The Truth was the truth last night…

Paul Pierce and LeBron James went at each other big time last night with The Truth dropping 50 and Le Bron going for the Triple double with 43 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists as the Cavs beat the Celtics 113-109 in double overtime on last night. Pierce shot 17-for-36 from the field and 16-for-20 from the free-throw line to become the first Celtic to score 50 since Larry Bird had 50 on Nov. 10, 1989. It was a teriffic game, and Although the Cavs won, Pierce had a couple of ridiculous spin moves…

Speaking of the Cavs, looks like the Other Joey Graham, or by name Stephen Graham is going to get another 10-day…

Oops, should have drafted Bosh…or Dwyane Wade…the Detroit Pistons traded C Darko Milicic to the Orlando Magic along with PG Carlos Arroyo for a first-round selection and center Kelvin Cato….

Trade Rumour: The Knics send PG Penny Hardaway and C Channing Frye to the Nuggets for PF Kenyon Martin, PG Earl Watson and C Nene…

Jail Blazers PG Sebastian Telfair tried to board a plane with a loaded gun at Boston's Logan Airport last night…Telfair, 20, had hidden the Smith & Wesson handgun in a pillow case, but it was discovered by Transportation Security Administration personnel as the team prepared to fly to Toronto, TSA spokeswoman Jennifer Peppin told the Portland newspaper. "He said it was an accident, Peppin said….no charges, but the rook was fined by the team…my only question is HOW DOES THIS HAPPEN????? How do you lose track of a gun in your luggage?

The Bulls are rumoured to be aggressively pursuing Seattle SG Ray Allen, Boston SG Paul Pierce or Atlanta SF Al Harrington before next week's trading deadline.

1) George Sipple of the Detroit Free Press wonders why Richard Hamilton is not in the 3-point contest for All-Star Weekend:

PISTONS CORNER: Hamilton wants shot in 3-point challenge

Sure, Chauncey Billups is deserving of a spot in the NBA three-point shooting contest. But Billups says teammate and fellow All-Star Richard Hamilton is just as qualified to take a turn shooting from the rack this weekend. "I'd love to see that," said Billups, whose .431 three-point shooting percentage is tied for sixth among NBA leaders. "I wish he was." Hamilton, who leads all qualified NBA players with a .456 percentage on treys, wishes he had the chance, too. "I'm kind of disappointed I wasn't invited to the three-point contest," Hamilton said. "It's a goal of mine." Hamilton said his success this season could be attributed in part to the flow of coach Flip Saunders' offense. "Last year, L.B. didn't want me to shoot them at all," Hamilton said, referring to coach Larry Brown. "The offense gives me a lot of wide-open looks." Billups said Hamilton was having his best season shooting from long range because "he's getting uncontested shots" and better looks. "Rip, he's a great shooter," Billups said. "He's a really good three-point shooter, especially from the corners. He knows where he shoots the best at and he's always in those areas. I'm proud of Rip." Hamilton has made 36-of-79 three-pointers. He should easily surpass his career-highs of 40 three-pointers made and 146 three-point attempts during the 2000-01 season when he played for Washington. Last year Hamilton finished with 36 treys in 118 attempts.

2) Chad Ford of ESPN.com, otherwise known as Darko’s American girlfriend, reflects on the trade of his favourite Euro-sweetie:

