Deron Williams scored a career-high 42 points in a thrilling overtime win vs. the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday, including the game-winning jumper with 1.1 seconds remaining. D-Will made 14-of-23 FGs, 4-of-7 three-pointers, and 10-of-11 FTs, while handing out 10 assists vs. one turnover. The victory (which ended on a controversial non-call on Kevin Durant’s 3-pointer) moves Utah into 2nd place in the West, 1/2 game ahead of idle Phoenix, Denver and Dallas.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Memphis: Rudy Gay did not appear bothered by his recent back pain on Tuesday, scoring a team-high 22 points on 10-of-18 shooting, with eight rebounds, two steals and four turnovers. Gay logged 40 minutes and has some serious motivation as a soon-to-be restricted FA.

Houston: Kevin Martin returned to form on Tuesday, scoring 29 points on 7-of-16 field goals, 3-of-6 three-pointers, and a perfect 12-of-12 free throws. KevMart added three rebounds, two assists and three steals in what was easily his best game since returning from a bum shoulder.

Chicago: Kirk Hinrich struggled in Tuesday’s loss to Milwaukee Bucks, scoring just nine points on 4-of-16 shooting, with zero assists in 44 minutes. Hinrich made 9-of-12 FGs in his last game, but as a career 41.4% shooter we knew things had to balance out. Every loss is costly at this point for the Bulls, who failed to gain ground on 8th-place Toronto (though injuries to Chris Bosh and Antoine Wright don’t hurt Chicago’s chances).

Milwaukee: Kurt Thomas started at center in place of injured Andrew Bogut on Tuesday, getting four points, 14 rebounds, two assists and one block in 32 minutes. Thomas is averaging under 14 minutes per game this season, and Milwaukee will fill the void at center with a platoon involving Dan Gadzuric (13 minutes), Ersan Ilyasova (32 minutes), and maybe even Primoz Brezec (DNP-CD).

Kevin Durant passed Dale Ellis to set a franchise record for scoring in a season with 40 points on 13-of-22 shooting (2-of-4 from downtown, 12-of-12 from the foul line) to go with nine rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two blocks in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 116-108 win over the Wolves on Sunday.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Okalahoma City: Russell Westbrook had a career-high 16 assists on Sunday, and scored 10 points on 4-of-11 shooting to go with two rebounds and two steals in 32 minutes against the Wolves. He has been a bit all over the board recently, but keeping that in perspective his struggles have simply brought him back to the pack, and at the same time he has shown signs that he’s ready to be an elite PG once again.

Minnesota: Ryan Gomes hit four 3-point buckets on his way to 22 points on Sunday, finishing with a 7-of-13 mark from the field to go with three rebounds and no assists.

New Jersey: Devin Harris scored 22 points on 9-of-17 shooting (including a three) with three rebounds, three assists, and a steal in the New Jersey Nets’ loss to the Wizards on Sunday. He has been banged up and is a shutdown risk, as usual.. Brook Lopez also chipped in with 22 points on 6-of-12 shooting (10-of-11 from the foul line) with five rebounds, four assists, and two blocks.

Toronto: Chris Bosh’s 42 points weren’t enough in the Toronto Raptors’ 113-112 loss to the Warriors on Sunday, as he hit 11-of-19 shots from the field (20-of-23 from the foul line) with 12 rebounds, no assists, five steals, and a block. The loss means that the Raptors are still fighting for their playoff lives

Oakland: Coach Don Nelson tied Lenny Wilkins for most career wins as a coach on Sunday, as Corey Maggette led the charge with 31 points on 10-of-14 shooting (including a three) with four rebounds, four assists, and a steal in 37 minutes.

Oakland: Stephen Curry neared a triple-double with 29 points on 10-of-23 shooting (including five threes) with eight rebounds, 12 assists, three steals, and two blocks against the Raptors on Sunday.

Kevin Durant led the Thunder to an impressive road win in Dallas on Saturday — he had 23 points, five rebounds, five assists, five steals, one block and five turnovers. Durant fell a fraction of a point behind LeBron James for the scoring title, but the Thunder have more important goals in mind. They are riding a three-game winning streak (all on the road) and are on the verge of bringing playoff basketball to the raucous OKC crowds.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Portland: Andre Miller scored 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting as the Blazers defeated the Kings in Sacramento on Saturday. He was one of four Blazers’ starters to score 20+ points. Sacramento Kings beat writer Jason Jones summed up Miller’s style: “Andre Miller has old man game. Like that old guy who schools you at the park.” He’s settled in nicely since Steve Blake’s departure, and has guided Portland to 11 wins in their last 13 games.

