2:47pm: The Bucks have officially announced Hammond's extension through 2015/16, via a team release.

"John does a terrific job for our basketball team," said Bucks owner Herb Kohl. "He and his staff have assembled a roster of very talented players who are also very good people, which our fans appreciate and enjoy watching. John is highly respected by the players and among his peers and I’m happy he will continue to lead our basketball operations department."

2:11pm: Hammond's extension with the Bucks will be worth about $1.8MM per season, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).

1:34pm: Bucks general manager John Hammond and head coach Scott Skiles both entered the season on the last year of their respective deals, but while Skiles and the Bucks parted ways earlier this month, it seems Hammond will be sticking around long-term. Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (via Twitter) that the Bucks and Hammond have agreed to a three-year contract extension for the GM.

Hammond, who took over as the Bucks' general manager in April 2008, has been responsible for drafting Brandon Jennings and Larry Sanders, among others. He has also completed a number of trades over the last several years, including dealing Andrew Bogut to Golden State last March in a multiplayer deal that saw the Bucks land Monta Ellis. Hammond was named Executive of the Year in 2009/10, a season in which Milwaukee posted a 46-36 regular season record.

Around the time that Jim Boylan replaced Skiles as the Bucks' head coach, Gardner had reported that the team was in talks with Hammond about a possible extension.

News broke late last night that Scott Skiles and the Bucks have mutually agreed to part ways immediately, rather than Skiles coaching the last season of his contract with no intention of remaining in Milwaukee. The 16-16 Bucks are currently tied for a seventh seed in the Eastern Conference, so the task of keeping Milwaukee in the playoff picture will fall to Jim Boylan, who will coach the club for the rest of the season, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. Just before reports of Skiles' departure surfaced, Woelfel published a column that included a few other Bucks-related tidbits, so let's check out the highlights from that piece....

• General manager John Hammond confirmed that he's in talks with owner Herb Kohl about a contract extension, tweets Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Earlier updates:

• Chatter around the NBA suggesting that Bucks owner Kohl will sell the team has intensified recently, according to Woelfel. Former Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley was, and perhaps still is, considered the frontrunner to buy the franchise, while Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark L. Attanasio is also said to have interest.
• Kohl hasn't commented on a potential sale and has even said he'll be more involved with the team now that he's no longer a U.S. Senator in Wisconsin. However, at age 78, Kohl may be inclined to at least bring aboard a partner to whom he could eventually pass the torch, reports Woelfel.
• Monta Ellis figures to exercise the early termination option on his contract and become a free agent this July.
• There have been "rumblings" that general manager John Hammond could receive an extension, but Hammond declined to comment on whether he has discussed a new contract with the team.

Barring a drastic change of plans, it appears unlikely that Scott Skiles will return to Milwaukee next season to coach the Bucks, reports TNT's David Aldridge. While there's no animosity between the coach and the team, Skiles has informed the Bucks that he's not interested in a contract extension, and expects to be working elsewhere in 2013/14, according to Aldridge.

Skiles and general manager John Hammond are both in the final years of their respective contracts, though Aldridge says Hammond is more likely to remain in Milwaukee. According to Aldridge, Skiles has wondered about the team's direction, and whether it would be willing to rebuild through high draft picks or make an impact trade for a superstar-caliber player that could complement the current core.

The Bucks are open to having Skiles return and would be willing to discuss a deal if he has a change of heart, but haven't offered him an extension. Since taking over as the Bucks' head coach in 2008/09, Skiles has guided the team to a 162-182 record.

Mike D'Antoni was expected to make his debut as Lakers coach tonight, but his balky knee forced Bernie Bickerstaff to continue as interim coach for one more night. D'Antoni, who'll try to hit the sidelines again Tuesday, has told Bickerstaff he'll remain on the staff this season, notes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. D'Antoni did make one change to the coaching staff, however, bringing brother Dan D'Antoni aboard as expected, the team announced. Here's more from an eight-game day and night around the NBA.

• Knee trouble has kept Brandon Roy out for the past 10 days, and now he'll undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, reports Jason Quick of The Oregonian (Twitter links). Quick doesn't indicate how long he'll be continue to be out, but says he'll miss what would have been his return to Portland with the Wolves on Friday.
• The Mavs aren't interested in free agent point guard Derek Fisher, since owner Mark Cuban wants to see what the current roster can do, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. That means the team will continue to give backup minutes to Dominique Jones, whom the Mavs twice sought to trade earlier this season.
• Larry Coon of HoopsWorld won't rule out a Pau Gasol trade, but doesn't think the Lakers are likely to pull the trigger (Twitter link).
• "Everyone agreed" the Bucks needed a fast start with GM John Hammond and coach Scott Skiles in the final year of their respective deals, according to Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and at 6-2, the team has delivered. 
• Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star calls out Roy Hibbert for his struggles this season, just months after the big man signed a four-year, $58MM deal.
• Before Damian Lillard came into the league, he watched a lot of video of fellow point guard Derrick Rose and picked up a few of the former MVP's habits, observes Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com.  

Multiple reports have indicated Lou Williams will be opting out of the final year of his contract with the 76ers, though not necessarily to leave Philadelphia. Williams himself seemed to be laying the groundwork for such a decision yesterday, tweeting "Quick note. Opting out doesn't necessarily mean you're leaving. It's getting out of one contract to begin a new one." The Sixers will be faced with a number of free agent decisions besides Williams this summer, and Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News has updates on a few of those players and on the executives that will be making the roster moves....

