Rumors, moves, injuries and newsmakers...

Rudy Gay returns to Houston; Butler's injury is worse than expected; Cassell gets his buy-out; Barry returns to the Spurs; Young Pacers are in trouble again; Devin makes an impressive debut with Jersey; Bass steps up for the Mavs again; Suns' GM Kerr having a tough February; and more...

RUDY'S RETURN? 
For most teams in the NBA, there is the proverbial 'one that got away.' For the Houston Rockets, that one is turning out to be Rudy Gay.

Drafted No.8 overall by Houston in 2006, Gay was traded on draft day to the Grizzlies (along with Stromile Swift) for Shane Battier. While Battier remains one of the NBA's better pure defenders and role players, Gay has gone on to emerge as a rising star in Memphis. Now in just his second season and with Pau Gasol recently traded away, Gay has taken over as the cornerstone player for rebuilding Grizz. He leads Memphis in scoring at 20.3 points per game, adding six boards per contest while playing great defense.

Gay has improved in every month this season, and recently reeled off a career-high 36 points in a 127-113 loss to the Suns. Oddly enough, his best ball this season is being played during the Grizzlies' worst skid of the year, one that has seen them lose 12 of their past 13. Meanwhile those Rockets are the hottest team in the NBA, having won 13 in a row despite the recent season-ending injury to Yao Ming. As Gay visits his old team Friday night, can he pull off the upset and get a little payback?

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BUCKS 
Is Bobby Simmons in the doghouse? Once a rising star, the athletic swingman worked his way back this season from major injuries. But after a solid January when the team seemed to be showcasing him for a possible trade, Simmons has seen his minutes dwindle in February. On Thursday he was a healthy scratch versus the Nets, as Desmond Mason played 37 minutes as the starter at small forward. It was the second straight game Simmons was shut out of playing time.

CELTICS 
Is Sam Cassell poised to become a Celtic? It looks that way, if seemingly constant rumors are true. On Thursday the savvy playmaker was finally released by the Clippers, and Cassell has until March 1 to join another team and retain his rights to play in the postseason. The fit with Boston is a logical one, since each member of their superstar trio of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce is over 30 (and Cassell is 38). His wrist injury may keep him from making a splash anytime soon, but if he does sign with the Celts look for him to cut into the playing time of Rajon Rondo.

CLIPPERS 
Without much time to spare for him to qualify for the playoffs for a contender, Sam Cassell has been waived by the Clippers. The 38-year-old has long been rumored to want a buyout from his contract with the Clips, and now it appears he has one. Currently Cassell is hampered by a sore wrist, but rumors persist that he will sign on with the veteran-laded Celtics. When healthy he can still be an above-average NBA point guard. With him gone, look for Brevin Knight to be the regular starter at the point in L.A.

KINGS 
So just why exactly was Kevin Martin on the court for just 22 minutes in the Kings' game on Wednesday? An argument with his coach, from the looks of it. The high-scoring star's playing time was a season low, but the Sacramento Bee reports his time on the bench seemed to be a simple result of head coach Reggie Theus deciding to go with other personnel. Martin and Theus exchanged words after Martin got off to a slow start in the 123-117 loss to the Hawks. It's very uncommon for a head coach to bench a stud like Martin for very long, so look for Theus to return Martin to his usual status soon.

MAVERICKS 
When the Mavs acquired Jason Kidd earlier this month, they did wonders for the backcourt. But it also cost them depth in the frontcourt, which means that new faces will need to step up to help out in the paint. So who will those faces be? It looks like Brandon Bass will certainly be one of them. After a strong start to this season he tailed off a bit in December and January, but now the talented young power forward is getting a chance to play a key role again. On Thursday Bass played 30 minutes off the bench for Big D, going right after Tim Duncan on several plays and posting a solid 16 points and six boards in the Mavs' 97-94 loss.

NETS 
He was the key building block the Nets got in return for Jason Kidd. So how did Devin Harris do in his Nets debut on Thursday night? Exceptionally well. Despite seeing only 21 minutes off the bench, Harris controlled the tempo of the game and posted 21 points and five assists in Jersey's 120-106 home win over the Bucks. Part of the reason Harris' court time was limited is an ankle spain kept him out of action for all of February up until Thursday's game. Look for him to be a major part of New Jersey's attack going forward.

PACERS 
For the past decade or so the Pacers' management has had a baffling preference for 'bad boy' players - - from Ron Artest to Stephen Jackson to Jamaal Tinsley to Marquis Daniels. After an embarrassing arrest in September, young swingman Shawne Williams was added to that list; but now things may be getting much worse for him and his reputation. Williams will reportedly miss Friday's game against the Raptors after a man arrested for murder was earlier seen leaving Williams' home in Indianapolis. The same man was reportedly with Williams during his September arrest. Meanwhile, the Associated Press reports a woman is saying she was raped at Daniels' house early Sunday. While Williams and Daniels have not been charged, it is just the most recent incident of serious trouble surrounding these players.

SPURS 
After testing the market, it appars Brent Barry is returning to the Spurs. The veteran combo guard was released recently by the SuperSonics (after being traded by the Spurs) and was linked to several teams. But the Arizona Republic is reporting the underrated big guard is headed back to San Antonio. The move makes a lot of sense on paper, as Barry has been a valuable contributor to that veteran team and may have his best chance at another title with the defending champs.

SUNS 
So far it hasn't been a very impressive month for GM Steve Kerr. First he traded away his team's best all-round veteran forward (Shawn Marion) for an aging and declining Shaquille O'Neal, a swap that has seen the team go just 5-5 since. Now the Arizona Republic reports Kerr has been unable to convince Brent Barry to join the team (with Kerr instead heading back to the rival Spurs). The Suns are 2-3 so far with O'Neal in the lineup.

WIZARDS 
Bad news in Washington: it looks like Caron Butler may remain out indefinitely. The All-Star, do-it-all small forward has been on the sidelines for much of the past month nursing a sore hip, and now the Associated Press reports Butler has a labral tear in the joint. That means Butler may need surgery, and that he is very unlikely to return anytime soon. It's a hard pill to swallow for the Wiz, who have already had to push back the expected return date of fellow superstar Gilbert Arenas (who remains out recovering from knee surgery). As long as Butler is out, Andray Blatche may be a solid play in most fantasy formats.