As the Feb. 18 trade deadline approaches, the Cavaliers and 76ers have been most frequently mentioned as suitors for Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire.

A deal with Cleveland would provide the Suns with a significant amount of salary cap and luxury tax relief. A package centered around young forward J.J. Hickson and center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who received most of his salary up front this season, could get Phoenix out of luxury tax territory.

Trading with Philadelphia could get the Suns more help right away, perhaps someone like Andre Iguodala, Marreese Speights or even Detroit's Ben Gordon if a third team gets involved.

The problem that the Suns are encountering in trade talks is Amare's recent declaration that he may not opt out of his contract, putting him on the books for $17.7 million next season.

Teams looking for an expiring contract will have strong doubts about acquiring Stoudemire if that is the case. [READ]

Raptors forward Chris Bosh is denying reports that he has already committed to play for Team USA this summer.

USA Basketball's Jerry Colangelo was quoted on Friday as saying that Bosh had already committed.

Bosh reiterated that he won't sign on until his pending free agency is solved.

"I'll talk about that after (free agency)," Bosh said.

"I don't know where that came from. I got so many calls on that. I'm like, 'Come on.'

"Maybe the words got mixed up. It's only smart, not to play (while unsigned) and risk injury."

Even if Bosh re-signs with Toronto quickly or lands elsewhere, he hinted that he's still not a lock to play for his country.

"I mean, that's a quick turnaround," he added. "Negotiations start July 1. There's a (USA) mini-camp in mid-July, and then a month later. It's a very short window of time. So I just want to take care of my business on July 1, and there's no telling how long that's going to take." [READ]

The Mavericks are fairly active in discussions as the Feb. 18 trade deadline draws closer.

Sources say that Dallas hasn't pushed too hard for Sacramento guard Kevin Martin, but they are among the interested parties.

The Mavericks could make a play for Wizards forward Caron Butler.

They prefer him to Antawn Jamison because he's younger and they believe they have enough 30-year-old players on their roster.

Butler will turn 30 in March, while Jamison turns 34 in June. [READ]

Tyrus Thomas isn't a huge name, but he is one of the most likely players to be traded prior to next Thursday's trade deadline.

A person familiar with the situation told Ken Berger of CBS Sports that it would be shocking if the forward remained in Chicago past this week due to his recent disagreements with coach Vinny Del Negro.

Thomas lost his starting forward spot to rookie Taj Gibson.

Sources added that the Bulls would prefer to package Thomas in a larger deal rather than simply swap him. [READ]

Thunder forward Kevin Durant will defend his title in the H-O-R-S-E competition at All-Star weekend.

Durant will face off against Boston's Rajon Rondo and Sacramento's Omri Casspi this weekend.

He won the inaugural competition last year in Phoenix, beating Atlanta's Joe Johnson and O.J. Mayo of Memphis. [READ]

Spud Webb, the shortest champion in Slam Dunk history, will help judge this weekend's contest in Dallas.

"Having lived in Dallas my entire life, it's great to finally see the All-Star Game back here," Webb said in a statement. "This event brings back a lot of great memories."

Webb is the president of basketball operations for the NBA's D-League franchise in Frisco, Texas. [READ]

The Warriors will not re-sign Coby Karl to a second 10-day contract.

Karl was most recently in an NBA uniform with Cleveland prior to his stay with Golden State. [READ]

Given how unsuccessful Richard Jefferson has been in San Antonio, league say the Spurs have raised his name in trades talks but found out quickly there’s no market for him and his contract.

Jefferson acknowledged the struggles many players who changed team this past summer have experienced this season.

“Across the whole league, you’ve got a lot of guys going to different situations,” Jefferson said. “Vince in Orlando. Hedo [Turkoglu] in Toronto. Rasheed [Wallace] in Boston. All of them want to make an impact and it’s not happening everywhere.”

RealGM Note: Jefferson is owed $15 million for the 10-11 season if he doesn't exercise his early termination option, which is highly unlikely. [READ]

The Bucks are shopping Luke Ridnour, Hakim Warrick and young forward Joe Alexander in trade talks, according to sources.

