Compiled by Chris Bernucca

The NBA world doesn't exist merely on the New Jersey Turnpike. These days, it just seems that way. 

• SIXERS: "Fittingly, the ball is in Allen Iverson's hands. Yesterday, according to a source close to the negotiations, the 76ers offered Iverson a non-guaranteed contract for this season. ... Offering a non-guaranteed contract is not entirely about money, the source said. It's also about gauging Iverson's desire and adaptability. If Iverson's camp rejects the offer, according to this source, there is no other offer forthcoming: It's non-guaranteed or nothing." Kate Fagan in the Philadelphia Inquirer 

• SIXERS: "Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown, a longtime confidante and former coach of Allen Iverson, expressed disappointment that the 76ers reportedly offered Iverson a one-year, non-guaranteed deal Tuesday. Iverson has yet to accept the contract but Philadelphia is the lone team to publicly express interest in Iverson after his messy departure from Memphis. 'That upsets me a little bit,' Brown said. 'I’m just looking at how that looks. But he just wants to play. I get worried about that message personally.'" Gary Washurn in the Boston Globe 

• SIXERS: "Jerry Stackhouse played a little more than one season with the 76ers as a teammate of Allen Iverson. They were both too young, too frisky, too determined to be "the man." And they didn't have a point guard. Stackhouse ended up having a long, solid career with Detroit, Washington and Dallas. But he has a strong feel for whether Iverson and the Sixers could mesh again. 'It's one of the few places where it could work,'  Stackhouse said." Phil Jasner in the Philadelphia Daily News 

• SIXERS: "What about the premise that, if Iverson dominates the ball as he always has, others will get fewer touches, fewer shots? 'Is that necessarily a bad thing?' Snow said. 'Look at their record. It's not like they're burning the lights out.'" Phil Jasner in the Philadelphia Daily News 

• SIXERS: "You wonder whether Allen Iverson realizes he's little more than a circus freak now. If he rejoins the Sixers, his name will be atop the sideshow, luring in the curious and the bored and the kind of people who slow to gawk at the wrecks along the highway. He is the bearded lady, the fish boy, the bear who chugs beer from the bottle. Welcome to the third act of Iverson's career. He can no longer lead a team to a championship. He can no longer be trusted to accept a complementary role on a contender. Now, he would merely sell tickets for a bad team. Look at that man down there, son. He used to be Allen Iverson." Bob Ford in the Philadelphia Inquirer 

• NETS: "I think you could see it developing when it started with K-Mart and Lucious (Harris) and Kerry (Kittles) and the pieces not being replaced,' Kidd said. ... 'It's just one after another. It was something that was going to eventually happen. It reminded me of when I was with Dallas the first time (in the early '90s) and (H. Ross Perot Jr.) bought the team and it wasn't about basketball. It was about a real estate play. That is what happened with the Nets.'" Ohm Youngmisuk in the New York Daily News 

• NETS: "Vandeweghe emphasized his talent for skill development. He learned the jump shot at age 14 in Jerry West’s driveway — his dad, the legendary Ernie Vandeweghe, was the Lakers’ team doctor at the time. He learned everything else from the game’s seminal teacher, Pete Newell, over a 30-year friendship that ended with the Hall of Famer’s death last year. And Vandeweghe gets results. As the personnel director in Dallas in 1999 and 2000, his work with Dirk Nowitzki and Steve Nash changed the direction of the franchise."Dave D'Alessandro in the Newark Star-Ledger

• SUNS: "The Suns don't want to say they are better off without Shaquille O'Neal, especially when they are about to face him Wednesday night for the first time since his off-season trade to Cleveland. The Suns' record speaks for them. They can tiptoe around stating the benefits of O'Neal's absence, but the change in success, speed, spirit and synergy is undeniable. The Big Cactus was fun but made for a prickly presence because his size - and personality - can be overwhelming. Even his surprise All-Star season and good health left Phoenix shy of the playoffs, although many Suns wonder what would have been if Amar'e Stoudemire had not been lost for the season's final two months. Ultimately, the Suns won only one playoff game with O'Neal." Paul Coro in the Arizona Republic 

• SUNS: "'I'm pretty sure the guys who are looking...from the free-agency standpoint want to get better, they want to win a championship,' said Amar'e Stoudemire, the Phoenix Suns forward who can opt out of his contract at season's end and join the free-agent class that may include LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. 'Speaking for myself, I definitely want to win a championship, that's the ultimate goal.'" Matt Gagne in the New York Daily News 

