With just eight days until the NBA regular season officially gets underway in Cleveland, Miami, and Los Angeles, let's round up a few updates from around the league....

• While Taj Gibson is hoping to get a long-term extension worked out with the Bulls, he's preparing for any outcome, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com.
• Discussing his free agency with Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld, Andrei Kirilenko explained that a number of factors went into his decision to sign with the Timberwolves: "I’m not just looking at one thing. Here, I found that all the pieces fit together. The contract is great, don’t get me wrong, but the team has made a big improvement from last year, and you know it’s a team on the way up, not on the way down or stuck. They’re growing up."
• The Hawks aren't sure whether they'll keep 13, 14, or 15 players on their roster, as coach Larry Drew tells Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Of the team's 16 players currently under contract, Vivlamore suggests Anthony Tolliver, Damion James, and James Anderson are the three on non-guaranteed deals. Tolliver's contract was previously reported as being fully guaranteed, so it's unclear exactly what his situation is.
• Rockets GM Daryl Morey appeared on KBME in Houston and discussed offseason additions Carlos Delfino and Omer Asik, as Eric Schmoldt of Sports Radio Interviews documents.
• With Spurs coach Gregg Popovich having indicated that Eddy Curry and Derrick Brown are the frontrunners for the team's final roster spot, Dan McCarney of the San Antonio Express-News gives the edge to Curry.
• Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel isn't sure if there's a place for Joel Anthony on the Heat's current roster and wonders if a trade might make sense.

There are seven preseason games around the NBA tonight, and not one of them involves a team from the Southeast Division.  But that doesn't mean their aren't links coming surrounding the division that houses the current NBA champs.  Let's keep track of them here:

• Ramon Sessions talked with Marc J. Spears of Yahoo!, explaining why he decided to opt out of his contract with the Lakers to sign a 2-year deal with the Bobcats.  Sessions, who has bounced between teams throughout his career, was concerned that the Lakers may move him and was looking for some destination certainty, which he found in Charlotte. 
• Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says that should the Hawks stick to the 15 player roster limit, the last two spots will come down to James Anderson, Damion James and Anthony Tolliver.  Point guard Carldell Johnson is still with the club, but will almost definitely miss the cut.  Vivlamore adds that it is no guarantee the Hawks keep a roster of 15, but they need to get down to at least that by October 29.
• New Magic coach Jacque Vaughn says that, despite the loss of Dwight Howard, he intends to instill his own defensive philosophy this year which revolves around protecting the paint, says Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.  Robbins is skeptical is they have the personnel to do it, but Vaughn says, “The way we’re playing defensively is definitely geared toward the personnel that we have right now, for sure.  It is a team defense based around five guys being in the right position at the right time."
• Brian Schmitz of the Sentinel writes that the Magic have essentially had a superstar in 19 of 20 years of the franchise's existence if you don't count the first three.  Without Howard, Schmitz opines that the team's history tells us that it is only a matter of time before they find the next one.  The question is, how long can they keep him once he arrives, whoever he is.

As training camps are underway, injuries have begun to pop up throughout the league. Here are a few:

• Lakers forward Jordan Hill has a herniated disc in his back. He'll be re-evaluated later this week, according to a tweet from the Orange County Register's Kevin Ding. 
• New Raptors point guard Kyle Lowry will sit at least another week as he rehabilitates a strained abductor muscle in his left leg, writes The Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat.  
• After missing practice for the third straight day on Monday for personal reasons, Joakim Noah's status for the Bulls preseason game against Memphis is uncertain, writes ESPNChicago.com's Nick Friedell. 
• After having offseason surgery on his back, Heat forward Mike Miller expects to experience playing time issues throughout the season, writes the South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman. 
• Hawks big man Anthony Tolliver suffered a scratched cornea in his team's exhibition game on Sunday against the Heat, writes AJC.com's Chris Vivlamore. Tolliver expects to be out a few days. 

The Hawks have officially announced their training camp roster, and as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution writes, there are some new names on the list. In additions to signings we'd heard about before, such as James Anderson, Anthony Tolliver, and Damion James, the team has also added Keith Benson and Carldell Johnson to its camp roster.

Benson, 24, was the 48th overall pick in the 2011 draft, but didn't earn a spot on the Hawks' roster. The 6'11" big man ended up playing 20 games for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, averaging 15.2 PPG and 7.8 RPG, and also signed a 10-day contract with the Warriors late in the season. He appeared in just three games for Golden State, playing limited minutes.

Johnson, 29, has played over 200 D-League games for the Austin Toros since going undrafted in 2006. The 5'10" point guard known as Squeaky finally made his NBA debut last season for the Hornets, appearing in 15 contests for New Orleans.

Benson and Johnson both figure to be on non-guaranteed deals, and it's unlikely either player will end up on Atlanta's regular season roster. While the team does have at least one open roster spot, with 14 players on fully or partially guaranteed contracts, I'd expect Anderson and James to have a leg up on Benson and Johnson for that final spot.

