A maximum contract extension would have him making $17 million next year and than more than 10 percent more each season throughout the contract.

The team is apparently extremely happy with his play and Steve Nash(notes) would like to se Stoudemire with the Suns for the long haul. He works well with center Robin Lopez(notes) and he’s all about basketball. The team has a four-day break and he’s on a "vegan fast" in order to "purify" his body and be ready for the last push toward the playoffs.

Such purity has added up to an average of 22.1 points and 8.7 rebounds per game this season.

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Blake stepped into the starting lineup last night to replace the hurting Baron Davis(notes) and ended up with 11 points, two rebounds, five assists, and one steal. Nine of those points came through three three-pointers.

The Magic need a point guard to play behind Jameer Nelson(notes) and the 30-year-old Blake is apparently the guy they’d like to have filling that role. Current Magic point-guard backups Jason Williams(notes) and Anthony Johnson(notes) both become free agents this summer and the team apparently doesn’t want to re-sign them.

"I have a lot of respect for the Magic and their coach (Stan Van Gundy),” Blake told FanHouse. "But I’m not going to worry about that until this summer. I take pride in being able to give a team what it needs in any role.”

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"I’m good, everything is good," Stuckey told the paper, but also pointed out that nobody seemed to have an explanation as to what happened on Friday. The Pistons take on the Utah Jazz tonight and it’s not clear if Stuckey will be in that game or any other the rest of the year. "I got to talk to the doctors and figure that out," Stuckey said.

More tests are scheduled for Stuckey in Motor City.

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The word is that team owner Comcast-Spectacor’s chairman, Ed Snider, wanted to send Jordan packing earlier this season but didn’t do it because he had already fired the head coach of another Philadelphia team his organization owns earlier this season. That firing was done to John Stevens, the former coach of the Philadelphia Flyers.

Snider may also go right ahead and fire GM Ed Stefanski as well when the season ends. Why not get it over with now, Ed? After all, the most-talented crop of free agents ever will be available this summer and you don’t want to waste any time groping around for new folks for the front office while everybody else is spending that same time making their plans on how to get some of this talent onto their squads.

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The word from the paper of record, the New York Times, is that it is far more likely that the Knicks will have Atlanta Hawks forward Joe Johnson(notes) on its roster next year. Johnson and Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni worked well together in Phoenix and the coach would supposedly love to have him back.

The eight-year pro guard is averaging 21.5 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. The Times says the Hawks are going to try and retain Johnson and the Los Angeles Clippers and Chicago Bulls are likely going to try and sign him as well.

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"He’s a big part of it, maybe more so than everybody really realized," coach Rick Adelman said. "We knew what he gave us game in and game out. He always gave us energy. He was great to play with Chase (Budinger). And he played with Aaron (Brooks) so well, and Aaron didn’t have to play 40-something minutes. That was huge, too. We’ve really missed him."

The 23-year-old Lowry may return tonight against the Washington Wizards.

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Bryant said even reporter questions were giving him a stomach virus.

Pau Gasol(notes) said the team needs better ball movement to regain its winning ways as well as an adjustment to play up to their own possibilities. "That’s what’s disappointing and frustrating," Gasol told the paper. "That’s why I want us to get ourselves going and playing well and being confident and having that swagger of the best team in the league, and lately we haven’t been carrying that with us."

Bryant said the team didn’t play hard in losses to the Charlotte Bobcats and Miami Heat while just losing to a good team against the Orlando Magic.

Perhaps the return of Sasha Vujacic(notes), out since Feb. 18, will help change things around when he re-appears on the roster Wednesday night when the team takes on Chris Bosh(notes) and the Toronto Raptors.

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Bryant said even reporter questions were giving him a stomach virus.

Pau Gasol(notes) suggested the problem is simply that the team needs better ball movement to regain its winning ways as well as an adjustment to play up to their own possibilities. "That’s what’s disappointing and frustrating," Gasol told the paper. "That’s why I want us to get ourselves going and playing well and being confident and having that swagger of the best team in the league, and lately we haven’t been carrying that with us."

Bryant said the team didn’t play hard in its losses to the Charlotte Bobcats and Miami Heat while just losing to a good team against the Orlando Magic.

Perhaps the return of Sasha Vujacic(notes), out since February 18, will help change things around when he re-appears on the roster tomorrow night when the team takes on Chris Bosh(notes) and the Toronto Raptors.

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The team’s dismal record is going to keep some free agents away. There are some – such as the Phoenix Suns Amar’e Stoudemire(notes), who could opt out of his contract this summer, and the Memphis Grizzlies‘ Rudy Gay(notes) – who seem attracted to the team that will someday supposedly move to Brooklyn.

Lee is thinking that if the team gets the No. 1 pick in the draft and picks up a good free agent, it could turn things around pretty quickly. "They have a great center in (Brook) Lopez, an All-Star point guard, Devin Harris(notes), great athleticism with wings Chris Douglas-Roberts(notes) and Terrence Williams(notes)."

The Nets will have $23.3 million in cap space to play with and Lee might just want to stay living in the New York area.

Brook Lopez(notes) is into the idea of adding Lee: "It would be great," he told the Post, "a guy who loves to crash the offensive glass for so many extra possessions. Then with Yi (Jianlian), if you had the three of us playing together, it would be a great situation."

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His most ideal group to sell to are the team’s current minority owners. "I think they would make great owners," he said. "If it’s not to be, it’s not to be."

Heisley says he’s not in any financial trouble and doesn’t have any real need to sell the team. He thinks the team has been very fiscally responsible. "Everybody says I’m cheap. But I’ve shown that it does you no good to just go out and spend huge amounts of money," he said.

He also pointed out that the Grizzlies have a contract that tie them to Memphis for 17 years and the team can’t be moved before then so new ownership wouldn’t mean the 32-31 team would be leaving town. "It’s not possible," he said. " If somebody calls up, we tell them (moving) is not possible. Tell the people to wait about 10 years, let attendance never get any better and then they better start worrying. Right now, there’s nothing to talk about."

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