• KNICKS: "Two things were confirmed in the wake of the Knicks' surprisingly easy 126-99 victory last night at the Garden: The Phoenix Suns pose absolutely no threat to Kobe Bryant's bid for a second straight championship and the Knicks have apparently underachieved like nobody's business up to this point. Phoenix, the team with the NBA's best record entering last night's game, can't rebound and won't defend, which just about makes the Suns a pretender. Meanwhile, Mike D'Antoni's team showed that when it makes shots it is better than your run-of-the-mill bottom feeder." Frank Isola in the New York Daily News 

• NUGGETS: "(Chris) Andersen was one of the Nuggets who was on Karl's "play hard" team a season ago — the lineup of hustlers who fueled the whole roster. Recently, Karl has been searching for his "play hard" lineup, which led to a postgame outburst after Sunday's loss to Minnesota. Andersen and others seemed to play hard against Golden State. Next up? Miami, a team that slapped Denver around earlier this season when the Nuggets played soft." Benjamin Hochman in the Denver Post

• WIZARDS: "Arenas nailed a three-pointer to get the Wizards started on an 18-6 run, which turned a seven-point deficit into a 90-85 lead. Arenas scored 10 points during the run, including an aggressive, bumper car drive in which he bounced off Andrea Bargnani, scored, and got floored by Hedo Turkoglu. After going 3 for 11 through the first three quarters, Arenas was 4-of-6 in the fourth. He also was very careful with the ball, handing out nine assists with just one turnover -- a travel." Michael Lee in the Washington Post 

• LAKERS: "Jackson said at game's end, he was not about to put his starters back in the contest. After leading by 90-69 entering the fourth quarter, the Lakers began to lose their momentum and the Hornets rallied to within 12 points with 2:20 left in the game. 'I was going to suffer the consequences tonight,' Jackson said of sticking with the substitutes. 'Guys have to take credit or responsibility for the way they play.'" Elliott Teaford in the Los Angeles Daily News 

• CAVALIERS: "A source said Ilgauskas was so distraught at halftime, he told an assistant coach to inform Brown that he didn't want to play in the second half. He refused interview requests on Monday and Tuesday and is not expected to talk until after tonight's game. But he was quite upset and hurt by his coach's actions. He had friends and family at the game and was probably embarrassed when he didn't play. Brown admitted on Tuesday that it was the best the Cavs have played all season with a smaller lineup." Bob Finnan in the Lorain Morning Journal

• CELTICS: "Rasheed Wallace has eight technical fouls in 18 games, which would equate to 36 over a full season. That number is astronomical, of course, especially since the NBA suspends players one game for each technical after the 16th. Wallace has a career high of 41 in 2000-01 with Portland, and he collected 19 last season with Detroit. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said his mercurial forward is going to have to reduce his propensity for technicals. ... 'I’m concerned, but there’s nothing I am going to do about it, I’ll tell you that,' said Rivers. 'I could talk to him until I’m blue.'" Gary Washburn in the Boston Globe 

• HEAT: "It was just over a year ago in Portland that Beasley went from rookie starter to bench player. After the Heat lost by 38 to the Blazers in the 16th game of the season, Spoelstra moved Beasley to the bench to make room for Joel Anthony in the starting lineup for a more traditional lineup. Beasley finished his uneven rookie season averaging 13.9 points and 5.4 rebounds. This season, Beasley has been heading in the right direction entering this year's game at the Rose Garden. In his previous six games, the second-year forward has averaged 17.6 points and 9.3 rebounds, solidifying his spot in the starting lineup." Israel Gutierrez in the Miami Herald 

• BLAZERS: "Besides Greg Oden, who recorded another solid game with 13 points and a career-high 20 rebounds, there isn't one Blazers player who is performing at a high level. But the biggest problem, and the one that is finally beginning to be vocalized in the locker room, lies between the ears of the players. The Blazers, quite frankly, are thinking too much. Some have openly worried about touches. Some have privately griped about playing time. Alliances have been formed by certain key players, and there have been more player-coach meetings than ever at this time of the season." Jason Quick in the Oregonian  

• NBA: "Merry Christmas, David Stern! Crooked ex-referee Tim Donaghy, fresh out of jail, has arranged for the publication of his tell-all book just in time for the holidays. The perfect stocking stuffer for the NBA commissioner who has everything. 'Personal Foul: A First-Person Account of the Scandal That Rocked the NBA' will be available in bookstores nationwide by Christmas. It will be prereleased Friday to select outlets." William Bender in the Philadelphia Daily News 

Hopefully back later today with blog links.