Rockets forward Trevor Ariza is suffering from a severe left hip pointer and will miss at least three games.

Ariza suffered the injury Feb. 6 and missed one game, but aggravated it on Saturday against the Pacers.

He is averaging 15.4 points and 5.6 rebounds per game.

Rockets guard Kyle Lowry is seeing improvement in his sprained left ankle, but he's expected to sit out the remainder of the week.

"He's doing OK," trainer Keith Jones said. "The swelling went down. He's doing better and then we kind of hit that low spot where it stalls out for a couple days. He was getting a little frustrated. (Sunday) was better so we're back on course. I'm going to say at least another week, but he is doing better."

Lowry has been out since Feb. 6. Including that game, Houston is 1-5 since his injury.

Jazz coach Jerry Sloan saw his team subtract at the trade deadline, but that doesn't mean he wasn't keeping tabs on the teams that improved over the last week.

"Dallas, I thought, did a good job," Sloan said. "I think Houston and Sacramento both look like they did. It all depends on how those guys play. All those things happen on paper, and we haven't seen them play. I say it looks like both teams helped themselves in the long run."

Of all the deals, Sloan believes that the Mavericks have best set themselves up to contend for a championship.

The Houston Rockets signed guard Garrett Temple to a 10-day contract and waived forward Brian Cook on Saturday.

The 6-foot-6 Temple started 30 games with Houston's developmental league affiliate in Rio Grande Valley before initially signing a 10-day contract with the Rockets on Feb. 8.

Rockets general manager Daryl Morey spoke very highly about Carl Landry but said he was willing to give him to the Kings because "to get something you have to give up something."

"He's really one of the best low-post scorers in the game right now," Morey said by phone. "He can hit the mid-range shot, which sets (the post game) up, he's a good rebounder ? a great player and a great person, too."

"There are a lot of young guys on the team, and I'm sure they're hungry," said Landry, 26. "They want to be All-Star players one day. They want to take this team back to the playoffs and one day win a championship. So I'm fine with (the trade).

"I don't plan on stopping here and settling for 18 wins. I'm sure all the guys in this program look forward to changing this program back around."

Houston Rockets guard Jermaine Taylor has been reassigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston?s NBA D-League affiliate, it was announced today.  Taylor?s reassignment is the 20th time an NBA player has been assigned to an NBA D-League affiliate this season.  

Taylor was originally assigned to Rio Grande Valley on Feb. 28 and appeared in four games before being recalled to Houston on Feb. 2.  During his first stint with the Vipers, Taylor averaged 21.8 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists, posting back-to-back 30-point games on Feb. 2 and 3 at Albuquerque.

According to Marc Stein (via Chad Ford) of ESPN, the Rockets were the team that made a last minute run at acquiring Amare Stoudemire from the Phoenix Suns.

Steve Kerr and the Suns ended up keeping Stoudemire for the second consecutive season after shopping him heavily.

The proposed deal had Phoenix receiving Shane Battier and Luis Scola, multiple draft picks and the expiring contract of Brian Cook for Stoudemire, according to sources.

Thursday's three-team trade between the Rockets, Knicks and Kings is now official.

Houston receives shooting guard Kevin Martin and center Hilton Armstrong from Sacramento, along with forwards Jared Jeffries and Jordan Hill from New York, and the right to swap first round picks with the Knicks in 2011 (top-1 protected) and the outright acquisition of New York?s first-rounder in 2012 (top-5 protected). In return, the Rockets are sending Tracy McGrady to the Knicks and Carl Landry, Joey Dorsey and cash considerations to Sacramento.

?Tracy McGrady has been one of the premiere players in our league over the past decade and we have every indication that he is healthy and committed to re-establishing himself as one of the best in our game. We also added Sergio, who should immediately help us,? Donnie Walsh said in a press release. ?This trade improves our position to achieve our long-term goals, while also keeping us competitive for the remainder of the season.?

Click here to read RealGM's 'Grading the Deal' for this blockbuster trade.

When the Knicks and Bulls swapped picks in 2007, the Bulls sent a representative to the lottery because that pick was obviously going to go to the Bulls.  

But since the Knicks have only protected the two picks to the Rockets at No. 1 in 2011 and Nos. 1-5 in 2012, who does the NBA invite to sit in at the lottery drawing if the Knicks make the lottery in either or both seasons?  

The NBA established a precedent in 2003 when the Grizzlies were forced to send their first round pick to Detroit, but had a protection where they would retain the selection if it was the top overall pick.  Jerry West attended and since Memphis won the second pick, it became property of the Pistons.

Arn Tellem has told the New York Post's Marc Berman that the Knicks are still involved in three-way trade talks with Sacramento and Houston centered around Tracy McGrady.

According to Tellem, the same players may be involved but potentially without the picks.