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New Jersey Nets: Rod Thorn has already shelled out $130M worth of contracts to the likes of Jason Kidd, Alonzo Mourning and Lucious Harris. Now comes the hard part and Kenyon Martin's extension which could be worth another $90M. "I'm sure we will have some talks and we will see what happens," he told the NY Daily News. "I don't want to give away any position. I have no comment on what I am willing to do or not do." The Nets have until October 31 to make Martin an acceptable offer or he becomes a restricted free agent the following season. "Kenyon has proven how valuable he is to the team," Brian Dyke, Martin's agent, said. "We'll see what the Nets think of that when the time comes to discuss the extension."

Indiana Pacers: Newly acquired Pacers center Scot Pollard is counting his blessings. "There're a lot of positives that can come out of it for my career," he told the Indianapolis Star on the trade that sent him from Sacramento to Indianapolis. "I don't have to play against Shaq and Duncan every night. Out East there's Ben Wallace and that's about it. Not that it's easy out here, but it's different. It's a different style of play." Larry Bird also thought the Pacers were in pretty good shape. "You get a lot of young guys out there at the same time, if they don't touch the ball for two or three possessions, you just know the next time down they're going to shoot," Bird said. "He's not like that. If there's a loose ball, he's on it. If you need one rebound, he's going to go get it. He sees the game different than most people."

New York Knicks: Believe it or not, Allan Houston is sad to see Latrell Sprewell go. "I know in a lot of ways we helped each other," Houston said in the NY Daily News. "I probably learned more from him than any other player I've played with in New York. I can see how he handles situations on the court we both went through. I learned a lot from him. I think he made me much more aggressive, watching him attack more. (He had) an instinct to not be satisfied with success. That definitely rubs off (and he had) the attitude of relentlessness." But he's still happy that the Knicks got some size in the deal in Keith Van Horn. "With his addition, the whole base of the team changes," Houston said. "Last year you had me and Spree as the focal point of the team and we did pretty much the same things. Now you have different dimensions. The biggest key is if the chemistry remains good. If it does, it will work. His biggest strength is probably offensive rebounding. People talk about his attitude, but how can a guy not have a strong attitude if he's a great offensive rebounder. I don't understand how anybody can question someone's heart if they are a great offensive rebounder. All that is heart."

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