I've got the perfect solution for a situation in which two teams are relatively unhappy with the status quo.

I know it's early, but trade Calvin Booth for Shawn Bradley.

After all, neither center is playing for their respective teams, neither team is enamored with their long-term signings and the trade is very viable.

First, in Seattle. Booth signed this summer for $34 million over six seasons. He was supposed to be the Sonics' answer for their void in the middle, a shot-blocking big man with a little offensive skill.

So far, Booth has played a grand total of 279 minutes. He is averaging 6.2 points (4.6 if you take away his one big game of 24 points), 3.6 rebounds and, worst of all, less than a block a game. He is getting almost more fouls a game (3.1) than boards.

Granted, Booth has been injured, suffering from a sprained ankle and subsequent tendinitis, but, as Sonics coach Nate McMillan said about him, "I feel like if you are able to go, then you are healthy. I don't try to force guys to play. I talk about playing with pain, but if you feel like it is going to hamper you in any way, then you don't play."

There has been an undercurrent of rumblings among the team that Booth is giving them nothing. And they are actually playing well with undersized Art Long in the post.

In Dallas, Bradley, who was rewarded with a seven-year, $30 million deal in the summer, has not played in the Mavericks' past six games because he has been so ineffective.

In 23 games, he has averaged 5.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.57 blocks, leading to some grumbling from his teammates as well.

"If we're going to improve on last year, Shawn's got to be a big part of it," Dallas co-captain Michael Finley said. "You can learn a lot sitting on the bench. If he has any love in his heart for this game and love for the guys on this team, I'm sure what he saw from the bench will help him."

Dallas loved Booth when he played there last season, particularly after he hit the big shot that enabled the Mavericks to come back from a 2-0 deficit to Utah in the playoffs and win the five-game series.

Mavs owner Mark Cuban said he would do whatever it took to keep Booth, but he could not circumvent salary cap rules and match Seattle's offer of $4.539 million this season.

Well, he can have Booth back now. Bradley makes $4.5 million, so the players' salaries are close enough to work under the league's stringent trade rules.

At 7 feet 6, Bradley would give Seattle the inside presence they have been looking for, and have still been unable to find. He does not demand the ball, he has stretches of decent play - which is why the Mavs gave him such a big contract - and he can change a game with his height.

Granted, it is not like the Sonics are finding a diamond in the rough. Bradley is what he is: big, soft and occasionally intimidating.

But so far, Booth has been just big and soft.

Making the deal may or may not help, but it certainly couldn't hurt.

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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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Around the league: WESTERN CONFERENCE

A Rocket on the rise

Houston's Eddie Griffin, the fourth-youngest player in the league (after Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler and Gerald Wallace) had been making 29.7 percent of his shots.

But because half the Rockets are injured, Griffin made three starts last week and averaged 19 points, 9.7 rebounds and two blocked shots, and made 22-of-45 shots (48.9 percent).

"He was sensational," Houston guard Moochie Norris said of Griffin's breakthrough week. "Eddie is stepping up. Once again, he's a gunslinger. He knows he can take those shots out there. He knows he can block shots. He knows he can play this level. We believe in him. The coaching staff believes in him. And he believes in himself."

Miles away, but still there

Minnesota's injured point guard, Terrell Brandon, gets bored watching his teammates play on television. So he created an inventive form of support.

"I'm always two-waying, paging everybody during timeouts,'' Brandon said. "They don't get the messages until after the game, but I'm always two-waying guys with 'Good play.' Chauncey (Billups) dunks two-hands against New Jersey, I page, 'Good dunk, man!'So I'm always with them. They feel me. They know how much I love them and how much I am?a part of this organization, so I don't feel detached at all.''

Um, come again?

After New Jersey's Kenyon Martin flagrantly fouled Utah's Karl Malone last week, a play for which Martin was suspended, Jazz coach Jerry Sloan said:

"Our team has been considered a dirty team for a long time, but I don't ever remember us being involved in any situation like that," he said.

