The last time the Pistons earned a trip to the postseason was in 2008-09, when they drew the first-seeded Cavaliers led by LeBron James and were subsequently swept. Of the 12 active players on Detroit's playoff roster that year, only three remain today - Will Bynum, Jason Maxiell, and Rodney Stuckey. While Stuckey has a partially guaranteed contract in 2013-14, Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News says that "nobody would be surprised" if the 6'5 guard is traded before next season, particularly before the draft in June. Here's more of this evening's miscellaneous links:

• Lakers big man Pau Gasol encountered some soreness in his foot after participating in a game of two-on-two at the team's practice facility today, writes Mike Bresnahan of the LA Times. The cause and extent of the of the soreness weren't clear, and he plans to visit a foot specialist on Sunday.  
• In the above piece, Goodwill adds that Greg Monroe, who is set to become a restricted free agent after next year, remains confident that GM Joe Dumars is capable of turning the struggling team around.
• The Cavaliers have no plans of bringing Milan Macvan - their 2011 second round draft choice - on board anytime soon, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer. The 23-year-old Serbian big man is currently playing for Galatasaray in Turkey.
• HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy provides a list of D-Leaguers at every position who could be in line for a callup, with eight D-League players having already inked with NBA teams in March (Sulia link).
• One scout tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio that this year's NCAA tourney will have a major impact on determining the order of the players selected in June. Citing how weak he believes the upcoming draft class is, the scout also tells Amico that a star from a small school could wind up being selected in the lottery again, the same way Damian Lillard emerged out of Weber State last year. 
• John Rohde of The Oklahoman takes a look at some of the players the Thunder could get with the lottery pick they're expected to receive from the Raptors this year.
• The team that wins the Las Vegas Summer League, which is reportedly switching to a tournament style format this year, will have the cost of its additional tournament games reimbursed by the league, sources tell Ric Bucher of CSNBayArea.com. 

Chuck Myron contributed to this post. 

As a third-year player, Greg Monroe will be entering the final season of his rookie contract in July, making him eligible to sign a long-term extension with the Pistons. However, agent David Falk tells Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News that his client will likely hit restricted free agency the following summer rather than re-upping with the Pistons in the offseason.

"Greg isn't gonna go backwards between his third and fourth year," Falk said. "I don't think I've ever done an extension after a third year. In the '90s you maxed out a guy after his second, but the [CBA] rules are different now."

We saw eight rookie-scale extensions signed during the 2012 offseason, so there are certainly players and agents whose opinions differ from Falk's. Financial security and the risk of injury are a couple reasons why someone might choose to extend early, though as Eric Gordon showed last summer, even an injury-plagued fourth season may not hurt a player's earning potential. Another Falk client, Roy Hibbert, was among the players who turned down a lucrative rookie-scale extension and landed a max deal in free agency.

"What incentive does a player have to do an extension after his third year? For me personally, it's difficult to do that," Falk said. "[Former Pacers president] Larry [Bird] offered a significant extension [to Hibbert]. The structure of the CBA, for me, I can't speak for others, I question why that makes sense."

Monroe, 22, will make $4.09MM next season, then will likely receive a one-year qualifying offer from the Pistons, making him a restricted free agent in 2014. At that point, other teams will receive the opportunity to sign him to an offer sheet for up to four years, which the Pistons would have three days to match. Detroit could also negotiate directly with Monroe, offering him a deal for up to five years.

The latest news and notes on the Detroit Pistons on Sunday afternoon:

• Rodney Stuckey is frustrated by his inconsistent play this season, writes Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News.
• David Mayo of MLive.com writes that Andre Drummond is not angry over his limited minutes, saying that he trusts Lawrence Frank.
• Mayo writes in another column that Drummond and Greg Monroe will play together when Monroe matures as a player.

