Mar 14, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas Jayhawks guard Ben McLemore (23) shoots a jumpshot in the first half of the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the second round of the Big 12 tournament at the Sprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder will keep the Toronto Raptors’ draft pick as they end up with the 12th overall selection in the upcoming draft.

The Raptors would have kept the pick had the lottery slotted them in the top three, but there was only about a one percent chance of the happening.

This was pretty much expected for the Thunder. The Thunder will have a lot of options come draft day.

The Cleveland Cavaliers won the lottery and will be selecting first overall. The Cavs had a 15.6 percent chance to win the lottery.

The Orlando Magic, who had the best chance to win the lottery at 25 percent, will be selecting second overall.

The Washington Wizards, who had just the eighth best chance of picking first overall, snuck into the top three and will get the third overall pick.

Here is the official NBA Draft Lottery results:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Orlando Magic
3. Washington Wizards
4. Charlotte Bobcats
5. Phoenix Suns
6. New Orleans Pelicans
7. Sacramento Kings
8. Detroit Pistons
9. Minnesota Timberwolves
10. Portland Trail Blazers
11. Philadelphia 76ers
12. Oklahoma City Thunder
13. Dallas Mavericks
14. Utah Jazz

Mar 22, 2013; Orlando, FL, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder small forward Kevin Durant (35) celebrates after scoring a three point jump shot during the fourth quarter at Amway Center. Oklahoma City defeated Orlando 97-89. Mandatory Credit: Douglas Jones-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder got back in the win column last night beating the Orlando Magic 97-89 on the road.

The Thunder comfortably led 47-34 at halftime and then Orlando started to come back in the second half.

The Magic outscored the Thunder 32-23 in the third quarter and would tie the score late in the game.

The game was tied with 2:44 left before Kevin Durant made a three-pointer to give OKC an 89-86 lead.

The Thunder led the rest of the way while the final eight Thunder points were all scored by Durant and Russell Westbrook at the free throw line.

The Thunder improve to 51-19 on the year with the win and end their two-game losing streak. OKC will host the Portland Trail Blazers Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.

Here are the Game Grades:

Kevin Durant – 41 minutes, 25 points, 8 rebounds, 2 rebounds – B

Durant shot efficiently but we’re used to that. He went 7-for-14 from the field, 2-for-3 from three and 9-for-11 from the free throw line. He finished with just two assists to five turnovers which has been a recent problematic trend for KD. He did finish off the Magic late in the fourth hitting a clutch three and some clutch free throws. Kind of feels like we haven’t seen the best of KD in awhile.

Russell Westbrook – 35 minutes, 19 points, 9 assists, 6 rebounds – B-

Westbrook was pretty quiet for most of this game and then really started to assert himself in the fourth quarter as the Magic came back. He ended up with a three-to-one assist-to-turnover ratio which is a nice mark for him. He went 7-for-17 from the field which isn’t too bad either. He had an easy time driving to the rim against Orlando and the way in which he was successful doing it last night is something he won’t be able to replicate against a quality opponent.

Serge Ibaka – 36 minutes, 14 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks – B+

Ibaka bounced back and had a nice game after two very poor ones vs. Denver and Memphis. He made 5-of-11 shots and crashed the offensive boards for six rebounds. The Thunder need Ibaka to play this way more consistently.

Kevin Martin – 25 minutes, 15 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds – B+

The Thunder were very good while Martin was on the floor last night outscoring Orlando by 16. Martin shot 50 percent from the field and from the three-point line which is all you can ask for him. His minutes have been going down recently and it’s starting to seem like he isn’t playing quite enough.

Kendrick Perkins – 26 minutes, 6 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks – C+

The Magic were without any true center last night as Nikola Vucevic missed the game. Perkins played a pretty typical game for him considering who the opponent was.

Thabo Sefolosha – 27 minutes, 5 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist – C

One of the reason this game was close at the end is Sefolosha’s inability to knock down any threes. He went 0-for-4 from distance in the game and still played more than Martin. When he isn’t making threes, he can become kind of a liability.

Nick Collison – 19 minutes, 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist – A

Collison was a game-time decision last night and then played a played very well. This is no surprise with Collison. When Collison can score, it is such a nice lift for this Thunder team. Orlando was shorthanded inside and Collison completely took advantage.

Reggie Jackson – 15 minutes, 2 points, 3 rebounds – C

Jackson didn’t really do much at all last night. He didn’t have any assists and went 0-for-2 from downtown. It’s hard to like the fact that almost all of his minutes are with Derek Fisher on the floor with him.

Derek Fisher – 12 minutes, 0 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist – D

Fisher went 0-for-3 from the field and is doing much more harm than good. Why is he playing?

DeAndre Liggins – 4 minutes, 0 points – C

Liggins gets the nod over Ronnie Brewer last night as Scott Brooks was looking for a spark from someone. Brewer just has to feel insulted by the way he is being treated by the Thunder and there’s nothing good about that.

Mar 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Orlando Magic forward Tobias Harris (12) is fouled by Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) during the first half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder will play the Orlando Magic for the second time in the last week.

The Thunder easily beat the Magic 117-104 in OKC last Friday.

Kevin Durant had 26 points, nine rebounds and three assists. Russell Westbrook had 23 points and Serge Ibaka had 20.

The Thunder led by as many as 27 points in the game and then allowed the Magic to come back to within four at one point in the fourth quarter.

This matchup is obviously heavily one-sided. The Thunder are one of the few best teams in the league right now while the Magic are one of the worst.

The Thunder come into tonight having lost their last two games at home vs. the Denver Nuggets and on the road the next night vs. the Memphis Grizzlies.

There was reason to panic after those two losses and the Thunder’s struggles against some of the best teams in the league this season.

The Thunder get a cupcake tonight though and should have no problem getting back to their winning ways. Durant has said this game is a “must-win” for the Thunder.

Nick Collison will be a game-time decision tonight with a groin contusion. Nikola Vucevic will also be a game-time decision for the Magic.

The game will tip at 7 p.m. EST.

Mar 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) handles the ball against Orlando Magic forward Tobias Harris (12) during the second half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder held on to beat the Orlando Magic 117-104 Friday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena to improve to 49-17 on the season.

The Thunder led by as many as 27 points in the game before the Magic made a run bringing the deficit down to as little as four at one point.

The starters couldn’t rest this fourth quarter and were forced to come back in for the Thudner and ensure the victory.

The Thunder had no issues getting good looks all night long as they shot 55.3 percent from the field as a team. What allowed the Magic to remain without shouting distance was OKC’s 29-for-43 shooting from the free throw line as a team.

Here are the Game Grades:

Kevin Durant – 36 minutes, 26 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists – B+

It wasn’t the prettiest stat line for Durant but he came through when the Thunder needed him too (shocker). He hit a huge three at the end of the third quarter then scored five straight points for the Thunder late in the fourth to seal the deal. This is the second game in a row in which his turnovers have been high while the assists have been low. Over the last two games he has three assists to 14 turnovers, which is pretty terrible. Shooting 1-for-5 from downtown and 9-for-12 from the free throw line is pretty unlike KD too.

Russell Westbrook – 37 minutes, 23 points, 6 assists, 6 rebounds – A

It wasn’t Westbrook’s best game but give him a ton of credit for playing 37 minutes and not turning the ball over. That’s always a fantastic sign for the Thunder and a sign of growth in Westbrook’s game. He also went 3-for-6 from downtown which was nice to see as he looked very comfortable all night and when that’s the case, his shot is usually going down.

Serge Ibaka – 28 minutes, 20 points, 6 rebounds, 3 blocks – A

This was one of Ibaka’s best games of the year. He shot 8-of-10 from the field and the Thunder outscored Orlando by 13 while he was in. Ibaka showed a wide variety of scoring moves in this game which is always fun to see when thinking about the future of this Thunder team. Ibaka will definitely blossom into a more versatile scorer some day.

Kevin Martin – 22 minutes, 15 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists – B+

When Martin does things other than score, it’s always a big plus for OKC. The rebounding and now increasing of assists of late has been huge for the Thunder second unit. It seems to kind of make Martin better at scoring too when he’s trying to create rather than just settle for deep threes all night. We have been seeing lately Scott Brooks play Thabo Sefolosha in crunch time over Martin, especially when the Thunder have the lead, to get more defense on the floor.

Kendrick Perkins – 32 minutes, 5 points, 12 rebounds, 3 assists – B+

Perkins didn’t exactly keep Nikola Vucevic off the glass all night because he had 14 rebounds but Perk got 12 boards of his own to even it out. Perkins has also been great all year passing the ball and got three assists last night. He can easily get these dimes against inferior teams that are  a beat late on their defensive rotations, which was the case vs. Orlando.

Thabo Sefolosha – 30 minutes, 5 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists – B

Sefolosha didn’t get a lot of shot attempts but still played well. He is always solid on defense and made a few nice plays, including a great no-look pass in the fourth, picking up three assists.

Nick Collison – 18 minutes, 7 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist – B

Just another day at the office for Collison that did his thing while playing more center than usual with Hasheem Thabeet missing the game with a sore lower back. It’s always a bonus when you can get seven points out of Collison.

Reggie Jackson – 13 minutes, 4 points, 1 assist, 1 rebound – B

Jackson was okay last night but didn’t seem to have the ball in his hands as much as he has been lately. He had one great highlight in the first half making a steal then finishing on the other end with a two-handed windmill.

Derek Fisher – 14 minutes, 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 steal – B

You can’t complain about Fisher when he knocks down shots. He’s always going to bring the defensive energy as well which worked well at times last night against a young Magic team.

Perry Jones, III – 11 minutes, 8 points, 5 rebounds – A+

Jones had his best game as a pro last night. He made his first four shots and just did a great job overall moving around in the offense. He got the nod because of Thabeet’s injury but maybe will start getting more burn if Brooks would rather go smaller with his second unit against some teams.

Mar 15, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) handles the ball against Orlando Magic guard Arron Affalo (4) during the first half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder clashed with the Orlando Magic on Friday evening and emerged the victors, winning 117-104 in a roller coaster of a game.

Kevin Durant led with 26 points and Russell Westbrook added 23 more, in yet another dominant performance from this dynamic duo.

For Orlando, Jameer Nelson had 26 points, and was hot behind the three-point arch, hitting 5 of 12 shots from downtown.

The Thunder scored a season-high 73 points in the first half, shooting 64-percent from the floor and converting 18 of 22 free throws. They led by 27 in the second quarter and all signs pointed to a blowout, but Orlando surged back before the half to bring the score within 15 points, 73-56.

OKC again pulled away after a dominant third quarter, leading by 22 with seven minutes left in the period. The Magic–refusing to go down without a fight–clawed their way back into it midway through the fourth quarter. They cut the Thunder’s lead to four points, and forced Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks to put his starters back in to close this one out.

The nail in the coffin came when Westbrook put up a clutch three-pointer with two minutes left in the contest, assuring that the Thunder would deliver a W to is home crowd.

With the win, the Oklahoma City Thunder advance to 49-17 on the season and tout an outstanding 30-4 record at home. They challenge the Dallas Mavericks next on Sun., March 17 on the road.

Mar 13, 2013; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; The Oklahoma City Thunder mascot shoots t-shirts to the fans in a break in action against the Utah Jazz during the second half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Oklahoma City Thunder will look for their second straight win tonight as they host the Orlando Magic at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

The Thunder are coming off a convincing 110-87 win over the Utah Jazz last Wednesday night.

Kevin Durant had 23 points and 10 rebounds in the game but did not record an assist for the first time all season and he turned the ball over eight times as well.

Russell Westbrook flirted with a triple-double dropping 19 points to go with nine dimes and seven rebounds.

The Thunder starters did not need to play the fourth quarter as the game was already out of hand.

We may see a similar script tonight as the Magic come in as a team unexpected to pose much of a threat against the heavily favored home Thunder.

Orlando lost painfully to the Los Angeles Lakers in their last game at home, 106-97. Dwight Howard had 39 points and 16 rebounds in his first return to Orlando since joining the Lakers.

With only 17 games left in the season for Orlando, now is about the time where a team like them starts mailing games in. They know they aren’t playing for anything other than a higher lottery pick at this point. Expect to see things like young players getting longer burn rather than trying to win at all costs.

The Thunder are in a funny place right now too. Their record says they are better than last year but it doesn’t exactly feel that way, at least not all of the time.

Before beating Utah on Wednesday, the Thunder lost to the San Antonio Spurs a few nights prior and some major potential problems were revealed in that game.

