NBA Power Rankings: Here comes the trade deadline

The Cavaliers dropped their first game of the week, falling to the short-handed Detroit Pistons 125-114 on the day Detroit traded for former Clippers forward Blake Griffin. Kevin Love suffered a hand injury during the game, and was later diagnosed with a broken hand that is expected to sideline him for six to eight weeks. The injury to Love leaves Cleveland with Tristan Thompson and Channing Frye as their remaining big men, and a rumored trade involving Frye and George Hill of the Kings was shelved as Cleveland moved Frye back into the rotation. LeBron James lead his team to a win over his former team, the Miami Heat, in a 91-89 win. James stymied James Johnson on the Heat’s final possession, preventing him from getting a shot off before the final buzzer, giving his team a defensive win for a change.

The Cavs were blown out on national television by the Houston Rockets, 120-88, in a game that wasn’t nearly as close as the scoreboard would indicate. Brian Windhorst reported that James and Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert’s relationship is nearly ruined, as James approaches an offseason where he will be an unrestricted free agent and Gilbert is unwilling to sacrifice future assets to win now when James could leave in the summer. It’s starting to look like James will be able to get an early start on his offseason and have more time to think about what team he’ll be playing for next season.