Darko's dismal career takes a brighter turn

Whether you think Darko Milicic is the biggest bust in the history of the NBA or you see him as a superstar in embryo, Wednesday's Detroit-Orlando trade is one of the most compelling stories of the year. Detroit Pistons president Joe Dumars may never shake the rap that he should've taken Carmelo Anthony or Dwyane Wade with the No. 2 pick of the 2003 draft. And, before the 2003 draft, the Pistons' first choice after Darko was Chris Bosh. Hindsight being 20-20, it's impossible to say the Pistons made the right decision when they chose the 18-year-old 7-footer from Serbia. But Dumars wasn't alone in his belief that after LeBron James, Darko had the most upside of anyone in the draft. NBA scouts had loved him since discovering him playing in Vrsac, Serbia, at age 15. Don and Donnie Nelson of the Dallas Mavericks were so intrigued that they illegally worked him out and were fined and suspended by the league. Things started harmlessly enough with Larry Brown back in 2003. By the time Pistons international scout Tony Ronzone and I arrived in Serbia in December 2002 for what would be my first look at the 17-year-old, Darko had a pack of scouts following him wherever he went. After Darko's dominant performance in Greece at the FIBA Final Four, it became a given that he would be a top-three pick in the NBA draft. Just 67 hours after his arrival in the United States, the deal was sealed on May 23, 2003. I happened to be there to chronicle it all. The Pistons were practicing at the John Jay College gym in New York before a playoff game with the Nets. Darko was working out in the adjacent court, behind a curtain. One by one, the Pistons, including Dumars, head coach Rick Carlisle, Ben Wallace and Chauncey Billups, trickled in to watch him work out. What was supposed to be a casual shootaround became a full-on workout in minutes. Darko put on a show that day, hitting shots from everywhere on the court, showing great footwork in the paint and doing everything at a furious pace. "That's a freak of nature right there," Dumars said just minutes after the workout was over. "And he's just 17. Seventeen." "We could really use him," Richard Hamilton said. "That kid can play. Too bad he can't suit up tonight." Jon Barry agreed: "He'd be perfect for us. Perfect. The thing I like about kids like this is they only have one agenda, and that's to play. They take this job seriously. It's their way out of a bad situation, and they're not going to squander it." That night, the Pistons unexpectedly moved up in the draft lottery, securing the No. 2 pick in the draft. Dumars bumped into Darko again at the Plaza hotel. It seemed like destiny had put Darko in the Pistons' lap. Darko would follow up with another strong workout in Detroit. Though the Pistons momentarily flirted with the idea of drafting Bosh after his own stellar workout in Detroit, Dumars' heart was set on Darko. Meanwhile, right up until the draft, Nuggets GM Kiki Vandeweghe was actively trying to swap picks with Detroit so he could select Darko ahead of Carmelo. All in all, about half of the GMs I talked to in the days leading up to the 2003 draft had Darko ranked No. 2 on their draft boards, behind LeBron. Everyone else I talked to had him third or fourth. No one I talked to had him ranked behind Wade. USA Today's David Dupree wrote weeks before the 2003 draft that some NBA GMs told him they'd take Darko ahead of LeBron. But I was Darko's biggest advocate in the media. I was also the only member of the U.S. media to have seen him play in person before the draft. While I believed the Cleveland Cavaliers should take LeBron James with the No. 1 pick, I wrote several times before the draft that I thought that Darko had just as much potential as James. I even compared him to a young Wilt Chamberlain. Now, three years later, Darko is a punch line. LeBron, Wade and Bosh are in the All-Star Game, and Carmelo will be there soon enough. Darko's career stats: 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in 5.8 minutes per game. Darko's failure has sent shockwaves through the league. That year, NBA teams drafted a record eight international players in the first round and another 12 in the second round. Only one of them, Boris Diaw, is having solid success in the league. A few others, such as Zaza Pachulia and Mickael Pietrus, are making strides. By 2005, the number of international players had been halved to four in the first round. This year, only three international players are projected as first-round picks. Scouts even have a name for the dwindling number of international players coming into the league: the Darko Backlash. It's enough to make you forget that Darko is just 20 years old. That he's grown an inch and now stands at 7-1. That he's added 20 pounds of muscle and spent the last three years practicing against Ben Wallace on a daily basis. Darko's story in Detroit might be over. But if all the scouts and GMs that loved Darko before the draft were right about him, then his career might be far from over. The Pistons will move on. Dumars' team won a championship in 2004, pushed the Spurs to seven games in the Finals last season, and look like the best team in the NBA again this year. His legacy is in sound shape. But what about Darko? He still has a long way to go. I've always believed Darko would've been a star by now if he had landed on a team that could have played him and given him confidence. To look at one counterexample: Given how ugly Dirk Nowitzki's rookie season was in Dallas, I wonder what Dirk would look like now had he been drafted by a championship contender like Detroit. In Dallas, Don Nelson almost lost his job after Nowitzki's rookie year because he stubbornly let Nowitzki play through some awful stretches. It paid off for Dallas in the long run. In contrast, Darko's first NBA coach, Larry Brown, has long been suspicious of rookies and wanted Darko to forget about doing all of the things that he, like so many other Euros, did well -- play the complete floor game. Instead, Brown wanted him to play with his back to the basket. Would landing in a place like Denver (a developing team that needed a big man) or Toronto (a city with a large Serbian population) instead of Detroit have made a difference for Darko? Maybe. We'll never know. All we do know was the mix of circumstances in Detroit, combined with Darko's reaction to it, led to failure. Even without Brown's skepticism, there was hardly any chance for Darko to play in Detroit. The Pistons peaked just as Darko entered the picture. For more than two years, the Pistons' starting five has been as solid as any other in the