The (AP) reports: Chicago Bulls guard and former Michigan player Jalen Rose said he took some money from a former Michigan booster who pleaded guilty earlier this week to a federal conspiracy charge.
  Rose, who was drafted out of Michigan in 1994, told Fox Sports Net on Thursday that Ed Martin gave him pocket money.
  "He gave me money before, but it wasn't in excess of -- you know -- trying to allow me to be rich," Rose said. "You know, it was allowing me to have a couple of dollars in my pocket."
  Martin was accused of illegally lending $600,000 to four Wolverines basketball players. Martin said he paid $280,000 to Chris Webber, now with the NBA's Sacramento Kings; $160,000 to Robert Traylor, now with the Charlotte Hornets; $105,000 to Maurice Taylor, now with the Houston Rockets; and $71,000 to Louis Bullock, who is playing professionally in Europe.
  Rose didn't say how much he was given.
  "Like I said, just something to make me feel like I can go to a movie, go to a show, I can get a pair of gym shoes, I can get -- you know -- a fresh outfit," Rose said, according to excerpts released by Fox Sports prior to the show's airing.
  Rose said Martin gave him money before he was at the university, but didn't clarify whether he also received money while playing for the Wolverines.
  On Tuesday, Martin, 68, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to launder monetary instruments. As part of his plea, he agreed to cooperate with the government and the university in their investigations of improper benefits to basketball players.
  Rose reportedly had been interviewed by investigators, but was not listed in the federal indictment as one of the players who took loans from Martin.
  Authorities alleged Martin and his wife, Hilda, ran an illegal numbers game at Detroit auto plants and laundered the profits, in part through the loans to the players and their families.

Phil Jasner of the Daily News reports that Alex Carcamo is one of the free agents participating in the Sixers' mini-camp. Carcamo's story is like a lot of NBA hopefulls: junior college, small Division 1 school, overseas pro leagues. Alex Carcamo gets a little more attention than the other free agents these days because of who he's played against.

Carcamo played in China's pro league against 7-5 center Yao Ming.

Carcamo averaged 32 points for Shenzhen, his Chinese team, and scored 49 and 36 points in two games against Yao's Shanghai Sharks, losing both.

Yao averaged 32.4 points and 19 rebounds per game for the Sharks during the season and increased those numbers to 41 and 21 during the Chineese championship playoff series.

"I think he's a phenomenal player," Carcamo said. "You can't teach athleticism, and for 7-5, he's athletic. He passes well out of double teams; he's a finesse player right now, but he works hard.

"I think he'll be a great player as long as somebody works with him. Not too many coaches work with big men these days. It's as if, once they're in the league, they're expected to know the fundamentals. The league in China is good and competitive, but a lot of the coaches there don't work with the big men. Ming is going off his athleticism right now."

"Shaquille O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning are two of the best centers in the NBA, and Ming is more skilled than they are," Carcamo said. "He just needs body weight. You can't teach Shaq to shoot 15-footers smoothly. They say Yao doesn't play inside, but he can play to the basket, can play good defense, can block shots."

With the NBA playoffs reduced to four teams, the Timberwolves find themselves in the familiar position of spectator. As it stands, they will also be on the outside looking in when the NBA draft is held next month.

At this late date, there is nothing the Wolves can do about petitioning their way into the playoffs. Yet a working theory is that there might be a way not only to barge into the draft, but make the lottery.

Here's how it goes: The Bulls have the No. 2 pick in the lottery. The Bulls, tired of being in rebuilding mode, want a player who can step right into the lineup..

The Bulls have expressed their intrigue with Wolves All-Star Wally Szczerbiak on numerous occasions.

Bulls General Manager Jerry Krause calls Kevin McHale and offers the No. 2 pick for Szczerbiak.

With that pick, the Wolves take Duke All-America guard Jay (previously Jason) Williams. Point guard problem solved. Anti-Wally wing of locker room placated. Wolves head in a fresh new direction.

Of course, it's rarely that simple. The fatal flaw to this theory is that the Bulls, now committed to Jalen Rose, are no longer are as hot after Szczerbiak, another limited defender. Certainly not hot enough to give up the No. 2 pick in the draft if they choose to trade it.

There is also this complication: The Rockets, picking No. 1, might choose to trade the pick, and if they do, most of the teams moving up would want to take Williams.

While it is true that Houston covets Yao Ming, and it is true that Jerry Krause would love to get his paws in Blue Devil Jay Williams, Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune reports that things may not exactly pan out as planned.

League insiders are reporting that both Golden State and the L.A. Clippers have eyes for Williams, both sides willing to make a move.  The Clippers could be the dark horse of the two and have the goods that could entice the Rockets, namely Lamar Odom.

