Western Conference home teams are 5-0 in playoff games so far, after Chris Paul's buzzer-beater lifted the Clippers to a thrilling Game Two win over the Grizzlies last night. The Nuggets will look to make it six straight victories for favorites in the West tonight against the Warriors. While we wait for that game, let's check out some items from around the conference:

• Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com explores whether Elton Brand will be back with the Mavericks next season or wearing another team's uniform.
• Asked about his former team in Dallas, Steve Nash pointed to all the one-year contracts the Mavs handed out last summer, noting that it's a "difficult situation" when so many players have uncertain futures. Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has the quotes from Nash.
• Nash also spoke to Sam Amick of USA Today about his injury-plagued 2012/13 season, stressing that he was "not even close" to considering retirement.
• In his NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Lang Greene takes a look at the upcoming summer for the Suns and talks to J.J. Hickson about free agency.
• Given the Grizzlies' cap situation, Tom Ziller of SBNation.com wonders if the team's front office will explore moving Zach Randolph this summer.

Three Pacific Division teams are preparing for the playoffs this weekend, while the other two have May 21st, the date of the draft lottery, circled on their calendars. By the end of that night, the Kings will know which pick they'll have in the first round, and apparently which city they'll be playing in next year, too, according to comments David Stern made today. We've been keeping close tabs on Kings developments, and there's news involving the other four teams in the division as well. 

• A source close to Chris Paul tells HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram that there's no way CP3 will leave the Clippers (Twitter link). That's in keeping with the signals Paul's camp has been putting out all season.
• Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports unveils his final power rankings of the 2012/13 season, and in so doing passes along news that the Suns are thinking about keeping interim coach Lindsey Hunter, according to a source.
• Steve Nash has endured a season of injuries and dished out his fewest assists per game since 1999/00, but he's giving no thought to retirement, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Sulia link). 
• From conversations with general managers, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports gleans the names of four assistant coaches who appear to be top candidates to wind up as head coaches (Twitter link). Three have Pacific Division ties: Michael Malone of the Warriors, Steve Clifford of the Lakers, and former Lakers assistant Quin Snyder, who's now an assistant in Russia with CSKA Moscow. The other name on Wojnarowski's list is Kelvin Sampson, who temporarily took over head coaching duties for the Rockets this season while Kevin McHale tended to his ailing daughter.

The latest news and notes from around the Pacific Division on Saturday morning:

• Tom Ziller of SBNation.com discusses the importance of David Stern's implication that the Maloofs have no leverage in the sale of the Kings to the Seattle or Sacramento groups.
• Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com writes that Steve Nash is growing increasingly comfortable in his new role on the Lakers.
• Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register reports that Pau Gasol is still at least two weeks away from returning to action.
• Ric Bucher of CSNBayArea.com writes that the Kings traded for Patrick Patterson in part because of his close relationship with DeMarcus Cousins dating back to their time as teammates at the University of Kentucky.
• Wendell Maxey of RidiculousUpside.com chronicles Malcolm Thomas' journey from Israel to the D-League to the Warriors.

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld says that last week's quiet deadline could lead to a noisy offseason this year, with quite a handful of those who were rumored to be moved set to hit free agency. Kennedy provides a list of this summer's top 20 free agents along with a primer of each player's situation to boot. One interesting situation involves Oklahoma City's Kevin Martin, who has already been given the impression that the Thunder would like to keep him for the long-term. However, Kennedy opines that a strong post-season could increase the shooting guard's stock to the point where Oklahoma City may have to let him go - as they did with James Harden - if his price tag becomes too high. Here are a few more tidbits we've gathered up from the NBA this evening:

• The Pistons figure to have the task of re-signing Jose Calderon as one of their top priorities this summer, writes David Mayo of MLive.com. However, Mayo thinks that the team's lack of practice time has hindered Calderon's efforts in trying to become acclimated in Detroit. 
• Channing Frye discusses the mental toughness he's developed as he continues to sit out from a heart ailment that caused him to miss the season (Stefan Swiat of Suns.com). 
• While the Lakers' regular season has been disappointing so far to say the least, Steve Nash tells Sam Amick of USA Today that if given the opportunity to revisit last year's offseason: "Ten out of ten times, I make the same decision again." Nash's agent, Bill Duffy, thinks that the point guard would have considered retirement if they were unable to get a deal to Los Angeles done. 
• Don't expect anyone from the Magic roster to shake free anytime soon, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter) says that the team isn't planning to buy out or waive anyone before the March 1st buyout deadline.
• Newly acquired Tobias Harris offered his thoughts on being traded to the Magic and the opportunity that lies ahead for him on a young team looking to build for the future (Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld reports). 
• Current ESPN analyst and former NBA head coach Flip Saunders remains open to coaching again, whether it be in the NBA or the college ranks, writes Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune: "I'm keeping my options open...If the right situation comes along? I'll evaluate that. I want to be able to build something, want to go to a place where something can be accomplished.''
• D-League standout Henry Sims of the Erie Bayhawks could be given a chance to join the Knicks depending on how Kenyon Martin fares during his 10-day contract, notes ESPN New York's Jared Zwerling. One NBA scout thinks that Sims has played well enough to be on an NBA roster next season at the very least.

The Lakers' disastrous first half has been one of the major stories for most of the NBA season, but the situation has somehow seemed to get even worse within the last few days. Yesterday, the Lakers "went at each other a little bit" in a team meeting, and then lost in Memphis to fall to 5-15 on the road and 17-25 overall, closer to the Western Conference basement than the eighth playoff spot. What's next? Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports has the latest on the Lakers....

• The biggest issue Lakers vice president Jim Buss had with the possibility of choosing Phil Jackson over Mike D'Antoni as the team's head coach was the idea that offseason signee Steve Nash would be marginalized in Jackson's Triangle offense, says Wojnarowski. "The way this turns out," one league source told Wojnarowski. "You've chosen not only Steve Nash over [Pau] Gasol, but maybe over Gasol and Dwight [Howard]."
• The Mavericks and Hawks have called the Lakers to inquire on Howard, and have been told the big man isn't available, and that the stance won't change before the trade deadline.
• Sources tell Wojnarowski that the only reason Howard might hesitate about re-signing with the Lakers is the presence of D'Antoni. According to the Yahoo! scribe, the Lakers coach "fundamentally doesn't believe in post play."
• When he was coaching the Knicks and a possible pursuit of Howard was discussed, D'Antoni told the Knicks front office that USA Basketball preferred Tyson Chandler to Howard, and that "the Knicks would be wise to adopt that thinking," according to Wojnarowski.
• Gasol, who has been marginalized in D'Antoni's system, is upset and privately expects to be traded, says Wojnarowski.
• The Lakers are very unlikely to fire D'Antoni, since it would leave them paying $25MM to coaches no longer in Los Angeles (D'Antoni and Mike Brown). But if they did make a change, Wojnarowski suggests that Bernie Bickerstaff may be the Lakers' best option, since he simplified the offense and had the club playing solid defense during his interim stint.

The latest updates from around the Western Conference on Friday afternoon:

• Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports that there is a low chance that Steve Nash will return on Saturday when the Lakers face the Warriors, although he still hopes to play on Christmas Day.
• Luis Scola reflects on his journey to the NBA and the long wait to get bought out from his team in Spain, as reported by Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
• O.J. Mayo tells Jon MacHota of the Dallas Morning News that he holds no hard feelings towards the Grizzlies after signing with the Mavericks this summer.
• The Nuggets do not plan to change course after a historically bad three-point shooting night against Portland, writes Aaron J. Lopez of Nuggets.com.
• LaMarcus Aldridge does not know when he will return from his recent ankle turn, writes Mike Tokito of The Oregonian.

In what should be a sight for sore eyes for Lakers fans, Steve Nash took the court today at the team's El Segundo practice facility and participated in scrimmage. The impact he made on the floor could partially be summed up by teammate Dwight Howard, who told reporters after practice: "he (threw) a pass that I haven't got hit with since I've been here...not any offense to the guys who've been playing, but he made some tough passes today... Just little things like that will really help our team out." The 38-year-old veteran told reporters that he wants to test things out day-by-day and reiterated that Christmas Day's game against the Knicks is a realistic target for a return.

