NBA Beat

In his Sunday column in the Sacramento Bee, Scott Howard-Cooper lookes at the changes in Detroit, the Hornets' possible move from Charlotte, the Kings glut at the point guard position and that it's unlikely Mike Bibby will sign an extension this summer.

Second-round pick Maurice Jeffers is expected to sign, and the final spots for unguaranteed contracts, all longshots to stick, will be decided. Among the possibilities is Mario Bennett, the athletic 6-10 forward who has been with the Suns, Lakers, Bulls, Clippers and in the Continental Basketball Association.

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Sacramento Kings, Detroit Pistons, Charlotte Bobcats

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From afar, Turkoglu reaches out to reassure

Aileen Voisin in the Sacramento Bee writes: His parents never wanted him to come to America, though not because they disliked the United States, but because they loved their son. America was too far away. America was another world, foreign in so many ways.

But this was different. This was so different. After being bombarded with horrific images of Tuesday's tragic events, Rahim and Nuriye Turkoglu panicked. They told Hedo that they loved him and feared losing him. They warned that, as a high- profile Muslim, he would be a target for extremists seeking retaliation. They begged him to remain in Istanbul. They begged him to stay home.

And of course Hedo is coming back to Sacramento.

"I tell my parents, 'America will figure out who is bad guy, and who is good guy,'" Turkoglu said on his cellphone late one evening. "I will not have that much problem. I tell them not to be nervous, but yes, they are kind of scared. No one in Turkey can believe this happens. All of Turkish people feel so bad. But am I worried? No, no."

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Sacramento Kings

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Webber's contract fully guaranteed

Peter May writes in his Boston Globe Sunday column that when Chris Webber re-signed with the Kings, the contract that was submitted to the NBA for approval was a seven-year deal with an escape clause after Year 5 and with the last two years nonguaranteed. That is almost unheard of in NBA circles, especially for a player of Webber's ilk. The last two years were worth more than $43 million and there was immediate speculation that Webber was victimized by not having an agent.

When the league sent out the contract details to other teams, one Western Conference executive was equally stunned. He quickly called an agent friend and, after a series of calls, the word got to the Webber camp and there was the predictable confusion and disbelief. However, the mistake was quickly fixed and Webber's contract now is guaranteed for all seven years. You can understand Sacramento's willingness to amend the original deal, given that Webber is its best player.

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Sacramento Kings, Boston Celtics

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