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.

Citing a source close to the team, ESPN New York's Jared Zwerling reports that the Knicks are considering adding a veteran point guard to supplement Raymond Felton, Jason Kidd and Pablo Prigioni.  While injuries have decimated their frontcourt, Zwerling says a lack of free agent options has led the Knicks to consider opting for guard help.

Zwerling indicates that the Knicks are ideally looking for a point guard that has some speed and quickness, in contrast to the wisdom and decision making of the older Kidd and Prigioni.  The source points to Delonte West, Sundiata Gaines and Jannero Pargo as options, with West being the most likely.  While West has some issues - as evidenced by his absence from the NBA this year - the Saint Joseph's product would join a veteran roster in New York.  Meanwhile, all signs point towards Pargo signing a 10-day contract with Charlotte tomorrow.  So unless that deal falls through, the Knicks would have to hope the Bobcats let him walk once his contract expires if they want to pursue him.

Two of those veterans are injured big men Amare Stoudemire and Rasheed Wallace, both out for the remainder of the regular season.  Zwerling says Mike Woodson remains committed to Wallace, probably making James White the odd man out should the team decide it needs a roster spot. 

Should the Knicks decide their need for frontcourt help is too pressing to consider anything else, Zwerling lists Henry Sims, Tony Battie, Josh Boone, Brian Cook, Dan Gadzuric, Troy Murphy, Ben Wallace, Hassan Whiteside and Sean Williams as potential targets.  While Sims provides the most intrigue of the bunch, Zwerling says the Knicks would prefer a veteran.

Just over three weeks after he was cut by the Pacers, Sundiata Gaines has found a new team, signing with the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Carchia reported last week that Gaines had received an offer from a Chinese team in addition to drawing interest from Italy's Pallacanestro Cantu, so presumably that CBA club was Fujian.

Gaines, 26, has played in 113 NBA games over a three-year career for the Jazz, Timberwolves, Raptors, and Nets. The point guard appeared in a career-high 57 contests for New Jersey last season, averaging 5.1 PPG and 2.2 APG in 13.9 MPG. After attending training camp with the Pacers, he was released along with Blake Ahearn and Luke Nevill when Indiana made its roster cuts in anticipation of the regular season.

Since the CBA season ends before the NBA season, Gaines could still have a chance to catch on with an NBA team later in the year if he impresses in China.

Here are a few of the latest non-NBA links, from the D-League and overseas:

• Italy's Pallacanestro Cantu is still interested in signing Sundiata Gaines, but the point guard, who was waived in October by the Pacers, has also received an offer from a Chinese team, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
• We heard yesterday that Spain's Lagun Aro was closing in on a deal with Jermaine Taylor, and today the team made the signing official (as translated by Sportando). Taylor had been in camp with the Timberwolves.
• At his introductory press conference with the Melbourne Tigers, Jonny Flynn explained that he wanted to sign where he'd have the "best chance to play," as Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside writes.
• Celtics coach Doc Rivers is rooting for JaJuan Johnson, the former Celtic who was the first overall pick in last week's D-League draft. "I know he has the talent, I’ll put it that way," said Rivers, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. "I told him that this summer. He’s going to either have to pull it out of himself, or it’ll be there. But I do believe that he has NBA talent. And I hope he makes it."
• Johnson, Andrew Goudelock, and Justin Harper, the top three picks in the D-League draft, spoke to HoopsWorld about making the most of their time in the D-League.
• If former Spur James Anderson can improve his long-range jumper with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, don't expect him to be in the D-League for long, says Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside.

The NBA has issued its first two warnings for flops, as the league's official site outlines today. The league has formally warned the Timberwolves' J.J. Barea and the Cavs' Donald Sloan about flopping, meaning that if either player commits a second offense, they'll be fined $5K. Let's round up a few more odds and ends from around the Association....