Tonight, OKC is just showing up to take care of business. They don’t want to mess around with a close game against Orlando and should come out strong.

The game will tip at 8 p.m. EST.

Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

Orlando Magic Team Overview

The Magic were in a no-win situation last year with Dwight Howard. He made it clear he wanted out and it was evident he was playing his hardest for all of the season. By the end of the year Howard injured his back, missed the playoffs and the Magic were bounced in the first round.

The Howard-era ended in Orlando when they decided to trade him to the Los Angeles Lakers in part of a 4-team deal. Orlando would receive Arron Afflalo, Nikola Vucevic, Al Harrington, Moe Harkless, Josh McRoberts and Christian Eyenga in return as well as four future protected first round draft picks. Not the best deal.

Orlando also traded away Ryan Anderson and ended up with Gustavo Ayon in return. They drafted Andrew Nicholson and Kyle O’Quinn.

Per Howard’s wishes, Stan Van Gundy and Otis Smith were shown the door and were replaced by former Thunder front office man Rob Hennigan as GM and Jacque Vaughn as head coach.

The Magic are officially in rebuilding mode now having traded away the best center in the game and gotten just about nothing back in return. It is impossible to imagine them making the playoffs next year and they will more likely be in the running for the top lottery pick instead.

Last year

The Oklahoma City Thunder played the Magic twice last year and beat them both times. They played first on Christmas Day which was the first game of the year for both teams and OKC won at home 97-89.

Kevin Durant had 30 points, five rebounds and six assists. Russell Westbrook had just 14 points on 6-of-17 shooting. James Harden had 19 off the bench and went 10-of-12 from the free throw line.

Howard had only 11 points and 15 boards for the Magic.

The Thunder won a closer game in Orlando in their next meeting 105-102. Durant had 38 points and eight rebounds and completely took over in the fourth quarter. Westbrook added 29 points and 10 assists. Harden had 13 off the bench.

Howard was much better in this game with 33 points and nine rebounds.

The matchup

For all the drama last year, the Magic were still pretty good. They had the 13th best offense in terms of points per possession. They were only 11th best on post-up plays however despite Howard accounting for almost all of those plays.

Most of their offense (45%) came from the pick-and-roll and spot-up shooting. They were 10th in the league on spot-up shooting plays and 14th in the pick-and-roll.

The Magic were actually 2nd in the league in transition offense perhaps because of how many threes they hit on the fast break.

The Magic defense has always been one of the best in the league with Howard anchoring the paint but it took a step back last year. They were just 15th overall in terms of PPP.

Amazingly, they were last vs. post-up plays despite having Howard. They were only 16th best vs. isolation and pick-and-roll plays too.

We saw Durant have an easy time getting his vs. the Magic last year and it’s not surprising given these ranks. A few years ago with a more focused Howard and the Magic could have been a very tough team for the Thunder offense to deal with.

We will see if there is a significant difference with Howard in L.A. next year and if that defense is suddenly one of the best in the league after adding Howard.

Next year

The Magic will be one of the worst teams in the East next year and the Thunder really should have no trouble beating them on any day of the week. They will play twice again next year first on March 15 in OKC then on March 22 in Orlando.

With the Magic having more of a lottery feel to them, especially this late in the season and the Thunder pushing hard right before the playoffs, you can’t expect the Thunder to drop any of these games.

Expect the Magic defense to be one of the worst in the league next year as well and that is about the worst possible formula when playing OKC.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

It’s the end of August and things have settled down somewhat in the NBA. There aren’t a lot of free agents left out there looking for teams and we have a good idea of what kind of roster everyone will have for the start of next season.

The summer began pretty quietly with the NBA Draft, were there wasn’t quite as many trades as usual. Then the biggest news came with restricted free agents until Dwight Howard was eventually traded.

Here is a look at some of the best and worst from this offseason.

Best

Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers clearly lead the way as having the best offseason of anyone this summer. They started it off by trading for Steve Nash, shocking just about everyone as Nash decided to join his past rivals in chase of a ring. The Lakers immediately became a much stronger team after this trade as their point guard play has been very weak in the past few seasons.

Then the Lakers landed Howard in what was inevitable and surprising all at the same time. All-Star centers have a knack for finding their way to L.A. and the trade wasn’t completely out of the blue. But the Lakers really didn’t give up much at all to get Howard, just Andrew Bynum and Christian Eyenga.

The Lakers immediately became title contenders after the Howard trade. They kept Pau Gasol and now have a starting five considered possibly the best in the league. No one is going to hand the title over to them but there isn’t another team that improved as much as they did.

Brooklyn Nets

With the move to Brooklyn on the horizon for 2012-13, the Nets wanted to make sure they had a quality product on the floor to give their new city. The biggest move they made was locking up Deron Williams for the next five years.

The Nets were then very much in the hunt for Howard who even came out and said Brooklyn was the only place he wanted to play next year. A deal could not be found with the Magic and Brooklyn decided to go a different direction. They traded for Joe Johnson then re-signed Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries to hefty contracts.

The Nets are spending a lot of money for the team they have right now but the money isn’t a huge issue to their owner. The one problem is that they are pretty locked in to the core they have now and if it doesn’t work out, they will be in some trouble.

The acquisition of Johnson and locking up of Williams were great though. The Nets have a very good chance of contending in a weak Eastern Conference right now with the roster they have. Wherever Howard landed was going to make that team have the best offseason in the league but despite the Nets missing put on him, they did a pretty good job.

Boston Celtics

The Celtics were supposed to be on the way out, old and unable to compete for a title anymore. The moves they made this summer will extend that window a little longer. The Big 3 era is over now as Ray Allen signed with the Miami Heat this summer but that era was really already over anyway.

The Celtics started things off re-signing Kevin Garnett for a good price. They also drafted well addressing a need in their lack of size. They picked Jared Sullinger who slipped very late in the draft and has the potential to be one of the most talented players from this draft class. Then they picked a 7-foot center in Fab Melo.

Jason Terry decided to sign with the Celtics a little later, essentially replacing Allen’s role. The sneakiest move for Boston was a sign-and-trade to acquire shooting guard Courtney Lee who seems just what this team needs. Lee is a good outside shooter and solid wing defender that should mesh well with this roster.

The Celtics may still be a far way off from the Miami Heat but their roster looks better than it did last year despite the expectation that they were still on the decline.

Worst

Orlando Magic

The Magic were put in a no-win situation this year. Their franchise player wanted out and quit on the team. The Magic knew they couldn’t replace him and were going to take a significant step back next season. So they decided to stay strong and hold out for the best possible deal despite all the drama that was going on.

Then they traded Howard and the deal they ended up getting seemed pretty terrible. They weren’t able to get Bynum or Gasol from the Lakers in the deal, although they may not have really wanted either, and instead ended up with Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic and Moe Harkless. They also received four protected first-round picks which won’t be very valuable either.

The plan was to completely start over with new GM Rob Hennigan who wants to imitate the Thunder model. They are definitely doing that but good luck drafting your version of Durant-Westbrook-Harden-Ibaka in the next three drafts.

The Magic come away post-Howard looking closer to the Bobcats than a team that is young with a promising future. It never ends well when your star player wants out but how could it have gone worse for Orlando?

Houston Rockets

The Rockets made some of the most noise this summer as they tried to go all-in on acquiring Dwight Howard. That obviously didn’t work out and their consolation prize was restricted free agents Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik, not horrible but nothing even close to Howard.

While the Rockets were stockpiling assets to throw Orlando’s way, it started to look like they had the best package to woo the Magic. Later the rumored deals Houston was willing to trade to Orlando proved to be false and they weren’t offering quite that much for Howard.

The Rockets are parting ways with Luis Scola, Kyle Lowry, Goran Dragic, Marcus Camby and Chase Budinger from last year’s team while replacing those guys with not much. They do have three first-round draft picks that could be cool and Donatas Montiejunas is coming over next season.

The Rockets have a very good chance to have the worst record in the conference next season. Sometimes you have to get worse before you can get good and that seems to be Houston’s mindset right now.

New York Knicks

There wasn’t a lot the Knicks could do heading into this offseason but what ended up happening was embarrassingly bad. The worst thing was when they decided not to match Houston’s offer sheet for Lin. They are avoiding some harsh luxury tax penalties by parting ways with Lin, but letting him walk for nothing is truly unforgiveable.

The Knicks are replacing Lin with Jason Kidd and Raymond Felton. No one can get excited for that.

The Knicks were in the running for Nash too before the Lakers swooped in and got him. Not only did the Knicks lose Nash but Landry Fields as well, who signed a big offer sheet with Toronto that New York chose not to match.

When the Knicks acquired Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, they were supposed to start competing for NBA championships. It still feels like they are very far away from this and it’s hard to see how they can change that too.

Where the Thunder fit in

The Thunder had a quiet offseason for the most part and that’s how they like it. They weren’t the best or worst, and closer to one of the best if anything. In the draft, picking Perry Jones who fell so far to them is a great pick. He has nothing but potential and if he doesn’t work out, no big deal either.

The Thunder then made some headlines a few days ago locking up Serge Ibaka for the next four years. James Harden is next on the list and those close to the team really feel like that will happen soon.

The Thunder will improve next year simply from experience and are still the favorites in the Western Conference. There’s nothing wrong with that.

Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

The Los Angeles Lakers shook up the landscape of the NBA again when they traded for Dwight Howard last week.

The deal will immediately make the Lakers legitimate NBA title contenders and in some people’s eyes, the NBA title favorites already.

The Lakers will have to go through the Oklahoma City Thunder though. The defending Western Conference champs didn’t make any big moves this summer simply because they didn’t have to. The Lakers have improved their roster leaps and bounds from last year but the Thunder are still more than capable of matching up with them.

Here’s a look at how the matchup will breakdown.

Point guards

The Lakers’ biggest weakness the past few seasons was the point guard position. They went out and got Steve Nash this summer which will drastically improve that area for them. Nash will turn 39 next year but is still playing at an elite level. Last year with Phoenix, he averaged 12.5 points and 10.7 assists per game in just 31.6 minutes per game. He also matched a career-high shooting .532 percent from the field and also shot .390 percent from three.

Old age is not the ideal weapon to throw at OKC’s Russell Westbrook who is one of the best athletes in the NBA. Westbrook is coming off a great season himself where he was fifth in the NBA averaging 23.6 points per game. It’s safe to say Nash will have a pretty difficult time staying in front of Westbrook.

Westbrook will have a huge edge in terms of athleticism but Nash can make up for it some with his basketball savvy. Westbrook has struggled somewhat in matchups vs. experienced point guards but in the long run, Westbrook will still have the advantage here. Nash could outplay him in a half of a game, but for the full 48, the advantage goes to Westbrook.

Shooting guards

The Lakers have always been used to having a huge advantage at this position with Kobe Bryant. That may not be the case against the Thunder though. James Harden was the Sixth Man of the Year last season, made the 2012 Olympic team and is very much closing in on the heels of Kobe.

It’s not fair to say that Harden will have an advantage over Kobe yet in this matchup but it’s definitely closer than some people would think. The Thunder made Kobe really work for his points when they played in the postseason. Kobe had a pretty good series averaging 31.2 points per game and 10.2 free throw attempts per game but the Thunder still did a good job containing him.

Thabo Sefolosha is an elite perimeter defender that has no problem guarding Kobe one-on-one. The Thunder would be able to rely on using Sefolosha on Kobe a lot in this matchup if they could count on playing a lot of small lineups like last year. But that will be less likely with the Lakers’ size for next season.

Harden will have to match up with Kobe even more so than usual. Kobe should see a decline in the advantage he has over Harden in this matchup and there may even be some games where Harden can match Kobe.

Small forwards

The Thunder will just about always have the advantage at this position. No one in the NBA can slow down Kevin Durant. Metta World Peace used to be his kryptonite but not anymore. Durant averaged 26.8 points and shot .516 percent from the field vs. the Lakers last year in the playoffs.

Durant even proved that not even LeBron can really slow him down when he averaged 30.6 points per game in the Finals and shot .548 percent.

The Lakers will have a very tough time slowing down Durant and will have to weather his storm. That’s the biggest problem for the Lakers in this matchup. Even though they have improved their roster, they haven’t necessarily improved it in a way to slow down OKC’s big three on offense.

Durant and Westbrook should have less success driving into the paint with Howard now lurking but they are jump shooters first anyway, and that’s how they beat L.A. last year.

Power forwards

Now we’re getting to the big men where the Lakers will have the advantage. At power forward we will be seeing a lot of Pau Gasol vs. Serge Ibaka. Ibaka finished second in the Defensive Player of the Year voting last season but still has some issues guarding good post-up players like Gasol.

