By Don Ellis

The NBA According To Ellis

So, did you miss me? Or did you not even notice that I was gone?

Truth be told, I didn't really go anywhere. I just finished my annual summer sabbatical, which is why you haven't seen NBA Runaround for the last few weeks. But now I'm back, the batteries have been recharged, and I'm looking forward to the start of the summer leagues.

Yeah, I know what you're all thinking -- summer leagues? You're excited over the summer leagues? Well, if you live in the Orlando area like I do, you have the opportunity to see LeBron James make his professional hoops debut. And, obviously, a lot of you are planning to join me in the TD Waterhouse Center for a glimpse at King James.

The Orlando Summer League is normally played on a practice court with no bleachers at the RDV Sports Complex, which is where the Magic train. But this year, with the arrival of James on the scene, the first day's games will be played in the Waterhouse -- and as of Sunday night, over 8,000 tickets and 100 media credentials have been distributed. Tickets are only $5, and all the proceeds will go to the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation.

And as an added bonus, Central Florida residents who are subscribers to Bright House (formerly Time Warner) cable can catch me on Central Florida News 13's "Sound Off" all day Monday. Yes, I tell the camera that I would never pay to see a kid straight out of high school play in the NBA- but as a member of the media I will be getting in for free, so please save your "Ellis is a hypocrite" e-mails for another day.

Free Agent Frenzy

As of July 1, NBA teams were free to begin negotiating with free agents, although contracts cannot be signed until July 16. Surprisingly, not one player has even given an oral commitment as of yet -- but several interesting scenarios are unfolding.

One scenario must have fans in San Antonio, Sacramento, and Dallas extremely worried -- the one in which Karl Malone and Gary Payton each take huge pay cuts to sign with the Lakers. As of now, the Lakers have two glaring weaknesses -- Derek Fisher's inability to defend even slightly-above-average point guards, and the lack of a power forward who can rebound and defend.

If the Lakers manage to land the Glove and the Mailman, they immediately become the prohibitive favorites to win the NBA title this season. Of course, this will never happen -- the next time an NBA player signs a contract for millions of dollars below market value so he can win a championship will be the first time. It does, however, make for excellent talk radio and message board fodder, which I guess is a good thing for NBA fans who usually have nothing to discuss during the dog days of summer.

Juwan Howard is rumored to be heading to Minnesota, where he would team with Kevin Garnett and newly-acquired Sam Cassell in the Wolves' quest to finally get out of the first round of the playoffs. GM Kevin McHale is also trying to move Terrell Brandon's hefty salary to a team looking for cap relief (Brandon is retiring, and his salary will come off the books early in 2004). If McHale get a good player in return, it might just be enough to convince KG to re-sign with the Wolves next summer when his becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Meanwhile, Jermaine O'Neal -- the most coveted free agent big man -- has been strangely quiet since July 1. While the other major free agents are out getting wined and dined by several different teams, O'Neal hasn't been the subject of any rumors at all. While JO seemingly would like to resign with Indiana, he also wants assurances that Isiah Thomas will continue to coach the Pacers and that teammates who don't give 110% effort at all times will be traded.

It seems to me that if O'Neal really wants to win titles, he would sign with a Spurs team that would love to have a big man to replace the retired David Robinson. There are some people in Indianapolis who will tell you that JO would rather be the number one option on a good team than the second option on a great team. If the Spurs offer O'Neal a maximum contract and he declines, I'd be hard-pressed to argue with the Indy folks.

Kobe Arrested

Kobe Bryant turned himself in to authorities in Eagle County, Colorado and was released on $25,000 bond on a felony count of sexual assault. After conducting many interviews and reviewing undisclosed physical evidence, investigators went to District Attorney Mark Hurlbert, who decided that there was enough evidence to make an arrest. It is still not known whether or not charges will be filed against Bryant.

And this just in: sources tell me that Orlando Magic guard Darrell Armstrong had been in jail in the Orange County jail after being arrested following a "scuffle" with police officers in downtown Orlando late Sunday night or very early Sunday morning. He then posted bond. "Flash" is currently a free agent, and this certainly will hurt his cause as he tries to negotiate a new contract with the only NBA team he has ever played for. Hopefully, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel will have some details for me when I see him this afternoon for today's "Orlando Sports Reporters" on ESPN 1080.

"Show Me The Money!!!"

I'm sure all of you remember that famous line from the movie "Jerry Maguire," but as of July 1, it has special meaning to (now) former Heat guard Anthony Carter.

AC's agent, Bill Duffy, was supposed to contact the Heat by July 1 to exercise Carter's option on a contract that would have paid him over $4 million next season. But Duffy forgot to make the call, and now Miami will have enough cap space to pursue a top-tier free agent this summer. As for Carter, he'll be lucky if his new agent can get him a contract for more than the minimum salary.

Can you say "lawsuit"?

Summer Leagues On TV

For those of you who have access to NBA-TV, there will be many summer league games broadcast on the network. While most of the players who participate in the summer leagues will never see action in an NBA game, most of the top draft picks and many second-year players will be playing in at least a few of their team's contests. For a complete schedule of games that will be shown on NBA-TV, go to the InsideHoops.com home page and click on the "TV" link on the left hand side of the page.

That's all I have for now. Send your questions and/or comments to nbarunaround@hotmail.com, and don't forget to include your name and hometown if you want them printed in this column.