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Friday, March 19

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Last update: 6:00 pm ET

One source close to the situation insisted this week that Wade and Stoudemire are closer than advertised as pals even though they haven't played together on Team USA since 2004. The source also said that Miami is indeed Stoudemire's first choice in free agency if he finally leaves the Suns this summer after being shopped by Phoenix at two successive trade deadlines. ESPN.com

Alvaro Martin: Herb Rudoy, Manu Ginobili's agent, said that he and the Spurs are "definitely talking," though the conversations are "informal" Twitter.com

Collison’s play in Paul’s absence could land him on the All-Rookie team, but has also led to speculation he could be traded before next season. Teams looking for a quality starting point guard could be calling the Hornets about Collison. Yahoo! Sports

The Hornets are expected to be cautious until they are certain about Paul’s health, but one NBA source said it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the team try to package Collison with Peja Stojakovic’s expiring contract next season in a possible trade. Yahoo! Sports

“I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future,” Collison said. “I’m hearing this and that, but for the most part, I’m not even worried about it. I can’t. I’m too young in my career to be worried about that right now.” Yahoo! Sports

Zydrunas Ilgauskas is back in the Cleveland area three days before he is eligible to re-sign with the Cavaliers. Ilgauskas declined to comment to The Associated Press on Friday following a workout at a suburban gym. His agent, Herb Rudoy, told the AP in an e-mail that he will talk to Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry next week about returning the 7-foot-3 center to Cleveland. The first day he can re-sign is Monday. USA Today

Everyone has an opinion as to where the heralded 2010 free agent class will end up this summer, but Bulls head coach Vinny Del Negro has a message for anyone who thinks they know for sure where any single player is headed. "No one knows," he said after the Bulls shootaround Friday morning. "Nobody has any idea right now. Obviously, that will be a big topic of conversation. It will continue to be a big topic of conversation as the season comes to a close and the summertime turns here. I'm focused on what we can do right now. We have our hands full before a lot of that stuff takes place." ESPN.com

Free agent Melvin Ely, who is working out in Las Vegas, is among the big men the Denver Nuggets could consider signing. Yahoo! Sports

I still think there's a chance Brian Cook ends up in Denver. He shot lights out in his workout a couple of weeks back. The team was so closing to signing him that they were already devising a weight plan and a diet plan behind the scenes. HoopsWorld.com

I was also told by people close to the team that they were about to write a press release that day saying a deal was done. In the end, nothing was signed. I still think he could be signed later this season. Each day Denver holds off they save money. It wouldn't shock me if they brought him in the fold very late this season to give him time to learn the system but also minimize the amount of pro-rated salary they have to pay him. With the way Johan Petro is playing on defense and on the boards, Cook's shooting ability would introduce an interesting new skill-set given his shooting ability. Cook would also bring some inside knowledge, and not to mention some ill feelings, towards the Lakers. HoopsWorld.com

Shaun Livingston will finish the season as a member of the Wizards. When Livingston's second 10-day expired, the Wizards had to decide to keep or let him go. It made sense to keep him since he has already emerging as the starting point guard after only being around for 10 games. After starting the season in Oklahoma City, getting cut in December and spending the next two months working out in Chicago and Florida hoping for some team to reach out, Livingston was understandably excited about sticking around. "I'm being blessed. I'm in the league, a chance to showcase and play," he said. "I'm just happy, man." Washington Post

Alonzo Gee was also excited about earning his second 10-day contract with the Wizards. "I feel real good about it. The hard work pays off," Gee said. "I just got to keep working at it, to get better. You just got to stay focused, don't get satisfied and stay hungry." Washington Post

Efes Pilsen's GM, Engin Ozerhun, partially denied rumors on the imminent departure of Bostjan Nachbar. The GM said that the second foreign players who will leave the Turkish powerhouse (the first is Daniel Santiago) will be decided the 9th of April and the name is still unknown. The situation suggests that Bostjan Nachbar will be the one to leave. Rakocevic with good performances is playing a lot of minutes while the Slovenian forward did not play the last two games of TBL. Sportando.net

And by the way, I was told by people very close to McDyess that he has privately admitted that he made a mistake by not coming to Denver. Trust me, dude has some regrets now about not reporting given the success the Nuggets have gone on to have. HoopsWorld.com

