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Saturday, March 13

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Adam Fleischer: A source close to Larry Hughes says it looks like he will sign with the Bobcats in the next day or two. Twitter.com

"I want to have the opportunity to win, and I think we have that here," Durant said. "It's not about the market; it's about getting better. We're all blessed to play in this league and to be getting the money we're getting. Trying to get to a bigger market is the last thing I worry about." ESPN.com

Former UConn star and free-agent-to-be Rudy Gay can see himself playing the Garden next season. The Knicks can, too, if things break a certain way this summer. "It's the most famous arena in the world," Gay said yesterday before scoring 20 points in the Grizzlies' 119-112 victory over the Knicks at FedEx Forum. "It's great to play there. Every time I play there, I get chills. To play in that arena would be nice, but FedEx Forum has been home to me." New York Post

According to a source, the Knicks, who fell to 22-43 last night, have solid interest in Gay, but consider him a second-tier free agent. But if they can land Johnson and Gay and still keep David Lee, it's not a bad July. New York Post

Gay becomes a restricted free agent in July, and the Knicks and Nets will be two of his options. "I wouldn't mind staying here, if I feel they were going to make a commitment to me," Gay said. "It's a business. I'm only the one here from my first year so I know the business more than anyone on this team. It really doesn't matter which way it goes." Not exactly a ringing endorsement for wanting to remain in the arena off Beale Street. The Grizzlies control his fate. They can match any offer because he is a restricted free agent. New York Post

Griz coach Lionel Hollins remembers a time when free agency wasn't talked about as much during an NBA season. "People didn't speculate as much," Hollins said, referring to his playing days. "You played until the end of the season and just became a free agent. Yes, it's a lot different now with all of the speculation. "It doesn't mean anything. I'd like for Rudy to be back and he'd like to be back. The organization is going to do whatever it takes to get him back. It's not a distraction to the team." Memphis Commercial Appeal

When asked prior to Friday's game in Boston whether he felt he'd be mentioned in trade rumors again this offseason, the veteran guard allowed a smile to creep across his face. "Do I expect to hear my name in rumors?" Ford asked. "Absolutely, of course." RealGM

He didn't play against the Bucks, and Friday's game was Jazz rookie Othyus Jeffers' last on his current 10-day contract, which expires Saturday. But there's likely to be more. Both Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor and coach Jerry Sloan suggested on Friday there's a good chance Jeffers, promoted last week from Iowa of the NBA Development League, will be offered a second 10-day. "I would suspect right now, from what we see, we'll probably keep him around," Sloan said. "He's worked really hard, so we'll see what happens. Deseret News

Danny Granger said he doesn't regret signing a contract extension prior to the start of the 2008-09 season. "Signing my extension was a no-brainer," he said after the Pacers got beat by the Boston Celtics on Friday. Granger was asked if he thought he needed a better supporting cast. Indianapolis Star

"With our offense, (with) what we do, it's equal opportunity," he said. "For whatever reason, our offense hasn't been there. We got worse on defense." Team officials have no choice but to add better players if they expect to be decent anytime soon. Indianapolis Star

Alston left the team a week ago after being demoted from his starting role. His only contact with the team since has been a text message to a team trainer that he would not be reporting. He since has mentioned a recent suicide attempt by his twin sister as a contributing factor to his departure. "While we are aware, through media reports, of the personal issue that Rafer is going through, we still have not heard from him," Heat President Pat Riley said in a statement issued after Friday night's 108-95 victory over the Chicago Bulls at AmericanAirlines Arena. "As stated before, our thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family during this time, but we are at the point where we must move forward with the rest of the season during our playoff push. "Therefore, we are placing Rafer on the suspended list and suspending him for the remainder of the season. We wish Rafer nothing but the best and thank him for his contributions." South Florida Sun-Sentinel

There were a few moments in the game Friday night when Kobe Bryant could not or did not reward Pau Gasol’s hustle for scoring position, opting to shoot for himself. But Phil Jackson called a play out of a timeout to get Bryant to feed Gasol for a score, the Lakers won, and Gasol was happy afterward. “At some point, we have to step it up,” Gasol said. “It’s a perfect opportunity.” Orange County Register

Gasol described the Lakers as having “played the right way” in beating Phoenix on Friday night. Bryant had eight assists but seven turnovers, many coming when he tried to force what Jackson deemed “risky” passes to give teammates scoring chances. Gasol and Bryant huddled at a late timeout and went over Bryant’s diagram of a play to make sure they were on the same page. Orange County Register

