Drew Gooden

Drew Gooden said he would make people wonder why he keeps getting traded. By doing so, he is prompting the Clippers to ponder whether they should keep him. The veteran forward has been a big addition in six games with his latest NBA team, averaging 15.8 points and 9.0 rebounds in 32.5 minutes per game. He had never averaged that many points or minutes with any of his previous eight teams. "I'm getting an opportunity, and I'm thankful for that," Gooden said Thursday.

At times, there simply can be too many voices vying for attention, too many (verbal) points being made in the paint. Yes, TMI for DJ. Translation: Too much information for DeAndre Jordan . Chris Kaman was talking about his Clipper colleague, the big-man-in-training, Jordan, who had 10 points and 15 rebounds in their 107-104 victory over the Warriors on Saturday night. "He's got pretty solid hands and he's aggressive. The thing I really like is his heart," Kaman said.

The Dallas Mavericks traded Josh Howard , Drew Gooden, James Singleton and Quinton Ross to the Washington Wizards on Saturday in exchange for Caron Butler , Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson . Howard was in his seventh season with Dallas, a span filled with promise and disappointment since he was the 29th overall pick in 2003. Gooden, signed by Dallas last summer, will be going to his eighth team in eight NBA seasons. It is a significant move for the Southwest Division-leading Mavericks (32-20)

DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki was ejected. A 16-point lead had dissolved into a four-point deficit. And that recent 13-game winning streak was looking like something that happened a long, long time ago. But the Dallas Mavericks still had a couple of things going for them. It was Jason Kidd's birthday, and they were playing the Clippers. Kidd scored a season-high 26 points, most of it coming during a game-breaking spurt at the start of the fourth quarter that sent the Mavericks to a 106-96 victory over the Clippers on Tuesday night.

What's good for Drew Gooden and the Clippers may not be so favorable for the development of DeAndre Jordan . After starting twice and averaging 27 minutes in the first three games after the Clippers traded Marcus Camby , Jordan has seen his playing time plummet since Gooden joined the Clippers. Jordan played 17 minutes Monday against Charlotte and only 15 minutes Wednesday against Detroit. The Clippers won both games, and interim Coach Kim Hughes said Gooden would start at power forward for the foreseeable future.

After a disappointing Final Four, Kansas forward Drew Gooden might think longer about whether to declare for the NBA draft. "It will be a tough decision," the junior All-American said. "No one wants their college career to end like this. I will have to look at it and deal with it and make a decision later." * Point guard Aaron Miles--one of three freshmen who played a key role for Kansas--recorded a double-double with 12 rebounds and 10 assists.

Talk about versatile. Kansas forward Drew Gooden scores, rebounds, runs the floor with ease. He combines elusive post moves with a feathery jump shot. And he is as comfortable on his grandfather's farm in Finland as he is in Lawrence, Kan., or his family's Bay Area home in Richmond. Gooden's mother's family still lives in Finland, decades after their daughter, Ulla, met an American named Andrew Gooden. He was playing professional basketball overseas and she married him.

DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki was ejected. A 16-point lead had dissolved into a four-point deficit. And that recent 13-game winning streak was looking like something that happened a long, long time ago. But the Dallas Mavericks still had a couple of things going for them. It was Jason Kidd's birthday, and they were playing the Clippers. Kidd scored a season-high 26 points, most of it coming during a game-breaking spurt at the start of the fourth quarter that sent the Mavericks to a 106-96 victory over the Clippers on Tuesday night.

How's this for a capper? The Clippers may have cleared salary cap space for a marquee free agent . . . and improved themselves in the process. It's beginning to look that way, with the early returns on a pair of trade-deadline deals continuing to exceed expectations Wednesday night at Staples Center. A Clippers team that had a playing-out-the-string feel just a week ago rallied from a nine-point third-quarter deficit to defeat the Detroit Pistons, 97-91, for its third consecutive victory.

