The All-Star Game has been played and several big stars have already been traded. Which can only mean one thing: the NBA's home stretch is under way. With playoff races set to heat up, read on as we track the NBA's best, worst and most notable for the coming week...
 

   Quick Hitz  
    In the PAINT...
    On the SHELF...
    Best and WORST...
    Three-POINTERS...
    Quick ANALYSIS...
    And the final WORD... 

  On the SHELF... 

- Celtics' forward Kevin Garnett is back, but not at full strength after missing nine games to an abdominal strain.

- Lakers' swingman Kobe Bryant may be limited a little going forward by a torn ligament in his right pinkie finger. That said, the Associated Press reports Kobe will not have surgery on it this season.

- Suns' center Shaquille O'Neal is by all accounts ready to start getting up to speed with Phoenix after sitting out several games to heal up a sore hip and absorb the team's up-tempo offense.

- Wizards' small forward Caron Butler sat out the recent All-Star Game in New Orleans due to his hip flexor injury, but the Washington Post reports he is back to practicing and should be back to full speed soon.

- Bulls' forward Luol Deng is still feeling the effects of tendonitis in his left Achilles, and recently told the Chicago Tribune he has "no idea" if he will get back to action soon. Look for Thabo Sefolosha to continue seeing significant minutes in Deng's absence.

- Bulls' guard Ben Gordon will reportedly get back into action this week after missing five straight games to a sprained right wrist, according to the Chicago Tribune.

- Mavericks' forward Josh Howard missed the All-Star Game due to a sore back, and is day-to-day. If he is limited in coming games, Devean George is most likely to fill in.

- If the rumors are true then Devin Harris has been traded to the Nets in the Jason Kidd blockbuster. That said, Harris continues to be on the shelf because of an ankle injury that has kept him out for the past 10 games, so Marcus Williams may get the starts for the Nets until Harris can play.

  Best and WORST... 

TOP 3 TEAMS (SEASON-TO-DATE)

1. New Orleans Hornets (Western Conference)
Okay, so the Celtics and the Pistons have superior records. So what? Those teams play in the weak East, and New Orleans is atop a Western conference that's deeper than ever.

2. Boston Celtics (Eastern Conference)
The fact they've won five in a row without Garnett is a testament to how tight the team is. Add in the fact they are unbeaten by the West and Boston continues to look legit.

3. Detroit Pistons (Eastern Conference)
They're boring and they play in the East, but Detroit has still been very impressive. Their young bench has really been stepping up lately too, which is a great sign for their playoff chances.

BOTTOM 3 TEAMS (SEASON-TO-DATE)

1. Memphis Grizzlies (Western Conference)
After getting so little for Pau Gasol they're the new sad-sack squad of the league. If Mike Miller gets traded too, things will get even worse.

2. New York Knicks (Eastern Conference)
How much would it really hurt for Isiah Thomas to throw caution to the winds and make David Lee, Nate Robinson, Renaldo Balkman, Malik Rose, and Mardy Collins the starting five? At least the team would play defense.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves (Western Conference)
Until this team starts giving most of their talented youngsters some real playing time, it's hard to see them making much progress the rest of this season.

TOP 3 PLAYERS (SEASON-TO-DATE)

1. Chris Paul, PG, Hornets
The Hornets still have the best record in the West, and Paul has led the Hornets' resurgence. If the East hadn't won the All-Star Game, he might have been the game's MVP.

2. LeBron James, SF, Cavaliers
Okay, so he still needs work on his shooting (from the free-throw line and the arc). James remains the game's most well-rounded dominator, by far.

3. Steve Nash, PG, Suns
Phoenix remains a league power and Nash leads the league in assists. If should be interesting to see if the arrival of Shaq (and the departure of Marion) will affect Nash's production.

BOTTOM 3 PLAYERS (SEASON-TO-DATE)

1. Stephon Marbury, PG, Knicks
Injuries have certainly affected him, but even when Marbury was playing he looked just plain uninterested. Which is tough to overlook, since he's making $19 Million this season.

2. Quentin Richardson, SF, Knicks
He's making $8 Million this season and is hitting 35 percent from the field. Enough said.

3. Eddy Curry, C, Knicks
Is there a pattern here? Curry is seven feet tall and almost 300 pounds, makes almost $9 Million this season, and is averaging under five boards and half a block per game.

  Three-POINTERS... 

ON THE RISE

- Larry Hughes, SG, Cavaliers: Remember him? After struggling most of the season and getting injured again, Hughes is healthy and playing like a star. He has scored in double-figures in every game in February and had 40 points on Feb.11 against the Magic.

- Randy Foye, G, Timberwolves: Slowly but surely, Foye is getting back into shape and getting more playing time for the T-Wolves. In his last game before the All-Star Break he hit for 18 points against the Lakers in 29 minutes.

- Hakim Warrick, F, Grizzlies: In the wake of the Pau Gasol trade, Warrick seems to have stepped up and claimed the Grizzlies' starting power forward job. In his two games before the All-Star Break Warrick averaged 23.5 points and 10.5 boards.

ON THE DECLINE

- Vince Carter, SG, Nets: The trade of Jason Kidd may lead to even more struggles. Carter still averages 21 points per game, but that's well down from last season. At 31 he may be losing a step.