Charlotte: Stephen Jackson has a strained hamstring, but he also has a turned ankle and a sore hand and elbow. “The way he was hurting, I wish I hadn’t played him at all,” said coach Larry Brown. “So we took him out for his own good.” Jax doesn’t want to sit out unless the Charlotte Bobcats have clinched a playoff berth, but said “I felt like I was running in quicksand … I couldn’t move.” Movement is essential to the game of basketball, so consider him questionable for Tuesday’s game vs. Atlanta.

Los Angeles: Baron Davis (back) is expected to play in Sunday’s home game vs. the New York Knicks, reports beat writer Lisa Dillman. The Clippers just completed an 0-3 road trip with Steve Blake at the helm, not that the losses were Blake’s fault. Davis should slide back into the starting lineup, and it’s nice to see him soldiering on until (we hope) the end of the season.

Minnesota: Wolves guard Corey Brewer shot 0-of-9 from the field on Saturday, finishing with one point, four assists and two blocks in 20 minutes.
Brewer has dramatically improved his shooting this season, but that doesn’t make him immune to awful games like this.

Milwaukee: Brandon Jennings had 23 points (7-of-15 FGs, 8-of-10 FTs) and four assists to lead Milwaukee Bucks past the Suns on Saturday.
The Bucks needed an emotional lift after watching Andrew Bogut leave the court after a scary fall (he was diagnosed with a partially dislocated elbow). Jennings’ shooting touch isn’t always there, but the impressive rookie continues to find ways to get his team the win.

Kevin Durant quickly recovered after Sunday’s dismal effort, scoring 45 points (15-of-24 FGs, 14-of-15 FTs) in Monday’s loss to the visiting Spurs. Durant is averaging 29.5 ppg this season and projects as a top-three MVP candidate. He added one 3-pointer, eight rebounds and three blocks but couldn’t prevent OKC from falling into a tie with the San Antonio Spurs for sixth place in the West.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Utah: Paul Millsap scored 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting with three rebounds, two assists, and a steal in 18 minutes off the bench on Monday. Both him and Carlos Boozer (19 points, nine rebounds) were in foul trouble tonight.

Utah: C.J. Miles poured in 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting (including two threes) with three rebounds, one assist, and one steal on Monday against the Celtics.

Houston: Trevor Ariza played 37 minutes on Monday, notching 18 points, two 3-pointers, nine rebounds, five assists and three steals. This was Ariza’s highest-scoring game since returning from his hip injury on March 9th.

Chicago: Derrick Rose piled up 27 points, eight assists and seven rebounds as the Bulls defeated the visiting Houston Rockets on Monday. Rose played nearly 47 minutes, making 12-of-22 field goals, including 2-of-7 three-pointers.

Dallas: Brendan Haywood finished Monday’s loss to the New Orleans Hornets with 10 points, nine rebounds and two blocks in 26 minutes.

Charlotte: Chris Paul started the Hornets game on Monday, scoring 11 points with three assists in 21 minutes. It was his first action since late January. CP3 was out for 25 games with a knee injury, and his minutes were pre-determined to stay around 20 per game. His conditioning and playing time should slowly increase over the next few games, but the presence of backup Darren Collison means there is no need to overload Paul.

Russell Westbrook had 30 points, five boards, 13 assists, a steal and a 3-pointer in Tuesday’s win over the Kings. Westbrook is having a dream season and has proven to be one of the more valuable point guards. Also, Kevin Durant had 39 points, 10 rebounds and a 3-pointer on 13-of-26 shooting. The Oklahoma City Thunder have now won nine out of the last eleven games.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Miami: Dwyane Wade went off for 35 points, six boards, 12 assists and three steals on 15-of-23 shooting Tuesday’s win over the Warriors. Leave it to the Golden State Warriors to let an injured guy get healthy. Wade looks good to go for now, but as usual, keep an eye out for news on his tender calf.

Boston: Paul Pierce returned from a thumb injury on Tuesday but had just nine points, one rebound, one assist, one steal and one 3-pointer on 2-of-6 shooting.

Detroit: No word yet on the severity, but Wallace finished with six points, 12 boards, a block and an 0-for-5 free throw shooting night. Hopefully the injury’s not serious and he’s back for the next one.

