Kolb was set to make a $2 million bonus if he was still on the club’s roster Saturday. He also had a $9 million base salary for this season.

Kolb’s future in Arizona became even cloudier Wednesday when the team agreed to a three-year contract with quarterback Drew Stanton.

Thanks to injuries and his unsteady play, Kolb appeared in just six games with the Cardinals last season, throwing for 1,169 yards with eight touchdowns and three interceptions.

Kolb, 28, threw for 17 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in two seasons with Arizona after being acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles. He was a 2007 second-round pick of the Eagles.

Star wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, in an interview with ESPN Radio’s “SVP and Russillo” show Thursday, said he has confidence that new coach Bruce Arians would improve the team’s quarterback situation.

The Cardinals, whose offense ranked dead last in the NFL last season, also have tendered an offer to quarterback Brian Hoyer.

The post Cardinals release Kevin Kolb appeared first on IdealCapper.

“Dwight is our future,” Kupchak told “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” on ESPN Radio on Wednesday. “Kobe [Bryant] has one more year on his deal [this year, plus one]. That’s all I can bank on or this organization can bank on. I have no idea if he wants to continue to play beyond next year. As of now, we’re looking at a two-year window, [and that] plays to the urgency of the situation and how we build the team. … This team’s window to win is this year and next year.”

When asked if he agreed with Kupchak and thought he was the future of the Lakers, Howard said at the team’s shootaround Wednesday, “Yeah, I do. We talked about it plenty of times.”

However, when pressed over whether he will remain with the Lakers past this season, Howard stuck to his refrain of focusing on the present.

“The only thing that matters is right now,” Howard said. “Nobody can control what happens in the offseason. Like I said to you guys before, there’s no need to talk about it every day.

“There’s no need for me to make a decision right now. My goal hasn’t changed. I want to win a championship and I want to win one here. I’m here right now and this is our chance to get one this season. It’s been tough, but we have an opportunity to change all that.”

Kupchak reiterated his public stance that the 27-year-old Howard, who becomes an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, is off the market with the NBA trade deadline looming Thursday at 3 p.m. ET.

“We’ve been very consistent,” Kupchak said. “We’re not trading Dwight Howard. … He will not be traded, and there’s nothing that anybody can do today to call me today and ask me, ‘Would you do this?’ and get a positive result.”

Kupchak called Howard the best center in the league and expressed how difficult it is to acquire talent like him, especially with the restrictions in place since the league’s new collective bargaining agreement was ratified.

“It’s hard to get talent in this league, and to have a talent like Dwight Howard, we have no intention of trading Dwight Howard,” Kupchak said. “He belongs to have his name on the wall [as a retired uniform] and a statue in front of Staples [Center] at some point in time.”

The GM said he is not concerned with Howard’s playful demeanor curtailing his effectiveness on the court and added that Howard will not be fully embraced until he earns a championship ring.

“Players in this league are not going to get their due until they win a championship, and until they do, they’re under the microscope and they’re going to be criticized for every single little thing,” Kupchak said. “We’ve seen that with what’s taken place in Miami in the last year or two. LeBron [James] is playing at a ridiculously high level right now, but for several years he was criticized for everything he did. When he won a championship, everything changed. That’s just the way it’s going to be. With Dwight, when he wins his first championship — and he will — people will look at him differently.”

Howard’s game has looked different this season as he’s struggled to recover from back surgery and has been slowed by a torn labrum in his right shoulder. Howard’s 16.3 points-per-game average is his lowest scoring output since his second season in the league, and his 11.8 rebounds per game are his lowest since his rookie season in 2004-05.

Even with the drop-off in numbers, the Lakers are prepared to offer Howard a max five-year contract extension in the offseason and believe he will be able to return to the type of player who was the three-time defensive player of the year in Orlando.

“That type of [back] surgery takes at least a year to get back completely,” Kupchak said of the procedure Howard underwent 10 months ago last April. “He’s so young, he got back so quick, he’s going to have a 100 percent recovery.”

Kupchak acknowledged that Howard’s relationship with Bryant is evolving, but said that was more of a product of them only playing half a season together than it was a personality conflict.

