According to reports, Dirk Nowitzki will remain with the Mavericks.

For those keeping score, it’s 4-1 in favor of teams retaining their own free agents.

As of July 5, four big-time free agents have have decided to stay with their old teams: Dirk Nowitzki, Paul Pierce, Rudy Gay and Joe Johnson.

The only free agent who has officially signed with another team is Amare Stoudemire. Yahoo! Sports and TNT’s David Aldridge have reported that Stoudemire has accepted the Knicks’ contract offer worth $100 million spread across five years. Stoudemire will be reunited with coach Mike D’Antoni, who coached him in Phoenix.

Yahoo! Sports also reported that Johnson will re-sign with the Atlanta Hawks, a six-year maximum deal that is close to $120 million.

Nowitzki recently accepted a four-year deal worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $80 million to remain with the Dallas Mavericks and Pierce agreed to a four-year, $60-million deal to stay in Boston. Gay was the first big-name free agent to agree to terms, as he reportedly received a five-year, $80-million contract from the Memphis Grizzlies last Thursday when the free-agency period officially got underway.

The return of head coach Doc Rivers certainly persuaded Pierce to stay put, and the Celtics are also in negotiations with shooting guard Ray Allen, who has also expressed his desire to stay in Boston. This means that the Celtics’ vaunted starting five are all expected to be back next season to make another run at a title (barring center Kendrick Perkins fully recovers from knee surgery).

What was supposed to be the summer of massive exodus has turned into an offseason of status quo. Of course, things could change in a heartbeat especially if that someone – ahem! LeBron James – decides to spurn his hometown team and play elsewhere next season.

But, that hasn’t happened yet and it’s not expected to happen until the end of the week, according to several reports. James is mulling over offers presented to him by NBA teams with a ton of salary cap room: New Jersey, New York, Miami, the L.A. Clippers, Chicago and Cleveland.

Wade met with the Bulls twice and has told people close to the situation that he is seriously considering playing for his hometown team. The Heat have already told Wade that they are prepared to give him the max deal and have promised him a roster upgrade.

Others who are noncommittal are Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and Amare Stoudemire, although Stoudemire recently was offered the maximum contract of five years, $100 million by the Knicks. Stoudemire is reportedly meeting with Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni, his old coach in Phoenix, on Monday to hash out some past issues.

The Suns have reportedly re-signed forward Channing Frye and also acquired forward Hakim Warrick, so it is highly unlikely that Phoenix will bring back Stoudemire, who has played his entire career with the Suns.

Joe Johnson has a standing six-year max offer from the Atlanta Hawks, a deal that could be worth $120 million. Johnson remains mum about his situation, obviously waiting for LeBron and D-Wade to make their moves. Johnson has also drawn interest from the Knicks, as D’Antoni prepares to go to Plan B in case LeBron signs with Chicago or Cleveland – which is more and more apparent.

ESPN’s J.A. Adande wrote that the Toronto Raptors have not been enamored with the way Bosh has been publicly “enjoying himself” too much and using his Twitter account to tell his followers on his status. Bosh is asking for a max contract, but he can only get it if the Raptors agree to a sign-and-trade deal.

At the end of this long, drawn-out process, money will prevail. Players are taking advantage of the current labor deal because they are anticipating that the new collective bargaining agreement won’t be as player friendly.

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Since trading Pau Gasol to the L.A. Lakers in 2008, the Memphis Grizzlies and their owner Michael Heisley have been getting grief from opposing players and coaches, the media, barbershop critics, season-ticket holders, school children and their grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles, friends and neighbors for basically gift-wrapping an NBA championship to the Lakers.

That may be true but the Grizzlies didn’t exactly come out of the deal empty handed. Lost in the whole gift exchange between L.A. and Memphis was the not-so-highly publicized fact that Memphis in return got Gasol’s younger brother, Marc, in the deal.

Marc Gasol, drafted by Lakers in the second round in 2007, was sent to Memphis without much fanfare, but the soon-to-be 25-year-old Spaniard has developed into one of the top young centers in the NBA and he now anchors a young Grizzlies team that is beginning to make some noise in the Western Conference.

Through Jan. 19, the Grizzlies are 22-18 and 16-6 in December and January.

The foundation of the Grizzlies’ recent success is built around nine-year veteran Zach Randolph and their three young studs: Gasol, Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo.

The quartet may not be as popular as Elvis Presley’s Memphis Mafia but they are evolving into one of more entertaining teams in the Association, averaging 104.2 points per game (fourth in the league) and shooting 47.9 percent from the field (sixth).

Randolph is one of just three players who is averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds for the season and he is complemented inside by the 7-foot-1, 270-pound Gasol, nicknamed “El Tanque” (which means The Tank) for the way he dishes and absorbs heavy contact in the low block.

Grizzlies center Marc Gasol is second in the NBA with a 61.1% field goal percentage.

“Zach Randolph may have the better numbers, but I believe Gasol is their most efficient big man,” said Covers expert Sean Murphy, who recently moved up Memphis seven spots from 19 to 12 in his latest NBA Power Rankings.

“One of the biggest reasons for their struggles in recent seasons has been their awful interior defense,” Murphy explained. “Gasol has done an excellent job of plugging that hole.”

Gasol is fourth on the team in points (14.6), second in rebounds (9.6) and first in blocked shots (1.5) and field goal percentage (61.1 percent). His shooting percentage is second-best in the NBA.

The evolution of Gasol as a force on offense and defense, as well as the steady hand of Randolph, have definitely taken pressure off Gay – the team’s budding star and emerging leader.

Now in his fourth season, Gay has become a complete player and is enjoying career highs in points (20.2), rebounds (6.2) and steals (1.5).

