Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com hears more and more that the Maloof brothers could keep the Kings rather than sell the team to the Sacramento-led group if the NBA declines the Seattle bid, adding that it's not a total longshot at this point. Howard-Cooper also says that whether the possibility could drag on into this summer or next season, the Maloofs may step back and re-assess their options (All Twitter links).  Interestingly enough, Aaron Bruski of USA Today tweeted that league sources "have maintained without any equivocation that the Maloofs will not own an NBA franchise next season." 

We've got more to share out of the Western Conference tonight:

• Howard-Cooper reiterates that he's not saying the above scenario will happen, but it's still a possibility. He also clarifies that the Maloofs keeping the Kings would be a way for them to start a bidding war and evaluate at the type of offers they can receive (Twitter links).
• Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle says that Brandon Rush plans to do some light running and jumping in three weeks, and that the Warriors guard/forward should be ready by the start of the 2013-14 training camp (Twitter links).
• Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld tweets that he thinks Mike D'Antoni's job is safe for next season at least, being that the Lakers coach is still owed a lot of money and hasn't had a healthy roster. 
• Ray Richardson of the Pioneer Press writes that Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman has a tough challenge of trying to evaluate upcoming free agents Mickael Gelabale and Chris Johnson without enough playing time to find for them. 

The Lakers announced yesterday that Metta World Peace underwent successful surgery on his left knee to repair a torn meniscus, and will miss six weeks. Whether or not the Lakers make the playoffs, World Peace's season could be over, and Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News wondered yesterday if the veteran forward has played his last game as a Laker.

World Peace isn't necessarily in the final year of his contract, since he has a player option for next season. However, if he exercises that option, he becomes a prime candidate to be amnestied. If he declines the option, he'll hit unrestricted free agency. Either way, the man formerly known as Ron Artest may sign a new contract before he plays in his next NBA game.

A number of players are in the same situation as World Peace, with potential free agency looming and an injury keeping them off the court. Here are a few guys who we may not see play for their current teams again, and whose free agent stocks could be affected by their current injuries:

• Leandro Barbosa (Wizards): If you'd forgotten Barbosa was on the Wizards' roster, you're probably not alone. Acquired for salary purposes in the deal that sent Jordan Crawford to Boston, Barbosa is on an expiring minimum-salary contract, and his ACL/MCL injury may hurt his chances of signing another deal this offseason. Having suffered the season-ending injury in February, he probably won't be healthy in time for fall camps.
• Rodrigue Beaubois (Mavericks): Eligible for restricted free agency this summer, Beaubois underwent surgery on his hand last week, and is unlikely to return this season. I doubt the Mavs will make him a qualifying offer, and there's a good chance he doesn't return to Dallas.
• Andrew Bynum (76ers): As well-documented as any non-Derrick Rose injury this season, Bynum's ongoing knee troubles will certainly hurt his earning potential in free agency this summer, and may also ensure he never plays a game with the Sixers.
• Richard Hamilton (Bulls): While Hamilton remains optimistic that he'll play again this season, his ongoing health problems will likely lead the Bulls to part ways with him this summer. Hamilton's $5MM salary for 2013/14 is partially guaranteed, so he figures to receive a $1MM buyout and hit the free agent market.
• Sasha Pavlovic (Trail Blazers): Pavlovic's quad injury has kept him out of action for more than a month, but even if he were healthy, he doesn't appear to be part of the Trail Blazers' plans. Although he's under contract for two more seasons, both years are non-guaranteed, so he may find himself seeking a new deal this July.
• A.J. Price (Wizards): Price earned 22 starts this season for the Wizards, so perhaps the team will have interest in bringing him back next year. He's eager to return to the court to try to improve his free agent stock, but for now, groin issues are keeping him out indefinitely.
• Brandon Roy (Timberwolves): All the time Roy has missed this season with knee problems ensured that the second year of his contract with the Timberwolves became non-guaranteed, and there's virtually no chance the Wolves will retain him and his $5.33MM salary. If Roy is forced to call it a career at season's end, it would be an unfortunate way for him to go out, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's where we're headed.
• Brandon Rush (Warriors): After going down during the season's first week, Rush underwent knee surgery in January that ended his year. Fortunately for him, he's got a $4MM player option for 2013/14, so he figures to be returning to the Warriors rather than looking for work next year.
• Jason Smith (Hornets): Out for the season with a torn labrum, Smith, like Hamilton, has a partially guaranteed contract for 2013/14. The price to keep him wouldn't be exorbitant - $1MM of his $2.5MM salary is guaranteed - so we'll have to wait and see what the Hornets decide.
• Kurt Thomas and Rasheed Wallace (Knicks): A pair of aging Knicks bigs on expiring contracts, it would be a little surprising to see both Thomas and Wallace playing in the NBA next year, even if they return in the playoffs. Even if Thomas and Wallace wanted to extend their playing careers, their latest foot issues would raise red flags for any interested teams.
• Elliot Williams (Trail Blazers): Unlike some other players on this list, Williams is no lock to receive an NBA contract, especially if he can't show that he's healthy before the fall. That's probably why, even after surgery on his achilles, he talked about wanting to return to the court in '12/13 and auditioning in the Summer League.

