Rumors, moves, injuries and newsmakers...

Garnett meets Paul Friday; Better news for Roy?; Nene makes an inspirational return; Kidd busts his slump; Wilcox is done for the duration; More Isiah in Gotham?; Is Frank's job safe in Jersey?; and more...

NEW KID VS. OLD KID 
In pro sports, it's a given that if you're a great young player, they call you The Kid. In baseball, legendary slugger Ted Williams was The Kid. In hockey these days, Sidney Crosby is The Kid. And about a decade ago, the same was true for the NBA's Kevin Garnett: he was The Kid.

Now approaching the age of 32, Garnett is no longer The Kid; he's The Big Ticket. But he is still a great player, and in one season has been the catalyst in transforming the Boston Celtics from the East's worst team into the NBA's best overall. That makes him one of the league's top MVP candidates for this season. But for Garnett to win his second career Most Valuable Player award, he will have to edge out a player who is much closer to being a Kid: Chris Paul. Just 22 years old, Paul leads the NBA in assists-per-game (11.4), steals-per-game (2.71) and is top-20 in points-per-game (17th overall at 21.6). Paul also has his Hornets on top of the far superior Western conference, at 49-21.

So a lot is on the line Friday as the West-best Hornets visit the East-best Celtics: bragging rights about who has the NBA's team, and also bragging rights about who may be the NBA's best player. Will the former Kid prevail, or will it be the new Kid on the block?

---

BETTER NEWS FOR ROY? 
The Trail Blazers got some possibly promising news on Brandon Roy Thursday, according the Associated Press. They found out their top player may be back in four games, rather than miss the rest of the season because of a groin injury. INTEL: The thing about the four games is, that is the minimum number before Roy will be re-evaluated. The Oregonian newspaper says Roy wants to return regardless of the injury, so the four games appears to be a compromise between the player and the team's training staff. Apparently there is no tear in the groin, so that at least is positive news. Roy is averaging team-highs of 19.3 points and 5.8 assists per game.

NENE INSPIRES 
Playing in his first game since getting a testicular tumor removed, Nuggets' power forward-center Nene Hilario played one minute Thursday night versus the Mavericks. It was his first game in two-and-a-half months, and it was one month after he underwent chemotherapy. INTEL: He didn't register anything significant on the box score other than the minute of P-T, but this was an inspirational return for Nene and for he Nuggets. The team won 118-105, so this was a feel-good story all-round for the Nuggets. It wouldn't be wise to expect too much from Nene the rest of the way, but at least he's showing solid progress coming back from a serious health scare.

KIDD BUSTS HIS SLUMP 
On Thursday night versus the Nuggets, point guard Jason Kidd had his first dominant game for the Mavericks sinch March 3rd against Utah. Kidd posted 19 points, 15 assists, four boards, and five steals in Dallas' 118-105 loss to Denver. INTEL: The good news is Kidd's slump may be over, but the bad news is the Mavs lost a key full game to the Nuggets in tough West playoff race. Denver is now just one game behind Dallas for the No.7 seed. Kidd was brought in before the trade deadline to provide leadership, and this is at least a sign he's up to the task.

WILCOX: DONE FOR THE DURATION 
The Associated Press reports Sonics' power forward Chris Wilcox will sit out the rest of this season in order to rest his dislocated right pinkie finger. In 62 outings he averaged 13.4 points, seven boards, and 0.6 blocks per game to go with a .524 field-goal shooting average. INTEL: Wilcox was coming on strongly to finish the season (as he tends to do) but obviously doesn't want to risk further injury here. With him out, Nick Collison will likely play most of the minutes at power forward the rest of the way.

MORE ISIAH GOING FORWARD? 
The New York Daily News is reporting Knicks' owner James Dolan is contemplating keeping head coach Isiah Thomas as the team's head coach, despite the possibility Thomas will be replaced as GM. INTEL: This is probably a bit of a shocker to Knicks' fans, but it probably makes some sense on paper. The only reason being, Thomas assembled the current roster, so is probably the best guy to coach it. The real fireworks will likely come when (and if) a new GM arrives and starts cleaning up Thomas' mess.

FRANK GETS NOD FROM BRASS 
A recent report in the Newark Star-Ledger says the Nets' management hasn't considered firing head coach Lawrence Frank, despite the fact the team is on the bubble for the playoffs. INTEL: To be fair to Frank, he has done a solid job keeping the team afloat despite a lot of turmoil and transition. His biggest achievement has been rebuilding a dismal-for-years post game with youth, bringing along solid prospects such as Josh Boone and Sean Williams. With superstar Vince Carter having a not-great season and Jason Kidd forcing a trade, Frank should probably see himself as a somewhat triumphant if the Nets make the playoffs.

AFFLALO FINALLY SHINES 
Starting in place of Richard Hamilton for the third straight game, Arron Afflalo was finally productive Thursday night in Detroit's victory over Miami. He finished the game with 15 points and seven rebounds, both career highs. INTEL: Rodney Stuckey had vastly outperformed Afflalo in the past two despite coming off the bench, but finished with just four points in 19 minutes (compared to 33 for Afflalo). Hamilton's injury has lead to an interesting battle for minutes between Detroit's two first found picks from the most recent draft. Stuckey has certainly performed better overall in his freshman year, yet it is Afflalo who keeps appearing in Flip Saunders' starting lineup. He is worth keeping an eye on for that reason.

HEDO TO GO BUT JAMEER DOUBTFUL 
Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu, injured Tuesday against Sacramento, is expected to suit up against the Bucks on Friday according to a report in the Orlando Sentinel. INTEL: His wrist injury does not appear to be serious, good news for a Magic team that hopes to go deep in the playoffs. Always a gifted long-range shooter, Hedo is enjoying an all-around breakout season with new career high averages in points, rebounds, assists, and minutes played. Orlando also announced that Jameer Nelson is doubtful to play Friday, with what is now being reported as concussion-like symptoms.

BIBBY DODGES THE INJURY BUG 
With MRIs on his thumb negative, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Mike Bibby is likely to play Friday as the Hawks face the Bulls. INTEL: A welcome relief for Bibby, the Hawks and fantasy owners everywhere, as it was the same thumb that had caused him to miss 36 games earlier this season. The Hawks have squeezed into the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference in no small part due to Bibby's leadership and solid guard play.

ODEN RETURNS? 
As reported in The Oregonian, the Portland Trailblazers were upset to learn that center Greg Oden returned to a basketball court earlier than expected: playing a pair of pickup games at a suburban Portland gym. INTEL: While the end result is no harm no foul, head coach Nate McMillan made it clear to this year's top pick that any future workouts need to be conducted under team supervision. With the next decade of the franchise staked on Oden's surgically repaired knee, Portland is wise to be cautious.