Is Baron Davis headed out of New Orleans?

Baron Davis' 20 points, six assists and almost two steals a game has many potential playoff teams calling the Hornets. Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images

David Wesley is gone. Darrell Armstrong is gone. It sure looks as if Baron Davis could be next. Davis said before the season, through his agent, that he wouldn't mind a change of address. With New Orleans at 2-28, and no relief in sight, the buzz around the league is that the Hornets are ready to grant their two-time All-Star his wish and start over on a rebuilding plan.

The Pacers, Clippers, Grizzlies, Blazers and Mavs are among the clubs said to be most interested in Davis. The Grizzlies recently discussed a deal that would have sent point guard Jason Williams and Shane Battier to New Orleans, but Memphis GM Jerry West decided he didn't want to give up Battier. The Pacers could offer a package including Jamaal Tinsley and Ron Artest (like the proposed Memphis deal, it would also require additional players to make it work under cap rules). The Clippers were said to be dangling Chris Wilcox, Chris Kaman and Kerry Kittles. The Blazers have expiring contracts in Damon Stoudamire and Shareef Abdur-Rahim. The Mavs could offer Devin Harris and a scorer such as Jerry Stackhouse or Jason Terry.

Hornets GM Allan Bristow won't discuss specific names, but he admits he'll listen to any offers that would improve his team. New Orleans already has traded Armstrong and Wesley in recent weeks, and probably wouldn't mind shedding the rest of Davis' hefty contract (four more years, $63 million). It wouldn't be enough to get New Orleans much under the salary cap next summer, but it could get them more flexibility for the future.

Like the Rasheed Wallace deal last year, a Davis trade could potentially have major ramifications around the league -- either for a team trying to make the playoffs (like the Grizzlies or the Clippers) or a team trying to win it all (the Pacers). The idea of Davis bringing his scoring abilities to Indiana, for example, would surely make the Pistons and Heat take notice. The always cost-conscious Hornets, meanwhile, might be tempted since they would get a young point guard in Tinsley and they wouldn't have to pay the salary of the suspended Artest for the rest of the year.

Of course, Bristow might be skittish about giving away Davis' 20 points and seven assists a game without getting a proven scorer who can help immediately. After all, the Hornets are on pace to finish with the NBA's all-time worst record. Bristow surely doesn't want that on his resume.

Are the defending champs back in form?

On the surface it might seem like the Pistons are back. After all, they had won five of six games as of Thursday to move within 1.5 games of first-place Cleveland in the Central Division. In addition, their 17-13 record is the same as it was a year ago at this time. So it's easy to make a case that the defending champs are ready now to get serious and turn it up. However, coach Larry Brown and the Pistons players seem far less sanguine about their recent success.

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For one, though none will say it publicly, the competition hasn't been the fiercest (they beat the Pacers in Jermaine O'Neal's first game back off a 15-game suspension, along with the Nets, Wizards, Bulls and Celtics during the stretch). Also, they have had similar good spells this season, only to revert back to a lesser form. "We're playing better. We're making progress," Pistons point guard Chauncey Billups says. "But now we've got to continue to do that, and not always take one step and then two steps back. That's the way it's been most of the season." And, finally, they won't have the luxury of another Rasheed Wallace trade to spark them.

Detroit's problems this year have been myriad. They miss Mike James and Corliss Williamson off the bench. Their starters haven't been shooting the ball well, (Perhaps because they recovering from a post-championship hangover.) And, of course, there was the brawl which resulted in the six-game suspension to Ben Wallace.

The new rules also seem to have affected Detroit more than most teams. Last year the Pistons loved to get up on opponents and pressure them. This year they've been getting beat on dribble penetration more often as Billups and Richard Hamilton give way rather than collect early fouls. As a result, they've given up more easy layups and dunks. In fact, while many fans point to Detroit's woeful shooting -- through Wednesday they ranked 27th in the league (42.6 percent) -- Pistons coaches say they're just as concerned about defense. While the team ranks eighth in field goal percentage allowed (43.3 percent), it hasn't been generating the turnovers and fast breaks that fueled last year's squad. Says Ben Wallace: "We've got to get back to making stops when we need them."

Who is Dan Gilbert, and why does LeBron James care?

Gilbert, 42, is the prospective new owner of the Cavaliers. The millionaire founder of Quicken Loans, he agreed last week to buy the team from current owner Gordon Gund for $375 million. The sale is expected to be approved this spring, despite the recent revelation that he had been arrested during his college days at Michigan State for participating in a gambling ring (He was fined, given probation and ordered to do 100 hours of community service, but he has no permanent criminal record.).

What the Cavs sale means to Cavs fans, other than the eventual change of the name of Gund Arena, remains to be seen. Gilbert, a Detroit-area native, is a longtime sports fan who tried unsuccessfully last year to purchase the Milwaukee Brewers. He says he has no intention of moving the Cavs. He also says he's committed to bringing Cleveland its first pro sports title since 1964, a statement that should warm the heart of LeBron James. After all, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Jeff McInnis are both free agents after the season, and James himself will be up for renewal in a couple years.

As for reports that Gilbert might hire former Pistons star Bill Laimbeer to run Cleveland's basketball operations, they appear to be premature. Laimbeer knows Gilbert, and has ties to the Cavs since he played two seasons there after being drafted by Cleveland in 1979. But the former Bad Boy center, currently head coach of the WNBA's Detroit Shock, recently came out and smacked down the rumors like he once did opponents. "I don't know what everyone's talking about," Laimbeer told the Detroit Free Press. "It's beyond me why anyone would think that. They have people in place there who are very successful. It's a successful organization, and this is just stupid." Despite Laimbeer's denials, some in the Pistons organization believe there is substance to the reports. Whether Laimbeer genuinely has no interest, or whether he just wants to deflect attention so as not to be seen as angling for Cavs GM Jim Paxson 's job, remains to be seen. But expect to hear his name come up again if Gilbert does indeed decide to bring in his own people.

Marty Burns covers pro basketball for SI.com.