New Orleans: Sources close to Chris Paul (knee) tell beat writer John Reid that the all-world point guard is about 10 days or so from returning. Reid guesses that Paul “may return” for the beginning of the New Orleans Hornets’ five-game road trip that begins on March 14. Paul is taking part in pregame warmups right now and is doing some running as part of his rehab

Phoenix: Leandro Barbosa (wrist) got full medical clearance on Monday to return to the court. Even though he’ll be practicing, Barbosa likely won’t return to game action until March 12 against the Lakers. When he returns, he’ll wear a light wrap on his right (shooting) wrist. We’re skeptical about how effective he can be and with Goran Dragic’s emergence, it’s hard to expect much.

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.

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.

Warriors G Monta Ellis hit 17-of-23 shots and a career-high four 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 46 points in Wednesday’s loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Ellis is hot again, despite a sore right wrist. He had a steal, a block and some circus shots, but also committed seven turnovers. With nearly no defense being played in Oakland, Ellis could have another big game on any night.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Oklahoma City: Thunder G Russell Westbrook hit 11-of-18 shots for 26 points, eight rebounds, 10 assists and a block in Wednesday’s win over the New Orleans Hornets. Westbrook has nearly double-doubled in each of his last two games and appears to be out of his recent slump. Kevin Durant chipped in with another 30-point performance, which should put him in the lead for the scoring race, but also committed a season-high eight TOs on the night.

Charlotte: Bobcats F Gerald Wallace said in a television interview during Wednesday’s game that he simply “tweaked his hammy” and expects to return to action on Saturday.

Toranto: Raptors F Hedo Turkoglu is expected to return to action on Sunday against the Kings, according to the post-game recap. Turkoglu is being fitted with a mask and should be back on the court this weekend.

Boston: Paul Pierce will not play on Wednesday and is not likely to play on Friday either, according to Doc Rivers. This should not come as a surprise and it’s entirely possible that he could rest until the All-Star break with his sprained left foot.

Boston: Rajon Rondo had 22 points, six rebounds, 14 assists, three steals and two 3-pointers in Wednesday’s win over the Miami Heat. He’s on fire and is proving to be one of the most valuable point guards around.

Sacramento: Kings’ forward Jason Thompson will miss his next two games to a attend a funeral on the East Coast. That means he’s out Wednesday and Friday, but is supposed to rejoin the team for Sunday’s game at Toronto. Maybe this will give him time to clear his head and get back in the mix for Paul Westphal. In the meantime, look for solid play from Spencer Hawes and Jon Brockman.

Portland: LaMarcus Aldridge torched the Jazz for 27 points, 12 rebounds and five assists in Wednesday’s loss. Aldridge has been stepping up with Brandon Roy (hamstring) out. He has 20+ points in four of his last five games and even has five blocks during that span.

Utah: Mehmet Okur went off for 28 points on 11-of-13 shooting in Wednesday’s win over the Blazers. After three straight subpar showings, the Turkish Tornado put up a season-high even though he made just one 3-pointer. It should be a big confidence booster for Okur going forward.

Kevin Durant scored a season-high 45 points on Sunday, missing only five shots from both the field and the foul line (16-of-21 FGs, 11-of-11 FTs) with 11 rebounds, two assists, two steals and two 3-pointers.

At 21 years old, it’s possible that there’s not enough buzz for Durant, whose 29.6 ppg passed LeBron James (29.4) on the scoring list to sit in second place behind Carmelo Anthony (29.7). His past weakness was his FG%, and he finished the month of January shooting over 50% from both the field and from 3-point range

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Oklahoma City: Russell Westbrook posted a monster 28-point, five-rebound, and eight-assist line in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 112-104 win over the Warriors on Sunday. We feel bad completely discounting every great line that gets dropped on the Warriors, but they might be the worst defensive team in the history of the NBA

Phoenix: Suns C Amare Stoudemire scored a season-high 36 points on Sunday, hitting 12-of-22 shots from the field and all 12 of his free throws to go with 11 rebounds, one assist, and two blocks.

Charlotte: Chris Paul needs arthroscopic surgery for a cartilage tear in his left knee and will be out 1-2 months, according to a report by Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. Wojnarowski is one of the more reliable reporters around, so owners can start to make adjustments immediately. The report says that Paul will have the surgery on Monday.

New Jersey: Devin Harris, who missed his third straight game with a wrist injury, said he will try to play Tuesday against the Detroit Pistons, but that he will certainly be available for Wednesday’s game against the Raptors. “If Devin feels he can play unrestricted, then we’ll let him play. But we need him to play the way he can play,” said coach Kiki Vandeweghe. “We can’t have him playing with limitations.”

