Phoenix point guard Steve Nash discussed his pending free agency in 2010 with NBC Sports on recently.

"There's a few situations out there that would be attractive, so I feel fortunate that there could be some possibilities for me," Nash said. "One would be for me to stay here in Phoenix. I've had a great 4 1/2 years here. New York, obviously, is our off-season home, so we love the city. It's a basketball mecca. Mike D'Antoni is there so there's a lot of attractive variables. And then Toronto, to go back to Canada to play for the home team, so to speak.

"I feel good that one of those three could really be a really strong possibility. Like I said, Phoenix would be the natural choice, just because I've been here and enjoyed success here and really feel at home here."

He attempted to keep his options open, though.

"Who knows who's going to be interested in two years?" Nash said.

Jermaine O'Neal's status for Toronto's game against Denver on Wednesday night is in question because of flu-like symptoms and knee issues.

He suffered from flu-like symptoms on Monday and played only eight minutes in a loss to the Warriors. After leaving in the first quarter, O'Neal returned briefly in the first half, only to bang knees with an opposing player.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will attempt to trade veteran forward Joe Smith after adding Nenad Krstic.

The Raptors, Heat, and Magic are three teams believed to be interested in Smith.

Jermaine O'Neal believes that he has finally found his rhythm with the Raptors, having scored a season-best 36 points on Friday night against the Kings.

"I can score from so many different ways and pretty much in the last four or five games I've shown that. I can score from the elbow, score on the baseline, right shoulder, left shoulder, both hands and it's really just coming down to rhythm," said O'Neal. "I just haven't been able to get that rhythm.

"My success that I've had over the last couple of weeks has been based off my teammates. It's good to get numbers, but it's better to win and get everybody else involved."

Toronto coach Jay Triano doesn't plan to replace Jason Kapono with Anthony Parker in the team's starting lineup.

"He and Jason Kapono are very, very good basketball players and sometimes," Triano said of Parker, "I think, our best offensive team is when they are both on the floor at the same time ... I'm not afraid to do that at some points in the game."

Kapono has started at shooting guard in a majority of the team's games with Parker coming off the bench.

"Parker is a team guy, ad he will come off the bench if it will help us, and he'll start if it will help us," Triano said. "Kapono is exactly the same; not even a debate if we are going to hurt someone's feelings."

A person with knowledge of the situation told Newsday that the Knicks are confident that the team is due a disabled player exception (DPE) after Cuttino Mobley's retirement.  An official decision from the league office may not be handed down until after the new year.

The Knicks could use the DPE to sign 6-6 shooting guard Carlos Delfino to an offer sheet.  Delfino is playing in Russia and is the property of the Raptors which would have an opportunity to match the offer.

Delfino converted 38% of his three-point field goal attempts playing in Toronto last season.

The Lakers narrowly escaped their trip to Memphis with a victory on Monday night. They needed some late game heroics from Kobe Bryant and tough defense to avoid an upset.

- Orlando 113, Golden State 81

Team FIC Differential: Magic +47, Warriors -47

The Magic (22-6) maintained their dominance against the Western Conference with a win over the Warriors (8-21) on Monday night. Jameer Nelson had 22 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds; Dwight Howard posted 11 points and 11 boards; and Rashard Lewis added 21 points in the victory. Orlando limited Golden State to 31% shooting and narrowly out-rebounded the visiting team by three. Jamal Crawford led with 18 points; Marco Belinelli tallied 12 points and 6 rebounds and rookie Anthony Randolph added 11 points and 12 boards off the bench.

Game FIC Scores

Jameer Nelson, Orlando ? 25.8

Rashard Lewis, Orlando ? 17.0

Anthony Randolph, Golden State ? 15.5

Kelenna Azubuike, Golden State ? 9.5

- Houston 114, New Jersey 91

Team FIC Differential: Rockets +40.8, Nets -40.8

The Rockets (19-9) built a sizable lead against the Nets (13-14) at IZOD Center and never looked back. Yao Ming had 24 points and 16 rebounds; Aaron Brooks posted 22 points and 6 assists; and Carl Landry scored 13 points off the bench. Houston shot 58% from the floor, including 9-for-19 from behind the three-point line. Keyon Dooling led with 17 points and 5 assists; Yi Jianlian tallied 10 points and 7 rebounds; and Vince Carter added 10 points on 5-for-15 shooting.

Game FIC Scores

Yao Ming, Houston ? 25.8

Aaron Brooks, Houston ? 17.0

Keyon Dooling, New Jersey ? 11.4

Brook Lopez, New Jersey ? 10.3

- L.A. Lakers 105, Memphis 96

Team FIC Differential: Lakers +19.6, Grizzlies -19.6

The Lakers (22-5) pulled out a comeback win over the Grizzlies (9-18), who held a lead in the closing minutes. Kobe Bryant starred with 36 points; Lamar Odom tallied 12 points and 6 rebound; and Pau Gasol added 15 points, 7 boards, and 6 assists against his younger brother?s club. Los Angeles shot 54% on the night and clamped down on defense in the fourth quarter to rally from a late six-point deficit. Rudy Gay paced the Grizzlies with 23 points and 7 rebounds; rookie O.J. Mayo posted 22 points and 6 assists; and Marc Gasol added 8 points and 7 rebounds in Pau?s return to Memphis.