RealGM Note: Ridnour is having an outstanding season and also has an expiring contract at $6.5 million.

Warrick has an expiring contract of $3 million and Alexander will be an unrestricted free agent due to Milwaukee's decision not to pick up their third-year option. [READ]

There are conflicting views on how available Marcus Camby actually is depending on the source.

The Clippers are believed to be looking for a player that can help them in 10-11, or cap space to sign a maximum contract free agent this summer.

Denver and New York, two of Camby's previous teams, are both interested in dealing for him. [READ]

Miami and Charlotte remain in the mix with the Rockets and Trail Blazers for Wizards center Brendan Haywood.

An earlier report indicated the Wizards were looking for Rudy Fernandez and Nicolas Batum in exchange for Haywood, something Portland would not be inclined to offer. [READ]

Dwyane Wade says that he and head coach Erik Spoelstra are on the same page.

Over the weekend, Wade complained that Miami's offense was too predictable and that they should be doing better.

"I don't have a problem with coach at all," Wade said after Monday's practice. "Me and him are on one page with each other."

He added that he doesn't consider himself above his teammates or coach.

"It says 'Heat' on the front," he said of the team's jerseys. "It doesn't say 'Dwyane Wade.' "

Spoelstra said he didn't take Wade's comment as an indictment of his offense. [READ]

NBA commissioner David Stern has been keeping tabs on the arena developments in Sacramento this season.

After receiving a phone call on Sunday from arena consultant John Moag, Stern is optimistic about a proposal constructed by Gerry Kamilos for a downtown arena/land swap plan.

"The development of the Kamilos proposal was a pleasant surprise to me," Stern said.

"The idea that was brought to us by the mayor (Kevin Johnson), that we used to call Plan B, was so inclusive in what it was doing, I had my doubts that it could even come to fruition as an idea put to paper. But I'm cautiously optimistic it will be something that everyone will be able to rally around." [READ]

In the midst of an 11-game winning streak, the Cavaliers could get guard Delonte West back against the Nets on Tuesday night.

West has missed Cleveland's last eight games with a broken left ring finger. He has been fitted for a splint, but it hasn't affected his shot during practice.

"It just seems like he never misses a beat," teammate Maurice Williams said. "He might be a little rusty, but he'll catch on pretty fast."

West is averaging 7.4 points and 2.9 assists per game this season. [READ]

The Celtics pulled Paul Pierce out of Monday's practice in order to rest his sprained left mid-foot injury.

The captain is questionable to play against the Hornets on Wednesday night.

"Paul didn't do a lot today," coach Doc Rivers said following the practice.

"We actually pulled him out early. He practiced, but he wasn't moving well and we just took him out. He's questionable. I think he's going to play, but right now we'll wait and see." [READ]

Lakers star Kobe Bryant isn't sure if he'll play in this weekend's All-Star Game because of a sore left ankle.

Bryant missed his second straight game on Monday night with the injury.

"If I'm not able to play, I won't play," Bryant said of Sunday's exhibition in Dallas. "But I'm healthy, I will."

He said that right now he can't push off on his left foot.

"I can't move to play. Can't go," Bryant said. "If I'm ready to go, I'll play."

Lakers trainer Gary Vitti would like Bryant to rest through All-Star weekend. [READ]

Even without Kobe Bryant the Lakers were able to reach the 40-win mark on Monday night.

- Orlando 123, New Orleans 117

Team FIC Differential: Magic +12.4, Hornets -12.4


The Orlando Magic (35-17) used a 13-point edge in the fourth quarter to come back and beat the New Orleans Hornets (27-25) on Monday night. Vince Carter exploded with 48 points and seven rebounds, Dwight Howard posted 25 points and 12 boards and Rashard Lewis scored 18 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Orlando outrebounded New Orleans by eight and shot 54% from the field. Peja Stojakovic led with 29 points, nine rebounds and five assists, David West tallied 27 points and four boards and Darren Collison contributed 27 points and nine dimes in the loss.

