Eddy Curry believes things will be different for the Bulls next season, and Curry is perceptive enough to know the mostly likely difference will be a major roster shakeup.

Asked whether he believes he'll be part of the purge, Curry responded: ''Never know, might be. Hope not, but ...''

Fellow high school-to-NBA phenom Tyson Chandler may be the most likely to go. He didn't play Thursday, which was his first healthy scratch of the season.

''I have no clue why,'' Chandler said. ''I definitely was surprised.

''I didn't know coming into the game I wasn't going to play. I expected to play.''

Chandler is 0-of-5 from the field in his last four games, but Skiles' problems with Chandler extend beyond the stat sheet. Skiles wasn't happy with Chandler's appearance Wednesday against Detroit. Chandler wears black nylon shorts under his game shorts, and he tucked his jersey into the nylon shorts and let his game shorts sag. The Bulls' policy is to fine players who don't wear their uniforms properly. Curry and Eddie Robinson also have been fined.

''My intention was to play him quite a bit [Wednesday], but when he checked in the game, he didn't have the proper uniform appearance,'' Skiles said before the game. ''We made it clear that wasn't acceptable.

''So, we'll see. It's a shame you have to police that.''

''I don't see how you could be displeased [with recent performances],'' Chandler said. "I'm playing the minutes he gives me, and I'm playing hard. So I don't think that's the case.

''I don't know. I wasn't in his rotation. Life isn't fair. I work hard and do everything I'm supposed to do. I can't sit here and try to figure out what his mind is doing. If I did that, I'd go crazy.''

CHICAGO (AP) The Chicago Bulls activated guard Kendall Gill Thursday and placed Chris Jeffries on the injured list with lower back pain.

Gill, a 13-year veteran, was on the injured list since Jan. 25 with a strained right Achilles' tendon. He was injured two days earlier in a game against the Dallas Mavericks and has missed Chicago's past 14 games.

The injury snapped Gill's streak of 138 straight games played. He averaged 10.2 points in the Bulls' first 43 games. Chicago was to play at Washington later Thursday.

Jeffries, acquired in a trade Dec. 1 with the Toronto Raptors, has played in 14 games with the Bulls and has averaged 3.6 points.

The 2003-2004 campaign will undoubtedly go down as a learning experience for Bulls VP of Basketball operations John Paxson.

If anything, the first-year executive will learn to keep his over-enthusiastic pre-season proclamations to himself next season, instead of letting anyone who is willing to listen know that anything less than playoff appearance for his team will be unsatisfactory.

In a city that believes in the ?Curse of the Billy Goat,? Paxson?s ?No Excuses? motto at the start of the season has proven to serve as somewhat of a curse in its own right and kind of makes his predecessor Jerry Krause?s ?Organizations Win Championships? blast look like pure ingenious at this point.

Not only was the proclamation premature at best- as the Baby Bulls were never ready to embark on a post-season journey, despite what all of us dupes were led to believe- but it?s proven to be- pardon the pun- a bunch of bull. This season has been nothing but excuses if you?re the Chicago Bulls.

The latest excuse used by the organization: Conditioning- or lack thereof.

After back-to-back losses over the weekend to the Sacramento Kings and Memphis Grizzlies- another young upstart who has blown right by the Bulls in the rebuilding process- head coach Scott Skiles didn?t hesitate to use the C-word as the reason for his team?s latest struggles.

?I?ll go this far: We just played two games, and in both games, the other team was in better shape than us. It?s not anything I want to harp on because somebody could take it as something negative or it?s a reflection on people before me. I?m just stating a fact??

A fact it may be. But it?s also been the same broken-record story Skiles has been conveying pretty much since running his first practice with the team three months ago. Bring it up once and you?re proving a point. Keep bringing it up constantly after mounting losses and it reeks of an excuse- something fans in the Windy City- deservedly so- have grown tired of hearing.

From his altercation with Memphis guard Earl Watson to his uncharacteristically quick dash from the postgame locker room, something set off Kirk Hinrich on Saturday. On Monday, the truth came out. Watson is off the hook?mostly.

Blame it on Scottie Pippen.

"At halftime, Pip asked me if I saw the wall," Hinrich said. "That upset me, and I wanted to make sure he knew I wasn't hitting the wall."

Pippen's tweak, a reference to the mythical rookie wall, is an example of his leadership. Hinrich's response?15 points in a 21-2 run and a season-high 25 points?is an example of his grit.

