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Tuesday, March 2

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Last update: 7:30 pm ET

According to league sources, the Cavs reached out and made contact with Zydrunas Ilgauskas on Monday after he had cleared waivers and become an unrestricted free agent. The team had not officially been in touch since they traded him on Feb. 17. Cleveland Plain Dealer

They have been in communication about next year. "He's a good friend," said McGrady, who sat out the fourth quarter for the third straight game. "He wanted to see me back on the basketball court and congratulate me on being back. I sent him an e-mail that said: 'I'm in the Big Apple. I'll see you here next season.' " LeBron's response was "LOL," and after last night's Knicks no-show, he may be laughing at the prospect. New York Post

Do you believe in what Micky Arison said about Wade staying? — J.A. A: I believe it is what he believes, because I’m sure that is what Pat Riley is telling him. Perhaps they know something the rest of us don’t. But logic would indicate otherwise at this stage. South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Gilbert Arenas says he'd have "no problem" playing for the Washington Wizards again. In his first interview since pleading guilty to a felony gun charge in January, Arenas also tells The Associated Press he's not nervous about his sentencing date later this month -- as long as the judge goes off the "real story" of what happened when he brought guns to the team's locker room in December. ESPN.com

As a parent, I can't doubt for a moment that Iverson has far more important things on his mind than NBA basketball. Word is that until his daughter's health situation is resolved, he won't even think about what's to come of his NBA career. Fair enough. What's less clear is: When his family situation is in order, and if he decides he's ready to return to the NBA, will there be a job waiting for him? ESPN.com

Though skeptical, the 6-foot-11 Curry wouldn't rule out being a member of the Knicks next season. It seemed guaranteed Curry would be bought out this summer in order to save perhaps $1 million in cap space. Asked about his future, Curry, making a rare appearance with the team yesterday in Cleveland, said, "I don't know. I hope so. But I don't know. It's kind of early to tell. We'll see what happens." New York Post

Mike James this morning returned a voicemail I had left for him last night and talked about this strange season. Jones: So, you've reached your buyout and are now a free man. Are you happy about your prospects of being able to pursue a new opportunity? James: "Not really. I feel like it's unfortunate the way this season has went both on an individual and team level. It's been tough to prepare myself the way that I have and watch this team struggle and not get a shot to help." Mike Jones

Jones: So, what's next for you? James: "I'm just in the gym, working hard like I have been this whole daggone season. I'm still in training camp. All season I've been stuck in August. I'm doing dribbling and shooting drills, just staying ready, and when I get that shot, when a coach gives me a look, I'm gonna show him and his eyes are gonna pop out and he's going to say, 'You couldn't play on Washington Wizards team, but you can play still?' And that's the thing, I was on a bad team, and to be on a bad team and not have a chance to even play, what does that say about me as a person, it says I'm no good. But I know I've still got a lot to offer. It was basically disrespecting me and my eight previous years in the NBA, saying what I've accomplished is nothing. I don't know why, but hopefully now I can get a chance to show they were wrong. I don't care where I go, I just want to have a chance to play and to help somebody win. And I hope wherever I go that they're serious about winning." Mike Jones

The Celtics are considering bringing Finley in to fill one of their two remaining roster spots, according to NBA sources. This is not the Finley from his vintage days or even a few years ago. He scored five points in 78 minutes in February on 2-for-16 shooting, losing his minutes to Keith Bogans and George Hill. Finley has played in 25 games this season, limited because of a sprained left ankle. Finley asked for his release after being relegated to a minor role. He did not play in Sunday's win over Phoenix and went scoreless in 21 minutes on Feb. 24 vs. Oklahoma City. Boston Globe

But Finley, who won a championship with the Spurs in 2007, would bring additional experience and shooting. Rivers said: "We’re looking around. I don’t even know if I can say anything about Michael. I don’t know what the rules are. He still hasn’t cleared waivers so he’s not officially free. "I don’t think a veteran ever hurts. I think it always helps your team to have one, if it’s the right one. Every team has some holes. Shooting is one thing we can’t have enough of as far as I’m concerned. You look at some of these other teams, their shooting is ridiculous." Boston Globe

NBA player Ricky Davis is close to joining Turk Telekom Ankara for the rest of the season. The two parts, according to several Turkish media, reached an agreement. Sportando

