There you have it, the battle for Lamar Odom has ended.

Laker’s fans breathe a huge sigh of relief with this signing, as the future of the NBA champions was certainly in jeopardy. As for the Heat, who nearly succeeded in landing Odom, things in Miami still urgently need attention. Dwyane Wade in Miami after this season is far from a certainty.

Does this success on the Lakers’ part lock up another NBA ring for the team in 09-10? I do think they’ll win – however, I think they would win again with or without Lamar on their squad.

Thought by many to be one of the NBA’s best current players (and most definitely the top point guard), Chris Paul made a recent trip back to China, home of the 2008 olympics and Paul’s first ever Olympics gold.

While there are only a few NBA players who hail from China (they can probably be counted on one hand), Chris Paul has different feelings about the state of Chinese basketball.

Paul had a very emotional experience in Beijing last summer at the 2008 Olympic games. He claims that it changed his outlook on life, and his connection to the nation remains strong, as evidenced by his recent trip back to China.

There has been a lot of talk about Dirk Nowitzki girlfriend rumors. The truth of the matter is no one knows if anything is true or not about the speculations. Dirk has chosen to keep his mouth closed about his girlfriend drama, but the press has led us to believe different things about this dilemma.

What we do know is that Dirk Nowitzki was involved with a woman by the name of Cristal Taylor. The two were seen together often and looked like two kids in love as many of Dirk’s friends would later go on to explain.

Veteran point guard Jason Williams is returning to the NBA after a season away from basketball. Williams announced that hes re-entering the league this season, and will do so in an Orlando Magic uniform. Williams is tentatively slated to be the backup for starting playmaker Jameer Nelson.

Williams signed a one year NBA contract to play for the Los Angeles Clippers in 2008, but walked away from it without playing a game. At the time, his wife was facing some complications during her pregnancy with their third child and Williams wanted to be able to spend time with her and his family. His attempt to be reinstated late in the season was rebuffed by the NBA, and he ended up sitting out the entire campaign.