Game FIC Scores

Pau Gasol, L.A. Lakers ? 19.0

Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers ? 18.3

Rudy Gay, Memphis ? 13.6

O.J. Mayo, Memphis ? 12.9

- San Antonio 101, Sacramento 85

Team FIC Differential: Spurs +19.5, Kings -19.5

The Spurs (17-10) enjoyed five double-digit scorers in their win against the Kings (7-22) at AT&T Center on Monday night. Tony Parker led with 18 points and 5 assists; Manu Ginobili had 10 points and 5 rebounds; and Tim Duncan attempted just five shots for 10 points in the triumph. San Antonio shot 52% and out-rebounded Sacramento by eight. John Salmons scored 22 points; Beno Udrih tallied 15 points and 4 rebounds; and rookie Jason Thompson added 9 points and 5 boards off the bench for the Kings.

Game FIC Scores

Beno Udrih, Sacramento ? 13.0

John Salmons, Sacramento ? 11.9

Matt Bonner, San Antonio ? 10.5

Michael Finley, San Antonio ? 10.0

- Denver 97, Portland 89

Team FIC Differential: Nuggets +23.7, Blazers -23.7

The Nuggets (18-10) ended their three-game losing streak with a win against the Blazers (17-11), even without Carmelo Anthony. Chauncey Billups had 19 points and 10 assists; Nene had 19 points and 11 rebounds; and Linas Kleiza scored 17 points off the bench. Denver limited Portland to 41% shooting, and out-rebounded the visiting team by eleven. LaMarcus Aldridge led the Blazers with 20 points; Steve Blake tallied 14 points and 4 assists; and Brandon Roy struggled through a 3-for-11 shooting night to post 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 dimes.

Game FIC Scores

Nene, Denver ? 18.0

Chauncey Billups, Denver ? 15.9

LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland ? 12.0

Steve Blake, Portland ? 11.0

- Toronto 97, L.A. Clippers 75

Team FIC Differential: Raptors +52.4, Clippers -52.4

The Clippers (8-20) lost their twentieth game of the season on Monday against the Raptors (11-17) at STAPLES Center. Chris Bosh had 31 points and 7 rebounds; Jermaine O?Neal tallied 23 points and 9 boards; and Jose Calderon contributed 8 points and 9 assists in the win. Toronto held Los Angeles to just 32% shooting and won the rebounding battle by a margin of ten. Zach Randolph had 19 points and 8 rebounds; Baron Davis had 16 points and 9 assists; and rookie DeAndre Jordan turned in 8 points and 8 boards in a reserve role.

Game FIC Scores

Chris Bosh, Toronto ? 22.9

Jermaine O?Neal, Toronto ? 19.3

Zach Randolph, L.A. Clippers ? 10.5

DeAndre Jordan, L.A. Clippers ? 9.6

? RealGM calculates the Floor Impact Counter using the following formula: (Points + .75 Defensive Rebounds + Offensive Rebounds + Steals + Assists + Blocks - .75 Field Goal Attempts - .375 Free Throw Attempts - Turnovers - .5 Personal Fouls)

( )'s indicate a negative FIC score.

It is also used to rank players and to determine their ?Reina Value.?
Click here to view the player rankings with the Reina Value for the current season

The Knicks and Raptors haven't discussed a trade in months, according to an executive familiar with both teams' plans.

This comes on the heels of Sam Smith floating the trade idea of Stephon Marbury and Eddy Curry to Toronto for Jermaine O'Neal and Anthony Parker.

Berger does report that Bryan Colangelo has been eager to make a trade.

Raptors' forward Jermaine O'Neal was forced to leave the team's game against the Thunder on Friday night with a sore left shoulder.

O'Neal came out of the game with 3:22 left in the second quarter and did not return.

The Toronto Raptors were booed on Wednesday and Chris Bosh was still talking about it on Thursday.

"Fans, whether they know it or not, they dictate a lot," he said. "They're a major, major part of the game. You know walking into other buildings, it's tough to play sometimes if the fans are being supportive, if they're loud."

The Raptors are 10-15 and are believed to be not meeting their expectations.

"I understand high expectations," Bosh said. "If the fans are frustrated, how do you think I feel? That's what you have to remember. If we lose a game, I don't like to lose. I play to win every time."

Asked how he would react if his favorite team were not meeting expectations, Bosh said, "I don't know, just sit there, I guess."