Anthony Peeler

Anthony Peeler, leading scorer at Missouri, was suspended for Sunday's game against Oklahoma State because he missed a class, Coach Norm Stewart said.

Once the finality settled in, the emotions overwhelmed Jerry West. He labored all season to determine whether he could clear enough cap space to acquire Shaquille O'Neal. Finally, that moment came. West compared the experience to the birth of his children. Securing O'Neal to a seven-year, $120-million deal tilted the NBA's balance in the Lakers' favor. West envisioned O'Neal bringing two things that the Lakers value -- a Hollywood personality and NBA championships. Yet West's perfectionist nature didn't allow him to fully enjoy the moment.

Denver Nugget forward Carmelo Anthony accepted an invitation to join the U.S. Olympic basketball team Wednesday. Connecticut center Emeka Okafor, who could be the No. 1 pick in tonight's NBA draft, will be invited to fill the final roster spot, ESPN.com reported. Okafor is expected to accept the invitation, which would complete USA Basketball's effort to complete a 12-man team for Athens after numerous pullouts and rebuffed invitations.

Anthony Peeler thinks that holding a gun to a woman's head and biting her cheek is "just a part of growing up." I was chilled by his crime and disgusted by his remark. Too many men trivialize violent crimes against women by this "boys will be boys" attitude. I'll never accept Anthony Peeler as part of my Lakers. Shame on Jerry West. KATHRYN S. TARBELL Fountain Valley

University of Missouri basketball guard Anthony Peeler waived formal arraignment in Columbia, Mo., on three felony charges alleging that he attacked a woman and held a gun to her head. In waiving the arraignment, an automatic plea of innocent was entered on his behalf and a preliminary hearing date is to be set June 10. Peeler, 22, is expected to be a first-round NBA draft pick on June 24.

Laker guard Anthony Peeler spent about two hours in jail Monday in Jefferson City, Mo., for failing to turn in two monthly probation reports on time to Missouri officials. His lawyer, Pat Eng, stressed that Peeler was called to his home state to address his probation infractions and was not jailed for a new crime. The former Missouri star was put on five years' probation in 1992 after pleading guilty to charges of carrying a concealed weapon.

The Minnesota Timberwolves put starting guard Anthony Peeler on the injured list Tuesday because of a strained left calf, a costly loss for a team already struggling in the backcourt. Peeler was injured early in Monday night's loss to Utah. He is expected to be out for at least 10 days, leaving the NBA's worst long-range shooting team without its most accurate outside threat. The Timberwolves filled Peeler's roster spot by activating reserve center Trevor Winter from the injured list.

Missouri basketball player Anthony Peeler, the Big Eight player of the year, was charged with three felonies after a woman said he entered her apartment and held a gun to her head, Boone County assistant prosecutor Tim Wynes said. Original reports Saturday indicated that Peeler was arrested on suspicion of weapon and kidnaping charges.

Bill Walton is the most ignorant sports commentator ever. Ever. I admire the fact that he has overcome a speech impediment in order to ply his new trade, but the useless and constant drivel that pours out of his mouth has always been unbearable. Case in point: During the Minnesota-San Antonio game Sunday, Silly Billy noted that to clear cap space to sign Shaq, the Lakers had traded Anthony Peeler. Silly Billy went on to state that it was a huge mistake, noting that since that time, the Lakers have had a huge void at the off-guard position.

The Minnesota Timberwolves put starting guard Anthony Peeler on the injured list Tuesday because of a strained left calf, a costly loss for a team already struggling in the backcourt. Peeler was injured early in Monday night's loss to Utah. He is expected to be out for at least 10 days, leaving the NBA's worst long-range shooting team without its most accurate outside threat. The Timberwolves filled Peeler's roster spot by activating reserve center Trevor Winter from the injured list.

Winning the highest-stakes bidding war in American sports history, the Lakers signed Shaquille O'Neal away from the Orlando Magic on Thursday, giving him a $120-million, seven-year contract that tilted the balance of power in the NBA with the stroke of a pen. The deal is thought to have an "out," a clause making O'Neal a free agent again in three years, enabling him to test the market anew if rising inflation or other stars' salaries eat into his deal.

The bill for the Lakers' planned free-agent shopping spree now includes valuable trade-ins. Looking to build up the war chest to sway Shaquille O'Neal from across the country or lure Brian Williams from across the city, they pretty much dumped Anthony Peeler and George Lynch for nothing Tuesday, sending them to the Vancouver Grizzlies for the right to flip-flop second-round picks in 1998 and '99. More importantly for the Lakers, they got an additional $3.63 million in spending power, the $2.

From three quarters of struggles to playing a major role in the Laker victory. So much for the return from a strained calf muscle being the only impressive recovery Saturday afternoon for Anthony Peeler. Peeler was given little chance in previous days of playing in Game 2 by a medical staff that estimated it would probably take one to three weeks to heal the injury he had suffered last Sunday in the regular-season finale.

The encouraging sign of Anthony Peeler jogging at the end of Laker practice Wednesday at the Forum, an indication that his strained right calf muscle is improving enough so that he could return Saturday, was followed by the discouraging comments from Coach Del Harris: "I would suspect Tuesday is more realistic. That's just a coach's opinion."

Bill Walton is the most ignorant sports commentator ever. Ever. I admire the fact that he has overcome a speech impediment in order to ply his new trade, but the useless and constant drivel that pours out of his mouth has always been unbearable. Case in point: During the Minnesota-San Antonio game Sunday, Silly Billy noted that to clear cap space to sign Shaq, the Lakers had traded Anthony Peeler. Silly Billy went on to state that it was a huge mistake, noting that since that time, the Lakers have had a huge void at the off-guard position.

The Lakers on Monday listed Anthony Peeler as doubtful for Thursday night's playoff opener against the Houston Rockets because of the strained right calf muscle he sustained Sunday in the regular-season finale. An examination by team physician Steve Lombardo determined the injury is a moderate strain. Peeler was ruled out of today's two workouts and is considered day to day, but unlikely for Game 1 of the first-round, best-of-five series.

Question on many L.A. minds today is whether the Lakers shall recover from Cedric Headache No. 23 in time for the NBA playoffs, in order to have a shot at beating the Chicago Bulls for the championship. Now that they have pounded Orlando, that's a good question. But I have an even better question. My question is, would the Lakers and Bulls have enough players left to finish a seven-game series? By Game 7, the possibility exists that: --Magic Johnson will re-retire.