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy defended his all-star center, Dwight Howard, after he picked up a technical foul in overtime for slamming the ball down in frustration Thursday night against the Heat. Van Gundy said that officials are just “looking” to give Howard a technical foul. He has 15 — and one more he will draw a one-game suspension. Orlando Sentinel

Van Gundy could be flirting with a fine from the league office. “He slammed the ball down, but it happened about six times in the game,’’ Van Gundy said. “There was no complaint to an official. Players do it when they get frustrated. He got one last week that should have been a delay (of game warning). They are just looking to give him a technical. It’s just guys wanting to give tech. Orlando Sentinel

Scola has been playing like a man unburdened since the passing of the Feb. 18 trade deadline. One source close to the Argentinean says that the unsettling prospect of being dealt, no matter how much his Houston bosses assured him that he wouldn't be moved, had seeped into Scola's psyche. Since the deadline? Scola finds himself with a bigger role because the Rockets had to surrender Carl Landry to Sacramento in the Martin deal and has responded with nine double-doubles in 13 games. ESPN.com

Duncan's teammates weren't sure what to make of his poor shooting performance, which resulted in a season-low five points, but they remain confident Duncan will rebound. They've seen Duncan recover from bad games before, though never one quite as nightmarish as this. “I totally, blindly trust him,” guard Manu Ginobili said. “It was one of those games. Things happen. He's going to bounce back for sure.” San Antonio Express-News

Okafor's statistics are down from his five years in Charlotte. He sure doesn't look to be the same player who was the 2004-05 NBA Rookie of the Year and was counted on by the Bobcats for around 14 points and 11 boards a night. "It's just been a funky year," the Hornets center said in an interview with FanHouse. "If you look at people's careers, they have one year that happens to be off for whatever reason. So you can't really look to be discouraged by it. You've got to take from it the best you can and deal with it next year. "I'm hard on myself ... As a competitor, of course I'd like to be better. But I've been trying. As far as the effort standpoint, I don't feel I've given bad effort. Of course, I'd like to see better (play). I just have to work hard and see what happens ... I'm just hoping it's a hiccup year. For whatever reasons, certain players have slightly down years, and this might be it." FanHouse.com

"Come to the West, you need to prepare, man, in the post," said Nene, who got the best of Okafor in four meetings this season, averaging 15.5 points and 10.0 rebounds and shooting 65.6 percent to Okafor's 11.3 points, 10..3 rebounds and 46.5 percent shooting. "It's definitely tougher. Just look at the records of the teams. "Oh, yeah (Okafor's statistics are down due to moving to the West). In the West, he needs to have something different. Something in the low post. Not just hook shot." FanHouse.com

New Orleans Hornets coach Jeff Bower says he expects Chris Paul to return before the end of the month. Paul was cleared to practice a week ago for the first time since having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Feb. 4. Paul said he is running now, but hasn’t set a specific return date. Rookie Darren Collison has played well in Paul’s absence, but is preparing to return to the bench. “I didn’t expect to start before he got hurt, so it’s going to be the same thing as it was before,” Collison said. “After going up and down the floor with a lot more minutes, I will be a lot more confident. It’s not going to change. It’s going to be the same thing, but I will know exactly what to do when I’m out there.” Yahoo! Sports

Hawks guard Joe Johnson will play Friday night against Charlotte after missing the last two games with tendinitis in his Achilles tendon. Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Bryant watched Evan Turner’s performance in Ohio State’s double-overtime victory over Illinois in the Big Ten tournament, and that was all he needed to see. “He seemed like the best player in the country to me,” Bryant said of Turner. “…He looked like he has all the tools. I think Wall is a great player, but I like Turner.” Yahoo! Sports

The Turner-Wall debate isn’t limited to Kobe-LeBron. Several NBA scouts told Yahoo! Sports they were split on which of the two college basketball stars would be selected first. One NBA executive isn’t even sure there’s a consensus 1-2, saying he preferred Wall first, then Georgia Tech freshman forward Derrick Favors second and Turner third. “You can make a case for either [Wall or Turner],” one NBA general manager said. “Wall is the better athlete. But Turner is the better ball-handler and a more complete player. He’s a guy who can do it all. He’s more experienced, as well.” Yahoo! Sports