Smith reports that the Clippers reportedly do not intend to re-sign the talented small forward due to the large number of young players coming up for extensions.  Odom, once labelled as a Magic Johnson clone, could be just the player the Rockets would be willing to give up the opportunity at Ming for, a package of Odom, the eighth and/or twelfth pick, and the Clippers first pick next year for the first pick and Glen Rice could be enough to get the deal done (according to Smith).

There's also talk Houston will stick with Yao but might try to extract something from the Bulls, like Jamal Crawford or a future No. 1 pick, to pass on the trade offers for Williams.

Jay Williams said all the right things about the Chicago Bulls organization yesterday as management and his agent organise a time for him to visit, but is it because he genuinely wants to become a Chicago Bull or because that seems his most likely destination?

The 6-2 point guard has only worked out with the Golden State Warriors, who hold the third overall pick, to this point, and agent Bill Duffy was quick to add the workout list will be short.  Williams is expected to spend two days in Chicago, an indication that GM Jerry Krause and the Bulls have a strong interest, and while a date has not yet been decided on June 13-14 seems most likely.  Houston owns the first pick in the draft but also possess a deep backcourt with All-Star Steve Francis the starting point guard, Duffy stating that no visit is confirmed there.

"The workout list is short," Duffy said. "There are limited places he can go unless you want to pull a Steve Francis or a John Elway. And Jay won't do that."

"I think Chicago is one of the best cities in the country," Williams. "There is so much potential there, both on and off the court. The fans are great. That [Jalen Rose] trade was crucial for them, and with their young players, they have a great nucleus. I'd love to be part of it."

The trend over recent years has been for free agents and even some draftees (Darius Miles) to snub the Bulls based on a bad reputation from the glory years, but with the trade for Rose and the solid future thanks to the selections of Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry Williams believes the perception that Chicago is a place people want to avoid is changing.

"When someone says Chicago, I get excited," he said. "In the past people would say, 'You don't want to go there.' But now they've added some right pieces to the puzzle and people say it's good. Plus there's all that tradition."

For those who think that Williams is simply saying the right things to keep everyone happy K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune is quick to point out that Williams had no such comments for the Warriors following his Golden State workout.

And if you think coming into a rebuilding situation bothers Williams then think again.

"I had to rebuild at my high school," Williams said. "I went to Duke and everybody thought we'd be horrible because William Avery, Corey Maggette and Elton all left.?

"Rebuilding is something I'm not scared of at all. I love challenges. I'd love to throw it back in people's faces because I really see the Bulls getting better."

Due into the Berto Center Sunday are Brazilian teenager Maybyner "Nene" Hilario, Maryland's Lonny Baxter, Notre Dame's Ryan Humphrey and Kansas' Drew Gooden.

Add Bulls leader Jalen Rose to those who advocate the Bulls taking Duke point guard Jay Williams with the second overall pick in the upcoming draft, the ex-Pacer saying he is a big fan of Williams.  Jerry Krause said as the season ended he would seek the input of Rose on both the draft and free agency situations, and Rose?s reaction is in line with all other comments heard thus far.

''I'm a big-time fan of what Jay can do out there,'' Rose said. ''If it were any other team besides Houston, which is solidified in the backcourt, I wouldn't be surprised if Jay went No. 1. He deserves all the accolades he gets, and I don't usually say that about college players.''

And on the rumors of the Bulls taking Williams then trading him to New Orleans for Baron Davis or Cleveland for Andre Miller?

''Those guys can play and have established themselves,'' said Rose, who, according to the Chicago Sun-Times, added that he's honored Krause would seek his advice. ''You wouldn't mind having those guys on your team, especially because they're young players still on their rookie contracts. It's definitely interesting trade talk, but that's all it is at this point.''

Bulls guard Jamal Crawford, labelled Chicago?s point guard of the future, has been busy working out in Seattle.  He has been watching tape figuring out the best places to get his teammates the ball, he has been lifting weights and he has been playing daily.  Crawford also admitted he watched Sunday?s lottery with interest to see if the Bulls would have an opportunity to draft Duke?s Jay Williams who plays the same position as his.

As it turns out they have a strong chance.  Barring a trade and Houston believed to have eyes for Yao Ming Jay Williams may just be available when the Bulls make their pick second overall on June 26, and should they select him Crawford is fine with it.

"In college, I played like that with Kevin Gaines, and [Williams] did that with Chris Duhon," Crawford said. "It was like the guard positions were interchangeable. If that were the case, I'd love to play with [Williams]. As long as we're both in there together, handling the ball, that would be great."