league. No one was breaking into it -- especially not an 18-year-old big man. So Darko sat. And stewed. He lived alone, one of his first mistakes. He got homesick. Started listening to the hecklers. Lost his passion for the game. By midseason of his rookie year, he spent more energy living the life of an NBA player off the court than playing the game that an NBA player is paid to play. When he did get into the game, typically only seconds before everyone went home, he looked out of place. "Awkward" barely captures how lost the big kid looked. He tried to do too much, with too little time. Then, after a while, he just quit trying. He was awful and he knew it. The shame and embarrassment of it all, for a kid as proud as Darko, was too much to bear. By the end of his rookie season, Darko looked nothing like the 17-year-old kid I saw dominating players 10 years older in Serbia in the winter of 2002. He was timid and mechanical and just plain scared. Larry Brown's harsh treatment of Darko only escalated his problems. Brown often made Darko the focus of practices. Brown rarely rewarded him with playing time after a good game. Darko grew more inward. Dumars' attempts to mediate the conflict with the two usually ended in kind words, but not more playing time. Dumars never pushed his coaches to play Darko more because he wanted Darko to earn his time. For his part, Darko believed that no matter what he did, he wasn't going to get the opportunity he thought a No. 2 pick deserved. Something was lost in translation. When Brown left the team this summer, and the more easygoing Flip Saunders replaced him, Darko's biggest excuse had walked out the door. I saw glimmers of the old Darko this summer at the European Championships, and then in the Pistons' preseason. But once he started off the regular season with a stumble, and Flip Saunders buried him at the end of the rotation, the writing was on the wall. The Darko experiment was over. He hadn't progressed to the point where he could earn minutes on an elite team like the Pistons. He was under contract for only the next 18 months. The Pistons didn't see anything changing in the near future. Dumars quietly sent out word that Darko might be available for the right price several months ago. A number of teams were interested, including Dallas, Minnesota, Phoenix and Memphis. All offered combinations that included young players, expiring contracts and first-round picks. When the Orlando deal became a possibility, it was the one that made the most sense for the Pistons. The Pistons would get a lottery pick to replace Milicic and major salary relief. The team almost pulled the trigger several weeks ago. But after a meeting with Milicic's agent, Marc Cornstein, Darko responded with several fantastic practices. Dumars held back. His concern: Was he giving up on Darko too early? After a few more weeks of reflection, and plenty of DNPs for Darko, Dumars finally got back on board and said yes. For the Pistons, believe it or not, this trade is all about the future. Pistons owner Bill Davidson isn't James Dolan. He has not authorized Dumars to exceed the luxury tax threshold in payroll. With Ben Wallace hitting restricted free agency this summer and Chauncey Billups looking for a contract extension, Dumars needed a way of clearing some money off the cap. This deal clears $9.2 million off Detroit's payroll next year. With Ben Wallace figuring to earn a starting salary of about $10 million per year, the Pistons have found a way to re-sign him without incurring the luxury tax. They also found a way to replace Darko for the long term with the Magic's No. 1 pick in either 2007 or 2008. Whoever the Pistons select is probably looking at a two-year stint on the practice team, but at least the Pistons get to reset the clock, given that Darko was approaching free agency. Furthermore, there is light at the end of the tunnel for the next draft pick. Rasheed and Ben Wallace are both 31. They cannot play big minutes forever. The deal is equally interesting for the Magic. Darko is a calculated risk. But the Magic have little to lose at this point. And it's easy to see the upside, still. Had Darko stayed in Serbia the past two years and continued to produce the numbers that he produced when he was 17 years old, he likely would've been the No. 1 pick in the 2006 draft. The hype around him would only have grown, assuming a normal progression. So the Magic ended up trading a lottery-protected pick for a guy who likely would have gone No. 1. Darko, theoretically, should be the perfect complement to Dwight Howard. Howard does almost all of his work from within 10 feet of the basket. Darko prefers playing from 10 feet out or more. Howard is one of the best rebounders in the league. If there's been one positive from Darko's brief stints on the floor, it's that he's proven to be a very good shot blocker. He also should get the playing time. The Magic didn't give up a lottery pick and take on more cash to sit him at the end of the bench. They have roughly 18 months before he hits restricted free agency. By then, they have to have a handle on who he is. Can he play, or was he just one of the most overhyped players in the history of the draft? Look for Darko to get 25 to 30 minutes a night in Orlando. Most important, he'll get a fresh start on a forgotten team. For that reason, no one makes out better on this trade than Darko. After years of bad break after bad break, the basketball gods are smiling on him again, it seems. What will he do with the opportunity? For once in his NBA career, it's all on him. Can he shake off the rust of the last three years? Can he let the past go and rekindle the flame -- the red-hot intensity -- that once impressed so many? Did he learn anything from his three years in exile? Or will he fade quietly into the night? I know that I don't know the answers the way I thought I did when I first fell for Darko 3½ years ago. I don't think he knows the answers either. But despite his failures, I'm still cheering for Darko. The kid has too much talent, has overcome too much in his life, to fail now. I still remember the wide-eyed kid from the Serbian ghetto, the one who had left his mother when he was 14 to support his family by playing pro basketball while his father was at war. I still remember the kid who played every minute like it was going to be his last. The kid who, when he was done with a killer workout, would stay on the floor and shoot jumpers for hours because the basketball floor was his home. That kid hasn't shown his face here in a long time. Can he find himself again in Orlando? Darko's story is far from over. Here's hoping for a happy ending.