“I think it’s a work in progress, probably the best way to say it,” Kupchak said. “I would say the same thing about Kobe and Steve Nash and Steve Nash and Dwight Howard.”

As for Pau Gasol, the other member of the Lakers’ “big four,” Kupchak said calls asking about the availability of the 12-year veteran have quieted since he suffered a torn plantar fascia in his right foot in early February.

“We’re not going to trade Pau today or tomorrow, but his name has come up in the past, and it would be misleading to say it won’t come up in the future,” Kupchak said of Gasol, who will have a $19.3 million expiring contract next season.

Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni also isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, according to Kupchak.

“Mike D’Antoni is going to be the coach here going forward,” Kupchak said. “We’re very happy with Mike D’Antoni. This is a very tough situation to walk into with no training camp, new players, a lot of injuries. There are no excuses there, whatsoever, because that’s what all teams in this league deal with, especially the injury part, but he’s brought energy, he understands the game, he’s been great and we’re very happy with him going forward.”

While Kupchak is busy fielding phone calls leading up to the trade deadline, he is also processing the death of longtime Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, who will be honored with a memorial service Thursday afternoon just hours after the deadline passes.

“The last two days have been very solemn around the office, and a lot of people [are] reflecting,” Kupchak said. “We’re going to miss him tremendously, but the franchise is in good hands. It really is. He made provisions to keep it in the family. My understanding is that’s what’s going to happen.”

The post Lakers stake future to Dwight Howard appeared first on IdealCapper.

In an interview with ESPN Radio on Friday from All-Star festivities in Houston, the 36-year-old Garnett said some are reading too much into his words after declaring with certainty on Wednesday that this would be his final All-Star appearance.

“I did say that, didn’t I?” joked Garnett. “I’m just being honest. To think that, first off, not to take this for granted and I’m more than honored and flattered. But to think that two years left, who knows what the future’s going to hold for me. I can’t say that I’m going to be an All-Star next year at 37-38 years old. That’s ludicrous.

“I’m learning this new journalism these days, they don’t really put out the whole question, they just ask the parts at which they want. So I’ll explain it. The question kinda came off as whether next year and [Garnett] making the All-Star [game], I was like, ‘Woah, woah, woah. This is probably my last,’ then went into that way and spoke on it. But yeah, I don’t anticipate — I never said that I wasn’t going to anticipate playing like an All-Star next year, I didn’t say that. But to sit up here with all those young guys and up-and-coming talent, I can’t just that. I’m not that brash, that egotistical of a guy say nothing like that. I’m more than honored to be here, it’s not by coincidence, I’m working hard like the next man. But to sit up there and say that next year [he’d be an All-Star], I would never disrespect the game like that.”

Garnett inked a three-year, $36 million deal this offseason; he’ll turn 39 before it ends. One thing he made clear: He doesn’t have any plans to play beyond this current contract.

“I hope I’m not playing at 40,” said Garnett. “I don’t know. Forty, to all you guys that are 40, excuse me before I say this, and ladies who are 40, but I don’t want to play until I’m 40. I love to hoop, by the end I want to be like — when I’m 40 I want to be in the YMCA somewhere, busting a guy like you up, talking trash to you, killing your ego. Shooting the hook shot left and right, something I never do, and enjoying it. I put my time into the game, I actually enjoy playing with the lights or without the lights, but I feel like these times in which I’m going, the game is hard, it’s very difficult to go out here and play these minutes and put in — I prepare the best way I can every night, but it’s challenging, man. It’s very challenging.”

Informed that outsiders don’t notice much slippage in his game — and the stats certainly don’t reflect anything of the such — Garnett said he still holds himself to insanely hard standards.

“As long as I’m going to play this game, I’m going to have a certain level that I’m going to demand of myself. And if I can’t get to that level then I’m going to have a problem,” said Garnett. “And it’s going to eat me up, and internally it’s going to mess with me. And I don’t go at things 20 percent or 30, it’s either 0 or 100 percent. If I can’t keep a certain level, then it’s honestly it’s going to bother me. And I don’t want that. I don’t want to be in a situation where I look depleted — hell, I look depleted some nights, and it’s like, ‘What are you doing out here?’ However y’all see me, that’s how you see me; but how I see myself, is in another realm. I expect a lot out of myself.”

