Wilson Chandler is reportedly headed back to the United States next week from China. (Getty Images)

By Matt Moore 

With Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith back in the states and signed with new teams, Wilson Chandler and Aaron Brooks remain the last two NBA players to head to China during the lockout still yet to return to the league. But that could be changing quickly as ESPN reports that Chandler could return as soon as next week thanks to an agreement with his Chinese team to leave before his team's playoff run is over in the Chinese Basketball Association:  

Denver Nuggets restricted free agent Wilson Chandler is scheduled to return to the United States from China sooner than expected, according to sources close to the situation, with next week as his target.

It remains unclear, though, how quickly Chandler will be allowed to follow through on his stated intention to re-sign with the Nuggets even if he does leave China in the next few days.

Chandler's Zhejiang Lions team starts a five-game playoff series next Thursday, but sources told ESPN.com that Chandler received the blessing of Lions management to come back to the NBA as soon as he helped the team clinch a playoff spot.

via Sources -- Wilson Chandler set to return from China sooner than expected - ESPN.

Chandler is widely expected to return to the Nuggets as a restricted free agent, whether on a long-term deal or just to finish the remainder of this season and enter unrestricted free agncy.

The Nuggets desperately need Chandler on roster as soon as possible, with a banged up club missing Danilo Gallinari with an ankle chip fracture and Nene among others missing time with injury. The wear and tear on Chandler from playing in the CBA is yet to be seen as is how he'll respond under this compacted schedule.

Denver is struggling right now, but with Chandler back and eventually Gallo, they should be able to gain some momentum headed into the playoffs as one of the deepest teams in the league.

Chandler still has to get FIBA clearance in order to play in the NBA, and that will only come once Chandler's CBA team notfies FIBA to do so. That could complicate when Chandler is eligibile to play, even if he's back in the states.

J.R. Smith will join the Knicks and Linsanity. (Getty Images)

By Matt Moore 

The long, enduring process of bringing J.R. Smith to the Knicks has ended. Smith announced on Twitter Friday he'd chosen the New York Knicks.

New York Knicks It Is!

— JR Smith (@TheRealJRSmith) February 17, 2012

After reports indicated earlier this week that Smith's decision was down to the Knicks or Clippers, and then that the Knicks had taken the upper hand, reports Friday indicated that the decision has been made. The New York Post reported that Smith would sign Friday with the Knicks, and will be in uniform Sunday when Linsanity faces another tough test against the Dallas Mavericks in Madison Square Garden. 

Smith confirmed to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld Thursday that he was close to a deal with the Knicks, though he did not confirm it was done. Meanwhile, the Oregonian reports of the insane lengths both the Clippers and Knicks are going through to try and sign Smith, including sending a representative to meet Smith when he got off the plane. From the Oregonian: 

Things got so interesting Thursday that Smith hopped a plane from China to LAX, arriving at the airport in the late afternoon, where he was intercepted, his camp said, by a representative for the Knicks. Smith was apparently headed later in the evening to Las Vegas, and according to a source in Smith's family, the Knicks bought a ticket for their guy and sent him along, too.

New York apparently hoped to sign Smith as he cleared Customs, and I can't say I blame them after what I heard Del Negro promised Smith.

Get this: Smith was told via text message from Del Negro, in what feels like a desperate, last-ditch effort, that he'd be -- a starter -- for the Clippers.

Start? Smith? Really?

"What I text to J.R. is between J.R. and me," Del Negro said. "We're just trying to make our team better. I think everyone on our team understands that."

via Canzano: Fight for J.R. Smith offers warnings for Trail Blazers | OregonLive.com.

So that's a little insane. 

Can we take a second to note that J.R. Smith has been back in the states for less than 12 hours and was headed to Vegas? How can you not love the NBA?

Smith joining the Knicks helps bolster their depth considerably. Being able to play a second lineup of Toney Douglas/Mike Bibby, Iman Shumper, Landry Fields, and a big to pair with Amar'e Stoudemire or Tyson Chandler means the dropoff won't be as big, and the ability to keep a scorer on the floor with Melo or, ahem, Jeremy Lin on the bench helps considerably in the backcourt.

It also means the Clippers will have to go elsewhere to try and recover their scoring lost when Chauncey Billups tore his Achilles.

By Matt Moore 

The NBA annnounced Thursday night that it has added New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin to the "Rising Stars" competition which took the place of the Rookies-Sophomores game this year during NBA All-Star Weekend. Due to overwhelming fan support, and the fact that more peope know about Lin than about half of the rest of the competitors, Lin was added to the pool. Later Thursday, Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley selected their teams. Shaquille O'Neal selected Lin second, third overall during the process. 

Miami Heat rookie point guard Norris Cole, another notable omission, was also added to the player pool. 

It comes as no surprise as the NBA has tried every imaginable way to figure out how to include Lin this weekend. David Stern had said earlier Thursday that he would not allow Lin into the game as to not interfere with the current setup but popular sentiment won out.

Turns out even David Stern is powerless against Linsanity.

The draft for each team was held on NBATV with Blake Griffin going No. 1 to Shaq's team. Charles Barkley selected Kyrie Irving second overall. Shaq took Jeremy Lin in the third round. John Wall wasn't taken until the 11th pick. Here are how the two teams shake out:

Team Shaq: Blake Griffin, Jeremy Lin, Ricky Rubio, Markieff Morris, Greg Monroe, Landry Fields, Norris Cole, Kemba Walker, Brandon Knight and Tristan Thompson.

Team Chuck: Kyrie Irving, DeMarcus Cousins, Gordon Hayward, Paul George, Derrick Williams, MarShon Brooks, John Wall, Tiago Splittler, Evan Turner and Kawhi Leonard.

