ESPN NBA

Five dribbles of chatter from the league's front-office and coaching grapevines:

Among the immediate concerns for the Indiana Pacers heading into the Eastern Conference finals against Miami is the state of David West's right calf. One of the longer-term worries, though, is West's forthcoming free agency.

The Pacers' veteran leader openly loves his situation in Indiana, which certainly gives Indy justified cause for optimism when it comes to re-signing the 32-year-old this summer. Yet the whispers are already swirling that Chris Paul's Los Angeles Clippers, in particular, are going to make a hard run at West in the offseason.

Indy will certainly have the ability to pay West more to convince its locker-room sage to stay, given that the Clips would presumably have to structure an offer with the $5.15 million midlevel exception available to nontax teams. But you have to figure that the former Hornet -- who rose to All-Star prominence playing alongside CP3 -- is going to want to hear the details of a proposal pitching a reunion with his old point guard ... as long as Paul himself, of course, decides to stay. If Paul re-signs with the Clips as most league insiders continue to expect, L.A. will be seeking to add the final piece or two to cement itself as a contender with some staying power.

Yet Indy's brass must feel some reassurance when it hears West say things like he said in the wake of the New York series when he described the Pacers as "the most together group I've ever been a part of."

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Early estimates suggest that the Toronto Raptors would be willing to offer Masai Ujiri an annual salary in excess of $2 million to leave the Denver Nuggets' front office.

The Nuggets, I'm told, nonetheless remain positive that they'll be able to hang on to Ujiri -- just named the NBA's Executive of the Year for the 2012-13 season -- while knowing they'll obviously have to raise his reported salary of $500,000 to keep him from wanting to leave.

It should be noted that, as of Monday night, Toronto had yet to secure permission from the Nuggets to officially woo Ujiri. But that hasn't stopped the Nigeria native from being billed as the Raptors' top target after it became apparent that Phil Jackson -- despite his longtime friendship with new Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment president and CEO Tim Leiweke -- was in no rush to embrace Toronto's interest.

Jackson has said repeatedly in recent weeks that he wants the opportunity to run a team from the top, a la Pat Riley, for the first time in his basketball career. After ESPN.com reported that the 11-ringed coaching legend wanted to let the fate of the Sacramento Kings play out before deciding anything about his future, Jackson said in a subsequent visit to "The Tonight Show" that his discussions about running basketball operations for the Chris Hansen-led group trying to purchase and relocate the Kings to Seattle were "serious talk."

Some league observers, however, remain convinced that Jackson's flirtations with teams are largely aimed at convincing Lakers lead basketball decision-maker Jim Buss to cede his organizational power to sister Jeanie Buss ... which would theoretically enable Jeanie to bring Phil, her fiancé, back to Lakerland as L.A.'s next front-office chief.

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At least two teams came away from last week's Board of Governors meeting in Dallas convinced that the 22-8 vote in favor of keeping the Kings in Sacramento would have been a lot closer if NBA commissioner David Stern wasn't so determined to lobby owners in the room to keep the franchise right where it is.

Yet a third team consulted told ESPN.com that Sacramento likely would have prevailed anyway, with or without Stern's hard push, since a simple majority of just 16 votes was all that was needed to block the proposed relocation to Seattle.

My follow-up question: Does the league's ultimate decision to keep the Kings in Sactown do anything to erase at least a little of the bitterness that locals still harbor about the way the 2002 Western Conference finals against the Lakers played out?

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On the coaching front ...

One reason the Nets' coaching search isn't moving too quickly: Lionel Hollins and Brian Shaw, two of Brooklyn's foremost targets, are still at work in the playoffs.

Sources say the Grizzlies remain determined to sign Hollins to a new deal after the playoffs. Contract discussions were mutually tabled by both sides until the postseason plays out, but that does expose Memphis to a high-dollar offer from Brooklyn in July that gets Hollins' attention.

The Clippers, while still deliberating the future of incumbent coach Vinny Del Negro, are now widely presumed to be in the running for Hollins as well after owner Donald T. Sterling -- who doesn't even attend all of his own team's playoff games -- showed up courtside Sunday in San Antonio to watch the Grizzlies get thumped in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. But skepticism persists, even if the Clips do soon have an opening, about Sterling's appetite to pay what it would take to extricate Hollins from Memphis, where he is revered locally.

Interesting footnote about the Nets' coaching search: Italian legend Ettore Messina, reported by Yahoo! Sports to be a candidate who is tempting to Atlanta Hawks GM Danny Ferry, is not on Brooklyn's list. If the Hawks make Messina the first European head coach in NBA history, he would have to find a way out of Russian superclub CSKA Moscow, which for years received considerable financial support from Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov.

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Lakers assistant coach Steve Clifford, who previously interviewed for the Milwaukee Bucks' head-coaching job, interviews Tuesday for Charlotte's opening. The Bobcats are also scheduled to interview Utah assistant Jeff Hornacek later this week, with both Clifford and Hornacek likewise in the mix for the Phoenix Suns' job.

No less an authority than Kobe Bryant announced this week that he's convinced longtime teammate Derek Fisher will not have to wait forever to remove himself from the list of free agents still looking for work.

"I'm pretty confident," Kobe says, "he'll find a team."

It might even be the Los Angeles Lakers, in extreme circumstances, if more dominoes fall fortuitously for the team that has already annoyed the rest of the league with all of its good dominoes fortune this past offseason.

It's not feasible for the Lakers to bring back Fisher now, because league rules preclude them from signing a player traded away and then waived (in this case by Houston) for one year after the original deal. Which means March 15, 2013, is the earliest Fisher could legally re-sign with L.A.

Yet sources with knowledge of the Lakers' thinking say that the team is already trying to create a backcourt opening, having made it clear to the rest of the league that Chris Duhon and Steve Blake are available via trade to any interested party willing to absorb one of those contracts.

