As the Rockets reportedly near the major acquisition of Tracy McGrady and the Charlotte Bobcats expansion draft is held tonight, NBA team front offices are buzzing with activity on many fronts.

The Knicks are trying to make a trade for Antoine Walker by creating a deal where the Bobcats select him and trade him to New York for beneficial contracts.  But it seems the Knicks may not have enough of those to make this happen.

There are some rumblings that the Pacers are shopping Ron Artest but the Indiana front office denies it.

"We've got a lot of offers for different people," Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said. "People are calling us about Ron, but we're not shopping him."

Also, the Bobcats may take Emeka Okafor with the second pick in the Draft since it now appears that Dwight Howard will go at the top with McGrady's exit from Orlando.

In coaching news, Rudy Tomjanovich appears to be the frontrunner to replace Phil Jackson as Lakers head coach.