NBA Basketball Page

During a recent interview on ESPN, newly signed Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest said the team needed to be "hoodalized.''

There is a difference of opinion whether signing the veteran, physical forward to a deal was a good thing or a bad thing. The deal has been both ripped and praised in the Los Angeles Times for example.

However, the Times did note that Artest, like him or not, will fill a void for the Lakers, who were viewed as "soft'' during different junctures of the regular season and playoffs.

The Times wrote: A little more than a month ago Denver physically pound them (the Lakers) to tie the Western Conference finals at two games each. They obviously toughened up enough to win those next two games, as well as the Finals, but this move was done with an eye toward the Eastern Conference. Now they have someone to slow down LeBron James. And Paul Pierce. (And also Carmelo Anthony . . . can't totally ignore the West.)

Hedo Turkoglu appears headed to the Toronto Raptors, which could open the door for New York Knicks' guard David Lee in Portland, the New York Post reported.

According to the Post the Blazers have long coveted Lee, who also seeks $10 million per season, exactly the amount the Blazers are under the cap. Lee's agent, Mark Bartlestein said because Lee is restricted, the Blazers were fearful of waiting 10 days to see if the Knicks would match and instead jumped at the surer thing in Turkoglu, who then backed out of a seemingly completed deal and headed to Toronto.

Bartlestein claims he's talked to nearly 15 over-the-cap teams who have proposed sign-and-trade deals with the Knicks for Lee. But because he is a base-year compensation player, it is difficult to make the math work under the CBA.

The point guard-needy Philadelphia 76ers have an interest in Mike Bibby, however, that interst in apparently not mutual, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

According to a source with knowledge of the situation, the 76ers reached out this week to the agent for Atlanta Hawks guard Mike Bibby, only to find that the 10-year veteran is intent on staying with the team he played for the last two seasons, according to the Inquirer.

With the uncertainty of the Sixers' relationship with guard Andre Miller — he also is a free agent, and there are no signs that he plans to return — the team may be in need of a veteran point guard for first-year coach Eddie Jordan.

There is not much separating Miller, 33, and Bibby, 31, either in performance or contract requests. Bibby earned about $15 million last season, when he averaged 14.9 points and 5.0 assists and shot 39 percent from three-point range. Miller averaged 16.3 points and 6.5 assists and shot 28.3 percent from beyond the arc while earning around $10 million, the Inquirer reported.