Compiled by Chris Bernucca 

• SIXERS: He was there, in the 76ers' practice gym last night. And yet, he was somewhere else. He was running up and down the court with his teammates, seemingly immersed in the job at hand, preparing for tonight's game against the Miami Heat. And yet, it was easy to see that he had to fight himself to focus. Barring anything unforeseen, he expects to play. Starting, coming off the bench for the first time in his 14-season career, it didn't matter. He is ready to do whatever coach Eddie Jordan asks, and from the opening tap to the final buzzer, he intends to do what he can. Allen Iverson, having missed the last five games and what would have been his 11th straight appearance in the NBA All-Star Game, was back from his home in Atlanta, where he had been helping care for his ill daughter. Messiah Iverson is 4 years old. Listening to her father, doctors have been unable to determine specifically what is wrong. It wrenches at Allen Iverson; it almost hurts to hear him talk about the delicacy and uncertainty of the situation. Phil Jasner in the Philadelphia Daily News 

• SIXERS: As Thursday's NBA trading deadline approaches, the likelihood of the 76ers' trading swingman Andre Iguodala has lessened. One source close to the team indicated that Iguodala was very unlikely to be traded. Another source close to negotiations said that "unless they change their position," the Sixers would not be trading Iguodala and are absolutely not looking to shed salary. Kate Fagan in the Philadelphia Inquirer 

• BLAZERS: The Trail Blazers will trade forward Travis Outlaw and guard Steve Blake to the Los Angeles Clippers for veteran center Marcus Camby, an agent for one of the players has confirmed to The Oregonian. Outlaw late Monday night said his agent, Bill Duffy, informed him that the deal should be finished on Tuesday. "He said it is still being finished, but that it should go through,'' Outlaw said. The deal, which will also include the Blazers giving cash to Los Angeles, is expected to be finalized on Tuesday, well before the noon Thursday trading deadline, and on the same day the Clippers are in Portland to play the Blazers in the Rose Garden. Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard said the deal is "not done." Jason Quick in the Oregonian 

• BOBCATS: Charlotte Bobcats managing partner Michael Jordan recently told coach Larry Brown he's doing everything he can to buy controlling interest in the team from Bob Johnson. "I'm trying my hardest to get this thing done,'' Brown quoted Jordan as telling him last Tuesday, when Jordan attended a home game against the Washington Wizards. Brown's comments, following a night-time practice Monday, were in reaction to NBA Commissioner David Stern's remarks Saturday that it's likely the team would be sold in roughly 60 days. Rick Bonnell in the Charlotte Observer 

• CAVALIERS: This is supposedly the climax of trade season in the NBA. But that isn't really accurate. It is the climax of money season. For both teams and players. Money is at the heart of the potentially league-altering trade the Cavaliers and Phoenix Suns continue to ponder that would bring All-Star Amar'e Stoudemire to Cleveland. The Cavs, according to sources, are waiting for an answer with their offer that centers around Zydrunas Ilgauskas and J.J. Hickson but may include another player or draft pick. The Cavs have established other trade options, but they are waiting for resolution to their Stoudemire bid before doing anything else. Brian Windhorst in the Cleveland Plain Dealer 

• HEAT: With Miami being one of the more active teams in recent trade talks as Thursday's deadline approaches, owner Micky Arison said the team has fallen below even the modest expectations entering the season. "Fortunately, I've been traveling on business the last three weeks, so I missed those five [straight] losses," Arison said. "The team has a lot more potential than it's showed." But Arison also said he believes the Heat is separated by only a handful of bad breaks from battling with Orlando, Boston and Atlanta for a top-four playoff seed in the East. Michael Wallace in the Miami Herald 

• KNICKS: The Knicks and Rockets were closing in on a blockbuster deal yesterday that not only would bring Tracy McGrady to New York -- but more important, could open up $9.5 million of additional cap space that would give the Knicks a chance to sign two All-Star free agents to maximum contracts this summer. "We've made progress," a source involved in the talks told The Post, an indication an agreement could be reached today. The price the Knicks could pay for getting Jared Jeffries ($6.9M) off their books in this Rockets trade is giving up on their disappointing rookie lottery pick Jordan Hill, and possibly a 2012 first-round pick. Another league source said last night the holdup is that Knicks president Donnie Walsh is still unsure he wants to surrender Hill. Still, Hill remains on the table as talks continue. If Hill is dealt, his salary for next season ($2.5M) also would come off the books, which could give the Knicks as much as $35 million in cap room. Marc Berman and Mark Hale in the New York Post 

• NETS: The trading deadline is two days away. And avoiding disgrace on a historic, near Biblical scale, is six wins away. The Nets (4-48) gathered yesterday and began prepping for the final 30 games. That's what remains in their dismal season: 30 games in which they must find six wins to better the 9-73 mark of the 1972-73 Sixers or go down as the worst ever. "I can't even believe we're talking about trying to win six games with 30 left," Keyon Dooling said. "I won't allow myself to think about that in that aspect. I don't want that to be a goal of mine. Not a quotable goal." But it has to be. The Nets don't expect any significant help to arrive by Thursday's trading deadline. There are some possibilities described only as "minor," none with a better than 50-50 chance of happening. Fred Kerber in the New York Post 