Los Angeles: Kobe Bryant’s fadeaway jumper from the top of the key with 7.3 seconds left put the Lakers up for good as they beat the Boston Celtics 90-89 on Sunday. Maybe one day the rest of the league will get the memo to double or triple-team him at the end of games, but until then we get to marvel over how easy he makes it look.

Oakland: Corey Maggette scored 26 points on 8-of-14 shooting (10-of-11 from the foul line) with five rebounds, four assists, and a steal on Sunday.

Minnesota: Kevin Love hit 9-of-18 shots and two 3-pointers for a career high of 25 points to go along with 11 rebounds, four assists, a steal and a block off the bench on Sunday. He also had six turnovers, and while he’s not as fun to own while coming off the bench, but as long as he gets 32 minutes on most nights, it shouldn’t matter too much.

Flip Saunders met with the grand jury regarding the Gilbert Arenas gun situation and has also banned gambling from the team plane. Flip met with them on Thursday, while several Wizards’ players were scheduled to meet with them on Friday.

The New Jersey Nets have also banned gambling on the plane and our guess is the NBA will come out and officially do the same for all teams at some point. A day after Arenas’ indefinite suspension, anything pertaining to Arenas has been removed from the Verizon Center in Washington. It appears that Arenas will never play for the Wizards again, and he will have to re-build his image with another team.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Orlando: Orlando Magic G Vince Carter left Friday’s game after spraining his left shoulder while fighting through a screen against the Wizards. He was in tremendous pain on the floor and went directly to the locker room, although he did not require a wheel chair for his shoulder injury. J.J. Redick and Mickael Pietrus should absorb most of his minutes while Carter is recovering.

Philadelphia: Allen Iverson hit 7-of-13 shots for a season-high 22 points to go along with two rebounds, four assists, a steal and a 3-pointer in Friday’s loss to the Toronto Raptors, but the good news ends there. Iverson was hit in the left knee tonight, aggravating a previous injury, and is not traveling with the team to Detroit for Saturday’s game.

Washington: Randy Foye started at point guard for the Wizards on Friday, finishing with 20 points, four rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two 3-pointers in a win over the Magic. He hit just 5-of-17 shots and left the game to get stitches in his mouth, but looks like the starting point guard for the Wizards for the foreseeable future.

Washington: Mike Miller returned from a 21-game absence with a calf injury Friday and started, scoring six points in 39 minutes. He also had six rebounds, six assists and a 3-pointer, which is a pretty encouraging line for his first game since November.

Oklahoma City: Kevin Durant missed Friday’s practice because of his right ankle, which he evidently sprained Monday against the Bulls.

Detroit: Rodney Stuckey (knee) will be in the Pistons’ lineup when they face the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday. Stuckey left Wednesday’s game after landing awkwardly on his knee, but he practiced Friday and coach John Kuester said he liked what he saw from his durable guard.

Wizards G Gilbert Arenas is considering suing the NY Post over their recent story claiming that he and teammate Javaris Crittenton pulled guns on each other in the Wizards’ locker room.

“That’s not the real story,” said Arenas. “I saw the story. Very compelling. Some real O.K. Corral stuff.” The Post cited unidentified sources, so it’s anybody’s guess what actually happened, but this still lends a worrisome angle to Agent Zero’s firearms fracas.

The NBA is currently investigating the wild-wild-west gun battle that “supposedly” happened in the locker room.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Boston: Boston  Celtics Coach Doc Rivers said that Kevin Garnett (knee) would probably be out until January 6 against the Heat, or longer. Rivers also said that he was “leaning heavily” towards doing this, and then added “if I do decide to sit [Garnett], I’m not sitting him for one game. I can tell you that.” The wise move would be to sit Garnett for a week or two to ensure that he is 100%.

Boston: Rajon Rondo (hamstring) will not play against the Raptors on Saturday, according to coach Doc Rivers.

Boston: Paul Pierce has been ruled out for Saturday’s game with an ongoing knee injury. Coach Doc Rivers recently said Pierce could realistically return for their game vs. the Heat on Wednesday. Tony Allen will continue to start until Pierce returns.

Okalahoma City: Kevin Durant tied the franchise record for consecutive 30-point games on Thursday with six, finishing the game with 31 points on 12-of-22 shooting (including a three) with eight rebounds, five assists, one steal and two blocks. Aside from personal marks, the Okalahoma City Thunder won their fifth straight game for the first time in over four years. Its clear that Durant is emerging as one of the top players in the NBA and he appears to be taking the team with him.