- Chris Webber, PF/C, Warriors: So what if he's back in the league now? Webber has been a non-factor so far for Golden State, and doesn't appear able to keep up with the Warriors' run-first style.

- Eddie Jones, SG, Mavericks: He's still starting for the Mavs but Jones hasn't hit double-figures in scoring since Jan.14 against the Kings. At least he still plays solid D.

DEFENSIVE DEMONS

- Amare Stoudemire, PF/C, Suns: He is usually seen as a more offense-first big-man, but in February Stoudemire has really turned up the head on D. This month he's averaging 11.7 boards and 2.5 blocks per game.

- Emeka Okafor, C, Bobcats: He got off to a fairly awful start to the season, but in February Okafor is looking great. For the month he's averaging 15.6 boards and 1.6 blocks per outing.

- David West, F, Hornets: He doesn't usually get associated with defense, but the first-time All-Star is averaging two blocks per contest in February to go along with 9.2 rebounds per game this season.

BURIED ON THE BENCH

- Amir Johnson, PF, Pistons: In a 31-minute audition on Feb.13, Johnson blocked seven shots and grabbed nine boards for Detroit. Too bad he's averaging just 10 minutes per game all season long.

- Earl Boykins, G, Bobcats: He was a nice signing at the start of February for the Bobs, but Boykins has seen just 16 minutes of playing time per game. That's a shame, because he has the ability to help Charlotte win.

- Luke Ridnour, PG, SuperSonics: A lingering thigh injury has limited him, but Ridnour is still playing and has averaged just 19 minutes per contest in February. He has the goods to be an above-average starter.

SIXTH SENSE 

- Andris Biedrins, C, Warriors: The arrival of Chris Webber in Golden State has surprisingly sent Biedrins to the bench. He will still rebound and block shots, but he's seeing a major cut in minutes as a result of the move.

- T.J. Ford, PG, Raptors: A sore wrist and then an abdominal strain have sidelined Ford lately, but once he gets back he is likely to be a sixth man for the Raptors the rest of the way. Part of that is to be cautious with him, and part is because Jose Calderon has been stellar as a starter.

- Juan Carlos Navarro, G, Grizzlies: He has been in and out of the starting lineup all season long, and lately Hakim Warrick seems to have claimed his starting gig. Unless Mike Miller gets traded (which may just happen), Navarro will likely be Memphis' top reserve going forward.

ROOKIE LOOKS

- Sean Williams, PF/C, Nets: During the All-Star Weekend's Rookie Challenge game, Williams may have been the most impressive first-year player. He posted 17 points and 10 boards in the Rookies' 136-109 loss to the Sophomores.

- Al Thornton, F, Clippers: He got snubbed for the Rookie Challenge game but Thornton was the league's hottest rookie heading into All-Star Weekend. Over four games from Feb. 8 to 13, Thornton averaged 21.5 points and 8.0 boards per outing.

- Al Horford, C, Hawks: The recent trade of Shelden Williams and Lorenzen Wright may result in even more minutes for Horford in Atlanta. He's averaging 11 points and 11.4 boards in 31 minutes per game in February, after struggling a little in January.

  Quick ANALYSIS... 

D-LEAGUE CORNER 

- The D-League had its All-Star Game on Saturday, Feb.16 as part of the NBA's All-Star Weekend in New Orleans. The game's MVP was Fort Wayne's Jeremy Richardson, who scored 22 points and then was promptly signed by the Atlanta Hawks to a 10-day contract.

- Another top performer in the D-League All-Star Game: Utah Jazz prospect Morris Almond, who plays for the Utah Flash. Currently the D-League's leading scorer with 25.9 points per game, Almond scored 20 in the game.

- Someone to keep an eye on down the stretch is Idaho's Randy Livingston. He's playing great ball lately and leads the D-League in assists-per-game, with 10.9. The journeyman point guard has been a late-season addition by NBA teams in both of the past two seasons (signing with the Bulls in 2006 and the Sonics last year).

COACH'S CORNER
Now that Jason Kidd seems to have been moved to the Mavericks, it will be interesting to see if Lawrence Frank remains on the hot-seat. The young Nets' head coach has been under major scrutiny as New Jersey has struggled this season. But now that his best veteran player has been dealt to Dallas, will the pressure be off since Frank is now seemingly in a rebuilding situation? We'll see.

EXECUTIVE SUITE
Gotta hand it to the Hawks for making a bold move this week in acquiring Mike Bibby (see trade analysis here >>>). Okay, so they're not exactly a playoff contender at 21-28, and Bibby hasn't exactly been the same elite force over the past couple of seasons. But at least the team added a veteran, above-average point guard for their talented young core, a move that can only help their kids develop. They also got rid of some expiring veteran contracts in Anthony Johnson, Tyronn Lue, and Lorenzen Wright. Should be interesting to see if they can now sneak into the postseason.
 

AND THE FINAL WORD...  "Because if you come too close, you're gonna get stuck." -- Shaquille O'Neal to ESPN this week, after telling them that he wants to be known as "The Big Cactus" now that he's with Phoenix.