Another GM said Turner could eventually compare to Atlanta Hawks guard Joe Johnson, at best. Wall’s upside, he said, is too much to pass on because Wall could quickly become one of the top five point guards in the league. “If you miss on John Wall, the worst you get is Derrick Rose,” the GM said. “If you miss on Evan Turner, you get Larry Hughes.” Yahoo! Sports

Only two Division I men’s basketball players averaged more than 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists this season. One was Evan Turner. The other was much-less heralded New Mexico junior swingman Darington Hobson, the Mountain West Conference Player of the Year whom one NBA scout thinks has comparable talent to Turner. Sources say Hobson will enter the NBA draft. One NBA general manager expressed skepticism about Hobson’s athleticism, but he has been projected to go as high as Nos. 18-22. Yahoo! Sports

Former U.S. high school basketball star Jeremy Tyler quit Israeli team Maccabi Haifa and returned home Friday, cutting short a disappointing first pro season. The 18-year-old Tyler arrived in Israel on a wave of publicity in August after deciding to skip his senior year at San Diego High School to gain professional experience. ESPN.com

Tyler's agent said he wasn't aware of his client's plans to leave the team. "I'm as surprised as you are. We had no idea he was coming home," Makhtar Ndiaye of the Wasserman Media Group told ESPN's William Weinbaum. "I'm speechless at this point and look forward to speaking with Jeremy. A contract, a learning process -- things weren't great -- but it was part of growing up. I'm disappointed and frustrated." ESPN.com

Ndiaye said he spoke to Tyler earlier this week and "everything was cool." "The kid decided on his own," Ndiaye said. "We did everything humanly possible to make it a success story for him and his family." ESPN.com

Two NBA sources said the Players Association could push hard for a new rule in the next collective bargaining agreement that anyone recruiting players for agents become certified. The union has become leery of “runners” making contact to NBA prospects on an agent’s behalf. Yahoo! Sports

A source said USA Basketball still has interest in having injured Los Angeles Clippers forward Blake Griffin participate in training camp in late July, despite the fact he will miss his entire rookie season because of a broken kneecap. The Clippers believe Griffin will be healthy enough to play again this summer. Yahoo! Sports

New Orleans Hornets general manager Jeff Bower won’t say whether he plans to continue coaching the team next season. Yahoo! Sports

Adrian Wojnarowski: P.J. Carlesimo has been telling NBA friends he wants Oregon job. He never wanted to leave NBA, but no choice if he wants to be a HC again. Twitter.com

Adrian Wojnarowski: Mark Jackson has interest in St. John's job, and agent will talk to AD soon. Here's no-brainer for his staff: George Mason's Chris Caputo. Twitter.com

Last update: 10:17 am ET

It's never too late! There's always a buyout, it seems, in every college coach's contract -- in small print. Then again, from what I hear, Wright may be turning pro sooner than later. Sources say the 76ers approached him a summer or two ago, but advances were rejected. New York Post

Guaranteed, they will come calling again, as well as intensify their interest, in mid-April immediately after Eddie Jordan is fired, a conclusion no longer in doubt, I'm assured by a Philadelphian with a strong pulse on everything 76er-related. New York Post

In the meantime, Wright additionally can expect to be romanced by the Nets. If Rod Thorn remains team president, as it appears he will when incoming majority owner Mikhail Prokhorov finally gets approval from the NBA's Board of Governors, "look for Jay to be on the top of the list when he presents his suggestions." New York Post

ESPN NBA analyst Ric Bucher quoted a league source yesterday when he said that LeBron James might be more interested in coming to the Knicks if they have Hawks' shooting guard Joe Johnson. "If it's LeBron James they want," Bucher said, "a league source says the Hawks' shooting guard is a very good place to start." New York Post

For the first time since the controversy of last summer, Jazz chief executive Greg Miller met in person Wednesday with Rob Pelinka, the agent for Carlos Boozer. Also present were Jazz president Randy Rigby and general manager Kevin O'Connor, though Miller was believed to have done most of the talking. The meeting in Utah was said to have been "very, very positive" between the sides. Salt Lake Tribune

It was unknown if the Jazz committed to trying to re-sign Boozer this summer as a free agent, but the team did praise Boozer for contributing to the Jazz's success on the court as well as to the chemistry in the locker room this season. Salt Lake Tribune