• Williams and unrestricted free agent Spencer Hawes are both drawing interest from teams around the league and could command annual salaries of $7MM in free agency, says Cooney.
• The Sixers would like to keep Lavoy Allen, but Jodie Meeks, Sam Young, Tony Battie, and Craig Brackins will "almost certainly" not be returning to the team.
• The 76ers are currently interviewing potential replacements for president of basketball operations Rod Thorn, according to Cooney. Philadelphia has received permission to talk with a handful of execs around the league, and been turned down by a few others.
• Among the candidates to replace Thorn: the Spurs' Danny Ferry and Dennis Lindsey, Rick Sund of the Hawks, Troy Weaver of the Thunder, John Hammond of the Bucks, and former Hornets GM Jeff Bower.
• Thorn won't necessarily be replaced in the near future. He is entering the final year of his contract, and the process of finding and bringing in his replacement could take the entire year. According to Cooney's source, the team isn't trying to remove Thorn from his position, but is merely starting a process that could take a while to complete.
• According to Cooney, the Sixers had a potential deal involving Andre Iguodala in place a year ago, but ownership vetoed any move.

• 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.  

There's plenty of news out of the Central Division today, with the Bulls on the brink of elimination against the Sixers while the Pacers are in command against the Magic. The latest updates are at the top:

• Pacers GM David Morway responded to Friday's news that the Blazers are interested in him for their GM position, telling The Oregonian's Jason Quick that he's "flattered" but "right now I'm focused on the playoffs and focused on our team.'' He could also be in line for a promotion in Indiana if president of basketball operations Larry Bird steps aside, but Morway said no interview has been scheduled with Portland and he'll evaluate his options at a later date.  (All Twitter links).
• Though Forbes ranks the Bucks as the NBA's least valuable franchise, there's little reason to worry that Milwaukee will go down the same path as Seattle did with the Sonics, writes Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
• Richard Hamilton, who's strugged in three straight losses, hasn't been giving the Bulls what they expected when signed him before the season, as Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com writes.
• In a roundup of candidates for the Blazers GM job, Sam Amick of SI.com says multiple sources have told him the Bucks have denied GM John Hammond permission to interview for the position. Last month we heard about the mutual interest between Hammond and the Blazers, but Friday's joint press conference between Hammond and Bucks owner Herb Kohl seems to indicate that the Bucks will be keeping their GM.
• Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star sat down with commissioner David Stern to talk Pacers and other topics. Stern says he's not concerned about the team's lagging attendance, which ranked 26th in the regular season this year.
• John Paxson, vice president of basketball operations for the Bulls, recently underwent surgery to try to correct a heart arrhythmia, according to an ESPN.com report. Paxson said in a statement released by the team that the procedure has been planned for over a month. The news of his health trouble came out in comments made by Sixers coach Doug Collins after today's game.

Ersan Ilyasova would have been my choice for the NBA's Most Improved Player in 2011/12 if I had a vote, but the Bucks forward finished as the runner-up behind Ryan Anderson. Even without the award, Ilyasova appears poised for a big payday in free agency this summer. Bucks GM John Hammond said today that "it's not going to be easy" to re-sign Ilyasova, though Milwaukee would like to bring him back.

Hammond and Bucks owner Herb Kohl spoke at a news conference today about a number of topics, with Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times rounding up the highlights via Twitter:

• A contract extension for Brandon Jennings is "not something we have to do," says Hammond. Jennings is entering the fourth year of his rookie deal and will be eligible for an extension.
• Kohl says he has no plans to extend Hammond or coach Scott Skiles this summer. The pair are entering the final year of their respective contracts.
• The team will be seeking a "real quality big man," according to Kohl.
• Kohl went on the offensive for a new Milwaukee arena, saying he'd put his own money into it, according to Woelfel. However, the owner added that he wants to secure the Bradley Center for the "next several years."

Bucks GM John Hammond is interested in taking on the same position with the Blazers, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. We heard a few days ago that the Blazers were eyeing Hammond for the job, so the interest appears to be mutual. 

Earlier today, Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge rounded up comments Woelfel made on 1250 AM in Milwaukee, saying that the Blazers' interest is "legitimate" and that they would double Hammond's salary. Hammond is due $2MM in the final season of his deal with the Bucks next year. With Milwaukee out of the playoffs, Hammond's job may be in jeopardy, as Woelfel reported last week. When Jason Quick of The Oregonian tweeted about the Blazers' pursuit, he noted the team has not gotten permission from the Bucks to speak with Hammond, but that could be a moot point soon. 

Hammond took over the Bucks in 2008 and was Executive of the Year in 2009/10, the only season the team made the playoffs under his watch. Before that, he assisted Joe Dumars in Detroit. Other candidates for the Blazers job include Steve Kerr and Mitch Kupchak, and the team has indicated it may retain interim GM Chad Buchanan. Portland team president Larry Miller met with Kerr this weekend.

The Trail Blazers continue to search for a permanent general manager, and a number of reports on their search have surfaced today. Let's round them up....

• Blazers president Larry Miller says Steve Kerr, who told the team he wasn't interested in the GM opening, hasn't been officially ruled out yet, according to Jason Quick of the Oregonian (via Twitter).
• Portland is interested in Bucks GM John Hammond for the position, tweets Quick. Miller says he has yet to ask the Bucks for permission to speak to Hammond (Twitter link). I imagine that could happen within a week or so, when Milwaukee's season will likely come to an end.
• The Blazers didn't contact Larry Brown about interviewing for the position, though he was interested, tweets Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.