Lacob Backtracks: Golden State Warriors second-year guard Stephen Curry was caught off guard by Joe Lacob’s, his new boss, comments that he would be willing to let go of him if the right deal came along. That certainly went against everything that has come from the organization since the drafting of Curry, but when you buy a team like Lacob has you can easily go against what was previously planned.

"It was the first time that I had my name associated with the word ‘trade’ in the same sentence," Curry said to Yahoo! Sports. "It’s a little bit of a shock; I can’t lie about that. I feel like I’m working hard to get better every day and doing what they ask me to do."

Lacob has since backed off of those comments, reaching out to Curry via text message and assuring him that there was no reason to have his bags packed. Warriors general manager Larry Riley also reached out to Stephen’s agent and father Dell, a former NBA player, according to the Yahoo! Sports report.

"He was making sure I was certain that he liked my game, liked me here, liked how I fit with the system," Curry revealed. "He could have easily let me read it and interpret it for myself.

"I think optimistically about everything. I like it here. I like my teammates and everything about the Warriors organization. I can’t picture being anywhere else, especially this early in my career."

While Curry may have Lacob’s word right now, the fact of the matter is that no one on the Warriors can feel truly safe until the team starts climbing up the Western Conference rankings. They’re currently in 12th place with a record of 20-24 that has them five games behind the eight place Portland Trail Blazers.

If the team continues to play sub .500 basketball ownership is going to want changes and that is when we could see Curry moved. He’s highly valued around the league and undoubtedly someone who potential trade partners have their eye on.

Thunder Liked Varejao, Will Spend: Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported today that the Oklahoma City Thunder voiced interest in Cleveland Cavaliers forward Anderson Varejao before he suffered a season-ending injury. The Thunder, still lacking what it takes to compete for a championship inside, liked the toughness, rebounding and defensive capabilities of the Brazilian big man, but his injury killed any chances of a trade happening.

Although there will be no deal between the Cavs or Thunder for Varejao, there is something interesting to take away from this. At a time when most teams are all about cutting salary and trying to save up cap room, Oklahoma City was open to the idea of taking on the minimum of three years and $32.2 million left on Varejao’s contract.

{AUTHOR_BOX}That’s a pretty clear indicator that the Thunder are going to be buyers at the deadline willing to take on long-term contracts in the case that it helps them in the weakest area.

However, it’s also important to note that the Thunder have never been one to spend wildly without any concern for the effect it could have on them down the line. They operate at a very high efficiency rate and only take the kind of players who they feel also fit into their culture as a person.

If the Thunder deal for anyone it will be a player of high character who is ready to work hard and be a part of the family-type working atmosphere that they have formed.

Love’s Cologne Campaign: It’s almost becoming traditional for a player on the All-Star bubble to try and go the extra mile to put themselves in the game. This year it is Minnesota Timberwolves power forward Kevin Love, whose production already makes a strong case on its own as he’s been good for 21 points and a ridiculous 15 rebounds a game this year.

In the case that still isn’t enough, every coach in the Western Conference has received a package from Love and the Timberwolves featuring a fragrance called "Numb#rs", a DVD with a commercial for it, an ad with Love on it and some lotion.

"It’s all in good fun," Love told ESPN. "You never try to take yourself too seriously. If you can have fun with yourself it’s a good part of your life.

"I feel like I’ve done the best I could to show I’m an All-Star type talent, but I know that wins come at a premium in this league and a lot of coaches are going to look at that. But hopefully maybe they can get past that this year and make an exception."

The Timberwolves record is the only thing working against Love becoming an All-Star. At 10-35 the Wolves have the worst record in the Western Conference, but Love’s coach Kurt Rambis feels he belongs regardless.

"There’s no doubt he’s an All-Star," Kurt Rambis said.

If Love does make it into the February showcase he feels like he’ll stand out because he’s not the prototypical All-Star in terms of explosiveness and athleticism.

"I know they want to see guys who can do the windmills and the behind-the-back passes and throw it off the backboard and dunk it," Love said. "But I still think there should be room for players that have a throwback game or play below the rim as well, play the game the right way."

There actually has been a player in the game like that for the last several years: Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs. And he could be the reason why Love doesn’t make it, because there’s a general consensus that Duncan deserves one more All-Star birth before he calls it a career. Strengthening his case is the fact that his team is on the opposite end of the standings that Love’s Wolves occupy.

Artest’s Confidence High: Statistically Los Angeles Lakers forward Ron Artest has never had a worse year in his career. He’s putting in just eight points a game along with three rebounds and two assists. He’s also clashed with head coach Phil Jackson, which has led to many of his critics resurfacing.

"People are still doubting and still talking," acknowledged Artest to Fox Sports West. "But I don’t have anything to prove. I have nothing to prove, everything to execute. I just follow coach’s directions. Every now and then, somebody tries to get me off track. The other day, Jim Rome said Ron Artest is not stepping it up. Well, you must not watch the preseason, you must not watch the regular season. When Kobe’s out, I was doing what I got to do. When Kobe comes back, I have to fall into a role. Now, if you want me to go against my team’s will, then you’re asking me to distract my team. I don’t want to be a liability. I want to be an asset — the asset is playing a role. People don’t understand that, but I can’t explain it anymore."

The reason Artest is probably tired of explaining is because it should be easy for everyone to understand. Artest was at a point in his career where everyone understood that he could score the basketball and be a team’s go-to guy. The big question was whether or not he could keep himself in line and help a team win a championship.

After accomplishing that last year, albeit in a reduced role than what he’s accustomed to, Artest hasn’t changed his approach at all. During games he is who he needs to be alongside the likes of All-Stars Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol. Every day in practice and in some special contests, though, he’s the Artest who used to be the man.

"I’m not practicing like a role player," Artest said. "I’m still practicing like my goals and dreams as a kid were to be a good player. I still have dreams to not be in last place for a team or individually. I still have dreams and I’m still trying to reach my dreams. That’s the fun part. As long as I’m trying to reach my dreams, I don’t have no weight on my shoulders, I feel good every day – trying to play football, trying to box, help win games. My defense is still unbelievable. People say I’m old, I’m slow. Don’t know how."

It’s not just random people saying that either, sometimes it’s fellow NBA players doing the same thing, just indirectly.

"They’re playing off me like I’m a garbage player and I love it because I’ll kill em’ every time," Artest said. "I’m not worried about nobody. We’ve got a couple teams doubling Kobe and then they try to leave me alone in the post and I kill em’. And these All-Star players, I don’t want to name names, but these are the best players in the league and they can’t guard me."

Twitter: The 2010-2011 season is here and HOOPSWORLD is going to have a much larger presence on twitter. If you aren’t following all of our experts you’re missing out on some of the most-up-to-date information in both the NBA and NCAA along with breaking news and great insight. HOOPSWORLD’s twitter team consists of Yannis Koutroupis, Steve Kyler, Bill Ingram, Alex Kennedy, Eric Pincus, Lang Greene, Jason Fleming, Tommy Beer, Luke Byrnes, Alex Raskin, Stephen Litel, and Joel Brigham.

NBA Chats: NBA chats from earlier today are available from myself and Alex Kennedy. Tomorrow’s chat schedule features Susan Bible. As always you can also checkout our entire upcoming chat schedule.