Wayne Gretzky's post-game statements about his alleged role in the NHL gambling scandal fall under the "painful necessity'' category - as in, "I have no intention of saying anything about this, but they're making me, so I'd better do it, make it as innocuous as possible and get it over with.''

He would have been better off issuing a printed "no comment,'' because not only did he not convince anyone that he wasn't at least peripherally involved, but he looked and sounded way too smug while doing it. The vibe he gave off at the podium last night said: "You guys are crazy if you think my hands are dirty in any of this. I'm Wayne F. Gretzky. Who you gonna believe, me or some cop in Jersey? So I'm gonna say I didn't gamble, keep repeating it in case you boneheads didn't get it, then I'll tell you again to quit asking me what those others were doing slinging big bets around, even if one of them is my best friend and top assistant, and the other is my wife. That's their problem, not mine, and quit making it my problem.''

Actually, that would have been a great statement. Definitely a little less disingenuous than the one he gave. I'll throw it out there that whether Gretzky gambled isn't the point. The point is whether he knew what was going on, on his team, in his sport and in his home, and whether he not only looked the other way, but tried to cover it up. And whether he's now lying about it if, in fact, he got busted on it by the wiretap.

This might be a little premature to say, but it's worth wondering whether that appearance last night wasn't Gretzky's Mark McGwire-Rafael Palmeiro moment. For his sake, he'd better hope it wasn't.

By the way, Canada is freaking out. Laugh at that if you like, but they've probably been laughing at us for years over the Pete Rose stuff.

Speaking of having a moment, it's worth watching tonight to see whether Gilbert Arenas or Carmelo Anthony, or both, have a Karl Malone moment.

Malone has never 'fessed up to one having to do with the other, but in the very first game after the Lakers' A.C. Green edged him out in fan voting for the 1990 NBA All-Star Game, Malone scored a career-high 61 points and added 18 rebounds. The shoes he wore in that game were immediately shipped out to be displayed in the National Sour Grapes Hall of Fame. He then sat out the All-Star Game with an injury, in the midst of a 13-year stretch in which he missed all of three games to injury (and two to suspension).

Arenas and the Wizards play Cleveland at MCI tonight, with Anthony and the Nuggets at home against Dallas later. Neither opponent is exactly a lock-down defensive team. The joke was already going around at the Wiz-Warriors game Wednesday: "82? Are they gonna pull a Kobe?'' No, the relevant reference is Malone.