Gay, 23, who had 20 points and six rebounds in 41 minutes, could be among several options for the Knicks as they go shopping to rebuild the team in free agency this summer. He has a $4.4-million qualifying offer but likely will look for a lot more money. The Grizzlies, who are known for running the franchise on a shoestring budget, can match any offer sheet Gay accepts from another team. But if the number is high enough, would they? "Do I think they're going to make a commitment to me? To some extent, I do," Gay said. "But it's a business . . . so it really doesn't matter to me which way it goes." Newsday

Randolph shook his head when he saw the New York media surrounding Gay at the morning shoot-around. "Y'all trying to take him away from us?" he said with a grin. But everyone here knows the situation. Gay, who has played his first four NBA seasons with the Grizzlies, entered Friday night's game averaging 20.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. "I think it's a start," Gay said of his performance. "I don't think I've maxed out at all." Newsday

Rudy Fernandez: I've always said I could return to Europe one day, but right now I don't think about it. Twitter.com

Azubuike is finishing the second year of a three-year contract worth approximately $9 million, and can forgo the final year at $3.3 million if he wants. Back in 2008, Azubuike signed an offer sheet with the L.A. Clippers, but the Warriors matched. No surprise, and I figured as much, but Azubuike indicated he’s virtually certain to exercise the option and return to the Warriors in 2010-11 rather than become an unrestricted free agent. “That’s the logical thing to do,” said Azubuike, who entered 2009-10 with a career scoring average or 10.4 points per game in three seasons. “I’m leaning toward a certain way – coming back.” CSNBayArea.com

Azubuike also acknowledged that the season-ending injury he sustained back in mid-November (torn patellar tendon, left knee) “definitely affected things,” as far as becoming a free agent. CSNBayArea.com

Law's playing time will dwindle significantly -- if not disappear completely -- when Rose (sprained left wrist) returns, so this opportunity might be his best chance to audition for a job next season. ''I'm a free agent this summer,'' he said. ''Up until this point, I really haven't gotten an opportunity to play. There are some question marks there. I'm getting an opportunity to play now, and these last two ballgames I'm finally getting an opportunity to show someone I can play. ''It's been tough for me. At Golden State, they had a lottery pick in Stephen Curry and an established guard in Monta Ellis, so it was tough there. I go to Charlotte, and they have two lottery picks [at point guard] in D.J. Augustin and Raymond Felton. Then I get here, and you have an All-Star in Derrick Rose.'' Chicago Sun-Times

Scalabrine, who turned 32 on Thursday, is playing in a contract year. He knows there is a possibility this could be his last season in Boston — or in the NBA, for that matter. “If I can play in Boston for another year, play with this great team and this great staff and be with this organization, I’d be really excited about that,” he told WEEI.com following the Celtics' win over the Knicks on Wednesday. “If that doesn’t happen, then I would try to play somewhere else. If I can’t play in the league then I’d go overseas.” WEEI.com

Rockets coach Rick Adelman said his team could use a perimeter player and might want to recall Jermaine Taylor from the NBA Development League just a day after he was assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers for a third time this season. But general manager Daryl Morey said no move is imminent. “We talked about that,” Adelman said. “I would like to look at that, especially at that spot. We're going to have to look at what we're going to do with Jermaine, too. We sent him down there, but we're really short-handed.” Houston Chronicle

Efes Pilsen reached an agreement to part ways with Bostjan Nachbar and Daniel Santiago. Both player arrived in the Turkish powerhouse last summer but they did not satisfied the expectations of the club. Sportando.net

Nachbar, who did not play in the last two games of the team, had also some problems with coach Ataman. Next destination of the Slovenian forward, with a long experience in NBA, could be Real Madrid who targeted him few months ago. Other possible destinations are Moscow (CSKA) and Roma. Sportando.net

Danny Ainge believes it is as much about the logical career progression for someone who’s played 1,184 games as it is his right knee issues. The C’s general manager acknowledges Garnett doesn’t have the same lift, but he’s encouraged that he’s getting up and down the floor better. “I think he’s gotten better as the year’s gone along, and I think that he’s playing at a very high level right now,” said Ainge, who’s seen Garnett make 15-of-20 shots and average 18 points in the last two games. “He’s doing a lot of things better. He’s shooting the ball better, and I think he’s playing really good team position defense. So I think that what he may lack from a couple of years ago athletically he’s making it up in other ways. Boston Herald