While it's true that no trade is imminent in either case, that's also the norm in October when outlooks are still rosy in pretty much every NBA training camp and teams generally aren't ready to move. Could the Lakers eventually find a taker for one of those vets? Blake has one season left on his contract after this one valued at $4 million, but Duhon's $3.75 million salary in 2013-14 is unguaranteed, which makes his contract a more attractive acquisition.

The bigger question is whether Fisher, at 38, is prepared to wait around into the spring to see if the Lakers would have a suitable need for him or if it's wiser to join the first contender that comes calling.

It's believed that both Fisher and fellow vet free agent Kenyon Martin were in no rush to sign anything in this guaranteed-dollars-are-scarce marketplace, figuring that an early-season injury suffered by an elite team could change the landscape in a hurry. Yet it would take a considerable amount of patience from Fisher if he's intent on holding out for the Lakers.

It should be noted, though, that Bryant's fellow alumnus from the NBA draft class of 1996 returned from his brief stint with the Oklahoma City Thunder late last season to train for much of the offseason at both the Lakers' and Clippers' practice facilities. That's even after the Lakers felt they had to move Fisher out in March as part of the various trade-deadline machinations that brought Jordan Hill and Ramon Sessions to town.

"Every team," Kobe announced Wednesday, "needs a guard like him."

Along with Fish and K-Mart, any list of the most established names yet to be signed in free agency would have to include Gilbert Arenas, Leandro Barbosa, Josh Howard, Mehmet Okur, Mickael Pietrus and Michael Redd.

Correction: The original version of this post suggested that Fisher could re-sign with the Lakers immediately. But he is not actually eligible to return until March 15, 2013, because he was waived by the team (Houston) that originally acquired him from L.A.

L.A. native Gilbert Arenas was playing pickup ball in the Lakers' practice facility as recently as Thursday, but Arenas has yet to secure a training camp invite for the coming season.

Not from the Lakers or the Clippers, his two preferred destinations, or anyone else.

So ...

Sources with knowledge of Arenas' thinking told ESPN.com that the former All-Star is giving strong consideration to starting the season in China.

Arenas has spent the bulk of the offseason working out under the care of the trusted Joe Abunassar while dropping in on the occasional open gym at the Lakers' or Clippers' practice facilities and, by all accounts, looking good in those pickup games.

The reality, though, is that Arenas -- who turned 30 in January -- knows he's unlikely to command more than a veteran minimum deal at this point after appearing in just 17 games with Memphis last season. So word is that Arenas, while still holding out hope that the Lakers or Clippers decide they need him, has began to assess his non-NBA options.

And China is said to be at the top of the list, given the fact that former NBA All-Stars who go there tend to be well-compensated ... and the helpful knowledge that the short Chinese season allows for a return to the NBA in March or April if he impresses.

He has some time to decide, though, with Chinese teams still filling out rosters before their league opens play in November.

• SI's Zach Lowe breaks down the financials of Serge Ibaka's $48 million dollar extension, and what they mean for James Harden: "If Harden gets that max deal from Oklahoma City, the Thunder will be paying the tax for at least the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons. Assuming a max deal for Harden and that Oklahoma City gets the No. 30 pick in each of the next two drafts, the Thunder would be set to have about $75.5 million committed to 10 players in 2013-14 and $77 million committed to the same number of players in 2014-15. Fill out the rest of the roster on the cheap -- forget the mid-level exception -- and Oklahoma City will be looking at $80 million payrolls in those seasons. The tax line is at $70.4 million now, and it will go up as league revenues rise. But most projections have the tax line somewhere around $75 million in the 2015-16, and very solid growth (about 3 percent) would have it jump only to $72.5 million in 2013-14 and $74.6 million in the following season. Note again: These are estimates. Under the harsh new tax rates that kick in for the 2013-14 -- just in time! -- the Thunder would be paying a tax bill ranging from $7.5 million to $12.5 million or so, depending on the exact tax level and how much the team’s ownership is willing to spend on the back of the roster. Is Oklahoma City, the league’s second-smallest market, willing to spend something like $85 million or even $90 million to fill a team?"
• Bradford Doolittle projects only one team in the East to win 50 games (Insider) and for the Hawks to be the No. 2 seed despite losing Joe Johnson.
• Jason Richardson learned how to play off a dominant big man with Dwight Howard in Orlando. That should work out well in Philadelphia, where he'll be paired with Andrew Bynum.
• Philadunkia's Steve Toll imagines Masai Ujiri reacting to opportunity to trade for Iguodala: "He was told Andre Iguodala and he probably said something like, 'hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm let me think on it and I’ll call you back' then proceeded to rip his shirt off like vintage Hulk Hogan and go running around the Denver front office like a crazy person yelling 'Iguodalaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was just gifted Iguodalaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa for Afflalo and Harrington, Iguodalaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!!'"
• Answer: A Felix the Cat flag, screenplays and a stuffed turtle. Question: What did you miss at Michael Beasley's estate sale?
• Darius Soriano of Forum Blue and Gold digs into Dwight Howard's somewhat maligned offensive game and finds a lot to like, especially in pick-and-rolls: "Beyond his finishing, however, the authority in which Howard dives into the teeth of the defense instantly draws extra defenders to him. This magnetism creates the floor spacing and passing angles his teammates feast on. With Howard on the floor the three point shooting percentages of Ryan Anderson, Hedo Turkoglu, and Jameer Nelson were all much better than when he was on the bench."
• Blake Griffin's face-up game needs work.
• Meet future NBA player Mirza Teletovic. He plays a bit like Ryan Anderson, says Sam Meyerkopf of Euroleague Adventures.
• SB Nation's Andrew Sharp hilariously explains that it's been a great decade to be a Wizards fan if you are into endearingly dysfunctional players. And funny names.
• On Ball Don't Lie, Dan Devine explains why Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings have a lot to figure out next season: "In sum, teams playing the Bucks feasted when Jennings and Ellis shared the court, scoring an average of 107.7 points per 100 possessions of floor time, more than five points-per-100 below Milwaukee's season defensive mark, according to NBA.com's metrics. To put things in perspective, only one team put up defensive numbers that inept over the course of the full 2011-12 season -- when Jennings and Ellis shared the backcourt, the Bucks ceased being a slightly-worse-than-average defensive team and became the Charlotte Bobcats (107.8-per-100 allowed)."
• In an interview with Patrick Hayes, Kirk Goldsberry (of Court Vision fame) reflects on seeing statistics in action during the NBA playoffs: "I put out the chart in April, which showed how extremely effective Durant is from the top of the arc. It’s his favorite shot, he shoots a ton there, he owns that spot. The fast forward to the playoffs when the Lakers are playing the Thunder, then last possession of the game, Durant is approaching the top of the arc and Ron Artest is for some reason sitting back six feet and we all know what happened -- Durant nails that shot. What struck me was why didn’t the Lakers know that was his best shot?"
• A Lakers fan who feels guilty, sort of, about his team's embarrassment of both basketball and literal riches.

