The odds of Steve Nash being traded in the next nineteen days remain slim. All season long, the Phoenix Suns have maintained that Nash isn’t going anywhere because he’s too important to the team and it would be nearly impossible for the Suns to obtain equal value in deal that involved their star player.

Suns president Lon Babby recently reiterated this message and made it clear that Phoenix isn’t in any hurry to begin the rebuilding process.

"I don’t see how it makes any sense for us to move him," Babby told ESPN’s Marc Stein. "I know that people think we ought to look to the future. And we’re doing that. But if you look at the history of the teams that have sort of blown it up, as the expression goes, how successful have they been in recapturing [elite status] and how long does it take?"

"I’m willing to put more faith in Grant Hill, Steve Nash and the players that we have than I am in a lottery ball," Babby continued. "It’s easy to say blow it up, but show me the teams that have successfully done it and how long it took and how much luck was involved, because luck’s involved in everything. I don’t want to depend on fortuity. I’d rather depend on a two-time MVP."

While Nash isn’t being made available, that doesn’t mean teams aren’t reaching out. There certainly isn’t a shortage of potential suitors for the veteran point guard and the Suns have received calls from many teams.

The Atlanta Hawks, Orlando Magic, Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks, Minnesota Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors are among the teams that have repeatedly expressed serious interest in Nash, according to the report. Even though Nash likely won’t be on the move, this list pulls the curtain back on several teams and raises some interesting questions as the deadline approaches.

Are the Timberwolves giving up on Ricky Rubio joining the team? Yesterday, HOOPSWORLD’s Bill Ingram revealed that the team has had discussions with the Houston Rockets regarding Aaron Brooks and wondered what that meant for Rubio’s future with the organization. Now, with these Nash rumors surfacing, it seems that a high caliber point guard tops Minnesota’s wish list and provides further evidence that the franchise’s relationship with Rubio may be in trouble.

Also on this list are several teams that already have veteran point guards and a readiness to trade for Nash puts their futures up in the air. The fact that these teams would be willing to bring in Nash means that veterans such as Jason Kidd, Andre Miller, Jameer Nelson and Mike Bibby may have reason to look over their shoulder.

Nash’s situation may be anticlimactic at the trade deadline, but it certainly provides plenty of clues as to what other teams are thinking.

Daniel Orton’s Difficult Start: Every rookie in the NBA will tell you that adjusting to the league is difficult. The schedule is brutal, the travel is ridiculous and the competition is fierce. But it’s even harder to transition from college to the pros when you’re career starts with arthroscopic surgery on your knee to remove damaged cartilage.

This is where Daniel Orton currently finds himself. The Orlando Magic rookie hasn’t logged a single minute of action this season and hasn’t even been able to practice with the team after undergoing the procedure in December. Before each game, he sits at his locker watching film or looking around the room to take everything in. After being selected with the 29th overall selection in June’s draft, this wasn’t the first impression he was hoping to make.

"It’s really hard," Orton told HOOPSWORLD. "Of course you want to play and you come in having to learn a lot. Not being able to get in there and play is really tough. I’m not able to go in and learn from my mistakes and experiences or anything like that. It’s tough just having to watch."

{AUTHOR_BOX}While he has tried to learn from his spot behind Orlando’s bench, he has realized throughout this process that there is only so much a player can gain from watching others play the game.

"You learn from sitting on the bench, but there’s more ways than just visual learning. I don’t get to experience all of those other ways of learning. I just want to play. More than anything, I just want to play. It’s really tough not being able to contribute," Orton said.

The 20-year-old center has dealt with left knee problems before. Ever since he originally injured his knee during his junior year of high school, it has caused nothing but trouble for Orton. He sat out his senior season after undergoing surgery and completed the rehabilitation process with the belief that the issues were in his past. But the knee has nagged him ever since.

"I started rehab a long time ago. It’s a slow process but I’ve been through it before so it’s something I know I’ve got to do. I sat out my senior year of high school so I’ve been through this, but it’s never easy. I just have to keep putting the work in everyday. I’m getting there," Orton said.

Any time Orton has played significant minutes, his knee has become an issue. After playing five games in five days during the Orlando Summer League, Orton missed the entire preseason as he tried to strengthen the muscles around his knee. When he appeared to be healthy months later, the Magic sent him to the NBA Development League. He played in a back-to-back and it quickly became clear that he needed to go under the knife.

Putting his recurring injuries and rookie status aside, there’s no question the Magic need another big man on their roster. Since trading away reserve center Marcin Gortat in December, many have wondered if the rookie could complete his rehab and start logging some minutes behind Dwight Howard this year. While Orton’s timetable is still up in the air, he didn’t rule out the possibility of playing this season.

"I really can’t say right now," Orton said. "I hope so, but I can’t say at this point."

If he’s able to return and play a role in Orlando, he may be able to salvage his first impression after all. But until his rehab is complete, Orton will continue to wait and adjust to the league from the outside looking in.

News and Notes: Here are some items from this week’s news and notes bin.

• From the outside looking in, the Orlando Magic and Miami HEAT seem to have a rivalry. In Thursday’s game we witnessed players exchanging words, committing hard fouls and doing a lot of taunting. But, surprisingly, the players involved don’t acknowledge a rivalry between the two teams.

"I don’t think we have a rival," said LeBron James. "You need playoff series, playoff competition, playoff battles before you can become a rival of someone. Like D-Wade said yesterday, we haven’t had one playoff game under our belts yet." Wade was asked a similar question and said that Miami’s rivalry with the New York Knicks is bigger than anything with the Magic. Dwight Howard and Gilbert Arenas weighed in on the topic, saying that their biggest rival is the Boston Celtics. We’ll see if that all changes in May.

• With the All-Star break approaching, players are making plans. Some will use the time to rest, and others will head to Los Angeles to enjoy the events. But for the superstars participating in the action, the weekend is anything but a break due to their packed schedules.

"I’ve figured it out, probably D-Wade also," James said. "We’ve been a part of All-Star weekend now for a few years so we understand that there are some events we can attend, some events we shouldn’t attend and we have our personal things going on too. We kind of balance the on-court and off-court obligations that we have. For the most part, it has been a successful weekend for myself and I can probably say the same for D-Wade." But when asked if he ever feels relaxed and refreshed after the break, James laughed and simply responded, "Nah."