Shaquille O’Neal left Thursday’s game against the Boston Celtics during the second quarter after taking a hard foul, has suffered a “significant right thumb sprain” according to TNT’s David Aldridge, and will not return to the game. Shaq’s short-term future doesn’t look bright, and Anderson Varejao and J.J. Hickson are worth a look if Shaq is out. Varejao has better size for the position, and projects to be a more consistent option than Hickson, who will provide more upside and scoring possibilities. Both will struggle with foul trouble.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Boston: Coach Doc Rivers said Thursday that Paul Pierce’s thumb is not healthy enough to sustain contact during a game, and that he could miss “a couple of games of for sure.” “We just want to get him to the stage where if someone hits it he can sustain the hit, and right now if someone hit it it would go right back to where it was at,” said Rivers.

Oakland: C.J. Watson will miss Thursday’s game due to the flu and a possible appendicitis according to team officials. The Golden State Warriors are decimated by injuries, which means that Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry are strong candidates to play close to a full game, and Anthony Morrow and Anthony Tolliver will get more touches.

Utah: Andrei Kirilenko made it through Thursday’s practice and is expected to play Friday against the Sacramento Kings.

Sacramento: With Jason Thompson out for up to two weeks with a back injury, Kings beat writer Ailene Voisin reported that Spencer Hawes worked with the first team during the portion of Thursday’s practice that was made available to the media. His status for Friday’s game against the Jazz is still unknown, although beat writer Sam Amick said he would be surprised if he didn’t suit up.

Sacramento: Jason Thompson will miss up to two weeks with two non-displaced transverse processes fractures in his lower back, which were confirmed by X-rays taken Thursday.

Chicago: Joakim Noah missed Thursday’s practice due to a prescheduled doctor’s appointment about his plantar fasciitis.” No worries,” Noah said. “I’m just trying to get back as much as I can and help this team. I’m hurting, obviously, but it’s the end of the season right now and I want to be there for my team and I want to be as ready as possible come playoff time.”

Kobe Bryant returned to action after a five-game layoff due to an ankle injury on Tuesday, and quickly resumed being the deadliest closer in the league by scoring the Lakers’ last nine points including a 30-foot game-winning 3-pointer. He finished with 32 points on 13-of-19 shooting (including three 3-pointers), seven rebounds, six assists, three steals, and two blocks in 40 minutes of run. With 18 days of rest under his belt, he’s rested, and may be as dangerous as anybody not named LeBron for the rest of the year.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Sacramento: Sacramento Kings’ big man Spencer Hawes was inactive for Tuesday’s game. Head Coach Paul Westphal said he is helping Hawes to learn his “role.” This takes being in a coach’s doghouse to another level, as Westphal seems intent on breaking his young pup of a center.

Sacramento: The Kings have waived Larry Hughes, a source tells Adrian Wojnarkowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Hughes was only part of the Tracy McGrady deal to make the salaries work. He was never going to play for the Kings. Hughes can still give a little ball handing and scoring off the bench for a contender.

Miami: Miami Heat swingman Dorell Wright scored a season-high 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting off the bench on Tuesday, including 6-of-7 shooting from downtown. He also had seven rebounds, two steals and three blocks in 30 minutes. It’s important to remember that Dwyane Wade was sidelined, boosting Wright’s playing time well above his 19 minutes average.

Charlotte: Hornets backup guard Marcus Thornton unleashed a career-high 37 points on 15-of-22 shooting vs. the Cavaliers on Tuesday, adding three 3-pointers, two assists and two steals in 31 minutes.

Thornton scored a franchise-record 23 points in the second quarter alone, but didn’t start the second half despite his out-of-body experience. He lost his starting gig to veteran Morris Peterson (two points in 21 minutes) when he got injured a few weeks ago, but may have taken it back tonight.

Portland: Nicolas Batum has taken over for Martell Webster as the Portland Trail Blazers starting small forward. It’s a changing of the guard for the Blazers. Batum has been shooting it well enough lately to not be a liability on offense, and we know what he does defensively.

Joe Johnson made 12-of-19 FGs in Monday’s win over the Jazz, scoring 28 points with two 3-pointers, six rebounds, six assists, one steal and one turnover. Atlanta hadn’t won in Utah Jazz in 17 years. JJ came into this game averaging a season-high 23 ppg in February, making 1.9 threes on 47% from downtown.