"You can't back down from anybody or be scared of anybody," Hinrich said of his scrap with Watson. "It's not like there's going to be a serious fight. In two seconds, they're going to break it up anyway. There's nothing to be scared of."

Hinrich spoke with a fat lip that oozed blood and required stitches, the result of an accidental Jamal Crawford elbow in Monday's practice.

General manager John Paxson is trying to make a deal happen before Thursday's trading deadline.

Some possibilities include:

A three-way deal with Atlanta and Detroit that would send center Michael Doleac to Chicago.

"If Fizer isn't included in that deal, talks with Orlando are still alive, according to a league source. The Bulls would receive the Magic's Tyronn Lue, Gordan Giricek, (and likely Shammond Williams) in return for Fizer."

There is also talk that forward Jerome Williams will be sent packing to Philadelphia inexchange for guard Aaron Mckie and forward Amal McCaskill.

Brent Barry and Vladimir Radmanovic are the two most prominent Sonic names in the rumor mill, though Ronald Murray and Jerome James have also been mentioned.

It's thought Barry and Radmanovic were offered to Atlanta as part of a proposal for Shareef Abdur-Rahim before the Hawks opted to trade him to the Blazers. It's thought the Sonics turned down Chicago's offer of Jamal Crawford and Marcus Fizer as part of a deal for Barry and Radmanovic, instead seeking Tyson Chandler or Eddy Curry.

Barry will be a free agent at the end of the season, and negotiations have been ongoing to re-sign with the Sonics.

Those discussions could determine whether Barry is traded.

He's not saying anything about that. He'll just wait until it's over.

"There's always stuff floating around, but what can you do?" Barry said. "The fact that the day approaches, you know things are being talked about, but once that day is over, it's back to work."

CHICAGO (AP) The Chicago Bulls waived guard Jay Williams on Tuesday, two weeks after reaching a contract buyout with the guard whose career is in jeopardy following a motorcycle accident.

NBA rules require a player to be put on waivers after a team and the player make a settlement on their contract.

The buyout was worth about $3 million. Williams had two more years worth about $7.7 million left on his original deal.

``Jay's accident was tragic and unfortunate. We look forward to watching the progress of Jay's rehabilitation and remain hopeful he can someday rejoin our team. But at the same time this allows us roster flexibility as we move forward,'' Bulls general manager John Paxson said.

Williams was riding a new motorcycle last June 19 when the bike got away from him and slammed into a utility pole.

He severed a main nerve in his leg, fractured his pelvis and tore three of the four main ligaments in his left knee. He spent two weeks at a Chicago hospital before being transferred to Duke University Medical Center, where he has been rehabbing.

Williams, 22, led Duke to the national championship in 2001. He was drafted in the first round a year later by the Bulls with great expectations. He had his ups and downs as a rookie, before finally losing his starting spot. He averaged 9.5 points and 4.7 assists in 75 games as a rookie.

February 17, 2004 -- The Chicago Bulls today requested waivers on second-year guard Jay Williams. This is required by league rules where a team and player make a settlement on their contract.
As a result of the settlement the Bulls have agreed to pay Jay Williams a reduced portion of his salary for this season and next, which were the two seasons remaining on his contract at the time of his motorcycle accident.

?Jay?s accident was tragic and unfortunate. We look forward to watching the progress of Jay?s rehabilitation and remain hopeful he can some day rejoin our team. But at the same time this allows us roster flexibility as we move forward,? said Bulls Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations John Paxson.

Williams, selected by the Bulls in the first round (second overall) of NBA Draft 2002, was injured in a motorcycle accident in Chicago on Thursday, June 19, 2003, and suffered traumatic injuries that have forced him to miss the 2003.04 season.

During his rookie campaign, Williams appeared in 75 games, including 54 starting assignments, and averaged 9.5 ppg, 4.7 apg, 2.6 rpg and 1.15 spg.

The 6-2, 195-pounder was named to the 2002.03 got milk? NBA All-Rookie Second Team. He recorded a triple-double in Chicago?s 100-93 victory over the New Jersey Nets (11/09/02) with 26 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists in 45 minutes, just his seventh game as a pro.

The Bulls roster now stands at 14

Chicago GM John Paxson has already said not to expect a trade of any of the Bulls three core players, but does this mean it won't happen?  A lot are hoping it doesn't, including K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune.

Tyson Chandler, Eddy Curry and Jamal Crawford have fallen far short of expectations, but the first two still are only 21 and Crawford is just shy of 24. All three players possess the kind of athleticism that could reap huge dividends once they understand the pro game.