• Kenyon Martin may be open to playing for just about any NBA team, but don't expect the Mavericks to make him an offer, says Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News.
• While Brandon Jennings may feel as if he's auditioning for other teams, he certainly remains in the Bucks' long-term plans, writes Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.
• Within his weekly Morning Tip column at NBA.com, TNT's David Aldridge looks at the post-James Harden Thunder, talks to Tony Parker about why he's been willing to accept a discount to remain with the Spurs, and conducts a Q&A with Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov.
• Italy's Pallacanestro Cantu may have interest in adding Sundiata Gaines, according to a Sportando report. Gaines, who was cut by the Pacers prior to the season, played for the Italian club back in 2008/09.
• Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal shares a few of his first impressions of new Grizzlies owner Robert Pera. Meanwhile, Pera and new CEO Jason Levien responded to some questions about how they intend to run the franchise.
• Appearing on 98.7 ESPN Radio in New York, commissioner David Stern discussed his decision to retire in February of 2014, and how he feels about the criticisms he's faced (link via Sports Radio Interviews).

The Pacers announced a series of roster moves today in a press release, formally exercising their 2013/14 option on Paul George and releasing three players: Luke Nevill, Sundiata Gaines, and Blake Ahearn.

The three cuts reduce the Pacers' roster to 15 players, though it's unclear if the club will carry a full 15-man roster into the regular season. Camp invitee Ben Hansbrough is still on the roster, on a fully non-guaranteed contract, and wasn't considered likely to make the team. Sam Young also has a contract that only has a small guarantee, though he appears a much stronger bet to stick around.

While Nevill had a fully non-guaranteed deal, both Ahearn and Gaines had $25K guarantees on their contracts, so the Pacers will take a very small cap hit for both players.

As for George, he was the only Pacer with an option decision pending for 2013/14. That will be the final year of his rookie contract, and he'll earn a guaranteed $3.28MM salary before potentially becoming a restricted free agent in the summer of 2014. The Pacers will also have the opportunity to sign him to a long-term extension in the 2013 offseason.

• Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star examines the Pacers' final couple roster spots, predicting that Sam Young will earn one, while Blake Ahearn and Sundiata Gaines will compete for the other.
• After a forgettable 2011/12 season, Charlie Villanueva is fighting to bounce back for the Pistons this year, as Vince Goodwill of the Detroit News writes. Asked about the amnesty rumors that surrounded him in July, Villanueva admitted that it was hard not to notice: "It burns me up. It just drove me. Instead of being upset, I said, this will pass and I will let my game do the talking."
• Marko Jaric was in recently to work out with the Bulls, according to Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com (via Twitter). Jaric has seven years of NBA experience under his belt, but hasn't played in the league since 2008/09, with the Grizzlies.
• Jannero Pargo expects to finalize a deal within the next couple days, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com (via Twitter). Charania adds that Pargo is "sticking around Chicago," but I would assume that's just where he's working out, rather than an indication he'll sign with the Bulls.

The Pacers announced that they have signed small forward Sam Young and point guard Sundiata Gaines.  The press release also confirmed the signing of guard Blake Ahearn, whose deal reportedly comes with a partial guarantee.

Young became an unrestricted free agent in late June when the 76ers opted not to extend him a qualifying offer.  The 27-year-old was traded from Memphis to Philadelphia at the deadline for the rights to Ricky Sanchez in a deal that allowed the Grizzlies to get below the luxury tax threshold.  Young averaged 3.3 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 35 games for the two clubs last season.

Gaines, 26, established himself as a regular in the Nets rotation last season, serving as a backup to Deron Williams and playing alongside him as a two-guard at times.  The veteran saw 13.9 minutes per contest, averaging 5.1 PPG, 2.2 APG, and 1.9 RPG.

Ahearn was the D-League's top scorer last season, averaging 23.8 PPG and 5.1 APG in 37 games for the Reno Bighorns.  The 27-year-old has built a reputation as a sharpshooter and shot 40% from three-point range last year for Reno.

According to a tweet from New York Daily News reporter Stefan Bondy, Nets General Manager Billy King has announced that Sundiata Gaines will not be returning to the team.

Gaines averaged 5.1 PPG in 12 starts last season for the Nets. He was recently mentioned as one of the pieces in a possible mega deal for Dwight Howard, but that deal has since died.

