Rumors, moves, injuries and newsmakers...

The Kidd-to-Dallas blockbuster finally goes through; Big Ticket is back for Boston; Parker back soon for the Spurs; The Clips' Brand and the Wizards' Thomas start practicing again; Udrih takes over for the Kings; Foye starts for Minny; and more...

BIG D-EAL DONE! 
It took a week of wrangling, angling, and un-mangling. But Jason Kidd is finally a Dallas Maverick.

The on-again, off-again, then on-again swap of the perennial All-Star point guard was finalized on Tuesday, with Kidd heading to Big D, the team that originally drafted him No.2 overall back in 1994. Joining Kidd in Dallas are swingman Antoine Wright and power forward Malik Allen, the latter two helping fill out the significant bench depth the Mavs are losing in this deal. Heading to Jersey: promising point guard Devin Harris, underrated center DeSagana Diop, 2-guard Maurice Ager, swingman Trenton Hassell, the rights to sort-of-retired forward Keith Van Horn, two first-round draft picks, and $3 Million.

It's obvious that the deal throws the Nets into full-on rebuilding mode. But what about Dallas? Will it get them back to the Finals, where Kidd may get a chance to finally win a ring? We may get an idea on Wednesday, as Kidd may make his Mavs debut, on the road versus the Hornets.

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CELTICS 
Kevin Garnett is back on the court for the Celtics. The superstar forward returned Tuesday night following a nine-game sit-out caused by a strained abdominal muscle. While The Big Ticket started as usual at power forward, it's notable that head coach Doc Rivers limited Garnett's minutes Tuesday against Denver to just 21. Garnett responded with a very solid eight boards in the 124-118 loss, and should be expected to see his minutes limited for the next several games while he works his way back.

CLIPPERS 
His return isn't imminent and isn't even guaranteed for this season, but at least Elton Brand is back on the practice court. The perennial All-Star hasn't played this season after suffering a blown-out left Achilles last summer, but the Los Angeles Times reports he is doing non-contact drills. It would be tough to imagine the out-of-contention Clips rushing him back into action, so don't be surprised if he remains out for much of the rest of the season.

KINGS 
How much will the Kings miss Mike Bibby? All things considered, maybe not too much. The Sacramento Bee is reporting that Beno Udrih will take over at the point for the rest of the season now that Bibby has been traded to the Atlanta Hawks. And while Bibby had several stellar years for the Kings, this season he is averaging just 13.5 points, 5.0 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Meanwhile the underrated Udrih averaged identical numbers in December, when he was the team's starter: 13.3 points, 4.9 assists, and 1.1 steals. But do keep an eye on how much newcomers Anthony Johnson and Tyronn Lue play for the Kings.

KNICKS 
Now might be a good time to pick up Nate Robinson. With Stephon Marbury likely to miss the rest of this season after ankle surgery, the Knicks have a bit of a void to fill at the point guard spot. While head coach Isiah Thomas has tried several players at the spot, the small but electric Robinson has played the most consistent ball of the team's guards. On Tuesday he got the start and played 38 minutes, leading the Knicks to a 113-100 win over the Wizards with 19 points, five assists, eight boards, and just one turnover.

MAVERICKS 
Jason Kidd is finally a Maverick. So how big will his impact be? Very, very big. Forget that he's one of the NBA's top three pure point guards and a constant triple-double threat. Kidd is, above all, exactly what Dallas needs to take the next step towards a title: a selfless, pass-first leader who makes others around him better. That's vital for the Mavs, because they currently average only 19.9 assists per game - - sixth-worst in the 30-team NBA. With Kidd averaging 10.4 assists per game by himself, his presence should jump-start a team that too often depends on one-on-one matchups and outside jumpers.

NETS 
He came close to winning a title in New Jersey - - twice - - , but Jason Kidd is no longer with the Nets. On Tuesday the soon-to-be-35-year-old point guard was finally dealt to Dallas after a week of confusion, conjecture, and compromise. During his six-and-a-half seasons in Jersey, Kidd led the Nets to the NBA Finals two times (in 2002 and 2003) but lost both times. With the team now in rebuilding mode and with Kidd having asked for a trade, he was accommodated on Tuesday. He heads to Big D along with swingman Antoine Wright and power forward Malik Allen. In returns, the Nets get emerging point-man Devin Harris, center DeSagana Diop, 2-guard Maurice Ager, swingman Trenton Hassell, and the contract of semi-retired forward Keith Van Horn. Also included for New Jersey: two first-round draft picks, and $3 Million.

SPURS 
The Spurs haven't made a major acquisition to keep up with their powerhouse competition in the West. But they should nevertheless get a boost this week when Tony Parker returns to the lineup. The star point guard has been out for the past three weeks because of a heel injury, but the San Antonio Express-News reports head coach Gregg Popovich hopes Parker can return in Thursday's game against the Timberwolves in Minny. Parker is averaging 19.2 points, 6.1 assists, and three boards per game for the 34-17 Spurs.

SUPERSONICS 
Heading into Thursday's trade deadline the Sonics are team to watch for several reasons. Not only are they rebuilding, but they have three quality point guards who could all legitimately start for NBA teams in Earl Watson, Luke Ridnour, and Delonte West. While none of the three is a lock to be dealt, Watson's hot recent play certainly makes their swap situation more interesting. He has been playing great ball lately and Tuesday that continued, as the speed playmaker dropped 26 points, nine assists, and two steals on the Grizzlies to lead the Sonics to a 108-101 win.

TIMBERWOLVES 
It took them awhile, but the T-Wolves are finally letting Randy Foye start. The team had held Foye back a bit in his first few weeks coming off a serious kneecap injury, but on Tuesday Foye started his first game of the season for Minny. He played 33 minutes and chipped in a solid 13 points and five assists in the T-Wolves' 104-88 win over the Sixers. Marko Jaric, who had been starting at shooting guard, came off the bench while Sebastian Telfair started at the point.

WIZARDS 
Slowly but surely, the Wiz are getting healthy. Following recent reports that superstar guard Gilbert Arenas is making progress in his bid to return by March, comes word that Etan Thomas may be back soon-ish as well. Several sources report that the burly center has been cleared to practice for the first time since having open-heart surgery in October. There's still no word on when Thomas might be able to play in a game, however. But when he is, it will be interesting to see if he and fellow pivot Brendan Haywood can get along; they had several altercations last season while competing for the starting center gig.