We’re just hours away from the 2008 NBA Draft, so what better time to return from an LRT hiatus of nearly three months? The only Longhorn in New York City tonight is point guard D.J. Augustin, but it could still be an historic night for Texas basketball. Nearly every mock draft is projecting D.J. to go within the first fourteen picks, which would give Rick Barnes and Texas their third-straight lottery pick, something no other school has a chance to do. Unless, of course, Chicago shocks the world by taking Washington’s Ryan Appleby with at number one.

While it’s nearly unanimous that Augustin will go in the opening half of the draft’s first round, there’s a little less agreement on where exactly he’ll end up. NBADraft.net currently has D.J. heading out west to Sacramento, while Chad Ford of ESPN thinks he’ll slide one spot lower to Portland.

NBA.com bravely attempted to sort through the mock messiness, combining the top draft projections on the net into one consensus prediction, which sends D.J. to the Pacers with the 11th pick. With Indiana trading for fellow Texas-ex and point guard T.J. Ford just yesterday, this scenario would allow Augustin a chance to once again learn from his friend and mentor.

If you’ll be surfing the Web while checking out the action live from MSG, the good folks at Bizzaro Joe Lunardi will be running a liveblog during the event. And considering how little Bill Simmons knows about college hoops, there’s really no debate over which running diary you should be checking out.

Last night

Orlando took care of business at home and moved to 19-11 on the year, dispatching the Knicks, 110-96. Maurice Evans hardly saw the floor, making only a free throw in roughly six minutes of play. Coach Stan Van Gundy has been frustrated with the Magic’s poor showing recently, as they had dropped seven of nine heading into this one. As a result, he has mentioned lineup changes are coming, and perhaps a smaller role for Evans is a part of that plan.

The Nuggets steamrolled Milwaukee behind Marcus Camby’s triple-double, winning 125-105 in the Pepsi Center. Although it was a bad night for the Bucks, Royal Ivey still managed to shine. The guard had 14 points in 19 minutes of play to go along with two assists and a steal. Ivey was scorching hot from long range, hitting 4-of-6 from behind the arc.

Tonight

It’s been a rough December for Cleveland, who lost LeBron James for an extended stretch and has gone 4-8 this month. Things don’t get any easier tonight as Daniel Gibson and the Cavs head south to face the Mavericks in a nationally-televised game. (7 PM CST, TNT)

Seattle helped to build the “Big Three” in Boston by dealing Ray Allen to the Celtics this summer for Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, and rookie Jeff Green. Since then, the C’s have dominated the League, running out to a 23-3 record. Kevin Durant and the Sonics, on the other hand, have struggled to an 8-20 start with their young squad. Tonight the two teams meet for the first time at Key Arena, where Allen will be honored in a pre-game ceremony by his old team and city. (9:30 PM, TNT)

We open by wishing our readers a Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, delightful Kwanzaa, and of course, a fabulous Festivus. We’re alive and well, back in Austin and catching up on all the rest we missed last week. Of course, the constant driving means that sleep isn’t the only thing we’ve missed out on — daily Fast Breaks and the Horns in the League also pulled a Houdini.

That leaves us with another lengthy NBA update tonight, so we jump in the Way Way Back Machine and travel to last…

Sunday

T.J. Ford missed the Toronto game against Boston, still recovering from that scary injury suffered against Atlanta. The Celtics continued their league domination in the meantime, downing the Raps by a 90-77 count.

The Trail Blazers continued their hot streak, topping the Nuggets 116-105 in the Rockies. LaMarcus Aldridge missed the game with plantar fascitis in his right foot.

The Lakers won the battle of Los Angeles by downing the cross-town rival Clippers, 113-92. Chris Mihm rejoined Phil Jackson’s game plan, playing 15 minutes and grabbing three boards. Mihm also added a bucket in the winning effort.

Monday

Royal Ivey and Daniel Gibson got to see a lot of each other in their game, as the Bucks and Cavs needed two overtimes to find a winner. Cleveland finally came out on top, 104-99, led by LeBron’s 31 points. Royal With Cheese sat on the bench for the Bucks all night, while D-Gib scored twelve and logged five dimes in his 46 minutes of action.

Orlando fell just short on the road, losing 111-108 to the homestanding Mavericks. Maurice Evans was the busiest player off the bench, playing for 19 minutes as the sixth man. Mo scored four points on the night and secured five rebounds.