Portland: LaMarcus Aldridge (sprained left ankle) has been downgraded from questionable to doubtful for Saturday’s game, and could sit out even longer. “L.A. might be out a couple games,” Brandon Roy said after Friday’s morning practice. Portland’s trainer said Aldridge is improving and that “when he will play again is kind of up to LaMarcus.”

New Orleans: Hornets F Peja Stojakovic sat out Friday’s practice because of a sore back that he sustained in Wednesday’s win over the Heat. Stojakovic received treatment and has rested his surgically-repaired back, but coach Jeff Bower said that (barring any setbacks) he should play on Saturday. “He…did some light shooting and stretching,” said Bower. “We’ll see how he is, but from his comments today, he expects to play.”

Toronto: Hedo Turkoglu (knee) is doubtful for Saturday’s game against the Celtics. “There is a good chance that Turk is not going to play,” Triano said. “I would probably start Antoine (Wright).”

Philadelphia: Andre Iguodala’s name has surfaced in trade rumors for Tracy McGrady, but it doesn’t sound like any deal is imminent. The Philadelphia 76ers would reportedly need to “knock the Rockets over” with the amount of talent in the deal, and Houston has no interest in trading T-Mac for Elton Brand and Samuel Dalembert.

Warriors coach Don Nelson flatly denied a report that he would be stepping down as the Golden State Warriors head coach or that the club is shopping guard Monta Ellis. The Warriors have quickly become one of the worst teams in the league and are even comical at times. Even if Nelson doesn’t step down during the season, he will likely be fired in the offseason.

Elsewhere around the NBA:

Dallas: Mavericks C Erick Dampier is showing “marked improvement” since being transported to a Detroit-area hospital, after feeling light-headed during pregame warmups on Sunday. Although H1N1 has been ruled out, Dampier has been taken to the hospital because the arean lacked proper testing equipment. He is being kept overnight for observations and will miss Monday’s game against the Bucks.

Oklahoma City: Thunder SF Kevin Durant scored a season-high 40 points on 14-of-25 shooting (2-of-4 from downtown, 10-of-11 from the foul line) with eight rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block in the Oklahoma City Thunder 101-93 loss to the Clippers on Sunday. Durant continues his great play and is developing into the nest NBA superstar.

Los Angelas: In LA-type fashion and an ongoing soap opera regarding Pau Gasol’s injured hamstring, it is being reported that he “may” practice this week. Coach Phil Jackson said that he has been without “pain” for five days and he has advanced to light court work.

Orlando: Magic PG Jameer Nelson (flu) is expected to play Monday against the Bobcats. The Orlando Magic Sentinel updated their earlier report, adding that coach Stan Van Gundy expects him to play. Use him as you would normally in the Magic’s four-game week.

Boston: Celtics SF Paul Pierce blamed his sore left knee for a weak defensive effort on Saturday. It was also mentioned in the Boston Herald that he might take a “few days” off in order to let the knee heal. “I was able to make it through the game, but I obviously hurt us tonight,” he said. “I was a step slow pretty much all night and it really hurt us. Dahntay Jones goes out and has one of his best nights, with me guarding him.” The Boston Celtics don’t play until Wednesday, so Pierce will get some much needed rest.

Phonix: Suns PF/C Channing Frye hit an amazing six 3-point buckets in a win over the Raptors on Sunday, racking up 20 points on 6-of-9 shooting with seven rebounds, one assist, and one block. Frye only took one two-point attempt tonight, and has become the poster boy for what a move to Arizona can do for a fantasy basketball player. It’s hard to say if his stock is still rising, or if he should be sold-high, but it’s clear owners got a bargain on draft day.

Probably not since the San Antonio Spurs had to wait two years for David Robinson has a rookie’s debut been a longer wait than that of Greg Oden. After a year away from the game, Oden made his first appearance in a Portland Trailblazers’ uniform and so far he’s off to a good start.

Of course there is a big difference between Robinson and Oden. As a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Robinson had to fulfill his duty to the country and serve two years in the Navy before he could join San Antonio in 1989. Oden, on the other hand, injured himself after just his second summer league game and missed the entire 2006-07 season.

Now if the wait for Oden has the same dividends as the one for Robinson had, the Blazers surely won’t mind waiting an extra year for his services. But those are big expectations.

Two years ago Portland literally hit the lottery when it got the number one draft in 2007 NBA Draft. They made the wise decision, in my opinion, and drafted Oden over Texas forward Kevin Durant. It’s pretty rare that you get a big man with the potential of Oden so you have to take the chance when he’s available.

