Despite the Grizzlies place in the thick of their Western Conference Finals series against the Spurs, their perimeter defensive specialist, Tony Allen, will be an unrestricted free agent this July. 

Allen spoke with Ramona Shelburne at ESPN.com yesterday about the blue collar "Grit and Grind" Grizzlies, their blue collar Memphis fans, and--towards the end of the piece--his impending free agency. Said Allen:

"I don't even understand the business side. When July hits, somebody is going to have to sit me down and explain it. All I know is I'm a Grizzly and I believe I'm going to be a Grizzly when it's over with.

"I bleed blue. I think they going to keep me. But if they don't, I understand.

 "I don't even think about it now. I just play. I love being in Memphis. I love the city. Hopefully I stay here. It feels like home."

Speaking of Allen's Grizzlies, here are some more notes from around the Western Conference:

• Grizzlies coach, Lionel Hollins, tells ESPN.com's Kevin Arnovitz "Flopping isn't a part of the game and it shouldn't be a part of the game," in response to the controversy surrounding the flagrant 1 called on Manu Ginobili after his foul on Allen knocked him out of the air. 
• According to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com (Twitter link), Austin Daye will go on the Grizzlies' inactive list for game 3 tonight in favor of Donte Greene. Marc J. Spears of Y! Sports, confirms (Twitter link).
• ESPNDallas.com's Tim MacMahon brings us the highlights from Mavericks owner Mark Cuban's interview on 103.3 FM's ESPN Dallas Game Day.
• MacMahon also tells us after hearing from Cuban, that the Mavericks owner has a two year plan to turn the Mavericks into title contenders. 
• The new owner of the Kings, Viveck Ranadive, is looking at Warriors assistant, Mike Malone, to coach the team. But Matt Steinmetz at CSNY Bay Area says he'd be surprised if the Kings hire a coach before finding a general manger (Twitter link).

A few notes from around the NBA's Western Conference.

• NBA.com's Jeff Caplan writes about Grizzlies guard Tony Allen—who's an unrestricted free agent this summer—and the path it took for him to sign with Memphis as a free agent in 2010.
• The Suns prepare for the NBA draft lottery at the end of May, writes NBA.com's Aaron Seidlitz. It could be a huge day for them, especially as they go forward with a new, young general manager.
• Also related to the Suns, the team's new general manager Ryan McDonough interviewed Lindsey Hunter in Chicago today for the team's head coach position, according to Yahoo! NBA writer Adrian Wojnarowski. The Suns are also looking at several other candidates, including Quin Snyder and Jeff Hornacek. 
• Carl Steward of MercuryNews.com writes that Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson need to find their stroke in Game 6 against the Spurs or they'll most likely be eliminated. The article also touches on Jarrett Jack, who's stepped up when those two haven't played well, and enters the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. 

Mixed among his notes on the Cavaliers and other NBA topics, Bob Finnan of The News-Herald writes that it appears Cleveland has interest in signing Grizzlies shooting guard Tony Allen as an unrestricted free agent this summer. As Finnan notes, Allen would likely shore up Cleveland's defense, which allowed 106.9 points per 100 possessions, tied for fourth worst in the league.  Owner Dan Gilbert alluded to new coach Mike Brown's "much-needed defensive-first philosophy" when Brown was hired last month.

Allen, named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team last season, is the main perimeter stopper for the Grizzles, who allowed the second fewest points per 100 possessions in the league this year. He has expressed a desire to remain with Memphis, and earlier this season, he brought up a conversation he had with Zach Randolph about staying with the Grizzlies until they both retire. Still, Allen isn't unwilling to test free agency, telling Shaun Powell of Sports on Earth in February that, "I'd like to stay but whatever happens I'm cool with it."

Allen struggles with his shot, as Finnan points out, and this year he made just 12.5% of his three-point attempts. Despite 44.5% shooting from the field overall this season, he's made 47.5% of his career field goal attempts, displaying an ability to maximize his offensive strengths. Allen is making $3.3MM this season, but an unnamed Eastern Conference general manager told Chris Mannix of SI.com in March that he believes the 31-year-old is in for a slight raise, with a three-year contract at $4MM annually.

The Grizzlies created financial flexibility with a pair of trades this season, but accommodating that sort of contract for Allen this summer would once more make it difficult for the team to maneuver, as our Luke Adams detailed last month. Adams believes Allen will come back to Memphis, perhaps at a slight discount, but the Cavs, with ample cap space this summer, could make that decision difficult with an above-market offer. I wouldn't be surprised to see Cleveland GM Chris Grant try to overpay for a player who fits the team's renewed commitment to defense.

In his NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld on Monday, Steve Kyler explored the upcoming free agencies for a number of point guards on playoff teams. Today, Kyler turns his attention to the shooting guards in the postseason who could be hitting the free agent market this summer. Let's round up the notable tidbits from his piece....