“I don’t think he’s as athletic as he was two years ago, but I think that’s the case with a lot of guys. I’m not sure how critical that is.” Boston Herald

The question is whether Garnett can perform as well as the Celtics need him to in the postseason. “Yes,” Ainge said. “Absolutely. “The bottom line is he and Paul (Pierce) and (Rajon) Rondo and Marquis (Daniels) and everybody, I mean, it’s up to all of them to play great. I don’t think KG is going to carry us by himself, so I don’t expect him to. But KG is making his shots and playing the good team defense. Other guys have to help him, too, for us to be successful. “I just think we give KG too much credit, and we give him too much (scrutiny) when things are not going right for us.” Boston Herald

Walsh is not giving up on Curry even though it appears as if Curry has given up on the Knicks. He was supposed to play March 10 against San Antonio but sat out all five games on the trip with a calf injury. Curry, Wilson Chandler and Eddie House are all listed as doubtful for tonight's home game against Philadelphia. Walsh's best teams in Indiana featured Rik Smits, a lumbering center who could score. Curry, when he plays, is more agile than Smits and Walsh remains convinced he can make a contribution next season. New York Daily News

One report recently accused Chandler of not being articulate, which is an unfair characterization. He happens to be incredibly shy, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. New York Daily News

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Ask him, for instance, to discuss the development of the rookie DeRozan, and he's quick to point out not the youngster's sudden decision to be more aggressive offensively. Instead, he notes DeRozan's shortcomings on the defensive end of the floor. "I never knew a dude who could jump that high to have the (low) amount of blocks that he has," Wright said in his typical blunt manner after practice Thursday. "It's a shame because you're cheating our team by not using that athletic ability on both ends of the court." Toronto Star

“We need (Bargnani) to focus,” head coach Jay Triano said. “When we were rolling, he was doing more things and it becomes a confidence building thing for him. If he’s not making shots (he has to) do something else so we can keep him on the floor. Defend, be there on the help side, rebound and box out. “When we were rolling, he was doing that and scoring. I think sometimes when he doesn’t get the basketball, he gets a little frustrated and it has been tough with sliding Chris back into the lineup for him to get touches. He worries about his scoring, but he can help this team a lot more than just scoring the basketball.” Toronto Sun

“What that means is you don’t have to get back on defence so all five go (after the rebound) and what that will do is make us more aggressive but it also teaches us that you better box out because all five are going and if you want to change possessions you better get the ball. If they want to stay on offence, they better get on the glass and if you want to get on offence you better box out.” Toronto Sun

In 15 games since the All-Star break, Ginobili is averaging 19.3 points and 5.2 assists while shooting 49 percent. Jefferson, meanwhile, has been stuck in attack mode for four games since returning to the starting lineup after a 10-game demotion, averaging 18 points and eight rebounds. “I still think I could contribute more,” Jefferson said, “but this is encouraging.” San Antonio Express-News

Courtney Lee: “I got a chance to see the highs and the lows in just two years.” HoopsHype.com

"Charles will continue to say things to make himself relevant." --Dwyane Wade, responding to TNT's Craig Sager saying that Charles Barkley has referred to Wade's Heat teammates as "Titos," as in Tito Jackson, who backed up Michael Jackson. NBCSports.com

As a side note, there was a report out of Cleveland that Derrick Rose will not play against the Cavs on Friday. I checked with a Bulls source, who said no decision will be made until Friday’s shootaround. It’s probably safe to say Luol Deng isn’t playing this weekend, but Rose is still a possibility to return from a left wrist sprain. Arlington Heights Daily Herald

Rodney Stuckey and Ben Wallace were full participants in Thursday’s workout at the practice facility, and coach John Kuester is cautiously optimistic that both would be available for the game. Kuester said both players looked good, but because they have missed so much time, they will come off the bench whenever they return. “With both of those guys, they’ll come off the bench,” Kuester said after Thursday’s practice. “They’ve been out the past two weeks, or close to two weeks for Stuckey, and that’s what we’re going to do right now.” Detroit Free Press

