Chris Tomasson Posts

Mention B&B in the U.S. and you're talking about a bed & breakfast. In Canada, B&B might one day conjure up immediate thoughts of Bosh and Bargnani.

The key word is might. If power forward Chris Bosh, who can opt out of his contract next summer and become a free agent, remains with the Toronto Raptors, he could form with center Andrea Bargnani one of the NBA's truly elite low-post duos.

It got to the point when all Danny Ainge and his family could do to keep sane was laugh.

So Ainge's teenage nephew, Owen Toolson, offered up a knock-knock joke.

"Knock, knock,'' he said to his uncle.

"Who's there?''

"Owen.''

"Owen who.''

"Owen-13.''

Ainge, you see, coached the Phoenix Suns in 1996-97, and they got off to a 0-13 start. But even Ainge got a kick out of that joke.

LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh might want to wait. Jerry Colangelo is willing to let them do so.

James, Wade and Bosh all can become free agents next summer, which has clouded their chances of playing for Team USA in the World Championships in Turkey, Aug. 28-Sept. 12. But Colangelo, chairman of USA Basketball, sees a scenario in which the three still could play even if they might not be available for the team's minicamp in Las Vegas during the third week of July.

"There is a gap between the minicamp and when they have to be back [for a training camp beginning in Las Vegas around Aug. 10],'' Colangelo said in an interview Monday with FanHouse. "That's about three weeks. I could see them getting all their business done by then.''

MILWAUKEE -- Three guys in the stands have their shirts off and are jumping up and down at a Wisconsin sports event. One has their favorite player's number painted onto his chest and the other two are adorned with the initials of the player.

So what is this, a Green Bay Packers game and it's 25 degrees outside?

Nope. It's 72 degrees indoors, and it's a Milwaukee Bucks game.

The player is rookie sensation Brandon Jennings. In a matter of weeks, the point guard has made the Bucks relevant again.

MILWAUKEE -- Four months after Stephen Jackson arrived in Golden State in January 2007, the Warriors won their first playoff series in 16 years. They went 48-34 the following season, their best record in 14 years.

Jackson would like to take plenty of credit for it.

"The Warriors were (garbage) when I got there, so look what happened,'' Jackson said in an interview Friday with FanHouse. "So I love challenges.''

That's why the 10th-year swingman is ecstatic about his trade last Monday from the Warriors to Charlotte. Even though the Bobcats (3-8 entering Friday) never have made the playoffs since entering the NBA as an expansion team in 2004, Jackson believes it's "a great opportunity for me to be part of something great.''

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MILWAUKEE -- Milwaukee is cutting costs. With that being no secret, guard Michael Redd doesn't deny there is a possibility he could be traded before his contract expires in the summer of 2011.

But that's not what Redd wants.

"Oh yeah, absolutely,'' Redd said Thursday in an interview with FanHouse about wanting to remain with the Bucks through the life of his deal. "I've been here for 10 years. So I've enjoyed my time here, man, and the team keeps getting better.''

Redd, 30, is making $17.04 million this season and has an $18.3 million early-termination option for next season. It would be a shock if Redd, who has played his entire career with the Bucks since entering the NBA in 2000, opted out.

MILWAUKEE -- As the New Jersey Nets are ringing up losses, Scott Hastings has a vested interest.

Hastings, you see, was on the expansion 1988-89 Miami Heat that set the record for most losses to start an NBA season at 17. So Hastings is hoping the Nets will knock the Heat out of the record book, right?

Try again.

"Absolutely not,'' Hastings said. "We were a bad team. We deserved our record, and I'm disappointed any time anybody gets close. Go Nets.''

MILWAUKEE -- Two weeks after the third-year option on his rookie contract wasn't picked up, Milwaukee forward Joe Alexander says he wants to be traded.

Alexander's 2010-11 option for $2.76 million was not picked up by the Nov. 2 deadline, making him an unrestricted free agent next summer. In an interview with FanHouse before Tuesday's win over the Nets at the Bradley Center, Alexander was asked if he believes that means the Bucks could deal him as the February trade deadline approaches.

"They made it pretty clear that they don't see me having a future here,'' said Alexander, the No. 8 pick in the 2008 draft who averaged 4.7 points last season as a rookie. "So I'm assuming a trade would definitely be one of the options.''

DENVER -- LeBron James is the first choice. But Chris Bosh certainly would be a solid backup for the Miami Heat next summer in free agency.

And he's willing to consider it.

The Heat, which figures to have more than $15 million of salary-cap room, is looking for a superstar to pair with Dwyane Wade. And Wade, who talked last week about possibly luring James to South Florida while also mentioning Bosh, is positioning himself as a recruiter.

"Anything is possible, I guess,'' Bosh, the Toronto star who can become a free agent next summer, told FanHouse in an interview before Tuesday's game at Denver about the possibility of going to Miami. "I guess that seems to be an attractive place, you know, playing with Dwyane and playing in Miami and everything. I guess if they had the right chemistry, the right guys, that they could persuade guys to get there. But we'll see.''

DENVER -- The Toronto Raptors have claimed forward Pops Mensah-Bonsu off waivers, his agent confirmed Tuesday to FanHouse immediately after the waiver period ended.

Mensah-Bonsu was let go by the Houston Rockets last Friday, and placed on waivers until 6 ET Tuesday, which is when Mensah-Bonsu's agent, John Greig, said he was awarded to Toronto.

Anticipating he would be picked up the Raptors, Mensah-Bonsu flew Tuesday to Denver, and was active for the evening game against the Nuggets.