With the exception of maybe Detroit the last few years, I dare you to find me a championship team that doesn’t have a great presence in the middle. If the Lakers had someone like that they beat Boston last year. Same goes for Cleveland. LeBron and the Cavs will never win a title until he’s got someone in the paint. Mark my words.

Even without Oden in the line-up last year the Trailblazers were a pretty solid team. They managed to post a 41-41 record, which was nine games better than the year before and 20 games better than the 2005-06 season. Imagine if they had Oden, you’re looking at a team that would have been in the playoffs. It was their first season of .500 or better since 2003-04 when they also went 41-41.

So the big fella made his debut on Monday night against a very, very bad Sacramento Kings team. They’ve traded away pretty much everyone and are starting from scratch. They are still a year, maybe two away from sniffing the playoffs. Oden had a solid outing in his first NBA game, scoring 13 points and grabbing five rebounds in just a tad under 20 minutes of play. He came back out last night to post 14 points and grab a game-high nine rebounds versus Golden State.

With Oden in the middle, Portland can be a very dangerous team, but that’s only if he stays health. The knock on Oden is that he’s always had problems staying in the line-up. Throughout most of his freshman season at Ohio State he was plagued by an injury to his right wrist. It hurt so much he had to shoot free throws left handed, which wouldn’t be an issue except that he’s a right-handed shooter.

So even before he got into the league, Oden had a rep for being a little fragile. Getting hurt two games into the summer league last year didn’t help either. He missed the entire 2007-08 season with a microfracture to his right knee. As much abuse as big men take in the NBA, I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come for Oden. He could have more of a Bill Walton career than a David Robinson one.

If you’re Portland you had to be excited about last year. Known of late as being a haven of moronic players, the franchise has not had a good reputation since the days of Clyde Drexler. With the likes of Darius Miles, Steve Francis and Sebastian Telfair gone from the team, it looked like Portland had put a strong roster of good, young talent together and Oden was going to be the missing piece. He still may be.

The team has made big strides in the last two seasons. Their team president Steve Patterson resigned during the spring of 2007 – probably way overdue – and that summer the organization brought in former Nike executive Larry Miller to replace him. Smart move to bring in someone who knows a thing or two about being successful. In addition, owner Paul Allen agreed to purchase the Rose Garden, Portland’s home floor, which assures that the team will be there for some time and not take off like Seattle did.

Also during the last three drafts the Trailblazers have done a much better job of selecting talent. The year before Oden was drafted, Portland made a pair of draft day deals to LaMarcus Aldridge from Texas and Brandon Roy from Washington. Roy was an All-Star last year and 2006-07 NBA Rookie of the Year. Last season Aldridge averaged 17.8 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game.

The same year as they drafted Oden, Portland also picked up Josh McRoberts from Duke and Taurean Green from Florida. McRoberts never saw the floor for the Trailblazers and Green was traded last year. The one thing that I like about these two players – though I’m not a big fan of Duke and Florida in general – as well as Oden, Aldridge and Roy is that they played on winning college teams at a high level. You want guys who are used to winning and expect it. They’ll work their asses off in order to win.

This year I think the team missed the mark in its drafting. Originally they went with Brandon Rush from the National Champion Kansas Jayhawks, but then they traded him to Indiana for Jerryd Bayless of Arizona. If this was Arizona 2-5 years ago, great pick, but the team struggled last year. They also got Frenchman Nicholas Batum.

Now I’m not a big fan of drafting foreign players. If you look at the Celtics, they are all American players. The game is just different in the NBA than it is overseas. Yes I know that San Antonio has been successful with a lot of foreign players, but they play a different brand of basketball than 90 percent of the league. And yes I know up until last year that the USA has been getting its ass handed to it by foreign teams, but that’s a whole group of players used to a particular style, not one or two guys trying to fit in with the rest of a team that plays a different way.

It does appear that they may have found a good-to-great foreign player in Rudy Fernandez. The Spaniard was drafted by Phoenix last year, but was traded to Portland for cash. Fernandez played last year in Spain, but decided to join Portland after he finished the Olympics.

Reports have Fernandez putting on a heck of a show during his debut, almost overshadowing Oden. Two reasons why I think Fernandez might work out is A) he plays for a winning team. Spain has been one of the best international teams of late and they took the silver at the Olympics. B) He’s a guard. I think it is much easier for guards to play well in the NBA than post players.