Gasol was not very assertive last year though especially against the Thunder as he only averaged 12.9 points per game against them in the playoffs. Gasol looked much better in the Olympics but it isn’t a guarantee he will carry over that level of play back to the NBA.

Ibaka seems to always play big against the Lakers too. He can get his midrange shot easily with Gasol matched up with him and averaged 4.0 blocks per game vs. the Lakers in their playoff series.

Gasol is expected to be more comfortable with the Lakers next season in their Princeton offense and with Nash. Ibaka should improve too though and will be able to slow down Gasol again.

Centers

This is where we see the biggest change. Howard is far and away the best center in the NBA right now. It’s easy to forget this since most of our recent memory with him is how he ruined his image in Orlando.

Howard is impossible for almost any team to match up with except maybe the Thunder. Kendrick Perkins has always had the reputation as being one of the few guys in the NBA who could guard Howard one-on-one. While this may not be exactly true it should still limit the Lakers’ advantage over the Thunder at this spot.

The key with the Thunder vs. the Lakers is they don’t have to double anyone. The Thunder never had to double anyone last season until they got to the NBA Finals and ended up stuck with Harden guarding LeBron in the post. That’s a huge reason why they lost and a huge reason why they got that far is that they are able to match up with every team man-to-man.

This is why the Thunder should still be considered the favorites in the West. The Lakers got better but not quite enough to dethrone the Thunder, at least without seeing them play yet.

The Thunder and Lakers will play for the first time next season Friday, Dec. 7 on ESPN. Howard is expected to miss the beginning of the season but could be back in time for that game. If he isn’t, the next meeting between the Thunder and Lakers will be Jan. 11.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-US PRESSWIRE

Dwight Howard has finally been traded from the Orlando Magic as part of a 4-team blockbuster sending him to the Los Angeles Lakers and a bunch of other players elsewhere.

The Lakers got Howard as well as Chris Duhon and Earl Clark from Orlando. The Magic received Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Moe Harkless, Nikola Vucevic, Josh McRoberts and Christian Eyenga as well as some future draft picks. Denver received Andre Iguodala and Philadelphia got Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson.

Howard heading to L.A. surely headlined this trade but it wasn’t the only important part of the trade.

Here’s a breakdown of the four teams involved with the trade:

Los Angeles Lakers

We might as well start with Howard’s destination, L.A. The Lakers did it again here, snagging the top center in the league to remain relevant. They did so by only having to give up Andrew Bynum and somehow hanging on to Pau Gasol.

The Lakers have now acquired Howard and Steve Nash in one summer and will strut out a starting lineup with them, Gasol and Kobe Bryant. They’ve immediately put themselves into the NBA title conversation with what many are calling the best starting five in the NBA now.

The Lakers got everything they wanted here and more. Pairing Nash and Howard will make for one of the more deadly pick-and-rolls in NBA history, even at Nash’s age. Throw in Gasol who should get an appropriate amount of touches with Nash handling the rock and Kobe at a point in his career, ready to sacrifice even more to win and the Lakers look better than ever.

They may or may not be favored to make it to the NBA Finals but that doesn’t really matter. They are now in position to match up much better with the West’s biggest competition, the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Howard has said he wants to test out free agency next summer but still, the Lakers should be able to hang on to him long-term. They can offer him an extra year and $20 million more on his contract and after a year in L.A., it seems very unlikely he’d want to bolt.

Howard is said to likely not be ready for the start of the season, still nursing his ailing back but that’s not a problem for the Lakers at all.

Orlando Magic

The Magic waited a pretty long time before finally dealing Howard. The idea was that they were holding out for a really good package and would keep him as long as possible, maybe even through the trade deadline of next season.

It was more than surprising to see the kind of deal Orlando made out with here. The package of young talent and picks they are getting isn’t as good as the one Houston had been offering them. They didn’t want to deal with Houston though only because the Rockets wouldn’t take on enough of their bad contracts apparently.

Afflalo and Harrington are basically pointless and they couldn’t even get Gasol out of the deal, whether they wanted to keep him or not they could have easily traded him somewhere for something.

They aren’t screwed with guys like Afflalo and Harrington now and it is clear that new GM Rob Hennigan wants to try and emulate what the Thunder did, bottoming out and drafting high for three years in a row. Good luck with that finding the next Durant-Westbrook-Harden trio in the next three drafts.

Denver Nuggets

Denver is very happy with what they did in this trade, besides allowing the Lakers to acquire Howard, which in the long run may have made this a bad move by them.

But getting Iguodala while parting ways with Afflalo and Harrington is a big upgrade for them. Iguodala will fit in perfectly with what they’re doing over there. As an athletic wing and defensive stopper, Iguodala will thrive in Denver’s up tempo offense and give them something they were missing on defense.

Denver was going to be a playoff team next year and now become that much better. They have a legitimate shot at getting to a 4-5 seed in the West and there’s nothing wrong with that at all.

Philadelphia 76ers

The 76ers are also very happy getting Bynum here as hard as it was to say goodbye to Iguodala, who gave them so much over the past eight years. Bynums don’t come around too often and upgrading to the second-best center in the league is a big move for Philly, especially since they’re in the East.

Bynum will be a very tough matchup for any team in the East, including the Miami Heat. No one’s saying they are going to compete with the Heat now but they definitely took a step closer.

They were a 7-9 seed team with Iguodala as their best player and Bynum will raise that ceiling. They should be right there with Indiana, Boston and Chicago now.

There is a chance Bynum won’t work out perfectly though. He’s a knucklehead and has had some big injury concerns in the past. But Philly had to take this chance. Bynum was a first-time All-Star last season and now in a place where he can get 20-plus shots a night, might blossom even more.

Oklahoma City Thunder

We have to include the Thunder in this trade because they are very much affected too, along with the rest of the league. OKC looked to have the West locked up for the next five years easily but now they are being questioned as the favorites in the conference.

The Lakers definitely upgraded and should be highly touted but the Thunder aren’t making any lateral moves next year either. They expect to improve simply from the invaluable experience they gained after an NBA Finals trip as well as adding some bodies to the rotation like Eric Maynor and Perry Jones.

Howard is scary to a lot of teams but the Thunder actually have a guy who can match Howard’s physicality in Kendrick Perkins. Yes, Perkins is now relevant again. It looked like the league might have been shifting to small ball but not so fast. Perkins is exactly what the Thunder need to contend with Howard next season.

The Thunder actually matchup well with the Lakers elsewhere too. Serge Ibaka can keep up with Gasol, Westbrook is a nightmare for Nash on defense and no one is slowing down Kevin Durant.

It was never going to get easier to win titles and this trade is an example of that.

Kim Klement-US PRESSWIRE

Dwight Howard has finally been traded from the Orlando Magic and it’s the Los Angeles Lakers that will be acquiring him as first reported by ESPN’s Marc Stein. Sources say that a trade call will be made to the league office Friday morning to complete the deal that will involve a total of four teams.

The Lakers would acquire Howard and the Magic would get Arron Afflalo, Al Harrington, Nikola Vucevic, Moe Harkless and a first round pick from each team at least. The Denver Nuggets will get Andre Iguodala and the Philadelphia 76ers will get Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson.

Howard finally being traded is a long time coming and just about everyone is glad to see him finally leave Orlando. Howard has said he does not want to sign an extension and wants to test free agency next summer.

The Lakers will have until June 30 next year to get Howard to sign an extension. In the long-term, extending with the Lakers would benefit Howard the most financially so there’s still a good chance he will do so or simply re-sign with the Lakers next summer while he’s testing free agency.

It was reported yesterday afternoon that this 4-way deal might happen and it was including Pau Gasol in the deal then. Now it appears the Lakers will not have to give up Gasol and are basically just swapping Bynum for Howard.

The Magic were patient in their quest to part ways with Howard and wanted to wait for the best deal possible. Somehow that is coming in the form of what they are getting here.

Philadelphia and Denver both should be happy to be a part of this. Philadelphia has wanted for awhile now to find a way to become more than a perennial 6-8 seed in the East and getting Bynum for Iguodala might have the potential to make them a serious contender in the East.

Denver is kind of in the same boat and isn’t losing much in this deal while acquiring an All-Star in Iguodala who will certainly make them a better team.

Howard’s saga in Orlando seemed to last forever and there were times where it didn’t look like there was going to be an endpoint. It’s good that is finally over and of course it’s the Lakers once again swooping in and acquiring the best center in the NBA.

Howard Smith-US PRESSWIRE

Trade talks have resumed again over Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard. The Magic and Los Angeles Lakers have been trying to come up with a deal that would send Howard to L.A. for a few weeks now.

The latest development now involves a proposed blockbuster trade that would include the Denver Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers as part of a 4-team trade, according to Yahoo! Sports.

The Lakers would receive Howard and Al Harrington, Orlando would get Pau Gasol and Arron Afflalo, Andre Iguodala would go to the Nuggets and Andrew Bynum to the 76ers.

The biggest thing keeping Orlando from dealing Howard thus far is that they haven’t seen a deal out there worthy yet. Gasol and Afflalo are nice pieces and it is also believed though they would try and flip Gasol somewhere for young players and picks.

The Houston Rockets could possibly be interested in Gasol as they have stockpiled a roster full of young talent and draft picks. Houston was part of the 3-way trade that was vetoed last year that would have sent Chris Paul to the Lakers and Gasol to Houston.

More details will have to come out with this potential deal though because Orlando still definitely wants to give up more than just Howard. They want to start over in a sense, ridding themselves of all their bad contracts. Taking on Gasol and Afflalo doesn’t exactly accomplish that.

Kobe Bryant said earlier this summer that Pau was his guy and wasn’t going anywhere. The Lakers roster already looks very nice for next year with Steve Nash alongside Kobe, Gasol and Bynum. They’d be trading two for one to take on Howard in this deal which is a little bit of a risk.

The other interesting wrinkle in this deal is Iguodala and Bynum’s potential landing spots. You have to think Philadelphia would be all for swapping Iguodala for Bynum and trying to build their team around the young center.

Iguodala would probably seamlessly fit in with Denver and what they’re doing with the top scoring offense in the NBA, possibly making them a little bit more of a dangerous playoff team.

The deal isn’t close to being done though as the teams are just in early talks right now.

Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder have signed Daniel Orton to non-guaranteed training camp contract, according to The Oklahoman.

Orton, who is from Oklahoma City, is not guaranteed a roster spot as the Thunder have already filled their roster with 15 players under contract for next season this summer.

The Thunder lost Derek Fisher, Nazr Mohammed and Royal Ivey from last year’s roster and replaced them with first round draft pick Perry Jones, former No. 2 overall pick Hasheem Thabeet and undrafted rookie Hollis Thompson.

Orton was drafted 29th overall in the 2010 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic. He didn’t play in any games that season and played in just 16 games last season for the Magic and actually started two of them when Dwight Howard was injured.

Orton averaged 2.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game last year in 11.7 minutes per game.

Orton was part of an impressive University of Kentucky draft class back in 2010 that included John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. Orton didn’t even start in college and left Kentucky after just one season and was still drafted in the first round.

It is safe to say he hasn’t progressed too much thus far in his NBA career and is considered somewhat of a knucklehead. He is only 22 years old though and has potential but don’t expect him to necessarily make the Thunder’s roster.

According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Kobe and head coach Mike Brown have discussed in detail the possibility of the Lakers switching their offense to the Princeton style next season.

“It’s a great offense,” Kobe told Yahoo! Sports. “It’s exactly what we need. It takes us back to being able to play by making reads and reacting to defenses. It takes a great deal of communication, but that’s where we’re at our best: Reading and reacting as opposed to just coming down and calling sets. Calling sets make you vulnerable.”

The Lakers will look different next season with or without Dwight Howard. They traded for Steve Nash shortly after the season ended which will throw an entirely new variable into the Lakers and Kobe.

Kobe has never played with a point guard quite like Nash before, one who is so talented and has dominated the ball so much in his career. Both Kobe and Nash will be due to adjust now playing together and this new offense may play a big part in that.

The Princeton offense, which is considered a close relative to the Triangle offense Phil Jackson ran with the Lakers, will allow for more versatility from more players. Someone like Pau Gasol will be a perfect fit in it as he is such a great passer for a big man and skilled in so many ways.

As Kobe continues to age, now 33, he will continue to look for more ways to gain an edge on the competition. The great players always do this. They don’t just keep deteriorating as time goes on, they keep fighting during their athletic decline and often will rise back up in forms we haven’t seen before.