The Heat reportedly have interest in Chris Kaman if he's bought out from the Hornets. (Getty Images)

By Matt Moore 

The Heat are not through trying to build their roster. FoxSports.com reports that the Heat are attempting to acquire Chris Kaman, should he be bought out of his contract after the trade deadline. 

Heat officials, including president Pat Riley, have been calling people who know Kaman to ask about him, a source told FOXSports.com on Wednesday.

The thinking is the Heat’s best effort to get a center would be to sign Kaman — if his contract is bought out by New Orleans after the March 15 trade deadline.

via Miami Heat Chris Kaman Minnesota Timberwolves Pau Gasol Los Angeles Lakers trade 021512 - NBA News | FOX Sports on MSN.

A trade isn't feasible due to the very little flexibility the Heat have on their roster to make salaries match. Kaman was put on the block in January and even allowed to stay away from the team while a trade was negotiated, but a deal wasn't found. After a week the Hornets actually publicly announced they were taking him off the block and he rejoined the team. So the odds of another team swooping in to snatch him up are very low.

The Heat would be a great fit for Kaman, allowing him to compete for a title and giving the Heat a legitimate center down low. In stunning news, Eddy Curry has failed to make an impact and the Heat face the same problem they had last season with size down low. Joel Anthony is a skilled defender and has made great strides offensively this season but still lacks the bulk to make an impact down low. If Kaman were to agree to a deal for the veteran minimum, which doesn't seem likely, it would mean the Heat would start four current or former All-Stars. Which is just kind of ridiculous.

It's no guarantee the Hornets will buy Kaman out, nor is it likely he'll lean towards the Heat if bought out. It's entirely another team, like the Boston Celtics could make a similar offer, or a team with more cap room could make an offer. Kaman would have to agree to a buyout in the first place, and there's been no indication either way of Kaman's feelings on that front. 

It's a scary thought for the rest of the league that the Heat could wind up with Kaman, and you'd have to think that puts separation between them and the rest of the league in terms of who is the best team in the league by shoring up their biggest weakness.

By Matt Moore 

Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin will be a guest on Boomer and Carton on CBS local affiliate radio station WFAN in New York Thursday, fresh off the Knicks' seventh win in a row since Lin became a featured part of the offense and his sixth win as a starter. The Knicks handled the Kings easily Wednesday night,  100-85 in a game that wasn't as close as the final score indicates. Lin shot 4-6 from the field and finished with 13 assists. 

You can listen to the show here. 

Lin is scheduled to join Boomer Esiason and Craig Carton on WFAN at 9:45 a.m. EST, so you'll have a chance to hear more about what has to be the most insane week in the life of a professional point guard from Harvard, ever.  

We'll have audio from Lin's appearance on Thursday.

By Matt Moore 

Part of the Jeremy Lin lore has been that he had been sleeping on friends couches. He'd been crashing on his brother's couch in New York as well as teammate Landry Fields' couch. An NBA player. Crashing on couches. Lin didn't want to invest in a hotel room or apartment considering the Knicks were considering cutting him just two weeks ago. 

Now? He's feeling a little better about his chances to stick around. So he's getting himself a place , thanks to a former Knick. From the New York Daily News: 

The Knicks phenom, who in the span of six games has gone from benchwarmer to the cover of Sports Illustrated, has sublet a two-bedroom apartment from former Knick David Lee in a swanky Trump Tower, sources told the Daily News.

No, not that Trump Tower.

The Trump Tower in downtown White Plains, a 35-story building right off Main St. that’s home to several other Knicks players and some New York Rangers as well. It’s the same two-bedroom apartment that another Knicks star, Amar’e Stoudemire, rented before he moved into his palatial pad in Manhattan, sources said.

via Knicks phenom Jeremy Lin is homeless no more — he’s moving on up to a swanky bachelor pad in White Plains  - NY Daily News.

It wasn't his only option, though, a Knicks fan offered Lin a free apartment during his stay. 

CBSSports.com's Ken Berger reported yesterday on the Knicks' options in their pursuit of keeping Lin this summer, should his incredible ride of quality play continue.  

And hey! Now he can buy his own couch!

By Matt Moore

Sacramento has passed another marker on the path to keeping the Kings in Sacramento. The Sacrmento city council voted Tuesday night to allow city representatives to enter into discussions with local firms seeking to lease downtown parking. The money made from those agreements is necessary for efforts to build a new arena in Sacramento, which in turn is requisite to keeping the Kings in town as part of Mayor Kevin Johnson's proposal to the NBA. 

Once the leases are in place to provide up to half of the $387 million necessary for funding the new arena, the Sacramento Bee outlines the rest of the process in their post on the vote Tuesday:  

City staff is in tense negotiations with representatives from the National Basketball Association, the Kings, arena operator AEG and the arena development team to round out the facility's financing plan. Those talks are expected to continue for at least another two weeks, as the city works to create a financing "term sheet" for the arena by the end of the month.

The council would then be asked on Feb. 28 to approve that term sheet in a vote that could determine whether the Kings remain in town.

via Council votes to enter talks with 11 firms seeking to lease downtown parking - Sacramento Sports - Kings, 49ers, Raiders, High School Sports | Sacramento Bee.

It's a small step, a tiny one, but it is a significant junction of money made available if the agreements can be met with the local firms. Kings fans aren't out of the woods yet, but they do have momentum.  

Last year, Kings ownership attempted to move the team to Anaheim, California, but was blocked by a vote from the NBA Board of Governors after a weak proposal from the Maloofs and a strong presentation from Mayor Johnson.