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Friday, August 7

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On a day when the Pistons signed all three 2009 draft picks, they also reached an agreement with one of their former all-stars. Ben Wallace, the four-time defensive player of the year, agreed to terms with the Pistons on a one-year deal worth $1.3 million. Wallace is expected to sign the deal next week. Detroit News

Adrian Wojnarowski: Denver has traded Steven Hunter and a lottery protected 2010 No. 1 to Memphis for a future second rounder, league source tells Y! Sports. Twitter.com

Adrian Wojnarowski: After New York failed to offer Jason Williams a contract after waiver claim, guard is again an unrestricted free agent, league source says. 21 minutes ago. Twitter.com

LeBron James all but said he had no intention of signing the one-year extension the Cavaliers have offered him and preferred to keep his options open and become a free agent next summer. Speaking at the launch of his new Nike Air Max LeBron VII sneakers today, James said, "I signed a contract in 2006 with an option. It would make no sense for me to sign that contract if I didn't keep my options open. I'll let you fill in the blanks." Cleveland Plain Dealer

I also asked O'Connor about the status of Matt Harpring, the Jazz's veteran forward who is mulling his future after a series of knee and ankle problems over the last three years. Harpring says he will make a decision about playing next season or retiring before training camp in September. "It's just going to depend on him and how he feels -- whether he can play or not," O'Connor said. "That's the bottom line. Can he play or not play? He's got to make that decision." Salt Lake Tribune

Sources close to Joel Freeland told Blazersedge earlier this week that the Blazers made Freeland an offer to play in Portland for the 2009-2010 season. BlazersEdge.com

Asked this morning if he could confirm that the Blazers had indeed made Freeland such an offer, General Manager Kevin Pritchard told Blazersedge, "We looked at bringing him over. We had a bunch of really good discussions." BlazersEdge.com

Rashard Lewis was suspended for taking testosterone, do you think a lot of NBA players are taking performance enhancing steroids? Shaquille O'Neal: “I don’t think, I’m gonna go with no. However, I can say, a lot of guys including myself, we do go in to these GNC stores and for example, we look at a bottle and it says, ‘Fan Man Buster Plus’ and it has a nice little picture on the thing, we’ll buy it without even doing the research or looking at it. But, I think now guys really have to look and see what’s on the back so we’re not taking anything. But, again, most people when they read the labels they just buy it, ‘Fat Booty Buster Plus - lose your fat booty in 10 days.’ But, I don’t think the guy was like, ‘Let me use a steroid.’ I’ve known Rashard a long time and he’s not that type of guy.” Sports Radio Interviews

We heard you in an interview and your response to the worst player you ever saw was a tie between Kurt Rambis and Mychal Thompson. What didn’t you like about Thompson’s game? Shaquille O'Neal: “I never even really seen his game, they just told me to name some horrible players. Those were the guys that came to mind, never really waste your time and saying things as a youngster, ‘Oh, I wanna be like Mychal Thompson. Oooh, look at his baseline fadeaway. Wow. Daddy, can you teach me the Mychal Thompson fadeaway? Sure, son. Forget Kareem, let’s work on Mike’s moves. If I could be like Mike.” Sports Radio Interviews

“I just now added Hermosa Beach sand to my salad. I eat sand,” O’Neal said during a news conference with May-Treanor and Walsh. Their banter was light-hearted, yet Shaq is taking this seriously. He believes he has what it takes to win the challenge – and he better, because if he loses, he has to walk two miles in a pink Speedo. “Three sizes too small,” he said. Los Angeles Times

Ricky Rubio has told Joventut he now wants to honor his contract with the club through 2011. El Periodico de Catalunya

Jeremy Tyler signed with Maccabi Haifa in Israel, according to his agent. Twitter.com

As reported in the P-I, James Donaldson released a 32-page plan last week that borrowed heavily from a similar plan released by Sacramento mayor -- and former NBA player -- Kevin Johnson. Donaldson campaign manager Cindi Laws said the idea of releasing a policy-heavy plan came from Johnson. It's a way, she said, to combat public perception "about athletes being dim." Seattle Times

According to a source close to Iverson on Thursday, Riley reached out to the 10-time NBA All-Star recently to let him know that the Heat "has continued interest in (Iverson's) services" and also that Miami "could be a great opportunity for us." Miami Herald

According to the source, the Heat has not yet made a concrete offer to Iverson. But Riley has told Iverson's camp that he will soon get back to them. Riley, according to the source, also asked that "before (Iverson) considers accepting any (other) offer, to please get back with him." Miami Herald

