Gasol trade has domino effect in the West

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Lakers keep improving. So does the Western Conference, apparently.

The trade that could send Jason Kidd from New Jersey to Dallas would mark the third big headline in the West this month, along with Pau Gasol to the Lakers and Shaquille O’Neal to Phoenix.

The Lakers undeniably made the first big splash by acquiring Gasol on Feb. 1, but they could have more company.

Kidd was on the verge of being traded Wednesday for four players, two first-round draft picks and cash, but former Lakers forward Devean George reportedly exercised his right to block the trade.

Whatever happens, the Mavericks are obviously trying to keep pace in the West.

“If one team gets better, then you should expect that every team wants to get better,” Lakers forward Lamar Odom said.

Or, as a league source said, “Everybody’s in panic mode now.”

It’s a trade that would benefit both teams, Lakers Coach Phil Jackson said diplomatically.

“I was a Devin Harris fan, so I’m happy to see him in the East, personally,” Jackson said of the up-and-coming point guard. “I think they’ll miss him, but this is a trade that brings a lot of veteran leadership to Dallas.”

The Lakers, for their part, are not expected to make any more moves before next Thursday’s trade deadline.

“Unless something knocks us out, for sure,” Jackson said.

Another reason Jackson wants to get home -- to see first-hand the recovery stages of Trevor Ariza and Andrew Bynum.

Ariza, sidelined by a broken bone in his right foot, and Bynum, out because of a knee injury, are not expected back until at least mid-March, according to guidelines released by the team at the time of their injuries.

“Trevor’s out of a boot and doing pretty well,” Jackson said. “Andrew’s still working hard, but there’s still progress to be made there. I haven’t heard whether the swelling’s entirely out yet.”

Center Chris Mihm underwent surgery Wednesday to have a screw removed from his right heel. He will be out about six weeks.

Jackson said there was “a chance” Mihm could return in time to play at the end of the regular season, if not playoffs.

“We’re happy that he’s making a move toward something positive,” Jackson said. “It just didn’t seem to be working out the other way. We’re hopeful this is going to work.”

The 30-minute procedure was performed by Dr. Bert Mandelbaum of the Santa Monica Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Group.

The players aren’t the only ones feeling tired from the final few days of their road trip.

Assistant coach Brian Shaw was in charge of preparing game reports for four of the Lakers’ last five games.

The team’s four assistants -- Shaw, Kurt Rambis, Jim Cleamons and Frank Hamblen -- divvied up the other 29 NBA teams before the season, each taking charge of seven or eight teams. This was just a case of bad timing for Shaw, who was given Atlanta, Orlando, Charlotte and Minnesota.

“It’s been kind of hectic,” he said. “I had basically a month without any games leading up to this road trip, but it wasn’t like I could say, ‘I’m going to get these reports done early’ because the teams are constantly changing -- people are going out with injuries, they’re changing lineups and putting new stuff in. You kind of have to watch it fresh.”

The Lakers won three of the four games in which Shaw prepared reports, but it didn’t make the road feel shorter.

“I’m very ready to go home,” he said. “This is the longest trip I’ve been on since I’ve been associated with the NBA. We’ve gone from the cold to the hot, back to the cold again. It’s just time to get back.”

Cognizant of what happened to Vladimir Radmanovic last All-Star break, Jackson offered some words of wisdom to the players before they scattered for four days.

“Stay off the ski slopes,” he said wryly.

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mike.bresnahan@latimes.com