"We're doing more teaching than any pro team I've ever been involved with because it's necessary," Skiles said. "The guys have made progress. It's not reflected in our record. That frustrates people and I understand that. But I know what they've been able to learn and I'm not discouraged. I'm encouraged."

Still, Paxson has never embraced Crawford's playing style, and it's possible that he'll try to deal him this summer before losing him for nothing in the restricted free-agent market. The Bulls won't go beyond the midlevel exception to re-sign Crawford. "I feel comfortable here, even though we're not winning as much as we should," Crawford said.

LOS ANGELES (AP) Nona Gaye gave one of the most impressive performances at All-Star weekend _ and she did it with a little help from her late father.

Gaye, the daughter of legendary singer Marvin Gaye, sang a stirring rendition of the national anthem during the All-Star Saturday festivities at Staples Center. It was a duet with her father, who changed the nation's perception of ``The Star-Spangled Banner'' with his performance at Los Angeles' last All-Star game 21 years ago.

Images of Marvin Gaye's performance played on a screen behind Nona as she sang along with an enhanced recording of the performance. The crowd whooped and cheered throughout the song.

Before the 1983 All-Star game at the Forum, Marvin Gaye stole the show with a soul-flavored rendition of the national anthem. Though a few purists, including former commissioner Larry O'Brien, were unimpressed with the unique arrangement, the players and most of the fans recognized a watershed moment in the history of sports and music.

``It was the prettiest and the most soulful national anthem I've ever heard,'' said former Lakers guard Michael Cooper, who attended the 1983 game. ``I've never seen so many people tear up or feel the way they felt after someone sang the national anthem.

``That national anthem brought everyone together. ... You have some good renditions by different people, but nothing ever sounded, or compared to, or made you feel the way Marvin Gaye sang that one.''

There was nearly as much music as basketball on All-Star Saturday: Tamia, the wife of Orlando's Grant Hill, sang the Canadian anthem, while Ruben Studdard and the Beach Boys also performed.

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YAO HOMECOMING:@ The Houston Rockets and the Sacramento Kings will play two exhibition games in China in October, and Yao Ming expects to hear from a lot of friends and relatives in his hometown of Shanghai.

Asked how many might be on his list for free passes, Yao grinned and said: ``We may have to hold out the entire stadium.''

The Rockets' All-Star center, speaking through an interpreter, added: ``I'm very, very happy to get a chance to play in Shanghai again.''

The first game will be in Shanghai Stadium on Oct. 14. The teams play again at Capital Stadium in Beijing on Oct. 16.

Yao's Houston teammate, Steve Francis, already is excited about the trip.

``One of the things you hear about China, even when you're young, is about the Great Wall,'' Francis said. ``Maybe Yao and I can go run along the Great Wall.''

Both games _ the first to be staged by an American pro sports league in China _ will be televised by ESPN.

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JAY WILLIAMS:@ A year ago, Jay Williams played in the Rookie Challenge at All-Star weekend. The Chicago guard seemed headed for an outstanding NBA career until his motorcycle accident last June, which has put his career in jeopardy.

But Williams was back at the All-Star game this weekend as a correspondent for the NBA's TV network. Williams, who received a generous contract buyout from the Bulls last week, bantered with former Duke teammates Mike Dunleavy and Carlos Boozer before speaking about his future.

``Rehab is coming well,'' said Williams, the second overall pick in the 2002 draft. ``It's something I do every day of my life. They say it's going good. I think I'll be running by summer. Then we'll work on cutting, and then trying to get back out here.''

The accident severed a main nerve in Williams' leg, fractured his pelvis and tore three of the four main ligaments in his left knee. He spent two weeks at a Chicago hospital and several more weeks at a hospital in North Carolina.

Williams still walks with a pronounced limp, and doctors have cautioned him to remain realistic about his rehab schedule. He realizes he might never play again, but refuses to give up.

Said Williams: ``It could happen. You never know.''

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LOOSE BALLS:@ California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will appear on TNT's pregame show before Sunday's All-Star game. ... Both All-Star teams held practices Saturday at the nearby convention center housing the NBA's interactive fan pavilion. At the end of the East practice, Tracy McGrady, Allen Iverson, Kenyon Martin and Baron Davis threw their shoes into the crowd. ... Most of the All-Stars attended Saturday's proceedings. Iverson cheered loudly for Kyle Korver, his Philadelphia teammate, in the 3-Point Shootout. ... Lennox Lewis, who retired as heavyweight champion earlier in the month, sat next to actors Will Smith and Jada Pinkett-Smith.