Among NBA players, Shane Battier(notes) has always stood out as one of the most thoughtful of the bunch. He's the kind of guy who approaches a basketball game like an intellectual problem and hopes to teach after his career is over. But Battier has feelings just like any normal human being, and they're capable of being hurt despite his rational approach to his chosen profession.

So things got a little awkward when the Rockets traded Battier to the Grizzlies last week. Because he found out from neither coach Rick Adelman nor general manager Daryl Morey, but from Twitter. Here's what he told WHBQ in Memphis, as transcribed by Sports Radio Interviews (via PBT):

"I actually found out through Twitter feeds online. Honestly, I was on one of the websites and just kept refreshing. ... As of 1:45 nothing had happened and I was like, ‘All right, I'm going to finish the year in Houston.' I hit refresh at 1:55 and it said, ‘Sources say Battier to Memphis.' I was like, ‘I better start packing.'"

Last week, Timofey Mozgov(notes) owned the news cycle when he became the final piece of the long-awaited deal to send Carmelo Anthony(notes) to the Knicks. Mozgov, a figure typically mocked over the Internet for being Russian and goofy, was suddenly a coveted asset in a major trade. So off he went to the Nuggets, free to trade tattoo concepts with Chris Andersen(notes) and play 18 holes every Thursday morning with J.R. Smith(notes).

However, it turns out the trade was only the second-most important news of Mozgov's week, because he married his fiancee Alla over All-Star weekend in what sounds like a very classy affair in Las Vegas. As translated by Alexander Chernykh of Rush'n Hoops, here's Mozgov's account for Sports.ru (via TrueHoop).

Literally abandoning everything, we jumped into the limo dressed right as we were. Me - in a tracksuit, which I was wearing to look around the city. Alla - not in a white dress either))) [...]

So we jumped into the limo and went to that exact chapel

At this point, seemingly half the NBA is on Twitter. It's a wild world of training updates, questions as to which movies they should go see, and explanations of their Call of Duty prowess. Every so often, though, you also get a picture into the more interesting aspects of NBA life. This feature is your window into that world.

Ron Artest: i'm way crazier than #charliesheen #ronartestiscrazy

Maurice Ager: Can't even go to the store with out sumone tweeting it smh

Amir Johnson: Yo where can i get a bearskin hat from?? (hats the london guards wear) .. I'm gonna start packing for london soon ...

Spencer Hawes: @thekidet I don't kno about ur murse brah... http://yfrog.com/h8c97anj

Evan Turner: @spencerhawes00 That isnt my man purse. Its nocioni's. You know only a european can pull those off.

Garrett Temple: That quad steak burrito at Taco Bell is good as hell.

You can also follow Eric Freeman on Twitter at @freemaneric.

It's sometimes hard to believe, but there's an entire world outside of the NBA. For instance, did you know that Libya is in the midst of a revolution? I thought that place was just a genus of crabs!

On the domestic front, the whole of Wisconsin is up in arms about Governor Scott Walker's attempt to strip the state's teachers' union of its collective bargaining rights, ostensibly to get the state out of debt. It's an important fight for not just Wisconsin teachers, but the entire cause of American labor.

So it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that the National Basketball Players Association has come out in support of the teachers' struggle in Wisconsin. Here is the entirety of Friday's press release:

"Last night's vote by the Wisconsin Assembly was an attempt to undermine organized labor and the men and women across the country who depend on their unions for a voice in the workplace. The NBPA proudly supports our brothers and sisters in Wisconsin and their stand for unequivocal

It's no secret that the people of Cleveland hate LeBron James(notes). When he did the Cavs dirty with last summer's Decision, he effectively cut all ties with the town. And in the wake of that move, Cleveland has looked for its next savior and lead athlete. No, Grady Sizemore and Peyton Hillis don't qualify. Sorry, dudes.

However, at least one Cavalier thinks he's up to the challenge. From Brian Windhorst on ESPN.com:

It began at a birthday party for [Daniel] Gibson and Cleveland-based DJ Steph Floss on Friday night. During the event, two witnesses told ESPN.com that Gibson made a reference to being the new king of Cleveland during a toast.

For some reason, this boast did not make LeBron happy. Here's what he said on Twitter:

OK, sure, whatever. I guess it is ludicrous for Gibson to proclaim himself the king of a terrible basketball team when he's not even its best player, but maybe LeBron should let the media do the work here.

Of course, Gibson caught wind of LeBron's tweet and

We're at a point in the season when the worst teams in the league have absolutely nothing to play for. Well out of the playoff race and with momentum for the following season a moot point due to a likely lockout, teams have little to care about now other than improving their lottery position. The only guys still playing hard are impending free agents or young players looking to become part of their teams' plans for the future.

The Wizards' Nick Young(notes) is one of those players, and he has made a good case for himself since the Gilbert Arenas(notes) trade by becoming the team's top scorer at 17.8 ppg. He isn't helping the Wizards win many games, but he's putting together enough good plays every night to have a place on the roster moving forward.

Near the end of Washington's 105-99 loss to Dallas on Saturday night, Young made the kind of play that's going to keep him in D.C. for a few more years. Above, check out his ridiculously athletic 360 reverse lay-up to finish through two

In one of Thursday's 3,782 trades, the Memphis Grizzlies dealt former second-overall pick Hasheem Thabeet(notes) (plus DeMarre Carroll(notes) and a lottery-protected pick) to the Houston Rockets for cybernetic genius Shane Battier(notes) and guard Ish Smith. It was in many ways an admission of defeat for the Grizzlies with regards to Thabeet, a player who was selected in the 2009 draft with the expectation that he would be a part of the franchise for years. Things didn't work out, though, and the team deserves credit for turning him into an established player (and soon-to-be free agent) who can help them try for a playoff spot while Rudy Gay(notes) sits on the sideline due to injury.

Then again, maybe the Grizzlies aren't quite ready to admit they made a mistake in drafting Thabeet. Because owner Michael Heisley thinks that this trade could come back to haunt them. From Chris Tomasson at FanHouse:

"I don't know whether it's a mistake (having drafted Thabeet),'' Heisley said. "I look

As teams have scrambled over the last few days to add pieces before the trade deadline, it's important to remember that some teams made their big moves months ago. Take the Orlando Magic, a franchise that picked up Jason Richardson(notes), Gilbert Arenas(notes) and Hedo Turkoglu(notes) in the hopes that they could recapture stardom and get their team back to the finals after a one-year layoff.

The gamble has not paid off, and now the Magic find themselves with a horrific long-term cap situation and impending free agency for star Dwight Howard(notes) in 2012 or 2013. To make matters worse, Howard isn't sure where the team can go from here. From Zach McCann for the Orlando Sentinel:

Dwight Howard, the Orlando Magic's unequivocal leader, spent most of Wednesday's 111-105 loss to the Sacramento Kings pleading for his teammates to play harder.

He exploded on his team during a timeout in the second quarter. He harped on his team in almost every huddle. Even between whistles he'd bark words