Shaq, A.I., Tracy McGrady want big pay without big play

The NBA is a league of stars, and while one set shines brightly, another quietly fades into the background. Shaquille O'Neal, Allen Iverson and Tracy McGrady were arguably the premier players in the NBA for the early part of the decade.

Not in 2010.

All three are looking for a job, and trying to cope with the fact they are no longer what they once were.

McGrady, the youngest scoring champion in history, worked out for the Bulls this week, but believes he's ready to be a starter on a championship-caliber team, as opposed to being a valuable contributor off the bench.

"I won't have a problem, but that's not what I'm really shooting for," McGrady, 31, told reporters after the workout. "I've worked extremely hard, trust me. It's up to me in training camp to prove I'm a starter."

He played only 30 games last season after microfracture surgery on his knee, and averaged 9.4 points and 3.9 assists.

O'Neal, who played relatively well for Cleveland last season, still considers himself a top-tier big man and prefers to be paid as such. Never mind the 38-year-old has made nearly $300 million since 1992 or that his 2009-10 averages of 12 points and six rebounds are half his career numbers.

O'Neal is balking at the midlevel exception, believing there's a team willing to pay him based on box-office sales and past glory.

Iverson's case is different, yet more concrete.

After insisting he would do whatever it took for the sake of "team" in Detroit, Memphis and Philadelphia, his ego made his promises null and void. There's no doubt Iverson still can help, if he agrees to come off the bench.

Those three are painful reminders careers are not only fragile but finite, and the twilights of great careers often don't bring happy endings.

Particularly if the player doesn't know his star has long since faded.

Door closing on Paul
NBA officials sent out a memo to teams warning about player tampering, particularly in the case of Hornets guard Chris Paul.

League officials threatened teams and agents with fines of up to $5 million if backdoor deals are being worked on.

Paul reportedly has been unhappy about the direction of the Hornets after a disappointing offseason. His alliance with close friend LeBron James has sparked rumors about Leon Rose , the agent for Paul and James, shopping to find Paul a new home.

Too bad the league didn't try this hard line before James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade turned free agency into a circus.

By the numbers
1 -- Times Tracy McGrady has played more than 70 games in a season since 2005

5 -- Former all-stars on the free-agent market

7 -- Non all-stars with top-15 salaries in 2010-11

Best of the best
The Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2010 will be inducted in August. Here are the headliners:

Inductee Notable
Karl Malone Second-leading scorer in NBA history (36,928 points); two-time Olympic gold medalist
Scottie Pippen Seven-time all-star, six-time champion; two-time Olympic gold medalist
Jerry Buss Lakers owner, winner of 10 NBA titles
Dennis Johnson* Three-time champion; Finals MVP (1979); 6-time all-defense
*died in 2007

From The Detroit News: http://detnews.com/article/20100729/OPINION03/7290339#ixzz0v9psiUVu

"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives."
Winter is Coming

Now this is the Law of the Jungle—as old and as true as the sky; And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk, the Law runneth forward and back; For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.