Nate Robinson wants to remain a Knick, even though the team appears to be looking at several alternatives to having him return as the third guard in Mike D'Antoni's rotation. Robinson was present for a phone conversation with his agents and Donnie Walsh on Wednesday and understands that the Knicks are in hot pursuit of restricted free agent Ramon Sessions. Newsday

One of Robinson's confidants told me that the popular 5-9 guard "made it clear to Donnie and the organization that he wants to be there" and that his stance right now is to "wait patiently while they sort through whatever they need to." Newsday

Robinson doesn't sound ready to push that angle yet, though when the time comes he may have an easier time finding a S&T deal because his asking price is considerably lower than Lee's number. He's showing some serious loyalty here and he's also showing a lot of humility. You would think after seeing the team court Jason Kidd and Andre Miller, invite Jamaal Tinsley in for a visit, put in a waiver bid for Jason Williams and bring him in for a workout and then target another restricted free agent in Sessions, that Robinson, who has yet to get an offer from the Knicks, would have good reason to feel jilted and prefer to go where he was wanted. But Robinson maintains his preference is to stay in New York, with the Knicks, in the system that helped him produce a career-best season. Newsday

The Knicks' exclusive negotiating rights with point guard Jason Williams ended yesterday, but his agent said "White Chocolate" still considers the Knicks his favorite flavor. New York Post

"Intriguing is a great word," Williams' agent Dan Tobin told The Post. "Jason would be a good fit in Mike's system. Everyone realizes that. The Garden is a big stage and Jason thinks he can be a theatrical attraction." New York Post

The Los Angeles Clippers have intensified their interest in Sessions and appear on the brink of making a strong pitch for him. The scuttlebutt around the NBA is the Clippers and Bucks are discussing a sign-and-trade scenario with Sessions, a restricted free agent, being the central figure. Racine Journal-Times

The Clippers and Bucks are expected to resume conversations about Sessions today, although it's unlikely any agreement will be reached. The Knicks also remain interested in Sessions, but are attempting to trade a player to free up more money to sign him. Racine Journal-Times

There have also been rumblings the Sacramento Kings have recently inquired about Sessions. However, the extent of the Kings' interest isn't known. Racine Journal-Times

The Atlanta Hawks reached an agreement in principle with free agent forward Marvin Williams, a source close to the process told ESPN.com. Williams is expected to sign a five year, $37.5 million contract as early as Friday, according to the source. The deal also has some hard to reach incentives that could boost the value of the contract to $43 million. ESPN.com

Celtics forward Glen Davis, whose name was attached to a rambling string of comments on twitter.com decrying the lack of progress in his negotiations with the Celtics, told Danny Ainge today that the comments were posted by an unknown imposter. The power forward, a restricted free agent, has not received an offer sheet from another team this summer, and only recently started talking actual numbers with the Celtics, who reportedly made an offer than was not deemed acceptable by the Davis camp. Boston Herald

Davis’ agent, John Hamilton, shrugged off the twitter.com issue. “I don’t care if it was actually him or not,” Hamilton said of the postings. “But everyone can understand the frustration of a young player who doesn’t know where he will play next season. But I don’t want to focus on stuff like (twitter.com) at the end of the day, because it doesn’t matter.” Boston Herald

There has been no change in the status of free agent guard Marquis Daniels, who has committed to the Celtics, and restricted free agent forward Glen Davis. Daniels would join the team on a biannual exception deal worth $1.9 million, unless a sign-and-trade can be devised. Daniels earned $7.35 million with Indiana last season. Davis, 23, who averaged 15.8 points per game in last spring’s playoffs, is awaiting an offer sheet. Boston Globe

Carlos Delfino's agents have been in contact with Real Madrid. As

Just because his short tenure with the Utah Jazz is over doesn't mean Brevin Knight is giving up on his NBA career. The veteran player, who logged his 12th NBA season in Utah last year, has received interest from and engaged in "preliminary talks" with about eight teams this offseason, according to his agent. But Knight isn't expecting to strike a deal in the immediate future, his rep, Bill Strickland, told Web site RealGM.com. Deseret Morning News

The Knight camp is waiting for the dust to settle with other, bigger-name free agent point guards around the league. Orlando has been ruled out, according to Strickland. Deseret Morning News