Andray Blatche was unable to practice on Thursday, two days after he sprained his left ankle late in the fourth-quarter of the Wizards' 97-87 loss to the Denver Nuggets. Blatche received treatment, iced his ankle, and was limited to shooting stand-still jumpers with assistant Gene Banks. But he said he expects to play on Friday night in Portland. "It's a little tender. I'm going to try to play - no, I'm not going to try, I'm going to play," Blatche said. "I'm just going to work through it." Washington Post

Coach Flip Saunders wasn't as optimistic about Blatche's availability, which might be a game-time decision. "It's 50-50," he said. "He was still pretty sore, pretty ginger." Washington Post

Oberto played in four of the past five games with three wires and patches attached to his chest and an electrocardiography monitor connected to his shorts. The device and wires were attached to him continuously for seven days -- when he slept and showered -- and was a part of his continued care following a procedure Oberto had last June to correct an irregular heartbeat. "I don't worry about it. It's just when you move, you feel all the sticks and patches on your chest. But it's always good when you finish," said Oberto, who had to complete the same exercise in late December. "It's just see if my heart is in rhythm at all times, if it has some skips or something." Washington Post

Magic SF Mickael Pietrus said he hopes to miss just a week after spraining his right ankle on Wednesday night in the club's victory against the San Antonio Spurs. "I'm praying," he said, watching his team warm up while wearing a protective boot. Pietrus missed his fifth game of the season on Thursday night as the Magic faced the Miami Heat. Pietrus said he underwent an MRI, which proved negative. He sprained his right ankle in February, but missed just one game. He said he knew immediately this sprain was worse. "On that one, the next day, I was like, ‘OK, I'm good,' but now, this one is much worse," he said. Orlando Sentinel

But that's what Hansbrough has dealt with this season. His latest problem -- an inner ear infection and/or possible concussion -- has kept him sidelined for most of the past two-plus months. The Pacers aren't expecting him to return this season. "It really is miserable for me to be dealing with this injury," Hansbrough said recently. "I've never had an injury like this where it's kept me out a long time. It's something I'm trying to get over and get healthy." Indianapolis Star

Less than an hour passed after Georgetown's humiliating tournament loss to 14th-seeded Ohio before Hoyas center Greg Monroe said he would return for his junior season. The 6-foot-11 sophomore averaged 16 points and 9.5 rebounds this season and is a projected first-round pick should he enter the NBA draft. "I'm ready to go back and see how I can help my team next year," he said. USA Today

Georgetown coach John Thompson III isn't convinced. "You know, I think that he's going to sit and make that decision as time goes on right here," he said. USA Today

Yet it’s a foregone conclusion Aldrich is off to the NBA after this season. Ostertag played 11 years on the highest level. “More power to him, if he does (turn pro),” Ostertag said. “From what I understand, he’s a true big guy. He likes to get in the paint and push you around, block shots and rebound. He has to get a little stronger and bigger. He’s a big defensive guy. Everybody in the NBA is looking for guys who can play defense. He clogs the middle up.” Lawrence Journal-World

Houston coach Tom Penders says Maryland senior guard Greivis Vasquez "is probably a [NBA] lottery pick," meaning he would be selected in the upper portion of the first round. Penders was asked to compare Vasquez to Aubrey Coleman, the Houston guard. "I don't see any comparison," Penders said. "Aubrey is just a basketball player learning how to play what Greivis already knows. And I'm not demeaning Aubrey." Baltimore Sun

Top prospect Jeremy Tyler has left Israel to go back to his homecountry, the United States. American forward has agreed to terminate his contract with Maccabi Haifa, giving up his salary until the end of the season. Tyler agent contacted other Israeli teams (Hapoel Alufa, Maccabi Rishon LeZion and Galil Gilboa) to find a place for the player, but there was no offers for the 18-year-old forward. The Hoops Market

Jordan also did not seem bothered by recent reports that the Los Angeles Clippers had been contacted on Brown's behalf. (We do know that Brown had been pushing for former Sixers general manager Billy King as the Clippers' GM before Neil Olshey succeeded the fired Mike Dunleavy.) ''I don't expect Larry is going anywhere,'' Jordan said. ''In all honesty, I think (when those reports surfaced), there were so many articles being written about George Postolos getting the (Bobcats) and they're clearing house, I can imagine Larry thinking about other options. But everything I read and everything that I understand from Larry, his reason for coming here was because I'm here.'' Philadelphia Daily News