Portland could have the pieces of a good team in the works. I think they’ll make the playoffs this year, but the West is still too loaded for them to do more than a first round exit.

Probably not since the San Antonio Spurs had to wait two years for David Robinson has a rookie’s debut been a longer wait than that of Greg Oden. After a year away from the game, Oden made his first appearance in a Portland Trailblazers’ uniform and so far he’s off to a good start.

Of course there is a big difference between Robinson and Oden. As a graduate of the United States Naval Academy, Robinson had to fulfill his duty to the country and serve two years in the Navy before he could join San Antonio in 1989. Oden, on the other hand, injured himself after just his second summer league game and missed the entire 2006-07 season.

Now if the wait for Oden has the same dividends as the one for Robinson had, the Blazers surely won’t mind waiting an extra year for his services. But those are big expectations.

Two years ago Portland literally hit the lottery when it got the number one draft in 2007 NBA Draft. They made the wise decision, in my opinion, and drafted Oden over Texas forward Kevin Durant. It’s pretty rare that you get a big man with the potential of Oden so you have to take the chance when he’s available.

With the exception of maybe Detroit the last few years, I dare you to find me a championship team that doesn’t have a great presence in the middle. If the Lakers had someone like that they beat Boston last year. Same goes for Cleveland. LeBron and the Cavs will never win a title until he’s got someone in the paint. Mark my words.

Even without Oden in the line-up last year the Trailblazers were a pretty solid team. They managed to post a 41-41 record, which was nine games better than the year before and 20 games better than the 2005-06 season. Imagine if they had Oden, you’re looking at a team that would have been in the playoffs. It was their first season of .500 or better since 2003-04 when they also went 41-41.

So the big fella made his debut on Monday night against a very, very bad Sacramento Kings team. They’ve traded away pretty much everyone and are starting from scratch. They are still a year, maybe two away from sniffing the playoffs. Oden had a solid outing in his first NBA game, scoring 13 points and grabbing five rebounds in just a tad under 20 minutes of play. He came back out last night to post 14 points and grab a game-high nine rebounds versus Golden State.

With Oden in the middle, Portland can be a very dangerous team, but that’s only if he stays health. The knock on Oden is that he’s always had problems staying in the line-up. Throughout most of his freshman season at Ohio State he was plagued by an injury to his right wrist. It hurt so much he had to shoot free throws left handed, which wouldn’t be an issue except that he’s a right-handed shooter.

So even before he got into the league, Oden had a rep for being a little fragile. Getting hurt two games into the summer league last year didn’t help either. He missed the entire 2007-08 season with a microfracture to his right knee. As much abuse as big men take in the NBA, I hope this isn’t a sign of things to come for Oden. He could have more of a Bill Walton career than a David Robinson one.

If you’re Portland you had to be excited about last year. Known of late as being a haven of moronic players, the franchise has not had a good reputation since the days of Clyde Drexler. With the likes of Darius Miles, Steve Francis and Sebastian Telfair gone from the team, it looked like Portland had put a strong roster of good, young talent together and Oden was going to be the missing piece. He still may be.

The team has made big strides in the last two seasons. Their team president Steve Patterson resigned during the spring of 2007 – probably way overdue – and that summer the organization brought in former Nike executive Larry Miller to replace him. Smart move to bring in someone who knows a thing or two about being successful. In addition, owner Paul Allen agreed to purchase the Rose Garden, Portland’s home floor, which assures that the team will be there for some time and not take off like Seattle did.

Also during the last three drafts the Trailblazers have done a much better job of selecting talent. The year before Oden was drafted, Portland made a pair of draft day deals to LaMarcus Aldridge from Texas and Brandon Roy from Washington. Roy was an All-Star last year and 2006-07 NBA Rookie of the Year. Last season Aldridge averaged 17.8 points per game and 7.6 rebounds per game.

The same year as they drafted Oden, Portland also picked up Josh McRoberts from Duke and Taurean Green from Florida. McRoberts never saw the floor for the Trailblazers and Green was traded last year. The one thing that I like about these two players – though I’m not a big fan of Duke and Florida in general – as well as Oden, Aldridge and Roy is that they played on winning college teams at a high level. You want guys who are used to winning and expect it. They’ll work their asses off in order to win.

This year I think the team missed the mark in its drafting. Originally they went with Brandon Rush from the National Champion Kansas Jayhawks, but then they traded him to Indiana for Jerryd Bayless of Arizona. If this was Arizona 2-5 years ago, great pick, but the team struggled last year. They also got Frenchman Nicholas Batum.

