-Not really new, but additional confirmation that Jefferson + Ridnour is being discussed. -A claim that Washington is not trading Butler. -A few nuggets about Vince.

This story proves Roy has no concern for his Spanish teamate. What a jerk!

Not sure if this has been posted yet...DX Draft Express analyzing Greg Oden in their "Rookie Retrospectives" series.

This hoopsworld.com article has Travis Outlaw ranked as the fifth best sixth man in the league. I can dig it.

Looks like Oden's knee isn't too serious.

It looks like the Suns are going get rid of Porter. The situation in Phoenix is a mess but it's not Terry's fault.

I did an angry review of the dunk contest. I actually rated each one over again and put some funny comments in as well. Rudy actually had quite the chance to go to the finals but was rigged... we allll already know that just thought I'd post a link for some bored people out there.

Hollinger:Finally, let me share a juicy tip from a league source on the state of the salary cap. Basically, the situation will be worse than many people expect, and the luxury-tax level next season will be set even lower than what several teams are currently planning for. The implications will be huge as we head into next season. Here's the more interesting part of what I was told: Next season's luxury tax might just be the tip of the iceberg. The salary cap (and thus the tax level) could drop massively in 2010; my source used the term "bloodbath." This would have huge effects on the pursuit of big-game free agents, of course, but also on the luxury-tax level for that season … which could push many more teams over the line and lead to fire-sale-type trades. All this would be a prelude to the labor negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement in 2011. If money gets as tight as some project, things could get ugly.

克里斯保罗和罗伊的开拓者公关ecedent: Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson in "Wedding Crashers" Why it should happen: A pairing that you never spent time dreaming up, but one that could turn out to work surprisingly well. Truth is, I didn't think about it until Brandon Roy suggested it. (Chris Paulactually wished for Tim Duncan, but Roy had first crack.) The Blazers are always concerned about asking Roy to do too much, and anytime they can find someone to bring up the ball they're happy to relieve him of those duties. So why not get the league's top point guard to bring up the ball and initiate the offense? All Roy would have to do was go to his favorite spots and stand there. [+] EnlargeChris Paul and Brandon Roy Chris Graythen/Getty ImagesChris Paul and Brandon Roy could form the league's best backcourt. "[Paul] does a great job of getting guys easy shots, something I don't come across a lot now," said Roy, the focal point of every opponent's defense. When you think of Roy you think of him pulling up and hitting jumpers with a hand in his face, or driving through the lane, spinning and shooting. The problem with the Hornets is things usually go sour when Paul goes out of the game. Roy might not be a pure point guard like Paul, but he's a guy who can handle the ball and make good decisions -- always. So Roy with the ball would become the Ultimate Plan B. "I like to create," Roy said. "I think you've got to have two guys who can create, especially to be good. I think we could fit." How it could happen: The word around the league is the Hornets are already trying to shed salaries to get below the luxury tax next season. Perhaps they get so desperate they take the ultimate plunge, throwing Paul in the mix to entice someone to take on Peja Stojakovic's contract. The deep-pocketed Blazers bite and send LaMarcus Aldridge plus the expiring contracts of Raef LaFrentz, Channing Frye and Shavlik Randolph to the Big Easy for Paul.