The way we look at is when [the Detroit brawl] went down on Nov. 19, we thought we had a chance to be champions. The core of our team is 25. With long-term contracts. They will come back at some point.

That's when Mel (Daniels) and I ran the workouts.

I think Ronnie is a guy who acts first and thinks later. If he were to do it over again, he might do it differently.

I've talked to a lot of teams, discussed myriad types of offers. Some are player for player, some involve first-round draft picks, some involve savings, some involve a combination of those things. I'm encouraged by some of the things we were offered.

There's really nothing new to report on that. We've dealt with the issue, and now it's up to David Stern.

Things are starting to clarify. The number of teams is down to three or four, and I'm dealing with one or two a day in a serious way. The players [being offered] are better, and I think teams realize if they're going to do it they have to offer good players. Draft choices and cap space don't equal a good player.