A roundup of the latest news and notes from around the NBA on Tuesday evening:

• Mike Krzyzewski has issued a statement refuting recent reports that he will return as head coach of Team USA, reiterating that he intends to stay retired (Reuters report via the New York Times).
• Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes that the Mavericks should be an attractive free-agent destination for Dwight Howard this summer.
• Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld is impressed with Maurice Harkless' recent play as he has been given a greater opportunity for minutes on the rebuilding Magic.
• Sean Deveney of the Sporting News ranks the best rookies of this season, headlined by Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard.
• Erik Gundersen of TrailBlazers.com chronicles the relationship between Trail Blazers guards Wesley Matthews and Eric Maynor, dating back to their rookie season together in Utah.
• Amir Johnson praises Cavs big man Tristan Thompson to Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun.
• Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com wonders whether the Celtics could have traded for Marcus Morris from the Rockets.

With only two games on the NBA slate tonight, here are the latest news and notes from around the league on Thursday evening:

• Mark Deeks of the The Basketball Jones compiles an extensive list of former NBA players who may rejoin the league soon.  We learned that one player on that list, Mike James, joined the D-League's Texas Legends earlier today.  Teams can begin to sign players to 10-day deals on Monday.
• In his NBA PM update, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld says that Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard, the consensus front runners for Rookie of the Year, were nearly teammates in New Orleans.  Kennedy writes that the Hornets had targeted Lillard before his meteoric rise up draft boards, but were happy to land Austin Rivers as a consolation prize once they realized Lillard wouldn't fall to them.
• Within the same update, Kennedy echoes what we've heard from many analysts regarding the Nets' coaching job.  He asserts that if the team wants to lure a big-name coach to Brooklyn, they will likely have to wait until the offseason to do it. The coaching fraternity is very close-knit, Kennedy says, and when you factor in that a brand new coach would have limited opportunity to shape his staff and team, it's no surprise that guys like Jeff Van Gundy and Phil Jackson have stayed away. 

Sam Amick of USA Today has posted a new notebook column covering a variety of topics of interest from around the NBA. Among the subjects touched on are the progress of several Western Conference teams and an update on the Rookie of the Year and MVP races.

• Amick is buying the Clippers as a contender, and points out that head coach Vinny Del Negro is making a strong case for himself as deserving of a contract extension. Del Negro appears to have the support of Clippers owner Donald Sterling as the team's long-term head coach.
• Following a slow start to the season, the Nuggets are starting to improve following high expectations in the preseason, Amick writes.
• Amick catches up with top overall pick Anthony Davis, who says that he is 100 percent healthy following missing several weeks with an ankle injury.
• Amick writes that the latest slate of injuries have been a mixed blessing for the Raptors as they attempt to move certain players. Andrea Bargnani has sunk his value on the market by being sidelined with a torn elbow ligament, while Jose Calderon has raised his by doing an excellent job filling in for the injured Kyle Lowry.
• Michael Beasley has seen his role diminish with the struggling Suns since signing a three-year, $18MM contract this summer, Amick writes.

Mavericks beat writer Eddie Sefko, from the Dallas Morning News, answered questions today in a chat.  Among the topics Sefko touches on: why O.J. Mayo may not be in Dallas long, why the Mavs must build through free agency, why Tyreke Evans would be a good fit in Dallas and what the Mavs offseason looks like.  The Mavs host the 76ers tonight, and the Spurs and Hornets are also in action.  Here are some other things going on in the Southwest division:

• While the proper fit of teammates and system in New York has helped Raymond Felton thrive with the Knicks, the same can't be said for Jeremy Lin with the Rockets, observes Beckley Mason of The New York Times, who wonders if Lin might perform better as a bench player for Houston.
• Hornets rookie Anthony Davis, still working his way back to health, is content coming off the bench while his ankle gets stronger writes John Reid of the Times Picayune.  The Hornets are on an 11-game losing streak, 4 of which have seen Davis out of the starting lineup. 
• Gina Pilato of Ridiculous Upside writes that the Grizzlies are looking for Josh Selby to recapture the form that made him the NBA's Summer League Co-MVP by sending him back to the D-League.  Chris Wallace announced today that Selby will return to Memphis after two games in Reno. 

There's only one game on the Western Conference schedule tonight, so as we wait for the Mavericks and Suns to tip off in Phoenix, let's round up a few notes out of the West....

• Tyreke Evans' play of late shows why he could either be an integral part of the Kings' rebuild or a valuable trade chip later in the season, writes Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
• The Timberwolves are finding success with bringing in international players from overseas, as an Associated Press report details (link via NBA.com). "To me, it's just a natural extension of scouting," said team president David Kahn. "Just as you can't afford to be negligent about the domestic side, you can't afford to not be on top of matters internationally."
• Andrew Perna of RealGM.com spoke to Derrick Williams about trying to live up to the expectations of being a second overall pick.
• In an Insider-only piece, ESPN.com's John Hollinger takes a look at some long-term deals signed this summer that have been money well spent so far. Ryan Anderson, Omer Asik, and Alexey Shved are among the names on Hollinger's list.
• Anthony Davis tells Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld that he's looking forward to a bright long-term future with the Hornets.

