Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld (via Twitter) hears that David Stern was an active participant in yesterday's vote over Sacramento/Seattle at the Board of Governors meeting. It's worth noting that despite an offer north of $625MM as well as the $115MM relocation fee that would have been included by the Seattle group, Stern was able to sway the vote in Sacramento's direction, even though it appeared that more owners were in favor of Seattle's offer (All Twitter links). Here are a few more miscellaneous tidbits from around the Association tonight:

• Ken Berger of CBS Sports tweets that the 76ers are expected to interview lead assistant coach Michael Curry for their head coaching job next week. 
• Steve Bulpett of BostonHerald.com hears that Celtics assistant GM Mike Zarren turned down Philadelphia's offer to make him their general manager before the Sixers turned to Sam Hinkie. 
• Although potential number one pick Nerlens Noel wouldn't be ready to start the regular season of his rookie campaign, the highly touted draft prospect is targeting a debut around Christmas, writes Jason Lloyd of Ohio.com.
• Noel's injury is just one reason why teams might not be too high in landing the number one draft slot this year, writes Lloyd. In that same piece, Lloyd cites one league executive who thinks that a team might be better off drafting whoever falls to the third or fourth pick rather than handle the risk of drafting first overall. 
• Georgetown's Otto Porter spoke glowingly about being a potential fit for the Cavaliers, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer. 
• Shabazz Muhammad opened up about the controversy surrounding his listed age and briefly told David Mayo of MLive.com about how he'd fare with the Pistons if they drafted him.
• Warriors majority owner Joe Lacob says that he won't have a problem finding a replacement for Vivek Ranadive's current share with Golden State once the Sacramento situation is resolved, says Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News (via Twitter).  
• Jerry Stackhouse is in Chicago and plans to meet with possible draftees tomorrow to brief them on the NBPA, tweeted Hoopsworld's Steve Kyler. 

Stan Van Gundy's name has been linked to the head coaching search in Milwaukee and the potential opening in Los Angeles, should the Clippers part ways with Vinny Del Negro, but it doesn't appear he'll be targeted by the Nets. ESPN.com's Chris Broussard reported earlier this week that Van Gundy wasn't on Brooklyn's list, and Chris Mannix of SI.com echoed that report on Mike Bianchi's Open Mike radio show in Orlando.

"I've spoken to sources who've told me ... Stan Van Gundy is not a candidate," Mannix said. "It's possible that Jeff Van Gundy could get a call, but from what I understand Stan Van Gundy is not a top candidate for that job."

Here are a few more notes from around the Atlantic Division:

• A source tells Josh Newman of SNY.tv that there's a 90-95% chance of 2011 second-rounder Bojan Bogdanovic joining the Nets for the 2013/14 season. Earlier in the week, GM Billy King indicated he was hoping to bring Bogdanovic stateside this year.
• Sixers players won't be deciding on the team's next head coach, but if they did have a vote, it sounds as if it would go to current assistant Michael Curry. As John N. Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes, both Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner endorsed Curry for the position.
• Most of the interviews conducted by the Sixers as they search for a new coach will take place during or after next week's predraft camp in Chicago, according to Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com.
• Will the long-rumored Celtics' rebuild finally get underway in earnest this summer? Stephen Brotherson of HoopsWorld makes a case for why the C's should let things ride with Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett for one more year.
• In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Broussard spoke to one of the NBA's top assistant coaches about the most desirable current or potential head coaching jobs this summer. The unnamed assistant ranked the Nets' job as the top option, with the Raptors and Sixers coming in at fifth and sixth, respectively.

The Knicks have evened their conference semifinal against the Pacers at one.  While the Grizzlies try to do the same, here are some news and notes from around the league:

• ESPN Boston's Chris Forberg examines the chances that Courtney Lee will stick in Boston as the Celtics head into their offseason.  After being traded three of the last four summers, Lee struggled to carve out a role in his first year as a Celtic despite being given every chance to do so.  Lee is under contract and the Celts coveted him a year ago, so it would make sense if they gave him another year to assimilate. 
• Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com has a litany of Sixers coaching updates in his latest story.  According to Moore, the team won't interview Michael Malone or Jeff Hornacek until next week at the earliest.  Moore reiterates the team's interst in Brian Shaw and Michael Curry, while also adding a new name, Quin Snyder, to the coaching mix in Philadelphia.  Snyder coached on Doug Collins' staff in Philly during the 2010-11 season and was mentioned earlier tonight as a possible fit in Atlanta.
• While Steve Blake is one of four Lakers to be amnesty eligible, his strong play this season as a role player makes it unlikely that he will be the one to go, writes Eric Pincus of the L.A. Times.  Kobe Bryant, Metta World Peace and Pau Gasol are his other three amnesty eligible teammates. 
• Alex Len and his agent, Michael Lelchitski, contemplated delaying last week's ankle surgery until after pre-draft workouts in an attempt to move into the conversation for the No. 1 pick, writes RealGM's Shams Charania.  “If he had a chance to work out, I truly believe he could have moved up and gone No. 1,” Lelchitski said of the Maryland center.  While it was clearly the right decision, Len's injury will certainly affect his draft stock, as it will sideline him for anywhere from four to six months.
• In an Insider-only blog, ESPN's Fran Fraschilla breaks down five underrated draft prospects he believes will rise up boards as team's get a better look at them in the coming weeks.  Among them, Frachilla lists Murray State's Isaiah Canaan, Cal's Allen Crabbe, Brazil's Lucas Nogueira, NC State's Lorenzo Brown and Baylor's Pierre Jackson.

