Sprewell Says He’s No O.J.

With time running out before his status is determined by an arbitrator, Latrell Sprewell expressed remorse for attacking P.J. Carlesimo and said he was not “another O.J. Simpson.”

“I’m not as bad as everyone has made me out to be,” Sprewell said in an interview with the New York Post. “It’s as if I’m another O.J. Simpson. Yes, I was wrong, but I didn’t kill anybody. I’m not a double murderer.”

“No matter what happens, I hope to sit down with P.J. some day and have a long conversation. I want to look in his eyes so he can see how sincere I am in my apology. I wish I had taken the time to sit down before,” Sprewell said.

Sprewell was in New York on Thursday to prep for his arbitration hearing, which begins Tuesday in Portland, Ore., and will last for three days before relocating to New York in the week leading up to the All-Star break.

Sprewell has filed two grievances, one against the Golden State Warriors for terminating his contract, the other against the league for suspending him for a year for his Dec. 1 attack on Carlesimo. In that incident, Sprewell choked his coach, threatened to kill him, left the gym and came back later to go at him again.

Billy Hunter, executive director of the players’ union, said he suspects the hearing will result in a reduction of Sprewell’s suspension.

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Washington Wizard forward Chris Webber, who was arrested Tuesday morning on charges stemming from a motor vehicle stop in Landover, Md., met for 2 1/2 hours with NBA officials in New York to discuss the incident.

Webber, 24, has been charged with assault, resisting arrest and possession of a controlled dangerous substance, in addition to numerous traffic violations, including driving under the influence of a controlled dangerous substance.

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If star point guard Damon Stoudamire is going to be traded, his Toronto Raptor teammates want it to happen soon.

“It’s bad around here,” said forward Marcus Camby, one of five other Raptors reportedly on the trading block. “We’re not getting wins, and [the rumors] are making it worse.”

Earlier, reports said that Stoudamire--along with center Zan Tabak and forward Walt Williams--was on the verge of being traded to the Houston Rockets. Since then, trade talk has mushroomed to embrace nearly half the team, including Camby and rookie Tracy McGrady.

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The Miami Heat beat the Bulls and Grizzlies this season, but plans for a new $165-million bayfront arena may be derailed for weeks--all because of tiny burrowing owls.

The owls set up housekeeping in holes drilled to test the ground for contaminants. Now the Heat will have to move the protected birds--or build around them. That’s up to state officials.

Florida burrowing owls are rare enough to warrant state protection--they’re classified as a “species of special concern,” just one notch below threatened.