• The Hawks could have interest in retaining Kyle Korver, but he also won't be the team's top priority, so Korver could accept a multiyear offer from a rival suitor before Atlanta is ready to finalize anything with him. I touched on this when I examined Korver's free agent stock last month.
• Marco Belinelli may not be back in Chicago next season, since the Bulls will be looking to upgrade the two-guard spot, according to Kyler.
• Tony Allen has good relationships with Zach Randolph and Lionel Hollins, which could be a factor if he's deciding whether or not to re-sign with the Grizzlies. However, he'd want to know whether Randolph or Hollins are part of the front office's long-term plan in Memphis, says Kyler.
• Kyler suggests that Lance Stephenson and Willie Green, who have non-guaranteed contracts with the Pacers and Clippers respectively, could make for interesting trade chips if their teams decided to pair them with another asset.
• One of the Bucks' reasons for acquiring J.J. Redick at the trade deadline was to give the team insurance in free agency, so that the team can still retain two starting guards if one of Brandon Jennings, Monta Ellis, or Redick receives an offer Milwaukee doesn't want to match.

The Grizzlies haven't missed a beat following their trade of Rudy Gay, going 24-9 since adding Tayshaun Prince, Ed Davis, and Austin Daye to the active roster in Gay's place. Zach Randolph and other Grizzlies have even come around on management's stance that Memphis may be a better team without Gay, as Randolph told Sam Amick of USA Today last month.

However, while the Grizzlies have survived the loss of Gay, there's another player on the perimeter in Memphis who is even more essential to the team's success: Tony Allen. One of the league's best defenders, Allen is a key piece on a Grizzlies club that hopes to make a deep run in the 2013 playoffs. But after Memphis' season ends, either with a postseason defeat or a title, Allen will become an unrestricted free agent, giving him the opportunity to sign anywhere.

As Chris Mannix of SI.com wrote in March, Allen has been a perfect fit in Memphis, where the defense-first Grizzlies get a good chunk of their scoring from big men Randolph and Marc Gasol, meaning they don't need much offense from Allen. Like Andre Iguodala in Denver, Allen has a role in Memphis that plays to his strengths, something that wouldn't necessarily happen if he were to sign with another team. Still, at least one Eastern Conference executive told Mannix that he thinks the 6'4" guard would be a good fit just about anywhere.

"I like him a lot," the exec said. "He adds instant toughness and a defensive mentality to your team. He's a leader on the floor and he isn't going to back down from anyone. I think everyone in the league would love to have him."

Not only would every team in the NBA likely have some interest in a player like Allen, who has the ability to shut down the league's premier perimeter players, but his price tag may be affordable enough that just about every club could have a real shot. The Oklahoma State product is playing in the final year of a three-year contract that paid him just over $3.1MM annually, and one Eastern Conference general manager predicted to Mannix that Allen could sign a similar deal this time, perhaps with a slight raise -- "three years at $4MM per year sounds right," said the GM.

At age 31, Allen seems to be hitting the market at an ideal time. His last three seasons in Memphis have been the best three-year stretch of his career, as he's seen his playing time steadly increase (from 18.4 career MPG prior to joining the Grizzlies to 27.1 MPG this season). His defensive prowess has also become more widely recognized, culminating with a spot on the NBA's All-Defensive First Team in 2012. Based on his production and his reputation, I could see the bidding going even higher than $4MM per year on Allen. He seems to me like the kind of player to whom a contending team would be willing to commit its full mid-level exception.

While that sort of salary would still put him within most teams' price range, it may make it tricky for the Grizzlies to bring him back. Even after clearing Gay's and Marreese Speights' projected salaries for 2013/14 from their books, the Grizz have over $60MM committed to next year's roster. The team could still re-sign Allen for a fair market price and avoid going into tax territory, but barring any further cost-cutting roster moves, it wouldn't leave much wiggle room for other upgrades.

Still, based on Allen's comments and his attitude since arriving in Memphis in 2010, I get the impression that the veteran would be reluctant to leave, particularly if the difference in money elsewhere wasn't significant. As such, I expect Allen and the Grizzlies to work something out this July, perhaps for a slightly lesser salary than the 31-year-old would receive from a rival suitor. A multiyear deal would provide some long-term security for Allen, while the Grizzlies would avoid having to try to replace Allen's production as effectively as they replaced Gay's.

A few notes from around the league's Western Conference.

• Grizzlies guard Tony Allen is focused on his team's upcoming playoff run, not the fact that he's an unrestricted free agent this summer, writes the Memphis Commercial Appeal's Ronald Tillery. 
• The Sacramento Bee's Ailene Voisin gives the latest on the Kings situation. 
• Pau Gasol has had an injury plagued season, but he appears to finally be getting on the right track with Dwight Howard and his coach, Mike D'Antoni, writes Los Angeles Times reporter Eric Pincus. 
• MercuryNews.com's Marcus Thompson II writes that the Warriors' recent success can be attributed to their improved defense. 