The only game involving a Central Division team tonight features two clubs that have been linked in trade rumors of late, as the Pistons play host to the Kings. Detroit has drawn mention as a possible landing spot for DeMarcus Cousins, but there's been some doubt about whether GM Joe Dumars would pull the trigger on such a deal. We've got more on that and other news from the Central right here:

• The Pistons consider Andre Drummond "untouchable" and view Greg Monroe almost as highly, notes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press, writing for USA Today. Ellis, who thinks the Kings "would be laughed out of the league" if they traded Cousins to Detroit without getting either Drummond or Monroe in return, hears from Pistons officials who confirmed the team has changed its stance on Cousins since 2010, when Detroit tried to move up in the draft to acquire him.
• Even if such a deal isn't going to happen, Cousins doesn't mind his name coming up in the same breath Monroe's, as Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News reveals via Twitter. "I don't like being compared to anybody but it's no disrespect being compared to Greg," Cousins said. "Very underrated player."
• Shaun Livingston wasn't caught off guard when the Cavs claimed him off waivers on Christmas, and now that he has a couple of practices under his belt, coach Byron Scott is ready to insert him into the rotation, as Bob Finnan of The News-Herald details. "I know (coach) Byron (Scott) has been interested in me for the last couple years," Livingston said. When they called, I wasn't totally shocked."

The Pistons reportedly have plenty of interest in DeMarcus Cousins, but Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News believes GM Joe Dumars has cooled on Cousins as Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond have developed (Twitter link). In another tweet, Goodwill asserts that Detroit won't be dealing any picks and thinks that the Celtics could offer Rajon Rondo in what would be the most attractive trade package for Sacramento. With that aside, here are a few more links we've gathered up out of the Eastern Conference tonight:

• Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun believes the Raptors would have to bite if the Kings offered Cousins for Andrea Bargnani, but he's not optimistic Cousins can overcome his volatile personality (Twitter links).
• Tim Bontemps of the New York Post dissects Mikhail Prokhorov's remarks to reporters on Friday, concluding that the Nets owner is sold on Phil Jackson and would entertain keeping P.J. Carlesimo for the rest of the season if he can't get the Zen Master of Jeff Van Gundy immediately. 
• Roy Hibbert got off to a disconcerting start this season after signing a four-year deal for the maximum in the offseason, but his play has picked up of late, as HoopsWorld's Joel Brigham chronicles. 
• Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel believes the Magic, at 12-16, have little chance of landing a high lottery pick, and writes that the team should set its sights on making the playoffs instead. Schmitz also speculates that Stan Van Gundy's next coaching job will be on the West Coast, and doesn't foresee Phil Jackson taking the Nets job.
• In a Q&A with The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer, Cavaliers guard Shaun Livingston discusses the career-altering injury he suffered six years ago, being cut by the Rockets, and playing alongside Kyrie Irving. 

In addition to making a pair of roster cuts earlier today, the Pistons have also exercised two team options on players for 2013/14. Keith Langlois of Pistons.com reports (via Twitter) that Detroit has picked up Brandon Knight's third-year option and Greg Monroe's fourth-year option.

Knight, who is earning about $2.68MM in 2012/13, his sophomore year, is now set to earn a guaranteed $2.79MM in 2013/14, while Monroe will receive a guaranteed $4.09MM in '13/14. The Pistons will have an additional year of control on Knight, who is eligible for restricted free agency in the summer of 2015. Monroe, however, will become a restricted free agent in 2014 if he's not extended by Detroit next summer.

To follow all this offseason's decisions on 2013/14 rookie contract options, be sure to check out our tracker, which we'll keep updated as teams officially announce their moves.

Let's round up a few items of note from around the league on a Wednesday afternoon:

• Denver GM Masai Ujiri told KKFN in Denver (link via Sports Radio Interviews) that the Nuggets always had interest in Andre Iguodala and "kept poking" at the Magic's three-way Dwight Howard talks until they figured out a way to get involved and acquire him.
• Former NBA coach Don Nelson isn't interested in returning to a team's bench, even if someone calls, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. Stan Van Gundy, meanwhile, recently said he still has the itch to coach, but has to weigh that desire against family considerations (link via Sports Radio Interviews).
• In an Insider piece for ESPN.com, Chad Ford and John Hollinger share their Future Power Rankings, from the Heat at No. 1 to the Bobcats at No. 30.
• Having added two centers this summer, the Pistons may ask Greg Monroe to play at power forward, and the big man tells Keith Langlois of Pistons.com he's ready for it.
• Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com examines what all the offseason additions mean for the Mavericks' rotation.