He’s rested and raring to go as the Hawks cruise into homecourt advantage in the first round — they sit in 4th place, one game behind Boston and 3 1/2 games ahead of Toronto.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Boston: Paul Pierce isn’t sure whether his sore thumb will allow him to play vs. the Knicks on Tuesday — according to Ian Thomsen of Sports Illustrated, Pierce will “likely” rest for one week. “It’s pretty banged up right now,” said Pierce. The injury is to his shooting hand, and considering his recent struggles his fantasy owners should start considering the alternatives. Marquis Daniels, Ray Allen and Nate Robinson should each pick up a few minutes and shots with Pierce sidelined.

Utah: Deron Williams said he will play on Wednesday after missing Monday’s game with a right quad contusion. This takes some sting out of his sudden DNP, and it doesn’t sound like the bruise was too severe.

New York: Tracy McGrady’s status for Tuesday’s game is unclear, after he pulled himself out of Monday’s game with an obvious left leg issue. His left knee is the one that needed surgery last season, and this is exactly why we weren’t sold on his durability.

Dallas: Brendan Haywood propelled the Dallas Mavericks to a win on Monday with 13 points, a career-high-tying 20 rebounds, and three blocks in 33 minutes.

New York: Knicks point guard Sergio Rodriguez moved into the starting lineup on Monday, replacing struggling Chris Duhon. He only had four points (2-of-8 FGs) and one assist, but racked up a whopping eight steals in 29 minutes. Mike D’Antoni had endorsed Rodriguez’s “speed and rhythm,” though the Knicks stagnated in this game and would up with just 67 points on 34% shooting. Still, Rodriguez played 29 minutes while Duhon never left the bench, and opportunistic owners should grab him while they still can.

Milwaukee: Brandon Jennings had eight rebounds and seven assists on Monday, but scored just four points on 1-of-9 shooting. Jennings’ FG% has been sliding all season, from 51.6% in October to a paltry 31.3% in February. He shot under 40% from the field while playing in Europe last season, so these struggles aren’t exactly shocking.

Milwaukee: Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut dominated the Knicks in New York on Monday, piling up 24 points on 12-of-15 shooting, 28 rebounds and five blocked shots.

After a solid showing in Sunday’s game, coach Mike Brown told reporters after the game that Antawn Jamison will probably be a starter for the Cleveland Cavaliers at some point. “At the end of the day, he’s probably going to be a starter for us, he’s a starter in this league,” Brown said. “I’ve just got to figure things out and we’re in the process of doing that right now.” It sounds like he’ll be a starter very soon, and the doomsday scenario for him appears to be averted.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Sacramento: Carl Landry had the best game of his short Sacramento Kings career on Sunday, scoring 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting with seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block in 37 minutes.

Oklahoma City: Russell Westbrook triple-doubled in Sunday’s 109-107 win over the Wolves, scoring 22 points on 9-of-19 shooting with 10 rebounds, 14 assists, and two steals. Wow. The Russell Westbrook Experience continues to reach new heights, Jeff Green had a meaty 17-point, 14-rebound double-double, and Kevin Durant had his 28th straight game scoring more than 25 points.

Detroit: Richard Hamilton continued his tear against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, scoring 27 points on 9-of-19 shooting (9-of-9 from the foul line) with five rebounds and three assists. He has now hit 46 straight free throws, but even more impressive are the scoring totals of 36 and 29 points in the two games entering tonight.

Boston: Reporter A. Sherrod Blakely who covers the Boston Celtics for Comcast, calls the thumb injury Paul Pierce suffered Thursday against the Lakers “a problem,” and adds that he’s “definitely questionable” for Tuesday’s game against the Knicks. This injury has flown under the radar, but judging by his recent play it makes sense.

Minnesota: Darko Milicic debuted as a member of the Wolves on Sunday, and surprised everyone with eight points on 4-of-7 shooting with eight rebounds, two assists, and a block in 19 minutes off the bench.

Minnesota: Kevin Love posted a solid double-double against the Thunder on Sunday, scoring 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting (including a three) with 14 rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block in 31 minutes off the bench. Love, to some degree, has been in coach Kurt Rambis’ doghouse, and has come off the bench and gotten less than starter’s minutes.

