KJ Is Nice, but MJ Just Goes Crazy

Point guard Kevin Johnson of the Phoenix Suns once invented an evil alter ego for himself, he told Arizona Republic columnist David Casstevens, a fast-talking bad guy named Mevin Johnson.

“I put these dark glasses on and start talking slang, like a hip-hop guy,” Johnson said.

Casstevens wonders if the alter-ego bit is carrying over to Johnson’s play on the court.

“KJ doesn’t have a split personality,” Casstevens writes. “However, his involvement in two ugly incidents on the court have led some to wonder about him. . . . Dear Sweet Kevin almost removed Steve Kerr’s face in the closing seconds of last week’s nationally televised Suns-Chicago Bulls game.

” . . . Maybe this wasn’t Kevin. Could it be his other half taking over? ‘Yeah,’ KJ said. Like a B horror movie, the suggestion amused him. He thought of Mevin. Evil triumphs over good. ‘Good guy turns bad.’ ”

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Trivia time: Shaquille O’Neal leads the NBA with a 28.5-point scoring average, David Robinson is second at 28.1 and Hakeem Olajuwon is third at 26.7. All are centers.

Who was the last center to lead the league in scoring?

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Parcells’ Buddy: The Phoenix Cardinals’ new coach and general manager, Buddy Ryan, didn’t make his return to the fraternity of NFL coaches last weekend at the scouting combine workouts in Indianapolis without some teasing from his compatriots.

Bill Parcells, coach of the New England Patriots, who specifically lacks the title of general manager, couldn’t help but zing his longtime friend when he saw Ryan in a hotel lobby.

“I’m not going to call you coach ,” Parcells said, “You’re a . . . general manager.”

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‘Toons beat hoops: UCLA’s 76-66 victory over Washington State was clobbered in the ratings Saturday by a cartoon movie. The game drew a 3.5 rating on Channel 5, according to figures released Monday by the A.C. Nielsen Co.

The 1987 animated movie, “The Jetsons Meet the Flintstones,” broadcast opposite it on Channel 9 had a 4.5. That means about 175,000 were tuned in to see the Bruins, 225,200 to see George meet Fred.

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A Rose by another name: Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy can’t understand the recent rush to take Tonya Harding’s side amid the controversy, and to criticize Nancy Kerrigan.

“Why are some people trying so hard,” he writes, “to make Harding the victim and blame Kerrigan for: (1) being pretty, (2) keeping her mouth shut and (3) making money after 15 years of work to reach the top of her field?

“At this hour, Harding is the Pete Rose of figure skating. Legally, her sport may not have anything on her. But there’s enough evidence and admission to banish her.”

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Trivia answer: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who averaged 34.8 points a game in 1972 while playing with the Milwaukee Bucks.

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Quotebook: Massachusetts Coach John Calipari, on the frequent comparisons between himself and Kentucky Coach Rick Pitino: “It’s like Rick says: The only similarity he sees is that we have big noses.”