• Fresh off of his 16-point, 12-rebound, and six assists performance against Oklahoma City, Rockets guard Patrick Beverley isn't fazed at all by the playoff atmosphere, crediting the hostile environment from his experiences in Europe for his ability to handle the pressure now (Jonathan Feigen of Ultimate Rockets writes): “It’s different here. You have cities versus cities, states versus states. There, it’s countries against countries. I’ve played in games and got hit in the face with quarters, played with my face bleeding. I’ve played in hostile environments a lot. The first round of the playoffs I can deal with.” 
• Max Ogden of Sheridan Hoops gives an update on Kostas Papanikolaou, the 48th selection of last year's NBA draft by the Knicks whose draft rights were later traded to the Trail Blazers. The 22-year-old forward has continued his progression for the defending Euroleague champion Olympiacos. 
• NBA commissioner David Stern commended the Rockets for how they handled Royce White's situation, saying "we'll see what happens" with regard to White's future (Reid Laymance of Ultimate Rockets). 
• This NBA.com article focuses on Andre Miller, who at age 37 is leading the third-seeded Nuggets in his quest to get out of the first round for the first time in nine playoff appearances. 

Since a deal to keep the Kings in Sacramento fell through last year, there seems to have been no love lost between the Maloof family, which owns the team, and Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson. Lately, though, Johnson has taken a conciliatory tone toward the Maloofs, and Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com believes that could be strategic, since the Maloofs would still have to agree to sell the team to Sacramento investors if the league rejects their pending sale to Chris Hansen's Seattle group. We rounded up more on the Kings sale this morning, and we'll continue to monitor the story in advance of a key meeting coming up on Wednesday. In the meantime, here's more from around the Association:

• Royce White said the Rockets were on board with his plan to leave the team's D-League affiliate just before they start the playoffs, but Houston GM Daryl Morey said the Rockets and White made no such agreement, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle notes.
• Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap hopes his team re-signs trade-deadline acquisition Josh McRoberts, who'll be an unrestricted free agent this summer, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
• The Suns' decision to hold leading scorer Goran Dragic out of last night's game even though he was healthy led some Phoenix players to privately complain about the move, according to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. When I asked last night whether the NBA should try to crack down on tanking, the majority of Hoops Rumors readers who responded said the league should take measures to prevent the practice.
• Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins and Zach Randolph deny rumors that there's a rift between them, as Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal documents.
• Several league executives regard Fred Hoiberg as an NBA head coaching candidate, but it appears Hoiberg won't be leaving Iowa State anytime soon. He agreed to a 10-year, $20MM contract to remain with the Cyclones, the school confirmed via Twitter. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities first reported the news (Twitter link).
• The Celtics signed Shavlik Randolph to a multiyear deal last week, and Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston thinks the big man should be seeing more minutes.

The Mavericks are one of only two NBA teams sitting the night out, but the Grizzlies appear to be especially busy, juxtaposing a tough road game against the Knicks tonight with reports that they're apparently seeking a point guard. There's more on that and other news from Southwest Division teams, as we round up here:

• In a piece chronicling the Mavs' run at a playoff spot, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld wonders whether D-League center Jerome Jordan could be a fit for the Grizzlies. With starting center Marc Gasol back from injury and the team linked to Keyon Dooling and Jonny Flynn, there may not be much call for Jordan in Memphis.
• Royce White had his best showing as a pro Tuesday, with 19 points, eight rebounds and six assists in his return to the D-League's Rio Grande Valley Vipers, but he plans on leaving the Rockets' affiliate again when the regular season is over, as he tells David Hinojosa of The Monitor. "I’ll be here until the end of the regular season," the rookie said. "The playoff schedule and how hectic it is in the D-League probably ain’t going be the best thing for me. Going to the playoffs, I want them to have a team that’s going to stick together."
• Corey Brewer says he wants to return to the Nuggets as a free agent in the offseason, but the swingman also reveals that he came close to signing with the Spurs before inking his current deal, notes Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post. The Celtics were also in the running for Brewer before the Mavs scooped him up and later traded him to the Nuggets.
• Giannis Antetokoumpo of Greece, who plays point guard despite his 6'10" height and 7'3" wingspan, has drawn interest from Rockets GM Daryl Morey, among others, reports Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com. Bryan Colangelo of the Raptors, Masai Ujiri of the Nuggets, and Sam Presti of the Thunder are the other GMs who've traveled to scout Antetokoumpo, who has an affordable buyout clause in his contract for next season with Zaragoza of Spain, according to Sheridan. While there appears to be some confusion about the spelling of his last name, he's No. 32 on the DraftExpress list of the top 100 draft prospects.