It's an easy-to-spot trend for Andrew Bynum , 22 years old and still learning on the job. The more the Lakers center touches the ball, the more his confidence swells and, typically, the better his stats become. A day after grudgingly losing a tight battle against San Antonio veteran Tim Duncan , Bynum took apart Dallas centers Erick Dampier and Drew Gooden . Bynum made eight of 11 shots, and was fouled on a handful of other shots that led to seven free-throw attempts Wednesday against the Mavericks.

Drew Gooden said he would make people wonder why he keeps getting traded. By doing so, he is prompting the Clippers to ponder whether they should keep him. The veteran forward has been a big addition in six games with his latest NBA team, averaging 15.8 points and 9.0 rebounds in 32.5 minutes per game. He had never averaged that many points or minutes with any of his previous eight teams. "I'm getting an opportunity, and I'm thankful for that," Gooden said Thursday.

What's good for Drew Gooden and the Clippers may not be so favorable for the development of DeAndre Jordan . After starting twice and averaging 27 minutes in the first three games after the Clippers traded Marcus Camby , Jordan has seen his playing time plummet since Gooden joined the Clippers. Jordan played 17 minutes Monday against Charlotte and only 15 minutes Wednesday against Detroit. The Clippers won both games, and interim Coach Kim Hughes said Gooden would start at power forward for the foreseeable future.

How's this for a capper? The Clippers may have cleared salary cap space for a marquee free agent . . . and improved themselves in the process. It's beginning to look that way, with the early returns on a pair of trade-deadline deals continuing to exceed expectations Wednesday night at Staples Center. A Clippers team that had a playing-out-the-string feel just a week ago rallied from a nine-point third-quarter deficit to defeat the Detroit Pistons, 97-91, for its third consecutive victory.

Drew Gooden never stays anywhere for long. Three years at Kansas. Less than a season with the Memphis Grizzlies, who made him the fourth overall pick in the 2002 NBA draft. Nine teams in eight pro seasons. "I probably know every playbook in the league now," Gooden quipped Saturday evening upon joining the Clippers. Even by his standards, the power forward endured something of a whirlwind sequence last week. Four days after being traded from Dallas to Washington -- and trying unsuccessfully to negotiate a buyout of his contract with the Wizards -- Gooden found himself with the Clippers following another trade.

The carousel of Clippers continued Wednesday, with the team making its second trade in two days to shed salary in hopes of wooing an elite free agent this summer. About a half hour before a 110-92 loss to the Atlanta Hawks at Staples Center, the Clippers announced they had acquired forward Drew Gooden from Washington as part of a three-team deal in which they sent forward Al Thornton to the Wizards and backup point guard Sebastian Telfair to Cleveland. The Cavaliers also received forward Antawn Jamison from Washington and the Wizards received center Zydrunas Ilgauskas from Cleveland.

The Dallas Mavericks traded Josh Howard , Drew Gooden, James Singleton and Quinton Ross to the Washington Wizards on Saturday in exchange for Caron Butler , Brendan Haywood and DeShawn Stevenson . Howard was in his seventh season with Dallas, a span filled with promise and disappointment since he was the 29th overall pick in 2003. Gooden, signed by Dallas last summer, will be going to his eighth team in eight NBA seasons. It is a significant move for the Southwest Division-leading Mavericks (32-20)

At times, there simply can be too many voices vying for attention, too many (verbal) points being made in the paint. Yes, TMI for DJ. Translation: Too much information for DeAndre Jordan . Chris Kaman was talking about his Clipper colleague, the big-man-in-training, Jordan, who had 10 points and 15 rebounds in their 107-104 victory over the Warriors on Saturday night. "He's got pretty solid hands and he's aggressive. The thing I really like is his heart," Kaman said.

It's an easy-to-spot trend for Andrew Bynum , 22 years old and still learning on the job. The more the Lakers center touches the ball, the more his confidence swells and, typically, the better his stats become. A day after grudgingly losing a tight battle against San Antonio veteran Tim Duncan , Bynum took apart Dallas centers Erick Dampier and Drew Gooden . Bynum made eight of 11 shots, and was fouled on a handful of other shots that led to seven free-throw attempts Wednesday against the Mavericks.