NBA Rumors and News Roundup: Latest Dwight Howard and LA Lakers Update and More

Dwight Howard's trade request has led to a multitude of rumors, all of which have had an obvious impact on various members of the Orlando Magic and the performance of the team.

Following Monday's loss to Philadelphia, teammate J.J. Redick had the following to say on whether or not the team was distracted by Howard's situation: "As long as he’s here, it will be a distraction because it’s all anybody talks about when they talk about our team. We don’t hear it? Of course we do."

The Magic have lost four straight games and frustrations are mounting, but a trade involving Howard heading out of town is still not imminent.

Steve Blake

The Lakers have struggled at the point guard position all season long, but the team has really been hurting since Steve Blake went down with a fractured rib.

Los Angeles could get some help shortly when Blake goes to see the doctor this week. The veteran is hoping that he'll be cleared to play following the meeting.

His team has struggled to replace the 24 minutes per night and his ability to space the floor in the second unit.

Nicolas Batum

Batum's role has been inconsistent this season in Portland, and many are questioning just how important he is to the team's future after the two sides didn't reach a contract extension prior to the deadline.

A downright dynamite player who is far more versatile than he gets credit for being, Batum was playing well on Monday night prior to suffering a knee injury.

The Trail Blazers have to be hoping that it's not serious, but Batum will be headed for an MRI on Tuesday after saying that he twisted his knee and there was some pain in the area.

Andray Blatche

Blatche has taken a lot of flak as the team captain of a disheartening Wizards team, and he won't be seeing the court at any point soon.

In addition to having a banged-up shoulder, Blatche is now dealing with a strained left calf, and that will sideline him for anywhere from three to five weeks.

The Wizards will let the youth run wild with Blatche on the sidelines, and fans in Washington should be excited to see an extended helping of Trevor Booker and Jan Vesely, two players who actually play hard regardless of the score.

Stephen Jackson

Scott Skiles and Stephen Jackson are not getting along.

He isn't starting for Milwaukee despite Andrew Bogut being injured, he was just suspended for a single game due to missing the team bus and on Monday night, Jackson was active but didn't manage to get off the bench for a single minute of action.

Ric Bucher reported on SportsCenter that Jackson has been speaking with Dwight Howard about playing for the New Jersey Nets, so it sounds as if he's already contemplating his post-Milwaukee career.

Al Jefferson

Jefferson has tendinitis in his right ankle, but the issue may be a bit more bothersome than he's been letting on publicly.

Tyrone Corbin admitted that Jefferson might have to shut it down for a short period in an attempt to rest the injury, and pain injections in the area haven't helped Jefferson heal thus far.

The Jazz are fortunate to have some depth in the big man department, but it would be extremely difficult to replace his production in the box score on a nightly basis if he were forced to miss extended time.

Ramon Sessions

Back in October of 2011, I wrote about the possibility of the Lakers going after Ramon Sessions via trade this season as the team seeks help at point guard.

On Monday, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that Los Angeles had begun discussions with Cleveland about the possibility of acquiring Sessions.

He's buried on the depth chart behind exhilarating rookie Kyrie Irving, and he's a cost-effective option who could help facilitate the offense. Sessions also has the ability to score.

Manu Ginobili

The Spurs have been staying the course over a tough stretch of games in January despite not having Manu Ginobili (broken hand), but the starting shooting guard is on his way back to the court.

He's been cleared by doctors to do some work on the court, and he's already getting jump shots up in practice. San Antonio expects him to be cleared to participate in one-on-one drills in about one week.

It will be very interesting to see how effective he can be upon his return, because Ginobili came out of the gates scoring to start the season before sustaining the injury.

Amar'e Stoudemire

There was an erroneous rumor that the Sixers had "inquired" on Amar'e Stoudemire's trade availability, but it was disputed within no time by Philadelphia.

Team President Rod Thorn was asked if the Sixers had an interest in Stoudemire, and he offered a rather definitive response: "I don't know where that stuff came from."

A trade built around Stoudemire never made sense for either club for the long-term picture, and it may be time to put the STAT rumors to bed considering none of them have gained any sort of traction whatsoever.