Rumors, moves, injuries and newsmakers...

East teams fight Saturday for spot No. 8; Is LeBron laboring with a bad back?; Hill returns for Phoenix; Arenas and Jermaine still aren't playing much; Brand looks grand; Yi is done for the duration; Rip sits again; and more...

MAGIC 8-BALL 
Lately the NBA's super-stacked Western conference has curried much of the media's attention, if only because their tight fight for the playoffs has been epic this year. But an equally thrilling situation is now emerging in the East, as four teams jockey for the eighth and final playoff spot.

With the Sixers, Wizards, and Raptors all clinching bracket spots on Friday night, the Hawks, Nets, Pacers, and Bulls remain in the hunt for the East's final spot. On Saturday night, all those teams (except for the Pacers) take the court. The Hawks visit the Sixers, the Nets host the struggling Raptors, and the Bulls take on the Wiz in Chicago.

So it only stands to reason that Saturday's crucial games might feature some big outings by each team's go-to guy: Joe Johnson for the Hawks, Richard Jefferson for the Nets (with Vince Carter limping on a sore ankle), and Ben Gordon for the Bulls. With the East's final playoff spot on the line, who will rise and who will fall?

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LEBRON LABORING WITH BAD BACK? 
He's not technically injured, but LeBron James is being slowed lately by back spasms, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. He is listed as probable for Saturday's matchup against the Magic. INTEL: Despite much talk about LeBron's sore back, it didn't really affect his output on Thursday versus the Bulls (as he posted a team-high 33 points in the 101-98 loss). Don't be surprised if the Cavs scale down on his minutes a little in the week-and-a-half before the playoffs; they are already in, and may want to keep their meal ticket fresh for the postseason.

VINSANITY LIMPING 
Nets' superstar shooting guard Vince Carter missed his team's 106-87 loss to the Pistons on Friday because of a swollen ankle. The Newark Star-Ledger reports he is questionable for Saturday's tilt at home against the Raptors. INTEL: With Carter out, veteran guard Darrell Armstrong got the start but only played 17 minutes. Marcus Williams posted a solid eight-point, four-assist effort coming off the bench in 22 minutes, but it's clear the Nets aren't going to be able to replace Carter's production. There is a chance he will play Saturday because his team's playoff hopes are on the line, but it's far from certain. Vince was on fire before incurring the injury, averaging 30.1 points per game over his past eight.

HILL BACK, SHINES FOR SUNS 
After missing three games to a sore groin, Suns' veteran swingman Grant Hill was back in the lineup Friday against the Timberwolves. He started and logged 29 minutes, scoring 16 points and grabbing 10 boards. INTEL: Hill has been pretty fragile the last several years and at 35 takes awhile to heal, but he didn't show any signs of being tentative on Friday. The fact he drew 11 foul shots (hitting 10) goes to show he's running hard and going to the hoop, so he appears to be back at pretty much full speed. Leandro Barbosa heads back to the bench.

ARENAS STILL PLAYING LITTLE 
Playing in his second game back since missing 66 games to knee surgery, on Friday Wizards' star guard Gilbert Arenas came off the bench to play just 20 minutes. He was very productive, however, scoring 13 points and chipping in eight assists and five boards in the 109-95 win. INTEL: Looks like the team just didn't want to risk anything after sewing this one up early. Arenas has shown he has his old game back, so his lack of minutes doesn't appear to be a problem with his knee. The team is being cautious with him, but he may play a little more as the team tunes up for the playoffs.

SONGAILA SEES A START 
With usual power forward Antawn Jamison on the shelf for Friday's game against the Heat because of a sprained shoulder, Darius Songaila got the nod to replace him in the starting five. Songaila responded with a solid 12 points, eight boards, six assists, and two steals, and a block in the 109-95 win. It was his ninth start this season. INTEL: Songaila has always had a certain amount of sleeper appeal, and now he's getting a chance to shine. As long as Jamison is limited, Andray Blatche is also going to help the Wiz. Blatche came off the bench to put up an impressive 17 points and seven boards in 25 minutes.