Darren Collison blistered the Pacers for 18 points, 13 rebounds, 12 assists, three steals, a block and a 3-pointer while hitting 7-of-13 shots in Friday’s easy win. Not much to say here, other than the Hornets have two stellar point guards on their hands. Trading Chris Paul would bring back a fleet of studs, but we doubt the New Orleans Hornets are ready to put that kind of deal together.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Miami: Mario Chalmers returned from a thumb injury for 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and four 3-pointers in Friday’s win. He came off the bench and this explosion was a surprise. Carlos Arroyo also played well, while Daequan Cook, who started for Dwyane Wade, hit just 1-of-7 shots for three points.

Miami: Michael Beasley hit 13-of-25 shots for a career-high 30 points to go along with eight rebounds, three steals and a block in a double-OT win over the Memphis Grizzlies. With Dwyane Wade out, Beasley is going to be the focal point of the offense.

Sacramento: The Kings’ new starting lineup Friday night is Tyreke Evans, Francisco Garcia, Omri Casspi, Carl Landry and Jason Thompson. Garcia is the biggest benefactor of the Kevin Martin trade, as we expected.

Toronto: Raptors beat writer Eric Smith expects Chris Bosh (ankle) to sit out Saturday in addition to Friday. It makes sense. After Saturday’s game against the depleted Wizards, the Toronto Raptors don’t play again until Wednesday against the Blazers.

Washington: Coach Flip Saunders said he thinks he’ll start Josh Howard against the Nuggets Friday night. Well that was quick. We assume that Howard will take over at the small forward spot, shift Mike Miller to shooting guard and send Nick Young to the bench.

Atlanta: Josh Smith had a nice all-around game in the Hawks’ 88-80 loss to the Suns on Friday, scoring 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting with five rebounds, one assist, three steals, and four blocks.

Tracy McGrady is headed to the Knicks as part of a three-team deal with the Houston Rockets and Kings. This one is getting messy, but the bottom line looks like it will be T-Mac and Sergio Rodriguez in New York; Kevin Martin, Jared Jeffries, Hilton Armstrong and Jordan Hill to Houston and Carl Landry, Joey Dorsey and Larry Hughes in Sacramento. We’re adding Donte Greene and Francisco Garcia off this news, and giving T-Mac a look in deep formats. We’re not sure yet if coach Mike D’Antoni is planning on giving McGrady real minutes.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Chicago: The Bulls have traded Tyrus Thomas to the Charlotte Bobcats in exchange for Flip Murray, Acie Law and a future first-round pick. This is huge news for Tyrus Thomas owners. The Bobcats’ frontcourt is thin and a fresh start in Charlotte could lead to 30+ minutes a game for the uber-athletic shot blocker.

New York: Beat writer Howard Beck says it’s “very likely” that Sergio Rodriguez will start for the Knicks one he gets settled. Consider adding Rodriguez in deep-to-medium sized formats. Coach Mike D’Antoni is looking for an excuse to bench Chris Duhon and Rodriguez is capable of pushing the ball and shooting better than the incumbent. With 30+ minutes in this system, Rodriguez will put up solid assist and points numbers.

Memphis: Ronnie Brewer has been traded to Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for a protected first-round draft pick in 2011. It’s a big blow to Brewer’s already declining value. He’ll go from a starter in Utah to a strict backup behind Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo in Memphis.

Philadelphia: The Bucks have agreed to trade Jodie Meeks and Francisco Elson to the 76ers in exchange for Royal Ivey, a second-round pick and Primoz Brezec. The Sixers always liked Meeks, ever since his predraft workout with the team. He’s a true shooting guard with decent size, something they’ve been grasping at for years. Meeks won’t have any value right away, but he could end up as the starter at that spot in 2010-11.

Miami: Dwyane Wade (left calf) is almost certainly out of the Miami Heat’s next two games, but the injury is not considered serious. This is actually a positive report on Wade. He’s listed as day-to-day with a strain, which is great news considering Wade said he heard a “pop” on Wednesday night. This kind of injury can take at least two weeks to heal, but the Heat seem confident their franchise player can return well before that. He’s in a walking boot for now and is not using crutches.