Game FIC Scores

Vince Carter, Orlando – 29.0

Peja Stojakovic, New Orleans – 26.4

Darren Collison, New Orleans – 20.0

Dwight Howard, Orlando – 19.4


- Dallas 127, Golden State 117

Team FIC Differential: Mavericks +18.2, Warriors -18.2


The Dallas Mavericks (32-19) stormed back in the final period to knock off the Golden State Warriors (13-37) at Oracle Arena. Jason Terry led with 36 points, nine assists and six rebounds, Jason Kidd tallied 17 points and 12 dimes and Drew Gooden put up 24 points and 10 boards off the bench. Dallas attempted 46 foul shots and went 12-for-22 from three-point land. Anthony Morrow had 33 points and 11 rebounds, Stephen Curry posted 25 points and nine assists and Monta Ellis chipped in 27 points, five boards and five dimes in defeat.

Game FIC Scores

Jason Terry, Dallas – 31.4

Anthony Morrow, Golden State – 26.5

Jason Kidd, Dallas – 24.3

Stephen Curry, Golden State – 15.3


- L.A. Lakers 101, San Antonio 89

Team FIC Differential: Lakers +21.5, Spurs -21.5


The L.A. Lakers (40-13) used a balanced effort without Kobe Bryant to reach the 40-win mark against the San Antonio Spurs (29-21). Pau Gasol led with 21 points, 19 rebounds and eight assists, Lamar Odom posted 16 points and 10 boards and Ron Artest helped with 18 points and five rebounds. Los Angeles attempted eight more foul shots than San Antonio and turned the ball over just 10 times. Tony Parker had 20 points and eight assists, Tim Duncan tallied 16 points and 15 rebounds and Manu Ginobili scored 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting off the bench.

Game FIC Scores

Pau Gasol, Los Angeles – 31.4

Tim Duncan, San Antonio – 18.0

Lamar Odom, Los Angeles – 13.9

Manu Ginobili, San Antonio – 12.0


• RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ‘Reina Value.’ Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season [READ]

The NBA announced Monday that the Washington Wizards vs. Atlanta Hawks game that was postponed on Saturday, February 6th has been rescheduled to be played on Thursday, March 11th at 7:00 pm at Verizon Center in Washington, DC.

The Wizards will play three straight games from March 11-13.


[READ]

The Houston Rockets today signed Garrett Temple of the Rio Grande Valley Vipers making him the 13th Call-Up of the 2009-10 NBA D-League Season and the third Viper to make the jump to the Rockets this season. Temple joins 69 current NBA players with NBA D-League experience.

Temple, a 6-5 guard out of Louisiana State, has appeared in 30 games, all starts, for the Vipers this season, averaging 14.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists in 34.9 minutes. He has scored in double figures 24 times, including a season-high 24 points, to go with six rebounds and five assists, in a 122-104 victory over the Iowa Energy on Jan. 10 in Des Moines, Iowa.

Temple returns to the Rockets having played four games with the team during the 2009 NBA preseason, averaging 2.5 points before being waived on Oct. 21. [READ]

Because of three playoff series between the teams in recent seasons, along with Cleveland's signing of Larry Hughes after the 04-05 season, the Wizards are reluctant to trade Antawn Jamison to the Cavaliers.

The prevailing sentiment from people around the league is that Ernie Grunfeld has no desire to help Danny Ferry and the Cavaliers win a championship by trading Jamison to them. [READ]

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook was named Western Conference Player of the Week for games played February 1-7. LeBron James received the award for the Eastern Conference.

Westbrook helped lead Oklahoma City to a 3-0 week, including two wins on the road, averaging 19.7 points, 9.7 assists, 8.0 rebounds and 3.3 steals.

In three games during the week, James averaged an NBA-best 35.0 points on .541 shooting, 7.0 rebounds and 10.3 assists in 40.3 minutes per game. James wins the award for the fifth time this season and the 25th time in his career. [READ]

Lakers coach Phil Jackson may have to take a pay cut if he wants to remain with the team over the long-term, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Jackson will make $12 million this season.

