NBA Rumors: Breaking Down the Latest LA Lakers and New York Knicks Buzz

Between Los Angeles and New York, it's not like we're ever starved for rumors on a normal basis, but with the Knicks heating up and looking like they haven't looked since Patrick Ewing patrolled the frontcourt, and the Lakers needing to make a move, we've got Linsanity on the East Coast and Pau-dacity on the West Coast with every bold new trade rumor. 

To make your browsing experience easier, here are the latest rumors on the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Oh, the Pau-Dacity!

Why is Pau Gasol holding his head? Because Dirk Nowitzki told him, "I hear you're coming to Dallas!" 

OK, maybe not. But there have been enough rumors circulating around Gasol to have him shaking his head. 

It's hard to know which trade rumors there was ever a germ of truth to, but some of them are just completely bogus. 

Derrick Rose completely denied the rumors that he had asked the Bulls front office to trade for Pau Gasol. 

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Rose also denied two published reports saying he made it known to management privately that he'd trade Carlos Boozer for Pau Gasol if that could happen. "That’s something I wouldn’t say to anyone, that I need someone to come to this team or I’m trying to get rid of someone on this team," Rose said. "It was all false. That’s something I would never do.

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And really, it is something that Rose would never do. He's been reluctant to even throw his voice into the mix when it comes to front office decisions. 

That being said, it makes little difference from Gasol's perspective. He wakes up every morning to be a fresh day of sunshine and a brand new rumor. Parsing the bogus ones form the real ones probably is not something he occupies himself with. 

Bryant Exercises His Pau-Er

Kobe Bryant, by virtue of his history and fanbase, is arguably the most powerful player in the league, and he recently exercised his power, or should I say, "Pau-er" in regards to the Gasol trade rumors. 

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Bryant has said that his preference is to keep Gasol, and Andrew Bynum with him. "I don't know why you would trade Pau Gasol," he said during an appearance on "The Scott Pelt Show" on ESPN Radio. "We won two championships with him. He's definitely a great player. A top two guy in the league at his position. So it's like, I don't really understand any of that stuff, but I don't have any say in it. I just have to keep going in and playing hard."

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Generally, in the past, what Kobe wants, Kobe gets. We'll see if that remains the same. 

Hop on the Buss, Gus

One thing that is becoming apparent, Jim Buss is driving this bus, according to Magic Johnson.

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"We have to remember now, it's not Mitch's situation anymore," Johnson told reporters (via ESPN LA) on a conference call Tuesday promoting his upcoming ESPN film, "The Announcement," on Wednesday.

"[Kupchak is] not running the team," Johnson said. "Jim Buss is running the team. So, Mitch has to follow the direction of Jim Buss and what he wants. I wouldn't say Mitch is the problem or anything. He's going to do his job.

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Which brings up the question about what happens now. It's one thing for Bryant to try and exercise his power to get Jim to override Mitch, but what about getting Jerry Buss to override his son?

That's unlikely. 

Linsanity Gets Lin-Tigious

Jeremy Lin is moving to take control of the catch word, "Linsanity," according to Bloomberg.

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"Lin, who has rejuvenated the New York Knicks over the past two weeks, moved to take control of the catch phrase that’s encapsulated his meteoric rise, filing an application on Feb. 13 with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, according to the agency’s website.

The filing came six days after Yenchin Chang, a 35-year-old Alhambra, California, resident with no ties to Lin, became the first to apply for a Linsanity trademark, according to the website.

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While Chang filed first, the big advantage Lin has is that he's Jeremy Lin, and according to Lin's lawyer, Gary Kugman, “Nobody can register a mark if it falsely suggests a connection with a person or an institution." 

In other words, just coming up with the phrase doesn't mean as much as being Lin. Lin gets to market Lin because he's actually Lin. 

New York Knicks to Play Miami Heat

In last night's game, the Knicks had all their big names playing, Jeremy Lin, Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, Amare Stoudemire, J.R. Smith and Baron Davis. 

To say that the Knicks are generating some excitement right now is as big of an understatement as to say that the Miami Heat are getting some media attention. 

So when these two hype machines collide, it's sort of hyped.

You would think the earth is going to tilt off its access the way the media is reporting this.

The Knicks will have a real test of where they stand with this game, but it shouldn't be overstated. There are a lot of pieces that still don't know each other very well. The Knicks should be much better in the playoffs than they are right now. 

Don't buy into the hype too much about the meaning of tonight.