Toronto Raptors forward Andrea Bargnani, the first overall selection in the 2006 NBA Draft, and Milwaukee Bucks forward Andrew Bogut, the first overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, lead a list of 18 players selected to play in the 2007 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam on Friday, Feb. 16 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Joining Bargnani on the Rookie team this year are the Los Angeles Lakers' Jordan Farmar, the Minnesota Timberwolves' Randy Foye, the Toronto Raptors' Jorge Garbajosa, the Memphis Grizzlies' Rudy Gay, the Utah Jazz's Paul Millsap, the Charlotte Bobcats' Adam Morrison, the Portland Trail Blazers' Brandon Roy and the New Jersey Nets' Marcus Williams.

Teaming with Bogut on the Sophomore team are the Los Angeles Lakers' Andrew Bynum, the Golden State Warriors' Monta Ellis, the Charlotte Bobcats' Raymond Felton, the Indiana Pacers' Danny Granger, the Houston Rockets' Luther Head, the New York Knicks' David Lee, the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets' Chris Paul -- the 2005-06 T-Mobile Rookie of the Year -- and the Utah Jazz's Deron Williams.

Starting point guard T.J. Ford practised with the Raptors yesterday after missing the past four games with a sore right ankle.

The hope is he'll be able to play tomorrow against the visiting Washington Wizards and provide some relief for Calderon, who played an average of 41 minutes in the four games Ford missed.

"He looked rusty, but he looked all right," head coach Sam Mitchell said of Ford's workout. "It was nice to have him back. He tried too hard to do a few things, but if we can get healthy for the stretch run and the second half of the season, hopefully we'll finish strong before the [all-star] break."

Chris Bosh said the Raptors would have lost a game like this last year.

Bosh scored a season-high 35 points, including a tying 3-pointer with 1:01 left, and the Raptors rallied from a 15-point fourth quarter deficit to win 90-88 over the Hornets on Wednesday night.

Doug Christie was waived by the Mavericks in 2005, but he still wishes to play in the NBA again.

Christie played for the Raptors between 1995 and 2000 and the team is high on their wish list.

"My dream is for Doug to play there again one day," Jackie said. "We loved Toronto and I tease him and say, `Maybe Toronto will call.'''

The brave front T.J. Ford had been putting up has finally cracked.

The Raptors point guard has been fighting consistent pain in his right ankle for almost a month and last night had to bow to reality and sit out a game for only the fourth time this season.

"It's tough, I didn't feel I could play and be productive," Ford said. "Basically, it's just sore. It just stiffened up on me today. We've been monitoring it and I wouldn't have made it any better if I'd tried to play."

And there's no guarantee he's going to be ready to face the New Orleans Hornets tomorrow.

"It could be a week, it could be two days," coach Sam Mitchell said before last night's game against the Bobcats.

Morris Peterson's father called him to let the Raptors' guard know about the rumor that the Pistons may look to acquire him.

"I don't really pay that much attention to it. A rumor is a rumor to me, even if it's my hometown team," Peterson said.

"I grew up watching the Bad Boys and all that, but it's just another rumor."

Two NBA sources confirmed yesterday the Detroit Pistons are trying to repatriate Morris Peterson, calling to see if Raptor general manager Bryan Colangelo is interested in dealing the small forward back to his home state.

"Several teams continue to call and inquire about certain players on our roster," Colangelo said yesterday.

"While we are certainly looking to improve our basketball team and making those same calls, nothing has been suggested or discussed with any team to date that we are prepared to act on."

Pape Sow has been cleared to resume full contact basketball work, six months after suffering fractured vertebrae in a fall during a summer league practice.

Sow was cleared yesterday by doctors in Las Vegas who performed the surgery to correct the broken neck suffered there in July. He is to rejoin the Raptors in Boston tomorrow and should practice back in Toronto with the team on Saturday.

"We're happy for Pape," coach Sam Mitchell said before last night's game here. "Happy a guy gets a chance to come back and do what he loves to do."

Pape Sow's long road back from a broken neck is almost complete.

The 25-year-old Sow left for Las Vegas last night to be examined by the surgeon who operated on his fractured vertebrae last summer and expects to be given clearance to resume full-contact basketball work by the end of this week.

Sow broke the bones in a horrific fall during a practice before the summer league season began in July in Las Vegas and has not yet taken part in a full basketball scrimmage.

He was examined by doctors in Toronto earlier this month and will see the Nevada surgeon today.

He plans to rejoin the Raptors in Boston on Friday and could take part in his first full practice Saturday in Toronto.

While his personal life may be in turmoil, Jason Kidd remains the steady hand that makes the Nets go.

Just hours after filing for divorce from his wife of 10 years, Kidd turned in another solid performance. He had 10 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds to lead the Nets to a 101-86 victory over the Raptors on Tuesday night in a matchup of the top teams in the Atlantic Division.

"There is really no distraction," Kidd said. "This is my job. This is my livelihood. Anything personal, stays personal. I have a job to do and try every night to go out there and do it."