O”Neal sits out practice with bruise

MIAMI – Shaquille O’Neal is still hurting, and it’s uncertain if the Miami Heat’s center will be ready for the beginning of his team’s Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the New Jersey Nets.

O’Neal, who missed the Heat’s final two regular-season games because of a deep right thigh bruise, did not practice Friday.

Heat coach Stan Van Gundy expects O’Neal to practice today. Game 1 against the Nets is Sunday afternoon.

Pacers’ trials will start Aug. 1

The trials for the five Indiana players involved in the November brawl at the Pacers-Detroit Pistons game will begin Aug. 1, starting with Ron Artest.

Teammates Anthony Johnson, David Harrison, Jermaine O’Neal and Stephen Jackson are to follow in that order.

The players earlier were granted requests for separate trials on misdemeanor assault and battery charges.

Owners agree on Las Vegas

None of the NBA’s 30 owners expressed any objections to holding the 2007 All-Star Game in Las Vegas.

“It was not a contentious issue at all,” said commissioner David Stern, who estimated the owners spent less than 10 minutes discussing the subject during the two days of meetings at a Manhattan hotel.

Much more time was spent discussing the status of negotiations with the players’ union on a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the one that expires June 30. The sides are expected to convene again next week after union director Billy Hunter meets with a large group of players to update them on the status of talks.

The Board of Governors, with one representative from each of the league’s 30 ownership groups, also was briefed on the statistical state of the game and officiating issues, was updated on plans to expand the NBDL and was introduced to new WNBA commissioner Donna Orender.

Jefferson practices

All-Star forward Richard Jefferson practiced with New Jersey for the first time in nearly four months, two days before the Nets take on the Miami Heat in the opening round of the playoffs.

Jefferson had a torn ligament in his left wrist.

Before he was injured Dec. 27 against Detroit, Jefferson was having the best season of his NBA career, averaging 22.2 points in 33 games. He had surgery on Jan. 20 and had a cast removed on March 14.