The Dallas Mavericks covet Jalen Rose. But how do they get him to Big D?

	Finley could be on the trading block.

With a week to go before the trade deadline, craziness abounds. A general manager swears to me that the Mavs have told teams that Michael Finley is available. The Mavericks, just as vehemently, deny it. Would one necessarily equal the other, anyway? Rose is still a base-year player (worth only $8.148 million in trades) and still hard to move, but the Pacers would do it for the right price. Juwan Howard could be had, but he's not what the Pacers covet.

They'd covet Finley. If he's really available. Which I doubt.

This is what is so difficult before the deadline, separating the wheat from the chaff. There is so much nonsense being written about Nick Van Exel, for example. We don't even know if he's really going to waive the last two years of his deal; there is conflicting information about what his agent, who may or may not be his agent, is telling teams. Nick does have suitors. Portland looms as a possibility, if the Nuggets would take Damon Stoudamire and some of that $85 million off the Blazers' cap. Bonzi Wells would be part of that deal as well.

But it's teammate Raef LaFrentz that most teams, from Detroit to Indiana to Orlando to Phoenix and most places in between, have on their radar. The Pacers might take Van Exel if LaFrentz was involved, for example; the 7-footer is the guy George Karl really wants in Milwaukee. (The problem in Milwaukee is Herb Kohl's disinterest in taking on salaries and facing luxury tax payments in 2003.)

ALDRIDGE'S RANKINGS

THE TOP 10 1. Sacramento 2. Dallas 3. New Jersey 4. L.A. Lakers 5. San Antonio 6. Minnesota 7. Philadelphia 8. Milwaukee 9. Boston 10. Toronto THE BOTTOM FIVE 25. Atlanta 26. Cleveland 27. Golden State 28. Houston 29. Chicago THE MIDDLE FOURTEEN 11. Washington 12. Indiana 13. Detroit 14. Orlando 15. Seattle 16. Phoenix 17. Charlotte 18. L.A. Clippers 19. Portland 20. Utah 21. New York 22. Miami 23. Memphis 24. Denver

Indiana will not part with any of its young core: Jonathan Bender, Jamaal Tinsley, Jeff Foster. When the Hawks tried to peddle Nazr Mohammed for Travis Best, Indiana balked when Atlanta asked to add Foster to the deal. But Best will almost certainly be dealt before the deadline; Golden State could warm up again as a fallback possibility, or he could go to Chicago as part of a package that brings Charles Oakley to Indiana. The Pacers are also shopping Austin Croshere, but, like Rose, he's a base-year that makes dealing difficult.

Other things out in the air...

The Hornets are looking for a suitor for Stacey Augmon.

The Wizards are seeking a place to repatriate Christian Laettner.

The Jazz wouldn't mind moving Donyell Marshall, but he hasn't played in three weeks with a hip injury. He practiced on Monday and might play by the weekend, which might provide enough time to showcase him.

There will be more. It is that time of year.

Making All-Star weekend better
Mr. Commish, I present a Modest Proposal for injecting life into All-Star Saturday.

I know you want to get people more hyped about the 3 on 3 format that you sponsor on courts all over the country. And I know you don't want folk to forget about the WNBA. But these contests, whether it's 2-Ball or this year's 4 on 4, only put people to sleep. It was great to see Sarunas Marciulionis stroking threes again, but I was worried that Moses Malone was going to collapse on the court. End it.

My Solution: One-on-one, make it take it, up to 7, win by two.

The Twist: Select players that just missed making the All-Star team, and pit them against one another. This year, you could have had Andre Miller against Stephon Marbury, for example. Or Kenyon Martin against Rasheed Wallace. This enables you to show the league's depth -- and throw a bone to guys who may feel dissed. Or make it fun by creating mismatched matchups, like Earl Boykins against Shawn Bradley. Or, if you like, pit two WNBA superstars against one another. Lisa Leslie against Sheryl Swoopes has an interesting ring.

Three-point contest. Don't need to change much. This one is handled pretty much the right way, and most of the best shooters usually take part. But there is one thing...

My Solution: Make it the final event of the evening, not second-to-last. It's the only event with any real sense of drama. It also is finished in a specific amount of time.

Dunk contest. Let's be blunt. Even though Jason Richardson was terrific on Saturday, the others weren't. And while the spinning wheel with historic dunks was interesting, it was unfair to Steve Francis to ask him to do dunks he can't do. (Not to mention ensuring he'll never take part in another contest.) What was the evening's showcase event is now the one that people forget as soon as it's over. That has to change.

My Solution: Put $10 million on the table.

The Twist: Winner take all.

Do you think that would get Kobe's interest? Or TMac's? Or Vince's? That might get 'Nique to put on his Keds again. I can't believe that the Commish can't put a call in to one of the league's corporate sponsors to put up some serious cheddar. Do you think TNT could sell that? You could even involve fans by having them be able to put a dollar on the contest by calling an 877 number. (Surcharge on all calls to go to charity, of course.)

Radical Proposal: Eliminate the entire thing and just have a two-hour show with Chris Rock, followed by a concert. Compel the players to attend. You're the Commish. They have to listen to you. That would also eliminate the interminable breaks in the current action that occur because there's not enough going on to justify a three-hour program.

Thank me later. And since we're partners now, I expect royalties.

Around The League
GM and scouting types didn't spend all of All-Star weekend eating cheesesteaks. Several trekked over to Trenton on Sunday to see high school phenom LeBron James, whose St. Vincent-St. Mary's (Ohio) team played against equally highly-rated Oak Hill (Va) Academy. James's team lost, but scouts were once again blown away by the high school junior's game. Pick a superstar two or three that's played in the L the last 15 years, and the 6-7 James is compared favorably to him. He scored 36 points against Oak Hill and had several eye-popping assists. (Oak Hill's Sani Abraham, a 6-10 center, didn't do anything to squelch growing speculation that he may be NBA-bound after this season with a strong effort.)

"I had one of my guys say, 'he could have played this weekend,'" one personnel man who shall remain nameless said. "And I said 'in the rookie game?' And he said 'no, the Sunday night game.'"

The question remains what James will do after this, his junior season of high school. He told the Cleveland Plain Dealer months ago that he would not try to challenge the league's rule that players' high school classes must have graduated for them to be considered for the draft. But just to be sure, the Commish made it clear in his news conference on Saturday that the league thinks its rule would survive a court battle.

"Our lawyers tell us that that would not be a successful challenge," the Commish said. "So we have no concerns whatsoever."

They also thought Spencer Haywood would go away. And the WGN lawsuit. And the...

Hey, I'm just being historical.

Elsewhere in The Land of the Not Yet Drafted, over the weekend the GMs' Steering Committee discussed implementing a six-day blackout period that would bracket the Chicago Pre-Draft camp and would bar agents from holding private workouts for prospective first-round picks. Some teams are complaining about the invitation-only workouts some agents have held during the Chicago camp, while holding their players out from participating in the games. Under the proposal, the three days before and three days after Chicago would be off-limits for any individual workouts. But some executives wonder if that will have any real effect, and if it might not be a detriment for international players that have commitments abroad and can't work out at other times.