• Michael Lee of The Washington Post: Nene sat out the final game of pool play for Brazil on Monday with soreness in his left foot, but the Wizards have been monitoring the injury and remain optimistic that it will not be a problem when training camp begins on Oct. 2, according to a source with knowledge of the team’s thinking. Nene is expected to be available on Wednesday when Brazil (4-1) plays Argentina in the quarterfinals. Brazilian Coach Ruben Magnano rested Nene against Spain, but his team still won, 88-82, in a game that it didn’t need to win and possibly set up a more difficult path for a medal. Brazil is seeking its first Olympic medal since 1964. ... After playing his first game in London, Nene said the plantar fasciitis that bothered him shortly after he joined the Wizards at the trade deadline had flared up again. With the Olympics concluding on Sunday, the Wizards expect Nene to have ample time to rest and be ready for the upcoming season. Nene missed 10 consecutive games with the foot problem in April but returned to play the final five games, all Wizards victories.
• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: With the British 90-58 trouncing of China in its final game, Deng's role as ambassador for basketball to his adopted country, the one that offered his family political asylum from Sudan, could be complete. Now his preparations to start Bulls' training camp on time begin in earnest. In his strongest implication yet that he either will forego surgery on the torn ligament in his left wrist altogether or postpone it until after the 2012-13 season, Deng said he planned to start camp on time. "Did I look like I needed (surgery)?" Deng said Monday evening. "I'm fine right now. I feel great. There are a lot of things I want to improve in my game that I want to focus on now. I want to be a better player than I was last year. I have time to make decisions and be healthy by the time we start (training camp)."
• Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times: It was wonderful to see Andres Nocioni — the old ‘‘Noce’’ of Bulls fame, the guy who first found out he would be a starter for the 2004-05 Bulls during the Athens Olympics — doing his thing. That is, Noce fouled LeBron James at the beginning of the U.S. team’s 126-97 victory over Argentina and was astounded — astounded — at the call. Ah, memories. But this was a game full of them. One of them, occurring at the end of the third quarter, with the United States up 102-76, was this: dirty play. Remember that kind of stuff? Carmelo Anthony, who’s 6-8, rose for a long jumper, and 5-10 Argentine point guard Facundo Campazzo hit him in the groin. Melo mellowed out on the floor in agony. That’s cheap. That’s cheesy. U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said of Anthony’s drop to the hardwood as if poleaxed, ‘‘He wasn’t celebrating the shot.’’ It was an angry moment in a hard-fought game, and the ensuing scrum put even more fever into the Americans’ goal of winning every game in London by as much as possible. ‘‘It was wrong,’’ Kobe Bryant (11 points in 21 minutes) said angrily of the jab. ‘‘We told him, ‘You don’t do that.’ ’’
• Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic: Off the court, this team is fighting another battle. To a man, they are staunchly defending their right to compete in all future Olympics, tired of being muted subjects in David Stern's kingdom. This represents a remarkable shift since the 2004 Summer Games in Athens, when many of the top NBA players stayed home, when the Olympics were considered a no-win proposition. It was there that Team USA went 5-3, where Tim Duncan famously declared, "FIBA sucks." There are many reasons for the improved attitude: The Olympics seem to be enjoying a renaissance in America. High-definition televisions have enhanced the viewing experience tremendously. The Games produce enormous television ratings, drawing a large female demographic. They attract tremendous corporate support. As basketball continues to boom in global popularity, there is great benefit to players who participate in the Olympics. It helps their personal brand. It makes them even more attractive to sponsors. They find that mixing red, white and blue can produce a lovely shade of green.
• Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News: When someone told Kobe Bryant after Monday's game that the elimination bracket pairings could match the United States against Russia in the gold-medal game, the reaction wasn't a shrug from the Laker who often seems too cool for school. Bryant understood right away what such a matchup would mean. This summer is the 40th anniversary of the most controversial basketball game in Olympic history -- the former Soviet Union's upset of the United States in the gold-medal game after a series of botched refereeing decisions. That infamous 1972 loss in Munich was the first defeat for a U.S. basketball team at any Olympics, and the American players were so angry that they refused to accept their silver medals. They still haven't claimed them. Bryant knows the whole story. That's why he was intrigued by facing Russia for the gold this time. "Imagine that," Bryant said of the potential anniversary rematch. "That would be something special. We're looking forward to whoever we face. But imagine the story with that. It would be incredible." Before that, of course, there are two more elimination games to play. Based on Monday, Team USA will handle those opponents speedily. Perhaps not in eight seconds over 100 meters. But come Sunday, they should be claiming another gold medal.
• Jerome Solomon of the Houston Chronicle: Chris Finch's final game as head coach of Great Britain's men's basketball team will be long remembered. The Rockets assistant coach's name will be etched atop Britain's Olympic win list, as Monday's 90-58 rout of China was the first official victory in an Olympic tournament for the 2012 hosts. The only other time the English had a basketball team make it into the tournament was when it was granted automatic entry as hosts in 1948. That team lost all five games in the tournament, and managed only a consolation round win over Ireland. Finch, who played and coached professionally in England, took over as the national team coach in 2006, charged with assembling a program. Basketball in the UK has come a long way under his direction, advancing to the European championships for the first time (2009 and 2011) and now winning an Olympic game. But the team will not advance into the quarterfinals out of Group B. Finch said he hopes the Olympic experience will help the game's popularity in Great Britain.
