Odom has a stop to make before he returns to the Mavs. (Getty Images)

Posted by Royce Young

Hard to imagine Lamar Odom won the Sixth Man of the Year award last season, and did it with maybe his most efficient season ever.

Why is that hard to imagine? Because he's headed to the D-League, according to ESPN.com.

The Dallas Mavericks hope to have Lamar Odom back in uniform in a matter of days, but it might not immediately be a Mavs uniform, sources said.

Odom is likely to play at least one game with the Mavericks' D-League affiliate in nearby Frisco to, as one source said, "get his legs back under him." The Texas Legends play the Austin Toros at home Thursday night, but sources said it's more likely Odom practices with the Legends on Friday while the Mavericks are in New Orleans and then plays Saturday's home game with the Legends, also against Austin, while the Mavericks are playing host to Utah.

A team spokesman had said earlier Thursday that Odom will not make the trip to New Orleans. The team plans to provide another update on Odom's status before Saturday's game.

Odom was given a week of personal leave from the team after he left the team before the All-Star break to tend to an ill father. The assignment is more seen as something to help him just get back in shape. But then again, with the way Odom has performed this season, plus with the rumors starting to swirl around him, it's easy to assume there could be more to this.

Maybe the Mavs are deep in trade talks right now for him. Maybe they're just unhappy with his production and effort and are trying to grab his attention. Or maybe Odom really just needs some time to get back in shape.

As for buying him out, Cuban says it's not happening.

"We're not going to buy out anybody, there's no reason to do it," Cuban said. "We're not going to do that. That's not the way we work. We try to find what the problem is and fix it."

Since his trade from the Lakers before the season, Odom clearly hasn't been the same player. It's mostly a mental thing, as he was wounded by the way the Lakers sent him uncerimoniously out of town. He also briefly considered retirement due to an unexpected death in his family. So Odom has been dealing with issues off the court, which have affected him on it.

And right now, he's away from the Mavs on leave and likely is headed to Frisco before he finds his way back into a Dallas uniform, if he comes back to Dallas at all. My, how things change in a year.

Posted by Royce Young

When the trade winds start blowing, they pick up a whole lot of debris. Some of that wound up on the Boston Celtics' front doorstep as a report said the Celtics were "aggressively" shopping point guard Rajon Rondo.

You'll never believe this, but Doc Rivers and the Celtics say they've heard nothing of it. Via ESPN Boston:

Doc Rivers spent an hour and a half with Danny Ainge before Wednesday's win over Milwaukee, but the Boston Celtics coach says they never discussed trading point guard Rajon Rondo.

"... In all that time we did not talk once about any trades," Rivers said. "There was not one single thing about Rajon Rondo that crossed my desk."

Rivers said Thursday afternoon he is irked by reports the Celtics were aggressively shopping his mercurial point guard and frustrated that his relationship with Rondo is being cited as one of the reasons Boston is willing to part with him.

"My relationship with Rajon is as strong as it has ever been," he said. "Our communication has never been better. I want him here. I can say with almost 100 percent certainty he will be here with us when the season ends. I'm tired of this stuff. It's not fair."

Said Danny Ainge, talking to the Boston Herald, "“I anticipate him being here for a long time,” the Celtics president said when asked about Rondo’s immediate future.

Rondo has always been said to have a bit of a fragile personality, someone that can be affected by trade rumors and other things. So obviously with the Celtics trying to battle their way back into the Eastern playoff picture, this type of stuff doesn't come as good news.

They very well could be shopping Rondo around, but that doesn't mean the Celtics want to trade him. The original report said that the Celtics were essentially fed up with Rondo and the supposed "headaches" he brings. Most notably, the report said Rivers and Rondo have had extreme off-court clashes.

But unlike the other core Celtic members, Rondo still has a lot of time left in the league and at just 26, is certainly a player that can be part of Boston's long-term future. Whether the Celtics are shopping him around or not, Rondo is still wearing green as of now and while his name might pop up in rumors every few days, a deal's not done until it's done.

Posted by Royce Young

The Miami Heat will be without All-Star forward Chris Bosh Thursday against Portland as well as Friday against Utah because of a personal matter.

Without Bosh, the team will likely turn to Udonis Haslem, a very capable backup. Thursday's matchup in Portland will be a challenge as the Blazers have an All-Star up front as well in LaMarcus Aldridge.

The Heat though don't have a lot of interior depth, so without Bosh, the second unit will likely rely on Juwan Howard, Dexter Pittman and Eddy Curry even. Then again, the Heat can obviously survive as they have LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Which is an interesting wrinkle, because LeBron could see some of that time at the 4 in place of Bosh.