Kobe embracing an offense that won’t feature him as much as an isolation monster is an example of this. It’s really just what the Lakers need from him too.

The Lakers were bounced in the second round of the playoffs this past season in five games by the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder and Miami Heat met in the NBA Finals in what was a glimpse into what the future of the NBA will look like. The Lakers realize they need to change some to keep up with these young guns.

The Lakers have vaulted probably to the second-best team in the Western Conference for this coming season. The Thunder are still considered the class of the conference but adding Nash has moved L.A. ahead of the Spurs, probably unfairly.

There is still a great chance L.A. will trade for Dwight Howard before the season begins too which will make them that much more potent of a title contender.

The Thunder got over what some would consider a big hump beating the Lakers, the team that has dominated the Western Conference for so long, in a series a few months back. The Lakers aren’t rolling over and dying though.

The Thunder will be considered the favorites in the West this coming season but there will be a lot of work to do to repeat and make it to the NBA Finals again.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

The Dallas Mavericks may become the frontrunner to land Dwight Howard next summer if he is not traded to the Lakers or Nets and becomes a free agent instead, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Howard has said before he would like to test free agency next summer making this point even more impactful for Dallas. Howard does not want to sign an extension with any team he is traded to but would be willing to re-sign if it is the Lakers or Nets.

Dallas owner Mark Cuban broke up a championship team a year ago in hopes of being able to lure Howard and Deron Williams to Dallas in the near future. Cuban struck out with Williams who signed an extension with the Nets this summer and now will focus all of his attention on Howard next summer if he is available.

Orlando Magic GM Rob Hennigan met with Howard Wednesday to discuss his future. Howard made it very clear he does not want to remain part of the Magic organization saying he would “never sign another contract with the Magic,” according to RealGM.

Howard said he would like to either be traded to the Lakers soon, traded to Brooklyn in January or simply become a free agent after the season ends.

The Magic certainly want to get something back for Howard and all his drama and would prefer to trade him. The potential trade with the Lakers would involve the Cleveland Cavaliers as a third team. The Houston Rockets have also still not given up on trying to trade for Howard.

The Lakers would send Andrew Bynum to Cleveland in the potential trade. Bynum was rumored to be meeting with the Lakers to discuss a contract extension for himself but his agent has since denied any such meeting. Bynum seems to have been left in the dark as far as trade talks have gone which may be an indicator of how far away a deal is to be being done.

If somehow Howard is not traded and remains with the Magic for all of next season then the Mavericks will really have a chance to sign him in the summer. But if Howard is dealt to either the Lakers or Nets, we can fully expect him to stay with that team beyond next season.

The Rockets destination would be the only other scenario for Howard to get traded too then still test free agency in the summer. GM Daryl Morey is very willing to risk trading for Howard and convincing him to stay past one season despite Howard being open about not wanting to play there.

Talks about who would be the favorite to sign Howard next summer may be a bad sign for him getting moved anytime soon. Orlando has said they aren’t necessarily in a hurry to trade Howard but everyone knows they’d love to rid themselves of Dwight’s drama as soon as possible.

Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

The Los Angeles Lakers have emerged as the frontrunner to trade for Dwight Howard this summer. But the Orlando Magic are in no rush to deal the All-Star center, according to ESPN’s Chris Broussard.

The Magic have stood their ground on trading Howard. They aren’t going to give him up for nothing and now maybe won’t give him up at all.

Sources told Broussard that the Magic may be willing to wait until after the season starts and all the way until the trading deadline in February before trading Howard. They are waiting for the best possible deal and their recent trade talks with the Lakers may be to try and get other teams to jump in with a better offer.

The potential trade between Orlando and the Lakers would also include the Cleveland Cavaliers as the third wheel. Howard would go to L.A., Andrew Bynum would go to Cleveland and the Magic would receive a slew of picks and some young prospects.

The most recent news surrounding that potential trade was Howard saying he does not plan on signing an extension no matter where he is next season. He wants to test free agency at least somewhat next summer but whichever team he ends up on will be able to offer him the longest contract worth the most money.

On paper, this deal still seems not quite as good as the potential package the Houston Rockets would be willing to send Orlando. Houston GM Daryl Morey has been going “all-in” to try and acquire Howard by stockpiling picks and first round draft picks from this year’s draft to try and entice the Magic to pull the trigger on a deal.

Houston is confident too that they would be able to convince Howard to stay with the team beyond next season.

The Rockets have signed this offseason two restricted free agents in Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik. They are paying each quite a bit of money but the signings of both shouldn’t impede their attempts to trade for Howard.

The fact of the matter is that the Magic still have plenty of time before deciding what they want to do with Howard and they intend to take that time. It’s a smart move as the landscape of the NBA and potential trade partners can change on a daily basis.

The Brooklyn Nets who first appeared to be the frontrunners for Howard this summer and were the team that Howard said he wanted to be traded to, would be back in the hunt if Howard is still on the Magic by Jan. 15, 2013.

When the Nets extended center Brook Lopez, who would have been an integral piece in a Howard trade, it meant they couldn’t trade Lopez until Jan. 15 of next season. Brooklyn had essentially moved on from trying to trade for Howard or maybe they knew Howard wasn’t going anywhere, anytime soon.

Orlando dragging out the Howard saga may seem like a bad idea and many people would like to see the Magic trade him and rid themselves of his drama but it may be smarter for them to hold out for the best possible deal, even if that means waiting until next February.

Dennis Wierzbicki-US PRESSWIRE

The Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic are still working on a deal that would send Dwight Howard to L.A.

Howard, who previously said the Brooklyn Nets was the only team he would extend with beyond next season, is now committed to an extension with the Lakers as well, according to Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.

The potential trade between the Lakers and Magic would more than likely have to involve a third team. Right now the team trying to be the third wheel in a Howard deal is the Cleveland Cavaliers.

In the potential trade between these three teams, the Cavaliers would receive Bynum and the Magic would get Anderson Varejao and multiple draft picks.

Howard going to the Lakers has really always been the move that made the most sense for him. If he wants a ring, given the current landscape of the league and potential destinations for him, the Lakers are the right spot.

There were some rumors that Howard would not want to go to the Lakers because he would be the second-fiddle to Kobe Bryant but that doesn’t look to be the case anymore.

After acquiring Steve Nash earlier this month, the Lakers could possibly be considered title favorites with Nash, Kobe, Howard and Pau Gasol.

Howard’s health is still a concern though and he might not be ready to play by the start of next season. That isn’t the end of the world for the Lakers if he goes there but he’d definitely have to get to 100 percent for them to compete for a title with him.

Howard sent direct messages on Twitter a few days ago describing how he can barely walk right now and Orlando is not being totally forthright about his injury.

The Lakers are ready to make this trade and the Cavaliers probably are too and would love to team Bynum up with their young core of Kyrie Irving, Dion Waiters and Tristan Thompson.

Orlando is likely the team that will be last to say “yes” on this. The Houston Rockets still consider themselves very much in the mix to trade for Howard and still could muster up a better package of young players and picks to send the Magic.

Orlando has said before too that they are not in any hurry to get a deal done soon. So while the Lakers may be anxious to finalize this soon, we may have to wait a little longer before we see where Howard will end up.

Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

The Los Angeles Lakers are looking to meet with Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic to work on a trade for the All-Star center, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.

The Lakers would like to receive a commitment from Howard that he will extend with the team beyond next season if they trade for him. Howard said previously that the only team he would extend with was the Brooklyn Nets.

There have been plenty of rumors involving Howard being traded to the Lakers. Most likely a third team would have to be involved for Orlando to get the best deal back from Howard involving either young prospects or a bunch of future draft picks.

The only team not interested in hearing Howard commit beyond next season with them is the Houston Rockets who are still “all-in” in attempting to acquire Howard. GM Daryl Morey has set up his roster with a slew of young assets and picks to throw Orlando’s way and they currently look like the team with the most to offer the Magic.

Howard sent direct messages on Twitter this week indicating that Orlando has not been totally up front about his health. Howard missed the end of last season and had back surgery and basically said he could barely walk in the direct messages.

There is a chance Howard would not be healthy to play by the start of next season and there is even a rumor out there (although unlikely) that Howard would choose to sit out the entire 2012-13 season if he remained with the Magic.

The team hoping for Howard to stay put until next summer is the Dallas Mavericks. Dallas tried to clear up cap to attract Deron Williams this summer but that did not work out and now they will do the same for Howard next summer.

Meanwhile Dallas looked as if it would end up with a very depleted roster losing Jason Terry and Jason Kidd but a couple of recent signings have salvaged a decent roster for them. Unrestricted free agent O.J. Mayo announced on Twitter that he will be signing with the Mavericks this season. Earlier in the week, Dallas grabbed Chris Kaman, Elton Brand and stole Darren Collison from Indiana.

The 2011 NBA champions are a far different team now and with an aging Dirk Nowitzki will not be back competing for a title any time soon unless they are able to sign a player like Howard.

Dallas beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in conference finals in 2011 and then got swept by them this past season in the first round.

With all of the recent movement around the league and the Western Conference in particular, OKC will still be considered the heavy favorite to make it to the NBA Finals again. Their biggest competition perhaps will be the Lakers since they have acquired Steve Nash, although the Thunder beat L.A. in five games in the second round this past postseason.

The other L.A. team, the Clippers are also up and coming in the West and have made a few nice moves to improve their roster starting with extending Blake Griffin for the next five years. Griffin suffered a knee injury during the Team USA training however and will have surgery Monday.

The Clippers have also signed Jamal Crawford and re-signed Chauncey Billups. They have also reportedly agreed to a 2-year deal with Grant Hill who was also considering the Lakers, Heat and Knicks. The Clippers were missing out on wing players on their roster this past season but adding Hill and Crawford will help them in that department.

The West has certainly gotten stronger from last season and we haven’t even mentioned the San Antonio Spurs who will have the same roster next season.

The Thunder don’t have to make moves to improve though. The experience they gained making it to the NBA Finals was enough.

The Knicks were believed all along to be planning to match the offer sheet Jeremy Lin signed with the Houston Rockets for three years, $25 million but now trading for Felton makes it seem like the Knicks will pass on Lin.

The Knicks would incur some pretty steep luxury tax penalties if they were to match Houston’s offer for Lin but many believe the value of Lin in New York and his effect on ticket/jersey sales would be able to make up for it.

Lin played in 35 games for the Knicks this season and averaged 14.6 points and 6.2 assists per game. Felton played for the Knicks in the 2010-11 season and averaged 17.1 points and 9.0 assists per game.

The deal between New York and Portland will also involve the Knicks sending Jared Jeffries and Dan Gadzuric to the Blazers for Kurt Thomas along with Felton. Felton will be set to make around $10 million over the next three years with New York.

The Knicks could still potentially match Houston’s offer for Lin but after also trading for Jason Kidd this offseason, acquiring a third point guard in Lin doesn’t seem to make much sense.

The Rockets will be happy to get Lin although their main priority is still Dwight Howard. Lin thrived in the pick-and-roll under Mike D’Antoni and Houston is a system that loves their point guards in the pick-and-roll with Kyle Lowry and Goran Dragic doing so well in it last year.

The latest rumors on Howard’s potential movement now involve a 3-team trade between Orlando, Cleveland and the Lakers that would send Howard to L.A. and Andrew Bynum to Cleveland.

Although now that deal looks to not be happening either, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports.

The Magic would make out of the deal with a package of picks and prospects, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. This potential deal is very far from being done but does seem the most likely trade Howard would accept.

It is unlikely that any team would be able to offer a greater package of picks and prospects than Houston though.

Howard trade rumors are different every few days but many still believe the Lakers have the best chance of getting him like they’ve done so many times before with the NBA’s best centers.

Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

The Orlando Magic have stopped making progress on a potential Dwight Howard trade for the time being. The Brooklyn Nets are now out of the picture and no deal elsewhere seems imminent for Howard.

Orlando was close to a deal with the Nets. They would have received three future first round picks and Brook Lopez and would have given up Howard and one of their bad contracts. The deal never looked great for the Magic and that’s why it wasn’t much of a surprise when it fell through.

The Lakers appear to have possibly the best package to send Orlando’s way with Andrew Bynum. But Bynum hasn’t agreed to re-sign with the Magic past next season leaving Orlando holding out for more.

The Magic and GM Rob Hennigan seem more interested in acquiring picks and young players than a replacement for Howard in Bynum that would leave the team in a similar situation trying to keep him.

The Houston Rockets have emerged as the team with the best possible offer for Howard. It is a deal that the Magic should take advantage of and get done as soon as possible.