Where was I before going off on a Jay Wright tangent? Oh, yeah, St. John's and Mark Jackson. A few years ago, he told me the thought of coaching his alma mater intrigued him. Since then he built a new home in Los Angeles and dropped his side job as a Nets analyst and works exclusively for ABC/ESPN. In other words, Jackson gets paid $1 million a year to hit the road once or twice a week over a seven-month period to talk NBA basketball on TV. According to someone with a need to know salaries of college coaches, Roberts' annual salary is 600G. Concurrently, Billy Donovan and John Calipari bank $4 million per, whereas Rick Pitino's take is $3.5 million. New York Post

Meaning, Jackson would command a minimum of $1.5 million to give up his L.A. and TV lounge act for St. John's. Can St. John's afford him? Seems to me, it cannot afford not to take the financial plunge if that's what it'll take to get Jackson back on the Jamaica campus. St. John's routinely covets candidates after they belong to neighbors (Georgia Tech's Paul Hewitt), or don't covet coaches they should (Davidson's Bob McKillop). One way or the other, shame, shame! It's time to break that infertile habit. New York Post

Transcript of an interview conducted Thursday evening with Portland Trail Blazers president Larry Miller. Miller on whether he has any knowledge of tension between the basketball and business sides of the Blazers: No. I mean, to me, I think we are probably more so than any team in the NBA that I am aware of, we have a closer relationship between basketball and the rest of the business more than any team, I think, in the NBA. As far as my knowledge or the awareness of any animosity or anything like that, the answer is no. I mean, we've done our retreats together. We work together, as good, if not better, than any team in the NBA. And the idea that there's some animosity from folks towards Kevin (Pritchard) and Tom (Penn) any reason is definitely not true. To me, everybody in the organization wants the basketball side to do well. Because the better the basketball department does, the better we all do. So, definitely from my perspective, as far as my concern, as far as my knowledge, there's no animosity at all between the basketball departments and the rest of the departments. So, wherever you're hearing that from, I don't know where they're getting that from. Columbian

On whether Penn, former vice president of basketball operations, was given a specific reason when he was fired: I can't go into any of the details. And, again, to me, the comment of "philosophical differences," that's really what it came down to. And it was an organizational decision. It was a senior-management decision. And, like I said, I can't get in to any details. But we wish Tom the best and I have to stick with the comment. Columbian

On whether Pritchard's future with the organization is short term, Pritchard's job security, and his overall performance as GM: Kevin is our GM. He continues to be our GM. From my perspective, Kevin's done a good job of building the team that has gotten us to where we are. To me, this was an incident that was specific to Tom Penn. We should, from my perspective, again, we should be focused on winning games and trying to go deep in the playoffs. And as unfortunate as this is, we should now move to put it behind us and move forward. Columbian

“In my many years of doing this, nothing was more baffling or befuddling than this action with Tom,” said Warren LeGarie, agent for Penn and Pritchard. “This is one I can’t explain.” Columbian

Jordan, the first former player to become the majority owner of an N.B.A. team, appeared ready for the challenge Thursday when he made his first statements since the purchase was announced in a 2 a.m. news release on Feb. 27. “If you had asked me 5, 10 years ago if I would be here with the opportunity to own a basketball team, I would have never believed it,” Jordan said at Time Warner Cable Arena. “Yet it’s a dream come true for me. “I just want the city to experience what winning is all about.” New York Times

Jordan added: “I want this place to be like when we used to come to play, it was the loudest thing. You’d hear that buzzing and all that crazy stuff. I want that same feeling to come back here. And it’s going to take some time. Obviously, it starts on the basketball court. And at the same time, building that relationship back with the community. That’s what I want to do.” New York Times

Marc Stein: MJ also insisted that he's completely done playing and says when he shows up at practice that it doesn't means he's having comeback pangs. Twitter.com

Marc Stein: MJ says he lost H-O-R-S-E game on purpose to Gerald Henderson to help GH morale. Also had "city of Chicago" slipup but it wasn't too awkward. Twitter.com

