NBA All-Star weekend | Daniel Gibson schools rookies

NEW ORLEANS — The Sonics' Kevin Durant was the star of the rookie team, but Daniel Gibson was the star of Friday night's Rookie Challenge.

Gibson made a record 11 three-pointers, many coming right in front of Cleveland teammate LeBron James, and scored 33 points to lead the NBA's sophomore stars to a 136-109 victory over the top rookies.

Gibson walked away with an MVP award, and had the look of someone who has another trophy coming during All-Star weekend.

Gibson will compete in the three-point shootout tonight, and will be hard to beat if he shoots the way he did against the defenseless rookies. He finished three points shy of the game record, set by Amare Stoudemire in 2004.

"My confidence will be high from tonight and hopefully I didn't use them all up," Gibson said.

He had a chance to tie Stoudemire's record, but was short from just inside halfcourt as the buzzer sounded.

Durant had team highs of 23 points and eight rebounds for the rookies, and Sonics teammate Jeff Green added nine points and five rebounds.

Portland's Brandon Roy, a former Washington Husky, added 17 points and seven assists for the sophomores.

As usual, there was little defense played. But things fell apart for the rookies when they started trading twos for threes.

The rookies led late in the first half before Gibson's surge began. He drilled back-to-back threes to turn a three-point deficit into a three-point lead, then quickly added three more to give the sophomores a 55-44 advantage.

"Once he gets in the zone, once he hits two or three, he gets it going. He hit 11 tonight," said Durant, who like Gibson played at Texas. "I'm very happy for him. He went from a second-round pick to win an MVP in the rookie-sophomore game."

Bryant, Kidd in All-Star limbo

NEW ORLEANS — Kobe Bryant will start for the Western Conference in the All-Star Game, and Jason Kidd will be in the lineup for the East.

Probably.

But with Bryant's right pinkie in a splint because of a torn ligament and Kidd stuck somewhere between New Jersey and Dallas in the midst of a trade on hold, nothing was a guarantee for either player Friday.

Bryant said he'd "rather not play" Sunday night, but doesn't think he has a choice. NBA policy dictates that if a player is healthy enough to play in the final game before the break and the first one after, he won't be excused from the All-Star Game.

Bryant already pulled out of tonight's three-point contest and was replaced by Dirk Nowitzki — who's still awaiting word if he's getting a new teammate.

The Mavericks and Nets agreed to a deal Wednesday that would have sent Kidd to Dallas. But Devean George exercised his right in the collective bargaining agreement to block the trade. Nets president Rod Thorn said George had asked for a trade earlier in the season.

Thorn also said he has no side deal with Mavericks swingman Jerry Stackhouse.

Earlier Wednesday, Stackhouse told The Associated Press that he may be able to rejoin the Mavs, an indication the Nets planned to buy out his contract.

Not so, Thorn said Friday.

"You can't make deals like that," he said.

Notes

• Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing and Pat Riley are among the finalists for the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Holdovers Chris Mullin, Adrian Dantley, Don Nelson and former Sonic Dennis Johnson are among the 15 candidates. The others: Richie Guerin; Johnny "Red" Kerr; Dick Vitale; Pistons owner Bill Davidson; former women's coach Cathy Rush; former Duke coach Victor Bubas; and Togo Soares and Maciel Ubiratan Pereira of Brazil.

The class of 2008 will be announced April 7.

• Detroit Shock All-Star forward Swin Cash likely will be traded to the Seattle Storm soon as Tuesday, when WNBA free agency opens, the Detroit Free Press reported.

"It's a strong possibility," said Cash, in New Orleans to compete alongside Shock coach Bill Laimbeer and Pistons guard Chauncey Billups in tonight's Shooting Stars event.