The race for the final playoff spot(s) in the Western Conference will continue tonight, when the Lakers play the Bucks in Milwaukee and the Mavericks host the Pacers in Dallas. As we look forward to those games, let's round up a few Thursday items out of the conference....

• Tony Allen is headed for unrestricted free agency this summer, and at least one Eastern Conference general manager thinks Allen will receive a modest raise. "Three years at $4MM per year sounds right," the GM tells Chris Mannix of SI.com. "He adds instant toughness and a defensive mentality to your team. He's a leader on the floor and he isn't going to back down from anyone. I think everyone in the league would love to have him." The Grizzlies have no interest in approaching luxury-tax territory, so it's unclear if they'll be able to bring back Allen.
• Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com believes that both Los Angeles head coaches, Mike D'Antoni and Vinny Del Negro, could be on the outs with the Lakers and Clippers respectively if they don't finish the season strong.
• With Metta World Peace expected to miss six weeks after undergoing surgery on his left knee, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News wonders if the veteran forward has played his last game with the Lakers.
• Terrel Harris' new deal with the Hornets includes an second year that will become guaranteed if Harris makes the team's 2013/14 roster, reports Sam Amick of USA Today.
• Nuggets coach George Karl tells Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post that he thinks Gregg Popovich would be interested in the Team USA head coaching position, and that Popovich would be a great choice for the job.

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.

It's a light five-game schedule in the NBA tonight, with no clashes of two teams that appear to be headed for the playoffs. So, it may be time for a few executives around the league to take their eyes off the court and delve into trade talks, with the deadline just a dozen days away. We'll be keeping tabs on all the latest, with a few afternoon items right here: 

• Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News expects the Suns and Mavs to be players for Josh Smith before the deadline (Twitter link). Yesterday we heard there's a 60% chance the Hawks deal Smith away, and that they're seeking a "quality young center" in return — the sort of asset neither Phoenix nor Dallas appears to possess, which could necessitate a three-way swap. 
• Shaun Powell of Sports on Earth praises Tony Allen's defense, and passes along comments from the Grizzlies swingman about hitting free agency this summer. "I'd like to stay but whatever happens I'm cool with it," Allen said. "I'll get what's coming to me. At least I hope. They say defense wins games, right? They say it's all about how you play defense, right?"
• Ric Bucher of 95.7 The Game is surprised that Brandon Jennings has changed agents, arguing that Excel's Jeff Schwartz is likely to use the same leverage BDA's Bill Duffy would have when Jennings becomes a restricted free agent in the offseason (Sulia link).  
• Brad Rock of the Deseret News believes the Jazz should stand pat at the trade deadline and preserve their flexibility for the summer.
• Chris Dortch of NBA.com looks at how potential No. 1 overall pick Nerlens Noel sizes up against Anthony Davis and other shot-blocking savants.
• Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com examines the top power forwards available in the 2013 draft. 

The Jazz were on the wrong end of one of the Lakers' better performances of the season last night, and now they have to turn around tonight and take on the Pacers, who are just one of two teams in the league giving up fewer than 90 points a game (the Grizzlies are the other). Utah, sitting seventh in the West, is only a game and a half in front of the ninth-place Rockets, and with only five players with guaranteed money on the books for next season, the Jazz will be an interesting team to watch as the trade deadline draws near.

As we await a 10-game night in the NBA, here's more from around the Association:

• The Grizzlies owe a pair of future first-round picks to other teams, and would look for at least one, and preferably two, first-rounders in any deal for Rudy Gay or Zach Randolph, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Memphis would also make such a deal with the idea of freeing up space to re-sign Tony Allen, an unrestricted free agent this summer.
• The Bucks have given assistant GM Jeff Weltman a three-year extension, matching the length of the extension GM John Hammond received this week, reports Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. Weltman has drawn interest from the Clippers and Suns about their GM jobs in recent years, Woelfel adds.
• With Mike James' second 10-day contract expiring Sunday night, Mavs owner Mark Cuban was asked whether the team would sign him for the rest of the season, and Cuban indicated that was the plan, notes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "So far, so good," Cuban said of James. "No reason to think otherwise at this point."
• Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News hears that former Suns coach Alvin Gentry had player development coordinator Lindsey Hunter removed from practices on multiple occasions, and feared that Hunter, his eventual successor, was a "spy" for the front office.
• Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel downplays the idea of Jermaine O'Neal rejoining the Heat, pointing out that the center didn't leave Miami on good terms in 2010, and opining that the Suns are unlikely to buy out his minimum-salary contract.