3) Fascinating article from Chris Sheriden of ESPN.com on the last 50 trades in the NBA:

Fifty deals great and small

Since the Vince Carter blockbuster of December 2004, there have been exactly 50 trades, including the biggest trade in NBA history. With only eight days left before the trade deadline, one way to get perspective on the significance of this week's swaps -- and all the trade talk -- is to look back at the deals of the past 14 months. So we're breaking down the details on the last 50 NBA trades and declaring a winner and a loser for each. Let's go:

Dec. 23, 2004 - Atlanta acquired Tyronn Lue from Houston for Jon Barry. Winner: Hawks. Barry was a steady contributor to the Rockets as they made it to the second round of the 2005 playoffs, but he's been out virtually this entire season with a calf injury. Lue was Atlanta's No. 1 point guard until going down last week with a sprained knee.

Dec. 27, 2004 - Houston acquired David Wesley from New Orleans for Bostjan Nachbar and Jim Jackson. Winner: Rockets. Wesley has been a steady third scoring option behind Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming in Houston, while Jackson refused to report to the Hornets and Nachbar has had no impact and is back on the trading block.

Jan. 3, 2005 - In exchange for two second-round picks, Golden State acquired Zarko Cabarkapa from Phoenix. Winner: Too soon to tell. Cabarkapa has done nothing for the Warriors, while the Suns dealt one of the picks to Boston for Walter McCarty and haven't used the other.

Jan. 10, 2005 - Sacramento acquired Cuttino Mobley and Michael Bradley from Orlando for Doug Christie. Winner: Kings. The trade worked out for neither team before both players left as free agents, but Sacramento got more out of Mobley (14.8 points in five playoff games) than Orlando got out of Christie (5.7 points in 21 games).

Jan. 21, 2005 - Phoenix acquired Jim Jackson and a second-round pick from New Orleans for Casey Jacobsen, Maciej Lampe and Jackson Vroman. Winner: Suns. Jackson gave the Suns 11.0 points per game in the playoffs. Jacobsen is out of the league, Lampe has been hurt all year and Vroman now backs up Aaron Williams.

Jan. 21, 2005 - Detroit acquired Carlos Arroyo from Utah for Elden Campbell and the Pistons' No. 1 pick in 2006. Winner: Pistons. Arroyo remains the backup point guard behind All-Star Chauncey Billups, and the Pistons got Campbell back after the Jazz waived him. Detroit's 2006 pick looks like it'll be No. 30 overall.

Feb. 8, 2005 - Phoenix acquired Walter McCarty from Boston for a second-round draft pick. Winner: None. McCarty played limited minutes for the Suns in eight playoff games, scoring just four points. The Celtics have not used the pick, which was originally Golden State's.

Feb. 14, 2005 - New Jersey acquired Clifford Robinson from Golden State for two second-round draft picks. Winner: Nets, for now. Robinson has helped New Jersey in the frontcourt, but the Warriors got Chris Taft and are still owed a pick in 2007.

Feb. 23, 2005 - Philly acquired Chris Webber, Michael Bradley and Matt Barnes from Sacramento for Kenny Thomas, Brian Skinner and Corliss Williamson. Winner: Sixers, for now. Both teams have been mediocre at best since this trade, and Webber's contract will likely make the Sixers a tax-paying team in 2007 and 2008. Thomas has filled in nicely for Shareef Abdur-Rahim this season, but Skinner and Williamson are trade bait again.

