Around The Rim

Don't expect Kenyon Martin to back off much despite his suspensions for flagrant fouls against Karl Malone on Dec. 22 and Tracy McGrady last Friday. "I like him being physical, aggressive, emotional," Nets coach Byron Scott says. "He has to be a little smarter, but I don't want him to change."

...The lure of skilled wing players in Europe and centers in Asia has prompted many teams to divert time and money from scouting college prospects. "It costs more to get things done overseas," says Magic G.M. John Gabriel, who this season has taken 20% of his college scouting budget and diverted it to foreign scouting....

While the Jazz will be prevented from playing at home throughout February because of the Salt Lake City Olympics, the team is optimistic about holding its own—thanks to a couple of five-day breaks provided by the compassionate schedule maker....

With Terrell Brandon sidelined and Chauncey Billups hurting, Timberwolves coach Flip Saunders is considering giving point guard minutes to Kevin Garnett, who at week's end was hitting 34.0% of his three-pointers and averaging 5.6 assists....

Pistons coach Rick Carlisle has asked that Jerry Stackhouse become more unselfish this season, but enough is enough. "We need him to be [a scorer] first and the guy who gets others involved second," Carlisle says. "He can't get his teammates involved unless he has his aggressive offensive disposition."

...Injuries have forced the Hawks to start II players this season and to move guard Jason Terry back to the point. One beneficiary of the shuffling: forward DerMarr Johnson, the No. 6 pick in the 2000 draft, who averaged 13.3 points and 4.3 rebounds in his first three starts.