Dwyane Wade was asked about the possibility of playing with LeBron James in New York on Friday evening.

"It's not crazy," Wade told The Post in the visitor's locker room of Indiana's Conseco Fieldhouse. "It could happen. We both understand that. We both signed the same contract. We did it together. More than anything, it's fun to think about. It's exciting to know we both control our future. Will it happen? Who knows. He has some something he's trying to accomplish in Cleveland. I have something I'm trying to accomplish in Miami. But up until 2010, it will be fun to think about."

Wade did mention that the New York weather is one factor against him signing with the Knicks, citing his love of the Miami sun.

LeBron James claims that he isn't going to resort to acting in order to get more fouls called against him on the basketball court.

"It's not me," James said Friday. "There's been times when I've thought about it, but my game won't allow me to ? whether you call it flopping or acting like it's something bigger than it is ? do it."

Cleveland coach Mike Brown, however, is still lobbying for James to get the benefit of the doubt more often.

"I don't have a great feel yet for when they're going to call a foul and when they're not," Brown said.

"Bron's at a disadvantage," Brown added. "At the end of the day, the only thing we can do is keep playing."

James weighed in on the size disadvantage as well.

"Because of my size and my strength, the way I get hit is not seen. I'm never one to complain, but sometimes it feels blatant on me and it's not called," James said. "It's definitely challenging mentally. It can be frustrating at times."

Cleveland Cavaliers' Head Coach Mike Brown will coach the Eastern Conference All-Stars for the 2009 NBA All-Star Game, it was announced by the NBA. In earning this honor for the first time in his career, Brown becomes the second coach in franchise history to serve as head coach in an NBA All-Star Game, joining Lenny Wilkens who coached the Eastern Conference in the 1989 All-Star Game.

With the Cavaliers? 112-95 win versus the Los Angeles Clippers tonight, Brown and the Cavaliers pushed their record to 36-9 (.800). In the event that the Boston Celtics have a better winning percentage in the conference through Feb. 1, Brown would still earn the spot to coach the Eastern Conference All-Star Team since Doc Rivers, the coach of the 2008 East All-Star Team, is not eligible to coach in the 2009 All-Star Game.

TNT featured a double-header of quality NBA action on Thursday night, with the Magic and Spurs winning marquee games.

- Orlando 99, Cleveland 88

Team FIC Differential: Magic +13.7, Cavaliers -13.7

The Magic (35-10) opened up the game with a strong third quarter to defeat the Cavaliers (35-9) at Amway Arena on Thursday night. Dwight Howard starred 22 points and 18 rebounds, Hedo Turkoglu posted 19 points and 13 boards, and Rashard Lewis scored 19 points in the win. Orlando outrebounded Cleveland by nine and limited the Cavaliers to 41% shooting. LeBron James had 23 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists, J.J. Hickson tallied 13 points and 7 boards, and Wally Szczerbiak added 14 points on 5-for-6 shooting in just nineteen minutes of action.

Game FIC Scores

Dwight Howard, Orlando ? 22.5

LeBron James, Cleveland ? 14.2

J.J. Hickson, Cleveland ? 12.5

Rashard Lewis, Orlando ? 12.2

- San Antonio 114, Phoenix 104

Team FIC Differential: Spurs +10.2, Suns -10.2

Deadlocked a halftime, the Spurs (31-14) used a good second half to record a win over the Suns (25-19) at US Airways Center. Tony Parker led with 26 points, Tim Duncan tallied 20 points and 15 rebounds, and Manu Ginobili contributed 30 points and 9 boards off the bench. San Antonio outrebounded Phoenix by eight, and the team combined to turn the ball over just fourteen times. Amare Stoudemire had 28 points and 10 rebounds, Grant Hall posted 20 points and 10 boards, and Steve Nash added 16 points and 18 assists in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Manu Ginobili, San Antonio ? 23.8

Steve Nash, Phoenix ? 20.6

Tim Duncan, San Antonio ? 18.3

Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix ? 17.8

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Kobe Bryant has the most popular jersey in the NBA, moving past Kevin Garnett to regain the No. 1 spot on the NBA?s list. With the Western Conference best record, the Lakers top the list of Most Popular NBA Team Merchandise. The rankings are based on sales at the NBA Store in New York City and NBAStore.com since the start of the 2008-09 NBA season through January 2009.  

Garnett drops one spot to No. 2 while the Cleveland Cavaliers? LeBron James holds on to the No. 3 spot on the list. The New Orleans Hornets? Chris Paul and Detroit Pistons? Allen Iverson round out the Top 5 at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively. New York Knicks? David Lee enters the list for the first time at No. 14. Pau Gasol of the Los Angeles Lakers moved to No. 6, up from No. 15 last year.

December was the best sales month in history for both the NBA Store and NBAStore.com, with combined sales up 10 percent over the same time period last year.

Top 15 Players

Kobe Bryant ? Los Angeles Lakers
         
Kevin Garnett ? Boston Celtics
               
LeBron James ? Cleveland Cavaliers
     
Chris Paul ? New Orleans Hornets
   
Allen Iverson ? Detroit Pistons
         
Pau Gasol ? Los Angeles Lakers
         
Paul Pierce ? Boston Celtics
               
Dwyane Wade ? Miami Heat
           
Derrick Rose ? Chicago Bulls
               
Nate Robinson ? New York Knicks
         
Steve Nash ? Phoenix Suns
           
Dwight Howard- Orlando Magic
               
Ray Allen ? Boston Celtics
     
David Lee ? New York Knicks

Carmelo Anthony ? Denver Nuggets

Cleveland coach Mike Brown doesn't want to rush injured center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who has been sidelined with a cracked bone in his ankle since December.

Ilgauskas is optimistic that he'll return this week, but Brown is being cautious.