Feb. 24, 2005 - Philly acquired Jamal Mashburn and Rodney Rogers from New Orleans for Glenn Robinson. Winner: None. A swap of injured players with huge salaries, but neither Robinson nor Mashburn ever played for his new team. Rogers was used sparingly in four playoff games.

Feb. 24, 2005 - Charlotte acquired Malik Allen and cash from Miami for Steve Smith. Winner: Bobcats, only because they got some cash. Smith played in only 13 games for the Heat and did not score in two brief playoff appearances. Allen left the Bobcats over the summer and signed as a free agent with Chicago.

Feb. 24, 2005 - Dallas acquired Keith Van Horn from Milwaukee for Alan Henderson, Calvin Booth and cash. Winner: Bucks. By getting Van Horn off their salary cap, they freed up the money they used to sign Bobby Simmons as a free agent. Van Horn's final value to Dallas won't be known until after this season, but for now he's a very expensive ($15.7 million) bench player.

Feb. 24, 2005 - Cleveland acquired Jiri Welsch from Boston for a No. 1 pick in 2007 and the removal of lottery protection on its 2005 pick. Winner: Celtics. The removal of lottery protection enabled the Bobcats, who ended up with Cleveland's pick, to grab Sean May at No. 13. Welsch played in only 16 games for the Cavs, who shipped him to the Bucks for a second-round pick.

Feb. 24, 2005 - Boston acquired Antoine Walker from Atlanta for Gary Payton, Tom Gugliotta, Michael Stewart and a No. 1 pick (originally Lakers'). Winner: Celtics. Although the Celts went out of the playoffs in Game 7 of the first round, they turned Walker into something (a pair of second-round picks and the rights to Albert Miralles) by shipping him to Miami in a sign-and-trade. The Hawks moved the pick to Phoenix in the Joe Johnson deal.

Feb. 24, 2005 - Golden State acquired Baron Davis from New Orleans for Speedy Claxton, Dale Davis and cash. Winner: Warriors. Davis fueled Golden State's resurgence at the end of last season, and he's averaging 19.1 points and 9.4 assists this season. That still manages to outweigh the not-to-be-overlooked contributions of Claxton to the Hornets' resurgence this season. He's a legit contender for the Sixth Man Award.

Feb. 24, 2005 - New York acquired Malik Rose and two No. 1 picks from San Antonio for Nazr Mohammed and Jamison Brewer. Winner: Spurs. Mohammed was the starting center on the Spurs' championship team, and San Antonio got out from under Rose's contract. New York used one of the No. 1 picks on David Lee. The other is the Spurs' pick in 2007.

Feb. 24, 2005 - New York acquired Maurice Taylor from Houston for Vin Baker, Moochie Norris and a second-round pick. Winner: Knicks. Baker contributed zero to the Rockets, which is slightly more than Norris did. Taylor has a hefty contract but is a frequent starter now under Larry Brown.

Feb. 24, 2005 - Denver acquired Eduardo Najera, Luis Flores and a No. 1 pick (originally belonged to Dallas, protected 1-7 in 2007, 1-5 in 2008) from Golden State for Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Rodney White. Winner: Nuggets. An abysmal trade by the Warriors, who got nothing out of Skita and Rodney and tossed away a first-round pick.

Feb. 24, 2005 - Houston acquired Mike James and Zendon Hamilton from Milwaukee for Reece Gaines and two second-round picks. Winner: Rockets, for now. James was eventually turned into Rafer Alston, which at least gives the Rockets something to show for this deal. The Bucks haven't used either pick yet, and Gaines is a bust.

June 7, 2005 - Sixers acquired a 2008 second-round pick from Utah for a 2005 second-round pick. Winner: None. The Jazz eventually sent the pick to Detroit, which used it to take Alex Acker at No. 60.

June 28, 2005 - Portland traded the No. 3 pick to Utah for three No. 1s (No. 6 Martell Webster, No. 27 Linas Kleiza and the Pistons' 2006 pick) Winner: Too soon to tell, but the Jazz passed on Chris Paul to select Deron Williams, which now looks like a mistake.
June 28, 2005 - Denver acquired the rights to Linas Kleiza and Ricky Sanchez from Portland for Jarrett Jack. Winner: Too soon to tell. Kleiza and Jack are having quiet rookie seasons. Sanchez, drafted out of high school, is in the CBA with the Idaho Stampede.

