Bryon Russell

The man accused of sexually assaulting a sister of New York Knicks center Marcus Camby and holding her and two other family members hostage in Manchester, Conn., was ordered held on $1.5 million bond. Troy Crooms, 28, was charged with kidnapping, sexual assault, burglary and possession of a weapon following Monday's eight-hour standoff at Camby's mother's home. Authorities said little about a motive but did say the man was known to the family. Crooms, who received a court-appointed defense attorney, did not speak and entered no plea during yesterday's brief court appearance.

Nene Hilario, the 19-year-old Brazilian selected No. 7 overall in the NBA draft, signed with the Denver Nuggets yesterday. Hilario, a forward-center, averaged 13.2 points and 10 rebounds with Vasco da Gama in the Brazilian League last season. He helped Brazil win a bronze medal in the 2001 Goodwill Games in Australia. The Nuggets obtained the rights to Hilario on draft night in a trade that sent forward Antonio McDyess to the New York Knicks for center Marcus Camby and guard Mark Jackson.

Dikembe Mutombo will undergo surgery tomorrow to repair a torn ligament in his right wrist, sidelining the New Jersey Nets center for at least 2 months. Mutombo tore the ligament Thursday night when he was hit on the wrist by the Clippers' Eric Piatkowski. Mutombo was examined last night by Dr. Charles Melone Jr., a hand surgeon. "He told me it was one of the big ligaments that holds your wrist," said Mutombo, who had missed only 28 games in his 11-year career before coming to New Jersey in the offseason.

Chris Webber, still sweating from an offseason workout, was cool and collected yesterday as he vowed to fight charges that he lied to a federal grand jury. Ignoring the advice of his lawyers, Webber said he was speaking out because, "I wanted to show my supporters I am not running away from the situation. " "I will fight this case to the end, and I feel that I will be vindicated," the Kings' All-Star forward said at a news conference in Sacramento. Webber was indicted Monday on charges he misrepresented his dealings with Ed Martin, a former University of Michigan booster who claims he loaned the NBA star $280,000 while Webber was an amateur player.

Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing with new teams next season? Not likely. Jordan, the $30 million star who has led the Chicago Bulls to two straight NBA titles and five during the 1990s, and Ewing, the New York Knicks' durable center, are the highest profile players in the free-agent market, which opens for business today. Both are expected to stay with the teams they have been with their entire NBA careers. Jordan reportedly threatened to retire if the Bulls didn't re-sign coach Phil Jackson or if the team had been broken up, such as trading star forward Scottie Pippen.

Federal securities regulators have sued Donald Lukens, an investment adviser catering to professional athletes and other wealthy clients, for allegedly defrauding more than 100 investors of at least $12.5 million in a series of schemes in the late 1990s. Among Lukens' swindled clients were NFL players Simeon Rice (Tampa Bay) and Sean Gilbert (Carolina); NBA players Kurt Thomas (New York) and Bryon Russell (Utah); and former boxing champion Terry Norris, the Securities and Exchange Commission said in a civil lawsuit filed in federal court in Los Angeles.

A palming violation against Lamond Murray prevented the Cleveland Cavaliers from taking one last shot at an upset. Jalen Rose had 26 points, matched his career-high of 13 rebounds and came up with a key defensive play in the closing seconds as host Indiana defeated Cleveland last night, 95-94. Reggie Miller scored 15 for Indiana, including a free throw for the game's final point with 4.6 seconds remaining. Rose and Murray had different thoughts on the final play. "They tried to do a give-and-go with him throwing the ball into Shawn Kemp, and try to have him drive with his right hand toward the basket," Rose said.

Vin Baker rejoined the Seattle SuperSonics yesterday after spending a night in a Los Angeles hospital, where he was taken after experiencing an irregular pulse, the team said. The 6-11 forward felt dizzy Wednesday night during the Sonics' 114-110, overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers. He was hospitalized after the game. Baker has no history of heart problems. He was examined by cardiologists at the hospital and given permission to return to the Sonics. Baker joined the Sonics in San Francisco.

While Tracy McGrady was back in his hotel room ordering room service, Orlando showed it can fight without him. Pat Garrity scored 13 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter last night and the Magic survived without their suspended leading scorer in a 97-87 win over host Cleveland. Garrity made four three-pointers and finished 7-for-10 from the floor for the Magic, who learned two hours before tipoff that McGrady had been suspended two games for fighting. "He's carried us plenty of times so I hope he got some rest," Garrity said of McGrady, who couldn't even watch his teammates as the game wasn't televised locally.

As if a season of brutal basketball wasn't bad enough for the New York Knicks, now they're being humiliated, too. In their most-lopsided home loss ever, the Knicks fell to the Charlotte Hornets, 111-68, yesterday for their eighth consecutive defeat. "It's an embarrassment," point guard Mark Jackson said. By the end of the game, which saddled the Knicks with their longest losing streak in 15 years, several players on the bench had towels covering their heads. "I thought they threw in the towel," coach Don Chaney said.