Gasol said afterward his occasions of public criticism of Bryant shooting too much in some Lakers losses this season are simply things anyone watching the game can notice — and are meant to be constructive. “It’s nothing against Kobe or individual,” Gasol said. “It’s all about our team’s success. Nothing (personal) like that. That’s why I think he understands.” Gasol’s general conclusion on where the Lakers are now was: “If we play with the focus we played with tonight, we’ll be fine.” Orange County Register

Bryant responds with polite, processed reason: He isn’t playing differently this season, he insists. Perhaps circumstances have changed, but not him. “Last year during our stretch run, Andrew [Bynum] wasn’t there cause of injury, so Pau got a lot more touches,” Bryant told Yahoo! Sports. “And this year, we’ve got to kind of split the difference between those two. Now, any of those guys can have a big night. Andrew had one the other night. Lamar [Odom] can have a big night. And Pau can have a big night. “Some nights you get a lot of touches, some nights you don’t.” Yahoo! Sports

Even so, this has been a season of doubting Bryant. Before the All-Star break, with Kobe finally resting an ankle injury, you couldn’t listen to Southern California sports-talk radio without the most preposterous premise being peddled on the airwaves: Look at the way these Lakers play without Bryant, look at the ball movement, look at how they’re better without him. The Lakers won a few games without Kobe, and somehow that became an indictment of his greatness. Pure folly. “A lot of times they run out of things to talk about,” Bryant said. “They talk about things that have no relevance, that make no sense. They forgot that last year, playing exactly the same way, we won a championship. But they get excited about a four-game winning streak. “…We have to focus on the big picture. That’s what I try to do.” Yahoo! Sports

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Gasol gave Suns forward Louis Amundson a hard foul across the face with 5:06 in the fourth and the Lakers leading by eight points. Phoenix coach Alvin Gentry was so enraged a flagrant foul wasn't called, he had to be restrained by his assistants at halfcourt while picking up two technical fouls and getting ejected from the game. Afterward, Gasol said he meant Amundson no harm. "I'm not a guy that gets flagrant fouls, at all," Gasol said. "I didn't mean to hit him in the face at all. I was trying to stop him [from] getting an easy layup. My intention was to hit him in his arm and I went across and got contact with his face. It's unfortunate, that's why right away I raised my hand, I helped him up and that was it." ESPN.com

Ron Artest joked he would have received a flagrant-2 foul whistled against him had he made the same play. "Referees understand the kind of player that you are, the history that you have and when it's intentional and when it's not," Gasol said. "Obviously I wasn't trying to hit or hurt anyone. Things like that happen. You get hit in the face. I got hit in the face a few times even though the ball might not be in my hand. It happens, it's part of the game." Amundson held no ill will. "It was a hard foul, but I don't think he's a dirty player or anything. I think he was just trying to make a play on the ball," Amundson said. "It was really physical all night, so I wasn't surprised." ESPN.com

Granger said he's appealing the one-game suspension the NBA handed down to him earlier this week for his part in an altercation in Phoenix on March 6. "I didn't throw a punch at anybody, I pushed," Granger said. "We've already started the appeal process." Indianapolis Star

Granger came to Earl Watson's defense by going after Channing Frye. Frye threw a left-handed punch at Granger. "I have no idea how long the appeal process will take, but we're doing it because I know I didn't throw a punch," Granger said. "I was very surprised when I was told about it." Indianapolis Star

"We're so close. It's so fun to be around each other; it's really like brothers," Kevin Durant said. "Just growing as a group and getting more comfortable with the game. … Our coaches do a great job of getting on top of us, never letting us slip and always wanting us to get better. I think we do a great job of responding to our coaches and not getting upset." ESPN.com

With so much adulation being thrown Evans’ way, should the Kings be worried about the Rookie of the Year front-runner staying grounded? “There are a lot of forces in this league that can detract from the development of a young kid,” said Kings assistant Pete Carril, a coaching legend at Princeton who has nearly 60 years of basketball experience. “Before you know it, his values are going to change. So [Evans] has to hold onto that. I’ve seen [change for the worse] happen to other guys since I’ve been here. [Evans] has good advisors who watch him. I’m keeping my fingers crossed because the forces are strong and you got all these women around here chasing and all that stuff. Before you know it, you might not be the person everyone thinks you are, or you change. Yahoo! Sports