On the season Bosh is averaging 18.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

Celtics? Lakers? Rockets? Nets? Where will B-Easy end up after the deadline? (Getty Images)

Posted by Royce Young

There's smoke around Michael Beasley right now.

No, not that kind of smoke. Trade smoke. Beasley's name has been popping up in trade rumors since the draft last June, and yet he's remained with the Timberwolves. But if you were wanting to bet on a player most likely to be moved before the March 15 deadline, you'd have a pretty good shot with Beasley.

There's already been noise surrounding a potential move to the Lakers, with the Lakers being hesitant to give up a first round pick for him. But as CSN New England reports, the Wolves are working hard to move Beasley:

"Beasley is being shopped HARD. T-Wolves very motivated to move him, and yes, the Celtics have some interest."

Fox Sports Ohio adds this:

"Wolves have already spoken with New Jersey, Houston and the L.A. Lakers about Beasley. While both teams are said to still be open to a deal, it appears Beasley's most likely landing spot, for the time being, is Boston."

The Lakers would indeed like to add a player like Beasley, who they feel they can straighten out with their veteran leadership. Problem is, it'll cost them money. It'll dig the Lakers deeper into the luxury tax. Beasley is making $6.2 million but with L.A. already over the tax line, he's basically making $12.4 million in terms of what they'd be paying. A hefty price to pay for someone that could turn out to be a headache.

Boston though makes a lot of sense. The Wolves really don't have a need for Beasley with rookie Derrick Williams coming along, but aren't looking to take back nothing in return. Boston has a few assets, and a few first round picks they could use, which seems like is what the Wolves are after.

JaVale McGee on understanding message Wittman is sending with benching: "I can’t say I do, but I’m sure I’ll figure it out sooner or later."

via Twitter / @MrMichaelLee: JaVale McGee on understand ....

Are we being too hard on JaVale McGee? I mean, I don't want to just crush the young guy for his attitude, behavior and general lack of anything resembling common sense without good reason or purpose. It's just that he's 24, in his fifth season. Don't you have to figure things out eventually? McGee is so phenomenally talented, could be so good in this league if he were to instill the right discipline. You wonder what would have happened to him if he'd landed on a team with a more serious outlook, a more dedicated approach, if he had a veteran busting him to stay in line.

McGee doesn't get in trouble off the court. He's acerbic with the press, but who cares, lots of guys are. It's that he continually does things on the court which, let's face it, to borrow a phrase, "just don't make no sense."  

The circus act was fun in Washington for a few years. You know, six years ago. Eventually you have to instill a new culture, and you wonder how much of a house cleaning they're going to have to do in order to make that a reality. They bough into Andray Blatche when his contract was up and look how that turned out. Will they do the same with McGee? You have to think the culture in Washington is a bigger problem than the talent.  

Posted by Royce Young

Would acquiring Steve Nash make Dwight Howard a happy man in Orlando? (Getty Images)

The Suns may want to re-sign Steve Nash, but that doesn't mean the trade rumors are going to go away. And it also doesn't mean they're not going to answer the phone when someone calls about him.

There's already the rumor of Lamar Odom being talked about for Nash, but here's one with some larger implications: Nash to the Magic. Via HoopsWorld:

The Orlando Magic has made offers for Nash in the past and sources close to the situation say that they’ll attempt to acquire the 16-year veteran in the next two weeks. Dwight Howard has asked the front office to pursue Nash and sources close to Howard believe he won’t exercise his early termination option if the team is able to acquire Nash and re-sign him this summer.

That... would be interesting. And it makes a decent amount of sense. Something a lot of us aren't thinking about is that Howard's not technically a free agent this summer. He just had the option to terminate his contract early and become one. So if the Magic were doing good things or he felt like he wanted to give them more time, he could just stick around and make us all go through this again in 2013.

Bringing in Nash would certainly make him reconsider though. You're talking a Hall of Fame point guard to pair with the best big man in basketball. That's a pretty good combination. The Magic would almost certainly have to take on some money in this deal as the Suns aren't going to let Nash go for nothing. But GM Otis Smith has shown a willingness in the past to mix things up in an effort to win, so I'm sure every single player on the roster would be available, except Howard.

As we near closer to the March 15 deadline, I think you'll see one of two things happen with Orlando. A) They trade Howard or B) they keep him and make an aggressive trade to try and win this year, while also convincing him to stick around later.