“We saw signs of this two years ago before he struggled last season,” Murphy said of the former UConn star. “Not only is he leading by example, but he’s also done an excellent job of helping the younger players such as Mayo.”

Like every young team in the league, the Grizzlies are far more comfortable playing at home than on the road. Their recent surge can be attributed to a 15-5 mark at FedEx Forum and greatly aided by a nine-game home winning streak.

“They’re a high-scoring team, but at home is where their strength is. It’s still more of a shake-and-bake team than a power team,” said John Avello, sportsbook manager at Wynn Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

“They’re on a nice streak, but they’re in a tough conference. In the West, everybody is difficult to handle.”

So, are the Grizzlies finally getting enough respect?

“I think the key thing to watch will be whether they can keep it rolling through the All-Star break, that’s often when young teams start breaking down,” Murphy noted.

This article also appears on Covers. com.

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Second-year guard Rodney Stuckey is ready for a breakout season with the Detroit Pistons.

The Detroit Pistons traded away Chauncey Billups because GM Joe Dumars wants to clear cap space and thinks very highly of second-year guard Rodney Stuckey. The 6-foot-5 guard from Eastern Washington showed flashes of stardom in last year’s playoffs, averaging 9 points and 3 assists, and parlayed that into a successful stint with the U.S. select team that drilled The Redeem Team while preparing for the Beijing Olympics. Several players and coaches associated with USA Basketball raved about Stuckey. With Billups gone and Allen Iverson headed for free agency at the end of the season, Stuckey should be an even bigger presence in Detroit’s plans and his meteoric rise gives the Pistons a bright future.

Stuckey is just one of several rising studs, who are either in their second or third season in the NBA, ready for a breakout season. A look at the others:

KEVIN MARTIN, guard, Sacramento Kings: With Mike Bibby, Chris Webber, Vlade Divac and Ron Artest all gone, the 25-year-old Martin is now the face of the Kings. Last year, he averaged 23 points a game. This year, he should flirt with 24 or 25 points per game considering the Kings don’t have much of a team, nor a coach, running with him.

DAVID LEE, forward-center, New York Knicks: His name always came up whenever teams inquired about trading with the Knicks. But the Knicks held their ground and kept Lee on the roster. The 6-10 third-year man, who was a walking double-double in limited action last year, has been named starter and should thrive in Mike D’Antoni’s free-wheeling system.

RUDY GAY, guard-forward, Memphis Grizzlies: With Pau Gasol gone, Gay becomes the focal point of the Grizzlies offense. He should surpass last season’s 20.1 average and will get serious all-star recognition. If general managers had to do it all over again, Gay probably would have been the first or second player chosen in the 2006 NBA draft. Seven players were taken before Gay: Andrea Bargnani, LaMarcus Aldridge, Adam Morrison, Tyrus Thomas, Shelden Williams, Brandon Roy and Randy Foye.

LaMARCUS ALDRIDGE, forward, Portland Trail Blazers: How can the Chicago Bulls get this wrong, again. The Bulls had Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler in their fold and dealt both away for, basically, a round-trip fare to the Bahamas. In 2006, the Bulls had the No. 2 pick in the draft and smartly selected Aldridge and then (head-scratcher) moved him to Portland. Hmmm. With the return of Greg Oden, Aldridge will face less double teams and can slide back to his more natural position, power forward.

DEVIN HARRIS, guard, New Jersey Nets: When Harris was traded from Dallas to New Jersey last season for Jason Kidd, the happiest man in the Western Conference was San Antonio’s Tony Parker. The Spurs point guard admitted that he hated playing against Harris, who defused Parker’s quickness during the 2006 playoffs. In 25 games with the Nets last season, Harris averaged 15.4 points and 6.5 assists. With a full training camp and a big endorsement from Coach Lawrence Frank and star guard Vince Carter, Harris is ready for a breakout season as full-time starter.

RAJON RONDO, point guard, Boston Celtics: We all saw him grow up during the playoffs. He just got better and better as the Celtics kept advancing. His performance in Game 6 of the NBA Finals against the Lakers was legendary. Another member of the draft class of 2006, Rondo has been given the keys to the Celtics’ sports utility vehicle and GM Danny Ainge is hoping he can drive them back to the NBA Finals.

AL HORFORD, forward-center, Atlanta Hawks: He’s a bit undersized as a center but plays a lot bigger than his listed height and weight (6-9, 245). You can argue that Horford had a much bigger impact last season than Rookie of the Year Kevin Durant because Horford led his team to the playoffs. The Hawks love Horford’s intensity and he brings toughness to a team ready to become a perennial playoff contender.

AL THORNTON, forward, L.A. Clippers: Thornton, an all-rookie honoree last season, is an exceptional athlete who never stops working. He should benefit from the extra playing time now that Elton Brand is in Philadelphia and Corey Maggette is in Golden State.

JORDAN FARMAR, guard, Los Angeles Lakers: Last season, Farmar showed flashes of what he can do. This season, Farmar will severely push incumbent Derek Fisher as the Lakers’ starting guard opposite Kobe Bryant. It’s similar to what Coach Phil Jackson had to deal with in Chicago with B.J. Armstrong and John Paxson. The younger Armstrong eventually won the job over the veteran Paxson.

JULIAN WRIGHT, forward, New Orleans Hornets: This 6-8, 225-pound former Kansas Jayhawk won’t make a dent on the stat sheet but his contribution will be on defense. His length and quickness is ideal for what Coach Byron Scott wants in the Hornets’ pressure defense.

NICK YOUNG, guard, Washington Wizards: While Gilbert Arenas heals from his knee surgery, the Wizards will be asking this former USC Trojan to fill in. Young is a capable scorer and his size (6-6) allows Coach Eddie Jordan to play him at guard or small forward.

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