"People are cutting costs all around the league and coaches are obviously going to take a cut too, so they may not even want to hire me," Jackson said recently. "They may want to save some money." [READ]

The Nets are going to try to deal forward Bobby Simmons prior to next week's trade deadline.

If they can't, New Jersey could release Simmons to increase his chances of catching on with a winning team.

"[Nets president] Rod [Thorn] is compassionate to Bobby's situation," Simmons' agent Mark Bartelstein said.

"He feels bad. He feels very strongly that he can help a lot of teams and we're trying to work together to get something done."

Simmons is expected to return on Tuesday night after missing time with a personal matter. [READ]

Pacers head coach Jim O'Brien doesn't like playing three point guards, which puts him in a tough spot this week.

Indiana had been playing Earl Watson and rookie A.J. Price since December, but they were forced to play T.J. Ford this weekend as Watson was out due to a death in his family.

"We'll find out (how this plays out)," O'Brien said after Saturday's loss to the Bucks.

Ford played well over the weekend, forcing himself back into the conversation.

"No, I'm not surprised (about my play) because at the end of the day it's a win-lose situation," the veteran said. "The only successful thing that can come out of this is me playing well. If I didn't play well, it could have been for multiple reasons. It just showed that even though I wasn't playing, I was still getting a workout in. I was mentally ready for whatever happened.

"It's about being patient, but you know in the NBA, things are always going to come back around."

He averaged 15.5 points, four assists, three rebounds and a steal in the pair of games.

"Whatever the team needs from me, I'm here to do it," Ford said. "I'm not trying to make any demands or cause a problem. Of course I want to play, but it's up to the coach and what he feels is best for the team right now.

"I'm trying to be supportive and do whatever job they need me to do. Whether that's playing or rooting other guys on." [READ]

The Mavericks are among the teams interested in Kings shooting guard Kevin Martin.

The Sacramento Bee points out that the struggles of the two teams could increase the possibility of a deal. Dallas has lost four of their last five games, which may encourage them to swing a trade prior to the Feb. 18 deadline.

Any deal sending Martin to the Mavericks would likely have to involve a third team. [READ]

Tracy McGrady would love to play for the 76ers, according to Stephen A. Smith.

Smith wrote a column in the Philadelphia Inquirer on the status of the 76ers, saying they should focus on a high draft pick and forget about winning this season.

"I'd love to finish this season in Philadelphia," McGrady told Smith. [READ]

Bobcats center Tyson Chandler participated in his first full practice Monday since being sidelined just before Christmas with a stress reaction in his left foot.

After missing 22 games it's possible that Chandler could play on Tuesday against the Wizards, but he'll come off the bench.

"Under normal circumstances I would always start a guy who's been your starter," coach Larry Brown said. "But I don't think this is normal circumstances because he hasn't had a lot of time on the floor. But let's hope he can come back [Tuesday]. It's a nice problem to have."

Chandler is averaging just 6.6 points and 7.0 rebounds with Charlotte. [READ]

The Indiana Pacers announced Monday that veteran forward/center Jeff Foster will undergo surgery after the All-Star break for continued lower back pain. He is expected to miss the remainder of the season, but is also expected to make a full recovery and be ready for training camp this fall.

The 6-11 Foster has played in 16 games this season, starting three, and averaged 5.1 rebounds and 3.1 points per game. The 10-year veteran is fourth in Pacers’ history in games-played for the franchise with 697. [READ]

Mike D'Antoni said Monday that he will re-insert Chris Duhon into the starting lineup.

After Duhon's lackluster play, D'Antoni named Nate Robinson the team's starting point guard.

In his two-game stint as a starter, Robinson racked up 13 assists against only one turnover. But the Knicks were 0-2 with losses at home versus the Bucks and on the road against the Cavs. [READ]

Chris Kaman has been named by NBA Commissioner David Stern to replace injured West All-Star guard Brandon Roy (right hamstring strain) in the 2010 NBA All-Star Game in Dallas.

Kaman will be making the first All-Star appearance of his career.

