JUST WONDERING

Do you think Rolando Blackman resents that the Knicks have a player named Renaldo Balkman? I can just see him sitting there in retirement, watching his plasma TV, as this rookie usurps his name, somewhat, and saying, "Damn! A Blackman can't get a break!"

And has Knick forward David Lee met David Lee Roth yet? Twenty years ago his nickname would be "Diamond Dave". Today it would be "Blood Diamond Dave".

My sister emails teo tell em that on TV you can see that Stephon Marbury is wearing the equivalent of a four-year college education on each ear. Hey, it's his money. But it does make me think a little bit about "Blood Diamond" and the upcoming SAG Awards on Sunday night. I really hope that Leo or Djimon Hounsou win an award. Then, as say Leo is walking to the stage to accept his award, I want the producer to order his camera guys to shoot nothing but earrings of the actresses (or actors) in attendance. And as Leo is speaking, I want non-stop cutaways of those baubles. I want self-conscious expressions, awkward moments. Please.

Phoenix scored 40 points in the first quarter last night against Washington. Tonight they didn't break the 40-point barrier until about four minutes until halftime. Phoenix is not very impressive this evening, but still they're up 81-68 at the start of the 4th. Leandro Barbosa is just a roadrunner on the court and there's no other player like him. Right now he has 12 points but it's just fun to watch his motor. As I wrote earlier this month, if the NBA had a marathon, I think he'd win. I also think only three guys would agree to run it.

Had an old friend stop by at halftime. Sports Illustrated senior editor Mark Bechtel, alias "The Kid". The Kid and I have been friends for almost a dozen years now (non-consecutively) and he leads the league in "So's your mother" comebacks or variations thereof. But he's one of the wittiest people I know. If there's a real-life Chandler Bing, it's "The Kid".

And now, your moment of model...Missy Rayder (I wanted to run a photo of Loan Chabanol, but I couldn't find one that I'd be able to run without being unemployed tomorrow. You'll have to do that search yourself. You'll have to be the Loan Ranger).

By the way, Sam is looking at the Photo Tip Sheet and noticed that Mike D of the Beastie Boys gets to be cited as "Mike D". "I like that," Sam says.