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Los Angeles Lakers: If it never rains in California, then how come it's pouring now? Shaq is out injured with no definite signs he's getting better. Karl Malone is out injured with signs that he'll be out even longer. "We just have to live with it. I'm not going to express disappointment," coach Phil Jackson said in the L.A. Daily News. "When he's back, it's the right time. I don't even want to talk about it until it's a reality." And now comes news that Gary Payton has a sinus infection that has kept him out of practice and that Horace Grant has flown home to take care of his ailing father. "We have not heard anything from him since (Sunday morning)," team spokesman John Black said.

Orlando Magic: Lee Nailon may not be starting for the Magic these days, but considering that he started the season on the Atlanta Hawk roster before being waived, he's not complaining. "Whatever minutes I was going to get, I was going to try to make the best of them," he said in the Dayton Beach News before helping the Magic stop a six-game losing streak with a win over the Wizards Friday night despite the fact that he hasn't been able to practice since joining the team. "It's difficult because of all the sets and stuff like that," he said. "I'm still learning them. I know a few of them. But my main thing is if you go out and play hard, that'll limit some of the mistakes."

New York Knicks: Not everyone was sad to see Antonio McDyess leave the Garden. In fact, Kurt Thomas, who had lost his job to McDyess and was looking to get out of New York, has now changed his tune. "Definitely," he said to the New York Post about re-signing with the Knicks. "I've been here six years. I love New York. It's great." Of course, he also mentioned that he'd love to play for the Mavericks while the Knicks are still rumored to be shopping him to Portland to the likes of Rasheed Wallace.

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