Ross Siler: As the Jazz search for 13th man, Kenny Thomas' people haven't talked with Kevin O'Connor since last week. Twitter.com

With Joakim Noah out indefinitely and Brad Miller playing too many minutes, the Bulls will sign forward/center Chris Richard to add to the frontcourt depth. Richard played in five games with the Bulls earlier this season, but was waived on Feb. 18 after the Bulls traded two players for four players at the trading deadline. But with all the uncertainty upfront and the Bulls being pounded on the boards by the Atlanta Hawks on Monday, the Bulls had to make room for Richard. "We need our guys to get healthy," coach Vinny Del Negro said. "One guy is not gonna control the glass. It's gonna help. I thought Chris did a good job when he was here, he knows what we're doing, he's a good kid, so we'll get him back here [Wednesday]." Chicago Sun-Times

Marc Stein: After completing two 10-days with Houston, Garrett Temple is headed to Sacramento for another 10-day. Twitter.com

You know Mark Cuban is always ready to pull off a blockbuster. Were you a little nervous leading up to the trade deadline, not know what might happen? Shawn Marion: "No, not really. I wasn't nervous. It was just a matter of which situation might pan out and if we were going to make a move or not. They weren't looking to trade me, but a lot of times the trades that people are talking about don't go down. It's the ones no one's talking about that really go down. But I didn't worry about it at all." HoopsWorld

For that, turn to the latest ESPN the Mag, which in this issue premiered a column from "NBA Player X," an anonymous "NBA star" who will provide updates on what the NBA is really like, dishing so much truth that he couldn't possibly use his real name. Brave. Anyhow, his first column touches on Gilbert twice. I'll quote him, provided it doesn't violate The Post's policy against anonymous sources. I think this Arenas situation scared a lot of players. But I'm not sure if it will change much. The phone number the NBA gives us to call if we're struggling with alcohol and other things isn't going to start ringing off the hook. Thing is, this wasn't the first time Gilbert messed up. The NBA told him to chill a couple years ago, but I don't think he took it seriously. Word around the league is that he's at home freaking out, calling the NBA every five minutes to fix things, afraid it all might disappear. Washington Post

Arenas spoke Tuesday while helping distribute used fur coats to needy people at an appearance on behalf of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Arenas said he was happy to help PETA because he has "a lot of free time" on his hands. He's been suspended until the end of the season by the NBA. ESPN.com

When LeBron James should be most concerned with taking Kobe Bryant’s NBA title, he’s making a bid for his standing as the No. 1 seller of NBA jerseys. James watched Bryant make the switch from No. 8 to No. 24 and how it moved him to the top of the list. For the past two seasons, James has finished second to Bryant. No more, James decided. Kobe gave him the blueprint for selling out stock, and now LeBron’s embraced it. Looking back, Bryant never tried to turn his jersey change into some magnanimous gesture. He switched numbers, and that was that. He wanted to sell jerseys, and he did. He never pretended it was a genuflection to anything but commerce. Yahoo! Sports

“He’s always looked for that approval from Michael,” one Jordan associate says, “and I don’t know that he’s ever really gotten it – or ever will.” Yahoo! Sports

A reader beat me to the punch in regards to Cleveland's animated - some would say childish - bench. I understand that times are a changing in the NBA, and not necessarily for the better. One example is the conduct of the Cavs' supporting players before and especially during games. Last night, they were over-the-top during Cleveland's blowout win over the Knicks. After Delonte West dunked on Tracy McGrady, the bench celebrated the play, which is understandable. But did we really need to see Danny Green tackle a teammate to the ground? (It also hurts me to see that since Green and I are from the same town.) New York Daily News

Brian Windhorst: NBA confirms it has received LeBron's application for jersey switch. Deadline is Fri., not Wed., as I reported yesterday tho. Twitter.com

Lots of talk today with Chris Douglas-Roberts on how he’s handled this season, going from starter to hardly playing, to being benched to now starting in place of Lee. Douglas-Roberts said he’s happy the “internal matter” that led to his benching against Memphis is over. He also said he still doesn’t feel the need to talk to interim coach Kiki Vandeweghe about anything. “We have what’s called an ‘exit meeting’ when the season’s over, and mine will be the longest, I’m sure,” Douglas-Roberts said. “I’m sure about that.” Bergen Record

