Sporting News: Steve Nash is a nice choice, and LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Dwyane Wade are expected, but red-hot Dirk Nowitzki is elevating the Dallas Mavericks to contenders in the Western Conference.

Fan Ranker: Who will be the MVP of the regular season? Let your voice be heard. Rank each player on a scale of 0 to 10 (10 = best player, 0 = barely worthy of consideration). Check back each week to rank the candidates.

Retired NBA star Jayson Williams will not be in a New Jersey courtroom Friday to enter a plea in the 2002 shooting death of a hired driver.

Pau Gasol had 24 points and 13 rebounds in his season debut, and Kobe Bryant scored 21 points while passing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on the Lakers' career scoring chart in Los Angeles' 108-93 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night.

LeBron James, NFL player. Just a fantasy, says New Orleans Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey. The Cavaliers’ All-Star forward caused a stir this week by saying he could be “really good” if he committed himself to playing football. The remarks set off debate about James’ football talents and prompted Browns coach Eric Mangini to joke that James should “come on down” and help his 1-8 team.