NBA: 24-second clock

Pacers' Scot Pollard says he voted for George W. Bush for president. "If we're going to go around and blow up people and tell them democracy is the greatest, we ought to be able to set an example and go out and get it done right," he said.

Orlando's Cuttino Mobley could be a free agent after this season, but he ruled out a return to Houston, saying the pain of being traded was too great. "Getting traded is like your wife cheating on you," he said.

Tracy McGrady was upset when Orlando GM John Weisbrod took shots at him after his trade to Houston. "When you look at some of the comments that he made, you kind of don't want to take the high road," McGrady said. "You kind of just want to grab him by the neck and choke the (bleep) out of him."

In his recently published biography, Houston's Yao Ming reveals that the Chinese-character tattoos worn by Denver's Kenyon Martin mean "not aggressive" or "indecisive."

Winning a title hasn't made Rasheed Wallace a new man. "I'm not going to change the way I am for nothing, for nobody," he said. "I'm going to be the same old Rasheed." (What a relief.)

Latrell Sprewell is using the "taken out of context" defense to explain his controversial "I've got a family to feed" comment. "I was talking in general, and you think you're talking to people who see your point, but they have another agenda," Mr. Sensitive said.

Talented but fickle Nets star Jason Kidd has submitted a list of teams he'd like to play for, topped by the Timberwolves, Nuggets, Lakers, Rockets, Kings, Spurs and Mavericks. Minnesota reportedly offered Wally Szczerbiak, Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell. San Antonio supposedly turned down an offer for Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, and Sacramento didn't want to deal Mike Bibby.

Lakers reportedly showed no interest in Kidd because they think they have a shot at Yao Ming in the summer of 2007.

Boston GM Danny Ainge says the abrupt resignation of former coach Jim O'Brien last season was due in part to the coach's opinion that Ainge was meddling by working with younger players. "It was like I was the evil athletic director," Ainge said. "There was paranoia around here that the evil athletic director was interfering with the basketball team."

Pistons' Darwin Ham described his dream presidential ticket: "I just wish Oprah and Hillary Clinton would run. I'd vote for them . . . That would be an interesting ticket, don't you think?"