After narrowing his free agent options down to three yesterday, Anthony Tolliver has eliminated two more teams from the running and made his choice. According to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (Twitter link), Tolliver will be signing with the Hawks.

Tolliver tells Tomasson that he'll ink a one-year deal worth the minimum salary (Twitter link). It's a pay cut for the 6'8" forward, who made over $2MM last season, but the contract will be guaranteed (Sulia link). Despite not landing the sort of salary he was seeking, the 27-year-old believes Atlanta is a good fit for him.

"I just thought it was the best situation for me," Tolliver said to Tomasson (Sulia link). "I just think they don’t have a lot of players like me. I think it’s a great opportunity."

Tolliver, 27, had a down year in Minnesota in 2011/12, but has shown promise in the past. His best season came in 2009/10, when he averaged 12.3 PPG and 7.3 RPG in 32.3 MPG in 44 contests for the Warriors.

By my count, Tolliver will be the 16th player under contract for the Hawks, though Damion James' and James Anderson's deals are non-guaranteed, leaving an opening for Tolliver to earn a roster spot.

2:28pm: Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 hears that Tolliver has reached an agreement with a team besides the T-Wolves (Twitter link). He expects official word soon.

2:03pm: Unrestricted free agent forward Anthony Tolliver has narrowed his list of potential destinations to three teams, tweets Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. According to Tomasson, the Hawks, Timberwolves, and Suns are still in the running for Tolliver, who expects to make a decision Tuesday or Wednesday.

Tolliver also confirmed Tomasson's report that Louis Amundson will sign with Minnesota, and acknowledged that Amundson's deal could affect the T-Wolves' offer. He added that all three offers he's considering are for one year and the minimum salary, which would be a step down from both his 2011/12 salary and his asking price.

"A lot of veterans are taking the minimum," Tolliver said. "That might be the new normal."

We heard last week that Greek team Panathinaikos had interest in Tolliver and that the 27-year-old was still considering playing overseas, but it appears he'll remain in the NBA for at least one more year. Tolliver has been linked to the Timberwolves for much of the offseason, and a late-August report cited mutual interest between Tolliver and the Hawks. The Suns are new to the mix, but make some sense as a suitor -- Phoenix still has about $8MM in cap space, and only 12 of its players are on fully guaranteed contracts. One of those 12, Channing Frye, may miss the entire 2012/13 season with a heart condition.

In 51 games last season for the Timberwolves, Tolliver averaged just 4.1 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 17.3 MPG, with an 8.3 PER. All those rates, among others, were his worst marks since his rookie season in San Antonio, when he appeared in just 19 games.

Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel checks in with several Bucks who are working out prior to the opening of training camp. Joining the workout are a few hopefuls who are auditioning for a formal invitation to camp, and that group includes Alando Tucker, the 29th overall pick in the 2007 draft, and Orien Greene, a four-year NBA vet who last played with the Nets in 2010/11. It's been a busy night as teams make their final moves before training camp, and we've got several more tidbits here:

• Chase Budinger might be new to Minnesota, but he's no stranger to the Wolves coaching staff, having played under coach Rick Adelman and some of his assistants while they were together with the Rockets, Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune writes.
• In the same piece, Zgoda adds Anthony Tolliver to the list of players whose agents remain in contact with Wolves GM David Kahn. Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 reported earlier that Kahn was talking to the representatives of Hassan Whiteside and Sean Williams.  
• Hakeem Olajuwon has worked with several NBA players, but none have spent more time under his tutelage than JaVale McGee, who re-signed with the Nuggets this summer on a four-year, $44MM deal, as Chris Broussard of ESPN.com writes (Insider only).
• Brian Cook, who re-signed with the Wizards today, was initially apprehensive about getting sent to Washington from the playoff-bound Clippers in a deadline deal last season, but was quickly sold on the move when he realized his new teammates wanted to win, as Michael Lee of The Washington Post notes. 
• Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside looks at Josh Akognon's circuitous journey to Mavericks training camp. The 5'11" point guard is set to join the Mavs, likely on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal.
• Mark Montieth of Pacers.com examines the basketball roots of Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard, an Indiana native who played under former Pacers coach Larry Brown in college.
• Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel gives his take on the alliance of Stan Van Gundy and Dwight Howard, who are supporting the same local political issue in Orlando months after their acrimonious departures from the Magic.
• The company that owns the Staples Center, home of the Lakers and Clippers, is up for sale, as Walter Hamilton of the Los Angeles Times writes.

As Anthony Tolliver continues to look for a job for the coming season, it appears his potential landing spots extend beyond the NBA. According to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (via Twitter), Tolliver doesn't necessarily have plans to play overseas, but says it's an option while he continues to talk to NBA teams. A report out of Greece today suggested that Greek team Panathinaikos is targeting Tolliver (Twitter link).