Last week, Royce White announced on his Twitter feed that he'd be leaving the Rockets' D-League affiliate for the rest of the season, returning to Houston to work out. It seems the team wasn't on board with that plan, however, so White will be rejoining the Rio Grande Valley Vipers this week, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Wojnarowski adds that White could return to game action as soon as Tuesday.

When White announced his decision last Thursday, he cited the "team physician," but the Rockets didn't, and still haven't, commented on the subject, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle notes (via Twitter). Feigen reported last week that the club wasn't a part of White's decision to leave the Vipers.

Including tomorrow night's game, the Vipers have six more regular-season contests before the D-League postseason gets underway. Rio Grande Valley has clinched a playoff spot, so White figures to be a part of the team's postseason roster next month.

FRIDAY, 9:50pm: White tweeted from his personal account that he plans on rejoining the Rockets next season.  The big man emphasized that he is not giving up on playing in the NBA, despite his tumultuous first season and conflict with the Rockets' front office.

THURSDAY, 4:04pm: The Rockets were not a part of White's decision to leave the team's D-League affiliate, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The team is not commenting on the subject for now, says Feigen.

9:40am: After playing 12 games for the Rockets' D-League affiliate, it appears Royce White will return to Houston, though that doesn't necessarily mean we should expect to see him on the Rockets' bench anytime soon.

"[I] have been advised by our team physician it is most logical I be in Houston the remainder of the season," White tweeted this morning. In a second tweet, he clarified that he never said he'd be rejoining the Rockets -- only returning to Houston. White thanked the Rio Grande Valley Vipers in both tweets.

There are still nine games on Rio Grande Valley's regular-season schedule, and the club looks like a lock to continue on to the D-League postseason, so the decision doesn't appear to be schedule-related. And while it's not clear yet whether or not the Rockets intend to recall the rookie forward to their roster this season, I can't imagine that rejoining the team would be White's reward for recently suggesting that the Rockets and the NBA wanted him "gone." We'll have to wait on further word to find out exactly what the club's plan is for the 21-year-old.

In addition to making off-the-court headlines this season, White also didn't look particularly effective on the court during his D-League stint. In 12 games with Rio Grande Valley, he averaged just 9.6 PPG and 5.6 RPG, while struggling with his conditioning.

The last time we heard from Royce White, he was quietly attempting to salvage his rookie season in the D-League after being suspended by the Rockets in January.  White had then just finally accepted the D-League assignment after an extended "holdout" resulting from his perception that the team and league did not have sufficient support in place for players suffering from mental illness. 

That silence has officially ended.  In a video interview with the Huffington Post, White said that he thinks the NBA and the Rockets would prefer if he just went away, citing his independent voice and his commitment to improving the way NBA handles players with mental health issues.  Here is a sizeable chunk of White's comments, courtesy of Ben Golliver at Sports Ilustrated:

“I went through the bumps and bruises of having to advocate for myself against a billion-dollar corporation. Other than that, I think I’ve actually been successful, if you look at the rate of success, or what could have went wrong. I could have easily been out of the league or blackballed or things like that. But that hasn’t happened yet…

“I’m a problem because I’m not afraid to say what I think and I’m not afraid to stand alone. Even amongst the NBA community, the players, the union, the NBA office, and [commissioner] David Stern and [deputy commissioner] Adam Silver. I’m not afraid to stand alone in my own circle, and say, hey listen, you guys aren’t respecting mental health…

“If I was to make an educated guess, I would guess that Adam Silver and David Stern and the Rockets organization, some other owners in the league, GMs, want me gone. And why do they want me gone? Because business is about convenience, it’s not about doing what’s necessary, right? It’s about cutting overhead… Being efficient. And a lot of times, what’s best for us as human beings doesn’t meet that criteria for business people.”