Garnett reaffirmed his desire to retire a Celtic.

“[Celtics president of basketball operations] Danny [Ainge], since Day 1, even when Ray was here, the first day we got there he always told us he would do whatever he had to do to make the team better, he wouldn’t put guys above the team,” said Garnett. “That was the foundation and we all understood that, never had a problem with it. I’ve always told him where I was, as far as being a Celtic. My expectations were not to come back to be traded. We both understand that, but this is a business and you have to understand that, I do.

“It’s my preference, I will retire a Celtic and be buried in green and that’s where it stands. As far as the organization, where they feel they want to go, their visions for the future, I can’t speak on that. You have to ask them that. For right now, this is what it is, if it changes, I’ll have to deal with that.”

The post Kevin Garnett clarifies comments appeared first on IdealCapper.

“I’m going to officially put the cleats on the shelf. I’m going to walk away from the game,” the four-time Pro Bowler said.

The Packers announced that he will take part in a formal news conference at Lambeau Field on Feb. 6 at 12 a.m. ET.

“I played my entire career in Green Bay and have always enjoyed a special bond with the fans,” Driver said in a statement released by the team. “I can think of no better way to retire than to celebrate with them and the Packers organization.”

Fans are invited to attend Driver’s retirement news conference and tickets will be distributed free of charge.

“I’m going to open my retirement up to the fans … give them everything they deserve,” Driver told ESPN Radio.

Taken in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL draft out of Alcorn State, the 37-year-old Driver retires as the Packers’ all-time leader in receptions (743) and yards (10,137). He also had 61 touchdown receptions (third on Packers’ all-time list) in 205 career games, all with the Packers.

He’s one of only 18 wide receivers in NFL history with 700-plus career catches and 10,000 or more receiving yards in 200 games.

There were three wide receivers taken in the first round of the 1999 draft — Torry Holt, David Boston, and Troy Edwards. Driver had 225 more career receptions, 3,034 more yards and 25 more touchdowns than Boston and Edwards, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

Only Brett Favre played more games in a Packers uniform.

“All 14 years. Every day,” Driver told ESPN Radio. “That’s a special place to walk out of, and that’s something I’ll never forget.”

He had seven 1,000-yard seasons, also a Packers record for a receiver. He had six straight 1,000-yard seasons from 2004-09, averaging 14 yards per catch during the stretch. He made at least one catch in 133 straight games from 2002 to 2010, another franchise record.

“It was a pleasure to share the field with you for 4 years! Great player, tremendous person. #retire80,” offensive guard T.J. Lang said on Twitter.

Aaron Rodgers added, “Thanks for the memories quickie, you will be missed #Packer4Life.”

Quickie is Driver’s childhood nickname.

He turns 38 on Saturday.

It wasn’t just his performance on the field that made Driver one of the most beloved players in Packers history. Fans were charmed by his bright smile and infectious laugh, and moved by his story of overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds. Growing up, Driver and his family were so poor that he, his mother and siblings sometimes spent the nights in a U-Haul. He and his brother stole cars to get money, and Driver sold drugs, too.

Driver never forgot that tough childhood, remaining active in the community throughout his career.

“His contribution to the history of the Green Bay Packers has been extraordinary,” Bart Starr said in the Packers’ statement. “I am honored to congratulate him on all of his achievements on and off the field.”

Though Driver had said he hoped to play until he was 40, his retirement was hardly a surprise. He had restructured the final year of his contract to come back this season, but played only a bit role in the offense with Greg Jennings, James Jones, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb ahead of him on the depth chart. Driver’s eight catches for 77 yards were his lowest totals since his rookie season, and he was inactive for four games, including the NFC wild-card game, his final contest at Lambeau Field.

“It’s always difficult, especially when you feel you can still play the game,” Driver told ESPN Radio. “There’s other things out there. There’s the next chapter of your career and I’m ready for it.”

Driver said he is eager to spend more time with his family. Driver and his wife, Bettina, have three kids.

“Someone is always going to be able to tell my kids that their dad was a great football player,” Driver told ESPN Radio. “But no one will be able to tell my kids that their dad was a great dad and a great husband, so I have to be able to show them that.”