BRAND LOOKING GRAND 
It looks like Elton Brand's surgically-repaired Achilles is holding up. On Thursday the star power forward played his second game of the season for the Clips, coming off the pine to chip in 15 points, nine boards, three assists, two blocks and a steal in L.A.'s 110-98 loss to the Kings. INTEL: Brand has his whole game working for him already and is showing no rust despite missing almost all of this season. The Clips appear to be holding back on giving him major minutes, but he is playing enough to be an above-average contributor at power forward and center. The emerging Josh Powell is also doing well lately, and the duo are at least keeping the Clippers competitive in the paint.

JERMAINE'S MINUTES STILL SMALL 
Friday's game against the Bucks was Jermaine O'Neal's third back since a 33-game absence caused by a bone bruise on his left knee. He eked out just three rebounds in only 19 minutes, to go with 11 points and a steal. INTEL: Not much of an outing for O'Neal, who doesn't appear to be building much traction in his return. Troy Murphy (37 minutes) and Jeff Foster (33 minutes) started at power forward and center, respectively, and played most of the game in the post for Indy. Perhaps the Pacers aren't going to risk O'Neal doing further damage to his knee. In three games back, he hasn't surpassed the 20-minute mark in any one of them.

RIP SITS AGAIN; FELLOW STARTERS BARELY PLAY  
Still nursing a sore hip, Pistons' shooting guard Richard Hamilton sat out Friday's 106-87 win over the Nets. Rookie Arron Afflalo replaced him in the starting lineup. Meanwhile, Hamilton's fellow starters didn't play very long in the game, with point guard Chauncey Billups logging 22 minutes, center Rasheed Wallace 24, Antonio McDyess 25, and Tayshaun Prince 24. INTEL: Detroit had a 14-point lead at halftime and are already comfortably in the playoffs, so resting their veteran starters is only smart. That said, from a pure fantasy basketball perspective the Pistons are a nightmare right now. With almost no one on the roster approaching 30 minutes, don't count on many big stat nights from any of them until the playoffs.

ROOKIE WALL FOR SCOLA? 

After a recent five-game hot-streak that saw him average 17.8 points and 8.4 rebounds per game, Rockets' rookie forward Luis Scola posted a dud of an outing Thursday against the Trail Blazers with no points and just three boards in 25 minutes of a 95-86 win. He followed up on Friday with only seven points in 35 minutes against the Sonics (but did have 12 boards). INTEL: Foul trouble was part of Scola's trouble Thursday, as he posted five personals. That said, he may also be simply feeling the fatigue of the long NBA season. At 27 years old he isn't as likely to be affected by the dreaded 'Rookie Wall' as younger players, but he may be hitting it a bit nonetheless.

YI DONE FOR THE DURATION 
The Milwaukee Bucks announced Friday that rookie forward Yi Jianlian will miss the rest of the season due to a sprained left MCL. In his first NBA campaign, Yi averaged 8.6 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 0.85 blocks per game over 66 contests. INTEL: A solid inaugural season for the talented 7-footer, who has star potential. With him out, Charlie Villanueva will likely continue to start at power forward and will likely continue to play well. Charlie V got into foul trouble Friday night against the Pacers, but still managed 30 minutes, during which he posted 11 points and nine boards.

BREWER BACK TO STARTING 
Timberwolves' rookie small swingman Corey Brewer started at small forward Friday versus the Suns in Minny's 117-88 blowout loss to the Suns. It was his fourth straight start. INTEL: Brewer didn't do much in his 28 minutes of action (contributing just five points, two steals, and three boards to the loss). But at least the T-Wolves finally seem committed to giving him some floor time. They had been going with veteran Kirk Snyder for awhile, but with the playoffs no possibility, they appear to be going with youth. Now all they have to do is find more time for Rashad McCants, who has been their most promising perimeter scorer this season.