The Celtics have initiated trade proposals on Allen, multiple league sources say, and Boston is searching for a younger, less expensive guard and an expiring contract. This way they can find a replacement for the 34-year-old Allen without losing him and his $20 million expiring contract for nothing in free agency this summer. Only, there isn’t a shooting guard available who’s Allen’s peer. This threatens a perilous choice between transitioning for the future and refusing to compromise a chance to win a title now. - Yahoo! Sports
The Toronto Raptors' Chris Bosh and Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant today were named the Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Jan. 25-31. - NBA
If NBA owners ask players to give back an inordinate amount of money in collective bargaining talks, those talks at All-Star Weekend probably won't last long. That was the implication from union president Derek Fisher of the Los Angeles Lakers in the wake of a report on SI.com that owners will seek to cut the players' share of revenues from 57 to 45 percent. - ESPN
The Charlotte Bobcats’ Larry Brown and the Denver Nuggets’ George Karl today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month, respectively, for games played in January. - NBA
The Milwaukee Bucks’ Brandon Jennings and Golden State Warriors’ Stephen Curry today were named the Eastern and Western Conference T-Mobile Rookies of the Month, respectively, for games played in January. - NBA
Milwaukee Bucks center Francisco Elson will miss six weeks after having surgery to repair a hernia. The 7-foot backup center has been used sparingly for the Bucks, playing 60 minutes over 11 games. The 33-year-old Elson has 10 points and 13 rebounds this season, his seventh in the NBA. General manager John Hammond confirmed Monday that Elson had surgery on Friday. - AP
The Atlanta Hawks today signed guard Mario West for the remainder of the season, according to Executive Vice President/General Manager Rick Sund. In eight games with Atlanta this season, West has averaged 0.9 ppg, 1.6 rpg and 0.3 spg (.500 FG%, .600 FT%). The Georgia Tech product is in his third year with the Hawks. - NBA
Frye was chosen to participate in the All-Star Game weekend's 3-point shootout on Feb. 13, a league source confirmed. Frye could be the first center to win the championship. He already is the first center to participate in the 3-point shootout since Seattle's Sam Perkins, a forward-center, did in 1997. - Arizona Republic
The Clippers have lost four consecutive games and are 1-5 on a trip that has prompted questions about more than just their shaky offense. "It's a shame the amount of talent that we have in this locker room and we're not putting forth the effort," said point guard Baron Davis, who scored 30 points two days after calling a players-only meeting to try to shake the team out of its funk. - Los Angeles Times
That might be overstating it, but Pistons guard Richard Hamilton wants to pass more and get the ball to open teammates like former Lakers and Michigan State star Magic Johnson. "I have to just be a positive guy on and off the floor," Hamilton said. "That means on the floor, instead of being a scorer, maybe be more of a facilitator and try to get guys open and stuff like that. That might help us get more momentum and more into a rhythm in a game and hopefully get us a win." - The Detroit News
Rockets forward Shane Battier has been playing with a sprained left shoulder that has bothered him since he became entangled with the Spurs' Tim Duncan on Jan. 22, but it became especially painful Friday against the Trail Blazers. “It's still sore as hell,” Battier said. “It feels better not getting hit (Saturday). It was good to have a day not running through the screens Juwan Howard and LaMarcus Aldridge were setting.” - Houston Chronicle
Miami Heat point guard Mario Chalmers has a partially torn ligament in his left thumb and is out indefinitely. Chalmers was hurt Friday in Detroit and sat out the Heat's 95-84 loss at Milwaukee on Saturday, the first game he's missed in his two-year career. An MRI exam Sunday confirmed the injury. - AP
Sources have indicated the Timberwolves will trade Sessions this summer if they reach an agreement with draft pick Rickey Rubio. Sessions was Minnesota's prime free-agent target after Jason Kidd signed with Dallas and he would have signed had Walsh not gotten firmer projections in mid-July that the 2010 salary cap would drop to possibly $50 million. - New York Post
Adande didn't put much stock in this possibility. But Simmons was undeterred. "If I had to rank the LeBron teams, I would put Washington in the Top 5," he said. "I do think that it would take a lot for those things to work out. But if they did work out that is a very viable option for him in a place that has a ton of basketball history." "I was told by one of the LeBron guys that championship, that's the criteria," Adande said, still skeptical, and being well familiar with the Curse. - Washington Post
The Suns don’t need more soft guys who don’t defend. Maybe Courtney Lee. Maybe Devin Harris to succeed Steve Nash, though the Suns like their Goran Dragic. I can see something with the 76ers, as there’s widespread talk of moving former University of Arizona star Andre Iguodala, who could return to the desert, say, with someone like Samuel Dalembert, who’s long been available and would fit the Suns defensive needs. I guess Stoudemire could play center in the East. But with Elton Brand? I don’t know. - NBA
The Blazers remain interested in Haywood, since they've been relying on soon-to-be 37-year-old Juwan Howard at center in recent weeks. They reportedly declined a deal for Haywood that would've cost them Rudy Fernandez and Nicolas Batum. I know the Wizards asked for a lot there, but I wouldn't close the books on discussions about Haywood or Fernandez. Fernandez has been unhappy with his role in Portland, according to a league source. - Washington Post
Bender feels good about his physical progression after being away from the game for so long. “I don’t put too many expectations on myself. My goal was to make it back and I did.” He feels that he can physically perform like he used to in spurts, obviously hoping to build consistency and trust in his knees which rely on the surrounding muscle for support. - Truth About It
The fans of Shanxi Zhongyu can now relate to those of the Knicks. Stephon Marbury made his debut in China yesterday, his team lost, and the fans were disappointed with his performance. Sound familiar? Marbury scored 15 points, had four rebounds, eight assists and four steals, but was criticized for passing up the game-winning shot against Dongguan Marco Polo. With his team trailing 102-101, Marbury dished the ball to another former NBA player, Maurice Taylor, who missed a 3-pointer that would have won the game. - New York Post
After a game in Madison Square Garden, I saw Steph talking to a very “peculiar” looking girl. When we sat down on the plane that night (Steph sat right in front of me), I asked him who she was. He said it was a friend of his and that she happened to be a successful “adult film actress.” He then reached into his bag and showed me an autographed copy of her latest DVD project. “You want to watch it?” he asked me with a big smile on his face. “No thanks…. I’m good.” Then he put it on his computer and started watching it, as if it were just another episode of 24. That’s the only time I’ve ever seen that on a team flight. - SLAM
Hornets All-Star point guard Chris Paul is out indefinitely with a left knee injury. Hornets coach Jeff Bower said on Monday that an MRI revealed more damage to the knee than the initial diagnosis of a bruise. The coach refused, however, to confirm reports that Paul had a meniscus tear and would miss at least a month. - ESPN
Danilo Gallinari has yet to be informed that he will participate in the 3-point contest at All-Star Weekend in Dallas but word around the league is that the second-year forward will be invited to the event. Reports out of Phoenix claim that former Knicks lottery pick Channing Frye is a participant in the 3-point contest. As of late Sunday, Gallo said he hadn't heard any news but he did make news by stating "I will win it. I'm telling you right now I'm going there to win." - New York Daily News
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's production company says it paid $500,000 for a full-length movie based on Abdul-Jabbar's book about the Harlem Renaissance, but the producer it hired turned in an "unreleasable" 12-minute tape of interviews that had nothing to do with Abdul-Jabbar's script. Abdul-Jabbar's production company, Union/OSG, claims it hired William Zagger and B-Train Films to produce a feature-length documentary based on Jabbar's sixth book, "On the Shoulders of Giants: My Journey Through the Harlem Renaissance." - Courthouse News
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