The post Donald Driver to retire from NFL appeared first on IdealCapper.

The length of the deal is five years, sources told the Associated Press. A news conference to introduce Reid is scheduled for Monday.

The deal reportedly will give the longtime Eagles coach broad authority over football decisions. His deal came hours after the Chiefs announced they had parted with general manager Scott Pioli after four tumultuous seasons.

The Chiefs held a meeting with the coaching staff on Friday morning, presumably to talk about Kansas City’s job search and ongoing talks with Reid, according to sources.

Reid spent 1999-2012 as Philadelphia’s coach, leading the Eagles to the playoffs nine times during that period. He won 130 regular-season games and 10 playoff games. The Chiefs, meanwhile, had 98 wins, three postseason appearances and no postseason wins under five different head coaches, according to ESPN Stats & Information.

“I’m definitely excited. You don’t accidentally win 100 games over 10 years in this league. Obviously, the guy knows how to coach and win. It’s definitely something we need,” Chiefs offensive lineman Eric Winston said on “SVP & Russillo” on ESPN Radio.

Reid will inherit a team that went 2-14, matching the worst record in franchise history. But he’ll also have the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, and with five players voted to the Pro Bowl, Kansas City has building blocks in place to make a quick turnaround.

Reid has experience turning around franchises, too.

He took over a team in Philadelphia that was just 3-13, but two years later went 11-5 and finished second in the NFC East. That began a stretch of five straight years in which Reid won at least 11 games and included a trip to the Super Bowl after the 2004 season.

“Congratulations to Clark Hunt and the Kansas City Chiefs for hiring a good man and a good coach,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said Friday night. “We wish Andy, (wife) Tammy and their entire family all the best in their new home.”

The fresh start afforded by the Chiefs should be welcomed by Reid.

Despite a 130-93-1 record and the most wins in Eagles history, he was just 12-20 in the past two seasons. Reid also dealt with personal tragedy when his oldest son, Garrett, died during training camp after a long battle with drug addiction.

Reid will have more authority in Kansas City than any previous coach. While he will have authority in personnel decisions, it’s expected that he will pursue longtime Packers personnel man John Dorsey to work with him as general manager.

“Congrats Big Red on taking your talents to KC. Big Red fans get ready to cheer on your new boss and new team from 2013 and on. Good Luck,” tweeted former Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb.

Pioli, 47, joined the Chiefs in 2009 after nine seasons with the Patriots, where he helped to build New England’s dynasty. But he failed to turn around the Chiefs, who were 23-39 in his four seasons, including a woeful 2012 campaign under Romeo Crennel, who was hired to replace Todd Haley during the 2011 season. Crennel was fired Monday.

“I would like to thank Norma, Clark and the Hunt family for the opportunity that they gave me four years ago,” Pioli said. “I’d also like to thank the players, coaches, scouts and countless other employees, throughout the organization and at Arrowhead Stadium that have worked so hard during my time here. I would also like to genuinely thank Chiefs fans.

“The bottom line is that I did not accomplish all of what I set out to do. To the Hunt family — to the great fans of the Kansas City Chiefs — to the players, all employees and alumni, I truly apologize for not getting the job done.”

The Chiefs’ season was marred by a tragic murder-suicide — linebacker Jovan Belcher killed his girlfriend, Kasandra Perkins, and then took his own life in the parking lot of Arrowhead Stadium after thanking Pioli and former coach Romeo Crennel for everything they had done for him.

One of Pioli’s first significant moves in 2009 was trading for quarterback Matt Cassel, who’d been impressive as a fill-in for injured Patriots starter Tom Brady. Pioli proceeded to sign Cassel to a six-year, $63 million deal. Cassel didn’t live up to his contract in Kansas City, however, and lost his starting job to Brady Quinn in 2012.

“After several productive conversations, we made the difficult decision to part ways with Scott Pioli and allow him to pursue other opportunities,” Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said in a statement. “Scott has been an invaluable member of the Chiefs family since joining us in 2009, and we sincerely appreciate his tremendous contributions over the last four years.

“I know that this was a difficult decision for Scott as well. He has a great deal of appreciation for the history of this franchise, for our players, coaches and employees, and especially our great fans.”

