The race for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference continues to become less dramatic by the day, as the Bucks won again on Monday night. Milwaukee now has a seven-game cushion on the ninth-place Sixers, who are at home against the Celtics tonight. If there's any drama in the East, it relates to seeding -- the Bucks and Celtics are two of five playoff teams currently separated by just three games in the Eastern standings.

Here are a few Tuesday morning items out of the East:

• Whether or not Chris Andersen returns to the Heat next season may depend on how much playing time he gets in the playoffs, says Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, noting that Ronny Turiaf left Miami last offseason after becoming an "afterthought" in the postseason.
• Terrence Williams' contract with the Celtics will become guaranteed for next season if he makes the team out of camp, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
• The Bobcats have told Tyrus Thomas to stay home during the team's four-game West Coast road trip for physical rehab and individual work, reports Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Thomas, who has fallen out of Charlotte's rotation entirely lately, remains a strong candidate to be amnestied this July, as I noted last week.
• Kyle Lowry's first year with the Raptors hasn't been entirely smooth sailing, but after the team traded Jose Calderon, Chauncey Billups had dinner with Lowry and impressed upon the ex-Rocket that Toronto must have plenty of faith in him to hand him the point guard reins (Sulia link via Ric Bucher).

Tyrus Thomas is expected to be sidelined until approximately mid-January with a second-degree strain of his left calf muscle and a tear of the plantaris muscle, the Bobcats announced today. No surgery will be required for the injury, which was sustained Saturday night, but Thomas figures to need about two months to recover.

Thomas was off to a slow start this season, averaging 6.6 PPG and shooting only 34% from the floor in eight games. The Bobcats' rotation shouldn't take a huge hit in Thomas' absence, with the recently-acquired Hakim Warrick among the players likely to receive increased minutes.

The injury is certainly bad news for Thomas' trade value, which was already nearly non-existent. Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld wrote earlier today that GM Rich Cho and the Bobcats were unlikely to find a taker for the former fourth overall pick, who is under contract for $26MM+ through 2015, but that the team would explore creative ways to move him. I would guess now that Charlotte won't attempt to shop Thomas until closer to the deadline, when he gets healthy.

A report last week suggested that Josh Smith is open to a long-term future in Atlanta, even if he and the Hawks are unlikely to work out an extension before next summer. At the team's media day, Smith didn't quite confirm that idea, but did indicate that he won't let his impending free agency become a distraction this season, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes.

"I’m not worrying about any contract discussions," Smith said. "I think the team and I are on the same page. We know what we are going to do. My main concern is making the playoffs and winning basketball games."

Here are a few more media day leftovers out of the Southeast Division:

• Tyrus Thomas spoke to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer about his disappointing 2011/12 campaign, and his excitement about working with new coach Mike Dunlap. Thomas is the only Bobcats player still eligible to be amnestied, and will have two years remaining on his contract after this season, so it's a big year for the former fourth overall pick.
• Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel expects the Heat to see what they have in camp in bigs like Dexter Pittman, Josh Harrellson, Mickell Gladness, and Jarvis Varnado. If the team feels uncomfortable with its options heading into the season, they could look to add a veteran big. Ben Wallace, Kenyon Martin, Mehmet Okur, and Juwan Howard are among those still on the market.
• Chris Vivlamore rounds up a few notable quotes from the Hawks' media day, while Michael Lee of the Washington Post does the same for the Wizards.

Sources close to the Magic deny that Al Harrington was included in this month's Dwight Howard blockbuster as a throw-in, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. However, Kyler still believes the Magic will explore the possibility of moving Harrington and his contract before the trade deadline. Harrington has three years remaining on his deal, but the last two are only partially guaranteed, and he's still a serviceable player, so Orlando could find a taker. Here are the rest of Kyler's Thursday morning updates on players that may be on the move prior to the trade deadline:

