Following blowout losses in Golden State and Denver, the Knicks' current five-game road trip managed to get even worse when Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler left last night's game against the Nuggets with knee injuries. While Chandler downplayed the severity of his left knee contusion and could play tonight, Anthony will head back to New York to get his troublesome right knee drained. Here's more out of the Atlantic Division:

• Doug Smith of the Toronto Star says with "99.9% certainty" that amnestying Andrea Bargnani this summer isn't something that's even been discussed at the highest level of the Raptors' front office.
• The Raptors were widely panned when they inked Landry Fields to an expensive three-year deal last summer, but as Stephen Brotherson of HoopsWorld writes, Fields has played his best ball of the season in recent weeks and can still be an important part of the team going forward.
• Mickael Pietrus, currently on the Raptors' roster, still hasn't gotten over not being able to return to the Celtics this season, as he tells Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. "You never know, hopefully I’ll be back," Pietrus said.
• Tom Layman of the Boston Herald spoke to D.J. White and Shavlik Randolph about trying to make enough of an impression that the Celtics will re-sign them when their respective 10-day contracts expire.
• With the Knicks scheduled to play in Portland tonight, Raymond Felton had plenty of comments to make about the 2011/12 he spent with the Trail Blazers, as Marc Berman of the New York Post and Frank Isola of the New York Daily News document. Felton called it an "unfair situation" and said he wished he never asked for the trade that sent him from the Nuggets to the Blazers.

While Billy Hunter's job status is the main focus for the NBPA right now, Jerry Stackhouse believes that it's not just Hunter who needs to go. Calling for "wholesale changes," Stackhouse tells Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News that he belives the union needs to have a new executive committee, president, and executive director in place by the time Adam Silver takes over as commissioner next February.

Here are a few more notes from around the NBA:

• USA Basketball is putting off a decision on its next coach in hopes that Mike Krzyzewski can be talked into one more run with Team USA, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Optimism is rising within the program that Coach K will reconsider his stance, even though he told ESPN.com's Andy Katz this week that "nothing has changed with anything," writes Stein.
• Mickael Pietrus wanted to return to the Celtics this season, and hoped that offseason surgery on his knee would help convince the club to bring him back, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
• Although backup center continues to be an issue for the Bulls, the team can't afford to squeeze another free agent under the hard cap yet, so reinforcements don't appear likely in the short term, writes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com.
• Grizzlies VP of basketball operations John Hollinger spoke to Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com about the difference between watching basketball as an executive and as a writer.

Today is January 15th, which means that a number of players who had been ineligible to be traded until this point are now free to be moved by their respective teams. As Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors outlined last month, Eric Gordon, Brook Lopez, Kris Humphries, Ersan Ilyasova, and Jeff Green are among the players who weren't eligible to be dealt until today.

However, in addition to rules that keeps players from being traded until December 15th or January 15th, the CBA also includes a stipulation that a team must have a player on its roster for three months before being able to trade him. That means guys who have signed contracts since October 15th are still ineligible to be dealt.

Here are the players who can't be traded quite yet, along with the dates they'll become trade-eligible:

Leandro Barbosa (Celtics): January 18th
Daniel Orton (Thunder): January 31st
Shaun Livingston (Cavaliers): February 15th

Because the trade deadline arrives on February 21st, players signed after November 21st won't become trade-eligible until after the season. Here are the guys who fit that description:

Jeff Adrien (Bobcats)
James Anderson (Rockets)
Patrick Beverley (Rockets)
Daequan Cook (Bulls)
Kevin Jones (Cavaliers)
Mickael Pietrus (Raptors)
Garrett Temple (Wizards)

In addition to recent signees, players who were claimed off amnesty waivers last July are also ineligible to be traded until July 2013. Some amnesty victims, like Andray Blatche, cleared waivers without being claimed and signed new contracts, so they're trade-eligible now, but the following players can't be moved this season:

Elton Brand (Mavericks)
Brendan Haywood (Bobcats)
Luis Scola (Suns)

Finally, players on 10-day contracts, such as Dominic McGuire, Maalik Wayns, and Josh Harrellson, also won't be trade-eligible at any point this season, even if they eventually receive rest-of-season contracts.

A few tidbits of news courtesy of HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler..

