The Milwaukee Bucks confirmed Monday that they were working on an agreement to remove forward Anthony Mason from the team. Mason has two guaranteed years left on his contract worth about $10 million.

"We are engaged in negotiations with Anthony Mason's representative with respect to terminating his contract," general manager Larry Harris said in a statement released by the team.

Although Harris did not elaborate, it's no secret that the 37-year-old Mason doesn't fit into the team's youth movement. Also, Mason has taken blame for being a disruptive force in the locker room over the past two seasons.

Mason played in 65 games last season, averaging 7.2 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 32.6 minutes per game. In 2001-'02, he played in all 82 regular-season games and averaged 9.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 38.3 minutes.

Mason was signed by the Bucks as a free agent during the George Karl-Ernie Grunfeld era on Oct. 25, 2001.

Milwaukee Bucks rookie guard T.J. Ford was awash in a sea of kids late Monday afternoon at the Bradley Center.

Ford had just filmed a television spot for the Second Harvest food bank that involved the youngsters and afterward, they had Ford surrounded as they all patiently awaited an autograph.

"Everybody got some paper?" Ford inquired.

Those who didn't borrowed a scrap from a friend and Ford, writing against a refrigerator door at courtside, accommodated everyone.

Later, after the group had departed, Ford sat down courtside for an interview. It probably felt good for Ford to get off his feet for a bit, as he has been a busy man. Not only Monday, but ever since the Bucks used their No. 9 overall choice in the college draft last June to select the 5-foot-10 point guard from Texas.

Ford recently returned to Milwaukee from New York, where he had attended the weeklong Rookie Transition Program that is conducted by the National Basketball Association and is mandatory for all first-year players. He worked out at the team's practice facility Monday, filmed the television spot, did the interview and was then ready to call it a day.

Ford could then turn his attention to the opening of the Bucks' training camp today. Under a new league rule this season, players with three or fewer years of experience in the league report to camp today. All players are required to attend media day on Thursday, and the entire roster will then practice for the first time Friday.

Ford said he wasn't sure what to expect as he prepared for his first training camp, especially since coach Terry Porter is beginning his first season at the helm of a team that has undergone a major face lift in recent months.

The following statement is from Milwaukee Bucks General Manger Larry Harris regarding Anthony Mason's contract:

"We are engaged in negotiations with Anthony Mason's representative with respect to terminating his contract."

At least a half dozen teams will have begun training camp by Saturday so it's not too soon to wonder about the 2003-04 NBA season.

Does Kobe Bryant need to spend the next seven months playing or praying?

The Sonics haven't had a decent center since Jack Sikma. What took him so long to join the club as a coach and commit to helping those stiffs?

Should we be surprised that owner Bob Johnson is winning over the Charlotte market?

Did the Grizzlies get better than Golden State, Seattle and Houston?

Speaking of getting better, just who will lead these Grizzlies?

Did the Lakers or Timberwolves (see: T-wolves) have the better offseason?

How is it that Milwaukee got rid of Ray Allen, Sam Cassell and Glenn Robinson, and held on to Anthony Mason?

Steve Belkin, former captain of his high school basketball team and the NBA's newest owner-to-be, said he shoots around on this court as often as he can. "I don't move as well as I used to," Belkin, 56, said with a laugh. "My shots are still pretty good."

That's why Belkin, the largest single investor in the eight-headed ownership team that purchased the Hawks, Thrashers and operating rights to Philips Arena last week, had no trouble challenging Jason Terry to a game of H-O-R-S-E a day after the deal was announced.

For 20 years, Belkin has been working towards his goal of becoming a professional sports franchise owner.

He came close to owning the Boston Celtics in 1983, signing an agreement to buy the team, but backed out after some negative publicity surrounding one of his employees stripped the joy from his endeavor.

He came close to getting the Charlotte expansion franchise last year, joining one of the few teams with NBA legend Larry Bird that didn't win.

Losing out to BET founder and billionaire Robert Johnson last December hurt Belkin so deeply that he nearly gave up his quest to join that special fraternity known as the NBA board of governors.

"It was one of the low points of my life, " Belkin said. "I had to ask, 'How much do I really want this? Is this not how it was supposed to be? Is this a message that I should shift my dream?' I came to the conclusion: No."

Belkin persisted. He flirted some with the Milwaukee Bucks, and he contacted AOL Time Warner shortly after the company mentioned that it would be selling some "non-core assets" last February. Belkin studied the books and was interested in making a move before David McDavid entered into exclusive negotiations to buy the teams and the arena rights. Buying the Hawks didn't enter his mind again until he received a phone call about three weeks ago.

And, 10 months after his low, comes "this incredible high point," he said.

Anthony Mason could be on the move again.
Unsuccessful in their attempts to trade the veteran forward, the Milwaukee Bucks are thinking about releasing him, according to a league source.

Mason, the former Knick from Queens, is scheduled to earn about $10 million over the next two years. But the Bucks are willing to buy out the final two seasons of Mason's four-year contract because the team is trying to rebuild.

Mason, who will turn 37 in December and could be a disruptive presence on a young team, is no longer in Milwaukee's plans.

Parting ways with Mason would follow a pattern the Bucks started in February when they traded Ray Allen to Seattle for Gary Payton. Since then, Milwaukee has traded Sam Cassell to Minnesota and Payton, a free agent, signed with the Lakers. Also, GM Ernie Grunfeld joined the Wizards and Bucks head coach George Karl was fired.

Don Cronson, Mason's long-time agent, would neither confirm nor deny that his client was about to become a free agent again.

"Anthony is under contract with the Milwaukee Bucks," Cronson said. "And until something happens, he expects to be in training camp with them."

There are coaches in the National Basketball Association who frown on the practice of playing unproven rookies unless, of course, their name happens to be LeBron James or Yao Ming or Amare Stoudemire. Some coaches are even more adamant in their reluctance if the rookie happens to be a point guard.

Milwaukee Bucks coach Terry Porter does not subscribe to that train of thought, which is good news for rookie T.J. Ford, a point guard from the University of Texas whom the Bucks selected in the first round of last June's college draft.

When Sam Cassell, the incumbent at point guard over the past four seasons, was dispatched to the Minnesota Timberwolves, it left the door wide open for Ford to take over the position. Unless Porter, a point guard himself during his 17-year career in the NBA, had any reservations about playing a first-year player at that position.

But Porter said last week that was not the case.

"The positions are going to be open," said the Bucks' rookie head coach. "Obviously if (Ford) has shown in training camp and pre-season games that he's the best for the job, I'll throw him out there. I don't think you should hold him back just because he's a rookie. There was a time in this league where no matter how well you played in practice, you had to earn your stripes."

Former Milwaukee point guard Sam Cassell said the effectiveness of the Bucks deteriorated during George Karl's tenure for a variety of reasons.

In an interview aired Tuesday evening on Steve True's WISN-AM radio talk show, Cassell mentioned the trade of Scott Williams, the unsuitable insertion of Anthony Mason's game into the team mix and Karl's unwise strategy of regularly calling out guard Ray Allen in the press as reasons why the Bucks failed to flourish in the last three National Basketball Association seasons.

"He's one of the top five coaches," Cassell said when asked if he thought Karl would coach again in the NBA. "When I first got to Milwaukee, George Karl was brilliant. I had so much respect for the guy. How he could draw up plays within 20 seconds, workable plays. Then days went past and his relationship with the players, it didn't get bad, it just wasn't like it used to be. I think that's what we were looking for. My first two years in Milwaukee, the relationship George Karl had with Ray Allen, Glenn Robinson and myself was brilliant. The next three years it just went downhill from there."