Rockets players wait by the phone, certain trade deadline will bring news

Shane Battier went through his usual postgame routine, showering, dressing from the waist up and then dousing his feet and ankles in a tub of ice water.

That is when he usually looks up to see if there are any questions, knowing that there almost always are. Not Tuesday.

First he grabbed his cell phone to check for messages.

"Let me make sure I'm still on the Rockets," Battier said. Then after his usual burst of a chuckle, he said, "Little trade deadline humor."

To say that the Rockets are keenly aware of the deadline on Thursday would be an understatement. Battier, especially, seems to believe he will be gone. Jared Jeffries almost certainly will be dealt or waived. Everyone else is certain something will happen, though unable to guess what.

"Something is going to happen," guard Aaron Brooks said. "Something will happen. We have to just go out and play."

ESPN reported that the Celtics had interest in Battier, but quickly shot that down, pointing out that the Celtics would not be willing to move the players the Rockets would want. Actually, I think the Rockets would be tempted to make the deal if the Celtics would include center Semih Erden, though we'll probably never know since Boston apparently wants to keep and develop him.

Battier appears to be the most popular target, but generally little has changed in the Rockets pursuits. They want a center and covet Nene, Marcin Gortat and to a degree Anderson Varejao. They like Omer Asik. They will be very open to a long-term move, rather than to simply fill the current hole.