• Brian Manzullo of the Detroit Free Press: Jalen Rose doesn't take a liking to the nickname that he says the "lazy" media gave the U.S. women's gymnastics team. That would be the "Fab Five" which, as we know, was the nickname given to the five freshmen of the 1991 Michigan basketball team that competed for a national championship in consecutive years. But it was a nickname also widely used during the London Olympics while the women's gymnasts made their run toward a team gold medal. “To use the nickname just points and screams of lazy journalism by the national media, that’s really what it is,” Rose told 97.1's Jamie Samuelsen. “It’s no fault at all of the young gymnasts. But I really wish they would have come up with an even more creative tag for them and their gold medal pursuit.” Rose, covering the Olympics as a commentator for ESPN, was a part of Michigan's 'Fab Five' along with Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson and finished as NCAA Tournament runners-up in 1992 and 1993. ... Rose actually was granted the trademark to the 'Fab Five' last year, according to Businessweek.com. An attorney in Washington said that Rose has an "opportunity" and that he should approach the women's gymnastics team about the use of 'Fab Five.' Rose says he "loves" the U.S. Olympics team and doesn't believe they're responsible for the nickname.
• Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: Dwight Howard is physically able to attend Dodgers games in Los Angeles, but he can't attend his own youth basketball camp in Orlando? Really, Dwight? Seriously? According to an official at his annual basketball day camp for children, Dwight Howard will not attend this year, and families who paid the camp's $199 registration fee were sent e-mail messages Monday to inform them Howard will remain in Southern California in order to continue rehabilitating his back. ... I've said it once and I'll say again: It’s hard to believe Dwight is physically unable to attend a youth basketball camp, walk around the gym, offer some words of encouragement, take pictures and sign some autographs for the kids. Not only has Howard let down his teammates and the City of Orlando, now he has let down many kids, too. The Dwightmare continues. It seems Dwight Howard is not only doing his best to get traded from Orlando, he's doing his best to be hated in Orlando, too.
• Mike Sorensen of the Deseret News: Longtime Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor will relinquish his duties as GM and move to a top executive position within the franchise, according to several media reports. The initial report came from Yahoo! Sports, which also claims, according to NBA league sources, that San Antonio assistant GM Dennis Lindsey is the top candidate to replace O'Connor and that a deal is being finalized. Also, a report by the San Antonio Express News confirmed that Lindsey will be the new Jazz GM. Lindsey, 43, played basketball for Baylor University, graduating in 1992, and has been with the Spurs for five years. In June, Lindsey was being considered for the open general manager position for the Orlando Magic, which went to Roy Hennigan.
• Kurt Kragthorpe of The Salt Lake Tribune: The newly hired GM can handle the day-to-day personnel management, with O’Connor functioning as the ultimate decision-maker in the absence of the strong personalities of Miller and Sloan. Viewed that way, this move makes perfect sense. Jazz CEO Greg Miller lacks the interest level and basketball savvy that his father possessed, and coach Tyrone Corbin has not earned enough influence in the organization to have a huge say regarding the roster. So this is just another step in the Jazz’s evolution toward normalcy in the NBA. After being owner-driven and coach-driven for nearly a quarter-century, they’re becoming like just about every other pro sports organization. Miller is signing the checks and Corbin will have a forum, but generally speaking, two levels of basketball people will be making the basketball decisions. The semantics are interesting, of course. Saying that O’Connor is being "kicked upstairs" is misleading, because he already occupies a penthouse office in the Jazz’s practice facility.
• Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee: The Kings could have waited a few months and made Keith Smart prove himself more before deciding he was their coach beyond the 2012-13 season. But in Smart's first six months, Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie said he had seen enough. The Kings announced Monday that Smart had agreed to a contract extension through the 2013-14 season. ... Smart took over as coach after Paul Westphal was fired Jan. 5 amid a feud with center DeMarcus Cousins and other players openly questioned his direction. ... Petrie said critics who think the team should have waited to give Smart an extension might also have considered him a lame duck coach if he hadn't received it before the season. "I think it gives us stability and gives him a reasonable period of time to implement the style of play and type of teaching he wants to use," Petrie said.
• Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times: The Milwaukee Bucks have taken another significant step toward upgrading their interior defense. The Bucks received a verbal commitment Monday night from unrestricted free-agent center Jeol Przybilla, one of the league’s better defensive centers. The 7-foot-1 Przybilla agreed to a one-year deal. He is expected to sign the contract later this week. Przybilla’s decision comes one week after he met with Bucks general manager John Hammond, Bucks coach Scott Skiles and Bucks assistant manager Jeff Weltman in Milwaukee. “We’re excited about this,” Bill Duffy, Przybilla’s agent.
• John Reid of The Times-Picayune: The New Orleans Hornets hired Joel Meyers as their television play-by-play announcer, former NBA player David Wesley as their color analyst and Jennifer Hale as sideline reporter for their broadcasts this upcoming season on Fox Sports New Orleans. Meyers, a two-time Emmy winner, brings more than 20 years of broadcast experience to the organization, most recently serving as television play-by-play announcer for the Los Angeles Lakers from 2005-2011 which followed two years on the club’s radio broadcast. Meyers had previously served four years as the voice of San Antonio Spurs’ television broadcasts before joining the Lakers. In addition to his work in the NBA, the St. Louis native has also worked for NBC covering the NFL, two Olympic Games as well as the NBA and professional golf.

• Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: Brandon Roy on Tuesday left the Timberwolves cap that he wore so briefly so long ago back home in his mother's Seattle living room, but he officially, finally returned six years later to the NBA franchise that drafted him. ... Roy made three NBA All-Star Games in five seasons after the Wolves drafted him sixth overall in 2006 and then quickly traded him to Portland for Randy Foye and a big chunk of Blazers owner Paul Allen's cash. Now he is back to the place he never really was, intending to resume a career that temporarily ended for a season because of a degenerative condition that has left him with no cartilage in either knee. Declaring himself rested and ready, Roy is back after a season away and after undergoing the same medical procedure that gave Kobe Bryant's knee relief. ... Roy chose to sign with the Wolves after talking with at least four other NBA teams. Wolves owner Glen Taylor flew with Kahn and coach Rick Adelman on Taylor's private jet to Seattle for a lengthy meeting with Roy and his agent and continued to court him after that. Roy's relationship with Bayno and former Blazers star Terry Porter, a Wolves assistant coach, helped him feel comfortable. NBA personnel urged him to play for Adelman if he got the chance.
• Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic: The P.A. announcer calls him, "Eye-Kay." It sounds unfamiliar, very African. I guess that's the point. We like Ike? They love him in Nigeria. "To have 160 million people behind you is an amazing experience," said Ike Diogu, former Arizona State star. Diogu came to the Olympics looking for a single person: that one NBA general manager who will give him another chance, a real chance, to play at the highest level. He never thought he'd inspire a country. The son of Nigerian schoolteachers, Diogu led the D'Tigers to stunning upsets of Greece and Lithuania at a qualifying tournament in Venezuela. For an encore, his 25-point, 10-rebound performance against the Dominican Republic clinched Nigeria's first-ever Olympic berth in basketball. Once here, it didn't take long for Diogu's crew to score a first Olympic victory, beating Tunisia in its London debut. Do you believe in miracles? "When we first got together, we talked about making history," Diogu said.
• Marc Berman of the New York Post: At least Tunisia forced Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski into his first benchings of the Olympics. With his team shockingly trailing Tunisia by three points late in the first quarter after a sluggish start, Coach K benched his five starters en masse then started the bench brigade in the second half. It sparked Redeem Team II to pull away and post its expected 110-63 rout Tuesday before 12,000 at the basketball venue at Olympic Park. It all worked well for Knicks star Carmelo Anthony, part of the second unit. Anthony finished with a team-high 16 points in 11:58, going 6-of-6 from the field to ignite the 47-point win that gave USA a 2-0 record. “You never know what Coach K is going to do,’’ Anthony said. “You never know what kind of lineup he’s going to throw out there. You just got to stay ready. He held us responsible. He held us accountable for what we were doing out there.’’
• Alex Cassara of The Times-Picayune: New Orleans Hornets small forward Al-Farouq Aminu is spending the summer in London as a major player in Nigeria's first-ever Olympic efforts. His team team suffered its first setback of the games on Tuesday in a 72-53 loss to Lithuania. Their record in pool play evens to 1-1, having beaten Tunisia in their inaugural Olympic contest. While Nigeria is unlikely to advance, the Olympics will be a success for Aminu whether he comes back with a medal or not. The young forward's role with the Hornets will only increase this season and the competitive experience he'll gain abroad will prove more valuable than anything that could have been provided in the NBA Summer League. On the international court, his 27 points trail Ike Diogu's total by only one for the team lead. He's also come up clutch, sinking a free throw to put a Tunisian 10-2 run to bed in the final seconds.
• Marcus Thompson II of The Oakland Tribune: So next season, Brandon Rush will make less than the $4.4 million qualifying offer he signed, and less than the $5 mid-level exception he was hoping to land. However, Rush immediately becomes the top candidate to be the Warriors’ sixth man and may have a shot at earning the starting small forward job. If he has another big year, he stands to get a nice payday next season in free agency. Rush, who spent his first three seasons with Indiana before being traded to the Warriors, had a breakout season under coach Mark Jackson. In his 26.4 minutes, he averaged 9.8 points on 50.1 percent shooting (both career-highs). He shot 45.2 percent from 3-point range (sixth in the NBA) while proving to be a reliable defender, leading the Warriors with 58 blocks last season. Rush’s signing likely concludes the Warriors’ offseason movement.
• Sarah Kogod of The Washington Post: John Wall was featured in the most recent issue of Dime magazine. If there’s one thing that’s clear in the story, it’s that the Wizards star knows he needs to have a big year. “You wanna do it all,” Wall told Dime. “You wanna be an All-Star. You wanna be one of the top five best point guards. You wanna make the playoffs, and get this city back to where they know they can be. When you have the playoffs, I heard how crazy it could be when everybody is wearing all white. That’s what I want to get to. I want to be the savior.” It’s a far cry from the humility shown by D.C.’s other young superstar, Robert Griffin III. With two young team leaders in town, the comparisons between RGIII and Wall are inevitable. Both marketing machines — three of the five Dime photos of Wall show him posing with a can of Red Bull — both at the helm of teams with a recent losing history, both with potential superstar talent.
• Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune: Unrestricted free agent small forward C.J. Miles has narrowed his options down to a few teams, a league source told The Salt Lake Tribune on Tuesday, and the longtime Jazzman is drawing serious interest from the Los Angeles Lakers. The 6-foot-6, 222-pound Miles could make a decision during the next 2-3 days. If he signs with the Lakers, the source said, it'll likely be a one- or two-year deal via Los Angeles' mini mid-level exception. Miles, 25, has already met with Dallas and Cleveland since free agency started July 1.
• Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald: Joakim Noah has a reputation as a free spirit, but the devoted Bob Marley fan keeps more of a laid-back, Jamaican demeanor most of the time. The only real loud guy I can remember is guard Anthony Roberson, who was around for only a short time in 2009. This state of calm seems about to change with the addition of guard Nate Robinson, who officially signed a one-year deal worth $1.1 million on Tuesday. The 5-foot-9 Robinson, the shortest player in Bulls history, is usually the loudest person in any locker room. The three-time slam dunk champion, with a 43-inch vertical leap, has a personality to match his game. To learn more about Robinson, just watch his YouTube reality show, “State of Nate.” “The best asset to my game is my energy,” Robinson told bulls.com after signing his new deal. “Night in and night out, that’s what I’m going to bring. I’ll play as hard as I can for as long as I can.”
• Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News: Saw you mentioned Dwight Howard. Wasn't gonna ask, but what are the chances we see him here in the next two years? Sefko: As you know, we try not to deal in hypothetical garbage on this site. We leave the "if then, then maybe that, but probably not'' type of stories to the people who enjoy flinging stuff against the wall. But just using common sense, you have to believe that the Mavericks are still feeling like they are right in the mix for Howard. They have acquired a lot of trade-worthy assets with short contracts and still have cap room that, if it comes to that, they could sign Howard next summer when he's a free agent. There still is way too much ground to cover to say that it's going to happen. But they are in the conversation. And unlike Deron Williams, Howard has no intentions whatsoever of staying with his current team, which would seem to bode well for the Mavericks since they have a lot of things to offer.
• Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News: Many may have questioned the decision of Maalik Wayns when he decided to forgo his senior season as the Villanova point guard and enter the NBA draft. Wayns, however, never had any doubts his choice was the right one. Not immediately after he made it, not after he went undrafted in June’s draft and not after a strong performance in the Orlando Summer League failed to immediately secure him an invite to anyone’s training camp. Turns out, worrying for Wayns would have been a waste of time. Tuesday the 76ers announced that they had signed the 6-2 Philadelphia native. The deal is for one-year. “It’s going to be a great experience for me, I’m just so happy and excited that things worked out the way they did,” said Wayns.
• Davod Shoalts of the Globe and Mail: The sale of the majority interest in Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Ltd. to Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. will not make the Aug. 1 closing the principals hoped for but it is still on track to be completed within a week. A source familiar with the process said Tuesday that lawyers were not able to finish the paperwork in time to close Wednesday. There is no major obstacle to the closing and it is hoped all parties will sign off by next week. All of the approvals necessary for the sale have been received, with the NHL, NBA, American Hockey League, Major Soccer League and the Competition Bureau all giving their consent to the sale of 75 per cent of MLSE.

• Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic: The men's basketball team is considered royalty, swooned over by star-struck global media. The women's team has a 34-game winning streak, an unprecedented amount of star power, and is treated like they're playing field hockey. And you know who suffers most? Diana Taurasi, whose first name usually means a little more around here. "It's just the world we live in, and it's unfortunate," women's Olympic coach Geno Auriemma said. "There are other athletes and other teams that haven't done a third of what she's done, and they get celebrated. Maybe it's because their sport is new or because they do it once every four years. But Diana is consistently great, year in and year out. And because it's women's basketball in the U.S., she gets overlooked. If she had done what she's done in another country, she'd be looked upon as an icon." ... Unfortunately, that means a true pioneer may never be fully appreciated for what she's done on a basketball court. So it appears in London, where the women's team may be too good for its own good.
• Michelle Kaufman of The Miami Herald: There is a unique kind of stress on the U.S. Olympic men’s basketball team, a stress not even Michael Phelps or Usain Bolt can truly identify with. For, the United States team is not only expected to win every time it steps on the floor, it is expected to dazzle, to play with ease and flair, to prove superhuman, soar high, and dunk often. Anything less, and fans feel cheated. In other words, the Americans are under pressure to entertain like the Harlem Globetrotters and at the same time get past world-class Olympians from other countries who want nothing more than to topple them. That certainly was the case Sunday afternoon. A sold-out crowd of 8,989, many of them curious Londoners who had never seen the NBA up close, was buzzing before the Americans’ opener against France. When the U.S. team walked out of the locker room singing for pregame warm-ups, fans captured the moment with their cellphones. The opposing French team included five NBA players who were not in awe, but other players couldn’t help but stare at the American stars.
• Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post: It's an election year. Is Michelle Obama running for Team Mom of the U.S. basketball team? While filing off the court, everybody from guard Chris Paul to coach Mike Krzyzewski got a hug from Obama after Team USA trounced France, 98-71,Sunday to open the Olympic tournament. "It was pretty cool," Paul told me. Let's hope the First Lady also remembered to pack the orange slices. But here's a minor complaint: Don't NBA stars already get enough love? And what does an Olympic fencer or archer have to do to get a hug? The presence of Obama at the game was a reminder that the country's eyes are fixed on NBA stars whose mission is gold or bust. "That's what makes the Olympics so special. This isn't just Los Angeles or New York watching us play," Paul said. "This is global." Asked if there is an Olympic athlete he's itching to meet at the Summer Games, LeBron James paused to think, then replied: "No." Get it? The U.S. basketball players are the coolest kids in the Olympic cafeteria, rivaled only by charismatic sprinter Usain Bolt.
• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: Luol Deng has consistently said these Olympics are bigger than him, that his participation goes beyond wins and losses and contractual obligations and surgical decisions. To begin to understand why, you emerge from the Brixton underground stop and listen to the blaring reggae music from the African and Caribbean street merchants in this multiethnic slice of south London that Deng so loves. Then you enter Jimmy Rogers' gym. Children of varying ages and skill levels are running through drills and heeding Rogers' orders. To many of them, Deng represents a symbol that goes beyond his athletic fame and fortune with the Bulls. "He has taught me to work hard and stay humble," says Babatunde Whitfield-Gilbert, 17, who has attended Deng's camp in Brixton. "Even if you can't play basketball, you can work hard and you might be good in another field. You can take lessons you learn from commitment and teamwork and apply them elsewhere."
• Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer: You would think it wouldn’t be hard to get the NBA’s reigning, three-time scoring champion to shoot the ball. But you would be wrong, although the U.S. men’s basketball team tried to fix that in a blowout 98-71 win over France Sunday in its Olympic opener. Kevin Durant, the scoring champ in question, has not played in an Olympics before. Like any newcomer, he wants to be liked. So time and again during the U.S. team’s brief time together this year, Durant has passed up the sort of open shots that he drills with the Oklahoma City Thunder. “I told KD (Durant) to just be himself,” LeBron James said Sunday after Durant led the U.S. with 22 points and added nine rebounds in a game that was only close for one quarter. ... James’ cry for Durant to put the ball up more often has been echoed around the team. When Kobe Bryant was asked what he said to Durant during the game, Bryant replied gruffly: “Shoot the … ball.” Said Durant: “Sometimes coach was screaming at me. And Chris Paul was screaming at me more than anybody, ‘Shoot the ball!’ I guess I’ve got to be aggressive.” ... It now looks like this team will revolve around the James/Durant axis during these Olympics. And James, the team’s undisputed leader, isn’t going to let Durant fade into the background even if he wants to.
• Geoff Calkins of The Commercial-Appeal: Marc Gasol scored five points and had two rebounds. He looked rusty, honestly, after missing some time with a bum shoulder. A reporter immediately asked him how he was feeling. "Great," he said, with a big smile. "Because we won." You can take the boy out of the Grindhouse, but you can't take the Grindhouse out of the boy, can you? Spain opened the Olympic tournament with a workmanlike 97-81 win over China Sunday. So Gasol was happy. Of course he was. This is a man who puts team above all else, whether that team is the Lausanne Lynx or the Memphis Grizzlies or the Spanish Olympic team. "It was a good win," he said, because what other kind is there? "My shoulder? It feels fine." And let's get one thing out of the way before this column proceeds any further. Nobody back in Memphis should be questioning why Gasol is risking injury by playing in the Games.
