• All signs in the early hours of Thursday morning pointed to Denver not making the much-discussed move for Ron Artest.

It sounds like the Kings would indeed rather move Artest than keep him at this point, given that they're unlikely to re-sign him in the summer and could use the final 29 games to get an even better feel for what John Salmons and their three point guards (Beno Udrih, Anthony Johnson and Tyronn Lue) can do. But Denver is still showing reluctance.

One factor, naturally, is Sacramento's insistence that it gets Nuggets forward Linas Kleiza in the exchange along with Eduardo Najera's expiring contract. Kleiza is not only one of the league's best bargains at the paltry salary of $1 million but also a big favorite of Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke after playing college ball with Kroenke's son at Missouri.

Philadelphia's interest in Artest, meanwhile, has yet to advance past the rumblings stage.


• Denver does have some live talks going with Miami and New Jersey regarding Nene, even though the Brazilian bruiser's return date has not been locked in yet after surgery to remove a testicular tumor in January.

The Heat are known to be looking for a big man in the wake of Shaquille O'Neal's departure, and Nene for Jason Williams' expiring contract would work financially and positionally for the Nuggets, who need payroll relief and a point guard.

But New Jersey has likewise shown an interest and could put the expiring contracts of Jamaal Magloire, Bostjan Nachbar and Darrell Armstrong together to get to Nene's salary level ($8.8 million).

• If Indiana trades a big man before Thursday's buzzer, it's far more likely to be Ike Diogu than Jermaine O'Neal. The Pacers know that the prospect of getting back anything appealing for O'Neal is a major long shot given all the uncertainty about his health with two-plus years and nearly $45 million left on his contract. I've been strongly advised to expect JO to play out the rest of the season in Indy.


• There was a strong suggestion Wednesday that the Grizzlies have taken highly coveted sharpshooter Mike Miller off the market completely. The Grizz had been trying to convince teams that they're serious this time when they say that whoever trades for Miller has to take back Brian Cardinal as well, after the same condition was attached to Pau Gasol and didn't prevent the Lakers from stealing Pau anyway. I suppose things could change with so many teams interested in Miller -- Cleveland, Miami and the L.A. Clippers are just a few of them -- but the Grizz apparently believe they won't be offered anything for Miller now that can't be topped closer to the draft.

• The Mavericks know they need a size infusion on the front line behind Erick Dampier after surrendering DeSagana Diop in the Jason Kidd deal, and they're exploring a market that features the likes of Diogu and Minnesota's Michael Doleac. But Dallas would seemingly prefer to wait until after the trading deadline, when the pool of available big men could conceivably get deeper after a few player buyouts. The Mavs have two roster spots open and all of their $5.2 million mid-level exception to use to fill them.
Stein

bah, you should have labeled this an OT thread. I just wasted 15 skimming that for anything Knick related.