Ira Winderman

You ask, we (try to) answer:

Q: Didn't Ted Leonsis say what everyone else already knew, that the NBA needs a hard salary cap?
— Ted, Chevy Chase, Md.

A: Sure, but it's something David Stern wanted to remain unsaid until something along those lines could be negotiated during the tense, ongoing talks over a new collective-bargaining agreement.

But I also thought Stern's $100,000 fine was a huge overreaction, because Leonsis merely was comparing the Wizards franchise he owns to the Capitals franchise he owns in the NHL, which already has a hard cap.

If Leonsis can't talk about his NHL property in relation to the NBA property, then the NBA should ban cross-ownership. Such crosstalk otherwise is only natural.

The problem is the NBA is so deep into its soft cap that it would be impossible for the glamour teams to scale back to a hard cap even under the most forgiving schedule.

And the last thing David Stern needs or wants is for the Lakers or Heat to suddenly become irrelevant.

But he does want the hammer of a hard cap in negotiations to harden his soft cap.

The solution to a possible lockout is a compromise, something between the current system the players favor and the one Leonsis mentioned.

Stern has now hit Leonsis, Cleveland's Dan Gilbert and Dallas' Mark Cuban with six-figure fines in recent months.

Perhaps that's his solution to the labor stalemate, having his owners funding the difference through sanctions.

The latest we're hearing is NBA owners now won't even be allowed to wear caps, let alone discuss them.

Q: So Phil Jackson now is saying the Lakers' training camp is useless because they're going to Europe. Does he have a point?
— Len, Calabasas, Calif.

A: Um, he would if he actually believed that.

Ask most coaches about having a week of training camp and then three weeks of exhibitions and, to a man, they'll almost all tell you it is too much in advance of a six-month season and then two additional months of playoffs.

The Lakers will have plenty of time when they get back to get their house in order, one that actually won't get in order until Andrew Bynum can get back to the court.

The international exposure increases the international revenues. It's all part of the pool that has made Phil Jackson a very rich man, albeit one who now is finding himself having to work at a pay cut.

The Lakers will be fine. They won't be able to blame a Game 7 loss to the Heat in June for an October exhibition in London.

Q: You guys are all the same. First everyone knows that Carmelo will be traded. Now your "scoops" are that he isn't going anywhere. Maybe just admit you don't know anything.
— Sal, Aurora, Colo.

A: Actually, I merely said Carmelo was going out for some takeout and then returning to watch a DVD.

But, be that as it may, there was smoke and there was fire.

There is no way anyone randomly comes up with names such as Andrei Kirilenko, Devin Harris and Boris Diaw if there is nothing there.

But this permutation had one moving part out of all the teams' control, Carmelo's willingness to commit to a contract extension and to commit to a contract extension with the team of the Nuggets' choosing.

Anthony will be on the move. He simply has to be. The Nuggets cannot afford to endure the scorched-earth landscape that fans in Cleveland and Toronto are now enduring.

Jim Rogash / Getty Images The Week in Sports Pictures The nation grieved for those hurt, killed and affected by the Boston Marathon bombings. After one of the suspects was caught on Friday — following a day-long lockdown and manhunt — sports returned to Boston over the weekend.

The Cavaliers and Raptors learned too late in the process about their impending destiny, or, more to the point, their impending doom.

It would be irresponsible for a team given such a head start not to get something in return for a player who otherwise could walk as a free agent.

But I will say this, in the next CBA, the NBA might have to consider some type of system for compensatory picks for teams that lose A-tier free agents, perhaps draft choices slotted in after the lottery teams.

At least then, a team in Denver's position can consider the lesser of the evils, cashing in the current season in favor of a trade package, or pushing through the season and at least getting future compensatory first-round picks should Anthony depart in free agency.

Then again, that's basically what Cleveland and Toronto did in agreeing to sign-and-trades with the Heat for LeBron James and Chris Bosh, agreements that netted packages of future Heat picks.

The difference is those picks will come at the end of the first round. Compensatory picks in the teens might be worth actually utilizing.