The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the brink of making Lorenzen Wright their emergency back-up in the front court, a move that could prove to be a good one should Wright actually find a way to get his career back on track. Wright will serve as a mentor to the impressive JJ Hickson, but he's also a player who, prior to last season, has been a double-double threat on a consistent basis. Not a bad choice at all.

The real unfinished business in Cleveland, however, is still unfinished. The question: what to do about Delonte West?

West came into his own as a pre-Kevin Garnett Boston Celtic. He became a full-time starter in his second pro season and improved over the course of that season and the next. Then he wound up in Seattle as part of the Celtics' back court makeover and he never quite found his way with an organization that was completely lost. When a three-team trade landed West in Cleveland, he resumed his rise as one of the best young point guards in the NBA.

Well, that plan was officially derailed when the Bucks sent Mo Williams to Cleveland this summer. Now West is no longer the starter in Cleveland, and he doesn't even have a contract in place. The word is the Cavs and West are about $1.5 million apart in their numbers and the gap isn't growing any smaller. So why doesn't Cavaliers GM Danny Ferry get some teams on the phone?

You may have heard that the Golden State Warriors have a gaping hole at point guard. Both the Miami HEAT and Orlando Magic would like to shore up their back courts and have been active in talks with free agent point guards and teams with extras at the position. It's not like the Cavaliers don't already have a solid back-up point guard option in Daniel Gibson.

This is the classic stalemate, of course, and so far the Cavs hold all the cards. As training camp and preseason approach, West will either have to take what the Cavs give him, sit out, or find money in Europe. It's just sad that a solid starting point guard can't get a deal done when there are so many teams in the NBA that need exactly what West brings to the table.

Granger's Moment to Shine

The top story of the day is that Indiana Pacers forward Danny Granger is apparently not going to get a contract extension prior to the start of the season. Should Pacers fans be worried? Hardly. This represents a golden opportunity for Granger, whom the Pacers are hoping will rise to the occasion.

Last season Granger was one of the lone bright spots for a franchise mired in debilitating injuries. As Jermaine O'Neal sat out basically half the season with injuries, all Granger did was put up career numbers across the board and lead the team in scoring. He got little attention, largely due to the fact that his team lost more often than not, but when you consider this young man averaged 19.6 points, shot 45% from the field and 41% from three, and added career-highs in rebounds (6.1), assists (2.1), steals (1.2), and even blocks (1.0), it's a wonder Granger didn't get some love in the voting for Most Improved Player. Now the question becomes, how good will he be with a healthy team around him?

The big trade the Pacers pulled off with the Toronto Raptors landed one of the better young point guards in the game in Indiana. TJ Ford not only has a remarkable story to tell about how he came back from an injury that everyone said would end his career, he also knows how to distribute the ball and make his teammates better. That's something Granger has never had in Indiana. He also has some promising talent around him, whether it's the rising Mike Dunleavy, impressive rookie Brandon Rush, or big men like Jeff Foster and Rasho Nesterovic. This Pacers team has a chance to be very good next season, and if they are they'll have Granger to thank.

What could possibly be better for Granger than to have his contract come due after a season in which he led his team back from the Eastern Conference basement to a possible playoff seed?

2008-09 will truly be Danny Granger's moment to shine.

The Steve Nash Trade Rumors

Rest easy, Phoenix fans. It was all a bad dream.

Apparently some Phoenix radio sports talk went wrong this morning, leading Suns fans to believe that All-Star point guard Steve Nash is on the trading block. The call boards lit up across the city and it caused quite a fire storm - so much of a storm that Suns GM Steve Kerr had to make a statement affirming that the whole thing was made up.

So here's the scoop. Steve Nash is going nowhere. Yes, the organization is very, very high on Goran Dragic, but not high enough that they're willing to hand him the reigns of a team that has two years to win a title before rebuilding officially arrives. Kerr has spoken many times about the plan for Dragic, which is for him to spend two seasons learning from one of the best point guards of all time and then take over when Nash retires.

Nothing has changed. Steve Nash will be a Phoenix Sun until he decides the time has come to ride off into the Sunset.

HOOPSWORLD Chat!!

As some of you no doubt saw, we launched a new chat feature yesterday. Steve Kyler, my partner in crime, did a live chat for an hour on all things NBA. I'll be adding one of my own starting on Monday at 11AM Eastern, with the focus being on the Western Conference, though I'll also be happy to chat about those pesky Eastern Conference teams, too. So go ahead and send in your question ahead of time or log in on Monday and drop one in. Either way, it should be a lot of fun. Here's the link!