Houston is doing everything possible to get a chance at Howard most recently cutting cap room so that they will be able to absorb a few bad contracts from the Magic. The Rockets have amnestied Luis Scola which means they would be able to take on Glen Davis, Jason Richardson and Chris Duhon along with Howard.

The Rockets can put together a package involving multiple future first round picks, Kevin Martin, Patrick Patterson, Marcus Morris, Chandler Parsons and the rights to their three first round picks this year, Jeremy Lamb, Royce White and Terrence Jones.

The Magic can do exactly what they wanted to all along if they make a deal with the Rockets. Orlando gets to part ways with Howard and clear a ton of cap essentially allowing them to start over from scratch with a bunch of young talented players as well.

Howard has yet to agree to re-sign with the Rockets after next season if he is traded there but Houston and GM Daryl Morey remain optimistic they would be able to convince Howard to stay after a season with the team.

While the Rockets are going all in to acquire Howard, they have also made a few offer sheets to restricted free agents Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik. If Lin and Asik’s offers are matched by the Knicks and Bulls then the Rockets will have more cap space to go after Howard. The Rockets don’t want to pull out of any of the promised offer sheets either.

The Knicks are expected to match Lin’s offer sheet despite the Rockets increasing the amount in the deal. It was first reported that Houston offered Lin a 3-year, $19 million deal but has since increased to a 3-year, $25 million deal.

The Knicks could incur upwards of $45 million in luxury tax penalties by the third year of Lin’s contract if they match. All indications are that the Knicks aren’t too concerned about entering the luxury tax penalties over the next three seasons.

“We’ve moved on. It just got to a point where we couldn’t keep going back and forth with Orlando. They had about 14 days to do something and didn’t. We just had to move on, and we felt that way this morning,” a Nets source told ESPNNewYork.com’s Ian O’Connor.

The Nets have offered Brook Lopez a max 4-year, $58 million deal and are discussing the possibilities of adding a fifth year. The Nets did this to prevent Lopez from signing an offer sheet with another team (he had offer sheets ready to sign with Portland and Charlotte) and it has also made it so Orlando is no longer interested in trading Howard to Brooklyn.

Orlando Magic GM Rob Hennigan said that if Lopez signs a deal of that magnitude than any chances of trading Howard to Brooklyn are gone.

Hennigan informed Howard today that the Magic attempted to make a deal with the Nets but that they could not come to one and now Orlando will focus its energy on finding a new head coach.

With the Nets now out of the picture for Howard, the Los Angeles Lakers look to be by far the frontrunner for Howard although a potential deal between L.A. and Orlando is far from close to being done.

The Lakers would have to trade away Andrew Bynum to get Howard and have said they would be willing to accept Jason Richardson and his contract as part of a potential deal.

Bynum hasn’t said he would re-sign with the Magic past next season however which is part of why Orlando would be hesitant to make that deal. If the Magic were to get Bynum though, they could potentially offer him a 5-year, $100 million deal next summer which would be tough for anyone to turn down.

Orlando is most interested in getting as many draft picks as possible so a third team would likely be necessary to sweeten a potential deal with the Lakers.

The Lakers most recently traded for Steve Nash and a core involving Kobe Bryant, Nash and Howard would be a dream for the Lakers and immediately put them in the discussion for making it to the NBA Finals next season.

The Houston Rockets are the other team still in the mix for trading for Howard. Houston could offer the Magic the best package of draft picks and young players that Orlando wants but Howard has said he would not re-sign past next season if traded to the Rockets.

The Rockets seem unconcerned with that however and would be willing to take their chances with Howard for one season.

The Magic have said before that they are in no particular rush to trade Howard who may not even be ready to play by the start of next season due to his back injury. It is hard to imagine Howard playing another game in an Orlando Magic uniform though so a trade still seems more likely than that.

Camby will sign a 3-year, $13.2 million deal. The Rockets will receive Toney Douglas, Josh Harrelson and Jerome Jordan along with second round picks in 2014 and 2015.

Camby was deciding between a few teams including the Miami Heat but would have had to take much less money to go play in South Beach.

The Knicks have also come to terms with their two shooters from last season, Steve Novak and J.R. Smith.

Novak has agreed to a 4-year, $15 million deal with New York and Smith a 2-year, $2.8 million deal.

New York is putting together what feels like a better roster than last season’s. Not getting Steve Nash was devastating but they are still making progress.

Indiana Pacers center Roy Hibbert is a restricted free agent this summer and agreed to a 4-year, $58 million offer sheet with Portland. Indiana expectedly plans to match that offer.

Free agents cannot officially sign until July 11 and at that point, teams will have three days to match any offer sheets that are signed.

The Orlando Magic are still working on getting a deal done to trade Dwight Howard. Yesterday, a third team (the Cleveland Cavaliers) was brought into the mix with Orlando and Brooklyn. Now the Nets are looking to involve the Los Angeles Clippers as well.

Brooklyn wants to trade MarShon Brooks to the Clippers for another first rounder to use in the package they will send Orlando in exchange for Howard.

The deal still looks like highway robbery for the Nets and it is unclear if the deal is really close enough for the Magic to say yes.

The Clippers would make out great if they can swap a first round pick for Brooks who had a very nice rookie campaign.

A 3-way trade has been proposed between the Magic, Nets and Cleveland Cavaliers that would involve 10 different players.

• Brooklyn would receive Howard, Jason Richardson and Earl Clark.
• Orlando would receive Brook Lopez, Damion James, Sheldon Williams, three first round picks and Luke Walton from Cleveland.
• Cleveland would receive Quentin Richardson, Sundiata Gaines, Kris Humphries, a first round pick and $3 million cash from Brooklyn.

The Nets are also looking to add another first round pick in the trade to send to Orlando by trading MarShon Brooks.

This deal does not look any more appetizing for the Magic than some of the previous deals they reportedly were not interested in.

This proposed deal feels a little similar to when the New York Knicks were said to be the frontrunner for Steve Nash and then he suddenly ended up being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Maybe the Lakers swoop in again out of nowhere to add another superstar?

The Lakers still want to trade Andrew Bynum to the Magic in a deal for Howard but the Magic are hesitant since Bynum has not said he would re-sign with Orlando following the 2012-13 season.

Orlando would be able to offer Bynum a 5-year, $100 million deal next summer which would be tough for him to turn down.

Source w/knowledge of situation says Nets & Magic have exchanged medical records for Dwight Howard & Brook Lopez (via @RicBucher)

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) July 9, 2012

The Cavaliers can help facilitate the trade by taking on Kris Humphries in a sign-and-trade as well as possibly MarShon Brooks. The Magic would receive Brook Lopez along with three first round draft picks.

The deal for Orlando does not seem much better than the ones rumored between them and the Nets earlier that the Magic were not interested in. However, it is rumored that this deal could be done by the end of the day today.

Brooklyn would suffer harsh luxury tax penalties over the next four seasons if they do get Howard. The penalties could amount to over $100 million in four years but they still seem determined to get Howard.

“You can talk about the new (luxury) tax all you want, but if the Lakers get Nash and the Nets get Howard, then what did the new CBA accomplish?” one GM told ESPN. “You have to realize part of long-term planning is making sure you don’t help create teams you can’t beat.”

The Nets are not limiting themselves to Cleveland as the third wheel in a Howard trade and are shopping Humphries around the rest of the league as well.

The Magic agreed to another trade yesterday sending last year’s Most Improved Player, Ryan Anderson, to New Orleans in a sign-and-trade for Gustavo Ayon. Anderson will receive a 4-year, $36 million deal.

Anderson benefited greatly from playing alongside Howard as a spot-up four getting a ton of open looks from three. We will see if he can still be effective in a different landscape without Howard.

The Hornets are happy to get a good rebounder and shooter to put alongside No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis for next season.

The Chicago Bulls also made moves yesterday bringing back Kirk Hinrich to a 2-year, $6 million deal. The Bulls now have to decide if they will match Houston’s 3-year, $25 million offer sheet for Omer Asik.

Derrick Rose may not be recovered from his torn ACL until well after next season has started for Chicago. The Bulls are likely parting ways with C.J. Watson so signing Hinrich here is a big move for them.

July 11 is the first day that free agents can officially sign. Teams will have three days to match offer sheets their restricted free agents signed elsewhere.

Jeremy Lin, Eric Gordon and Roy Hibbert are three of the biggest named restricted free agents that signed offer sheets with other teams. All three are expected to have those offers matched by their former teams.

The Magic want to get something back for Howard. They’re not just trying to get rid of him, at least not yet.

Orlando is willing to wait all the way until the trade deadline of next season if they have to and don’t have a deal worthy of Howard by then.

The Brooklyn Nets were the first team in the running to trade for Howard. But a deal involving Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks and picks never satisfied Orlando. The Nets moved on and traded for Joe Johnson instead, making it even more difficult for them to pull off a trade for Howard.

Howard said that Brooklyn was the only place he wanted to go and the only place where he’d agree to re-sign with past next season.

After Brooklyn fell off, the Los Angeles Lakers appeared to be the most likely suitor for Howard. They have the best individual trade piece for Howard in Andrew Bynum but Bynum is also in the final year of his contract next year and hasn’t agreed to re-sign in Orlando if he is traded there.

The Magic aren’t interested in dealing Howard just to rent Bynum for a season. They’re holding out for more.

A dark horse for Howard may be the Atlanta Hawks. After trading Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams away, new GM Danny Ferry appears to be trying for a dream scenario that would involve bringing Howard and Chris Paul to the Hawks in 2013-14.

Howard is from Atlanta but has not said anything about wanting to play there.

The Dallas Mavericks are another team with an outside shot to get Howard. Dallas went all-in on Deron Williams this offseason and they did not land him. They are left with a depleted roster but plenty of cap space to entice Howard with a max-deal next summer if he is a free agent then.

The Magic want to get rid of Howard, that’s for sure, but they’re not going to do it for nothing. They know they are rebuilding anyway and are in no hurry to trade Howard.

Howard may not even be healthy yet by the start of next season as he is still rehabbing his back.

Another center on the market now is Marcus Camby. Camby is reportedly deciding between the Miami Heat and New York Knicks.

The Knicks appear to be the frontrunner as the Heat can only offer Camby the veteran minimum of $1.4 million per year. New York is looking to do a sign-and-trade for Camby and give him $3.09 million per season.

The Heat recently signed Ray Allen of course and if they are somehow able to get Camby too that would be a home run for them in free agency. It looks unlikely however as there is a good chance Camby will be returning to play in New York next season.

Lin will be able to sign it officially on July 11 then the Knicks will have three days to match. The deal is worth $10.2 million over the first two seasons and $9.3 million in the third and fourth year with the final year being a team option.

The Knicks can offer Lin a 4-year, $24.5 million deal.

Jason Kidd surprisingly chose the Knicks over the Dallas Mavericks. Kidd was rumored to be close to re-signing with Dallas and was earlier rumored to plan to follow Deron Williams wherever he signed.

Kidd’s deal with New York will be a 3-year, $9 million deal.

Every indication is that the Knicks will match the offer sheet for Lin and team up the two point guards. A lack of a point guard was a glaring hole in the Knicks’ roster during the playoffs. Carmelo Anthony turned into an isolation machine playing right into the hands of the Miami Heat defense.

Kidd and Lin should be able to help with that, especially Kidd who has the right personality to control things on offense even next to a superstar like Anthony.

The Minnesota Timberwolves made a few big signings last night.

Brandon Roy has come out of retirement and agreed to a 2-year, $10.4 million deal with the T-Wolves. Minnesota also signed another former Blazer in Nicolas Batum to a 4-year, $45 million offer sheet although Portland reportedly plans to match any offer for Batum.

The Timberwolves clearly are looking to strengthen their wing positions to surround Ricky Rubio and Kevin Love with better guys. Minnesota also traded for Chase Budinger before the NBA Draft.

Trade talks between the Los Angeles Lakers and Orlando Magic for Dwight Howard have lessened. The Lakers after trading for Steve Nash now intend to keep their core of Nash, Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

Bynum was involved in trade rumors that would send him to Orlando in a deal for Howard but the Magic have not shown a lot of interest in any deal presented to them this offseason.

The Brooklyn Nets are still trying to work on a deal to get Howard although they’re chances of landing them seem increasingly less.

Ray Allen has narrowed down his decision of where he wants to play to the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. The Los Angeles Clippers were thought to be int he running yesterday before signing Jamal Crawford and Chauncey Billups.

