Hahn's NBA Insider: Colavito Curse plays into Cavs' roster alterations

CLEVELAND

They don't want another Rocky Colavito here. So though the Cavaliers could have a valuable trade chip in aging Zydrunas Ilgauskas' expiring contract, there is great trepidation about using it.

As we reported weeks ago, one potential move involved acquiring Troy Murphy, a sharpshooting, rebounding big man, from the Indiana Pacers for Ilgauskas. But some believe it would be a bad omen to trade the popular Ilgauskas, who has spent his entire career in Cleveland. The city doesn't need to add Big Z's name to the Colavito Curse.

In 1960, the Indians traded the popular Colavito to the Detroit Tigers for Harvey Kuenn. They haven't won a World Series since.

The Cavs would attempt to re-sign Ilgauskas as a free agent in the summer to make it a temporary separation. But there is fear that Ilgauskas, who already was annoyed earlier this season when Mike Brown benched him on the night he was to break the franchise's record for games played, could be further enraged by a trade and not return.

Some might say Murphy, who puts up solid numbers but often is injured, might not be worth the trouble, but when you consider what kind of impact veteran Antawn Jamison would make to the Cavs, it's a risk worth taking. But no one expects the Wizards to agree to give their rival a proverbial "final piece"-type player for a mere expiring contract. No, Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry would have to cede impressive second-year forward J.J. Hickson as part of the deal.

Adding Jamison would upgrade the team but also would eat up $13.3 million in salary-cap space this summer, which would severely limit Cleveland's free-agency plans. And what if it still wasn't enough to win a title? Ferry is aware it's a serious gamble, not to mention he'd be giving up a quality young player in Hickson.

With LeBron James' free agency looming, Ferry is feeling intense pressure to win that elusive title now.

The Knicks, meanwhile, are content to wait until July and try to overwhelm LeBron with a big-city recruiting pitch. But how long can they afford to wait? Donnie Walsh could make several moves by the Feb. 18 trade deadline, perhaps to make the Knicks - who are owned by Cablevision, which also owns Newsday - a playoff contender. But all of those moves would involve giving up the cap space Walsh carved out last season just to get into the LeBron sweepstakes come July.

There are only winners and losers in New York, not championship curses. Or are there? The Knicks haven't won a playoff game since 2000. That happens to be the same year Patrick Ewing was traded.

Uneasy atmosphere for Celtics, Lakers

While the Cavaliers roll, the two teams best built to challenge Cleveland seem to be dealing with some inner turmoil. It started when Rajon Rondo suggested last week that there might be some chemistry issues in the Celtics' locker room. "I think we've just got to be a team with no agendas," he said.

"In the locker room, you can feel it," he added. He said he doesn't "feel like it's the same continuity and camaraderie" the Celtics had during their championship season in 2007-08. "It was a crazy spirit in the locker room," he said. "But now it doesn't feel the same."

Doc Rivers tried to downplay Rondo's comments and said the young guard was merely repeating things Rivers said to him in a recent conversation. But it's quite obvious that with Kevin Garnett - the heart- and-soul leader of that team - nowhere near 100 percent, the Celtics are missing something.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the rivalry, Pau Gasol's sarcastic remark after Kobe Bryant became the Lakers' all-time leading scorer - "I congratulate him," he told the Orange County Register. "Now we can focus on winning games again" - sparked concerns of brewing issues between the two All-Stars. Gasol elaborated on his frustration that the Lakers don't look to get the ball inside more often.

Bryant's shot selection and volume once again have become a topic of great debate around the Lakers.

Clippers deny interest in Isiah

The Clippers on Friday quickly denied a report earlier in the day that said the team had reached out to former Knicks president and coach Isiah Thomas about replacing Mike Dunleavy, who stepped down as coach Thursday. The report, by FoxSports.com, said the Clippers had plans to hire Thomas as general manager and coach.

ESPNLosAngeles.com cited two senior Clippers executives who denied the report and any interest in Thomas. "We haven't called him," one source told the Web site, "and we're not planning on calling him."

The situation, however, provided another opportunity for Thomas to become a punch line throughout the NBA for a few short hours. But while he bides his time as coach at Florida International University, there is little doubt that Thomas' goal is to get back into the NBA in the near future. Those close to him say the Hall of Fame point guard and two-time NBA champion is determined to restore his name at this level.

Security breachRudy Fernandez was standing outside the huddle during a timeout late in a game in Dallas on Jan. 30 when he felt arms around his waist. Nothing out of the ordinary there, but the voice is what stunned him. "Rudy, I love you," a woman's voice said. "Nice to meet you. Good game."

A perplexed Fernandez replied, "What?"

Apparently, the woman and her friend slipped past security at American Airlines Center and got all the way to the Portland Trail Blazers' bench. According to the Oregonian, the women were escorted by security off the court, but incredibly, they were allowed to return to their seats for the rest of the game, which went into overtime.

The Blazers were furious. Fernandez laughed off the incident, but he admitted he was scared for a few moments and even thought of the time tennis star Monica Seles was stabbed by a spectator in 1993.