Around The Rim

In late February and mid-March, Hornets guard Eddie Jones dropped from 200 pounds to 180 due to heavy playing time and to insomnia, for which he began taking medication. Concerned about their All-Star's condition, Charlotte's coaches ordered him to drink protein shakes and do extra weight training. At week's end Jones was up to 194 pounds....

Celtics coach Rick Pitino told his players and the Boston media last month that if Florida, coached by his prot�g� Billy Donovan, reached the NCAA final, he would miss practice on the afternoon of April 3 so he could fly to Indianapolis and attend the game that night. ( Donovan's Gators lost the final to Michigan State 89-76.) But while the Celtics were working out without him in Boston, Pitino was at a hotel in Indy giving a motivational speech to GTE executives—a talk that was scheduled two months ago (whether Florida was in the final or not) and for which he was paid $50,000, according to Washington Speakers Bureau, Inc....

Before the tip-off last Thursday in Vancouver, Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins refused to take charge of his team unless his salary was adjusted. Hollins, who was still receiving an assistant's salary of around $250,000 despite having been promoted on Dec. 16, had been told by the team's new ownership that he would not get a raise. ( Dick Versace is likely to replace Hollins at season's end.) The coach's threat prompted Grizzlies management to bump his salary to $600,000.