Somehow, Sloan forgot that Malone has been suspended four times - for hitting Isiah Thomas with an elbow (1991-92), for hitting David Robinson in the head with an elbow (1997-98), for taking a swing at Vancouver's Othella Harrington (1998-99) and for "backhanding" Dallas' Christian Laettner in the face while posting up (2000-2001).

Road tests coming for Clippers

Yes, the Los Angeles Clippers are off to a great start. But through Jan. 1, they'll have been home for 22-of-30 games. Afterward, they'll be on the road for 16-of-21 through the All-Star break, and 9-of-13 after it for a grand total of 25-of-38 on the road.

How the mighty have fallen

If the playoffs started today, the Blazers wouldn't qualify for the first time since 1982.

Does anyone look in the mirror?

After Shawn Marion dunked on the Blazers in a game that the Suns held control of, some Blazers players took offense.

Said Ruben Patterson: "We all seen that. We'll all remember that. Next time he tries to dunk against us, somebody will put him on his head."

Patterson forgets that he tried to dunk on the Sonics in the closing seconds of Portland's blowout of Seattle earlier this month.

Sweet music, sweet friend

The Kings' Chris Webber recently played in front of family and friends. Among the "friends" was supermodel Tyra Banks.

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Around the league: EASTERN CONFERENCE

Davis still suffering

Former Sonics guard Emanual Davis, who now plays for Atlanta, still is suffering from the accident he had on the Sonics' team plane that caused him to contract Bell's Palsy.

Two and a half weeks ago, Davis was elbowed by Allen Iverson of the 76ers.?The effect was instantaneous, what they call post-concussion syndrome. Davis lost his balance and his wits.

"Allen grabbed me," Davis said, "and asked me, 'Are you OK?' Well, I wasn't. I could hardly keep my balance."??

He has not been able to play since.

Smooth move, Jerry

Apparently, Tim Floyd's breaking point came when the Bulls were activating Ron Artest and Floyd wanted to put little-used Dalibor Bagaric on the injured list. Problem is, Bagaric was drafted by Jerry Krause and is Krause's pet project, so Krause ignored Floyd and placed A.J. Guyton on the injured list instead, even though the Bulls have only one point guard.

Grasping at straws, err, dreads

Miami's Brian Grant cut his dreadlocks, hoping it would snap him out of his season-long malaise.

"Each and every player on the team has to look at his performance and decide if they're giving the team everything that they can give," said Grant, averaging under 10 points and about seven rebounds. "I'm admitting it, putting it out there. I'm telling you right now, you're not getting Brian Grant out there. Like missing layups and everything. It's frustrating stuff."

By the way, the Heat is the only team not to reach 100 points in a game this season.

Maybe MJ can make a call to help

Washington's Richard Hamilton ordered a Microsoft Xbox video game system from a store in San Antonio because he could not find one in any of the other places he looked. After purchasing the Xbox, he had it shipped to his home in Maryland.

When his little brother opened the gift box Christmas morning, he dug through the Styrofoam packaging only to find two San Antonio phone.

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Rim shots

books and no Xbox.

"I couldn't believe it," Hamilton said.

"Tim Floyd was in an impossible situation. He didn't do anything wrong. Maybe taking the job."

- Orlando coach Doc Rivers

"If someone wants to offer us $700 million, I'm sure I can have my desk cleared out in a few hours."

- Celtics CEO Rich Pond, referring to the sale of the Red Sox.

The art of almost Zen ... but trying

Before the Pistons' game in Seattle last week, Jerry Stackhouse was reading "Anatomy of the Spirit," by Carolyn Myss.

"I've got my own little Zen thing," Stackhouse said, referring to the Lakers coach Phil Jackson, who likes to hand out books to his players.

Of course, less than an hour later, Stackhouse was getting himself tossed out of the game in the second quarter.

The Zen lessons are going slowly.

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Frank's Five

Staff writer Frank Hughes' five best centers in the NBA:

1. Shaquille O'Neal - Most dominant player in the game.

2. Vlade Divac - A big reason for Sacramento's success in Chris Webber's absence.

3. Jermaine O'Neal - Undersized, but a star of the future.

4. Dikembe Mutombo - One of the best shot blockers ever.

5. David Robinson - A shadow of what he once was.