• HoopsWorld conducted interviews with draft prospects Kyle O'Quinn and Ashton Gibbs at Impact Basketball in Las Vegas. O'Quinn says that he'd like to immediately model his game after Kenneth Faried and Serge Ibaka and eventually develop into a LaMarcus Aldridge type of player. Gibbs talked about what he's currently trying to improve and how not being invited to the NBA Draft combine will motivate him to work harder and prove himself. 
• Andy Kamenetzky of ESPN LA explains the C+ he gave Josh McRoberts for his 2011/12 report card. 
• Jerome Solomon of UltimateRockets elaborates on the tough task that Rockets GM Daryl Morey has for this upcoming offseason, including the need to address Kyle Lowry's unhappiness with head coach Kevin McHale and the impending free agency of Goran Dragic. 
• Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel reviews the draft record of  Bucks GM John Hammond. Although Joe Alexander was not a successful pick, Hammond was able to come away with Brandon Jennings, Luc Mbah a Moute, and Larry Sanders to name a few. 
• Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer provides an explanation of the Bobcats' position heading into Wednesday's draft lottery. Because Charlotte finished with the league's worst record, they have the best chance at the number one pick and will not fall lower than the fourth pick. 
• Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News writes that Rodney Stuckey and Greg Monroe's development could hold the keys in eventually elevating the Pistons into contender status.
• Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer writes that the Cavaliers must try to follow the Spurs and Thunder's blueprint of success.  

Udonis Haslem will sit out Game 6 of the Heat/Pacers series tonight, serving a one-game suspension for his flagrant foul in Game 5. But Haslem and agent Henry Thomas intend to appeal the suspension nonetheless, hoping to regain the $35K the Heat forward will lose.

"We'll file an appeal to the union," Thomas told Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. "This is a guy who has been in the league for nine years and he doesn't have the reputation of being a dirty player. He's a hard-nosed player. But he's not dirty, and he doesn't want this to follow him around. … He's disappointed (with the suspension). He feels he tried to make a play on the ball."

As Haslem waits for his appeal to be heard, here are a few more Thursday notes from around the NBA:

• If Dwight Howard is available this summer, the Rockets are one team who might be willing to trade for him without assurances he'd re-sign, according to Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. I wrote earlier today that acquiring a star will be the Rockets' primary goal this offseason, and even coming off back surgery, Howard would certainly qualify.
• The Wizards have yet to make a decision on coach Randy Wittman, but sources suggest to Michael Lee of the Washington Post that Wittman is a good bet to return to Washington.
• Appearing on Colin Cowherd's radio show, Jerry West weighed in on the state of the Lakers, and Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com has the details.
• One NBA GM told Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider link) that Dion Waiters might be the player besides Anthony Davis with the most superstar potential in this year's draft class.
• Members of the Pistons' staff were upset that Greg Monroe wasn't named to this summer's U.S. Select Team, writes Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
• Tom Ziller of SBNation.com explains why it will be difficult for the Mavericks to trade Lamar Odom next month.

12:35pm: Anderson has officially been named the league's Most Improved Player. Ersan Ilyasova was the runner-up, with Nikola Pekovic, Greg Monroe, and Andrew Bynum rounding out the top five. Jeremy Lin finished sixth.

8:46am: The Magic have announced a press conference for 12:30pm CT today, and Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel tweets that the team and league will announce an award winner at that time: Ryan Anderson will be named the NBA's Most Improved Player.

After averaging 8.6 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest in 193 games over his first three years in the league, the Magic forward broke out this season, increasing his averages to 16.1 PPG and 7.7 RPG. While an increase in minutes, from 22.3 MPG in 2010/11 to 32.2 MPG in 2011/12, played a part in his increased production, Anderson also set career highs in rate stats like FG% (.439), 3PT% (.393), FT% (.877), and PER (21.2).

Ersan Ilyasova, Jeremy Lin, Goran Dragic, and Nikola Pekovic were among the other players expected to be in the running for the award.