Toro (as he™s been nicknamed by members of the Hawks training staff) got under the skin of Heat forward Antoine Walker. It got so bad that they traded ˜bows and barbs before game™s end, with Walker scalding the Hawks bench for cheering Batista on (œThis guy™s a bum Walker said. He later apologized to Hawks coach Mike Woodson.
But Batista™s relentlessness around the basket and his willingness to mix it up with anyone in his way is what will keep him in the rotation and in his coach™s good graces.