Brandon Roy on Thursday signed a multyear contract extension with the Portland Trail Blazers, the team announced. "This is one of the most exciting and important days in Trail Blazers history," said general manager Kevin Pritchard. Roy and the Blazers reached agreement Wednesday on the deal, which adds four years to Roys contract, which expires after next season, and gives Roy the option to extend it for a fifth year. The team did not disclose other details of the contract, but both sides previously acknowledged it was for the maximum allowed under NBA salary guidelines. Roy stands to make about $82 million during the length of the contract, but the exact amount won't be known until the NBA sets the salary cap for the 2010-11 season. Oregonian

The Memphis Grizzlies addressed their desire to add a backup point guard this afternoon by signing three-year veteran Marcus Williams. Memphis Commercial Appeal

The N.B.A. on Thursday suspended the Orlando Magic All-Star forward Rashard Lewis for 10 games for violating its policy on performance-enhancing drugs, saying he had elevated levels of testosterone. New York Times

Lewis said he took an over-the-counter supplement — which he declined to identify — at the end of last season and said he did not believe it contained a banned substance. Lewis is an 11-year veteran who missed the last three games of the regular season with knee tendinitis. He played in all of the Magic’s postseason games and was the team’s second-leading scorer as it advanced to the N.B.A. finals, where it lost to the Los Angeles Lakers. New York Times

I believe him when he told me Thursday that he's been taking nutritional supplements and vitamins for his entire career without incident and that this time he simply made a mistake by putting something into his body that was on the NBA's banned list. "I've taken over-the-counter supplements throughout my career," Lewis said. "It's a long season and I take stuff you get from health stores -- things to keep your immune system up, help your energy level, stuff like that. Early in my career, I was real thin and drank the shakes to try to put on weight." Orlando Sentinel

But steroids? "Look at me, I'm still skinny as hell. Does it look like I take steroids?," Lewis answered. "... I'm telling you it was an honest mistake. I would never knowingly put any sort of substance or steroid into my body that is against the rules." Orlando Sentinel

"He’s one of the best people in this league and has been a model citizen and a great team guy and simply made a very innocent mistake," Van Gundy told the Orlando Sentinel on Thursday. "I think it’s unfortunate. I feel badly for him.” Van Gundy added, “I just wanted to make sure that he knew that he has the full support of the coaching staff and everybody in the organization, including, I’m sure, his teammates.” Orlando Sentinel

"You’re going to start now for sure two new people and maybe as many as three for the first 10 games of the year," Van Gundy said. "Like with anything bad that happens, and this is certainly something we didn’t want to happen, there’s always a silver lining. And the silver lining here will be that a lot of those new faces, pretty much all of them, will get a significant opportunity early in the year. I think right off the bat we’ll get a better indication of where we want to go in terms of lineups and rotations when Rashard gets back.” Orlando Sentinel

Orlando Magic general manager Otis Smith said Thursday that he was not shocked when a league official notified him this week that Rashard Lewis was being suspended for the first 10 games of next season for violating the NBA's Anti-Drug program. Lewis tested positive for the testosterone-producing steroid commonly referred to as DHEA (Dehydroepiandrosterone), which was part of a supplement he started taking late in the season. The chemical is banned by most sports leagues, including the NBA, but it is contained in several over-the-counter supplements. FanHouse.com

"I live in the real world. Very few things shock me. I was a little taken aback, but I'm not going to go nuts over it,'' Smith told FanHouse after the league announced the suspension. "I've been around the league for 25-plus years, and I still don't know everything there is to know about all the banned substances.'' FanHouse.com

NBA players are randomly tested four times each season under the league's Anti-Drug Agreement. The first positive test for steroids or any performance enhancing drug, results in a 10-game suspension. The second positive test is a 25-game suspension and the third positive test would be a one-year suspension. Smith talked to Lewis both late Wednesday and early Thursday before the league made the announcement. "I do not think he was taking it as a performance enhancer, trying to get bigger, stronger, faster, or anything like that,'' Smith said. "We spend a lot of time trying to educate our guys on this stuff, but we have to do more. I still think the team, the players' union, the league, has to do more to let these guys know what they can and can't take.'' FanHouse.com

Third, as an NBA reporter for the last six years and as a locker room attendant with the Boston Celtics the eight years prior to that, I have never heard so much as a whisper of players juicing. Working both the home and away locker rooms in Boston, I saw a lot of things. I saw which players liked to drink (a lot), which ones liked to smoke (even more) and which ones liked both. I witnessed some unbelievably stupid decisions by players that, to a degree, compromised the integrity of the game. In many ways, I saw the underbelly of professional sports. But I never saw or heard anything related to performance enhancing drugs. SI.com

