This Latrell Sprewell thing is getting all out of hand. Now it's a race thing. Which is similar to calling the Jesse Helms/ William Weld deal, an accent thing. No. The relationship between him and PJ Carlesimo was more complicated than that. Like San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown so impolitically said; "Maybe the coach deserved to be choked." And everybody flipped out. You can only yell at a person for so long before lack of respect becomes the issue. It is universally agreed that Carlesimo is the Pol Pot of basketball coaches. A man with a shorter fuse than a biker eating quiche at a ballet recital being pummeled with martini olive pimentos. Hey, I don't know if anybody remembers, but it took Ohio State like three weeks to fire Woody Hayes when he slugged an opposing player. Dennis Rodman kicked an innocent bystander in the groin, and all he got was a three day pass to Las Vegas. The hyena press jumped all over the wounded gazelle Latrell because he had the temerity to adopt a policy of not talking to them this year. And the NBA didn't like his haircut. Payback is a bitch. A lot of us feel irrational authority might have dreamed of responding in the same manner. Then Converse canceled its shoe contract. Of course Latrell might rebound with a Nike deal aimed at line workers. "Just Do It!" Perfect fit. Will Durst needs a pair of $150 shoes.