Now I’m not a big fan of drafting foreign players. If you look at the Celtics, they are all American players. The game is just different in the NBA than it is overseas. Yes I know that San Antonio has been successful with a lot of foreign players, but they play a different brand of basketball than 90 percent of the league. And yes I know up until last year that the USA has been getting its ass handed to it by foreign teams, but that’s a whole group of players used to a particular style, not one or two guys trying to fit in with the rest of a team that plays a different way.

It does appear that they may have found a good-to-great foreign player in Rudy Fernandez. The Spaniard was drafted by Phoenix last year, but was traded to Portland for cash. Fernandez played last year in Spain, but decided to join Portland after he finished the Olympics.

Reports have Fernandez putting on a heck of a show during his debut, almost overshadowing Oden. Two reasons why I think Fernandez might work out is A) he plays for a winning team. Spain has been one of the best international teams of late and they took the silver at the Olympics. B) He’s a guard. I think it is much easier for guards to play well in the NBA than post players.

Portland could have the pieces of a good team in the works. I think they’ll make the playoffs this year, but the West is still too loaded for them to do more than a first round exit.

Technically speaking, the Oklahoma City Thunder are the newest team in the NBA. Until 2008, they were known as the Seattle SuperSonics. In a hotly contested move, owner Clay Bennett bought out the SuperSonics’ lease with Seattle’s Key Arena, and moved the team to Oklahoma City. The Thunder will play their home games at the Ford Center. Their head coach is P.J. Carlesimo.

Early Years in Seattle

The Seattle SuperSonics were born in 1967. They suffered the typical growing pains of an NBA expansion franchise, winning only 23 games in their inaugural year. Led by future Hall of Fame point guard Lenny Wilkens, the team averaged 33 wins in its first seven seasons. Their best season during that stretch was the 1971-72 season, in which they won 47 games but failed to make the playoffs.

The Seattle SuperSonics made their first playoff appearance in the 1974-75 season, Bill Russell’s first as head coach. They beat Detroit in the first round before losing to the Golden State Warriors in the second round.

Championship

The Seattle SuperSonics posted a 52-30 record in the 1978-79 season. Led by Gus Williams, Dennis Johnson and center Jack Sikma, they beat the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round of the playoffs, four games to one. In the Western Conference finals, they beat the Phoenix Suns in seven games, advancing to the NBA Finals. The Sonics faced the Washington Bullets (now known as the Wizards) in the Finals, defeating them four games to one. It is, so far, the franchise’s only championship.

Karl, and Payton, and Kemp — oh, my!

After enjoying moderate success during the 1980s the Seattle SuperSonics developed into one of the NBA’s best teams for much of the 1990s. Three factors are largely credited for this development: the drafting of forward Shawn Kemp in 1989, the drafting of point guard Gary Payton in 1990, and the hiring of head coach George Karl in 1992.

Karl’s hiring boosted the Sonics from a playoff contender to a Western Conference powerhouse. In the 1992-93 season, the team posted 55 regular season wins and made it to the conference finals, where they lost to the Phoenix Suns, four games to three.

After first round losses in the following two seasons, the Sonics came roaring back. In 1995-96, the team won 64 regular season games. In the playoffs, they beat the Sacramento Kings, the Houston Rockets, and the Utah Jazz en route to their first NBA Finals appearance since the 1978-79 season.

Like the Utah Jazz and the Portland Trail Blazers, the Sonics had the misfortune of going against the Michael Jordan-led Chicago Bulls. The Bulls won the series, four games to two, and despite continued success, the Sonics never made it to another Finals.

Shawn Kemp was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 1997, George Karl left after the 1997-98 season, and Payton was traded to the Milwaukee Bucks in the middle of the 2002-03 season.

2007-08 Season

In 2007, Sonics star shooting guard Ray Allen was traded to the Boston Celtics for three minor players. The Sonics drafted Texas scoring machine Kevin Durant the same year. Led by Durant, the Sonics won only 20 games in their last season in Seattle.

2008-09 Outlook

The Oklahoma City Thunder may have moved east, but they are still a member of the Western Conference. As such, a playoff berth is not a feasible goal for the Thunder. Rather, a 30- to 35-win season would be considered a successful campaign for the former Seattle SuperSonics.

Greatest Players

Fred Brown, Tom Chambers, Spencer Haywood,  Shawn Kemp, Gary Payton, Jack Sikma, Lenny Wilkens, Gus Williams