Jeff Kramer will join Beyond the Beat this month for a closer look at trade rumors surrounding the Portland Trail Blazers, and the lastest with the ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement discussions with the NBA lockout looming. You can also read more from Jeff Kramer at his own site, Storyteller Contracts.

A number of major media outlets, including Yahoo Sports and CBS Sports, reported Monday evening that the myriad of rumors about which team Carmelo Anthony will next be playing for can finally be put to rest, as he was traded from Denver to the New York Knicks.  Official confirmation by the league office is expected to come as soon as Tuesday.

Speculation has been rampant that as soon as Anthony’s trade destination was made final, other trades would follow.  An examination of recent history confirms that this is often the case – once a key trade is consummated, it often leads to the door being opened for other deals.  For example, several days before the 2010 trade deadline, Washington and Dallas pulled off a 7 player trade that included Caron Butler, Brendan Haywood, Josh Howard and Drew Gooden.  That trade proved to be only the first of several major trades that took place in the days that followed after teams realized that those players were no longer available.

Many believe that something similar will take place this year, as teams seek to make deals knowing now that Anthony is member of the Knicks.  There is even speculation that some of the players headed to Denver might be traded again, possibly to New Jersey.  Expect the trade rumor mill to be in full force during the next few days.

Update: Lost in Tuesday's trade watch news from around the league, was Jarrett Jack facing the media in New Orleans after being arrested for DUI over the weekend. A remorseful Jack said he is "deeply sorry" for creating the issue for himself and the Hornets, as the organization waits for the legal process to play out.

“We certainly don’t take this lightly because it is a serious matter,’’ Hornets Coach Monty Williams said in an interview with the Times Picayune. “He understands it, and he feels bad about it. With all that being said, I’m really disappointed about it. This was a time for us to go home, relax and come back recharged and deal with basketball — and now we have to deal with this...."

Jack is cleared to play Wednesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers at the New Orleans Arena.

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Update:Thanks to Casey Holdahl for passing this on Jack this morning - some rather unfortunate news to say the least. The headline from the Atlanta Journal Constitution says it all: Former Tech star Jarrett Jack arrested for DUI in Gwinnett...

"The officer paced the vehicle, verifying that it was speeding, and observed the vehicle cross the center line and the fog line," Snellville Police Chief Roy Whitehead wrote in an email. "He stopped the vehicle and smelled an odor of alcoholic beverage coming from the driver, Jarrett Matthew Jack. He conducted field sobriety tests, which Mr. Jack failed."

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There was no stop in Hollywood on Jarrett Jack's travel plan over All-Star weekend.

No Justin Bieber, no Cee-Lo Green, no Blake Griffin dunking over a car hood or Kobe Bryant taking home MVP honors. Instead, this former Portland Trail Blazer, Indiana Pacer and Toronto Raptor guard spent his days shuttling between Washington D.C. to see his parents and Atlanta to check in on his apartment, before heading back to New Orleans to prepare for the second half of the NBA season.

Just another long trip for Jack.

Over the next couple of months, Jack could be going places he's never been before - the playoffs. Then again, even Jarrett knows "tomorrow isn't promised" in many ways.

For as much success the Hornets and the Georgia Tech alum had in Janurary (12-4 and tying a franchise-high for wins in a month), February (2-5) has been full of heartbreak in the "Big Easy".

And Jack knows all about heartbreak.

Jeff Kramer will join Beyond the Beat this month for a closer look at trade rumors surrounding the Portland Trail Blazers, and the lastest with the ongoing Collective Bargaining Agreement discussions with the NBA lockout looming. You can also read more from Jeff Kramer at his own site, Storyteller Contracts.

It's the final week before the NBA trade deadline hits on Thursday, and  there has been a tremendous amount of speculation as to which trade assets might be involved in a deal involving the Blazers. One doesn’t have to look all that hard to find proposed scenarios involving Joel Przybilla, Andre Miller, Marcus Camby or one of the draft picks that Portland holds right now.

But one of the trade assets Portland holds, however, doesn’t seem to be getting much attention. 

Patty Mills is a wanted man these days, especially "down under" where the NBA isn't the only basketball league bracing for a lockout. 

The Adelaide 36ers, of the National Baskteball League in Australia, is already eyeing Portland's reserve point guard. Their basketball operations manager and part-owner Richard Hill recently said the relationship Mills has with coach Marty Clarke - who previously coached Mills in Australia - and his affinity with the city leaves Hills' club well placed to secure Mills' services.

"If he's going to play in Australia we'd be top of his wish list - there's no doubt about that," Hill said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph. "He's got an affinity with the club and the coaches.

"But it's still very early days. We've had casual discussions about it around the club but we certainly haven't spoken to Patty. That would be premature and unprofessional." no comments

Craig Robinson and his Oregon State Beavers needed to win the Civil War, but Oregon Ducks senior guard Jay-R Strowbridge made sure they wouldn't. On his 23rd birthday he managed to top his age, scoring a career-high 26 points in his team's desctruction of their in-state arch-rivals.

After Oregon pulled away early in their last meeting with a 25-4 run, reserve guards Strowbridge and Malcolm Armstead fueled a 20-2 first-half spurt to build an 17-point advantage. Strowbridge scored seven points and Armstead dished three assists during the run, but then the Beavers clawed back late in the first half, trimming the margin to 12 at intermission.

To climb back into contention, Oregon State managed to get in a groove offensively while benefiting from a cold finish to the half by the Ducks. But their boosted morale would soon wane. Oregon caught fire in the second half, overhwhelming the Beavers by scoring in bunches yet again on the backs of the two guards.

Armstead, as has been the case this season for the Ducks, continued to distribute while Strowbridge heated up.