Yesterday was the first day since 1974 that two pro basketball teams held playoff games in New York, and the Knicks and Nets made the most of it. Both came away with victories and 1-0 series leads. The other three teams in the Atlantic Division are making noise off the court, as we detail here.

• Sixers players have spoken positively about assistant coach Michael Curry, who appears ready to become a head coach again after his unsuccessful stint leading the Pistons in 2008/09, tweets Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. Curry will interview for the head job with the Philadelphia and may do so with the Cavs, but he doesn't appear to be a candidate for Detroit, Goodwill adds (Twitter link).
• John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes the Sixers should embrace rebuilding and resist the urge to spend significant cash on free agents this summer in a quick-fix effort.
• With Doug Collins no longer in a position to dictate the direction of the team, the time is right for the Sixers to pursue a marquee general manager, argues fellow Inquirer scribe Bob Ford.
• Ray Allen is pleased that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has given him the license to post up smaller defenders, something he said Celtics coach Doc Rivers did not allow him to do, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
• Washburn has heard rumors that the Celtics considered signing Allen Iverson this season, but he says there's no truth behind them.
• HoopsWorld's Stephen Brotherston looks back on the tenure of Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo, concluding that the team shouldn't fire him. If Toronto wants to make a change to its front office, it should give more responsibility to Ed Stefanski, its executive vice president of basketball operations.

A majority of Hoops Rumors readers don't believe Phil Jackson will consider coaching the Cavs, even though a source tells Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio that Jackson would "absolutely" listen if the team called. While the Zen Master is far and away the biggest name associated with the team's search, there are plenty of other candidates, and there's news on several of them this morning:

• The team has had informal conversations with former coach Mike Brown about a reunion, writes Bob Finnan of The News-Herald, who passes along a report from WKYC-TV in Cleveland that Brown and owner Dan Gilbert will meet Sunday.
• A source tells Finnan that Brown would be the top choice for the Hawks if they decide to make a coaching change. That's no surprise, given the ties between Brown and Atlanta GM Danny Ferry.
• The Cavs aren't expected to discuss the opening with any college coaches, and the hiring process will move swiftly, according to Finnan.
• Finnan adds Melvin Hunt of the Nuggets and Michael Curry of the Sixers to the list of assistant coaches who may receive interviews, which already included Michael Malone (Warriors), Brian Shaw (Pacers) and David Fizdale (Heat).
• The Cavs will indeed interview Shaw, just as they did when they hired Byron Scott in 2010, reports Terry Pluto of the Plain Dealer. 
• Flip Saunders, Nate McMillan and Avery Johnson have all either directly or indirectly expressed interest in the position, Pluto also writes.
• The Cavs have a chance to make an impression on Kyrie Irving with their coaching hire, so that means much is riding on the team's decision, opines fellow Plain Dealer scribe Bud Shaw.

The future of the Kings was far from the only issue on the table at the NBA's Board of Governors meeting this week. USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt rounds up the other issues that owners discussed, including human growth hormone testing for players, the effect of widespread reliance on three-pointers, and the possibility of a joint bid for the 2015 All-Star Game between New York and Brooklyn. Here's more from the Association on the eve of the playoffs:

• Magic GM Rob Hennigan has demonstrated a reluctance to pick up players with question marks surrounding their health, but Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel hears they wouldn't hesitate to draft top prospect Nerlens Noel, who tore his left ACL in February. 
• Schmitz also hears Stan Van Gundy has no interest in becoming the next coach of the Cavaliers, Sixers or Pistons, the three teams with current coaching vacancies. The former Magic coach has been linked to the openings in Cleveland and Philadelphia.
• Sixers assistant coach Michael Curry will interview for the head job in Philly, but a source tells John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer that interest from other teams will be high. 
• Jamaal Tinsley started 32 games in place of the injured Mo Williams for the Jazz this season, and the 35-year-old Tinsley is convinced he has plenty left, telling Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune he "realistically" thinks he can play for another three or four years in the league (Twitter link).
• A report earlier this season suggested Omri Casspi was thinking about returning to play in his native Israel, but he tells Walla Sport that as long as he receives an offer from an NBA club, he won't play overseas next season (translation via HoopsHype). 
• Mike Dunlap is rumored to be in danger of losing his job with the Bobcats, but the team is in no hurry to make its decision about him, preferring to listen to exit interviews and watch the coaching market develop first, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
• Warriors GM Bob Myers told Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group that he had every confidence Stephen Curry would remain healthy when he signed the point guard to his four-year, $44MM extension last fall.