The Antawn Jamison trade, which is essentially a done deal, the Clippers are also involved. The Cavs get Jamison and guard Sebastian Telfair, the Los Angeles Clippers get Drew Gooden and the Wizards get Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Al Thornton, Brian Skinner and a Cavs first-round pick. Jamison’s value takes a hit in Cleveland, Gooden is still useless for the Clips, Ilgauskas is a buy-out candidate in Washington (meaning Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee could both start), while Thornton becomes an interesting piece in Washington. He will battle with Josh Howard and Mike Miller for minutes.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Boston: Nate Robinson did not play Wednesday against the Bulls due to flu-like symptoms, and if the reported trade sending him to the Celtics happens as expected, he could be in uniform for Thursday’s game against the Lakers. He flew to L.A., and barring a huge surprise he’ll be a Celtic come Thursday. Anything can happen between now and the trade deadline, but as the C’s are constituted now, Nate-Rob projects to be a gunner off the bench — and a poor man’s Jamal Crawford sounds like a reasonable outlook.

Phoenix: With Antawn Jamison landing in Cleveland, it’s now quite possible that Amare Stoudemire will not be traded by the Phoenix Suns. His agent says he’s still likely to be moved, but Paul Coro, beat writer for the Arizona Republic, says Amare may not have any deals in place. We’ll know for sure by 3 p.m. on Thursday.

Chicago: John Salmons has been instructed by the Bulls to say at the hotel Wednesday night, suggesting that he is a likely piece in a trade. No word from the NBA yet, but this is normally a good sign that something is going down.

Los Angelas: Kobe Bryant will likely sit out Thursday night to rest the ailing tendon in his lower leg. We were hoping he would be up for the big matchup against the Boston Celtics but by his own admission he’s not playing unless he sees a turnaround in the next twenty-four hours. Were this a playoff game or were the Lakers struggling for a playoff spot, we would probably see Bryant in the lineup.

Oakland: Monta Ellis will sit out both Wednesday and Friday night’s game as he continues to recover from a knee sprain. The good news is that his meeting with his doctor confirmed original reports of a sprain rather than more serious internal damage. “Knee sprain” certainly is better news than “ACL tear”.

The Cavaliers have reportedly made “significant progress” in their pursuit of Antawn Jamison, offering Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Jamario Moon and a No. 1 draft pick in exchange for Jamison and Mike James. It sounds like the Cavs are deciding between this proposal and a deal for Amare Stoudemire, but either way they seem set on acquiring a complementary PF. The activity by the Cleveland Cavaliers at this seasons trade deadline is a last ditched effort to sign James to a long term deal.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Houston: The Houston Knicks are reportedly close to a trade for Tracy McGrady, which would include Jared Jeffries, Larry Hughes and rookie Jordan Hill to the Rockets, along with a swap of 2011 first-round picks and New York’s 2012 first-round pick. The only outstanding issue appears to be the proper protection for the picks. If the Knicks’ want stringent protection the Rockets apparently also have a standing offer from the Bulls, though that sounds more like leverage than anything else.

Chicago: Derrick Rose went off for 29 points on 14-for-18 shooting in Tuesday’s win over the Knicks. Clearly, Rose’s hip/back issue did not bother him. He added six assists, three rebounds and a steal.

Phoenix: Jason Richardson exploded for 27 points on Tuesday, making 12-of-17 FGs (including 2-of-5 from downtown) in his highest-scoring game since early November. He also had six rebounds, two steals, two blocks and just one turnover.

Dallas: Butler started at SG in his Mavericks debut, posting 13 points on 4-of-16 shooting, with six rebounds, one steal, one block and four turnovers. He played 31 minutes.

Detroit: Pistons forward Jonas Jerebko scored 21 points vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves, one point shy of his season-high, making 9-of-13 FGs with one 3-pointer, three rebounds, two steals and zero turnovers. And he played just 21 minutes. Jerebko seems capable of averaging a double-double if he played enough, but he hasn’t cracked the 30-minute barrier in February.

New Jersey: Courtney Lee scored 21 points on Tuesday, leading the New Jersey Nets to a surprise road victory against the Bobcats. Lee was awful through most of January, but has quietly settled down in February. He made 7-of-11 FGs and 6-of-8 FTs in this game, adding one 3-pointer, five rebounds, three assists, one steal and just one turnover.

The Wizards and Mavericks seven-player trade is official — Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson are headed to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, Quinton Ross, and James Singleton. Butler could still be the Mavericks’ #2 option on offense, but he’s joining a more talented team that won’t lean on him nearly as much as Washington did. Then again, he was struggling under Flip Saunders and has a history of elevating his game after being traded, so his owners shouldn’t be overly concerned.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Boston: Paul Pierce saved his best for last during Saturday’s 3-point shootout, winning with a competition-high score of 20. Golden State Warriors rookie Stephen Curry finished second, followed by Chauncey Billups, Danilo Gallinari, Channing Frye and last year’s winner Daequan Cook.