After a down year with the Timberwolves, Tolliver hasn't drawn a ton of interest on the free agent market. The Hawks, Bulls, Wizards, Pacers, and T-Wolves were said earlier this month to be in play for Tolliver, but many of those teams could only offer minimum-salary deals. At this point, the 27-year-old appears unlikely to get any more than that.

As for Panathinaikos, the team reportedly had interest in Louis Amundson earlier in the offseason. Amundson also remains unsigned, though Panathinaikos agreed to terms with Hilton Armstrong in late August, so it's not clear how strong an interest the club has in additional frontcourt help.

Anthony Tolliver has been working out with several Timberwolves players, namely Brandon Roy and Chase Budinger (Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets). Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter) looks at it as a sign that Tolliver "badly" wants to remain in Minnesota next year. In another tweet, Zgoda caught Nikola Pekovic's thoughts regarding Ricky Rubio, saying that while the Spanish point guard looks good and hopes to be running again next week, he is still aiming for a return in December. We've had quite a bit of updates tonight, so be sure to check out the newest tidbits from around the league here..

• Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com tweets that Trail Blazers guard Elliot Williams is scheduled to undergo surgery on Friday to repair a ruptured achilles tendon. 
• Justin Verrier of ESPN talks about Chris Bosh's willingness to continue playing center after contributing to a successful title run at that position with the Heat.
• Free agent Maurice Evans remains confident in the leadership ability he can bring to a team, says Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Although a source suggested that the Wizards offered him a position in their front office, Evans says that he believes he still has value as a player. 
• ESPN's Chris Broussard writes that Hakeem Olajuwon is slated to visit with the Knicks for several days next week to continue working out with Amare Stoudemire in addition to helping Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, and Marcus Camby. On another matter, Tracy McGrady's health looked "good" during his workout with the team (Ian Begley of ESPN New York tweets).  
• According to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com, Dwight Howard's rehab is going well, although he won't be ready for the start of training camp or the start of pre-season. Earlier, Kevin Ding of The Orange County Register reported (via Twitter) that the Lakers were expected to make an announcement today regarding an update of Howard's recovery from back surgery.

• Timberwolves guard Brandon Roy says that he hasn't been experiencing any setbacks as he starts increasing the intensity of his workouts before training camp (NBA.com via the Associated Press). His teammate, Nikola Pekovic is said to have lost "seven or eight pounds" and is recovering well after undergoing a procedure in May to remove bone spurs in his ankle, writes Ray Richardson of TwinCities.com. 
• Jason Friedman of Rockets.com tweets that Jon Brockman suffered a right eye injury on Monday, according to an announcement by the Rockets today. While surgery is not required, there is currently no timetable for his return. 
• Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York (via Twitter) says that although Tracy McGrady's name has been linked to the Knicks, New York is still focused on adding a big man. He also mentions that Kenyon Martin, Louis Amundson, D.J. White, and Chris Andersen still remain unsigned. 
• Among the names that mostly appeared to be relevant during Brooklyn's pursuit of Dwight Howard was MarShon Brooks, who made a splash as a rookie on the Nets last season. Now ready to begin his sophomore campaign in Brooklyn, the 6'5'' guard out of Providence opened up about his experience in dealing with trade rumors as well as how he plans to adapt his scoring mentality in a rotation full of scorers (Roderick Boone of Newsday reports).
• According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio, many people within NBA circles believe that the Heat's big three of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh will eventually part ways after the 2014 season, listing Wade's age, injury history, and with free agency looming for LeBron that summer as some significant factors (Sulia link).
• Julie Copeland of the Santa Cruz Sentinel says that the Santa Cruz City Council has unanimously approved building permits for the Warriors facility, and that a funding vote is pending (Twitter link). 
• Jim Paschke of Bucks.com tweets that Scott Williams has accepted an assistant coaching position with the Idaho Stampede of the NBDL.

Based on recent reports, is seems as if the Timberwolves will add at least one more body to their frontcourt before training camp begins, and Mehmet Okur remains on the team's radar, according to Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 (Twitter link). However, the T-Wolves can still only offer a minimum-salary contract, so unless Okur will accept such a deal or GM David Kahn can clear cap space by making a trade, it's unlikely Okur ends up in Minnesota, says Wolfson.

While the Timberwolves could comfortably bring aboard a player on a minimum salary, many of the free agents they've been linked to are seeking larger deals. Whether this suggests Kahn is considering moving salary or that the club is hoping one of its targets eventually settles for the veteran's minimum is unclear. However, Joan Niesen of FOX Sports North tweets that Anthony Tolliver continues to check in with the T-Wolves as well, to see if the team can bring him back.

The Timberwolves used their cap space this summer to sign Andrei Kirilenko, Brandon Roy, and Alexey Shved, then used their $2.575MM room exception on Greg Stiemsma. Okur, meanwhile, is coming off a year in which he earned over $10MM, but only appeared in 17 games due to back issues  -- if he were to sign for the veteran's minimum of $1,351,181, it would be his lowest salary since he earned $1.1MM in 2003/04.