Gaines is now an unrestricted free agent, free to sign with any team.

It may not be many more days until our long national Dwightmare is over. Yesterday's reports on Howard suggested talks involving the Magic, Nets, and Cavaliers were getting serious, and that Orlando plans to make "one last sweep" around the league before deciding whether to accept the Nets' offer. While we wait to see if anything is agreed upon today, here are the latest rumblings on the Howard front:

• Chad Ford's ESPN.com report includes some more slight tweaks to the framework described below. Ford adds Chris Duhon to the list of players headed to the Nets, suggests the Magic would receive one fewer first-rounder (a total of three instead of four), and says the Cavs would receive $3MM in cash.
• Ford's report, along with tweets from the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, suggest that the Cavs and Clippers still aren't entirely on board. The Plain Dealer tweets that talk of a deal getting close is premature, while Berger says the Clips haven't agreed to anything yet and are one of several potential fourth-team facilitators in the mix (Twitter links).

Earlier updates:

• It "sounds like" the Magic, Nets, and Cavs have found a fourth team to facilitate the Howard blockbuster, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. According to Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Twitter link), that team is the Clippers -- Los Angeles would acquire MarShon Brooks in exchange for a lottery-protected first-round pick, which would go to the Magic.
• In addition to the framework described by Wojnarowski below, the Magic would also receive Armon Johnson from the Nets in the proposed deal, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who cautions in a second tweet that pieces could still move in or out.
• Before either team agreed to any deal, Magic doctors would need to examine Brook Lopez and Nets doctors would need to examine Dwight Howard, says Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter links).
• Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports had the details of the proposed three-team blockbuster: The Nets would receive Dwight Howard, Jason Richardson, and Earl Clark, the Magic would receive Brook Lopez, Damion James, Shelden Williams, and Luke Walton, and the Cavs would receive Kris Humphries, Sundiata Gaines, and Quentin Richardson. The Nets would also send three first-round picks to the Magic, one to the Cavs, and would send MarShon Brooks to a fourth team to acquire another first-rounder for the Magic.
• A source tells the Cleveland Plain Dealer that a deal involving the Cavs looks doubtful at this point (Twitter link).
• Don't expect a Howard deal to go down today, tweets Brian K. Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel.  Getting Andrew Bynum from the Lakers would be Orlando's best deal, but the club is concerned about his knees holding up, Schmitz tweets.
• Kris Humphries would be seeking a four-year deal with the Cavs and wouldn't be willing to sign a one-year deal, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Sign-and-trades require a three-year minimum, but only one year needs to be guaranteed. Frankly, with a rumored 11 to 14 players involved in the proposed deal, and many of them needing to be involved via sign-and-trade, I'd be surprised if Humphries was the only player that could hold things up.
• We should expect resolution on the Nets/Magic talks pretty soon, according to Alex Raskin of HoopsWorld, who says Brooklyn intends to move on if a deal can't be consummated in the near future.
• The Nets are willing and able to take on Jason Richardson's salary in the proposed three-team deal, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com.
• Bob Finnan of the News-Herald hears that the Nets want one of the Cavaliers' first-round picks in the trade, which could be a dealbreaker for Cleveland.
• Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal and J.A. Adande of ESPN throw some cold water on the Howard talk. A source tells Adande that "to act like it's almost done is overblown" Twitter link), while Lloyd continues to hear that there's "isn't much to it" on the Cavs' end (Twitterlinks).
• Numerous reporters, including Fred Kerber of the New York Post (Twitter link), are noting that the talks between the Nets, Magic, and other teams have "a lot of moving parts," but that progress is being made. According to Kerber, the odds are better than 50/50 that Howard is sent to the Nets.
• Magic brass are meeting this morning to discuss whether to pull the trigger on the proposed Nets/Cavs deal, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
• A fourth team may be entering the mix to take MarShon Brooks, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who adds that up to 14 players could be involved (Twitter link).
• Although the Cavs look like the Nets' best bet to find a taker for Kris Humphries, Brooklyn has found traction on two other possible scenarios, says Wojnarowski.