• John Canzano of The Oregonian: OK, before we all come out of our shoes over Nicolas Batum's un-$46 million performance against the United States in the opening game of the Olympic tournament on Sunday, let's back up. Because a few nights ago Batum stood through four hours of the opening ceremony. "I'm not used to standing like that," he said, "four or five hours just killed me." Also, France, which lost the game 98-71, conducted only its first full practice as a team on Saturday. Batum said, "We knew it was going to be tough for us. Maybe if we see them in a couple of days, it could be a different game." Also, Batum said French coach Vincent Collet looked up at the end of the third quarter, saw USA leading by 19 points, realized the game was out of reach, and decided to sit his starters. Strategy, see? France plays successive games now against Lithuania and Argentina, and the point of Olympic pool play is to stay in the top-four in your group so you can advance to the quarterfinals. Now that all the explanations are out of the way, something needs to be said. It's this: Batum stunk. Not by International standards, but by $46 million Blazers standards. And the sooner Batum realizes that his life is changed and that he's playing under different expectations, the better for us all.
• Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune: Alexey Shved wears braces on his teeth and a band in his hair. As he spoke late Sunday night in London, he twisted his sweatjacket wistfully around his neck, giving the impression of a teenager waiting for a ride to the school dance. His game, though, looked very mature. Shved and veteran Russian star Andrei Kirilenko led the Russians to a 95-75 victory over Great Britain on the opening day of the Olympic tournament, and they may have made as big an impact on Timberwolves fans as their countrymen. Shved and Kirilenko both recently signed with the Timberwolves. Sunday, they displayed innate chemistry and skill sets that should immediately prove valuable to their new professional team. Shved played mostly at point guard and finished with 16 points and 13 assists, many of those to Kirilenko, who finished with 35 points on 14-for-17 shooting. "Look at me,'' Kirilenko said, exulting after the game. "I am running like a young deer.'' Kirilenko, the former Utah Jazz standout, kept gushing, about his health, Shved and the offense run by Wolves coach Rick Adelman. "I think Minnesota is ready to take a step and make the playoffs,'' he said.
• Marc Berman of the New York Post: Yao Ming doesn’t give many interviews anymore, but he stopped long enough yesterday as he entered the Olympic Park’s basketball arena to give a thumbs up to Jeremy Lin leaving the Knicks and joining his former club, the Rockets. The 7-foot-6 Yao is doing Olympic commentary for Chinese TV and worked Spain’s 97-81 victory over China. When asked what he thought of Lin joining the Rockets, Yao told The Post, “It will be good for both of them, Jeremy and Houston.’’ Yao declined further comment, saying he is here for the Olympics. Lin considers Yao his mentor and they text each other frequently. Lin attended his basketball camp last summer in China. Yao, who retired in 2011, was quoted recently saying, “I’m so glad the Knicks didn’t match the contract. Houston is a good place for Jeremy to come to.’’
• Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman: But as long as Dwight Howard remains in limbo, or until the Thunder completes its complex payroll puzzle, there will be a convenient rationale for linking Orlando and Oklahoma City in the never-ending Dwight derby. Some media members already have floated the idea, and at least one outlet recently erroneously reported that the teams were in talks to send the league's best center to OKC. Fans have clamored for the deal for far longer. All the conjecture, however, fails to acknowledge one substantial fact — Howard doesn't want to play here. That's not an indictment on Oklahoma City. Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant have hushed the haters who said this city couldn't and wouldn't retain star players. Howard simply has his sight set on two locations. Brooklyn and Los Angeles. Dallas is a last-ditch option. ... Adding Howard's ego to a team that already must be careful with how it massages Durant and Westbrook's personalities would be like playing with fire. But on paper a trio of Westbrook, Durant and Howard instantly would become the best in basketball. It's what makes the speculation so scintillating — even if Howard wants to play for the Thunder about as much as he wants to play for the Bobcats.
• Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: And then there was a fan base that wouldn't be hurting for volunteers to give [Charlie] Villanueva a ride to Metro Airport if the Pistons decided to use the amnesty clause to shed the $16 million he is owed over the next two seasons. The Pistons declined to use the provision, which would allow them to cut a player without salary-cap ramifications. He gets the scorn. His salary ($8 million) is the third-highest on the Pistons' payroll, and his performance has gotten progressively worse since he arrived in Detroit. "Since I've been here, have I had career years?" Villanueva said. "Have I had great years? "But I can't worry about people not wanting me here -- people saying that I'm not any good. I know what type of player that I am. ... I'm just going to let my game do the talking." The Pistons are pleased with Villanueva's conditioning efforts, and his 6-foot-11 frame looked slim. He has taken up a boxing regimen, and he flew to Orlando recently to practice with the summer-league team. "I'm committed to this organization because they made a commitment to me," Villanueva said of his time in Florida. "It's an opportunity to get better. It's an opportunity to work with the younger guys and the draft picks."
• Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times: Undeterred by his rejection last year, the Milwaukee Bucks are making another run at signing Joel Przybilla. The Bucks seriously courted the veteran 7-foot-1 center before and during last season, only to see him sign with the Portland Trail Blazers. With Przybilla once again an unrestriced free agent, the Bucks are hoping they can sign him this time. They have had several discussions with Przybilla’s representatives and were expected to meet this week. But that meeting has been pushed back to next week. It is believed Przybilla will meet with Bucks general manager John Hammond and possibly Bucks coach Scott Skiles. ... According to several sources, Dallas, Chicago and Portland have also shown keen interest in Przybilla. However, it appears the Bucks are the front-runners with the Trail Blazers being his second choice.
• Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune: Glen Taylor, who has owned the Timberwolves for 18 seasons and the Lynx for 13, has found the successor he has been looking for. In the near future, Taylor will close a deal to sell 25 percent of the franchises, and eventually the new owner will own the majority. Unfortunately, the buyer is from outside the Twin Cities, but Taylor insists he will continue to own a share of the two teams and will make sure that they don't move out of the state. "Yes, I have [found a buyer], and we're working on trying to put a deal together, and it would be a deal that would leave me involved for a number of years yet, but it would be a good transition," Taylor said Sunday. ... Until the papers are signed, Taylor refuses to reveal the future owner's name. Apparently, though, he has agreed to keep the two teams in Minnesota as a part of the purchase agreement.