LaMarcus Aldridge missed another one with his foot injury, but the Portland winning streak continued following an 88-76 victory over New Orleans.

Tuesday

Chris Mihm and T.J. Ford both did not play, but did see their teammates grab wins. The Lakers topped Chicago 103-91, while the Raptors edged the Clippers, 80-77.

Wednesday

Mike Brown played fast and loose with his bench, and the Cavaliers somehow made Isaiah Thomas look good, stumbling at Madison Square Garden. Daniel Gibson played 30 minutes in the 108-90 loss, scoring seven points.

Sacramento torpedoed the Bucks at home, winning by a 102-89 count. Royal Ivey was perfect on the night, hitting all four of his shots and both of his free throws. Ivey finished with ten points in eight minutes, but did turn the ball over three times.

Orlando evened up their Texas road trip by topping the Rockets, 97-92. Mo Evans had a highly-effective 16 minutes of playing time, scoring eight points to go with four boards and an assist.

Although T.J. Ford was still unable to play, LaMarcus Aldridge returned to the court in Portland, where the Trail Blazers won their ninth-straight, 101-96 over Toronto. L.A. quickly got back on the horse, dropping 15 points and seven boards in his 37-minute return.

Kevin Durant had a respectable night with 18 points and five rebounds, but it wasn’t enough for Seattle. The Sonics dropped another one at the Key, this time 107-93 to the Hornets.

Thursday

The hype was LeBron vs. Kobe, but for Horn fans it was Mihm vs. D-Gib. Of course, that story-within-the-game disintegrated when Chris Mihm missed yet another one without a single word from Lakers brass regarding an injury. Daniel Gibson did play, though, scoring 15 points in 28 minutes of action.

Friday

What’s that? Three straight DNP’s for Chris Mihm? Awesome. The Lakers won, by the way. Zzzzzzzz.

The Magic blew one at home, letting Paul Milsap dominate them for 28 points off the bench. Yes, Paul Milsap. Mo Evans had seven points and three boards in the 113-94 loss to Utah.

LaMarcus Aldridge dropped 18 points and ripped down eight boards in Portland’s tenth-straight win, a 99-96 nail-biter over Denver. L.A. was also generous with the rock, dishing out five assists on the night.

Kevin Durant led the way for Seattle in their 123-115 win over the Raptors, coming alive in the third quarter en route to a 27-point night. We got a few weird looks in the Toronto bars by cheering for the Sonics, but without T.J. Ford, the Raps didn’t leave much for us to love.

Saturday

Royal Ivey had a minimal role in the 103-99 Milwaukee win over Charlotte. Ivey played seven minutes off the bench ad grabbed two boards, but also picked up two fouls and turned it over once.

T.J. Ford continued to contemplate his health and his future in the NBA while the Raptors got face-raped by the Suns, 122-103.

Sunday

Chris Mihm does exist! The Los Angeles Sasquatch saw ten minutes of action, scoring four and logging a rebound in a 95-90 win over the Knicks. I guess that means he’s due for another three or four DNPs now. Thanks, Phil!

The Cavs lost another one at home, falling 105-96 to Don Nelson’s Warriors. Daniel Gibson battled foul trouble that limited him to 32 minutes of play, but he still finished with thirteen points, five boards, five dimes…and two blocked shots?!?

The post-season is a long way off, but this Magic/Celtics rivalry in the East is getting interesting. Boston got the best of Orlando this time, winning 103-91 at TD Banknorth. Mo Evans played 25 minutes, going 4-of-5 from the field to finish with ten points and a rebound.

Monday

The League took a day off for Christmas Eve or something, leaving me with only the painful Monday Night Football telecast to watch. It’s a tough call — listen to drunk Aunt Millie’s boring stories, or have Tony Kornheiser and Joe Theismann make me consider seppuku. What’s a guy to do?

Tuesday

Daniel Gibson was scratched from the starting lineup by Mike Brown, one of the true geniuses of the NBA. (Good showing the Finals, coach.) D-Gib was a solid sixth-man, scoring 16 points in 30 minutes, including a sick 4-of-6 from behind the arc.

The Lakers finally won a Christmas Day game, toppling the Suns, 122-115. Chris Mihm didn’t play, of course.

Another game, another win for Portland. In a match-up of the last two #2 picks — both of whom happen to be Longhorns — the Trail Blazers grabbed a 89-79 win in front of the Rose Garden crowd. Kevin Durant had 23 points, six boards, four assists, and two blocks in the losing effort. Meanwhile, LaMarcus Aldridge was nearly invisible, scoring only two first-half points and nothing more. He did battle through his 10% shooting though, helping the team with five rebounds and a steal.

