The D-League's season officially came to an end this weekend, when the Rockets' affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, defeated the Warriors' affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, to win the 2012/13 championship. With the D-League season in the books, the NBA players that had been assigned to each team have now been recalled.

The Warriors announced in a press release that they have recalled Scott Machado from Santa Cruz, while Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle tweets that Tim Ohlbrecht has returned to the Rockets.

Ohlbrecht helped the Vipers go undefeated in the D-League, averaging 11.0 PPG and 6.5 RPG in the Finals against Machado's Warriors. Machado was Santa Cruz's second-leading scorer in the Finals, with 16.0 PPG.

Congratulations to the Lakers, who, after a season of nearly non-stop turmoil, have clinched a playoff spot with the Grizzlies' win over the Jazz tonight. That comes as no surprise to many Hoops Rumors readers, as the Lakers were the top choice when we asked two weeks ago which Western Conference team would grab the final playoff spot in the West. You were also right on about the Jazz, tabbing them in early March as the team most likely to miss the playoffs among a group that also included the Lakers, Warriors and Rockets. Now, as the Lakers attempt to move up to the seventh seed with a win over Houston tonight, here's more on them and a couple of their Pacific Division rivals.

• Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak told Jim Rome of CBS Radio that he expects to re-sign Dwight Howard, echoing a pair of sources who said the same to Sam Amick of USA Today a few days ago.
• Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld concludes the Lakers can't win a title as constituted this year or next, and lays out three options for the team: a full rebuilding effort, a quick rebuild for next season, and the most likely option, a push for free agents in 2014. Regardless of what happens, re-signing Howard figures to be the first item on their offseason agenda, as Koutroupis writes.
• Dwayne Jones will be with Golden State when the playoffs begin this weekend, but Scott Machado will remain with the Warriors' D-League affiliate for its postseason run, tweets Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Warriors signed deals with both today for the rest of the season.
• Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com figures the NBA's decision to delay a vote until next month on the future of the Kings is a positive for Sacramento, arguing the city will benefit from more time in its tug-of-war with Seattle (Twitter link).  

WEDNESDAY, 12:55pm: The Warriors have officially re-signed Machado for the season (and playoffs), the team announced today in a press release. For now, Machado remains with the team's D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, so it's unclear whether he'll be playing in the postseason in the D-League or NBA.

MONDAY, 1:17pm: Once Scott Machado's 10-day contract expires, the Warriors will re-sign him for the season, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Machado's deal is set to expire tomorrow night, so his new contract will technically only be for one day, though it will allow him to play in the postseason, and could include an option for next year.

Machado, 22, has yet to appear in a game for the Warriors since joining the team last weekend. Prior to signing with Golden State, he had been playing for the team's D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors. A rest-of-season contract for Machado seems to suggest that Warriors management liked what it saw from the 6'1" guard at Santa Cruz, and wanted the opportunity to secure his rights for Summer League and possibly training camp.

Even after locking up Machado, the Warriors will only be carrying 14 players, leaving one open roster spot. If the team wants to use that spot before season's end, it has three days to make a move.

A few random notes from around the NBA:

• In an interview with 710 ESPN Radio in Los Angeles, Pau Gasol says he'd like to stay with the Lakers long-term but understands why his name is always popping up in trade rumors, writes L.A. Times reporter Eric Pincus. 
• Second year Magic forward Tobias Harris reflects on the new opportunity he's had since being involved in a mid-season trade from the Bucks for J.J. Redick, writes Orlando Sentinel reporter Brian Schmitz. 
• Cavaliers forward Tyler Zeller isn't sure what his younger brother, Cody Zeller, is going to announce at his press conference, but wouldn't be surprised if the potential lottery pick decides to go back to school, reports the Cleveland Plain-Dealer's Mary Schmitt-Boyer. 
• Ridiculous Upside's Keith Schlosser wonders if some other NBA teams may have been interested in Scott Machado before he was plucked by the Warriors. 

We'll keep track of today's D-League assignments here..

• After signing him yesterday, the Warriors assigned Scott Machado to their D-League affiliate in Santa Cruz, according to a press release.  Machado will be in action for the Warriors' first round series against the Fort Wayne Mad Ants on Wednesday.
• The Spurs announced that they have recalled Aron Baynes from their D-League affiliate.  Baynes has appeared in 11 games with the Austin Toros, averaging 13.9 points and 8.7 rebounds in 26.9 minutes.
• Earlier this week, the Suns announced that they had assigned guard Diante Garrett to the Bakersfield Jam of the NBA D-League. Garrett has now been recalled from the D-League. The 6'4" guard was first assigned on January 10th to the Jam, where he averaged 15.1 points, 7.4 assists, and 1.7 steals in seven games for the Jam (five starts). 

The Warriors announced that they have signed guard Scott Machado to a 10-day contract.  Machado played in nearby Santa Cruz for the club's D-League affiliate.

Machado, 22, came to the Santa Cruz Warriors in a trade with Rio Grande Valley last month.  In 28 D-League games for Santa Cruz and Rio Grande Valley, the Iona product has averaged 8.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 24.0 minutes per contest.  The guard already has six NBA games to his credit this season from his time with the Rockets.

MONDAY, 7:46am: Dooling is still the "big favorite" to earn a spot with the Grizzlies, but the team's search for a guard may continue for a couple more days before a signing occurs, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.

FRIDAY, 10:56am: In addition to Dooling and Flynn, the Grizzlies are also considering Scott Machado, Courtney Fortson, and Sundiata Gaines, according to Chris Vernon of 92.9 FM ESPN in Memphis (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 10:14pm: Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe received a similar text from Dooling, who says he'll know for sure about a deal with Memphis by Sunday (Twitter link).