The Heat appear to be the frontrunner although only able to offer Allen $3.09 per year while Boston has offered Allen a 2-year, $12 million deal.

Jennifer Stewart-US PRESSWIRE.

Steve Nash was unexpectedly traded to the Los Angeles Lakers last night in a sign-and-trade with the Phoenix Suns for four draft picks and cash.

Nash was expected earlier that day to be closer to signing with the New York Knicks and a few days before that, the Toronto Raptors were the frontrunner for the former back-to-back MVP winner.

But as fate would have it, the Lakers swooped in and grabbed one of their former rivals. Nash in a Lakers jersey was unthinkable until yesterday. The Suns were even rumored to have turned down a deal to L.A. because they couldn’t stomach the idea of Nash playing there.

Now that he is there, how does this change the landscape of the Western Conference? Are the Lakers back now as NBA title contenders with Nash?

The Lakers get better with Nash, that’s for sure. Los Angeles has been looking for a point guard for some time now. They traded for Ramon Sessions at the trade deadline last season and that looked like it might work for awhile until Sessions disappeared in the playoffs.

Nash will be 38 years old at the start of next season but is still a productive player. He averaged 12.5 points and 10.7 assists last season in Phoenix. He also shot .532 percent from the field, .390 from three and .894 from the free throw line.

There is no question that Nash can still produce. The biggest question is how he will fit in with Kobe Bryant.

Kobe has never really played alongside a traditional point guard in his NBA career. Derek Fisher has been the point next to him for most of his days and the Lakers were a triangle offense team that didn’t feature a point.

Because of this, Kobe is used to having the ball in his hands as much if not more than the point guard he’s playing with. If you’ve watched Nash play, you’ll know that he too has the ball in his hands as much as any player in the league on offense.

Both Kobe and Nash will have to adjust. Nash will not be featured like he was in Phoenix. Kobe may want to let Nash patrol the floor with the ball in his hands a little more than he is used to.

Kobe and Nash may not work perfectly but they won’t fail. Nash is too good of a teammate and Kobe cares only about winning and he knows Nash is coming on board to assist in that.

Kobe will probably not benefit dramatically with Nash and get way more open looks. It will be the other players, especially Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, that feel the biggest change with Nash on the floor.

There is one area that Nash does not help at all and maybe even hurts the Lakers: defense. Nash has never been a good defender even back when he was super quick and winning MVP’s he still acted as an open door for guards like Tony Parker to easily drive by.

The greatest competition in the Western Conference for the Lakers will be of course the Oklahoma City Thunder. Just go down the list of their big three and you’ll see why they aren’t totally scared of the Lakers now any more than they were last season. They still can’t guard Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook or James Harden.

But the Lakers weren’t all of a sudden going to be the favorites to come out of the West after signing a 38-year old point guard. They are better though and their potential is a little unknown and possibly greater than we might think.

The other factor now in play with the Lakers signing Nash is Dwight Howard. L.A. didn’t give up much to get Nash so Howard is still technically very much in play with them. After Brooklyn pretty much fell through for Howard, the Lakers seem the most likely suitor for him.

A package involving Bynum is probably the best deal Orlando could get back for trading away the best center in the league. There has been discussion between the two teams with a trade looking like: Bynum and Metta World Peace to the Magic for Howard and Jason Richardson.

If the Lakers could end up with a lineup looking like Nash, Kobe, Gasol and Howard, we can start talking about them as NBA Finals hopefuls. Until then, it’s the Thunder’s league and everybody else is just playing in it.

Made a very tough decision today…. lockerz.com/s/222071318

— Deron Williams (@DeronWilliams) July 3, 2012

Williams reportedly narrowed down his decision to the Nets and Dallas Mavericks and was meeting with the two teams over the past 48 hours.

The Nets traded for All-Star shooting guard Joe Johnson yesterday in a deal that was made to team up Johnson with Williams.

Williams would not have been able to make as much money playing in Dallas, who only could have offered him a deal around 4-years, $75 million.

Jason Kidd has been rumored to sign wherever Williams chose and played golf with him some the past few days.

The Nets re-signed Gerald Wallace to a 4-year, $40 million deal earlier this week. They are expected to try and re-sign Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries now as well.

For Kris Humphries to stay with Nets, he would have to accept the veteran’s minimum salary and that isn’t happening. So consider him gone.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 3, 2012

Brooklyn was the team Dwight Howard wanted to be traded to from Orlando but the Magic have not been interested enough in any type of deal with the Nets.

There were reports earlier today that Brooklyn was willing to offer Lopez, Humphries, MarShon Brooks and three future first round picks to Orlando in exchange for Howard but the Magic were not interested in pulling the trigger on that.

Brooklyn will have most of their money tied up in just a few players especially if they re-sign Lopez and Humphries. The Nets have certainly improved their roster from last season and making sure they kept Williams was huge for them.

The Los Angeles Lakers may have the right package that could convince the Magic to trade Howard and it would involve Andrew Bynum.

Howard and Bynum have been linked together in trade talks since last season and Bynum is certainly now the best individual player Orlando could land for Howard.

The Magic also want to give up the bad contracts of either Hedo Turkoglu or Jason Richardson in a potential deal with the Lakers.

The Magic want to specifically include Richardson in a deal with the Lakers and the Lakers have said they are prepared to offer Bynum along with Metta World Peace in the potential deal.

Howard said earlier this week that he wanted to be traded to Brooklyn and that is the only team he would promise to re-sign with after next season.

The Nets traded for Joe Johnson since then which will make it harder but not impossible for them to now also trade for Howard.

Brooklyn would be willing to trade Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries and three future first round draft picks to Orlando for Howard but the Magic apparently are too interested in that deal and would rather hold out for something better.

Howard injured his back at the end of the regular season and has been rehabbing ever since. He may not even be ready to play at the beginning of next season so the Magic are in no hurry to trade him just yet.

As of right now, the Lakers and Bynum are the frontrunner for trading for Howard although there may be one other unknown trade scenario.

Sources say there is one other trade scenario for a significant player that intrigues Magic general manager Rob Hennigan, but that target is unclear. Before the Magic would agree to consummate a trade for Bynum, they would need to know they could sign him to a contract extension, sources said. Bynum is entering the final year of his contract in the 2012-13 season.

via Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo! Sports

The Nets may still be in play for Howard though. Orlando and Brooklyn are working on a deal for Howard that would send Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks, Kris Humphries and three future first round picks to the Magic.

The Nets have even said they would take on the contract of Hedo Turkoglu as well to sweeten the deal for Orlando.

Howard made it clear yesterday that Brooklyn was the place he wanted to go. He said that Brooklyn is the only team he would re-sign with following next season if traded there. Howard went on to say that if he wasn’t traded to Brooklyn, he would just play out next season in Orlando then test free agency in the summer of 2013.

Deron Williams still has not officially decided where he will play next season. It is down to Brooklyn and the Dallas Mavericks for him as he is meeting with both teams this week.

Jason Kidd will supposedly also sign wherever Williams chooses and has been playing golf with Williams in Brooklyn some over the past few days.

If the Mavericks cannot sign Williams this season, they would surely like to go after Howard themselves. Dallas could offer Orlando Rodrigue Beaubois, Vince Carter, Dominique Jones, Brandan Wright and rookies Jared Cunningham, Bernard James and Jae Crowder.

Despite Howard saying he would only re-sign in Brooklyn, the Mavericks and their owner Marc Cuban would surely be confident that they could convince Howard to re-sign in Dallas.

The Howard drama simply continues. Orlando would love nothing more than to get rid of him before the season but they won’t unless there is a deal out there good enough for him. The Magic can technically wait all the way up until the trading deadline during next season for the right deal so they may not be in the biggest rush.

The Lakers are still a team that could happen with a Howard trade. Andrew Bynum remains the best individual piece Orlando could land by trading their center.

The Hawks will receive Anthony Morrow, Jordan Farmar, Jordan Williams, Johan Petro, DeShawn Stevenson and a 2013 first round pick. The deal is contingent with Williams staying in Brooklyn.

As teams finalize framework of Joe Johnson deal contingent on DWill commitment, Nets won’t be sending future 1st to Atlanta, source tells Y!

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 2, 2012

The trade will essentially end any possibility of Dwight Howard being traded to Brooklyn. Howard made it known today that there was one place he wanted to go and that was Brooklyn.

Howard is saying that he will not re-sign with another team besides Brooklyn and would rather just play the next season in Orlando then test free agency afterward.

The key for the Nets is they get to keep MarShon Brooks and Gerald Green as well. Gerald Wallace was just signed by the Nets to a 4-year, $40 million deal.

Over the past few days the potential of Johnson being traded to Brooklyn to play with Williams was rumored with the basis being that Brooklyn was not willing to wait on Orlando and Howard.

The Magic also did not see any possible package from the Nets as being worthy enough to send Howard to them.

With Brooklyn now out of the equation, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of possible suitors for the Magic to trade Howard. The Warriors have expressed interest as well as Houston but Howard is saying he will not re-sign anywhere besides Brooklyn.

The Lakers seem to be the only real possibility for Howard now. They are working on a trade that would send Andrew Bynum to Orlando which feels like the best possible deal for the Magic.

Howard ending up in L.A. shouldn’t surprise many as so many elite centers before him have gone to the Lakers at some point in their careers.

“There’s only one team on my list and if I don’t get traded there, I’ll play the season out and explore my free agency after that,” Howard told Yahoo! Sports.

That’s not exactly the attitude you want from your superstar. The Orlando Magic have known for a long time now that Howard wants out. The best thing they can do is get rid of him as soon as possible.

“As I told Dwight, I said ‘I don’t know. I have to think about what you’re telling me.’ I want to take some time to process everything,” Magic GM Rob Hennigan said. “And the answer is we want to map out what’s in the best interest of our team.”

Howard can want to go to whatever team he wants but the Magic don’t really care where they trade him. They want to get the best package possible for Howard and if the Nets can’t give them that then they won’t trade him there.

The Nets would be able to offer Orlando something like Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries and MarShon Brooks. The Magic should be able to find something better than that and they have opened negotiations with the Los Angeles Lakers about trading for Andrew Bynum again.

The Golden State Warriors are also still interested in trading for Howard even if he is not committed to staying with them beyond next season.

The Warriors have some young pieces that would possibly interest the Magic starting with the No. 7 overall pick from the draft, Harrison Barnes.

The Magic simply have to trade him though. It is clear Howard will not give them a very good effort if he stays part of the team through next season. It would be in Orlando’s best interest to deal him before the season starts.

The Magic have been open to trade walks involving Howard who has made it clear he wants out. Howard says he wants to go to Brooklyn to play with Deron Williams but would probably be happy too in L.A. with Kobe Bryant.

A potential deal would certainly involve Andrew Bynum going to the Magic but not necessarily Pau Gasol as well. The Magic are looking for young players to rebuild their team with and Gasol doesn’t fit that mold as much.

The Lakers are still shopping Gasol as well who has gotten a lot of interest from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Minnesota has offered Derrick Williams to the Lakers for Gasol. A potential trade could also include Michael Beasley.

The Timberwolves would love to acquire Gasol to team him up with fellow countryman Ricky Rubio and All-Star Kevin Love.

It looks like the Nets will have a pretty tough time getting Howard. They haven’t totally given up hope but are taking action with other things.

Brooklyn signed Gerald Wallace to a 4-year $40 million deal today. The Nets have also looked into a potential trade to acquire Joe Johnson so pair with Deron Williams.

Williams plans to meet with the Nets and Mavericks Monday to discuss his potential future.

For Orlando, the Lakers would have the best package as of right now to get Howard by sending Bynum. Bynum was an All-Star for the first time in his career last season and is only 24 years old.

Here are draft grades for every team:

New Orleans Hornets
No. 1 overall – Anthony Davis, PF, Kentucky
No. 10 overall – Austin Rivers, G, Duke
No. 46 overall – Darius Miller, G/F, Kentucky

The Hornets really couldn’t go wrong possessing the first overall pick in the draft and chance to take Anthony Davis. Davis has a chance to be a franchise changer and playing alongside Eric Gordon in New Orleans is a good start. The Hornets took Rivers 10th overall which is what they wanted to do. The Hornets believe Rivers can play some point for them although he is a scoring guard at heart. Gordon is a good playmaker himself though so the two may be able to share ball handling duties a la Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry. The Darius Miller pick is nice too. He is an athlete that could make it in the NBA and was a teammate of Davis’ at Kentucky.