Anywhere in the world, $53 million is considered a hefty sum for a house. For one of Russia's most prominent oligarchs that's just a 10 percent deposit, and he just lost it. A French court ruled Monday that nickel tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov would not get back the deposit he put down on a sprawling, $530 million villa on the French Riviera. He backed out of the purchase in 2008 as the global financial crisis gathered steam. "We have lost," Prokhorov's lawyer Jean-Pierre Gastaud said after the court in the southern city of Nice made its decision. Gastaud said he would urge his client to appeal. ABC News

Anyone 18 or older who attends Friday’s game against the Magic will get a coupon for a free state tax return from Roni Deutch Tax Center. Also reps from the tax center will be here to answer tax-related questions before and during the game. Not only that, if you a buy a program, you could receive a coupon for up to $50 off of tax preparation services at a Roni Deutch Tax Center in Hackensack, Bergenfield, and Fair Lawn. Bergen Record

Andres Nocioni will not be in uniform tonight when Sacramento takes on Oklahoma City, instead he will be serving the first game of his two-game suspension handed down by the league. Nocioni was arrested in Sacramento for a DUI on Nov. 5 and last week pled no contest to the charge. His attorney said at the time he was going to take his medicine and move on. NBC Sports

Last update: 10:03 am ET

Allen Iverson will not return to the 76ers this season, a source close to the team said after a 126-105 loss to the Orlando Magic last night. An official announcement is expected from the Sixers within the next two days. Philadelphia Inquirer

The Philadelphia 76ers will release Allen Iverson on Tuesday, a team source confirmed to Yahoo! Sports. Iverson’s release will end a brief and anti-climatic return to the franchise that once elevated him to an All-Star and NBA Most Valuable Player. Yahoo! Sports

Though James would not address his free agency directly, he gave an interesting response to a query on whether he can see playing for a club that doesn't care about defense. No, he can't. "For me, I'm a winner, I just want to win," James said. "I've yet to play for a team that doesn't like defense in my career. But it's not about team. It's individuals first. Individuals have to take and want the responsibility to guard the guy in front of him." New York Post

Brian Windhorst: Also says: "I've yet to play for a team that doesn't like defense in my career but it is not about the team, it is individuals first." Twitter.com

This item started kicking around my head during a conversation I had recently with a high-placed NBA source. I asked the source what he thought the Warriors had to do this summer. I prefaced: Besides trading Corey Maggette, of course. “Trade Maggette, trade Ellis, trade Biedrins, try to give-away Radmanovic,” the source said, before breaking into laughter. “You know, the easy stuff.” San Jose Mercury News

The Celtics looked into acquiring Zydrunas Ilgauskas and will inquire about Michael Finley. According to league sources, the club is very much interested in players who are bought out by today’s deadline. Boston Herald

The Hawks believe Zydrunas Ilgauskas eventually will re-sign with Cleveland when he’s eligible to do so. But the Hawks, unlike some other suitors for Ilgauskas, are not giving up hope. If Ilgauskas decides to play for another team, the Hawks feel they have the best shot at landing him, a person familiar with situation said on Monday. The person said Ilgauskas is “leaning towards” re-signing with the Cavaliers after they traded him and then the Wizards subsequently released him. Ilgauskas officially cleared waivers on Monday. Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A person familiar with the Hawks’ plans said if they don’t sign Ilgauskas, they would not pursue any other free agents for the 14th roster spot, barring an injury. Veterans waived on Monday (the final day for them to retain playoff eligibility) included Mark Blount, Michael Finley, Mike James and Travis Diener. Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Larry Hughes: The ex-Knick who left New York in the Tracy McGrady deal was all set to sign with Charlotte after the Kings waived him, but the Bobcats got cold feet Monday when they learned they'd have to wait at least a week or two for Hughes' fractured finger to heal. ESPN.com

Michael Finley is a free agent yet again, and the short list -- we should probably call it a wish list -- for his next destination reads as follows: Lakers, Mavericks, Nuggets, Cavs, Celtics, and Jazz. Finley was a surprise buyout recipient when he was waived by the San Antonio Spurs on Monday, the last day for players to be waived while still retaining playoff eligibility should they sign with another team. ESPN.com

After asking the San Antonio Spurs to let him go, Michael Finley is looking for a chance to be a factor on a title-contending team. The Boston Celtics are among the teams who have interest, league sources said. Yahoo! Sports