Among the highlights on tonight's NBA schedule: A pair of Western Conference showdowns, as the Spurs host the Grizzlies and the Thunder look to extend their Conference lead with a win against the Nuggets. While we wait for those games to get underway, here are a few links from around the West:

• Corey Brewer tells Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (Sulia link) that he'd like to re-sign with the Nuggets in July when his contract expires. "Yeah, I’d like to be here," Brewer said. "I like the fans, I like the city, I like the system, I like George Karl’s system, I like my teammates. So it’s a good situation for me."
• Given the Suns' current record and place in the standings, coach Alvin Gentry acknowledges that it may be time to look to the future and give his younger players more minutes, as Bob Young of USA Today writes.
• Eric Bledsoe wants to be a starting point guard in the NBA at some point, but for now he's happy to learn from Chris Paul and Chauncey Billups on the Clippers, says Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times.
• Agent Mark Bartelstein tells Ken Berger of CBS Sports that his client Brandon Rush underwent successful knee surgery today and is expected to make a full recovery (Twitter links).. With his health not a given this summer, I'd imagine Rush will exercise his $4MM player option for 2013/14 and remain with the Warriors.
• Mavericks guard Mike James spoke to Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram about the challenge of making an impression while playing on a 10-day contract.
• Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld recognized the Trail Blazers multiple times in his picks for the NBA's best offseason moves, giving Portland the nod for best first-round pick (Damian Lillard) and best coaching hire (Terry Stotts).

Happy Thanksgiving to our American readers! There may be no NBA games scheduled for tonight, but that doesn't mean our coverage will take a break, so thanks for reading. Here are a few odds and ends from a quiet Thursday in the NBA:

• Brandon Rush, who tore his ACL and MCL in the season's second game and figures to undergo surgery in December, spoke to Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times about the injury and his player option for next season. "I was just trying to play the season out first," Rush said. "If we were going to win and make it to the playoffs, that was going to help out a lot during free agency next year -- if I was to decline the option."
• Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld checks in on the salary cap situations for each of the NBA's 30 teams.
• After a year in which he underwent successful heart surgery and later signed a lucrative four-year deal with the Celtics, Jeff Green is "thankful for everything," as he tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com.
• Joe Kotoch of Sheridan Hoops submits his early choices for 2013's top 10 draft prospects, with UCLA's Shabazz Muhammad leading the way.

At 2-1, the Warriors have started off what  many believe to be a promising season on the right foot, despite losing Brandon Rush to a torn ACL on Friday night.  Because it is so early in the season, the Warriors have the good fortune of having some options if they want to replace him, writes Matt Steinmetz of CSN Bay Area. 

One reason they may not need personnel reinforcements has the been the surprising play of Carl Landry, who has provided scoring (20 points per game) and toughness off the bench in the team's first three games, writes Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. 

Let's take a look at what else is going on in the NBA on the first Sunday night of November:

• As the veteran core of the Spurs ages, the roles of Danny Green and Kawhi Leonard will continue to grow.  Mike Monroe of Spurs Nation writes that right now, Greg Popovich has told the two youngsters to "bring the energy."
• Couper Moorhead of Heat.com provides a detailed analysis of the developing offensive dynamic between Ray Allen and LeBron James.  Between James' ability to score efficiently at the hoops and Allen's lethal stroke from the corner, defenses are forced to make an impossible decision against the Heat, Moorhead says. 
• The staff of writers at HoopsWorld goes around the horn to discuss which player was the most underrated offseason acquisition.  The results: Jamal Crawford, Jason Terry, Carl Landry, Antawn Jamison, Andrei Kirilenko, O.J. Mayo, Gerald Green and Nikola Vucevic. 
• Jonny Flynn, waived by Pistons in October, has agreed to sign with the Melbourne Tigers, an Australian team, says Daniel Eade of the Back Page Lead.  The contract with the Tigers is reported to have an out clause should Flynn get an NBA offer. 

The early signs didn't appear positive after Brandon Rush suffered a gruesome injury last night, as Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group writes, and agent Mark Bartelstein confirmed the bad news, passing along word that Rush tore his ACL, tweets Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chroncle. Missing a significant amount of time figures to disrupt Rush's plan to decline the $4MM option on the last year of his contract next summer. Rush was set on continuing his impressive play from last season and parlaying it into a longer, more lucrative contract in 2013, Thompson reveals. There's more on what the next step could be for the Golden State, as well as other notes out of the Pacific this afternoon.