It's your move, New York Knicks.

Jeremy Lin has signed a three-year offer sheet with the Houston Rockets, according to a source close to the talks. The deal is worth a little more than $25 million -- $5 million in the first year, $5.225 million in the second year and $14.8 million in the third year. The Knicks have three days to match the Rockets' offer.

Initial reports had the Rockets offering Lin a four-year deal for around $28 million. That deal included salaries of more than $9 million in each of the last two years, which would be a big hit on the Knicks' cap. Still, the organization seemed intent on matching.

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From ESPN.com news services:

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to a $6 million, two-year contract with former No. 1 overall draft pick Kwame Brown.

Agent Mark Bartelstein announced the move Friday.

Brown will be reunited with Sixers coach Doug Collins. Collins was Brown's first coach in Washington in 2001. Brown has averaged 6.8 points and 5.6 rebounds over an 11-year career.

The well-traveled Brown was the No. 1 overall pick out of high school in the 2001 draft by the Washington Wizards.

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The Minnesota Timberwolves plan to amnesty center Darko Milicic in order to give an offer sheet to Portland Trail Blazers restricted free agent Nicolas Batum, a league source says.

Milicic has two years and $10 million remaining on his contract, but only $7 million is guaranteed. Once finalized, Milicic will go through a modified amnesty process. Teams with cap space will be able to make blind bids to pick up a portion of his remaining salary. If no team makes a bid, Milicic will become an unrestricted free agent.

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Tim Duncan, who declared himself "a Spur for life" in March, reportedly has followed through on his intentions to remain in San Antonio.

The 36-year-old franchise cornerstone has agreed to a three-year contract to return to the Spurs, Yahoo! Sports reported Tuesday. The website reported the contract is expected to be worth approximately $36 million, or in the same range of the deal that Kevin Garnett agreed to with the Boston Celtics last week.

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The Atlanta Hawks have agreed to a multiyear contract with free-agent guard Lou Williams, a league source told ESPN.com.

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The Miami Heat are close to adding another veteran player at a discount.

Forward Rashard Lewis is in serious discussions with the Heat and is close to making a commitment to join the defending champions, a league executive told ESPN.com.

Lewis has several other suitors that could offer more than the $1.35 million veteran's minimum the Heat are offering, but they also believe he's headed to Miami, sources said.

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The New York Knicks will acquire unrestricted free agent center Marcus Camby in a sign-and-trade with the Houston Rockets, according to a source close to Camby.

Camby's contract will be for $13.2 million over three years. The Rockets will receive guard Toney Douglas, center Jerome Jordan, forward Josh Harrellson and second-round picks in 2014 and 2015, according to a league source.

The deal cannot be finalized until July 11.

Camby appeared to be narrowing his choices down to the Knicks, Miami Heat and Brooklyn Nets. But after he postponed a meeting with the Heat on Saturday because they used their midlevel exception on Ray Allen, the Knicks were in the lead. The Nets had only a conference call with Camby, while the Knicks had a face-to-face meeting with him in Houston on Sunday, which a source close to the situation said was "very positive."


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While they work on ways to secure help in their frontcourt by courting Marcus Camby and Rashard Lewis, the Miami Heat are also looking at making a possible addition to their backcourt.

The Heat have been in contact with Chicago Bulls free agent point guard John Lucas III, sources told ESPN.com.

Lucas averaged 7.5 points and 2.2 assists in 49 games with the Bulls last season including a 24-point game against the Heat in March in a Bulls victory. It was the best season of his winding career that's taken him in and out of the NBA dating back to 2005.


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