Charles Barkley is calling out Kobe Bryant again for dogging it.

Barkley criticized Bryant on Monday for the way he asked the Lakers to trade him, then for not appearing to give his full effort since owner Jerry Buss said he would consider a deal.

So when Barkley goes on the air tonight for TNT's season-opening doubleheader, he will probably have some strong words about Bryant for the second time in three years. He said Phil Jackson's questioning of Bryant's effort over the weekend was the "final straw."

"What Phil Jackson said yesterday, that was like they're at the point of no return now. There's a point where you know you can make a marriage work, but what Phil Jackson said yesterday, that was the end of it," Barkley said at a luncheon with fellow studio analyst Kenny Smith.

"That's the one thing I respect most about Kevin Garnett. Even though he played on terrible teams, there is not a player in the last 10 years who played harder than Kevin Garnett. And that's the one thing that disappoints me. Phil said that Kobe's just going through the motions ... And if your coach tells you you're just going through the motions, that's pretty much the end of the straw."

DURANT OK TO PLAY: Kevin Durant, Seattle's second overall choice, moved fluidly while completing practice Monday, two days before the season opener at Denver. It was the first extensive basketball work for last season's national college player of the year since he sprained his left ankle in a preseason game Oct. 23.

Sonics coach P.J. Carlesimo would not declare Durant ready to start at shooting guard in the nationally televised opener against the Nuggets on Wednesday night. Seattle then has its home opener Thursday night against Phoenix.

"He looked decent. He probably did a little more than probably we thought he'd be able to do," Carlesimo said.

HOWARD CLEARED: Dallas Mavericks forward Josh Howard was cleared to practice Monday, six days after he sprained his left wrist in a preseason game against the Chicago Bulls. Doctors removed the cast from his wrist. He now wears a removable splint. Howard will travel with the Mavericks on their upcoming road trip. Their season opener is Wednesday at Cleveland and they play Friday at Atlanta.

ALSO: Penny Hardaway is officially back in the NBA, after the Miami Heat placed him on their season-opening roster Monday. The Heat released guards Jeremy Richardson and Brian Chase, along with forwards Marcus Slaughter and Devin Green to reach the league-mandated 15-man limit ... The New Jersey Nets opened two roster spots, trading swingman Bernard Robinson, center Mile Ilic and cash considerations to the New Orleans Hornets for veteran guard David Wesley. The Nets have told Wesley not to report and the team will eat the guaranteed portion of his $1.75 million contract, general manager Ed Stefanski said ... Toronto forward Joey Graham will stay through the 2008-09 season after the Raptors exercised their fourth-year option ... Courtney Sims, an undrafted 6-foot-11 rookie from Michigan, signed with the Indiana Pacers ... The Cleveland Cavaliers signed rookie Demetris Nichols to a contract as they finalized their opening-day roster for the 2007-08 season ... The San Antonio Spurs traded Beno Udrih to the Minnesota Timberwolves for a protected second-round draft pick in 2008 ... The Los Angeles Lakers have exercised a fourth-year contract option on Andrew Bynum, and picked up the third-year contract option on Jordan Farmar.