Antonio Davis returning to the Raptors is old news.  So are the stories of the hardships his family faces in the Great White North.  Now the NBA is making life even harder for his wife.  Kendra Davis has been doing half-time spots on the national SportsNet channel.  As part of its presentation to Davis, the Raptors said Kendra might have a spot on the Raptors' new TV station, scheduled to launch on September 7.  But the NBA stepped in, holding the Collective Bargaining Agreement high.  NBA spokesperson Brian McIntyre said, "The thing we'd be concerned about there is the potential for salary cap circumvention.  It could be another way of sending money to a player disguised as something else."

The Raptors held Hakeem Olajuwon's introductory press conference Tuesday, and Vince Carter showed up to demonstrate his enthusiasm for Hakeem being in Toronto.  While there are concerns that the 38-year old Olajuwon may be too old to make a major contribution, Glen Grunwald said, "There are always risks in life, but I think Hakeem has dedicated himself to being in the best shape he can.  He passed his medical with flying colours, and we're confident he can be a key contributor."  Olajuwon will be 41 years old at the end of his contract.


Olajuwon also said that a major reason he looked outside Houston was the Rockets' "insulting" one-year offer for $4.1 million.

According to the Toronto Star, the Raptors may be close to trading Tracy Murray.

Murray, obtained in a mid-season trade along with Keon Clark and Mamadou N'diaye for Kevin Willis, grew increasingly frustrated with his lack of playing time late last season and barely got off the bench during the playoffs.

The report states that Murray, who will make about $3.4 million next season, could be obtained by any team that still has a Mid Level Exception available. For the record, the Mid Level Exception can only be used to sign free agents, not to acquire players by trade.

As Hakeem Olajuwon leaves Houston for Toronto, Chronicle assistant sports editor David Barron chronologically recalls 34 memorable moments in the Rockets career of the future Hall of Famer:

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer staff reports: Shammond Williams wants to remain a Sonic; now it's up to the team to prove its loyalty, his agent says.

Eric Fleisher said the guard is eager to return to Seattle for more playing time and presumably more money.

It is believed, though, that Williams might demand at least the NBA average salary of $4.5 million. The Sonics' offer could be considerably less.

The Sonics still have about $500,000 under the salary cap, and badly want to sign  Predrag Drobnjak before dealing with their three-year veteran guard.

The Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics, and Houston Rockets are believed to be suitors for Williams.

The Rockets have engineered a sign and trade to send Hakeem Olajuwon to his team of choice, the Toronto Raptors, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.  In return, the Rockets will get a future first round pick and second round pick.  Olajuwon signed a contract for $16.7 million over 3 years, according to the Associated Press.  Feigen says that the Rockets are still recovering from the blow, though the parting was amicable.  They must decide soon, however, what free agents to pursue now.  Besides their own free agents, they must make a decision about whether to pursue Marc Jackson (who is considering an offer from the Pacers) and Seattle free agent Jelani McCoy.