Top NBA 2013 free agents Dwight Howard Andrew Bynum Josh Smith

TRIVIA: Who was the last player to lead the league in one of the five major categories while being traded during that season? Answer below.

THE END OF CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT: Former first-round pick Robert Swift is squatting in a foreclosed home he once owned that is now decorated with bullet holes, standing water and dozens of empty beer cans.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: Los Angeles Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, shamelessly stroking the remarkably fragile ego of diva Dwight Howard in advance of the trading deadline:

“He deserves to have his name on the wall and a statue in front of Staples at some point.”

LINE OF THE WEEK: James Harden, Houston vs. Oklahoma City, Feb. 19: 44 minutes, 14-19 FGs, 7-8 3-pointers, 11-12 FTs, eight rebounds, six assists, one steal, one block, two turnovers, 46 points in a 122-119 win. After shooting just 9-of-33 in two blowout losses to his former team, Harden dropped a career high on the Thunder with a staggering 2.42 points per shot. “I think he’s almost unguardable off the catch,” coach Kevin McHale said.

LINE OF THE WEAK: John Wall, Washington vs. Toronto, Feb. 19: 31 minutes, 1-12 FGs, 7-8 FTs, three rebounds, six assists, three steals, two blocks, seven turnovers, three fouls, nine points in a 96-88 loss. This is about as sloppy as it gets at the point guard position. “It’s really mental with John,” teammate Bradley Beal said. “He always tells me (that) I’m not going to play well every game, and sometimes the advice he gives me, he doesn’t take his own advice.”

TRILLION WATCH: It was a quiet week for zeroing in on zeros. Top honors were shared by Toronto’s Terrence Ross, who had a 3 trillion Tuesday at Washington in his first game after winning the Slam Dunk Contest, and Miami’s Jarvis Varnado, who had a 3 trillion Saturday in Philadelphia.

GAME OF THE WEEK: Miami at New York, March 3. If the streak doesn’t end vs. Memphis on Friday, Miami will take a 13-game run into Madison Square Garden for an ABC matinee. The Knicks have two 20-point wins over the Heat this season, but since the second one Dec. 6, the Knicks are 19-16 and the Heat are 28-9.

GAME OF THE WEAK: Orlando at Philadelphia, Feb. 26. As of today, both teams have lost five in a row. The last time they met on Feb. 4, they combined for 139 points. GMs Tony DiLeo of Philadelphia and Rob Hennigan of Orlando can compare notes on the Dwight Howard trade.

TWO MINUTES: On Dec. 19, the Magic beat the Wizards for their fourth straight win to improve to 12-13. Since then, the roof has caved in with injuries, suspensions and trades stripping the squad of its veterans and leaving a bunch of kids to play out the string. Orlando has lost 28 of 31 games and is going to lose a lot more. Al Harrington has not played all season, Baby Davis is out for the season, Hedo Turkoglu was suspended 20 games for steroids, Jameer Nelson has a knee injury and J.J. Redick is in Milwaukee. Since the All-Star break, the Magic have lost at home to Charlotte, surrendered 42 first-quarter points in a loss to Dallas, nearly ran out of players in a loss at Memphis and were clobbered at home by Cleveland. In Friday’s loss at Memphis, Orlando dressed just seven players because the physicals of those involved in the six-player deal sending Redick to the Bucks had not been completed. In the fourth quarter, Nikola Vucevic and Andrew Nicholson fouled out, leaving the Magic with five players to finish the game. Orlando has winnable games at Philadelphia on Tuesday and at home vs. Sacramento on Wednesday. After that, the Magic play 18 of their last 24 games against teams currently in the playoff picture, plus another vs. the Lakers in Dwight Howard’s return to Orlando. They easily could lose 65 games, which would be the worst record in franchise history. … Since Feb. 28, 2011, the Nets are 10-0 in overtime games and 52-83 in regulation. Their current streak of OT wins is tied for fourth-longest in NBA history. The Hornets won 13 in a row from 2006-08. … After winning three of their first five games under interim coach Lindsey Hunter – a hiring that chased capable assistants Elston Turner and Dan Majerle off the staff – the Suns are back to where they were before the change, which is to say they are awful. Phoenix has lost nine of its last 11, with four of the losses by at least 20 points. Friday may have been the low point, when the Celtics – with Kevin Garnett out, Paul Pierce managing just eight points and two new players getting significant minutes – cruised to a 113-88 victory. “We’re just playing bad, bad basketball,” center Marcin Gortat said. “We need training camp for a week at least. There was no defense, no rotations. They’re just walking by us and taking the ball out of our hands.” Hunter called a timeout one minute into the game. “A situation like tonight burns at my very being,” he said. “That is totally unacceptable, coaching-wise and player-wise. That way we performed tonight? That cannot happen. People say you can’t coach effort. I disagree because I am responsible and I feel like if I’ve got to coach effort, then that’s what I have to do. I guarantee you we’re going to change or we’re going to practice until they kick us out of the gym, because that puts a bad taste in my mouth. … One of their Hall of Fame players didn’t play, and they still come in here and smack you around like a punching bag. You’re at home, and there is no resistance. That is just not who I am and that is not who this team will be. Whatever we have to do, whatever method, it will be done.” … No one thinks of the Thunder when asked to name a defensive-minded team, but Oklahoma City has the two best games this season when it comes to shutting down shooting. The Thunder limited the Bulls to 29.06 percent (25-of-86) on Sunday; previously, they had held the Bobcats to 29.11 percent (23-of-79) on Nov. 26. … Since returning from injury, Warriors guard Jarrett Jack is on fire. He is averaging 23.0 points and 7.2 assists while shooting 50 percent from the field and 54 percent (14-of-26) from the arc. In that stretch, Jack became the first player to go for 30 and 10 off the bench since Magic Johnson on Feb. 16, 1996. Jack has been so good, coach Mark Jackson is regularly deploying a three-guard lineup, with Jack running the point while snipers Steph Curry and Klay Thompson come off downscreens. … Many were lauding Rockets GM Daryl Morey’s acquisition of lottery pick Thomas Robinson, and rightfully so. But the trade left Houston with Greg Smith (55 career games) and rookies Robinson (51), Donatas Motiejunas (21), Terrence Jones (11) and Royce White (0) as its power forwards. Any wonder why the Rockets are going small with 6-9 Chandler Parsons at the 4 and 6-6 Carlos Delfino – who weighs more than Parsons – at the 3? The rookie who is getting minutes is Motiejunas, a 7-foot stretch 4 with range. “D-Mo’s played very well the last couple of games,” coach Kevin McHale said. “We’re going to need him. We made a lot of trades and moved a lot of guys. Someone’s going to have to play and take that spot.” … On the other end of the Robinson trade were the Kings, who are 3-13 since Jan. 20 and have allowed at least 105 points 12 times during that span. Coach Keith Keith Smart changed the offense during that stretch to a more up-tempo attack that gives point guard Isaiah Thomas more freedom, but the defense has suffered. “We focus too much on offense and one-on-one play,” swingman John Salmons said. “We let teams get run-outs and transition points, and it’s hard for us to get stops in half-court sets.” Salmons also said the team’s youth – the Kings have 10 players 26 or younger – is not an excuse. “Age is not the issue anymore,” he said. “It’s time for us to grow up and be a team.” What may be an excuse, however, is that ownership clearly cares more about profit than product, as evidenced by the Robinson trade. As a player, it is difficult to get motivated to work hard when the boss is looking to hoard as much money as he can before he sells the company to someone in another city.