• According to Kyler, the Bobcats are hoping new coach Mike Dunlap can reach Tyrus Thomas in a way that Paul Silas couldn't. Thomas' contract still looks like an albatross though, and the Bobcats would likely move it in a minute if they could find a taker.
• While Kyler hears a handful of teams have been in contact with Cleveland about Daniel Gibson, the Cavs deny they're shopping the guard.
• The Raptors haven't been able to find a deal they like for Jose Calderon to date, but as February's deadline approaches, the Spaniard may turn into a more viable trade chip, as his contract nears its end.
• Larry Sanders could be on the trade block for the Bucks, who acquired Samuel Dalembert and Ekpe Udoh, re-signed Ersan Ilyasova, and drafted John Henson within the last few months.
• Kevin Martin and the Rockets and Corey Maggette of the Pistons figure to be trade candidates this season, as veterans with $10MM+ expiring contracts.
• The Spurs are expected to continue trying to find a trade partner for DeJuan Blair, but his health history raises some red flags for rival clubs.

Our previous round-up of Thursday's draft rumors was getting a little unwieldy, so here's a new post for the evening's rumors. Even with the draft underway, the rumors continue to pour in, so we'll round up the latest updates right here. Here's the latest draft buzz, with the newest items up top:

• After trading three picks for one to land Tyler Zeller, the Cavs are trying to trade back into the draft, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
• The Grizzlies intend to keep Tony Wroten, the 25th overall pick, but are working on a trade, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Earlier updates:

• The Mavericks shopped the No. 24 pick they acquired from Cleveland and were "very open" to moving it, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein. However, Stein adds in a second tweet that the Mavs will draft Jared Cunningham for themselves with the pick.
• Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com says he wouldn't be surprised if the Celtics packaged their picks to trade for Royce White, who the Rockets selected at No. 16 (Twitter link). According to Givony, Boston was "very worried" about another team drafting White.
• The Celtics' interest in Austin Rivers was fueled more by GM Danny Ainge than Doc Rivers, says Chris Mannix of SI.com (via Twitter).
• The Cavaliers are still "aggressively pursuing" a second lottery pick, tweets Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
• Warriors GM Bob Myers says his phone "almost blew up" with teams trying to trade up to No. 7 to draft Harrison Barnes, says Rusty Simmons of the San Francisco Chronicle (Sulia link).
• While Michael Kidd-Gilchrist was a surprise pick for the Bobcats at No. 2, multiple reporters, including David Aldridge of TNT and Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com tweet that Charlotte isn't expected to trade MKG. However, Givony adds in a second tweet that that door isn't entirely closed.
• Though they couldn't complete a trade with the Kings, the Rockets are still trying to get into the top 10, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com.
• Despite plenty of talks, the Bobcats and Cavaliers "never had anything close," tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
• If Austin Rivers and Damian Lillard come off the board within the first nine picks, the Hornets are "strongly leaning" toward Meyers Leonard, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
• The Cavs and Bobcats are still engaged in "deep discussions" involving the No. 2 pick, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.
• The Rockets are talking to the Bobcats and Kings and pushing hard to acquire a top-five pick, tweets Chris Mannix of SI.com.
• If the Cavs trade up to No. 2 to land Bradley Beal, the Wizards will likely decide between Harrison Barnes and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist at No.3, with Barnes having the slight edge, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com.
• Teams interested in Fab Melo may be looking to trade into the late teens, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
• The Pistons may attempt to trade back into the end of the first round, tweets Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News. Detroit has its eye on a couple players that could slip.
• Several teams believe that there is starting-caliber talent in the second round and are trying to buy second-rounders, tweets SI.com's Chris Mannix.
• The Wizards (No. 3), Kings (No. 5), and Blazers (No. 6) all appear likely to stand pat, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.
• The Cavaliers are offering the Bobcats the 4th, 24th, and 33rd picks for Charlotte's 2nd and 31st picks, tweets ESPN.com's Chris Broussard. According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Sulia link), the Bobcats still appear set on making Cleveland take a contract in the deal.
• The Blazers are putting out "serious signs" that they might draft Dion Waiters over Damian Lillard at No. 6, tweets Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com.
• The Rockets are showing interest in guards like Austin Rivers and Terrence Ross, along with centers like Andre Drummond and Meyers Leonard, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston. Berman adds in a separate pair of tweets that the Rockets are also interested in high-upside players like Perry Jones III, and that Houston doctors don't believe Jones' health concerns are serious.
• If the Bobcats can't find a trade partner who will take on Tyrus Thomas' contract, they may look to move Matt Carroll's deal instead, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
• Speaking of the Bobcats, they've narrowed their five offers for the second overall pick to just two offers, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link via Marc Stein). The Rockets and Cavaliers are still in the mix for the No.2 pick.
• The Cavs have also talked to the Warriors at No. 7 and the Rockets at No. 12 about trades involving Anderson Varejao, says Broussard (via Stein on Twitter).
• Austin Rivers tops the Hornets' wish list for the 10th overall pick, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

