NEW YORK -- Think about how nobody passes these days in the NBA and you come away with one inescapable conclusion:

	Does it look like John Stockton is slowing down? Not this season.

Nobody is going to break John Stockton's assist record. And not just anytime soon. Quite possibly, never.

As in, n-e-v-e-r.

Stockton crossed another plateau last week, passing for his 14,000th assist. He's now almost 4,000 ahead of Magic Johnson, the No. 2 all-time leader, and the only other player in league annals to pass for at least 10,000.

By the time Stockton stops playing -- and he could go on for another two or three seasons, along with Karl Malone -- he could have as many as 16,000.

Who's gonna reach that summit? It looks as unattainable as Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game.

	Kidd

	Strickland

	Jackson

Among active players, Mark Jackson is the closest player to Stockton. But Tuesday, when the two go head-to-head in Air Canada Centre, the Raptor veteran will be trailing Stockton by around 5,200. And chances are Jackson will retire before Stockton.

Jackson is fifth on the all-time list, with 8,800. Among active players, Rod Strickland is next, with 6,900. Jason Kidd, maybe the best passing guard next to Stockton, has around 4,000.

So if you think Stockton's record will be broken, think again.

"No record is unbreakable," said Danny Manning, Stockton's Jazz teammate. "But for somebody to break it, they're going to have to be in a system where the point guard passes the ball. There aren't too many of those these days. Most point guards look to shoot. It's one of those records that doesn't look very breakable."

As great a passer as Kidd is, even he doesn't have a shot. He's already in his seventh season and will be 28 in three months. A few of the great point guards have played until they were 35, including Bob Cousy and Nate Archibald. But even if Kidd goes another seven years, avoids injuries and continues racking up assists at his current rate, he'll still be almost 1,000 assists short of 10,000 when he turns 35.

And we haven't even factored in the fact that Stockton isn't going anywhere. He turns 39 in March, but hasn't shown any signs of slowing down. He's been averaging 9.5 assists in only 31 minutes per game. Then again, longevity is a Stockton trait.

"Heck, his older brother Steve is still playing basketball and he's 43," said John's dad, Jack, who will be in attendance with his wife, Clemmie, on Tuesday.

	“	For somebody to break the record, they're going to have to be in a system where the point guard passes the ball. There aren't too many of those these days. Most point guards look to shoot. It's one of those records that doesn't look very breakable. ”
		— Danny Manning

But Steve plays in a rec league back in Spokane, Wash., headquarters of the Stockton clan. We can assume the NBA is slightly more challenging (at least the West is). So how does John account for his longevity?

"Stubborness," he said, smiling.

"As long as I'm still producing and I still feel good and they want me back, I'll keep playing," he added. "I still enjoy it. It's fun."

Big men like Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Robert Parish have played into their 40's. But a point guard never has. For one thing, it's a position that requires speed and quickness. If Stockton's lost a step, nobody's noticed.

"What makes John's longevity even more amazing," said Utah reserve playmaker, John Crotty, "is that in this offense, he's got to regularly set picks on power forwards and centers to get Karl open. John takes a lot of pounding in this offense. It's not like he's setting screens on guys his size. He's incredible."

He's also one of the few NBA players who doesn't even attempt to court the media.

"He doesn't self-promote," Crotty said. "You've got to respect that, especially in this day and age. Everybody is out there, pounding their chest and saying how great they are. It's kind of refreshing."

Stockton is unusual for other reasons. Like, have you ever noticed that he doesn't seem to sweat? Nine other players are out there producing waterfalls in the heat of battle. But Stockton always looks like he just walked onto the court.

"That's because he's got an amazing metabolism," said Frank Layden, Stockton's first pro coach. "There's only one other guy who I remember being like John. That was John Havlicek. They both can run all day and never get tired. John Stockton is really is a marvel of modern science."

With a record to match.

Webber's World
Chris Webber continues to say he's committed to Sacramento, but few league execs are buying it. They expect Webber next July to try to pressure the Kings into making a sign-and-trade deal with the Knicks. That way, he will automatically become the most dominant big man in the East, re-join Latrell Sprewell and get top dollar in the process.

	Webber

The trick for Webber will be convincing the Kings that he will leave to sign with Detroit or Chicago, and that they'll end up with zilch if they don't make the deal with New York. The Pistons and Bulls could be well under the salary cap to accommodate Webber, who makes $12 mil this season and is easily the most attractive free agent for next summer.

"He's got to do the same acting job that Eddie Jones did with Charlotte," said one league exec. "Because (Sacramento VP) Geoff Petrie isn't just going to do a deal with New York on Dave Checketts' terms."

Jones won his Oscar last summer. He had the Hornets totally convinced that he was heading to Chicago -- with nothing going back to Charlotte -- in a simple free-agent signing. Jones' performance forced the Hornets to turn around and work out a sign-and-trade with Miami, the only team Jones really wanted to play for.

"This will be my last contract," Webber said this past week. "I don't want to play past my prime. I just want to win. I don't feel your work will be appreciated until you win a championship. I do know I want to win a championship. The best place to win a championship is where I want to be."

New York isn't really the best place, but who says Webber wasn't merely acting when he said it?

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