All I want for Christmas is:

The Sonics to get fully healthy so we can actually see what they have put together this season.

Gary Payton to stay personable and respectful.

Free nonfat grande lattes from Howie Schultz.

More folks to watch Sonics games with me at KeyArena.

Those folks to act like the ones at Arco Arena.

Shammond Williams to smile.

Brent Barry's sense of humor.

Desmond Mason and Rashard Lewis to stay just the way they are.

Vladimir Radmanovic to become the next Peja Stojakovic.

The Trail Blazers to go away.

The Warriors to somehow figure out how to get all that talent to win.

Continued success for Rick Carlisle.

Terry Stotts to get a head coaching job.

Dwane Casey to get a head coaching job.

The Redskins to make the playoffs.

The Terrapins to go back to the Final Four.

The Wizards to keep winning so we can see MJ in the postseason.

Chris Webber to stay healthy.

Grant Hill to stay healthy.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas to stay healthy.

The Clippers to stay together.

Stephon Marbury to play as unselfishly as Jason Kidd.

Everybody to play as hard as Kevin Garnett.

A jump shot like Wally Szczerbiak.

A face like Wally Szczerbiak.

A salary like Wally Szczerbiak.

A straight drive.

A son named Nigel.

Shaquille O'Neal to stay like a big kid.

Karl Malone and John Stockton to go out respectfully.

Kobe Bryant's wedding band (it has many, many, many, many, many diamonds).

Dan Issel's bosses.

Steve Francis to get a personal driver.

Lamar Odom and Maurice Taylor to stay away from Nate Newton.

Jerome Williams to stop calling himself Junk Yard Dog every five minutes.

Dick Schaap to have a happy afterlife.

Chick Hearn to only do home games.

Kevin Calabro to get a contract for life.

Jerry Krause to get a clue.

Jeff Van Gundy to get a job coaching Michael Jordan.

Dave Cowens to get another job.

Pat Riley to lighten up.

The New Jersey Nets to move to Vegas.

The Charlotte Hornets to move to New Orleans.

The Detroit Pistons to move anywhere.

Olden Polynice to get a spot on the Olympic security squad.

John McGrath to get a new computer with no cigar ashes in the keyboard.

Less rain.

Less terrorism.

More airport security.

Eternal happiness for my wife and son.

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* Reach staff writer Frank Hughes at 253-597-8742, ext. 6120, or frank.hughes@mail.tribnet.com

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SIDEBAR: Frank Hughes' Top 5 Christmas gifts

1. Yellow Schwinn bicycle with a silver banana seat - Great wheely popping bike.

2. Tyco race track - Loop de loops were awesome.

3. Dinosaur set - Never even heard of a raptor back in my day.

4. Indoor/outdoor leather basketball - Nobody I knew had an indoor court.

5. Whatever my wife gets me this year - What can I say? I'm a suck up.

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Around the league: WESTERN CONFERENCE

Clearing his name, er, game

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich was named to George Karl's staff for the World Championships in the summer.

Popovich was invited to try out for the 1972 Olympic team as a 23-year-old guard and captain of a U.S. Armed Forces team that had already beaten the Russians once. He thought he had the team made.??

"They took a guy named Doug Collins instead of me," Popovich said, laughing. "I know now I shouldn't have made it, but back then, I was crushed. Just devastated. It was one of the worst feelings.

"To have an opportunity to be involved again is a real honor. I'm just thrilled."

Double, no trouble

The Dallas Mavericks came back from 22 points down to beat the Timberwolves last week, making it the seventh time in two years the Mavs have come back from double-digit deficits.

"I'm proud of them when they do come back, but we've got to do a better job of not getting in that situation," coach Don Nelson said. "If you think you can come back from being down 20 points very often, you're crazy."

Payton envy

In the same USA Today story that said Gary Payton was the most prolific point producer in the league, it said that Denver's Nick Van Exel was second. Yet, Van Exel was eighth among guards in the All-Star voting released this week.

"That's a bunch of garbage," Van Exel said. "I'd rather get the votes from my peers - the coaches and the players. That's more important to me. If the NBA puts you out there every day on the commercials, that's what the fans are going to see and that's who they're going to vote for. It's a popularity contest."

Of course, it helps when your team is winning, Nicky, and your Nuggies are 9-16.

Long reach for short Spider

San Antonio's Charles Smith is nicknamed "Spider" because of his 84-inch wingspan, despite his 6-foot-4 frame.

