NBA Rumors: Latest Buzz on Playoff Contenders

What a weekend for basketball.

The highlights included the United States taking home a second-consecutive gold in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London against a strong Spanish team, and the Dwight Howard saga in Orlando finally coming to and end.

With NBA training camps starting next month, and the Olympics behind us, buzz is beginning to grow for playoff contenders as teams set their sights on the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Here is some of the latest buzz around the NBA's elite teams.

Miami Heat: Ray Allen's Ankle 75-80 Percent Healthy, Expects To Be 100 Percent for Training Camp

When the former member of the Boston Celtics "Big Three" decided to take his talents to South Beach and join Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, it vastly improved the depth of the NBA Champion Miami Heat.

Allen said Saturday that his surgically repaired ankle is about 75 percent right now, but he expects it to be 100 percent by the time training camp starts.

The 37-year-old Allen appeared in only 46 games last year with the Celtics and played the least amount of minutes per game since his rookie year.

While it will definitely take some time for Allen to adjust to the change of scenery, he is making sure that he is doing everything he can to be ready for the teams season opener against his former team on October 30.

Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe Ready to Hand Reins To Dwight in Two to Three Years?

The Lakers finally pulled off a trade to bring Dwight Howard to LA, and the Los Angeles Times is reporting that Howard will sign a a five-year contract next summer with the team.

However, at this point, until Howard signs on the dotted line, his statements should be taken with a grain of salt.

Kobe Bryant, however, is convinced Dwight will be in LA long term and will be the one who will carry the franchise after he hangs his jersey up for good.

“I will probably play two, three more years. Then the team is his. I am excited for the Laker franchise because they have a player that can carry the franchise well after I am gone. It should be his and he should be willing to accept that challenge," Bryant said.

Can Dwight be the main man in LA after Kobe? Will his villain-like image he obtained after the saga in Orlando ever go away?

Only time will tell.

On a side note, the Lakers also signed guard Jodie Meeks to a two-year deal. Meeks has started 114 games the past two years for the Philadelphia 76ers, and will give the Lakers a solid three-point shooter off the bench.

The Lakers shot a terrible 32.6 percent from the three-point line last year. With Meeks and Nash on the floor, the Lake Show will have two perimeter threats who can knock down threes.

Boston Celtics: Jason Terry's New Tattoo a Sign of Things to Come in Boston?

Jason Terry's tattoo of the Larry O'Brien trophy on his bicep has some new company. 

Terry tweeted a picture of his new tattoo of the Celtics mascot, Lucky the Leprechaun, with the Larry O'Brien Trophy on the tip of his index finger instead of a basketball.

It was accompanied with the message, "Go GREEN."

This is not the first gutsy ink-related move by the 34-year-old shooting guard. It was revealed during the Dallas Mavericks championship run that he got the tattoo of the Larry O'Brien trophy before the season even began.

"Everybody laughed and they thought it was a joke at the time," Terry said of his original tattoo. "When they actually see me get it, they were like, 'This boy is serious.' And our whole talk and conversation was about right now, about us getting to this point and winning it all."

Terry is obviously excited to be a member of the historic Boston franchise. He will be filling the void left by the departure of Ray Allen, and hopes to add another championship to his NBA resume.

Terry averaged 15.1 points as the sixth man in Dallas last year, and shot 37.8 percent from behind the arch.

Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose Won't be Allowed to Return Until he's 100 Percent

Chicago Bulls chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said Saturday that there is no way he will let franchise point guard Derrick Rose return to the court before he is 100 percent healthy.

"I'm not going to let him back until the doctors tell me that it's absolutely safe for him to come back," Reinsdorf said on ESPN 1000's "Talking Baseball" on Saturday.

Rose tore his ACL in Game 1 of the Bulls' first-round playoff series with the 76ers and then watched from afar as his team lost in six games.

The team still has Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and Carlos Boozer, but it is unknown how the team will respond without Rose running the offense.

The team should still be a playoff contender, but how good of a contender is the question.

"Until the doctors say he's 100 percent and they put their reputations on the line, he's not coming back," Reinsdorf reiterated in the interview.

It is a good sign for Bulls fans that the franchise is adamant not to let Rose play without being back at full health.

While missing the playoffs in 2012-13 is the worst possible situation this season, rushing Rose back and re-aggravating the injury may cripple the former MVP's career, and the franchise's championship hopes for the long term.