Sam Amick of USA Today cautions that Nash is still under considerable pain and will need some time to improve his conditioning in addition to establishing chemistry with the rest of the team. Here's more of tonight's links from Los Angeles: 

• Coach Mike D'Antoni offered his thoughts on Nash after team practice today: "He looked good today. Real good. You never know how he wakes up. But the first step was positive. He looks good on the floor. He said he felt good. We'll see if he can do it again tomorrow and keep building from there" (Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles reports).
• Shelburne and ESPN's Arash Markazi both opined about whether or not Nash will be the answer to the team's problems.  
• Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times presents a rebuttal against ESPN's Chris Broussard (Insiders only), who recently wrote that the Lakers' issues are centered on Kobe Bryant's high volume of shot attempts.
• Eric Patten of NBA.com talks about the emergence of Clippers forward Matt Barnes as an invaluable role player on both sides of the floor.  

Two of the league's premier franchises received good news this afternoon.  Knicks coach Mike Woodson announced that Amare Stoudemire was cleared for practice and will practice with the club's D-League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks.  Meanwhile, sources told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports that Lakers guard Steve Nash is eyeing a return to the Lakers' lineup Saturday against the Warriors if practice goes well this week.  The Lakers have considered trading Pau Gasol, but reports have indicated that they are waiting to see what the club looks like with Nash in the fold before making a drastic change.  Here's more from around the Association..

• The Kings are still saying that they plan on holding on to Tyreke Evans, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (via Twitter).  Evans and General Manager Geoff Petrie recently had a productive meeting, but a source close to the guard told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports that the club will move him if they don't think they can afford to re-sign him.  Evans will be a restricted free agent this summer.
• More from Kyler (via Twitter), who was asked if Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard might look to trade guard D.J. Augustin.  It seems like a possibility, but Kyler writes that his weak play as of late may mean that no one wants him.  Meanwhile, the one-guard's name is coming up frequently as a trade candidate.
• Jay Bilas and Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) run down the top players in the 2013 NBA Draft.  Neither analyst sees a franchise-changing superstar in the class but both agree that Kentucky's Nerlens Noel is the top talent in the draft, not Maryland's Alex Len.

There has been much talk that the Lakers should trade Pau Gasol. Ben Bolch from the Los Angeles Times gives five possible trade scenarios that could end up pleasing both parties. .

• Ridiculous Upside's Keith Schlosser writes that former first round draft pick Damion James is currently down in the D-League fighting his way back to the NBA. And he's not the only one. Ryan Ripley tells the same story with Morris Almond. 
• ESPNNewYork.com's Jared Zwerling writes that Knicks head coach Mike Woodson prefers to push the ball and increase the tempo. 
• The Orange County Register's Kevin Ding writes that Lakers fans should be exicted as they await Steve Nash's return. 
• Former Bulls backup point guard C.J. Watson says he was "mistreated" in the offseason and had no plans on re-signing with Chicago, writes The Chicago Sun-Times' Neil Hayes. Watson is currently backing up Deron Williams with the Nets. 

The Lakers have road games lined up the next two nights with the Eastern Conference's best team (the Knicks) and its worst team (the Wizards). A loss tonight in New York wouldn't be the end of the world, but if Kobe Bryant and co. lose in Washington tomorrow, the Mayans may have been right about 2012 after all. In advance of tonight's nationally televised matchup, let's round up a few Lakers notes....

• People around the league are whispering that one more setback in his injury rehab could end up costing Steve Nash the entire season, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
• Shelburne also tweets that the Lakers continue to assess their options at point guard, but that it's unlikely the team will do anything until at least December 15th, when offseason signees become trade-eligible.

Earlier updates:

• Sam Amick of USA Today discussed the Lakers' slump with lead executive Jim Buss, who believes "many little factors" are contributing to the team's struggles. Amick also spoke to Steve Kerr, who thinks Phil Jackson's Triangle would have been a better fit for this roster, but doesn't want to pass judgment the Lakers until Steve Nash and Pau Gasol are healthy.
• In spite of their early-season problems, the Lakers still appear to be the winners of the summer's four-team Dwight Howard blockbuster, according to Ben Golliver and Rob Mahoney of SI.com.
• Following up on Kevin Love's recent comments about the Timberwolves, Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post wonders if the UCLA product, who has an offseason home in Los Angeles, would sign with the Lakers when he hits free agency in 2015.
• Yesterday, we passed along a Howard quote in which he suggested he "knows" where he'll be signing in free agency next summer. D12 has been known to change his mind in the past, but that still seems to bode well for the Lakers.