• There has been a lot of speculation that the Lakers are looking to make a move as they sit at 8-9.  However, league sources and agents close to players that have been linked to the team say that they haven't been very active or aggressive about making a move.  Other teams looking for help have started sending out feelers as free agents signed over the summer can be traded starting December 15th.
• The Lakers have also been linked to free agent point guards following injuries to Steve Nash and Steve Blake, but that doesn't appear to be in the cards as Nash is likely to return in the next few weeks.  A signing might not be a good idea for the team's chemistry either and one insider near the situation remarked, “How much more change does that team need?”
• Hornets forward Ryan Anderson has been playing well for a less-than-stellar New Orleans team, fueling speculation that he could be traded.  However, the club emphatically denies that he has been talked about in a trade.  One Hornets exec pointed out that Anderson's play could get even better alongside a healthy Eric Gordon and Anthony Davis.  While the club is obviously zeroed in on its young players for this season, they also see Anderson as a leader for the team this year and beyond.  Earlier today we learned that the Lakers would like to land Anderson in a Pau Gasol deal.
• The Lakers were linked to Mickael Pietrus, but his agent says they never reached out to him.  Pietrus signed with the Raptors for the minimum salary last week.

After searching for a deal for nearly five months, Mickael Pietrus has finally found his new team. The Raptors officially announced today that the team has signed Pietrus. The deal will be a one-year, minimum-salary contract, with Toronto waiving Dominic McGuire to clear a roster spot.

Pietrus last played for the Celtics during the 2011-12 season, averaging 6.9 PPG and shooting 38.5% from the field in 21.9 MPG. The French swingman has career averages of 8.4 PPG, 42.7% FG shooting, and 35.7% shooting from beyond the arc.

The Raptors only had the veteran's minimum at their disposal to add a free agent, so it's a little surprising that they were able to land Pietrus, whose agent Bill McCandless asserted earlier in the offseason that his client "is not a veteran’s minimum player. There’s no chance he’ll ever sign for that." It seems that, despite talks with Rockets, Timberwolves, Bulls, and Hawks over the course of the offseason, no club was ever willing to commit more than the minimum to Pietrus.

McGuire, whose 2012/13 salary was believed to be fully guaranteed, is owed about $992K for this season and had a non-guaranteed year for 2013/14 worth $1.11MM. While that second year won't be a factor anymore, he should still receive his salary for this season, with the Raptors taking the cap hit for it.

Sam Amick of USA Today first reported that the Raptors and Pietrus had reached an agreement, with Chris Haynes of CSNNW and Shams Charania of RealGM.com (Twitter links) adding details. Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao received as good a vote of confidence as one can get from head coach Byron Scott, who called the Brazilian big man "the best center in the NBA right now." Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio writes that Varejao's statistical production makes Scott's statement a difficult one to disagree with, also mentioning that some fans have wondered if Cleveland should take advantage of his value and trade him. With that being said, Amico asserts that Cavaliers brass currently has no intention of dealing their most tenured veteran. For the rest of tonight's tidbits from the Eastern Conference, you can find them below: 

• Bill McCandless, the agent of Mickael Pietrus, told Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com about the other teams that that had been under consideration while they had waited for the right opportunity in free agency. Whereas the Rockets and Timberwolves were potential destinations in the West, McCandless listed the Bulls and Hawks as the other Eastern Conference teams which had been in the hunt along with Toronto.
• Celtics coach Doc Rivers offered a poignant comment about Rajon Rondo and the current state of his team, telling reporters: “I don’t know if I want to rally around my 6-foot guard being the enforcer. That’s nice but at the end of the day, if that’s the threat you’re sending, the other team has to feel [good]" (Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com reports). Although we heard Rivers say earlier that the team is in no rush to make any changes to the roster, Petraglia hypothetically mentioned Kenyon Martin as a possible target if Boston decided to look into free agency for help. 
• Aside from wanting rookie guard Maalik Wayns to become a more accomplished defender, 76ers coach Doug Collins likes the direction of his development, writes Mark Narducci of Philly.com. 
• Jodie Valade of the Plain Dealer points out that Zydrunas Ilgauskas was at the Cavaliers' practice facility on Thursday to help Byron Scott teach forward Tristan Thompson about making quicker decisions and moves offensively to counter shotblockers. 
• Mary Schmitt Boyer (also of the Plain Dealer) discusses the challenge that Danny Ferry faces in building the Hawks into a playoff contender, just as he had done in Cleveland from 2005 to 2010.  
• Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes that Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap has taken notice of Jeff Taylor's development as the rookie has stepped in to fill the void left by Gerald Henderson's injury. In another article, Bonnell mentions that the continued lobbying of New Orleans Hornets owners to rebrand their franchise could mean an opportunity for Charlotte to re-acquire the Hornets nickname. 
• Nate Taylor of The New York Times discusses Tyson Chandler's offensive efficiency as of late, noting that the 7'1 Knicks center is averaging a career best in points (12.0 PPG) and leading the league in field goal percentage at 71.8%. 

8:16pm: Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun tweets that if the Raptors sign Pietrus, the team would let go of either Dominic McGuire or Alan Anderson. Wolstat also notes the Raptors nearly signed Pietrus last year, but were turned off by the results of a physical, since he was recovering from an injury at the time (Twitter link).