The Celtics, sources said, have some interest because they could use another shooter off the bench. A league source also said the Los Angeles Lakers eventually could have interest in Finley as an “insurance player” to help strengthen their own bench. Yahoo! Sports

Chris Mannix: Sloan didn't rule out making a play for Finley. Makes sense, given the Jazz dealing key reserve Ronnie Brewer at the deadline. Twitter.com

"The Spurs were very helpful to Michael on this, and Michael has nothing but good feelings for that franchise. It is just time for him to move on," said Finley's agent, Henry Thomas. ESPN.com

The 15-year veteran realized it was time for him to move on when he found himself out of the rotation six games after he returned from a severe ankle sprain. His DNP-CD (Did Not Play-Coach's Decision) Feb. 7 at Indiana was the first of his career. "From his perspective, he wants to compete for a championship. And some of the top contenders have rosters on which he'd be a decent fit," Thomas said. Finley, who was owed about $600,000 by San Antonio, will clear waivers at 6 p.m. Wednesday. ESPN.com

The Spurs said they honored Finley’s request to be released from his contract, which was in its final year after he exercised a $2.5 million option this season. “I was very surprised, but we granted his request,” Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich said before the Spurs faced the Hornets in New Orleans last night. “That’s for other teams to decide if they think he can be useful. But we did grant him his release before the deadline so he would have the opportunity to play some place in the playoffs if he so desired.” Boston Herald

The Rockets are expected to sign point guard Will Conroy to a second 10-day contract today. Houston Chronicle

With his second 10-day contract complete, guard Garrett Temple was told after Monday's game he would not be signed for the remainder of the season. “I think I wasn't here just playing for the Rockets, even though I was here,” he said. “It was more of an audition for the rest of the league.” Temple is among several players mentioned in connection with Portland. Houston Chronicle

With Noah's status uncertain and Brad Miller's effectiveness dropping as his minutes have increased, the Bulls are likely to add a big man this week. ''We'll talk about that,'' Del Negro said. ''See who gets released and stuff like that. There's no question we can use another big body.'' With the Bulls at the roster limit of 15, they'd have to clear a spot. That could be accomplished by waiving Lindsey Hunter, Jerome James or Joe Alexander, or by reaching a contract settlement with Devin Brown. Chicago Sun-Times

Thorn said he had heard nothing from agents and did not plan on buyouts for any of the Net veterans. New York Post

James, 34, only played four games with the Wizards this season, averaging 4.5 points and 1.3 assists. He made his last appearance in New York on Feb. 3. "He's excited to go out there and have a job and continue having an NBA career," James's agent, Bernie Lee, said in a telephone interview on Monday. "Mike is able to focus on what's next, even though we don't know what's next. He's just been in a holding pattern the last three or four months." Washington Post

The Wizards were unable to move James and his expiring $6.5 million contract at the deadline and James went home to Houston to be with his family. After asking for the Wizards to release him outright, James was able to negotiate a buyout on Monday. According to league sources, James was able to reach his separation for $150,000 - almost one-tenth of the amount Zydrunas Ilgauskas was forced to pay after arriving from Cleveland. Lee wouldn't confirm the amount when asked. He said simply, "The Wizards were extremely fair and we're thankful for the opportunity to move on." Washington Post

Miami and Charlotte have expressed interest in James, although Bobcats general manager Rod Higgins to the Charlotte Observer that signing James was unlikely. Washington Post

Chris Tomasson: Mark Blount agent, Mark Bartelstein, confirmed to FanHouse Denver has called about Blount. But right now it's just preliminary conversations. Twitter.com

Chris Tomasson: Nuggets are looking for a big man. They've also talked to Bartelstein about Mikki Moore. But everything still in preliminary stages. Twitter.com

The Portland Trail Blazers are expected to soon sign veteran guard Travis Diener to fill the team’s 15th and final roster spot, general manager Kevin Pritchard said Monday. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Diener was released Monday by Indiana. However, Portland must first allow Diener to clear waivers before he can be added to the roster. Columbian

While a league source said Diener was one of several players the Blazers were still watching to see if they would clear waivers, Pritchard hinted that Portland has all but made up its mind. “I think we know who we want,” Pritchard said. Columbian