As K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune reports the Bulls run the triangle anyway, which works well without the reliance of a true point guard.  The emphasis is move on ball movement, and just like Ron Harper and Michael Jordan before them Williams and Crawford would simply be considered guards.

"We have a lot of players who are two-position players and we can do a lot with that," Krause said.

"Jamal is healthy, so I'm not worried about anything."

While Houston have stated that their phone is barely put back on the hook and it is ringing again over the top selection in this year?s NBA draft, in Chicago Bulls boss Jerry Krause said that he did not field any calls Monday in relation to offers for the Bulls number 2 pick.  But this, he added, does not mean that it is not being discussed.

One team surely interested is the Golden State Warriors, with word coming out of San Francisco that Golden State general manager Garry St. Jean didn't even wait until he got home from Sunday's lottery New Jersey before studying the rosters of the Rockets and the Bulls. The Warriors landed the third pick and are interested in moving up.

''I don't think anything is locked and shut up there [in Houston and Chicago],'' St. Jean told the San Francisco Chronicle. ''People will listen to deals or teams, and may go in a different direction than maybe is anticipated.''

The reason why the top two selections are so valuable lie in Yao Ming, the 7-5 center from China and Jay Williams, the National Player of the Year and top prospect point guard from Duke.  The two are expected to go one and two in any order.

While Yao originally mentioned Chicago, Golden State and New York as preferred destinations because of their large Chinese populations, a representative of his said that he wouldn?t have a problem with Houston.

''Yao isn't going to pull a John Elway on anyone,'' Yao's cousin Erik Zhang told ESPN.com. ''We'll look at what is best for Yao. But we will work within the rules of the game, and Houston is a place we have looked at very carefully.''

The Bulls, meanwhile, are scheduled to work out Gonzaga's Dan Dickau, Eastern Illinois' Henry Domercant and St. Bonaventure's JR Bremer on Wednesday then Illinois' Frank Williams, Memphis' Dajuan Wagner and Arkansas' Jannero Pargo on Thursday.

Has Sam Smith of the Chicago Tribune worked out the perfect draft for two teams at least?  Smith writes that Ming is a match made for a team like the Houston Rockets, which would leave Duke?s Jay Williams, the player many consider to be the best in this draft, to the Bulls.

With the way things have panned out thus far all the Bulls have to do is send Krause on a vacation until June 27, the day after the NBA Draft, let someone else take Williams for the Bulls, then have Krause sign two veteran free agents to help Rose.  Smith continues that this will not ensure the Bulls make the playoffs next season, but they will have a shot at phenom LeBron James then in 2003-04 ?seventh place, here we come?.

?Getting the No. 1 pick for the Bulls might have proven a disaster because Krause then could have outthought himself and taken Yao, thereby pushing the Bulls' rebuilding back another four years,? writes Smith.

?But Yao is the ideal choice for the Rockets, whose last No. 1 overall pick was Hakeem Olajuwon in 1984. The Rockets play in the West, where every contender has a great inside player and considerable size. The Rockets' power forward is 6-5 Kenny Thomas. Houston has terrific perimeter players in Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley and Moochie Norris. They can play 2001 draft pick Eddie Griffin, essentially a perimeter threat, at small forward. They're getting Maurice Taylor, a poor-rebounding power forward, back from injury.?

Sounds like a match made in heaven to us.

How long will the free agent boycott of Chicago last, asks Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Tribune.  It has been long rumored that Chicago is not a destination that free agents prefer due to the presence of Jerry Krause, but for how long will this reason be a viable one?

Morrissey believes the center of the Bulls woes is no one less than Michael Jordan, the superstar who build the Bulls and has been keeping them destroyed after whispering trash about the Bulls into free agents' ears.  Players, it is reported, do not want to come to Chicago because of what happened to Jordan.  Do they mean the $30 million he received from Krause and the Bulls in each of his last two seasons?

It was Jordan who vowed he would never play for another coach other than Phil Jackson.  It was Jackson who labeled 1998 as ?The Last Dance?, confirming that it was the team?s last run during the Grant Park celebrations after their sixth championship.  And need we forget Scottie Pippen?s  ?I?ll never wear a Bulls uniform again? comment quarter of the way through the 1997-98 season whilst out with a bad back?  It certainly doesn?t sound like it is entirely Krause?s fault.

NBA free agents need to wake up and smell the roses.  Jordan was able to ignore Krause and he did fine.  This young Bulls team already has Jalen Rose signed through to 2007 and they have two young, potential superstars in Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry, so their future is blindingly bright.  As they say money is money, and the Bulls have a cool $5.5M of it for the right person(s).