Nash has refused to ask for a trade from the Suns, but this deal would be good for him as he tries to compete for a title in the twilight of his career. The Suns aren't going anywhere anytime soon, so pairing Nash with Howard would at least give the Magic a relative shot. Would they be able to beat the Heat or Bulls in a series? It would be tough. But it's not just about this year, but the bigger picture. And if Howard wants Nash and Smith delivers, that could go a long ways to keeping No. 12 in Orlando.

Monta Howard is rumored to be targeted by the Magic. (Getty Images)

By Matt Moore 

ESPN reports that the Magic are not only trying to keep Dwight Howard with this Magic team, they're trying to improve the one they have. 

The Orlando Magic have reached out to the Golden State Warriors about trading for Monta Ellis, according to league sources.No deal is imminent, but Orlando is trying to add Ellis to its roster in hopes of appeasing Dwight Howard. Rather than aggressively pursuing a trade of Howard before the March 15 deadline, the Magic are desperately seeking a move that will convince Howard he can stay in Orlando.

via Source -- Orlando Magic reach out to Golden State Warriors about Monta Ellis trade - ESPN.

ESPN notes that the Warriors are essentially "meh" on the idea, so Orlando's having to pull in a third team. That's the theme of this year, really. The Magic have laden themselves with such terrible contracts they only have Ryan Anderson to move in a potentially big deal, but he's not a star, isn't a veteran, and if they lose Howard, they desperately need to keep him. So they not only have to find a third team, but they have to find a third team interested in the poor trade pieces they have, whether it's Glen Davis, Jason Richardson, Hedo Turkoglu and his monster contract, or Jameer Nelson.

That won't be easy.

Ellis and Howard would be a great fit, though. Ellis can create off the dribble and score in bunches, which would make life easier for Howard. He's a remarkably good post-up guard, and can create some assists in the right situation. Defense is always the question, but Stan Van Gundy could probably work some magic there like he has with so many. But is Ellis enough to get Howard to stay? That's always the question and the more desperate Orlando becomes to keep Howard, the worse their odds become, you would think.

Is Boston trying to move Rondo? Wait, we've heard that story before. (Getty Images)

Posted by Royce Young

The Boston Big Four could be on the brink of breaking up. (Alliteration!)

There's been a lot of talk of Danny Ainge making some sort of move with one, two or maybe even all of Boston's four core pieces before the trade deadline. The one with the most trade value would likely be 26-year-old point guard Rajon Rondo and the Celtics are shopping him around, according to ESPN Boston:

The Celtics find Rondo's personality to be too high-maintenance and his clashes with coach Doc Rivers remain an off-court distraction, sources told Broussard, and the front office is now actively pitching him to other teams. With the Celtics realizing they are no longer title contenders, they don't believe his point guard prowess is worth the headaches Rondo brings, sources say. And they do not want to build around him.

In December, the Celtics had discussions with Golden State about a Stephen Curry-for-Rondo deal, and one source says it was Golden State that decided against pulling the trigger. But Curry's recent ankle injuries, which have caused him several problems in his short career, have given the Celtics pause.

The potential trade is still being discussed by Boston's braintrust, but they aren't sure they want to go forward with it. It also isn't clear whether the Warriors would be willing to do it. Other players would have to be thrown in to make it work financially.

There was talk earlier in the season that the Celtics were pursuing a deal for Chris Paul involving Rondo, and another deal that would send Rondo to Indiana. So there's certainly some fire to all this smoke. Ainge is absolutely making phone calls involving his young point guard.

Whether they're just trying to move on, or they want to wash their hands of the headaches Rondo brings, Boston is actively looking to deal. Doesn't mean something is imminent, but it means that March 15 could be an interesting day for the Celtics.

Ainge tried to cover himself for shopping Rondo around earlier in the year saying in January there's a difference in trying to trade a player and trying to acquire one.

"I was not trying to trade Rajon Rondo," Ainge said. "There's a big difference between trying to acquire a player and trying to trade a player."

Potato, potahto.

Rondo is averaging a career-high 14.1 points per game to go along with 9.6 assists and 1.6 steals. It's not his best season in terms of overall production, but he's still an extremely productive All-Star point guard. And someone with a lot of value. If Rondo is indeed dealt, it would signal a change of process for the Celtics. They'd likely be going from a team looking to contend now, to a team looking at transitioning into a new era.

That roster has been built largely on great talent, but also a strong bond in chemistry. The Kendrick Perkins trade tested that, and the Celtics failed. Dealing Rondo would signal that it's a full on shakeup in Beantown.