Kaman was selected sixth overall in the 2003 NBA Draft. He joins fellow 2003 class members LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh in this year's game. [READ]

Danny Ainge has continued his attempts to trade Ray Allen, according to sources.

His most recent inquiry has involved the Kings, as he is interested in acquiring Kevin Martin in return.

Sacramento might be more inclined to deal Martin if a third team is involved. [READ]

The Bulls have tried a number of tactics to help forward Tyrus Thomas understand the role they want him to play, but nothing has worked.

Team insiders told the Daily Herald that unhappiness with his role led to his recent one-game suspension.

Thomas was upset following Chicago's loss to Atlanta on Friday night. It marked the fifth straight game that he played fewer than 20 minutes.

The forward is averaging just 7.3 points and 5.8 rebounds since Jan. 1 and his relationship with coach Vinny Del Negro appears to have soured since a game on Jan. 9 when he was pulled for taking a quick jump shot. [READ]

Timberwolves general manager David Kahn says that he won't trade any of the team's core players ahead of the Feb. 18 deadline.

Kahn tells the Star Tribune that Ricky Rubio is one of those core players.

"Certainly Rubio," Kahn said, lumping the Spanish guard in with players like Al Jefferson, Kevin Love and Jonny Flynn. [READ]

The Rockets are expected to sign rookie guard Garrett Temple to a 10-day contract on Monday.

Will Conroy's 10-day deal with Houston has expired, opening up a roster spot.

Kyle Lowry is out with a sprained left ankle so the Rockets need a backup for starting point guard Aaron Brooks.

They could have signed Conroy to a second 10-day contract to serve as Brooks' backup, but most of the contract would have been spent during the All-Star break.

In addition, the 10-day deal would have been Conroy's second, and final, one. [READ]

Bulls rookie forward Taj Gibson hinted that there's a small chance he could skip the rookie-sophomore game during All-Star weekend.

However, for now he's planning to play despite plantar fasciitis in his left foot.

"I'm still going to go," Gibson said. "Pax (vice president of basketball operations John Paxson) talked about it might be limited minutes. I'm looking forward to the weekend to see how the experience will be."

Gibson could undergo the same therapy Joakim Noah had this past week, which involves having blood injected into the foot, but that would mean some time off.

"He had the tough treatment on it; he's going to be out awhile," Gibson said. "I heard it was a real intense treatment. They want to give it to me, but it's a matter of days just to rest on it." [READ]

A member of the Celtics suggested that the team was better than the Magic despite a 1-3 mark against them this season.

Boston coach Doc Rivers quickly corrected the player.

"One of the guys said, 'We're better than Orlando,' and I said, 'No you're not. That's a bunch of crap,' " Rivers said after Sunday's 96-89 loss at TD Garden. "They beat you three games, two at your place. They're better. They knocked you out of the playoffs last year.

"Orlando's better than us right now. Atlanta's better than us right now. L.A.'s [the Lakers] better than us right now. Those are the teams that have beaten us. That doesn't mean that we can't be better than them at some point. But right now, those teams are better than us."

With Sunday's loss to Orlando, Boston dropped to 3-9 against teams with the top eight records in the NBA.

"It's not just the players," Rivers added.

"I've got to get this right with the team as well. You know you've got to point your fingers everywhere. We're 30-what, I don't even know what our record is -- 32-17. That sounds like a great record. But it's not good enough for us. And that's the way I look at it. So I've got to get the message through to this team. It's got to be more clear. I have to do more things and, obviously, I've got to get the message through." [READ]

Lakers guard Kobe Bryant could miss his second straight game with a sore left ankle.

Los Angeles will take on San Antonio on Monday night.

The Lakers defeated the Trail Blazers 99-82 on Saturday night without Bryant. It marked the first game he missed since March 7, 2007, when he was suspended for a game.

"I would say he is day to day," coach Phil Jackson said of Bryant.

"We have an opportunity here with two games before the All-Star break and there is some time there if he does need to take a longer time, we're trying to give him the liberty to do that."

Kobe hasn't missed back-to-back games since the first two contests of the 2006-07 when he sat out with a knee injury. [READ]