Grade: A+

Oklahoma City Thunder
No. 28 overall – Perry Jones, III, F, Baylor

To win a championship, sometimes it takes a little luck. The Thunder got the steal of the 2012 NBA Draft with the No. 28 pick. Perry Jones III we knew was going to fall because of concerns mainly surrounding his knee but sliding this far to a franchise that is perfect for him just seems unfair to the rest of the league. It was a Spurs-like snag for OKC and they know it already. Jones III has lottery talent and top-5 pick potential. One knock on him is that he never really stepped up and dominated and was more of a supporting role type of mindset and player. Well, come on down to OKC that sounds just fine!

Grade: A+

Charlotte Bobcats
No. 2 overall – Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, SF, Kentucky
No. 31 overall – Jeffrey Taylor, G/F, Vanderbilt

The Bobcats were supposed to either trade the No. 2 pick or take Thomas Robinson if they couldn’t. Instead, they shocked everyone selecting Michael Kidd-Gilchrist second overall. MKG is a player that will shine no matter where he plays, even in Charlotte. He has the potential to be the second best player in this draft class and it was a wise choice to make here by Michael Jordan. Jeffrey Taylor is a good pick too in the second round. Taylor was projected to go a little earlier in the draft and is a nice value find at 31.

Grade: A

Washington Wizards
No. 3 overall – Bradley Beal, SG, Florida
No. 32 overall – Tomas Satoransky, G, Czech Republic

The Wizards got the man they wanted at No. 3 but had to hold their breath and pray before doing so. As the Bobcats were shopping the No. 2 pick, any team that may have gotten it was probably going to take Bradley Beal second overall. The Wizards desperately wanted an elite shooter and wing to place alongside John Wall and they believe Beal is that guy. Beal measured just under 6-foot-5 so he’s not huge but he is physical and can do a lot of things on a basketball court. Tomas Satoranksy in the second round apparently is friends with Jan Vesely which makes that pick awesome too.

Grade: A

Sacramento Kings
No. 5 overall – Thomas Robinson, PF, Kansas

It was impossible not to fall in love with Thomas Robinson watching him break down after being selected fifth overall by the Kings. He won over a lot of fans with that reaction. Robinson is touted as one of the surest things at the top of this draft. The Kings wanted him bad too at No. 5, more than anybody else. Sacramento was going to pull off a trade with this pick with Houston if Robinson was off the board but obviously that didn’t happen. Robinson and DeMarcus Cousins are going to be able to get a lot of rebounds playing together.

Grade: A

Detroit Pistons
No. 9 overall – Andre Drummond, PF/C, Connecticut
No. 39 overall – Khris Middleton, SF, Texas A&M

The Pistons are extremely happy that Andre Drummond fell to them. Before the draft, they were hoping for this but planning to settle on John Henson. Drummond has as much upside as anyone in this draft. There are questions surrounding him but he is very young. It was the right pick here for Detroit without question. Khris Middleton isn’t someone that jumps out as a great pick here but at No. 39, there’s not a lot to expect.

Grade: A

Milwaukee Bucks
No. 14 overall – John Henson, PF, North Carolina
No. 42 overall – Doron Lamb, SG, Kentucky

The Bucks were pretty happy to see John Henson at No. 14 especially after trading down from 12 with Houston. Henson is the kind of guy Milwaukee wanted and someone who will block a lot of shots and grab some rebounds but really needs to put on some weight first. Doron Lamb is another player they were happy to see at No. 42. He could have gone in the first round and is an irrational confidence guy who can shoot and play some D too.

Grade: B+

Cleveland Cavaliers
No. 4 overall – Dion Waiters, SG, Syracuse
No. 17 overall – Tyler Zeller, C, North Carolina

It wasn’t a huge shocker that Cleveland took Dion Waiters No. 4. They were planning on possibly doing so and after being unable to trade up to No. 2 and take Beal, Waiters was the next guy on their list, probably just ahead of Harrison Barnes. It wasn’t an overly popular pick but Waiters has an NBA-ready body and next to Kyrie Irving should do well. With Tyler Zeller sliding in the draft, the Cavaliers pulled the trigger on a trade with Dallas to get to No. 17 and take the North Carolina center. They gave up three picks for Zeller so they must really like him. Now with a core of Irving, Waiters, Thompson and Zeller, Cleveland’s future looks kind of alright.

Grade: B

Portland Trailblazers
No. 6 overall – Damian Lillard, PG, Weber State
No. 11 overall – Meyers Leonard, C, Illinois
No. 40 overall – Will Barton, SG, Memphis

Before the Draft, Portland was intent on keeping their 6th and 11th picks and they also loved Damian Lillard. Six may sound high for Lillard but Portland did something smart: picking their favorite guy and not caring where they did it. They then filled a need at 11 with Meyers Leonard, the center from Illinois. Portland was projected in some mocks to take Andre Drummond and either Austin Rivers or Jeremy Lamb. That sounds a little better than what they ended up with. They get Will Barton at No. 40 which is another solid value pick as he was projected late-first by many.

Grade: B

Golden State Warriors
No. 7 overall – Harrison Barnes, G/F, North Carolina
No. 30 overall – Festus Ezeli, C, Vanderbilt
No. 35 overall – Draymond Green, F, Michigan State
No. 52 overall – Ognjen Kuzmic, C, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Despite his overall disappointing feeling, many still feel Harrison Barnes can be an All-Star in the NBA. Getting him at No. 7 was a pretty solid pick for the Warriors, who are starting new next year post-Monta Ellis and with Andrew Bogut. Festus Ezeli with the last pick of the first round is understandable too and he is a high-character guy who will work hard for them. Draymond Green is another good pick to get in the second round. The Warriors didn’t have a flashy draft but they made some value picks and that’s always a good strategy.

Grade: B

Houston Rockets
No. 12 overall – Jeremy Lamb, SG, Connecticut
No. 16 overall – Royce White, F, Iowa State
No. 18 overall – Terrence Jones, F, Kentucky

The Rockets were stockpiling draft picks with one thing on their mind: Dwight Howard. That hasn’t happened yet and now feels like it won’t. They were hoping to move up to No. 5 to take Andre Drummond but since Thomas Robinson fell to the Kings there, they weren’t trading that pick. The Rockets will settle for three pretty solid players starting with Jeremy Lamb at No. 12 who has a lot of pro potential as a scorer. When they took Royce White at No. 16, you knew they weren’t trading their picks anymore. White has gotten a lot of buzz this draft as a more athletic Boris Diaw who plays a little like Charles Barkley too. Terrence Jones two picks later is another talented forward that can do a variety of things. You always feel players Daryl Morey drafts are guys who can find a spot in the NBA. The Rockets just had bigger sights for this draft than this.

Grade: B

Phoenix Suns
No. 13 overall – Kendall Marshall, PG, North Carolina

It’s just about official now that Steve Nash is on his way out in Phoenix. Kendall Marshall is their point guard of the future. Marshall was one of the best assists men in college the past two seasons and has drawn comparisons to Mark Jackson and Andre Miller so yeah, he’s not quick. He’s fun to play with and will make the players around him better. They like that in Phoenix.

Grade: B

Chicago Bulls
No. 29 overall – Marquis Teague, PG, Kentucky

The Bulls were either going backup point here or combo-guard shooter. Marquis Teague is a talented player with this pick and someone who may be able to play alongside Derrick Rose some. It’s nothing special for the Bulls but a good pick nonetheless. Bulls fans were dying for Perry Jones III to slip one more pick into their laps.

Grade: B

Toronto Raptors
No. 8 overall – Terrence Ross, SG, Washington
No. 37 overall – Quincy Acy, PF, Baylor
No. 56 overall – Tomislav Zubcic, PF, Croatia

The Raptors would have loved to see Harrison Barnes fall one more pick into their laps. They would have loved even more to move up and snag Dion Waiters. They settle for Terrence Ross who can do things that will make him have a solid NBA career: shoot threes and defend. Quincy Acy in Round 2 could be a Reggie Evans type which is something this franchise has experience with. Tomislav Zubcic will not come over right away. If Toronto gets Steve Nash, a lot of their problems will appear solved.

Grade: C+

Orlando Magic
No. 19 overall – Andrew Nicholson, PF, St. Bonaventure
No. 49 overall – Kyle O’Quinn, C, Norfolk State

The Magic are in a weird situation and have been ever since Dwight Howard started pouting. Howard ran their head coach and GM out of town and still wants out himself. He hasn’t gotten it yet but it’s really only a matter of time. Orlando’s picks of Andrew Nicholson and Kyle O’Quinn may have been logical, but they won’t make their fans feel better yet

Grade: C+

Boston Celtics
No. 21 overall – Jared Sullinger, PF, Ohio State
No. 22 overall – Fab Melo, C, Syracuse
No. 51 overall – Kris Joseph, SF, Syracuse

We knew Jared Sullinger would drop, we just didn’t know how far. The Celtics are in a rebuilding stage now and looking to bulk up their front court with Sullinger and Fab Melo. The Celtics were hoping for Royce White here or to trade up and take Doc Rivers’ son Austin Rivers in the lottery. The best case scenario for Kris Joseph (taken No. 51 overall) is Gary Forbes, according to DraftExpress.

Grade: C+

Philadelphia 76ers
No. 15 overall – Maurice Harkless, SF, St. John’s
No. 27 overall – Arnett Moultrie, PF/C, Mississippi State

Philadelphia fans are not happy with the decision to take Maurice “don’t call me Moe” Harkless 15th overall. When you draft a guy who plays the same position as your best player at No. 15, it never feels like it makes sense. Harkless came out after just one year at St. John’s and is said to have some pro potential but he’s nothing special. The 76ers traded up with Miami to get Arnett Moultrie at No. 27. It’s just another lateral move here for Philly. Their fans want more than that.

Grade: C

Denver Nuggets
No. 20 overall – Evan Fournier, SG, France
No. 38 overall – Quincy Miller, G/F, Baylor
No. 50 overall – Izzet Turkyilmaz, PF, Turkey

The Nuggets surprisingly went with Evan Fournier at No. 20 despite some talent sitting on the board. Fournier will not come over to the NBA next season but was the highest rated international prospect of the draft. The Nuggets clearly weren’t looking to try and strike gold with late first round picks this year. They’ve already accomplished that with Ty Lawson and Kenneth Faried. Their pick at No. 38 felt a little better. Some fans wanted Quincy Miller with the 20th pick so getting him this late is a win in that sense. Miller is young with a ton of potential but has the usual question marks. Denver went with another international product late in the second round that we won’t see in the NBA right away.

Grade: C

Atlanta Hawks
No. 23 overall – John Jenkins, SG, Vanderbilt
No. 43 overall – Mike Scott, F, Virginia

Nothing special here for Atlanta. John Jenkins could be decent but he won’t turn any heads. He can really shoot it though and might get some run for the Hawks where Josh Smith is on the way out. It would have been great if Atlanta had decided to draft Marquis Teague here and run an all-Teague backcourt with his brother Jeff. Love the Mike Scott pick.

Grade: C

Dallas Mavericks
No. 24 overall – Jared Cunningham, G, Oregon State
No. 33 overall – Bernard James, C, Florida State
No. 34 overall – Jae Crowder, F, Marquette

It doesn’t seem like Dallas was trying to do a ton in this draft. They dealt their 17th overall pick to Cleveland probably because there was no one they were in love with. They got three picks back for it and didn’t do anything crazy with them. One of the cooler moments in the draft though was Bernard James having his name called and walking to the podium. The crowd started chanting “U-S-A” because James served three tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dallas’ main priority this offseason is wooing Deron Williams and/or Dwight Howard.

Grade: C

Memphis Grizzlies
No. 25 overall – Tony Wroten, Jr., PG, Washington

The Grizzlies wanted a point guard and a lot of mocks had them going with Marquis Teague but they choose Tony Wroten, Jr. instead. Jay Bilas calls Wroten, Jr. a taller Rajon Rondo. That means he’s a good passer and can’t shoot a lick. Maybe it’s what Memphis needs and there is some upside there.

Grade: C

Utah Jazz
No. 47 overall – Kevin Murphy, SG, Tennessee Tech

Utah has enough young players from the last few drafts that they didn’t care too much about this year. Kevin Murphy is the only player from this draft to score 50 or more points in game last year in college. Why not?

Grade: C

Miami Heat
No. 45 overall – Justin Hamilton, C, LSU

Miami could have had Perry Jones III at No. 27 and it would have been just as scary as OKC getting him if not more so. They just didn’t want to have to pay a first rounder this year. Their cap space will be tight the next few seasons. They trade down here and get a 7-footer which they need. Something tells me we won’t see a ton of Justin Hamilton playing for the defending champs.