5:55pm: The Raptors are "strongly considering" free agent swingman Mickael Pietrus as they look to fill holes created by injury, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The team is in the market for a small forward, with Landry Fields and Alan Anderson out up to a month, according to Stein (Twitter link). Any deal would have to be for the minimum salary, since the team used its room exception to sign Aaron Gray over the summer.

Pietrus' agent, Bill McCandless, said in July that his client wouldn't sign for the minimum, and it seems he's stuck to that assertion. It's unclear whether there's mutual interest between Pietrus and the Raptors. The team was reportedly considering him earlier this month as well, but nothing came to fruition. Pietrus also reportedly turned down an offer this month from the Spurs, though there was confusion about whether any offer was made. The Lakers have recently expressed interest in him, too.

Toronto has a full roster, with 15 players all on fully guaranteed deals, as Stein points out, so someone would have to go, with the team still on the hook for his salary. The team's three smallest salary commitments are to wing players Dominic McGuire, Quincy Acy and Anderson, so letting one of them go wouldn't do much to address their depth. The team is only paying Anderson the two-year veteran's minimum of $854,389 on a one-year deal, so he'd seemingly be the most likely of that group to go, since he's on the shelf. John Lucas III has the next lowest salary, making $1.5MM this year with a team option for next season. 

If the Raptors don't sign Pietrus, the alternative free agent small forwards aren't quiet as enticing, with Damion James and Terrence Williams probably the most appealing options. Check out our complete list of remaining free agents here.

Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld took to Twitter today to field a variety of trade-related questions from his followers. Some of Kyler's tweets were particularly notable, so let's round up the highlights below (all links go to Twitter)....

• The Lakers have kicked the tires on Pau Gasol trades in the past and are aware that any move they make would be a downgrade. Kyler notes that if the team falls out of contention, a Lamar Odom-esque salary dump is a possibility, but it's hard to imagine that happening this season.
• Even though J.J. Redick is on an expiring contract, a deal isn't necessarily likely since Redick fits the culture the Magic are trying to establish. Asked specifically about a potential swap with the Timberwolves involving Redick and Derrick Williams, Kyler says the Magic would want to include at least one bad contract in that type of move.
• The Cavaliers continue to say Anderson Varejao isn't available, but Kyler thinks the team will have to cash him in at some point.
• The Hawks still intend to re-sign Josh Smith next summer and build around him.
• Having traded most of their first-round picks in other deals, the Lakers no longer have the draft picks to facilitate a contract dump, so the team will find it difficult to move a point guard like Steve Blake or Chris Duhon.
• The Lakers have talked about the possibility of adding Mickael Pietrus, Delonte West, or Raja Bell, but nothing is close.
• Kyler also reiterates a point he's made before, saying Jimmer Fredette is unhappy with the Kings.

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (via Twitter) that the Los Angeles Lakers have shown interest in free agent guard Mickael Pietrus, in addition to their previously reported inquiries about Raja Bell.

Pietrus, who played for the Celtics in 2011/12, is an unrestricted free agent who has popped up in discussions among teams dealing with backcourt injury issues early in the season. The Timberwolves considered signing Pietrus before ultimately deciding on Josh Howard. The Raptors were also said to be interested, but nothing has developed on that front. The Spurs made Pietrus an offer after injuries to Stephen Jackson and Kawhi Leonard left them wanting for wing help, but he declined due to lack of guaranteed money.

With guards Steve Nash and Steve Blake continuing to battle injuries, the Lakers are in serious need of depth, which is why they are considering players such as Bell and Pietrus.

There's plenty of news coming out of the Lonestar State tonight, where the Spurs, Mavs and Rockets have begun to cool off, to varying degrees, after their hot starts. Here's the latest: 

• Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News argues that Jason Kidd had every right to leave the Mavericks this summer, and scolds owner Mark Cuban for giving him the cold shoulder.
• The Spurs made an offer to Mickael Pietrus that included a "one month" guarantee, but Pietrus wasn't interested, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.com.
• According to the French newspaper Le Parisien (translation via Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News), Pietrus never received an offer from the Spurs. That's in contrast to Charania's information, as well as an earlier report from Marc Stein of ESPN.com suggesting Pietrus' demand for more than the minimum is what kept him from the team. Le Parisien attributes Stein's report to misinformation from Pietrus' "entourage," according to McCarney.
• Interim Rockets coach Kelvin Sampson, who's subbing for Kevin McHale, said the situation surrounding McHale is improving, but, "It's not out of the woods yet," reports David Barron of the Houston Chronicle. The team has not specified the reason for McHale's absence, but he's believed to be tending to his ailing daughter.