A few weeks later, a photo surfaced of Rose allegedly flashing gang signs at a party while he was a student at Memphis. On Thursday, the NBA rookie of the year spoke publicly for the first time since the controversies, and he admitted that it's been an interesting couple of months. "I'm not a kid anymore," Rose said, after his basketball camp at the Joy of the Game Gym wrapped up for the day. "I'm always in a spotlight. [I'm] the leader probably of this team, [I] gotta be the leader of this team, and I can't do foolish things anymore." ESPN.com

While Rose acknowledged making some bad choices, he denied that he did anything wrong regarding the SAT scandal. "That didn't bother me at all, I know didn't do anything wrong," Rose said. "That was up to Memphis what they had to do. "Coach [John Calipari] told me don't worry about it. I definitely wasn't worried about it. I was still working out, so I just let [the scandal] pass." ESPN.com

That's exactly what he's tried to do all summer. The Chicago native said he's spent most of his time in the gym, working on his jump shot and trying to get better. He's tried to focus on what's ahead of him, including the possibility of making the U.S. National Team next year. "It's been good, I've looked past the sad parts," Rose said, describing what his summer has been like. "Playing for the U.S.A. team, it was fun, playing and competing against all them guys, working out with some of the players, and hopefully I'll make the team." ESPN.com

Shaq says his mom always told him "Make them remember your name ... for all the right reasons, of course". Shaq's good name will always be remembered in Los Angeles for his thundering dunks as a 3-time NBA Champion Los Angeles Laker, and now he will be remembered for another good reason, being green. "Ethanol" is my new name," said O'Neal proudly, "Big Eth." Orange County Register

Shaq says that his family has always been interested in ways to be green and feels he has found a good fit with this product. "I believe in this company and invested in it, said O'Neal. "I tried it, I liked it," said O'Neal. "I flew to Southern California to see it first hand. It's cost effective and it works. Hopefully, with my presence people will look at (the fuel system) and they'll try it." Orange County Register

Marc Gasol: "I've lost 65 pounds in six years." El Mundo Deportivo

Jeremy Tyler, the young big man who decided to skip his senior year of high school to begin his professional basketball career playing overseas, rejected the proposal made by Slovenia Champs, Union Olimpija Lubiana. Sportando.net

The Timberwolves late Thursday night appeared close to reaching a deal with Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Kurt Rambis to become their next coach. Rambis earlier Thursday was putting together a coaching staff that could include Boston assistant general manager Dave Wohl, who was New Jersey's head coach and a Lakers assistant in the 1980s, as his top assistant. Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Minnesota Timberwolves President David Kahn told the Associated Press on Thursday that the team and Kurt Rambis were not close to a deal to name Rambis as its new head coach. Kahn said Wednesday that he is in a position to "do something within a week" and would like one or two of the coaching candidates to meet with owner Glen Taylor before a decision is made. Kahn has spent the last seven weeks interviewing candidates and has settled on Lakers assistant Rambis, ESPN analyst Mark Jackson and Houston assistant Elston Turner as the finalists. Los Angeles Times

Celtics assistant general manager Dave Wohl is a candidate for an assistant coaching position with the Minnesota Timberwolves, an NBA source confirmed yesterday. Boston Globe

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The Grizzlies aren't going to move anytime soon. They can't and they won't under his leadership. "The team cannot be moved. It isn't me saying this to be a good guy," Heisley said. "There are obligations and commitments to the city and county. It's ridiculous to think we can move this team. Memphis Commercial Appeal

"So I'm not taking the Grizzlies anywhere. ... As long as I own the team, the team is going to be in Memphis. I've lived up to my end of the bargain. I'm not mad at Memphis. Memphis might be mad at me, but we've been a good citizen. I love the city. I love the people. The NCAA, when they were here, said this was the most friendly and gracious arena that they have ever been in." Memphis Commercial Appeal

The Grizzlies aren't one of them. Despite losing roughly 72 percent of their games over the past three seasons, the Griz function with a balance sheet that is tolerable. Team officials say the Griz are operating in the black, overcoming average attendance figures in the league's bottom third and skimpy overall local revenue streams over the past few seasons. The Grizzlies decline to reveal the profit margin. About the Grizzlies' fiscal state, a team insider said, "we're not satisfied, but we're not hurting." Memphis Commercial Appeal

"We're definitely in the top third of the teams in the league (in terms of the bottom line)," Heisley said. "It's because we've watched our expenses and we have the support of a good, hard-core group of people. We're going to survive no matter what. But we cannot compete salary-wise with places like Los Angeles and Cleveland. Some of my worst financial losses came during those (playoff) years. You can't sustain that. Memphis Commercial Appeal

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