June 28, 2005 - Bucks acquired Jiri Welsch from Cleveland for a 2006 second-round pick. Winner: Bucks. Welsch is averaging 5.0 points in 17 minutes per game for Milwaukee, decent production considering the price

June 28, 2005 - In a deal giving Orlando a 2006 second-round pick and cash, the Cavs acquired the rights to Martynas Andriuskevicius. Winner: Too soon to tell. The rookie from Lithuania has been up and down to the D-League, appearing in only three games for Cleveland.

June 28, 2005 - Memphis acquired the rights to Lawrence Roberts from Seattle for two future second-round picks and cash. Winner: Too soon to tell. Grizzlies president Jerry West has a pattern of picking players like Roberts, not many of whom have worked out. He's played only in garbage time thus far.

June 28, 2005 - In a deal with the Suns, New York acquired Quentin Richardson and Nate Robinson from Phoenix for Kurt Thomas and Dijon Thompson. Winner: None. The production Richardson and Thomas are providing to their new teams is nothing like what they gave to their old teams. Robinson is a fan favorite but not a Larry Brown favorite and might be moved before the trade deadline. Thompson has made 10 garbage time appearances for Phoenix.

June 28, 2005 - Orlando acquired the rights to Martin Gortat from Phoenix for cash. Winner: Too soon to tell. The Polish center is averaging 8.8 points and shooting 70 percent for Cologne of the German League.

Aug. 2, 2005 - Sacramento acquired Bonzi Wells from Memphis for Bobby Jackson and Greg Ostertag. Winner: Grizzlies. Jackson has been huge off the bench for Memphis, while Wells has missed considerable time with the Kings because of a groin injury.

Aug. 2, 2005 - Sacramento acquired Jason Hart from Charlotte for a future second-round pick. Winner: None. Hart has not played particularly well for the Kings as Mike Bibby's backup.

Aug. 2, 2005 - Wizards acquired Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins from the Los Angeles Lakers for Kwame Brown and Laron Profit. Winner: Wizards. Butler has eased Gilbert Arenas' scoring burden in Washington, which inked him to a contract extension. Brown has been his usual disappointing self for the Lakers, whose coach used a synonym for the word "cat" when speaking to Brown earlier this season.

Aug. 2, 2005 - Charlotte acquired Jake Voskuhl from Phoenix for a 2007 second-round pick. Winner: None. Voskuhl is a backup big man for the league's worst team.

Aug. 2, 2005 - Miami acquired Antoine Walker from Boston and James Posey, Jason Williams and Andre Emmett from Memphis and the rights to Roberto Duenas from the New Orleans. Boston acquired Qyntel Woods, the rights to Albert Miralles and two second-round picks from Miami and Curtis Borchardt from Utah; Memphis acquired Eddie Jones from Miami and Raul Lopez from Utah; New Orleans acquired Kirk Snyder from Utah and Rasual Butler from Miami; and Utah acquired Greg Ostertag from Memphis. Winner: Hornets. Snyder is a starter and Butler is a key shooter off the bench for New Orleans, which surrendered only the rights to Duenas (the hairiest player on the planet; if he ever makes it to the NBA, he'll be Wookie of the Year). Too soon to tell for the Grizzlies and Heat until everyone sees how Miami's and Memphis' new players perform in the playoffs.

Aug. 9, 2005 - New Jersey acquired Marc Jackson from Philadelphia for a future second-round pick.Winner: Nets. The price was low for the gritty Jackson, who's being dangled as trade bait again as the Nets seek an upgrade at power forward.

Aug. 12, 2005 - Clippers acquired Sam Cassell and a lottery-protected first-round pick from Minnesota for Marko Jaric and Lionel Chalmers.Winner: Clippers, big-time. Cassell has helped lead Los Angeles to its best start since the franchise was based in Buffalo, while Jaric has lost his starting job and is now behind Anthony Carter and Marcus Banks on the Wolves' depth chart.

Aug. 19, 2005 - Atlanta acquired Joe Johnson from Phoenix for Boris Diaw and two future first-round picks. Winner: Suns. Diaw is one of only a handful of players averaging six assists and six rebounds, playing a prominent role as a starter for the Pacific Division's best team. Of the two first-round picks Phoenix received, the better one is Atlanta's with lottery protection that drops to 1-3 in 2007 and comes off in 2008.

Aug. 25, 2005 - Phoenix acquired James Jones from Indiana for a future second-round draft pick. Winner: Suns. Jones has knocked down 80 3-pointers as the first shooter off the bench for Phoenix.