So far, Hoops Rumors readers have indicated in this morning's poll that Spurs/Lakers is the most-anticipated first round series of the NBA playoffs, with Celtics/Knicks and Thunder/Rockets rounding out the top three. We'll have to wait until Sunday for those two Western series to get underway, but Boston and New York will be the first two teams to begin their series on Saturday afternoon. As we look forward to what should be an exciting postseason, let's check in on a few odds and ends from around the NBA:

• Washington junior C.J. Wilcox has decided to return to school for his senior season, tweets Percy Allen of the Seattle Times. Wilcox was ranked 37th among this year's prospects by ESPN.com's Chad Ford.
• Michael McCann of SI.com (Twitter link) hears that, as commissioner David Stern has indicated publicly, expansion to 31 teams truly hasn't been discussed as an option by the NBA. As such, there will be no happy ending to the Kings saga for both Sacramento and Seattle basketball fans.
• With Lawrence Frank out as Pistons coach, GM Joe Dumars will be running the team's search for a new coach, according to Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). Vince Goodwill of the Detroit News has heard Nate McMillan, Kelvin Sampson, Jerry Sloan, and Heat assistant David Fizdale mentioned as potential candidates (Twitter link).
• Sixers assistant Michael Curry will interview for Philadelphia's head coaching position while keeping an eye on other openings, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com. In Doug Collins' exit interview today, he recommended Curry as his replacement.
• Tracy McGrady is a Spur at the moment, but his 2012/13 Chinese team, the Qingdao Double Star Eagles would like to re-sign him for next season, according to a Hupu.com report (English link via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando).
• Carchia also passes along word that Latvian forward Janis Timma has decided to enter the 2013 NBA draft, according to his agent. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com ranks Timma 27th among 1992-born international prospects.

Doug Collins won't return as the Sixers' head coach next season, owner Josh Harris confirmed today, according to Michael Preston, the team's director of public relations (Twitter link). According to TNT's David Aldridge (Twitter link), Harris made it clear at the press conference that he wanted Collins to stay, and that it was the coach's decision to step down.

For Collins, it was his fourth head coaching stint that lasted three seasons or less. He also previously spent three years coaching the Pistons, three years coaching the Bulls, and two years coaching the Wizards. During his time in Philadelphia, he led the team to a 110-120 record, and a pair of playoff berths.

According to Harris, Collins will stay on as an advisor to the team (Twitter link via Jason Wolf of USA Today). However, stepping down will allow Collins to spend more time with his grandkids and help his son Chris, who will be the head coach at Northwestern, tweets Aldridge. Collins told reporters, including Aldridge that he decided back around Christmas that he would likely step down at season's end. Collins approached GM Tony DiLeo and president Rod Thorn about two months ago to try to determine an exit strategy (Twitter links).

DiLeo will remain in his role with the Sixers, and will work with ownership in selecting a new coach for the club, Harris confirmed (Twitter link via Aldridge). Collins said today that he'd like the team to consider assistant Michael Curry for the position (Twitter link via Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com). Back in February, we heard that Curry would be viewed as a legitimate long-term candidate if and when Collins stepped down.

• Toronto head coach Dwane Casey says that Rudy Gay is the exactly the weapon that the Raptors were lacking in crunch time of tight games, writes Sam Amico of Fox Sports. Through 11 games in Toronto, Gay is averaging 20.1 points per game, many of which, Casey says, are coming when it matters most. Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld tweets that Gay has been a "great fit" since coming over in the deal from Memphis.
• In a separate report, Amico adds that the Raptors will trade Andrea Bargnani in the offseason unless they absolutely cannot find a taker for the two years and $23MM remaining on his deal. Amico hears that the Sixers are very interested, and lists the Mavericks, Rockets, Spurs, Bucks, Jazz, Hawks, Suns and Blazers as other potential destinations.
• Following Doug Collins' rant last night, sources tell Ric Bucher that should Collins resign or be let go, Sixers assistant Michael Curry will not only take over, but be considered a legitimate candidate to coach the team for the long term. Curry was last a head coach in Detroit, where he was fired in June of 2009 after a one-year 39-43 stint with the Pistons.

This morning, we learned that the Magic are expected to sign Armon Johnson and DeQuan Jones to non-guaranteed contracts. That's one of a handful of items related to Eastern Conference teams today, so let's round up the rest right here:

• Although he worked out with the team recently, it doesn't sound as if Ryan Gomes will be in training camp with the Bobcats, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
• Unrestricted free agent D.J. White spent the last season and a half with the Bobcats, but it doesn't appear he'll be back in Charlotte either. David Pick of Sportando reports that White is drawing interest from Israeli team Maccabi Tel Aviv.
• After receiving head coach consideration this offseason, Michael Curry will return to the 76ers' staff, and coach Doug Collins is elated to have him back, writes Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News.
• The Celtics have added former Erie BayHawks head coach Jay Larranaga to their staff as an assistant coach, the team announced today in a press release. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first reported the hire last month.
• Asked whether Ray Allen or Rashard Lewis will provide the Heat more "bang for the buck," Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel says Lewis "could be a revelation" if he provides some rebounding and defense for Miami.