The Chiefs haven’t won a playoff game since 1993. This season was Kansas City’s fifth losing season in six years.

The post Andy Reid is new Chiefs coach appeared first on IdealCapper.

“Cause we’re old as s—,” said the 34-year-old Bryant when asked why a lack of energy has been a problem for the Lakers all season. “What do you want? We just got to figure out how to play when we don’t have that energy. We got to change things up a little bit defensively. We got to figure out what we want to do offensively, figure out what we want to do on nights when we don’t have those legs or have that energy.”

The 76ers beat the Lakers primarily with the contributions of 22-year-old Jrue Holiday (26 points, 10 assists) and 24-year-old Evan Turner (22 points, 13 rebounds).

“You just saw an old damn team,” Bryant continued. “I don’t know how else to put it to you. We’re just slow. You saw a team over there that was just younger and just had fresher legs and just played with more energy, and we were just stuck in the mud. I think individually we all have to figure out how to get ourselves ready each and every game to have a high level of energy. That’s all that is.”

While saddled by such circumstances, Bryant’s belief that the Lakers can make the playoffs and compete for a championship remains unshaken.

“I don’t think there’s a doubt about that,” he told ESPN Radio host Colin Cowherd on Wednesday when asked if the team is built for the playoffs. “The problem is we’ve dug ourselves such a deep hole we got to do a lot of fighting just to catch up and get in that conversation. We firmly believe it’s going to happen but we have to do a lot of fighting just to get there.”

The Lakers are 9½ games behind the 25-7 Clippers in the Pacific Division and are 10th in the Western Conference, 1½ games behind the Portland Trail Blazers for the eighth and final playoff spot. The Lakers can cut into that deficit Friday night when they play the Clippers at Staples Center.

“It’s very deep, we’re very concerned but we’ve been playing well lately,” Bryant told Cowherd in explaining his level of concern for the Lakers. “The last eight games we’ve been playing pretty well but the hole we dug ourselves at the start is very deep, so every loss now cuts a little deeper than it should. So we have to keep focused on how we’ve been playing lately and just continuing to get better from that.”

Following Tuesday’s loss, Bryant, who has managed to lead the league in scoring in this, his 17th season, said every player has to learn to create energy individually.

“It’s figuring it out,” Bryant said. “That’s a big thing when you’re starting to age, is figuring out how to get yourself ready game in and game out. It’s tough. It takes a lot, a lot of commitment.”

Added Bryant: “We didn’t seem to have any energy. You watch the game, we were kind of sluggish, kind of stuck in the mud. When we have games like that, everything is an uphill battle for us. When we play fresh, when we play energized, we’re a completely, completely different team. You saw a lot of those shots tonight falling short, for whatever reason. We got to get the proper rest and get ready for Friday.”

Pau Gasol, 32, agreed with Bryant’s assessment.

“We’re not the most athletic team in the league; we know that,” Gasol said. “But we are experienced and we should create some energy for ourselves out there, and I think it starts by us talking to each other, by communicating, by letting our team really know that we’re there [on defense], and that will create some energy that we need on that end of the floor.”

Bryant sang a similar tune after the Lakers’ previous loss, to the Denver Nuggets on Dec. 26, pinning the 12-point road blowout on how his team looked slow on the court.

“It seemed like we were a little stuck in the mud,” Bryant said in Denver. “We played old, and they played with a lot of energy, a lot of youth, got up and down, and it just seemed like we were in a lower gear all night.”

Not helping things was Dwight Howard, the lone young star in the Lakers’ lineup. Howard, who turned 27 last month, finished Tuesday with just seven points on 1-for-7 shooting to go with 14 rebounds and five blocks as he appeared to labor up and down the court.

“It’s really been frustrating for him because dealing with the injury and trying to come back and expectations that we all have for him,” Bryant said of Howard. “It’s tough to deal with that when you’re not physically the same player that you were a few years ago. It’s been frustrating for him, but to his credit, he’s been battling through it and he’s been finding ways to be effective. I mean, he had five blocks tonight.”

Howard rebutted several inquiries about the state of his back injury, for which he underwent surgery in April, saying he has not suffered any setbacks in his rehabilitation and that his mobility has not been limited by it.