What happens with White now is anyone's guess, but it is probably safe to say that neither the Rockets nor the NBA will appreciate these comments.  As Golliver points out, the Rockets have already expressed plenty of frustration with their rookie.  We will be certain to keep an eye on this story, as there is sure to be some sort of fallout or reaction from the Rockets or the NBA. 

With the Spurs attempting to mitigate Tony Parker's ankle injury, the Grizzlies and Rockets firmly in the playoff picture, and the Mavericks attempting to stay out of the lottery, the Southwest Division is one of the more fascinating in the league currently. Here is a roundup of the latest updates:

• Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune writes that Grievis Vasquez is thriving in an increased role for the Hornets.
• Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune profiles Rockets rookie Royce White, who is attempting to carve out an NBA career for himself while managing an anxiety disorder.
• Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle is demanding accountability from his rookies, writes Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
• Dirk Nowitzki is excited to have another native German in the NBA in Rockets rookie Tim Ohlbrecht, Sefko writes.
• Jan Hubbard of SheridanHoops.com writes that Jerry Colangelo should hire Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich to coach Team USA.

Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today has a new column in which he touches on a variety of topics from around the NBA and elsewhere in the basketball world. Here are the highlights:

• Wizards head coach Randy Wittman talks to Zillgitt about the difficulty of keeping the locker room engaged as Washington heads towards another losing season.
• Zillgitt takes a look at the Rockets' offense, which has vaulted them into the thick of the playoff race behind the explosive play of James Harden.
• Zillgitt also gives an update on the status of Royce White, who has struggled in the D-League but does not concern the Rockets organization.
• The Magic received excellent value in return for J.J. Redick, Zillgitt writes. He praises the aquisition of cheap, young assets in Doron Lamb and Tobias Harris, as well as a capable veteran with an expiring contract in Beno Udrih.
• Many international players in the NBA are looking ahead to FIBA's Eurobasket tournament this summer, Zillgitt writes.

The latest news and notes from around the Southwest Division on Saturday evening:

• David Stern weighed in on Royce White's situation to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle saying that the NBA was "quite involved" in the establishment of a mental-health protocol for White and the Rockets.
• Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston tweets that Rockets owner Leslie Alexander is surprised at Omer Asik's success in Houston.
• In an interview with Chris Vernon on 92.9 FM ESPN in Memphis, Tony Allen shared his thoughts on the Rudy Gay trade as well as a conversation he had with Zach Randolph about retiring in Memphis. Allen will be a free agent this summer (transcript via Grizzly Bear Blues).
• Grizzlies VP of basketball operations John Hollinger discusses the Gay trade with Henry Abbott of ESPN.com, and also shares his thoughts on the trade deadline as a whole.

With a week remaining until this year's trade deadline, Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game took to Sulia last night to discuss a few trade rumors, as well as the long-awaited debut of a much-discussed Rockets rookie. Here are the highlights from Bucher:

• Although Bucher reported a few days ago that the Jazz are more likely to move Paul Millsap than Al Jefferson, he hears from a rival executive that there's more league-wide interest in Jefferson.
• The same executive told Bucher that the Jazz aren't necessarily deciding between keeping one or the other -- both Jefferson and Millsap could be dealt, or Utah could ultimately retain both guys.
• One general manager believes the Hawks' motives for shopping Josh Smith involve showing Smith all his options and perhaps convincing him that re-signing in Atlanta for less than the maximum salary could be the most attractive one.
• Bucher adds that if Smith is moved, there's still a good chance it could happen after the season rather than within the next week. That's a riskier approach for the Hawks though, since Smith wouldn't necessarily need to be part of a sign-and-trade to switch teams in July.
• Although Royce White is back on the court for the Rockets' D-League affiliate, it appears that he's been more focused over the last few months on mental health advocacy rather than conditioning. According to Bucher, White is "woefully out of shape," which feeds the view of many people around the league who question the rookie's commitment to his NBA career.