Rumors, moves, injuries and newsmakers...

Will the road to the Finals go through Texas?; The Mavs sign Magloire; P.J. joins the Celts; The Suns continue to bumble, but Amare's better than ever; LeBron becomes the youngest to 10,000; Philly's Green is red-hot; Diener steps up for the Pacers; and more...
TEXAS TWO-STEP 
Everything is big in Texas. So it only stands to reason that the state contains three of the best and biggest basketball teams in the NBA: the Houston Rockets, the Dallas Mavericks, and the San Antonio Spurs.

And with Houston's recent 13-game win-streak, the Rockets looked ready to give perennial title-contenders San Antonio and Dallas a run for the ring. But the recent news that Yao Ming will miss the rest of the season with a broken foot puts a huge damper on the Rockets' title chances. While that news probably brings a sigh of relief to the Spurs and Mavs, the fact remains that the latter two still have each other to deal with coming out of Texas and the Southwest division.

With those title hopes in mind, both the Mavericks and Spurs have recently stocked up for a long playoff run. Dallas made a blockbuster swap in bringing in Jason Kidd, while the Spurs made smart and solid veteran additions in center Kurt Thomas and backup point guard Damon Stoudamire. Both teams have 38 wins, but the Spurs have a slight edge in the Southwest because they've lost two fewer games (17). As San Antonio hosts Dallas Thursday night, which will get a leg up in this Texas Two-Step?

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BULLS 
Was getting traded a wake-up call for Larry Hughes? The talented 2-guard was moved at last week's trade deadline from Cleveland to Chicago, and on Wednesday night he posted his best night yet as a Bull. Coming off the bench for 32 minutes, Hughes scored a team-high 29 points and added six assists and three assists to lead Chicago to a 113-107 road win over the Pacers. Drew Gooden, who was also traded to Chicago from Cleveland, pulled down 15 rebounds off the pine and scored 10 points in the win.

CAVALIERS 
Is there a chance LeBron James will finish his career as the NBA's greatest player ever? Michael Jordan and Wilt Chamberlain might have a few things to say about that, but LeBron is certainly off to a great start. On Wednesday he became the youngest player in NBA history to reach the 10,000-point mark. At barely over 23 years of age, James isn't too much older than some guys coming out of college. But he has a career scoring average of 27.2 points per game over his first four-plus campaigns. LeBron finished with 26 in Wednesday's 92-87 loss to the Celtics.

CELTICS 
They didn't go the trade route to stock up for a Finals run, but the Celtics are still adding some help down the stretch. On Wednesday the veteran power forward-center signed on to play with Boston for the rest of the season and the playoffs. Now 38, Brown hasn't played in the NBA this season but he remains a tough rebounder and post defender who is also a positive locker-room presence. He will back up Kevin Garnett and Kendrick Perkins in the paint. The signing of Brown may also lead to the Celts making a move for a point guard (which needs to happen by March 1 or they can't use that new addition in the playoffs).

KNICKS 
So what happens with the Stephon Marbury-Knicks relationship for next season? On Wednesday, team head coach and GM Isiah Thomas seemed to hedge on whether his highly-paid, injured point guard would be returning. Thomas told the Associated Press "Let's discuss next year when this year's over." Marbury, who will still be under contract with New York next season to the hefty tune of $21 Million, has declined severely the past couple of seasons, while his relationship with Thomas seems to have done the same.

LAKERS 
He's still not the starter, but Jordan Farmar is letting everyone know with his play that he may be ready to be. On Tuesday the speed point guard tied a career high with 21 points, and even more impressively did it in just 24 minutes off the bench. With veteran Derek Fisher locked in as the starter this season, it's unlikely that Farmar will get major minutes this season (barring injuries). But do keep him in mind in keeper fantasy formats, as he has the goods to be a Tony Parker-type very soon.

MAVERICKS 
By adding Jason Kidd in a blockbuster trade recently, the Mavs made a very smart decision (since Kidd immediately addresses two problem areas: passing, and clutch leadership). Now they've made another smart move in bringing in Jamaal Magloire. The veteran big fella also played with Kidd in New Jersey this season, but was under-utilized by the Nets. That team waived him last week, but on Tuesday the Mavs scooped him up to fill an important role backing up Erick Dampier in Dallas. Maglore was an All-Star in 2004, and at 29 is still in his prime.

PACERS 
It has taken him a little while to warm up, but Travis Diener is starting to look like a real find for the Pacers. For the past month he has been starting at point guard for Indy while Jamaal Tinsley continues to nurse a knee injury, and Wednesday Diener gave his team a taste of what he can do. The 25-year-old scored 22 points and added nine helpers in Indy's 113-107 loss to the visiting Bulls. Look for solid numbers from him as long as he is filling in.

76ERS 
Sometimes in fantasy hoops it pays to have solid players from bad teams, and with that in mind keep an eye on Willie Green. He's not very flashy but the fifth-year shooting guard is really coming into his own this season. On Wednesday Green posted 26 points and five assists in a 101-89 win over the Magic. It was his fourth straight game scoring in double-figures, and the third in his past four that Green has hit for at least 21 points.

SUNS 
After five games with Shaquille O'Neal replacing the departed Shawn Marion, it's becoming clear: the Suns aren't as good, but Amare Stoudemire is playing better than ever. In Wednesday's blowout loss to the Hornets (120-103), there was a similar refrain of late: Stoudemire dominated (with 32 points, 14 boards, and four blocks) and the rest of the Suns failed to do much, especially on defense. Marion really was the key recipient of most of Steve Nash's passes and really opened up the attack for Phoenix, while the lumbering Shaq is proving to be a terrible. Over the five Shaq games, the Suns are 2-3.