The only two teams idle on a 14-game night in the NBA reside in the Northwest Division, as the Thunder and Nuggets get the night off to enjoy their victories on Tuesday. The rest of the division is on the court, and making noise off the court as well, as we detail here:
- As Victor Claver has inherited Luke Babbitt's role with the Blazers, The Oregonian's Joe Freeman writes that it seems clear the team doesn't plan to re-sign Babbitt when he hits unrestricted free agency this summer.
- The Blazers and Wolves have hashed out an agreement over compensation related to Minnesota's complaints that Portland didn't fully disclose the extent of Martell Webster's ailments before trading him to the Wolves in 2010. A Wolves spokesperson didn't disclose specifics, and simply said the teams have "have resolved this matter amicably," as Michael Lee of The Washington Post writes. Since there likely would have been an announcement if a draft pick had changed hands, as the Wolves were reportedly seeking, it seems likely Minnesota received financial considerations, if anything, in the settlement, though that's just my speculation.
- The Wolves are looking into applying for an injury exception that would allow them to sign a 16th player, but they might not need it. According to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, who noted that Kevin Love may be nearing a return, Chase Budinger could be back in a few weeks as well.
- Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors earlier today asked readers which Western Conference team is most likely to miss the playoffs, and though Utah holds a two and a half game on the Lakers in the standings, the eighth-place Jazz are neck and neck with L.A. atop the poll results.