“I thought he got a little tired, probably,” Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni said of Howard’s game Tuesday. “Maybe frustrated; you would have to ask him.”

D’Antoni shrugged off the game as an aberration for the former three-time defensive player of the year.

“That may be one game,” D’Antoni said. “We’ll see if it continues. I don’t think it will, hopefully. We had two days, three days off. So this should not have been a game where we were tired at all. Everybody should have had their legs.”

Howard sat on a chair staring silently into his locker for several minutes after speaking to the media, before leaving the arena for the night.

Metta World Peace, 33, refused to accept the age of the Lakers’ roster as an excuse for their play, pointing out what the New York Knicks have accomplished so far this season.

“That’s no excuse, the Knicks are playing great, so that’s no excuse,” World Peace said. “You can’t use it as an excuse for us. Thank you. Thanks for trying.”

Having an older roster hasn’t stopped the Knicks from starting the season with a 21-10 record, good enough for the second-best mark in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks started the season with an average player age of 32 years and 240 days, the oldest in NBA history, according to STATS, LLC.

The post Kobe Bryant blames Lakers’ age appeared first on IdealCapper.

Brooklyn At San Antonio
When: 7:00 PM ET, Monday, December 31, 2012
Where: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Prediction: Spurs 105, Nets 96.

Oddsmakers currently have the Spurs listed as 9½-point favorites versus the Nets, while the game’s total is sitting at 197.

Brooklyn general manager Billy King said in an ESPN radio interview on Sunday that he had not contacted any high-profile coaching candidates. “We’ve put our support behind (Carlesimo), and then we’ll look at things and evaluate it later,” King said. Carlesimo guided the Nets to a 97-81 win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Friday and a 103-100 triumph over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday by leaning on Lopez. The center has posted three straight double-doubles and went for a season-high 35 points in the win over Cleveland. Williams has recorded a total of nine assists and only one turnover in the two games under Carlesimo.

Last time out for Brooklyn, they were a 103-100 winner as they battled the Cavaliers at home. The Nets failed to cover in the match as an 8.5-point favorite, while 203 combined points moved the game OVER for totals bettors.

Team record: 16-14 SU, 13-16-1 ATS
Current streak: won 2 straight games.

The total has gone UNDER in 15 of last 17 games on the road
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of last 5 games when playing San Antonio
The total has gone UNDER in 4 of last 5 games when playing on the road against San Antonio
The total has gone UNDER in 6 of last 8 games

When playing on Monday are 3-7
Before playing Oklahoma City are 3-7
After playing Cleveland are 3-7
After a win are 6-4

San Antonio crushed the Dallas Mavericks 111-86 on Sunday night and has won its last five by an average of 18.8 points. The Spurs got 84 points from Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan in a win over the Houston Rockets on Friday, and the three went for 59 in the victory on Sunday. With Monday being the second night of a back-to-back set, and with another back-to-back scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday, coach Gregg Popovich could get creative with his substitution patterns in regard to those three players in particular. Parker was the only one to go over 30 minutes on Sunday and led the team with 21 points and nine assists.

In their last action, San Antonio was a 111-86 winner on the road against the Mavericks. They covered the 6-point spread as favorites, while the combined score (197) was profitable news for UNDER bettors.

Team record: 24-8 SU, 19-12-1 ATS
Current streak: won 5 straight games.

is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games
is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games at home
is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Brooklyn
is 18-1 SU in its last 19 games when playing Brooklyn

When playing on Monday are 6-4
Before playing Milwaukee are 8-2
After playing Dallas are 9-1
After a win are 8-2

The post Brooklyn Nets vs. San Antonio Spurs Free Basketball Pick & Matchup appeared first on IdealCapper.

When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Oddsmakers currently have the East All-Stars listed as 3½-point favorites versus the West All-Stars, while the game’s total is sitting at 285.