• NETS: Rod Thorn’s demise has been greatly exaggerated -- if not invented entirely, by some NBA executives with vivid imaginations and agendas that remain hard to discern. That much was made clear by the Nets president’s meeting in Dallas on Sunday with two Onexim executives, who represented the only obstacle between Thorn heading north to Vancouver to meet with Mikhail Prokhorov for a series of appointments Monday and Tuesday. And the Russian businessman, whose purchase of the Nets is pending league approval, “is not bringing the guy all the way to British Columbia just to fire him,” according to one person familiar with content and tone of the meeting, who required anonymity to speak candidly. “They love Rod.” Dave D'Alessandro in the Newark Star-Ledger 

• NUGGETS: According to two NBA sources, the Nuggets have inquired about a number of big men, including Tyrus Thomas of Chicago, Ronny Turiaf of Golden State and Ben Wallace of Detroit, but right now, nothing sounds serious. The Nuggets already are a few million dollars into the NBA's luxury tax, and with the understanding that they're keeping J.R. Smith, there aren't that many tradable players — except players who aren't in Denver's rotation, such as Johan Petro. The Nuggets have a $3.6 million trade exception that expires in August, which is a chip they could play. Benjamin Hochman in the New York Post 

• RAPTORS: Chris Bosh will get on a plane with the rest of the Raptors Thursday afternoon and head to the New York area for a game in New Jersey. The flight will coincide with the NBA's 3 p.m. trade deadline, and if Bosh gets to his hotel and his 13 teammates are the same as the ones he left with, he'll be fine with that. "I'd be happy if we didn't make a trade. I think we're playing well and the different guys we have at each position are doing well, so I don't know if we need one," Bosh said. Doug Smith in the Toronto Star 

• SPURS: Last Thursday, one week before the NBA's trade deadline and one day before the start of the All-Star break, Roger Mason Jr. underscored his desire to remain a Spur for life. “I want to be in San Antonio for my career,” Mason told the Express-News after the Spurs' victory in Denver. At some point over the break, Mason's mind apparently changed. Mark Bartelstein, Mason's agent, on Monday told the Express-News the veteran guard would be amenable to a trade if it offered him a chance for more playing time. Bartelstein, however, refused to characterize his conversations with Spurs general manager R.C. Buford and coach Gregg Popovich as a formal trade request. Jeff McDonald in the San Antonio Express-News 

• SUNS: Miami's fervor for Stoudemire makes the Heat the next most likely destination even though Miami does not really have anything that interests Phoenix. The Suns are not big on Michael Beasley, Jermaine O'Neal's massive expiring contract ($23 million, requiring more than Stoudemire to be outgoing) or anything on Miami's roster that does not go by the name of Dwyane Wade. That does not mean Miami is out of the picture, though. The onus is now on the Heat to find a third party that can make a deal more attractive for the Suns, who would take one of Miami's first-round picks. The talk of Corey Maggette-for-Zydrunas Ilgauskas also could very well be a third-party situation. Amar'e Stoudemire has been approached about his willingness to play for either team. Cleveland is attractive for the championship chance reason. Miami is attractive because it is his home state. Paul Coro in the Arizona Republic 

• WARRIORS: The great dilemma that was Monta Ellis is no longer. For his sake and that of the Warriors, he has to go. And, if possible, he should take Andris Biedrins with him. The Warriors this season have been trapped in two colossal quandaries, one related to the status of coach Don Nelson and the other of which pertains to Ellis. We dwell on Monta, because making the call on Nelson is a more complex matter and, therefore, an entirely different column. The Warriors entered the season knowing Ellis was displeased and had been for more than a year. They knew the Ellis-Nelson relationship was as fragile as the thin sheet of ice between them. They also knew with Ellis and rookie Stephen Curry they had the untenable combination of two 6-foot-3 guards, forcing one or both to alter or sacrifice generous portions of his game. Monte Poole in the San Jose Mercury News 

• WARRIORS: Warriors owner Chris Cohan has the "for sale" sign on the cracked windshield of his broken-down heap. And so far, the only one kicking the tires is Larry Ellison, co-founder and CEO of Oracle Corp. Ellison recently admitted that he's "trying" to buy the team, but added at a public gathering, "Unfortunately, you can't have a hostile takeover of a basketball team." Maybe he should consider it. Cohan is reportedly asking a ridiculous price of $400 million. Ellison is smart, not cheap. The software king is worth about $22.5 billion, but it doesn't mean he's going to just hand over the cash. Ellison, who helped finance the BMW Oracle Racing team that won the America's Cup this past weekend, loves the challenge of creating something out of nothing. Because of this, he'll eventually reach an agreement with Cohan. Victor Contreras in the Sacramento Bee 

• WIZARDS: The biggest losers will be the people who pay full NBA ticket prices but now have to watch a team entering full-fledged rebuilding mode. Of course, the most hopeful folks in town look at what Ted Leonsis and his management team have done with the Capitals and hope for a similar basketball renaissance. It would be easier to do if the Wizards get lucky enough in the lottery to draft the kind of player the Capitals got when they selected Alex Ovechkin. That takes a level of good fortune the franchise hasn't known since Wes Unseld and Elvin Hayes were in Bullets uniforms. Michael Wilbon in the Washington Post