"I guess I first noticed it when I was in eighth grade," Smith said. "Some friends of mine said, 'Man, you can touch your knees without bending over.' I was like, 'Dang! You're right.' I can't figure it out. I just try to use them to my advantage."

What have we done for you lately?

The only season in which the Rockets have lost more consecutive games than the 15-game losing streak that ended Saturday came in their first season, 1967-68, in San Diego. They had a 17-game losing streak, won one game, then lost 15 more to end the season. Of course, Kelvin Cato has it all figured out.

"If we won every other game, nobody would say anything," Cato said. "Now we lost 14 in a row. If we win 14 in a row, we'd be one of the best teams in the league."

I'm beginning to wonder if Cato can count to 14.

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Around the league: EASTERN CONFERENCE

An inflated self-worth

It's Dec. 23, which means that Charlotte Hornets co-owner Ray Woolridge has only eight days to meet his self-imposed deadline of Jan. 1 to come up with a new city in which to play next season.

Those close to the Hornets, however, think the Hornets may stay in Charlotte.

First, the league does not want them to move.

And secondly, the Hornets' demands are exorbitant.

Woolridge and George Shinn don't want to sell the team, yet they want the new city to pay them $100 million as enticement to go to their town - the moving fee, which some think could be around $100 million - plus the Hornets want the new city to provide them a city-built arena, from which the Hornets will take the profits.

That could be about a half-a-billion dollars for a team that the city does not even own.

No, thank you.

Thanks for making me look good

Chicago Bulls coach Tim Floyd certainly was glad to see Brian Winters take over in Golden State.

With Winters' return, Floyd now has the second-poorest winning percentage among coaches at .209 (49-185). Winters was 23-102 (.184, with the Grizzlies) when he took the Warriors job.

However, it might be only a matter of time before Floyd reclaims the dubious honor.

Taking out his revenge

When Los Angeles Clippers guard Quentin Richardson sank a winning jumper over Detroit's Jerry Stackhouse last week, Clippers coach Alvin Gentry said: "We were going to go to whoever Stack was guarding."

Here's the background: Gentry used to be the Pistons' coach. Gentry believes Stackhouse quit on him, one of the reason Gentry was fired. Gentry was exacting a little revenge, then rubbing salt.

Back to the future

Indiana Pacers coach Isiah Thomas tried 19 different starting lineups last season, looking for the right combination.

This season, he has kept the same one intact except when center Jermaine O'Neal was injured.

Thomas said it is about to change if the Pacers don't start winning more consistently.

Gotta love those rookies

With less than a minute left in the first quarter of a game at Memphis, Milwaukee Bucks rookie Michael Redd pulled off his warmup jacket to enter the game. Only, he had his jersey on backward. He was horrified.

"I'll never live that down," he said.

Now we know why George Karl does not like rookies.

Darn, that new math

The Celtics have the poorest field-goal percentage in the NBA, at 41.3 percent.

Coach Jim O'Brien doesn't see it that way.

"If you just look at the field-goal percentage, you're not looking at the same thing I happen to look at," O'Brien said. "The fact that we lead the NBA in threes (3-pointers) means that we're going to shoot a lower percentage. But there's an equation that coaches use.

"If you take (for example) a hundred made threes and you divide it by two - that's 50 - and you add that to your field-goal makes, that to us is what the field-goal percentage is. It's how many shots we need to take in order to get two points. So don't neglect that."

The Celtics have made 200 3-pointers this season, which in O'Brien's theorem adds 100 to their overall field-goals-made total of 808. That, in turn, would put the Celts' adjusted shooting percentage at a very healthy .469.

You got that straight?

Say it ain't so, Zo?

Miami's Alonzo Mourning has topped 13 points once in his past six games.

"Key players on this team, me for one, have to produce and we're not doing it," he said.

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Rim shots

WHO CUT THE HAIR?

"If you're tossed out of an aircraft at 30,000 feet, the pilot really shouldn't take credit for you not dying upon impact." Utah's John Amaechi, in what could be the quote of the year. He was talking about Magic GM John Gabriel being happy for Amaechi, even though Gabriel would not give Amaechi the contract he wanted in Orlando.

SHAQ ON THE ATTACK

"They have a lot of talent over there but we run this city. We run this building. As long as I'm here, that's how it's going to be." Shaquille O'Neal, after the Lakers beat the Clippers by 20.

HEARD IT HERE FIRST

"That's a first in the Garden, huh?" Keith Van Horn, after chants of "N-E-T-S, Nets, Nets, Nets" erupted in Madison Square Garden.