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GAME QUICK FACTS
First Held: 1951
Series Record: East 36, West 24
2012 Dates: Feb. 24-26
2012 Site: Orlando – Amway Center
All-Star Friday: Celebrity All-Star Game, (ESPN, 7 ET); Rising Stars Challenge, (TNT/ESPN Radio, 9 ET)
All-Star Saturday: Shooting Stars, Three-Point Shootout, Taco Bell Skill Challenge, Slam Dunk Contest (TNT/ESPN Radio, 8 ET)
All-Star Sunday: 2012 NBA All-Star Game, (TNT/ESPN Radio, 7 ET)

Jeremy Lin has been the NBA’s biggest story this month, but the focus shifted back to Howard, where it began this season, with the NBA’s midseason event in the city he insists he loves but wants to leave.

That meant a wall of reporters and cameras surrounding him, asking the same questions Carmelo Anthony was peppered with last year during All-Star Friday, just before his trade request from Denver was granted.

“Thank you, Dwight!” Anthony yelled when he spotted the swarm. “It’s your turn!”

Howard has asked for a trade, but he’s still here and there’s no telling for how much longer. The Magic could deal their center before the March 15 trade deadline, or hold onto him all season and risk losing him while getting nothing back in July.

Howard’s table was between Anthony and LeBron James, two of the league’s best-known stars. Yet neither had anywhere near the attention of Howard, and Anthony was glad to yield the spotlight after his status overshadowed last year’s festivities in Los Angeles.

“I’m glad it’s not me anymore,” Anthony said.

James went through the free agency circus the season before, and acknowledged that it wore on him.

“Yeah, absolutely,” James said. “I know exactly what he’s going through. It’s a tough situation but he’s going to handle it. He’s a man. He’s going to handle it. He’s going to do what’s best for him.”

Lin wasn’t forgotten, even after James and the Heat on Thursday forced him into the worst game since he became the Knicks’ starter earlier this month. Many All-Stars were asked about Lin, who was playing only in Friday’s Rising Stars Challenge featuring rookies and second-year players yet was given his own evening press conference to accommodate the large media interest.

Howard said every time he watches TV, he sees something about Lin, the NBA’s first American-born player of Chinese or Taiwanese descent. He was asked if there was anything that could stop the undrafted guard from Harvard.

“Uh, he hasn’t gone up against the Great Wall of Orlando yet,” Howard said.

This wall may be moveable.

The Magic have given Howard’s agent permission to discuss deals with the Nets, Lakers and Dallas Mavericks, and there was plenty of speculation he could be dealt even before the season began, just as Chris Paul was.

That would have created an awkward All-Star reunion.

Howard literally towers over this city, his face pictured on billboards overlooking the interstate and on a giant Adidas ad high atop the outside of the Amway Center. This region caters to visitors, but didn’t have to consider how it would have welcomed Howard.

“I’m here, so it doesn’t matter what would’ve or should’ve happened,” he said. “But you know I’m here and we want to have a great time. I’m looking forward to all the events and showing everybody my city.”

With its new arena in just its second season, Orlando is hosting the All-Star game for the first time since 1992, one of the NBA’s most memorable. Magic Johnson won MVP honors only a few months following his retirement after contracting the HIV virus.

Even Shaquille O’Neal, who has been critical of Howard in the past, says he hopes the MVP this time goes to Howard. O’Neal started his career with the Magic before bolting as a free agent, and he said recently it would be a “travesty” if Howard leaves.

If fans fear Howard following Shaq’s path, he said they never tell him.

“Whatever you decide to do, we’re behind you 100 percent,” they say, according to Howard.

“They’ve been great,” Howard added. “Despite what people may say or think, the fans here have always been great to me. I really appreciate it. They’ve showed me nothing but love from Day 1 and I’ve done the same thing. This city means a lot to me.”

Howard said he was looking forward to playing this weekend with James, Anthony and Dwyane Wade, who join league MVP Derrick Rose in the powerful Eastern Conference starting lineup.

The West is an L.A. story, with Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum of the Lakers joining the Clippers’ Paul and Blake Griffin. Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant rounds out the first five.

The All-Star weekend would have been in jeopardy had the lockout lasted much longer. An agreement was reached during Thanksgiving weekend and the season opened on Christmas, allowing for a 66-game schedule.

The play has been sloppy and injuries have piled up as players navigate a schedule that forced them to play on three straight nights for the first time since 1999, following the last work stoppage. All the All-Stars said they were eager to be here, even though many probably would benefit from the rest.

And Wade said ugly play won’t be a problem Sunday night.

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