The best Bulgarian player for 2006 Filip Videnov (196-F/G-80, college: W.Kentucky) will continue his career in Italian Serie A1. Last night 196 cm tall shooting guard signed till the rest of the season with Solsonica Rieti. The contract is official and Videnov is already part of the club, which is at the 13th place in the league. This is the first transfer for Filip since May 2007, when he finished the season in Spanish ACB league with Cajasol Seville. The player missed all the summer and autumn, because he got injured at the National team practice and underwent a surgery on his foot. But now he is healthy and recovered, ready to show his best on the court and full of ambitions to prove his skills.

Raja Bell (196-F/G-76, agency: Interperformances, college: Florida Intern.) could blame the slow start on backs spasms that affected his shooting. Or the ankle problems that hindered his movement.

If he wanted, he could provide nasty details that accompanied the stomach flu, an illness that prompted an exit three minutes into a game against the Hornets, one that left Bell trying not to vomit as his wife drove him home.

'I want to make this clear: It wasn't an injury,' Bell said. 'I had a tough start of the season because I had a tough start of the season. I won't make any excuses.'

Typical Bell, an eighth-year guard who has made his NBA living off defense and perimeter shooting, two elements the Suns sometimes have lacked during the season's first half. Toughness has defined Bell during career stops at Philadelphia, Dallas and Utah. Same thing goes here, as Lakers guard Kobe Bryant well remembers.

Coach Mike D'Antoni long has called Bell the team's heart and soul, and more recently, 'one of the necessities' of team success.

This hasn't changed.

As Bell's health has improved, so have the Suns. Feeling the best he has all season, Bell has averaged 17 points over his past seven games, shooting 45 percent from the field and 42 percent from 3-point range.

'That's huge for us,' D'Antoni said. 'You can just see him in his shooting, just in his day-to-day stuff that his body is responding. It's taken him awhile, but I've thought the last three or four games he's looked good.'

Last season, Bell scored 20 or more points five times in November and 12 times before the All-Star break.

Entering a four-game trip that begins tonight at Milwaukee, Bell has scored 20 only five times this season. No doubt, injuries have disrupted his rhythm, but something else might have contributed: Kurt Thomas' absence.

Last season, Bell looked for the Suns center nearly every trip down the floor, darting around screens, waiting for a Steve Nash pass to launch from open space. But an off-season deal sent Thomas to the Seattle SuperSonics. The Suns lost their best interior defender, and probably their best screener, too.

'Without him there, it took me awhile to figure out how I (could) get open,' Bell said. 'Boris (Diaw) has proven to help me out in that regard, but yeah, for a while I missed Kurt a lot. I still do.'

Bell considers these opening months among the roughest he has had, but he is hesitant to elaborate because of the excuse factor. Instead, Bell said his performance is rooted in rhythm. Better health leads to more minutes. More minutes leads to better production. He played 33 minutes Sunday against New Jersey, scoring 20 points, draining 5 of 10 3-pointers.

It marked the first time he has posted 20 points in consecutive games since November 2006.

'I've been trying to find myself, trying to find a way I can help,' Bell said. 'I'd like to think I'm on the right track, but I haven't been healthy since I came out of high school. You're always going to play with a nick or a bruise. It's just been a different type of season for me, and it proved to take a little more time (to bounce back) than I would've liked.'

By Doug Haller
The Arizona Republic

The Lakers showed Friday night why they are one of the teams to beat in the Ronald Charles 13-15 Basketball League by routing Zion, 40-23, in game two at the Ronald Charles gymnasium on the Central High Campus.
The Lakers with their stingy defense limited Zion to four first quarter points en route to a 12-4 lead at the end of the period. Korey Joseph had the hot hand in the opening quarter for the Lakers, scoring six points to help his team to the early eight-point advantage.
With much of the Lakers bench on the floor, Zion opened the second quarter on a 4-0 run that saw them close to within four points at 12-8. The lead was three at 14-11 midway through the second period, when the Lakers starters came back on the floor to restore order. A 4-0 run by the Lakers pushed the lead to seven points at 18-11 and after an exchange of baskets in the latter stages of the quarter the teams went into the locker room with the Lakers enjoying a 20-13 halftime lead.
Zion scored the first two points of the third quarter to get to within five points at 20-15 to start the second half. It turned out to be the only points they would score in that period as sloppy ball handling and a tighter Lakers defense shut them out the rest of the quarter. The Lakers, on the other hand, although they outscored their opponents 9-2 in the third were also a little sloppy in their third quarter play. They held a commanding 29-15 lead over their obviously outmanned opponents going into the final period.
With the game all but decided, Lakers Coach Calvin Burk emptied his bench to start the fourth and final quarter. It made for a more closely played quarter, but the Lakers were still able to outscore Zion 11-8 in that period for a 40-23 final score.
The Lakers were led by Joseph, who netted a game high 12 points with six rebounds and four steals, while teammate Jonathan Fontonelle chipped in with 11 points, five rebounds and two steasls. For Zion, it was Kadeem Jones leading the way with seven points, while teammate Tarik Mcmillan had a monster night on the boards with 14 rebounds. He also came away with three steals.

Eastsiders 37, Working Together 35
In the night's first game, Eastsiders edged Working Together 37-35, in a thriller. The Eastsiders were led by Marcus Williams with 12 points and Edwin Ventura, who netted 10 points, with nine rebound and three blocks. For Working Together, Deshawn Joseph scored a game high 13 points with 10 boards and four steals.

Ronald Charles Basketball Association Schedule

Friday Jan 25, 2008
6:00 p.m. Working Together vs. Icebreaker
7:00 p.m. Guidance vs. Boys Dem
8:00 p.m. Sonics vs. More Fire

Saturday Jan. 26, 200
2:30 p.m. Zion vs. Lakers (7-9)
3:30 p.m. Nuggets vs. Tribe (7-9)
4:30 p.m. Zion vs. Lakers (10-12)
5:30 p.m. More Fire vs. Eastsiders (10-12)
6:30 p.m. Hoyas vs. Sonics (10-12)
7:30 p.m. Eastsiders vs. Boys Dem (13-15)

Teams
Rashidi Clenance Division (7-9)
Boys Dem
Lakers
Nuggets
Tribe
Working Together
Zion


10-12 League
Tyrone Allick Division

Eastsiders

Hoyas

More Fire
Sonics

Cuthbert Victor Division
Boys Dem
Lakers
Working Together
Zion

Working Together

* Group B:

Saba Battery (IRI) 97 - Al Ahli (UAE) 80
- MVP: Makan Dioumassi (Saba)

Al Riyadi (LEB) 93 - Al Jalaa Aleppo (SYR) 85
- MVP: Fadi El Khatib (197-F-79, agency: Pro Management Agency) (Al Riyadi)

* Group A:

UAE NT 92 - Al Ittihad Aleppo (SYR) 86
- MVP: Ibrahim Khalfan (UAE)

# Day 6 games schedule (UAE time +4 GMT):
- Wednesday 23/1:
15:00 Zain - Al Ahli
17:00 Gezira - UAE NT
19:00 Mahram - Sagesse
21:00 Saba - Al Jalaa