Tonight

Maurice Evans and the Magic look to steamroll the pitiful Knicks in Orlando. (6 PM CST, NBA League Pass)

The struggling Bucks and Royal Ivey hope for a change of luck on the road in Denver. (8 PM CST, NBALP)

Last night

The Cavs can’t seem to get off their slide, falling to Philly 92-86 last night. Daniel Gibson missed the contest after being knocked in the face on Friday, further inflaming the extraction point on his wisdom tooth.

Royal Ivey only saw five minutes of action in Milwaukee’s 95-92 victory over Minnesota. Ivey missed the only shot he took and did not otherwise impact the stat sheet.

Mo Evans earned the start for the Magic and played 27 minutes in the 123-119 loss to the Grizz. He struggled from the floor, finishing with eight points on 3-of-11 shooting, although Mo did grab five rebounds.

The Sonics ran into a buzzsaw last night in Utah, losing 96-75 to the Jazz. All five Sonics starters were held to eight points or less, with Kevin Durant only chipping in six.

Today

The Raptors host the unstoppable Celtics, although T.J. Ford likely won’t see any action in this one. (12 PM CST)

LaMarcus Aldridge and the Trail Blazers hope to reach the .500 mark when they travel to Denver. (7 PM NBA TV)

Chris Mihm looks for some playing time as the two L.A. teams tangle at Staples. The Clips will use the visiting locker room in this one. (8:30 PM)

A huge update this time, considering there hasn’t been a Horns in the League report since the UCLA trip…

T.J. Ford averaged 12.3 points per game over the last six Toronto contests, including 26 points against the Hawks prior to his injury in the final minutes. T.J. also had 29 assists over the last two weeks, although Jose Calderon still saw a solid chunk of time at the point following Ford’s neck stinger. The Raptors went 3-3 over Ford’s six games, putting them solidly in second place in the Atlantic division. And with Boston playing out of their minds, that’s about all the Raps can ask for at this point.

Kevin Durant and the Sonics have really put things together since our last update, going 5-3 over the last two weeks and passing Minnesota as they vacated the Northwest Division cellar. KD averaged 21.8 PPG over that stretch, including three games of 30 points or more. He is currently the leading rookie scorer in the league and 27th-best overall, checking in with 20.2 points per contest.

Plantar fascitis has knocked LaMarcus Aldridge out of commission for at least a week, but the former Horn was playing solid ball prior to the injury. L.A. had two dub-dubs in the five games since our last update and averaged 18.2 PPG and 7.6 RPG. The Trail Blazers moved slightly closer to .500 over these last two weeks, winning their last four games after dropping the first two. Portland’s 11-12 record has them only 3.5 games back of the Nuggets.

Daniel Gibson also missed a game this week, but it was a sore wisdom tooth that sidelined D-Gib. He returned last night, however, and scored twelve points while shooting 3-of-4 from behind the arc. Gibson averaged 14.8 points over his last six games, although the Cavs lost every one as they struggled without LeBron James in five of them.

Royal Ivey has seen a lot more playing time in December, averaging 18 minutes per game this month. Royale With Cheese is putting up modest numbers with his increased playing time, chipping in 4.5 points, two rebounds, and two assists per game. The Bucks are on a skid, though, having lost nine of their last eleven games.

The Lakers are sitting at second in the Pacific Division, having won four straight until last night’s close loss to Golden State. Chris Mihm hasn’t played for the Lake Show since December 5th, however, and there is no injury news that explains his absence. Mihm was struggling prior to his disappearance, averaging only 4.8 points in 19 minutes over his last four games.

Maurice Evans is seeing more playing time with the Magic than he ever did with the Lakers, averaging 21 minutes per game this month. Mo has logged 6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in December and has helped defensively with seven steals and four blocks. Orlando is still the second-best team in the Eastern Conference at 17-7, sitting a half-game ahead of the Pistons.

Tonight

D-Gib and the Cavs look to break out of their funk when they host the 76ers. (6:30 PM CST)

It’s a battle in the frozen north when the Timberwolves visit Royal Ivey and the Bucks. (7:30 PM)

The Sonics and Kevin Durant hope to keep their momentum going as they travel to Utah. (8 PM)