Cunningham opening statement: Philadelphia is still a place where I spend at least half the year. I still have roots there in Philadelphia. It's a place where my professional career as a player and a coach took place for nearly 18 years, and it's enjoyable to go back. I've participated in quite a few All-Star Games, it's always a lot of fun.

Daly opening statement: I'm really looking forward to returning. One, I really want to get a cheesesteak and two, I want to get to south Philly to some of those Italian restaurants I really enjoy. Some of you may remember I had some outstanding times there. I was the head coach at the University of Pennsylvania and then I worked with Billy with the Sixers for a number of years and then I did some broadcasting there and I used to live over in Cherry Hill. It's one of the places that's dear to my heart and I always enjoy going back.

Q: I'd like to know who's coaching which team.

Daly: I'm coaching the rookie team. That's the one that's really going to need milk because they're so much younger than the other group. We do have some young players on that group, and Billy, of course, is going to coach the sophomores, the older group. They're a pretty heavy favorite.

Q: What are your thoughts about the assistants, Darryl Dawkins and Bobby Jones?

Cunningham: It's kind of interesting with Darryl Dawkins participating, with so many players coming out, either from high school or after their first or second year of college. Darryl was one of the first players ever to come out of high school to the NBA so I'm sure he'll have a lot of things in common and can probably give these young men some advice.

Q: What does it mean to be a part of the All-Star festivities?

Cunningham: It's a little different this time, being asked to do it. In the past, as a player you were selected either by the fans or the coaches voting for you, and as a coach, it's a situation where it depends on your record. It means a lot to me going back for the Rookie Challenge because it's in Philadelphia. I don't know if I would have participated in another city. Getting the chance to take my grandson to the game and have him as part of the whole situation is nice.

Daly: I'm looking forward to it simply because it looks like a great deal of fun. I participated when I was an assistant with Billy, I was head coach one year in Miami when I was coaching Detroit, and so I've been on that side of it. This looks like it will really be a fun thing.

I remember when I was doing television for Turner, I was doing the halftime and the postgame and pregame and I remember watching Allen Iverson when he played in the Rookie Game and said on the air -- he was the MVP of the rookie game -- there was no question that with his speed what a great player he was going to be. I think it's one of those games where guys can start to show where they're headed in the NBA, much like he did.

Q: Can either of you talk about the evolution of the international player?

Daly: When I started with Philadelphia and before that, there were almost no international players. I think when we did the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, I remember there was heavy criticism with us taking the best players in the world. At that point, they thought it was too professional. When they went over there, they handled themselves so well and were so loved, we were seen by 180 countries. It had already started around the world but that event probably left a lot of young players sitting there thinking they wanted to be like those players and be a part of the NBA. It sped up the process for the NBA attracting more international talent.

Cunningham: During that period of time in the '80s, you thought of the European players as just being good shooters, that they didn't want to mix it up, they didn't want to participate in a physical game. That's changed quite a bit and you don't hear that being said about the European players any longer.

Q: Can either of you talk about some of the players who'll be participating in the game?

Daly: I'm going to look a lot harder at these players when I get the an opportunity. Some of them I know a great deal about, others I don't know as much about. I was up late last night, going to the playbook, getting ready, that sort of thing.

Cunningham: I'm sure, knowing Daly, he's going to bring out some kind of zone but I doubt he has enough time to install it with an hour practice, probably even more so when you have such young players. The players have to focus on a few plays, some inbounds plays and you have approximately 45 minutes to install this. It's the luck of the draw. Just looking at my team, the one thing I always try to do during the course of an All-Star Game is, number one, making sure everyone gets some quality minutes during the course of the game and usually in the fourth period - depending on how everyone is playing -- you go with the players that are playing best at that time.

Q: What has been your impression of Pau Gasol?

Daly: He's gone through his ups and downs. It's his first year in the league, he's probably never played more than 30 or 40 games even in a full European schedule, and when you start playing a lot of games, and he's not even halfway through right now, he's going to have his ups and downs. I don't think physically he's anywhere near where he's going to be as he gets stronger and matures, but he's having a nice year.

Cunningham: With most rookies, you always hear the term "hitting the rookie wall," and that will happen somewhere around 50 or so games. Seems like that's when most rookies hit that wall, because at that point, they've played almost two college seasons and every night they're playing against a guy that should have been an All-American or was.

Q: What has been your take on the new rules this year?

Cunningham: I just watch the games as a fan. I think it's been wonderful so far. It's taken a lot of the pressure off officials with regards to calls. All they really have to call now is the defensive three-second call against the defensive player in the lane. Teams and coaches seem to be adjusting to it. It's changing the game because if you don't have an outside presence, it creates more problems for teams because if you're just a post-up team, other teams are going to be sagging in the post against you.

Daly: I'm surprised that the eight-second rule hasn't been more of a consequence in the backcourt. I thought more people would go down court, but that hasn't been the case. I think it has simplified the game for officials. I think we maybe have only seen the tip of the iceberg. I have a hunch that more and more teams are going to start looking at the zone when they have more time to think about it in the offseason. Doing it for the remainder of this year, probably not the case. I think it's going to make some room for players who haven't made it to the NBA who are outstanding shooters, but weren't either big enough or strong enough. You're going to need shooters.

Cunningham: You'll probably see more zones as teams get to the playoffs, when teams are really keying in on one player.