From Fisher’s perspective, the union’s priority is to create a proposal that can be built upon as talks progress. “We’ll just continue to push as hard as we can, so it’s as realistic and as serious a proposal as it can be, and not something we send back just for the exercise,” he said. Fisher said there was no specific timeline for completing its proposal. “We know there’s going to be a lot of work involved,” he said. “We’ll keep pushing, and see what we can give back into their hands. There’s not a timeline or any guarantee it will be in their hands by a certain date. “We have this season, this summer and the entire year next year before we get down to doomsday.” New York Times

If Heat forward Michael Beasley ever tires of this whole basketball thing, he could have a future in another semi-related field. A good FOHT alerted us to Beasley's side gig at Champs Sports at the Aventura Mall in Miami. Beasley will work a shift this afternoon (fine, it's only for one hour, from 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET) at the Official NBA Shop at Champs Sports. Beasley is scheduled to work the register, do some work meeting and greeting fans and customers and serve as a personal shopper for a few lucky fans. NBA.com

Al Horford: I can't watch Gator games I get nervous... Tough one for the young ones. When we played I never got nervous, now I couldn't watch the end. Twitter.com

Eddie Johnson: I had two memorable run-ins with (Larry Bird). The first was my first start as a rookie in the Boston Garden. He walked out for the jump ball and asked out loud who the (expletive) was going to try and guard him that night? Once he realized it was me, he immediately walked over and told me that he was going to destroy me - which he did with ease. The next encounter was the following year, but I was a different player and was having a breakout year. I happened to be in one of my zones and was berating Bird all game long when he told me all I could do was score. The next play I gave him a head fake, popped him in the mouth and drew a foul. While I was shooting the free throw, I said out loud, “I can make you bleed too.” HoopsHype.com

Eddie Johnson: He tried like heck to get me back the rest of the game, but didn’t succeed. I thought it was over when I was in the safe haven of the locker room, but to my amazement I looked up and Bird had come in to hand me his hotel room key. He looked at me and said, “Why don’t you come over and we can finish what you started?” I said I wasn’t going to do that so him, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish could beat me up. He started laughing and said, “We will finish this next year and I will not forget.” HoopsHype.com

Eddie Johnson: I hated every opponent I played against and I never crossed half court to visit or speak with a friend. We just did not attempt to fraternize and coaches despised the sight of it. So why is there such a lovefest going on every time I watch a pregame warm-up and a game? The playoffs are getting ready to start and I get geared up to support my favorite team, but in the same instance gear up to cheer against teams I don’t want to win. What turns me off is when I get to the game, I want focused warm-ups and players staying on each end of the court. But what I see is some players from teams talking, hugging and laughing. That sight makes me nauseous. HoopsHype.com

Eddie Johnson: I could not understand why the media seemed so interested in LeBron James walking off the court last year without congratulating the Orlando Magic. Oh, so after the Magic players and fans beat him up, berated him and then sent him home, they felt it necessary for him to turn around and say congratulations? HoopsHype.com

Interesting item unearthed by Larry Altman, the Daily Breeze's superb cops reporter. ... "Lakers forward Pau Gasol sought help from Redondo Beach police today when he became concerned about two men following him, officers said. The men turned out to be Spanish paparazzi trying to get a photograph of the star basketball player with his girlfriend. Gasol is dating a cheerleader who, like him, is from Spain. "Gasol, who lives in Redondo Beach, told officers he saw the men following him before he got into his car. They tailed him with such tenacity that he was unsure if he was being stalked or if they were photographers, Redondo Beach police Sgt. Phil Keenan said. Los Angeles Daily News

"Gasol called a friend in law enforcement who advised him to pull into the back of the Redondo Beach police station. Gasol stopped at the station shortly after 1 p.m. and described the car to officers. Officers spotted the black sedan and pulled it over on Diamond Street near Catalina Avenue, just west of the police station. The occupants turned out to be credentialed paparazzi with a Spanish news agency and were allowed to leave, Keenan said. Police escorted Gasol home. "In a brief interview, the men said they were paparazzi with a Spanish news agency. They declined to identify themselves or their agency. 'Maybe he thought we were something else,' the older of the pair said. 'Maybe he thought we were kidnappers.' Los Angeles Daily News

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