Sept. 30, 2005 - Boston acquired Dan Dickau from New Orleans for a 2006 second-round pick. Winner: None. Dickau played poorly for Boston before going down for the season in December with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

Oct. 4, 2005 - Houston acquired Rafer Alston from Toronto for Mike James. Winner: Raptors. James is averaging 17.6 points and 5.3 assists while shooting 47 percent. Alston is averaging 11.4 points and 6.1 assists while shooting 39 percent.

Oct. 4, 2005 - New York acquired Eddy Curry and Antonio Davis from Chicago for Tim Thomas, Michael Sweetney, Jermaine Jackson, the Knicks' No. 1 pick in 2006, the right to swap No. 1 picks in 2007, and two second-round draft picks. Winner: Too soon to tell. Curry has been less productive -- especially on the boards -- than the Knicks expected, while Davis was turned into Jalen Rose. The deal has hurt Chicago in the short-term, but judgment can't be rendered until the Bulls are finished using the Knicks' picks. They also might be able to deal Thomas and Sweetney before the deadline.

Oct. 4, 2005 - Cleveland reacquired its 2007 second-round draft pick from Orlando in exchange for Milwaukee's 2007 second-round pick. Winner: Too soon to tell. Right now, it appears Milwaukee's pick will be more favorable, so the leader at the turn is Orlando. An odd trade, since the only way the Cavs win it is if they finish behind Milwaukee. Right now, the Cavs hold a three-game lead on the Bucks in the Central Division.

Oct. 26, 2005 - Milwaukee acquired Jamaal Magloire from New Orleans for Desmond Mason and a No. 1 pick. Winner: Too soon to tell. Mason has been playing better lately after a poor start, while Magloire has given the Bucks about what they expected of him.

Oct. 26, 2005 - Charlotte acquired Jumaine Jones from the Los Angeles Lakers for a second-round draft pick. Winner: Too soon to tell, although a second-rounder that falls No. 30 or 31 could be quite valuable. Jones has played well since moving into the Cats' starting lineup less than a month ago.

Jan. 25, 2006 - Sacramento acquired Ron Artest from Indiana for Peja Stojakovic. Winner: Too soon to tell. The Pacers are 4-2 with Stojakovic, the Kings are 5-4 with Artest.

Jan. 26, 2006 - Phoenix acquired Nikoloz Tskitishvili from Minnesota for a future second-round pick. Winner: Too soon to tell. Skita was 1-for-4 in four minutes in his only appearance for the Suns thus far.

Jan. 25, 2006 - Minnesota acquired Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks, Justin Reed and two second-round picks from Boston for Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones and a No. 1 pick. Winner: Too soon to tell, although early indications point to the Wolves. Boston is 2-6 since the trade, while Minnesota is 3-7 with Davis averaging 19.5 points and Banks averaging 12.5. Szczerbiak's scoring average is down almost three points since the trade.

Jan. 31, 2006 - New Orleans acquired Aaron Williams from Toronto for second-round picks in 2006 and 2009. Winner: Too soon to tell. Williams has averaged 21 minutes in six games for the Hornets, with 4.8 points and 4.8 rebounds. They are 5-1 since he arrived.

Feb. 3, 2006 - New York acquired Jalen Rose and a No. 1 pick (Denver's) from Toronto for Antonio Davis. Winner: Too soon to tell. Rose averaged 20.3 points in his four games for the Knicks, but they lost them all. The Raptors acquired salary cap relief for this summer, when they'll be a player in the free agent market.

Feb. 9, 2006 - Houston acquired Keith Bogans from Charlotte for Lonny Baxter. Winner: Too soon to tell. Bogans had a dunk for his first basket with the Rockets, while Baxter played two inconsequential minutes for the Bobcats on Saturday in his debut.

Feb. 13, 2006 - New Orleans acquired point guard Moochie Norris from Houston for center Maciej Lampe. Winner: Too soon to tell, but give Carroll Dawson credit for trading Norris' $12.6 million contract not once, but twice (he dealt Norris and John Amaechi to New York for Clarence Weatherspoon). Norris is now on the Hornets' cap for $4.55 million next season.

Feb. 14, 2006 - The Clippers acquired Vladimir Radmanovic from Seattle for Chris Wilcox. Winner: Too soon to tell. Radmanovic will emerge as the winner himself if he can boost his value for free agency. He turned down $42 million from Seattle, and he may have a hard time matching that amount on the open market. He has forfeited his Bird rights, so the Clippers cannot sign-and-trade him.