“Fame and attention seek him out, he doesn’t seek it out,” Peterson said. “His [late] father was not motivated by all the celebrity. ‘Reke doesn’t play to be famous. ‘Reke plays because he loves the game. What you see is what you get. He’s really that way all the time. He’s humble. He’s selfless. He drives himself. He’s not easily impressed.” Yahoo! Sports

Peter Stringer: "Paul and KG are our two best players and we have to have them at their peak come April 16. We'll do whatever it takes to make it happen." Twitter.com

Ben Q. Rock: Jameer Nelson: "There's not much joking around. It's a lot more serious and especially now. Everybody is focusing in on everything." Twitter.com

Michael Lee: Flip on JaVale McGee's play vs DET: "He might’ve been able to be a CBA all-star if that. Good as he was last night, he was that bad tonight" Twitter.com

In the locker room before the game, JaVale McGee was giving Nick Young a hard time because he doubled Young's season total in dunks (four) with eight against the Atlanta Hawks. Young told McGee that it's tough for a wing player to get inside for dunks all the time, before McGee interrupted him and mocked Young for attempting a finger roll in Thursday's game. "You could've dunked last night," McGee said. "I'm a finesse player now," Young joked. Washington Post

Luc Richard Mbah a Moute: Everybody has figured out what they need to do in order for us to be good. Whether it's defending, or running the team as Brandon does, getting back and getting rebounds like Andrew Bogut and John Salmons usually do. Everybody is finding their role within our system and that's been good for us. Coach Skiles has certainly been the glue to that. This summer he told us we were going to have a good year this year. He said we were going to be under the radar. You just have to keep working hard and trust him because he knows what he's doing. He has a great attitude as a tough, hard-nosed guy. He's created that same attitude within our team and that's been good for us, helping us to the success we've had so far. All the work has paid off and I appreciate all that he does. Coach makes practices hard. Right now, we don’t really go as hard because it is March and he knows it's not the time to be banging bodies or anything like that. But practice is always very focused, very business-like. We come in, do what we're supposed to do, go hard and then go home. Luc Richard Mbah a Moute

Chris Douglas-Roberts: Ran the stairs during shoot-a-round. When I say "I'm going to focus on me", I mean I'm going to stay in shape & continue to improve. Twitter.com

Chris Douglas-Roberts: Everything else is out of my control. No selfishness in that. I'm THE most supportive person ever. Just not going to worry myself anymore. Twitter.com

Chris Douglas-Roberts: Sooooooo happy for Antonio Anderson who's now a member of the Oklahoma Thunder. Get ya $$$ playboy. Welcome to the life. Twitter.com

Derrick Rose received a get-well text from Magic center Dwight Howard on Friday. But the Bulls' All-Star guard already had gotten the message from Howard that he needs to alter his route to the basket when facing the 6-foot-11, 280-pounder. Rose injured his left wrist coming down off a drive as Howard fouled him in the first quarter of a 111-82 loss to the Magic on Thursday night. Fortunately for the Bulls, an MRI on Friday in Miami revealed no fracture or ligament damage. "I really tried to brace myself and I came down wrong," Rose said before his teammates faced the Heat. "I came down on my wrist, and it swelled up a little bit. (The MRI showed) it was nothing but a bruise. I'm just trying to fight through it." Chicago Tribune

Although Howard was involved in both recent injuries sustained by Rose, no one has called him a dirty player. "I'm not angry at all; it's just basketball," Rose said. "People get hurt like this all the time." Chicago Tribune

Brian Windhorst: For you asking me where Shaq is (he just tweeted), he's in Florida. Cavs sent a guy there to work him out. Be back next week. Twitter.com

James Harden’s strained hamstring will sideline him two to four weeks, time the rookie shooting guard says he’ll use to watch and learn, to get better while benched. "It’s one of those things where I could take this time to rest and just get back and healthy and as soon as I get back just come with that energy,” Harden said. Oklahoman

"I want to play, but it’s what’s best,” Harden said. "We still got another month and a half to go and it’s probably going to be important. As long as I’m getting the right treatment and doing the right things that the trainers ask me to do, then I’ll be fine.” Oklahoman

Charlotte Bobcats center Gana Diop will miss at least the next three games after experiencing dizziness following a workout Thursday. Diop is having a series of medical tests to determine the cause of these spells. Charlotte Observer

Fox said he’ll be meeting soon with Trey Thompkins to discuss the sophomore forward’s thinking on whether to enter the NBA draft or remain at UGA. “Trey is a very, very good basketball player, and I think he could get even better. I really do,” Fox said. “We’ll sit down, he and his family, and discuss what his future will be. Trey will make the best decision for Trey. Because this is his life.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution

As for the other Georgia player projected as a future NBA first-round pick, Travis Leslie: Fox noted that Leslie “has already said he’ll be back” and added that it’s important that Leslie “approach the off-season the right way.” Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Fresno State freshman center Greg Smith is considering putting his name in the draft, sources said. NBA scouts think that would be a mistake, even though some of them are intrigued by Smith’s potential. Yahoo! Sports

Mississippi State senior Jarvis Varnado is now college basketball’s all-time leading shot-blocker. But will that be enough to get him into the NBA? The slender 6-foot-9, 210-pound forward/center entered the Southeastern Conference tournament averaging 4.8 blocks and 10.6 rebounds. He also averaged 12.9 points on 54.9 shooting from the field and thinks he has a solid mid-range jumper and improving post game. Varnado says he’s been hearing he can be a late first-round pick, while one NBA scout said Varnado will go early second round at best. Scouts remain skeptical about Varnado’s offensive skills and project him as a forward more than a true center. “The good part of me being a senior is the experience,” Varnado said. “I’ve been through the wars. But most scouts take chances on younger guys.” Yahoo! Sports

Jonathan Givony: Not sure Luke Babbitt has the lateral quickness to guard the perimeter in the NBA, which will surely make him a target to isolate against. Twitter.com

Comcast-Spectacor COO Peter Luukko said Friday that chances are "not good" Sixers coach Eddie Jordan will be fired this weekend. Mutiple reports have quoted anonymous sources as saying Jordan will fired at the end of his first season coaching the Sixers, with some claiming it could happen in the next few days. phillyburbs.com

The realities of George Karl's cancer battles are settling in for his Nuggets, who found out Friday that their coach won't join them for the rest of this road trip. The coach, who is undergoing intense treatment for throat and neck cancer, is still adjusting to the feeding tube that was inserted into his stomach during a surgery Monday. He wasn't with the team Friday at New Orleans and won't be in Memphis tonight or in Houston on Monday. The team hopes Karl will be available for Tuesday's home game against Washington, but that's still up in the air. Adrian Dantley is the team's acting coach. "I have tremendous trust in A.D. and my staff," Karl said. "I think they'll keep the team in a good place over the next few days, and hopefully I'll be ready to rejoin them when they come home next week." Denver Post

Alan Hahn: Hearing D'Antoni tearing into the players as they come off the court. "You guys have GOT to guard SOMEBODY." Twitter.com

Corliss Williamson is taking over as Central Arkansas' new coach, promising a style similar to the way his teams played when he was a star with the Arkansas Razorbacks. "It'll be pick up and play,'' Williamson said. "Full-court pressure.'' SI.com

As for him leaving the Nuggets, I think that case was overstated in the article you referenced. There has been some tension in the Nugs' front office over the last couple of years. That's really no secret. However, what I can tell you is that recently people at the top in Denver understand that a number of teams are prepared to pursue Mark (Warkentien) this summer when his contract expires. The organization is in the process of putting some things in motion now to ensure that he sticks around. There very well might be some changes made in the front office in July when contracts expire, but barring some kind of epic collapse by the Nuggets I don't expect Warkentien to be among those changes. HoopsWorld

A league source said former Philadelphia 76ers general manager Billy King was hopeful that Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown could land a front-office job to help him get back to the NBA. Before the Los Angeles Clippers fired Mike Dunleavy, SI.com reported that Brown contacted team officials about running their basketball operations, though he remains under contract with the Bobcats. The Clippers have since appointed Neal Olsheay as acting general manager. Yahoo! Sports

Griz public address announcer Rick Trotter missed the game, and will not return this season. Trotter asked for and was granted a personal leave of absence. "We would like to wish Rick the best of luck during this time and respect his wish for privacy," Griz president of business operations Greg Campbell said in a statement. Memphis Commercial Appeal

Chuck Swirsky: Miami announces a sellout of 19-600 are you kidding me? Twitter.com

Pistons forward Charlie Villanueva defended the Nike Hyperizes shoe that has been criticized in trade magazines around the country. He also said reports the shoe was banned by trainer Arnie Kander are not true. Kander told reporters he banned a shoe but would not name it. Villanueva continues to wear the shoe and said he will for the rest of the season. "I think people are making too big of a deal out of it," Villanueva said. Detroit News

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