New York: Nate Robinson won his third Slam Dunk contest on Saturday, beating out impressive rookie DeMar DeRozan, as well as Shannon Brown and Gerald Wallace. Nate and DeMar both had a few impressive moments, but this tweet from Utah Jazz beat writer Ross Siler tells the true story — “Nate Robinson won with 51 percent of the vote. The other 49 percent voted to end the dunk contest for good.”

Oklahoma City: Kevin Durant successfully defended his H-O-R-S-E title during All-Star festivities on Saturday. Omri Casspi airballed his first shot and was the first player to lose, then Durant defeated Rajon Rondo in a surprisingly long sudden-death 3-point shootout from the top of the arc.

Washington: Wizards beat writer Michael Lee tweeted on Saturday, “For the 1st time in weeks, I finally got the impression that the Wizards ARE open to moving Antawn Jamison.” Ken Berger of CBSSports.com also writes that the Wizards seem “committed to trading Jamison.” The Cavaliers seem to be the primary target, but haven’t officially made any offers as they consider adding Amare Stoudemire instead.

New Jersey: Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and Louisville coach Rick Pitino have both denied that the Nets are interested in hiring them to take over head coaching duties next season. “No one’s contacted me,” said Coach K, “And if they do, I think ‘nyet’ would be easy for me to say.” There have also been rumors that New Jersey wants to pry GM Bryan Colangelo away from the Raptors this summer, when his current contract is set to expire.

Milwaukee: Jerry Stackhouse hasn’t ruled out returning for another season with the Bucks.
“If anything significant happens again, as far as injuries, I would come to that point of retiring,’’ Stackhouse said. “But, hopefully, I can help the Bucks get into the playoffs and then come back next year with them. That would be a no-brainer.’’ He’s giving Milwaukee a nice boost off the bench but remains a questionable fantasy player.

The Wizards and Mavericks sound very close to pulling off a trade, with the principle figures being Caron Butler and Josh Howard. Other players possibly included in the deal are Washington’s Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson, and Dallas’ Drew Gooden and Tim Thomas. Additionally, Antawn Jamison could possibly be going to the Boston Celtics. Any deal won’t likely be finalized until Monday, but it does sound like Butler and Howard are very likely to change teams.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Sacramento: Tyreke Evans was named MVP after leading the rookies to a 140-128 win over the sophomores on Friday night. Evans finished with 26 points, six boards, five assists and five steals on 11-of-15 shooting in the win, while DeJuan Blair went off for 22 points and 23 rebounds. Evans said after the game he wanted to share the award with Blair, which is another example of how good a leader the young Evans really is. Russell Westbrook led the sophs with 40 points.

Denver: Carmelo Anthony is still feeling pain in his elbow after injuring it against the Spurs on Thursday night. Melo better watch out before he gets a “soft” label, although it might be too late. Coach George Karl admitted that Anthony won’t be at 100 percent for Sunday’s All-Star game and he may limit his franchise players’ minutes. We’d expect Anthony to be fine when the Denver Nuggets come out of the break, but he may actually have to play at less than 100 percent.

Miami: Dwyane Wade said Friday that he wants to remain in Miami Heat next season. Wade is an unrestricted free agent after this season and will be one of the most sought-after players on the market. “I want to make sure,” he added, “that we do everything we can to make sure we build a winning program. We do that … I’m satisfied.” We’ll see if that statement provokes the Heat to make a move at the deadline.

Cleveland: The Cavaliers have reportedly put acquiring Antawn Jamison and Troy Murphy on hold as the team targets Amare Stoudemire. The Cleveland Cavaliers could send a package including Wally Szczerbiak, the expiring contract of Zydrunas Ilgauskas and possibly J.J. Hickson. Nothing is set in stone at this point, and Amare’s name is still linked with several possible teams. But it does appear the Cavaliers are very serious in their interest.

Charlotte: In an interview with reporters, Chris Paul shared that he could be walking with less supports soon. “I’m on two crutches right now,” Paul said. “I’m hoping by All-Star Sunday I’ll be down to one crutch or no crutches. It depends on how the rehab goes.” He shares that he’s not reentering the lineup until he’s “100 percent”, so he’s still got a long way to go before returning.