John Reid of the Times-Picayune reports that Anthony Davis is expected to be out at least another week after suffering a stress reaction in his left ankle on November 17. Hornets coach Monty Williams addressed Davis' current status to reporters:

"If I have to guess, I think he’s a week away from us thinking about him ramping up his conditioning; let alone playing,'' Williams said. "So I just think it's still far off.''

Davis, the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA Draft, has appeared in just six games this season for the Hornets after suffering a concussion earlier in the season before this ankle injury. He is averaging 16.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 2.2 BPG this season.

The Rockets announced that coach Kevin McHale's daughter Sasha died Saturday afternoon, and Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reports the 23-year-old had recently been hospitalized with a condition related to lupus, a disease she had long battled. Assistant coach Kelvin Sampson has been in charge of the team since McHale took a leave of absence on November 10th to tend to his daughter. The news is especially jarring, considering Sampson indicated a few days ago that the situation was improving. Hoops Rumors sends its sincere condolences to the McHale family. Here's more from the Southwest Division.

• Anthony Davis could be out two more weeks while recovering from a stress reaction in his ankle, reports Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune.
• Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports hears Wizards point guard Shaun Livingston, who was in camp with the Rockets, often outplayed Jeremy Lin while in Houston, where several Rockets players and coaches tried to convince the front office not to let Livingston go.
• Mavs coach Rick Carlisle has shuttled offseason acquisitions Elton Brand and Chris Kaman in and out of the starting lineup, but neither player is pouting as they've put their trust in the coach, observes Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
• Paul Flannery of SB Nation examines the struggles of Hornets rookie Austin Rivers, and agrees with coach Monty Williams that it's too soon to judge this year's 10th overall pick.  
• Flannery also passes along Williams' praise of former Hornets power forward David West, who's playing improved ball for the Pacers, and points to the emergence of Marcus Morris for the Rockets this year as a sign the D-League's true value is in the seasoning and development it provides for NBA first-round picks. 

John Reid of the Times-Picayune reports that Anthony Davis has a stress reaction in his left ankle, and will sit out the Hornets' game against the Knicks tonight. He is listed as day-to-day going forward.

Davis, the top overall pick in the 2012 draft, has already missed time in his short NBA career with a concussion suffered at the beginning of November. He is averaging 16.0 PPG, 8.3 RPG, and 2.2 BPG this season.

With news of Steve Nash's leg fracture keeping him out for another week, Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles thinks that this will be a good opportunity for Darius Morris to prove himself, noting that that his potential is what helped the Lakers decide to keep him over recently-cut guard Andrew Goudelock. McMenamin also cited Mike Brown's postgame comments last night about Morris, who also appeared to be encouraged about the second year point guard's ability to change the tempo of the game and apply good defensive pressure (Sulia link). Here are more of this evening's links out of the Western Conference:

• Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram writes that Troy Murphy's familiarity with Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle's system made the 6'11 forward an ideal fit with the team. Although Murphy is not yet in 'great' shape, Price says that he will be expected to help stretch the floor with his shooting ability. 
• Darnell Mayberry of NewsOK shared a handful of notes from Thunder practice today, mentioning that Kendrick Perkins should be ready to play the Hawks on Sunday after spraining his ankle last night, discussing the growing confidence of Hasheem Thabeet amidst concerns about the team's depth at center, Serge Ibaka's early shooting struggles, and coach Scott Brooks' effort to get minutes for Jeremy Lamb, among other topics. 
• Nick Gallo of NBA.com looks at the Thunder's emphasis on protecting the paint this season and how center Hasheem Thabeet can be used effectively in that role against bigger lineups. 
• K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweeted that Hornets coach Monty Williams credits Knicks center Tyson Chandler for Anthony Davis' development during the London Olympics this past summer. Williams also weighed in on the league's concussion policy, addressing the notion that Davis could miss several games because of league protocol after suffering a mild concussion yesterday: "It's just that now you treat everybody like they have on white gloves and pink draws. It's just getting old, but it's just the way the league is now...I'm not saying I don't like it; we've got to protect our players...but as a coach I’m a baby about it. I want my guys ready to play.'' (John Reid of NOLA.com reports). 

A few injury notes from around the league on Friday night.

• Brandon Rush suffered what appears to be a serious knee injury in the first quarter of the Warriors' game against the Grizzlies.
• In his second game in the NBA, top overall pick Anthony Davis left with a possible concussion. He will be tested, and it's unclear whether he will miss games (AP link via ESPN.com).
• Magic forward Hedo Turkoglu broke his hand in the Magic's season-opening 102-89 win over the Nuggets. It would appear that rookie Moe Harkless, acquired in the Dwight Howard trade, will replace him in the rotation.