He Might Not Have Had Such a Banner Career

Bill Russell told Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe that he wanted to become a Laker before joining the Boston Celtics.

“What? The Lakers? The Tinseltown/La La Land Lakers?

“Uh, no, not them. The iceberg Lakers. The Land of 10,000 Lakes Lakers. The mighty five-time NBA champion Minnesota Lakers.

“ ‘I met George Mikan in high school,’ Russell revealed. ‘He couldn’t have been nicer. He said I would become a professional basketball player, but that I had to play for the Lakers. And that’s what I wanted to do.’ ”

Daydreaming: Russell, Jerry West and Elgin Baylor, title after title after title.

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Trivia time: Who holds the Laker single-game record for three-point field goals without a miss?

Makes more sense: Jeff Gordon in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: “Instead of giving Ryan Leaf *

that $11.5-million signing bonus, would the San Diego Chargers have been better off setting a bonfire with 11.5 million dollar bills and inviting Southern Californians over for a weenie roast?”

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Desperate measures: The Montreal Gazette listed “50 signs the Canadiens are in trouble,” including “The Molson Center Zamboni driver is offered a $50 bonus for every player he runs over.”

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For whom the bell tolls: Ron Rapoport in the Chicago Sun-Times: “Mike Tomczak says he has had five concussions in his 15-year NFL career and that he and many other NFL players take them far more seriously than they used to.

“ ‘It was a big testosterone thing for you to walk around and say, “Yeah, I got my bell rung and I’m still playing,” ’ the former Bear quarterback told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.”

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You are now: New Orleans offensive guard Wally Williams, before the Saints lost to Cleveland on a Hail Mary pass:

“If we lost to the Browns, we’d be the butt of the NFL. And nobody wants to be the butt.”

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Whatever you say: Florida Panther tough guy Scott Mellanby on the effects of his severe concussion: “Two years ago, I tested genius. Now, I’m only brilliant.”

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Trivia answer: Nick Van Exel, six for six, against Vancouver on Nov. 16, 1997.

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And finally: John McGrath in the Tacoma News Tribune: “It’s no profile in courage for [Ken] Griffey to camouflage his disdain for Seattle by noting the responsibilities he has as a father.

“He and his family used to live around here. A few years ago, he decided to move his family far away from here. Now he wants to play for a team closer to his family that used to be here in the first place.”