The Boston Celtics spent last week in enemy territory, daring to venture into Los Angeles to spend some time together. They scrimmaged at UCLA, ate lunch at Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles and hung out at the homes of Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. They even played flag football.

Rajon Rondo helped guide the Celtics to the East finals where they lost to the Heat. (Getty Images)The event planner for the week of bonding was point guard Rajon Rondo. After an offseason in which his maturity was questioned and his relationship with former teammate Ray Allen was scrutinized, Rondo wants to show he can lead the Celtics. One of the first steps was welcoming a couple of new teammates – Jason Terry and Courtney Lee – to Boston's L.A. retreat.

"I wanted J.T. to play with Kevin. I wanted Courtney to see how Paul likes to play. I wanted Paul and Jeff Green to go at each other," Rondo told Yahoo! Sports. "I wanted to play with those guys. It was getting guys away from our actual training facility to get a new view.

[Related: Ainge twice calls Rondo the Celtics' best player]

Kyrie Irving was back at the Cleveland Cavaliers' practice facility on Monday, playing in his first five-on-five scrimmage since breaking his right hand more than two months ago.

Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving won last season's Rookie of the Year award. (Getty Images)Irving broke his hand when he slapped a padded wall at a high school gym during a practice with the Cavs' summer league team on July 14. He hit the wall in frustration after throwing an errant pass to rookie center Tyler Zeller and knew immediately he had broken his hand. After Irving had surgery in Cleveland on July 18, the Cavaliers took a conservative approach to his rehabilitation. He wore a removable soft cast and couldn't do any conditioning for three weeks after the surgery.

Irving improved his left-hand dribbling skills while he was sidelined, but he couldn't do much with his right hand.

"I couldn't tie my shoes," Irving said. "I couldn't put my belt on. There were a few things I couldn't do. I couldn't cook, open up juice. I had my best friend and my father with me all the time."

Irving was

LeBron James has parted ways with agent Leon Rose of Creative Artists Agency and will now be represented by his longtime friend, Rich Paul, who also has left CAA to start his own company: Klutch Sports Management, sources told Yahoo! Sports. James made the move official when he filed paperwork with the NBA Players' Association Wednesday afternoon.

Paul will be James' third representative since James entered the league in 2003 as a client of Aaron Goodwin.

LeBron James will lean on one of his closest friends to represent him after he parted ways with CAA.Paul began working for CAA in 2008. Los Angeles Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Tristan Thompson and San Antonio Spurs guard Cory Joseph are among his clients, along with Charlotte Bobcats rookie forward Michael Kidd-Gilchrist who is jointly managed by Paul and Rose. Paul is working to soon become officially certified as an agent. His new agency will be based in his hometown of Cleveland, where James played for the Cavaliers from 2003-2010.

James left CAA and Rose amicably and wants to give Paul an

Tyreke Evans showed up at the Sacramento Kings' practice gym at 4 a.m. one day last month to work on his shooting. Kings officials weren't surprised. Evans has spent much of the offseason in the gym – part of his plan to regain the form he showed his first season in the NBA when he was named Rookie of the Year.

Tyreke Evans has seen his numbers drop across the board the past two seasons. (Getty Images)"I've been receiving a lot of criticism about not being healthy and not playing like I did my rookie year," Evans said. "I just want to come back this year and show people I'm still here and that I haven't lost a step."

After averaging 20.1 points, 5.8 assists and 5.3 rebounds as a rookie, Evans' production has dropped each of the past two seasons. He averaged 17.8 points, 5.6 assists and 4.8 rebounds while coping with a foot injury in 2010-11 and then averaged 16.5 points, 4.5 assists and 4.6 rebounds last season.

"I've had injuries; not been in the best shape," Evans said.

This season will be an important one for Evans. The Kings have yet to offer him a contract

OAKLAND, Calif. – Don Nelson will officially enter the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday. But there is one notable person that thinks the NBA's all-time leader in coaching victories should not be inducted.

Nellie himself.

"I don't really feel deserving to be in the Hall of Fame, but I am in and I'm happy about that," Nelson told Yahoo! Sports. "It's a great, great honor. There are a lot of guys who deserve it more than me that haven't got in yet like Al Attles, Bill [Fitch], [Dick] Motta and those guys. They were real coaches. Man, did they ever coach.

"So I feel a little undeserving. But anyway, here I am. Here I come."

Nelson walks into the Hall of Fame with one thing that can't be questioned. His record win total.

[Also: Rajon Rondo is interning at GQ during NYC Fashion Week]

Through 11 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks – the first beginning in 1976 – 11 seasons in two stints with the Golden State Warriors, one short-lived campaign that lasted 59

Andray Blatche heads to Brooklyn after a tumultuous career with the Wizards. (Getty)

The Brooklyn Nets have agreed in principle to sign free-agent forward Andray Blatche to a one-year deal paying the veteran’s minimum, a league source told Yahoo! Sports.

Blatche averaged 8.5 points and 5.8 rebounds last season for the Washington Wizards and will back up the center and power forward positions for Brooklyn. He was often criticized for his conditioning and professionalism during his seven-year career with the Wizards.

[Also: Shaquille O’Neal could return to action … in Mexico]

Blatche worked out for Nets coach Avery Johnson in Houston last weekend. He is expected to sign the contract with Brooklyn early next week. The Nets also recently worked out free agents Eddy Curry and Hilton Armstrong, and were expected to sign free-agent forward Donte Greene before he hurt his knee.

Related video from Yahoo! Sports

Other popular content on Yahoo! network:
• Giants rookie running back David Wilson cries over lost fumble
• Adelson: Tell-all book might not change minds

DALLAS – Kobe Bryant isn't one to mince words. His trash-talking style on the court is legendary and his sense of humor is as dry as it gets. So when Bryant told his Team USA teammates during Olympic training in early July that Dwight Howard would be traded to the Lakers, there were plenty of skeptics.

Kevin Durant led Team USA in scoring during the Olympics. (Getty Images)Howard had several suitors at that point, but Bryant's prediction still stayed in the back of Kevin Durant's mind. Bryant's words eventually became reality as Howard was dealt to the Lakers from the Orlando Magic in a four-team blockbuster trade on Aug. 10.

"Kobe called that a month before it happened," Durant told Yahoo! Sports while promoting his new movie "Thunderstruck."

"I didn't believe him. He was just like, 'We are going to have Dwight. We are going to have Steve Nash.' He just talks a lot of trash, jokes and laughs. But he said it. I don't think anyone paid attention to it but me and him. He said it and it happened. And they got better, a lot better.

"Dwight's name

The NBA released its 2012-13 schedule on Thursday, and it's packed with plenty of attractive storylines. No game, however, figures to draw more attention than when LeBron James and the defending champion Miami Heat play Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers' new point guard on Jan. 17 in L.A.

Steve Nash and the Lakers open the season against the Mavs on Oct. 30 (AP)Bryant says he hasn't played with a real point guard since he teamed with Nick Van Exel from 1996-98. He'll now play with one of the best in Steve Nash. Nash's playmaking skills also should benefit the Lakers' 7-footers, Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum.

James is still the world’s best player, and in addition to Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, he now has Ray Allen on his side. And if the Lakers acquire Dwight Howard in a trade before this game? That's one more big star to command attention.

Time will tell if this is an NBA Finals preview or merely the most-hyped game of the season.

Here's nine other games worth watching in the 2012-13 season:

2. Brooklyn Nets home opener vs. New York Knicks,