Bob Hille's Starting 5

Sporting News, The, July 30, 2001 by Bob Hille

The trade deadline. It's one of the English language's little ironies, these homonyms: "cellar" and "seller."

2

MJ's deadline. He says he'll wait until mid-September to decide whether to play. As opposed to most NBA players, who wait until the last two minutes.

3

A Season on the Brink. ESPN plans to turn the book about a year with Indiana University basketball and then-coach Bob Knight into a feature-length TV movie. Unless you have a V-chip; then it'll be a "Did You Know?" segment on SportsCenter.

4

The Cubs. Pressure? This homestand ends with a promotional giveaway: a team calendar that skips August.

5

Patrick Ewing. He says leaving Seattle wasn't about money, but about joining an organization that wanted him. He chose the Magic because AARP didn't have the cap space.