"Just watching practice, he looks a little rusty," Brown said before Tuesday's game. "I'm not thinking about him coming back. I've got to have the OK from Z. I've got to have the OK from the doctors, and then obviously, I have to make sure I give the OK.

"Once all three of us give the OK, then he'll be back on the floor."

The Cavaliers remained perfect at home on Tuesday night with a tougher-than-expected win over the Kings at Quicken Loans Arena.

- Cleveland 117, Sacramento 110

Team FIC Differential: Cavaliers +17.2, Kings -17.2

The Cavaliers (35-8) won a surprisingly close game against the Kings (10-36) at Quicken Loans Arena on Tuesday night. Maurice Williams exploded for 43 points and 11 assists; LeBron James posted 23 points, 15 rebounds; and 11 dimes; and J.J. Hickson added 11 points and 8 boards. Cleveland outrebounded Sacramento by twenty-four and attempted fourteen more foul shots. Kevin Martin had 35 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists; John Salmons tallied 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting; and Brad Miller contributed 7 points and 6 boards in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Maurice Williams, Cleveland ? 35.0

LeBron James, Cleveland ? 33.9

Kevin Martin, Sacramento ? 28.9

John Salmons, Sacramento ? 14.8

- Orlando 135, Indiana 111

Team FIC Differential: Magic +53.5, Pacers -53.5

The Magic (34-10) owned the paint and the glass in a dominant victory over the Pacers (17-28). Mickael Pietrus starred with 27 points and 10 rebounds; Rashard Lewis tallied 24 points; and Dwight Howard turned in 22 points and 10 boards. Orlando outrebounded Indiana by twenty-one and shot 54% at Amway Arena. T.J. Ford led with 23 points; Troy Murphy posted 13 points and 7 rebounds; and Danny Granger added just 10 points on 4-for-14 shooting for the Pacers.

Game FIC Scores

Mickael Pietrus, Orlando ? 27.5

Rashard Lewis, Orlando ? 18.1

T.J. Ford, Indiana ? 12.4

Troy Murphy, Indiana ? 10.8

- Denver 100, Memphis 85

Team FIC Differential: Nuggets +35, Grizzles -35

The Nuggets (29-15) used key runs in the second and fourth quarters to down the Grizzlies (11-32) on Tuesday night. Chauncey Billups scored 29 points; Kenyon Martin posted 12 points and 10 rebounds; and Linas Kleiza added 19 points and 7 boards off the bench. Denver outrebounded Memphis by nine, and limited the Grizzlies to 40% shooting. O.J. Mayo scored a team-high 19 points; Rudy Gay tallied 11 points and 7 rebounds; and Darrel Arthur contributed 10 points and 7 boards in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Kenyon Martin, Denver ? 21.0

Chauncey Billups, Denver ? 20.9

O.J. Mayo, Memphis ? 11.0

Darrell Arthur, Memphis ? 9.3

- San Antonio 106, Utah 100

Team FIC Differential: Spurs +7.4, Jazz -7.4

Tied after three quarters, the Spurs (30-14) did just enough in the fourth to beat the Jazz (25-21) at Energy Solutions Arena. Tim Duncan led with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists; Tony Parker tallied 24 points and 6 dimes; and Manu Ginobili turned in 13 points, 8 boards, and 5 assists off the bench. Utah outrebounded San Antonio by nine but allowed the Spurs to shoot 50%. Ronnie Brewer scored 23 points on 8-for-11 shooting; Mehmet Okur posted 22 points and 17 rebounds; and Deron Williams added 19 points and 13 assists for the Jazz.

Game FIC Scores

Tim Duncan, San Antonio ? 23.8

Mehmet Okur, Utah ? 23.2

Deron Williams, Utah ? 20.2

Matt Bonner, San Antonio ? 16.5

- Charlotte 117, L.A. Lakers 110

Team FIC Differential: Bobcats +26.5, Lakers -26.5

It took two overtimes, but the Bobcats (19-26) shocked the Lakers (35-9) at STAPLES Center on Tuesday night. Boris Diaw led with 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 assists. Raymond Felton posted 21 points, 11 boards, and 9 dimes, and Emeka Okafor contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds in the victory. Charlotte outrebounded Los Angeles by eleven and limited the home team to 43% shooting. Kobe Bryant starred with 38 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists; Andrew Bynum cleaned the glass with 24 points, 14 boards, and 6 blocks; and Derek Fisher added 14 points and 6 dimes in defeat.

Game FIC Scores

Andrew Bynum, Los Angeles ? 24.6

Raymond Felton, Charlotte ? 22.8

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles ? 21.5

Emeka Okafor, Charlotte ? 16.1

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

Cavaliers' center Zydrunas Ilgauskas is hoping to return from a sprained left ankle against the Magic on Thursday night.

He got back on the practice court last Tuesday and has increased his workload as time has passed.

"I missed not playing. I missed the guys," Ilgauskas said. "I've been home all this time, so I missed the camaraderie. It has been frustrating.

"So more than anything, I'm happy to get a sweat in, starting playing and be around the guys. I missed it a lot."

Zydrunas Ilgauskas returned to practice on Monday at the Cleveland Clinic Courts.

Ilgauskas sprained hasn't played since Dec. 30 at Miami because of a sprained ankle.

"We did fastbreak drills, a lot of shooting, two or three defensive drills, four-on-four, and some conditioning drills," Ilgauskas said. "It wasn't a hard practice, but it was enough."

The Cavaliers have reportedly had internal discussions about acquiring Minnesota guard Mike Miller.

However, team scouts are worried about Miller, who hasn't played very well since his return from a sprained ankle in December.

"(My ankle is) not where I want it to be, but it's not an excuse," Miller said of his recent play.