ORLANDO.  Cavaliers' small forward LeBron James was in stable condition this morning after a team of doctors worked through the night to graft skin from his calves and buttocks onto his upper arms to give him critically-needed space for more tattoos.

James:  "I'm thinking of adding a Chinese take-out menu to my right bicep."

"LeBron should be all right," said Dr. Amelia Rogers, Head of Plastic Surgery at Florida Specialty Hospital.  "We were able to give him another nine square inches of epidermis in the bicep areas, which will permit him to mark up his body like a toddler's coloring book for many years to come."

"See if you can squeeze in one more 'Mom' tat!"

James' tattoos are the subject of academic attention, and an interactive video time-line has been established to permit scholars to report new body images as they appear. 

"Void where prohibited by law" and "Limit one per customer" tattoos.

The NBA does not keep statistics on tattoos, although it is considering a "tattoo cap" similar to the salary cap in place under the league's collective bargaining agreement.   Teams could trade a heavily-tattooed center for a guard from Brigham Young, thereby freeing up space to make acquisitions or sign a draft pick.

Wallace:  "Don't you go discovering any new solar system on me, Jack!"

Other NBA players expressed sympathy when they learned of James' hospitalization.  "Man, that day is coming for all of us," said Rasheed Wallace of the Pistons, who has a tattoo of the sun on his right shoulder.  "Suppose they discover a solar system close to ours?  I might not have enough room left for another luminous celestial body."

"I can't believe he missed two ki throws!"

Tattoos were invented by the Maoris, a Polynesian aboriginal group native to New Zealand.  The Maoris play a game called "Ki-o-rahi," which is noted for imaginative handling and passing of a "ki" or ball.  They are great admirers of Speedy Claxton, a point guard for the Atlanta Hawks, and follow the NBA by short-wave radio. 

Maori tribal leader Nga Tamatoa wished James a speedy recovery in a letter delivered to him in the hospital this morning.  "May the Great Small Forward heal quickly," Tamatoa wrote, "so that you may acquire much bling to the end of your days."