T-Mac for Iggy?

Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers and Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets top the Western Conference, while LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat lead the Eastern Conference after the third returns of 2010 NBA All-Star Balloting presented by T-Mobile. - HoopsWorld

Kings guard Kevin Martin's latest CT scan showed more improvement in the non-displaced hairline fracture of the navicular bone in his left wrist. The injury continues to heal but there's still no date for his return to the lineup.  -  The Sacramento Bee

Bobcats center Tyson Chandler - still on crutches - told me after the game he expects to be out at least another week with the stress reaction in his left foot. That's in part because he'll need a couple of practices to test the pain he's feeling, to make sure he's ready to play.  -  Charlotte Observer

Murphy sat out with a sprained left ankle he suffered Tuesday against Chicago, and his return date is uncertain. He is the Pacers' No. 2 scorer with 13.8 points per game, and leads the team in averaging 9.1 rebounds. Hansbrough, a rookie, is out with an inner ear infection. He has been one of the team's top players off the bench, averaging 9.2 points and 5.1 rebounds.  -  AP

An investigation by league security will expand after the New York Post and Yahoo! Sports reported Friday that Arenas' possession of firearms in the Verizon Center locker room in the days before Christmas Eve was related to an argument with Crittenton, a high-level source with knowledge of the probe said. - CBS Sports

Rival team executives expect the Houston Rockets to be patient in their attempt to trade Tracy McGrady and his $23 million expiring contract. “Never say never, but I will be a little surprised if they get any kind of a reasonable deal,” one general manager said. Another executive even speculated on the possibility of McGrady not playing the rest of this season and being used in a sign-and-trade during the summer.  - Yahoo! Sports

The Wizards released a statement that Arenas had unloaded guns and no ammunition in a lock box in his locker. The statement did not mention Crittenton. Both Crittenton and his agent, Mark Bartlestein, declined comment when reached by telephone. Arenas was asked if he brandished the weapons, and he answered, despite attempts by the Wizards public relations staff to keep him quiet.  -  Washington Post

A smile accompanied the reference to Saunders's assertion that he could've played better defense than the Wizards did against Oklahoma City on Tuesday, but Butler said it wasn't a joking matter. "I’m a man first," he said. "I got pride. I take pride in everything I do, particularly in the court. To see that, just to see him, and we exchanged words. He told me that he expected more from me, in particular, some of the things he wanted. I just said, don’t worry about it. I got the message."  -  Washington Examiner

According to a league source, Celtics center Kendrick Perkins and NBA president of basketball operations Stu Jackson did not meet Thursday about rescinding his two previous technical fouls. Perkins wants to have two technicals rescinded because he said he did nothing to earn them. He was whistled by Zach Zarba for yelling at Monte McCutcheon during Wednesday's loss to Phoenix and was given a technical Monday against Golden State for elbowing Rony Turiaf.  - Boston Globe

“I don’t chase no championship,” Iverson said. “I’ve said that from Day One. I have of lot of respect for the talent [God] gave me and I respect my game and what I do on the basketball court, and I wouldn’t do something like that. A championship like that wouldn’t mean much to me. I’d have to be an intricate part in what we are trying to do in winning a championship.”  - Yahoo! Sports

Portland Trail Blazers guard Steve Blake has been hospitalized with pneumonia, the team said Friday. Blake, who was admitted to a local-area hospital, is expected to miss at least a few days and is out indefinitely. - Columbian

After a brief meeting with LeBron James in Phoenix on Dec. 2, USA Basketball senior managing director Jerry Colangelo told Yahoo! Sports he is confident the Cleveland Cavaliers forward will be playing in the 2010 FIBA World Championship even though he will be a free agent this summer. Colangelo also has meetings scheduled soon with two other impending free agents: Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade and Toronto Raptors forward Chris Bosh.  - Yahoo! Sports

According to a source close to the situation, the Houston Rockets have said they would only consider shipping McGrady to the Sixers if the Sixers "knocked the Rockets over" with the amount of young talent included in the deal. The source said that the teams have not spoken in "more than a week," but that a deal involving Iguodala "has a chance."  - Philadelphia Inquirer

Rodney Stuckey suffered a sprain in the first quarter when he mishandled an outlet pass and fell in agony on the Palace floor. He returned to start the second quarter, only to hurt the ankle again. He went to the locker room for more taping and came back and gritted out a 22-point, six-assist, three-rebound effort that earned the admiration of Pistons coach John Kuester. "I thought Stuckey showed a lot of courage by coming back," Kuester said.  - Detroit Free Press

In retrospect, Ben Gordon believes his desire to play against his former team caused him to rush back from a sprained left ankle before he should have for the first meeting between the Bulls and Detroit Pistons four weeks ago. ''I definitely did,'' Gordon said Thursday before the rematch between the teams at the Palace of Auburn Hills.  -  Chicago Sun Times

Obviously no one is untouchable on a 7-18 team, but sources with knowledge of the Warriors' thinking say that their willingness to move guards Monta Ellis, Stephen Curry and Anthony Morrow has been overstated. None of them are being "shopped," sources said Friday, although it seems safe to suggest that the Warriors would eventually have to part with at least one of them to land the bruising power forward -- such as Carlos Boozer or David West -- they lack and covet.  - ESPN.com

Even if the Knicks were willing to part with Al Harrington and his $10 million expiring salary in an Augustin deal, it's believed that Charlotte would want to package Boris Diaw with Augustin to get to Harrington's salary range. And Diaw is almost certainly someone Walsh wouldn't take on -- despite Diaw's history with Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni in Phoenix -- because the Frenchman has two years left on his contract after this season worth $18 million.  - ESPN.com

In a significant step in his NBA maturation, the second-year Miami Heat forward said Thursday he had no regrets about his heated exchange with Quentin Richardson during the third quarter of Wednesday's loss to the New Orleans Hornets, and felt did not deserve any admonishment from his veteran teammate. "I'm not a rookie no more," Beasley said before his team faced the San Antonio Spurs at AT&T Center on New Year's Eve.  -  South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Like Wallace, Perkins is amassing “reputation technicals.’’ It’s one thing if Allen gets upset, but when it’s Perkins, officials have a shorter fuse, especially when he looks so unpleasant during games. Perkins said he isn’t going to change his demeanor. “If you don’t know me by now, from when I start the game to when I finish the game, there’s always a frown,’’ he said.  - Boston Globe

When Andrea Bargnani hit a crucial three-pointer in the closing seconds of a win against the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday, he reacted like a kid getting an iPod on Christmas morning, whooping and hollering as he bounced back to the Raptors bench.  -  Toronto Sun