4) Jack MacCallum of SI.com with the traders up to the deadline:

Let's make a deal - Five teams that need to make a trade by the deadline

So, whaddya got? A player or two? Used pickup truck? How about some of those old Star Wars action figures, the ones that came in that gorgeous retro gold case? Isiah Thomas will listen. The way everyone tells it, just about everybody on his New York Knicks roster with the exception of Channing Frye and Walt Frazier (oh, he doesn't play anymore?) is available. Here's one possibility: Stephon Marbury and Penny Hardaway for two Luke Skywalkers, a C-3PO and a Ford 150 to be named later. Yes, with the NBA trading deadline set for next Thursday, word around the league is that the Knicks' general manager is willing to make some moves in a continued effort to -- how shall we put this? -- upgrade the roster. Only a wise guy would note that, in Larry Brown's first season, the roster seemingly can't be downgraded. But let's leave the Knicks out of this for a change and pick on somebody else. Which other teams need to make a deal? One could argue that there are, oh, 25 of them, so far ahead of the pack are the Detroit Pistons, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and, to a lesser extent, the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat. But this is a five-pack format, so here are five. Keep in mind that the Free Darko movement has already succeeded in getting Mr. Milicic out of Detroit (he's in Orlando) and that several other deals might come down after I write this on Thursday morning.

1. Denver Nuggets - G.M. Kiki Vandeweghe hates the fact that trade scenarios are made public. I feel for him, but, his public denials to the contrary, the Nuggets are trying to make a deal. Concentration has settled on Kenyon Martin, whose monster rebounding skills are a lure. On the other hand, his volatile temperament and monster contract are turnoffs: After he gets his $10.6 million this season, he is still owed about $70.8 million through 2011. The Nugs need to move him since they'll be giving Carmelo Anthony a max deal in two years, but there are few teams in position to take him. (Well, maybe the Knicks.) I'm not sure that their most tradeable piece isn't either of their two backup Earl guards, Boykins, an undersized but underrated player with a modest contract, and Watson, who was dangled early in the season. Either is a potential starter on several other teams.

2. Minnesota Timberwolves - They did well by unloading Michael Olowokandi, a drain on anyone's roster, to the Boston Celtics a few weeks ago. But they shouldn't stop there. They are one of the most disappointing teams in the league, and G.M. Kevin McHale will not hesitate to pull the trigger. But as for the obvious question ... no, he won't trade Kevin Garnett. Besides the Big Ticket, McHale's next most valuable piece might be the underrated Trenton Hassell, a defensive stopper and a good one-on-one player, but he won't part with him, either. Look for a deal involving point guard Marko Jaric, who looks uncomfortable playing with K.G.

3. Cleveland Cavaliers - Yes, they have LeBron James. But Danny Ferry, the Cavs' first-year G.M., is a smart guy and knows his team is nowhere near the Pistons or the Heat, and, for that matter, not much better than the Milwaukee Bucks, New Jersey Nets or Indiana Pacers (even with the injured Jermaine O'Neal). That became even more apparent when Larry Hughes got the depressing news that his broken finger required a second surgery. Ferry isn't going to mortgage the future, but he comes from a winning tradition with the San Antonio Spurs. I could see him parting with Drew Gooden, whose relentless rebounding would be attractive to any number of teams, in exchange for a shooter to take the pressure off James.

4. Golden State Warriors - Ever so quietly, the Northern Californians have turned what seemed to be a playoff-bound season into a supreme disappointment. Point guard Baron Davis, who should be channeling, say, Chauncey Billups, is channeling Steve Francis instead. But no team is going to take on Davis' contract, which has $49 million left after this season. The Warriors also have two other big-contract guys in Jason Richardson and Troy Murphy, and, for good measure, they owe Adonal Foyle $34 million through '09 -- Adonal Foyle! Untradeables all, though they probably wouldn't want to get rid of Murphy in any case. That leaves Mike Dunleavy, and I could see his outside touch being valuable to any number of teams.

5. Philadelphia 76ers - My guess is, the 76ers will slide into the Eastern Conference playoffs as the eighth seed. That isn't good enough for a team with one of the most exciting players in the game. So, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls ... I think it's time. Time for the 76ers to part with Allen Iverson. I'm not suggesting for a minute that Andre Iguodala and Kyle Korver can replace Iverson's scoring. But in any trade scenario, A.I. would bring valuable pieces, probably a legit player, maybe a prospect and a draft pick and also clear cap space to go after a free agent. No deals involving Iverson seem to be in the wind, but this is about which teams need to make a trade, right? It's time to shop A.I. to the West.