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Drew Gooden has played for a lot of teams -- nine in eight years to be exact. He's played for so many teams, in fact, he can't even name them all when put on the spot. "This is going to be kind tough," said Gooden. "Memphis, Orlando, Cleveland, Chicago, Sacramento for one game, San Antonio, Dallas and now here [Los Angeles]. I probably missed about two." Gooden actually did better than he thought. He only missed one  the Washington Wizards, which was essentially a three-day pit stop in between Dallas and Los Angeles. "That doesn't count," said Gooden. "I didn't even wear the jersey. I saw it but I didn't wear it." ESPN.com

After joining his sixth team in the past two seasons, the league has essentially turned into his own version of Six Degrees. There isn't a player he isn't connected with in some way. Go ahead try and find one. "I always look at the other team and see who I played with and it's starting to add up," Gooden said. "Now I almost always have at least one player on the other team I've played with before." ESPN.com

"I'm a fan of the game first and foremost and I've gotten to play with LeBron James, Tracy Mcrady, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki," he said. "Those are some future hall of famers. I've also had a chance to play for Gregg Poppovich and some big-time coaches. That's been a plus and an advantage for me in my career that I wouldn't trade." ESPN.com

Only a few minutes after tonight's 126-105 loss to the Orlando Magic, Sixers coach Eddie Jordan had some pretty harsh words about the character of his team. Here's Jordan's words from tonight's post-game press conference: "We just didn’t respond in a passionate way. We lost the passion to compete. We saw some pooor body language and there was a couple of timeouts where we addressed it. And I wasn’t going to have it. I addressed it a couple of times; I addressed it just then, just now. It’s leadership or lack thereof. It’s contagious where misery, just one guy’s miserable and it’s just contagious throughout the team and we just can’t have. Someone has to stand up and try to rally the troops, your teammates. The coaches are certainly trying to do it every timeout, every time we get a chance to. But it doesn't come from the coaches ... We try to address it; we try to get them with some more spirit and some more positive energy. And it’s just hard when you don’t have that sort of internal leadership." Philadelphia Daily News

Andre Iguodala, the guy you would think Jordan was talking about, said it doesn't really frustrate him. "You start to play the blame game and it really leads to a dead end, it doesn't go anywhere. I'm just going to go out there and keep doing what I've been doing my whole career, which is play basketball the right way." Philadelphia Daily News

Monday was the deadline for NBA players to be released by their current teams and be eligible for the playoffs with a new team, but the Bulls did not make a transaction. Guard Devin Brown has played just four minutes in the last eight games but said accepting a buyout so he could be free to join another team wasn't in his plans. "It wasn't a huge thought," Brown said. "It crossed my mind, but it is what it is. I see something here, so I'm just going to wait and see what happens." Arlington Heights Daily Herald

A day after the team released a contrite statement from him, Timberwolves star center Al Jefferson spoke at length about his weekend drunken-driving arrest. He apologized after practice Monday to his family, his team, his teammates, his fans for what he alternately called a "major mistake" and a "stupid choice." "In a way I'm glad it happened, because now I know and I know I'll never do it again," he said. "I could have hurt myself. I could have hurt someone else. I'm so upset with myself. I'm sorry for the embarrassment I caused my family, my teammates, myself, my fans. I'm a good person. I just made a mistake. I promise it'll never happen again. Minneapolis Star Tribune

"I didn't realize the danger that I put myself in, put other people -- innocent people -- in. I'm ready to put it behind me. I keep telling myself how stupid I was and I wish I could turn back the hands of time. But I can't. Like I said, it will never happen again. I don't care if I have to walk home. I would never get behind the wheel when I had something to drink again in my life." Minneapolis Star Tribune

Asked what he will do differently next time, he said, "Honestly, I was so close to home, I would have walked. I'll call a cab. I'll never be by myself again. The crazy thing about it, I was in the process of dialing somebody to come and pick me up and I said, 'Oh, it's right down the road from home.' I'm just kicking myself. There are so many different ways I could have handled it. I wasn't raised like that." Minneapolis Star Tribune

Michael Wilbon: No. Not just yet. But let me start with a nod to Blatche. This kid has taken an opportunity and run like the wind with it. His current/former teammates have told me multiple times over the last few years how little he works, how he cannot find the weight room without a GPS, how they were afraid he was going to waste his enormous talent ... and then BOOM! When the big chance came along he jumped on and is on some kind of roll. Washington Post

LeBron James fans, get ready to make some room in your closet for No. 6 jerseys. James told The Plain Dealer on Monday that he's filed the paperwork with the NBA office to switch his jersey number from No. 23 to No. 6 next season. He had to make the decision this week, the deadline to make the request to the NBA is Wednesday. Cleveland Plain Dealer

