Chuck lets 'em have it
"The fans here stink. I don't know what they come here for. Some of them come just to get a hot dog and see the mascot." - Chuck Person on Minnesota Timberwolves' fans.
But can they roll over?
"Anybody can look good when you've got a great point guard like Kenny Anderson. He makes me and Benoit Benjamin look good, and everybody says we can't play dead." - New Jersey's Jayson Williams on playing with Kenny Anderson.
Admiral takes aim at Shaq
"It's amazing to me that we get so many Shaq questions. Everyone is so concerned about Shaq and his feelings and whether he's getting calls and whether he likes me or not. Who is Shaq anyway and why should I lose any sleep over what he thinks? I'm sure (O'Neal) deserves as much credit as he thinks he does. He talks about people being jealous of him, but he has nothing we would want. I'll let you know when I lose sleep over him. I haven't lost any yet." - Spurs' David Robinson on Magic's Shaquille O'Neal.
Shaq fires back . . .
"You tell David Robinson the next time he plays me, I'll be on his (expletive). If there is ever a day David dominates me, it's because he has help. He would never play me one-on-one. The other day I was killing him, just killing him, then the game changed, they brought in guys just to foul me. He needs to stick to church-going and not trash talking." - Magic's Shaquille O'Neal in response to Spurs' David Robinson.
. . . and keeps on firing
"I ain't got a feud with anybody. David Robinson started this one," said Shaquille O'Neal last week. "A guy who's spent six or seven years building his image as a church-going goody-goody ought not to start trash talking. You tell him - or any of the other big guys that don't like me - if they want to go at it, let's go at it. Put up $10,000 for charity and let's step in a (boxing) ring and go at it. Do it anywhere they want. Even the AlamoDome." - Magic's Shaquille to Spurs' David Robinson and other NBA centers.
His Weirdness speaks
"(The NBA) is becoming a league of sissies. I'm going to wear a dress and wig out there, that way I won't hit anybody. I'll go to the game and walk around in my tutu so they won't look at me. I'll be the Kilroy of the league. They won't know who I am out there. I'm fined for something I didn't do, because I'm a blond." - Spurs' Dennis Rodman after being suspended for head-butting the Jazz's John Stockton.
Career move for the Mailman?
"Karl Malone just might get Executive of the Year now." - Clippers' coach Bob Weiss on the Jeff Malone-Jeff Hornacek trade.
His legs are shaking and his knees are weak
"It was a big-time play. When that went down, I was cursing a little. It scares the crap out of me." - Seattle coach George Karl on the Hornacek-Malone trade.
Sir Charles speaks the truth
"It will make them (Utah) a little bit better," said Barkley. "But they'll still be in third place in their division." - Suns' Charles Barkley on the Hornacek-Malone trade.
Elvis has left the building (and the Jazz)
"Elvis is alive and kicking. You can quote me on that. Elvis is alive, and now we've got him. He's Elvis with cowboy boots." - Karl Malone on rookie center Darren Morningstar, who sports a '50s hairstyle and signed on with the Jazz for a 10-day contract.
In a league of their own
"People talk about being on the same page. We're not even on the same chapter; we're not in the same book." - Dallas guard Fat Lever on playing with the league's worst team.
Mashburn hits the `rookie wall'
"I wake up some days, I don't even know what day it is, man. It's like, what's today? Friday? Or Tuesday? If somebody asks me the date, I'm like, 'Oh, I think it's January or something.' " - Dallas rookie Jamal Mashburn on life in the NBA.
Passing the torch
"Yeah, one day this is going to be Walt's team. And I have no problem with that at all. Hey, I'll be 82 by then. Just kidding." - Sacramento's Mitch Richmond on when the Kings will be Walt Williams' team.
Words to live (and make money) by
"For future reference, you're going to make less money if you pass the ball. If you learn to score, you're going to make a lot more money. You've got to pass it sometimes, but don't pass it much. Remember, offense is the key." - Charles Barkley to German basketball students at a clinic last fall.
Feeling snubbed in the Land of the Suns
"It's a joke. I guess now they'll name Nick Van Exel and Avery Johnson to the All-Star team." - Suns' Kevin Johnson, when Isiah Thomas was handed a Dream Team II spot.
Leprechaun takes the year off
"When you're losing to teams you're capable of beating, sex ain't good no more, food ain't good no more, the airplane rides ain't good. Nothing's good no more. Everything seems bad right now. For some reason, the (expletive) Leprechaun took the year off. He's on vacation." - Boston forward Xavier McDaniel on the Celtics' decline.
Home sour home
"We play much better on the road. I don't think anybody likes coming here and playing. We don't. Print that. We just don't. Point blank. I think we should just move all our home games to the road." - Clippers' Ron Harper after losing to the Milwaukee Bucks at home.
What we don't know can't hurt us (or help us)
"Mike (Fratello) has about 150 plays. And sometimes he'll call a play, and I'll look at Brad (Daugherty) and Brad will look at me. And it's like, `I don't think I know that one.' At times we have no idea what we're doing offensively. But other teams don't know, either." - Cleveland's Mark Price on playing under new coach Mike Fratello.
The physics of intimidation
"He can be intimidating. All the basic rules don't apply when someone can touch the rim standing." - Golden State's Chris Webber on Shawn Bradley.
Sage advice
"There's not a whole lot a 6-7, slender, athletic, very good basketball player is going to learn from a 6-1 slow, white guy who can't jump." - Orlando guard Scott Skiles on teammate Anfernee Hardaway.
The price of anonymity
"If you're a basketball fan, the whole Utah Jazz team just walked through here a minute ago." - An excited security guard at the Newark airport to John Stockton.