Grade: C

San Antonio Spurs
No. 59 overall – Marcus Denmon, G, Missouri

The Spurs drafted him so he’ll be an All-Star in four years. Marcus Denmon feels a little Patty Mills/James Anderson. The Spurs probably aren’t expecting too much from Denmon though.

Grade: C

New York Knicks
No. 48 overall – Kostas Papanikolaou, F, Greece

Not doing anything here. The home crowd really loved this pick at least.

Grade: C-

Los Angeles Clippers
No. 53 overall – Furkan Aldemir, PF, Turkey

Love this pick. He may never play in the NBA but he is a great rebounder and can only score on putbacks, according to Fran Fraschilla. What’s not to love?

Grade: C-

Los Angeles Lakers
No. 55 overall – Darius Johnson-Odom, SG, Marquette
No. 60 overall – Robert Sacre, C, Gonzaga

Darius Johnson-Odom plays the wrong sport. He’d be an awesome football player and used that to his advantage in college for Marquette. He will look a lot smaller in the NBA. If Robert Sacre is playing for the Lakers next season, it won’t be a good thing.

Grade: C-

Brooklyn Nets
No. 41 overall – Tyshawn Taylor, PG, Kansas
No. 54 overall – Tornike Shengelia, PF, Georgia
No. 57 overall – Ilkan Karaman, PF, Turkey

Brooklyn not trying to go crazy here. They are just praying for Deron Williams and Dwight Howard to hookup in their new city. Tyshawn Taylor might make it as a backup point in this league but nothing more. Tornike Shengelia goes by “Toko” and is a 6-foot-9 scorer who is good at attacking and can score around the rim well but has no jumper. Ilkan Karamen has a ton of tattoos and may “never play in the NBA” according to Fran Fraschilla.

Grade: C-

Minnesota Timberwolves
No. 58 overall – Robbie Hummel, SF, Purdue

Kevin Love, Chase Budinger and now Robbie Hummel. Good luck rest of league.

Grade: C-

Indiana Pacers
No. 26 overall – Miles Plumlee, PF, Duke
No. 36 overall – Orlando Johnson, SG, UCSB

This may have been the worst draft pick ever, worse than Sam Bowie. With names like Perry Jones III, Draymond Green and Festus Ezeli on the board, Indiana elects to take the worst Plumlee brother, Miles. If they weren’t Indiana and known for their white hoopsters, this would be an even worse pick. It’s still so horrible though words can’t describe it. There’s nothing that could make this pick ever make sense. They get Orlando Johnson from UCSB in the second round who was a 20-point scorer last year and might do something for them.

Grade: F

The Orlando Magic are in advanced talks with Oklahoma City assistant GM Rob Hennigan to make him franchise’s new GM, league sources tell Y!

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) June 20, 2012

Hennigan has been with the Thunder organization for four seasons. Like Sam Presti, Hennigan came from the San Antonio Spurs organization where he worked for five years.

Hennigan was the Director of College and International Player Personnel during his first two years with the Thunder and then was promoted to assistant general manager when Rich Cho left for Portland in 2010.

Being the one responsible for player personnel during those years when the Thunder drafted so well has to look good on a guy’s resume.

The Magic fired their former GM Otis Smith along with head coach Stan Van Gundy at the end of May.

The #Magic have offered their GM job to 30-year-old #Thunder exec Rob Hennigan, who is in contract talks with the team, sources confirm.

— Ken Berger (@KBergCBS) June 20, 2012

If Orlando is trying to copy the Thunder, that’s probably a good idea.

The Brooklyn Nets have an opportunity at the number one overall pick tonight and possibly drafting Anthony Davis but a source says that won’t be enough for the Nets to keep Williams.

“It’s Dwight Howard or bust,” said a source who has spoken to Williams.

If the Nets do land the number overall pick and they have a 7.5 percent chance of doing so, it could still mean that they could keep Williams.

The Orlando Magic might be most interested in a deal with the Nets to send Howard in exchange for the top pick Davis.

The Magic have not pulled the trigger on dealing Howard even though he so obviously wants to leave Orlando and a lot of that has to do with the kind of players they would be receiving in return.

There are few players considered more desirable to rebuild a franchise around than Anthony Davis. The Magic wouldn’t turn that down?

The odds are still against the Nets getting the number one pick and this being able to keep Deron Williams.

We will find out tonight at 8:00 p.m. EST on ESPN during the NBA Draft Lottery just how everything will begin to unfold.

The Magic in their search for a replacement are targeting executives from the two teams in the Western Conference Finals.

Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski is reporting that the Magic are interested in Thunder vice president and assistant general manager Troy Weaver as well as assistant general manager Rob Hennigan.

Weaver has risen to the number two man under Thunder GM Sam Presti and was one of the people pushing hard to draft Russell Westbrook with the fourth pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.

Howard has wanted to be traded and pretending not all season long and somehow the Magic decided not to at the trading deadline.

A lot of trade rumors have surrounded Howard this season even one involving the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Back in March, Orlando approached Oklahoma City about a trade that would send Howard to the Thunder in exchange for James Harden and Serge Ibaka.

The Thunder said no.

The Thunder would have just been renting Howard if they went through with the trade because his contract would have been up after the season. But wouldn’t they have been guaranteeing themselves a championship by putting Howard next to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook?

It’s easy to see now why they would have basically no interest in the deal since they are competing for a title right now with the team they have.

It still would have been pretty cool to see Durant, Westbrook and Howard on the court together wearing Thunder uniforms.

The Magic would have loved the trade getting Harden and Ibaka. It would have been the best possible outcome for them and part of why they haven’t parted ways with Howard yet is that teams don’t have a lot to offer for him right now.

There were always rumors surrounding the New Jersey Nets trading for Howard, potentially sending Brook Lopez, MarShon Brooks and some pieces to pair Howard with Deron Williams but that never happened.

The Magic want more for Howard and they should want more, but they shouldn’t expect it.

When your star player wants to be traded, you trade him. It never works out if you don’t. The Magic will inevitably do so whether it be in the offseason this year or during next season.

After the Los Angeles Lakers lost in the second round for the second straight season, there are now rumors of them blowing up their roster and they might have enough pieces to send Orlando’s way to land Howard.

Andrew Bynum had a breakout season and Pau Gasol’s days in L.A. seem numbered so sending both for Howard seems like a decent idea for both teams.

One thing is for sure though, the more this is drawn out, the more that no team wants anything to do with Dwight Howard.

Van Gundy was the head coach in Orlando for five seasons and the Magic made the playoffs every year.

The Magic went 37-29 this season and were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs by the Indiana Pacers. Dwight Howard did not play in that series due to injury.

Howard was rumored to have gone to Magic management asking for the firing of Van Gundy earlier in the season.

Howard elected to opt-in to the last year of his contract right before the trade deadline this season instead of demanding a trade.

Howard successfully hurt his image this year with his antics more than LeBron James when he left Cleveland which is hard to imagine.

The NBA is star-driven league and this is as good of an example of that as any.

Van Gundy is one of the best coaches in the NBA and did an amazing job keeping this team afloat given its situation with Howard. Smith was able to surround Howard with maybe not the best possible supporting cast but one good enough for the Magic to make it to the NBA Finals in 2009.

Howard essentially mailed it in this season and got what he thinks he wanted in Van Gundy and Smith now gone.

Howard doesn’t know what he wants and until he completely changes his outlook and mindset he will never be a champion. Unless of course he ends up in Los Angeles next season and gets to play with Kobe Bryant.

Head on over to Howard the Dunk for all of the latest Orlando Magic news and coverage.

Anderson received 33 first place votes while Ersan Ilyasova of Milwaukee was second with 21 first place votes.

Anderson finishes the year with a PER of 21.2. Last year his PER was 19.0. He didn’t have a tremendous increase in terms of efficiency but his overall numbers were better.

The award could have gone to any number of players as usually is the case with this one.

Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks seemed like the certain winner before getting injured and eventually only playing in 35 games this season.

Nikola Pekovic of the Minnesota Timberwolves also got injured after a huge improvement this season that may have had more to do with playing with Ricky Rubio.

At the beginning of this season Anderson was really stepping up despite all of the drama surrounding Dwight Howard and he was even making a case as a potential All-Star.

Dale Zanine-US PRESSWIRE

The Atlanta Hawks shocked a lot of people beating the Boston Celtics 83-74 on Sunday to win Game 1 of the series.

The Celtics were without Ray Allen for the game and got off to a very slow start while Atlanta looked fresh.

The Hawks were led by Josh Smith who scored 22 points to go with 18 rebounds and four assists and completely outplayed Kevin Garnett.

In the fourth quarter with frustrations high, Boston’s Rajon Rondo was ejected from the game after arguing a call and then bumping referee Marc Davis.

It is expected now that Rondo will be suspended for Game 2 and possible Game 3 because of the incident.

Rondo had 20 points and 11 assists in the game and surely the Celtics will have a much tougher time beating the Hawks in this series without him.

If the suspension is just one game and Rondo and Allen return for a Game 3 at home, the series shouldn’t be viewed as completely over but it will be tougher than most thought for the Celtics to advance to the second round.

Spruce Derden-US PRESSWIRE

The Los Angeles Clippers pulled off one of the most improbable comebacks in NBA history late Sunday night. The Clippers ended their Game 1 with the Memphis Grizzlies on a 28-3 run to stun a Memphis crowd and win 99-98.

Chris Paul had 14 points and 11 assists and scored the final two points of the game at the free throw line with 24 seconds left.

Nick Young made three consecutive three-pointers for the Clippers during the run and led the team with 19 points.

The Clippers came into the game with not a lot of playoff experience and it showed as the Grizzlies immediately jumped out to a big lead.

Memphis of course had the great run last year in the playoffs and were looking as good as any team thus far in the playoffs this year.

The Grizzlies may have had a little fool’s gold though with their percentage from beyond the arc making 11-of-16 threes before going cold in the final minutes of the game.

This series promised to be one of the best first round matchups and with the Clippers stealing Game 1 on the road it probably will live up to that.

Richard Rowe-US PRESSWIRE

The Oklahoma City Thunder will play Game 2 tonight against the Dallas Mavericks. It will be the second game in a TNT double-header with the Miami Heat and New York Knicks playing first. Orland and Indiana will also tip Game 2 tonight on NBA TV.

The Thunder looked great in the final quarter against Dallas coming back to win thanks to Kevin Durant’s game-winner but they will have to play with the same intensity they showed in the fourth quarter for 48 minutes to ensure another victory.

Miami blew out New York badly in Game 1 but all the Knicks have to do is steal Game 2 and they’ve done their job of getting homecourt. After the Clippers-Grizzlies game, a complete flip-flop of fortunes in the Miami-New York series doesn’t seem as farfetched.

Indiana – like Memphis – blew what should have been an easy Game 1, home win to Orlando. The Magic scored the final 11 points of Game 1 to win.

The Pacers showed a sizable inside advantage with no Dwight Howard and Roy Hibbert blocking nine shots in the game but he also only scored eight points. The Pacers will need to find more reliable offense to get by the Magic tonight.

In the first ever FanSided NBA Podcast I interview our very own editor of Sir Charles in Charge Chris Walder. Chris came on to give his thoughts on Dwight Howard and his fallout with the Orlando Magic, the chances of Boston and New York making playoff runs, who the MVP of the NBA is so far this season and who the favorites are to win the NBA title.

Be sure to listen to the podcast here or you can also download the podcast.

Follow Chris on Twitter @WalderSports

Douglas Jones-US PRESSWIRE

Dwight Howard will be wearing an Orlando Magic jersey through next season. Today he signed a waiver that will deny him the right to terminate his contract after this season.

It seems that Howard never totally knew what he was doing. He didn’t really understand everything that was going on. What was the reason of making the Magic wait this long and then deciding to simply stay put?

I think this is the kind of guy Howard is and it is reflective in his game. He is not demanding enough of the ball and basically doesn’t take charge enough. He’s too laid back.

This is a huge win for the Magic in my opinion. The longer they can keep Howard, the better. They are currently the three-seed in the East and are coming off wins over Miami and Chicago in the last week. In this lockout season, it could take one rolled ankle from a star on another team to suddenly catapult the Magic into position to take the East.

We are now two hours away from the trade deadline at 3 p.m. EST. Minor moves were made earlier today and we’re still waiting on something big. Now that Howard will stay put, it is less likely something else will dominate the headlines.

The Thunder still seem like they won’t do much if anything by the deadline. Adding a backup point guard would be nice but they really don’t have much to give up anyway so it is unlikely.