---

By Marcus Henry

BOSTON - So far so good for New York’s Mike Sweetney. After a bad first workout, the burly power forward from Georgetown showed why the Knicks selected him with their ninth pick as he torched the Milwaukee Bucks for 20 points and eight rebounds… Milwaukee’s TJ Ford turned many heads with his 16-point, eight-assist performance against the Knicks Monday. Although the Knicks took advantage of his slight frame at times, the former Texas standout held his own…The post-Jordan era is officially underway for the Wizards. And so far, things look the same. Rookie forward Jarvis Hayes however, showed some quickness and was good around the basket as he scored 13 points to go along with five rebounds in his debut…Boris Diaw, the Atlanta Hawks first-round selection showed some versatility, and athleticism on his way to four points, five rebounds and six assists…Of course the highlight of yesterday’s action was Cleveland’s LeBron James. Although the Cavaliers fell to the Celtics 87-84, James was stellar self as he lead the Cavs with 25 points. The emphasis on his night came late in the fourth quarter when he posted up Boston’s Kedrick Brown on the right block, spun to his right and dunked on him. Even the pro-Celtic crowd had to stand and applaud…New Jersey Nets first-round selection Zoran Planinic also shined in his debut. The numbers may not show it, but Planinic showed some mettle in the Nets 86-80 defeat of Philadelphia. The Croatian native finished with 12 points and seven assists…Philadelphia’s second-round draft choice Willie Green also wowed the crown with a vicious break-away dunk in the first half. Although viewed as a ‘tweener’ at 6-4, Green, who finished with 13 points, has tremendous leaping ability and has proven he could get his shot off against anyone…

WHO’S NOT

Sweetney’s marvelous debut was arguably offset by the play of Knicks second-round choice Maciej Lampe who finished with two points on 1-for-7 shooting. Lampe, who has been mentioned in the same breath with Dallas’ Dirk Nowitski will have to learn how to take some punishment if he is to have a career in the NBA…Unfortunately, Kwame Brown looks much like he did in his rookie season, lost and over matched. Although Brown finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, his eight turnovers far outweighed his offensive contributions… Nets second-year guard Tamar Slay, who shined in this very same league last summer, struggled mightily yesterday as he scored just four points on 1-of-9 shooting. He also committed six turnovers…Atlanta’s Travis Hansen, who was named to the Portsmouth Invitational, All-Tournament team struggled from the outside as he managed only nine points on 2-of-11 shooting…