• The torn left ACL will keep Rush out for the season, according to Simmons, who suggests Josh Howard, Mickael Pietrus and Maurice Evans as possible replacements.

Earlier updates: 

• The Warriors could request a $2MM disabled player exception if Rush is ruled out for the rest of the season, but fellow Bay Area News Group scribe Tim Kawakami points out the Warriors may pass on that option, since they're already above the luxury tax threshold (Twitter link).
• It might be premature to suggest Mike Brown is on his way out of the Lakers coaching job, but Zach Harper of CBSSports.com notices that Brown is already showing signs of desperation.
• Former Lakers guard Andrew Goudelock was taken second in last night's D-League draft, after JaJuan Johnson, but Ridiculous Upside's Gino Pilato, in handing out draft grades for every D-League team, calls him "the best recent former NBA talent" in the draft. 
• Suns rookie point guard Kendall Marshall doesn't figure to see much playing time, and with practice time much less plentiful in the regular season than it was in training camp, he and assistant coach Lindsey Hunter are fitting in some one-on-one instruction, as Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic documents.
• Harper argues that while Clippers offer plenty of flash, their retooled offseason roster still has too many holes.

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.

Warriors general manager Bob Myers spoke today about several different issues regarding how his team's fared this offseason, and what the expectations are for next year, writes CSNBayArea.com.

On the re-signing of Brandon Rush: Obviously he had  a great year shooting the basketball. It also gives us some continuity. There are some new players on the team. Bringing Brandon back—as a player who has been with our coaching staff and some of our other players was important.

On the signing of Carl Landry: We just think he’ll help our core group, and we’re thrilled to have him on our team. It’s nice see a player come to our team and not feel like we had to go crazy financially to get him. So we’re hopefully turning the corner to the playoffs—to where people want to play for us because they think we have a chance to win.

Myers went on to say that promising a playoff berth would be "counterintuitive", and that his team has made moves to improve the roster since last year's trading deadline. 

5:10pm: The Warriors confirmed the signing on their website. The Bucks were closer to signing him than the Wolves or Lakers, Rush said, as Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets.

WEDNESDAY, 5:05pm: Rush tweeted that he "just signed on the dotted line," presumably meaning the deal is official (hat tip to Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group).

TUESDAY, 11:56am: The Warriors and Brandon Rush have agreed to terms on a new contract for the restricted free agent, according to agent Mark Bartelstein. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com was among the handful of reporters to tweet news of the agreement.

Berger adds (via Twitter) that the deal is for two years and $8MM, with a player option on the second year. Based on the reported salaries, it sounds as if the contract is identical to the one Carl Landry and the Warriors agreed to yesterday.

The move caps a busy couple days for the Warriors, in which the team not only retained Rush and added Landry, but also agreed to sign second-round pick Draymond Green to a multiyear contract. The team is likely done making moves this offseason, with the recent signings bringing them either very close to the luxury tax threshold or slightly over it. As Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link) notes though, if the clubs is concerned about being a taxpayer, there will be plenty of time between now and season's end to sneak under the tax line.

The Lakers, Raptors, and Timberwolves were among the teams linked to Rush at various times this offseason. However, a return to Golden State was always expected, after GM Bob Myers emphatically stated that the Warriors intended to match any offer sheet the 27-year-old signed. Steinmetz first reported yesterday that the two sides were closing in on an agreement.

2:57pm: Bartelstein tells Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle that deals for Rush and Landry could be finalized "within the next day or two" (Twitter link).

2:24pm: The Warriors are closing in on deals with restricted free agent Brandon Rush and unrestricted free agent Carl Landry, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com. Rush and Landry, who are both represented by Bartelstein, could each agree to deals with Golden State by the end of the day, according to Steinmetz.

Landry has been the Warriors' top target for the last couple weeks, as the team looks to add a power forward to its rotation. The former Hornet is arguably the top free agent remaining on the market, but it was unclear whether Golden State had the financial flexibility to make him a competitive offer. SI.com's Zach Lowe tweeted earlier today that the Warriors seem unlikely to be able to sign both Landry and Rush without surpassing the luxury tax threshold.

As for Rush, he has received a little interest from rival teams, including the Lakers, but with the Warriors expected to match any reasonable offer sheet, it seems as if clubs have shied away from formally extending an offer. Bartelstein suggests Rush will simply re-sign with the Warriors rather than signing an offer sheet -- in that case, the 27-year-old could either sign his qualifying offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer, or work out a multiyear agreement with the team.

If the Warriors are able to finalize deals with Landry and Rush, the team probably won't retain free agent forward Dominic McGuire, says Steinmetz.