James first brought up the idea in November, saying he wanted to give up No. 23 out of respect to his hero, Michael Jordan. At that time he said he was "50/50" on switching to No. 6, his Olympic number and the day of the month his first son was born. That now seems to be 100 percent. "I've done it," James said. "I already sent it in. I'm going to be No. 6." Cleveland Plain Dealer

As James explained in November, No. 6 holds special significance to him for a handful of reasons, including the fact that his first child was born on the sixth day of October; his second child was born in June, the sixth month of the year; and Julius Erving, his second-favorite player behind Jordan, wore the number for the majority of his career. FanHouse

Alan Hahn: Cavaliers warmups have the focus of a fifth grade class on the last day of school. They don't look too concerned about the opponent. Twitter.com

Marc Berman: Sarcastic dig of night from Curry before game on D'Antoni saying he'll play him when he's healthy: "He said it. The coach doesn't lie.'' Twitter.com

When asked how McGee has responded to his increased workload, Coach Flip Saunders said, "Some good, some bad, some indifferent, which you would expect." In his last two outings against the New York Knicks and the New Jersey Nets, McGee provided all of the above. He was benched for the start against the Knicks on Friday after being late for the morning shootaround. He blamed his poor timing on having a flat tire. When he finally hit the court, McGee had season highs with 18 points and five blocked shots, but Knicks all-star center David Lee drove right around him to make the decisive layup with 1.6 seconds left in a 118-116 overtime loss. Washington Post

Bucks guard Michael Redd will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair torn ligaments in his left knee, an injury he suffered Jan. 10 in Los Angeles. Brian Cole, the Chicago Bulls team doctor, will perform the surgery in Oak Park, Ill. Redd also underwent surgery to repair torn ligaments in the left knee one year ago, nearly to the day. Cole also performed that surgery, on March 3, 2009. The 30-year-old Bucks guard was able to recover from that surgery and played in 18 games with the Bucks this season while averaging 11.9 points. Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

Suns guard Leandro Barbosa got farther away from the basket with his shots Monday, putting him closer to a return. Barbosa was given a full medical clearance Monday, allowing him to use Monday's pregame time to take his first perimeter shots since he underwent surgery Jan. 26 to remove a cyst from his right wrist. There is no timetable for Barbosa's return to game action, especially with the Suns not having any practices this week because they are in a five-day, four-game stretch. Arizona Republic

Before Monday's game, Joakim Noah supplied another update on an unchanging story. His foot still hurts, he's not sure when he'll be ready to play again, but he really wants to be out on the floor. "Whenever I feel like I can put enough weight on it to walk without a boot (I'll try to play again)," Noah said as he prepared for a session on the stationary bike. "All they tell me to do is rest." Arlington Heights Daily Herald

Noah did confirm that he expects to sit out the rest of the week, which means at least two more games. "With the treatments I'm doing, it needs a little bit of time to heal," he said. Of course, Noah could miss more than a week. There is no working timetable for his return. Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro, a plantar fasciitis sufferer in his playing days, summed up the situation. "It could be a week, could be two weeks, could be a month," Del Negro said. "I just don't know, because plantar fasciitis is very difficult to monitor. Arlington Heights Daily Herald

It doesn’t sound like Tyson Chandler (ankle and foot injuries) will be back on the quick. Before the game, coach Larry Brown said it wouldn’t surprise him if both Nazr Mohammed (back spasms) and Gana Diop (knee sprain) were both back before Chandler is. Charlotte Observer

What has already been the most "trying season" in his five-year career took another turn early last week when he left the team for a couple of days to deal with a family issue. Granger declined to discuss the problem but said it's severe enough that only "time will help heal it. "I didn't think things would be this bad, but adversity always will make you stronger regardless if it's in basketball or in your personal life," he said. "It'll make me stronger and I'll deal with it and I'll move on." Indianapolis Star

Team officials told him to take as much time as he needed, and his agent urged him to take at least a week to help deal with the situation. Granger missed the game at Dallas but returned to the lineup two nights later at Chicago because he thought it would help him get his mind off things for a couple of hours. Indianapolis Star