10:05pm: Dooling texted TNT's David Aldridge to say that he's been in contact with the Grizzlies, but hasn't signed with the team (Twitter link).

7:20pm: The Grizzlies haven't committed to signing Dooling, a source tells Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal. Memphis is also considering Jonny Flynn as the team looks to add a veteran point guard rather than rely on rookie backup Tony Wroten, according to Tillery (Twitter links).

6:31pm: Former New York Post columnist Peter Vecsey reports that the Grizzlies have signed Keyon Dooling for the rest of the season (Twitter link). If the move becomes official, it would mark an end to Dooling's retirement, which he announced in September while with the Celtics. Presumably, he'd have to leave his job as a player development coordinator for the C's, which he assumed after he retired.

Dooling suffered a nervous breakdown over the summer that stemmed from sexual abuse he endured in childhood, as he detailed last year to Jessica Camerato of CSNNE.com and TNT's David Aldridge. Shortly after his retirement, he was linked to the Heat, but denied interest in a return to the league. The 32-year-old guard told Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe he was open to coming back in January and said he informed Celtics coach Doc Rivers he was upping his workout regimen, but announced a few days later that he would not return to the NBA this year.

Boston and Dooling agreed to a $400K buyout of his guaranteed minimum-salary contract, so he's represented a small cap hit for the C's all year despite not having been on the team's roster. Dooling couldn't return to the Celtics unless they waived someone else, but the Grizzlies have two open roster spots, so they could accomodate Dooling if they choose.

We'll track today's D-League assignments and recalls here along with signings, with the latest transactions added to the top of the page throughout the day:

• Scott Machado has signed with the Rockets' D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, writes Keith Schosser of Ridiculous Upside. The former Iona point guard played for the Vipers earlier in the season where he averaged 12 PPG and 7.1 APG in 11 contests.
• Terrence Jones has been re-assigned to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers by the Rockets, the team announced today in a press release. In 12 games with the Vipers this season, Jones ranks among the D-League leaders in PPG (19.1) and RPG (9.8).
• The Spurs have assigned the newest member of the team, Aron Baynes, to the D-League, according to a press release. The Australian big man had appeared in two games for San Antonio since signing with the club last week. He'll join the Austin Toros in time for the team's game against the Bakersfield Jam tonight.

In light of news that Rajon Rondo has a torn ACL, it looks like most readers think the Celtics would be smart to move Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce.  It is a question that basketball writers around the league will be tackling for weeks leading up to the trading deadline.  Let's round up all of the media fallout from the Rondo injury here:

• A. Sherrod Blakely of CSN New England considers adding Delonte West the most likely scenario for the Celtics, adding that a league source told him earlier this season that the Celtics would only consider bringing back West if one of their guards went down with a long-term injury.  Blakely also mentions Andre Barrett, the current D-League assists leader, as a possibility. 
• The Celtics' television broadcast team takes a shot at answering the question of how the Celtics can replace Rondo, via CSN New England.
• Blowing up the Celtics' roster is way better in theory than it is in reality, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.  He says that there simply aren't teams out there with young talent and draft picks that are willing to give them up for Paul Pierce or Kevin Garnett.  With this in mind, Wojnarowski opines that it would be a mistake for the C's to do anything drastic.

Earlier updates:

• Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders whether the Celtics will look to the D-League to fill the void created by Rondo's injury.  Schlosser specifically mentions Delonte West, Courtney Fortson, Chris Wright, Donald Sloan, Sean Singletary and Scott Machado as potential solutions.
• Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram also tweets that West and the Celtics seem like a match.
• Danny Ainge and the Celtics have some big decisions to make in the near future as a result of Rondo's injury, writes Matt Moore of CBS Sports.  Moore says the Celts were already contemplating blowing up their roster this season, and the Rondo news certainly makes it more likely.
• Ken Berger of CBS Sports says that Pierce's contract - with only $4MM guaranteed next year - is "as tradeable as it gets."  Berger adds that rival executives expect the Grizzlies to have interest in Pierce.  He also speculates that a team like the Nets could be interested in Garnett.  Should they decide to become buyers rather than sellers, Berger says Jose Calderon or Kyle Lowry are two possible targets for Boston.
• Jessica Camerato of CSN New England writes that the Celtics locker room was stunned to hear the news about their floor general after their double overtime win against the Heat.  Camerato's colleague, A. Sherrod Blakely, provides more reactions from the Celtics as well as from Miami's LeBron James and Dwyane Wade.
• Blakely adds, via Twitter, that he doesn't expect a trade soon.  Instead, Blakely thinks that the Celtics will add a point guard via a 10-day contract, if they choose to do anything.

MONDAY, 12:25pm: Beverley's contract has been finalized and he's practicing with the team today, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

FRIDAY, 10:22am: Back in December, Eurohoops.net and the Houston Chronicle reported that point guard Patrick Beverley would sign with the Rockets. While Houston still hasn't officially added Beverley to its roster, the 24-year-old has signed a three-year contract with the team, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter).

Nikos Varlas of Europhoops.net notes that the Russian basketball federation has to send Beverley's letter of clearance to Houston, which is only a formality. When that happens, the Rockets will be able to finalize the signing, and will have to release a player from their 15-man roster.

As Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors observed last month and as Feigen hints (via Twitter), Scott Machado seems like the logical candidate to be cut, since he plays the same position as Beverley and only has a partial guarantee on his contract. Houston has until Monday to release Machado and avoid paying him a full-season's salary.