For most of the last two months, Tim Thomas hasn't been with the Mavericks because some things are far more important than basketball. The 6-10 forward has been caring for his wife, Tricia, who has been suffering from serious health issues for over a year now. "I had to give up doing something I love to take care of someone I love," Thomas said. Dallas Morning News

This episode is much more painful for Thomas and the organization. "Right now, my wife has to be my priority," Thomas said while talking publicly Monday about the situation for the first time. "The Mavs have been tremendous through this whole thing. They've allowed me to do what I have to do." Thomas wants to keep the nature of his wife's illness private. But he said she has been dealing with the situation and there is hope that things are improving. Dallas Morning News

"Tim has the organization's full support and understanding," coach Rick Carlisle said. "The door's open for him to return if that becomes a viable option for him and his family. But we completely understand the urgency of his situation. Our thoughts and prayers will continue to be with him and his family." Dallas Morning News

Forward Luke Harangody, Notre Dame's leading scorer and rebounder, might not return this season from a bone bruise to his right knee. "There's a chance he would not come back this season; there's a chance he could. I think we're week to week," coach Mike Brey said yesterday. Harangody, a senior, said he hopes to return this season, but could not give any timetable of when that would be. "The thing about this injury is you never know when it's going to be healed. I'll have to know when I know," he said. Philadelphia Daily News

E'Twaun Moore and JaJuan Johnson, two of the leading scorers for seventh-ranked Purdue, said Monday they plan to return to the Boilers next season. Moore, a 6-3 shooting guard, and Johnson, a 6-10 forward, are both juniors and are possible early entry candidates for the NBA draft. "I think we'll be back next year," Moore said outside the locker room before Monday's practice. "At least speaking for myself. I can't speak for JaJuan." Indianapolis Star

Former Tennessee forward Tyler Smith has signed a two-month contract to play in Turkey. Smith was dismissed from the Volunteers on Jan. 8, a week after his arrest on gun charges. He pleaded guilty Feb. 12 to possession of a firearm and possession of firearm with altered serial number and was sentenced to two years of judicial diversion. Smith will play for Bornova in the Turkish Basketball League, filling in for an injured Kedrick Brown. "I'm leaving for Turkey Wednesday morning. I'm real excited to finally get back on the court and start playing again,'' said Smith, who signed a two-month contract with Bornova. "I've been working out and keeping up with my (Tennessee) team, but I've really missed playing.'' Tennessean

The two-month contract will allow Smith to be available for the June 24 NBA draft. "I still have my dream, to play in the NBA; but as long as I can provide for my family doing something I love, that's all I can ask for,'' said Smith, who has a 3-year-old son, Amare. "This (Turkish) team is 10-10 with about eight games left, and they're signing me with hopes of making a run into the playoffs.'' Tennessean

Funny line from Brown when I asked him what it would take to beat the Mavericks. “Stay out of Jason Kidd’s way,” Brown joked, referring to the mistake Atlanta coach Mike Woodson made Friday, stepping out on the court. Kidd had the presence of mind while dribbling to plow into Woodson – any contact from a nonplayer that impedes a player is an automatic technical foul. Charlotte Observer

Chris Mannix: Kim Hughes told me before the game that he'd like to coach the Clips next season, but has not talked to Dunleavy about it. Twitter.com

George Thomas: Heard on press row: Mike D'Antoni is the most overrated coach in sports - not in basketball - in sports. Twitter.com

If UNC-Wilmington is interested in Charlotte Bobcats assistant Phil Ford as their next men's basketball coach, that's news to Ford. There was chatter Monday out of Wilmington that the Seahawks might pursue Ford. They'll have an opening, with former assistant Brooks Lee coaching on an interim basis, after Benny Moss was relieved of his duties in late January. Ford said before last night's Bobcats-Dallas Mavericks game that he hasn't been contacted, and if he were, he'd have to defer any job interviews. "I'd be flattered,'' Ford said. "But I wouldn't be thinking of doing anything during our season.'' Charlotte Observer

Jon Brockman: There is an unwritten flying rule that someone wasn't following on my flight. NO FARTING on the plane... We're sharing the same air people! Twitter.com

A former Sacramento King is facing a multimillion-dollar lawsuit. The landlord who owns the property Chris Webber leased for his Natomas restaurant, Center Court with C Webb, is suing the former NBA star and his business partner. Property owner Promenade LP claims the lease runs through 2026. But the Webber camp told KCRA 3 that it disputes the length of the lease. KCRA Sacramento

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