Well, we're here. After weeks of following draft rumors and speculating on which player will be picked by which team, we're just hours away from the 2012 draft. Before things get underway tonight though, we're sure to hear plenty more draft rumors, so be sure to follow this page for the latest updates throughout the day. And to fully immerse yourself in tonight's draft, you can also check out our most recent mock draft, the complete draft order, our Prospect Profiles series, and all the rest of our draft content. Here are today's updates, with the latest up top:

• The Kings and Warriors will make decisions on whether to trade their picks while they're on the clock, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports says (Twitter link). 
• It's highly unlikely the Grizzlies use the 25th pick on a point guard, the Memphis Commercial Appeal tweets. 
• The Grizzlies, Rockets and Celtics are all interested in Royce White, says Jon Rothstein of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The Warriors may trade up from No. 30 to land him, Rothstein also tweets.
• The Bobcats are "getting closer" to trading the No. 2 pick, tweets ESPN.com's Andy Katz (hat tip to Tom Ziller of SBNation).

Earlier updates:

• Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer tweets the Rockets aren't as close to a deal with the Kings for the fifth pick as an earlier report suggested (see below). Sam Amick of SI.com agrees, as has the Kings taking Harrison Barnes at No. 5 in his latest mock. 
• The Warriors will likely keep the No. 7 pick after talks with the Rockets broke down, says Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, via Twitter.
• Part of the reason the Celtics are trying to move up into the lottery is because they'd like to draft Austin Rivers, son of coach Doc Rivers, Sam Amick of SI.com reports (Sulia link). Chad Ford and Marc Stein of ESPN.com say the team is pessimistic about its chances to get Rivers (Twitter link).
• If the Warriors trade down to No. 12 or lower, the team would consider Moe Harkless, tweets Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. 
• Thomas Robinson appears to be the preferred target of the Kings, who will wait as long as possible to decide whether to trade the No. 5 pick, Marc Stein and Chad Ford of ESPN.com report. If they do trade it, the Rockets are "in position" to acquire that pick, the report says. Stein and Ford suggest that means the Kings are in line to get even more thanKyle Lowry and a package of first-rounders if the deal is done. 
• Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group hears the Warriors will take Dion Waiters at No. 7 if he's there. 
• Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer passes on the latest on the Cavs' interest in Waiters and more from around the draft. 
• Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider link) and Joe Kotoch of SheridanHoops.com have updated their mock drafts, both of which cover all 60 picks.
• The Warriors are leaning away from Andre Drummond, writes Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group.
• The Blazers appear to be holding on to the sixth and 11th picks for now, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com.
• Grizzlies owner Michael Heisley is in the process of selling the team, and he would also like to trade the team's first-round pick, at No. 25, according to the Memphis Commercial Appeal's Twitter account. The team's execs, however, like Royce White and John Jenkins.
• There is a "growing expectation" the Bobcats will swap the No. 2 pick, Chris Mannix of SI.com tweets.
• Teams drafting before pick No. 20 have little interest in Jared Sullinger, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Sullinger is "falling like a rock," says Mannix (Twitter link).
• Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee looks at what the Kings can do to upgrade at small forward through the draft, and speculates via Twitter that the team could trade down to draft a player at another position and re-sign Terrence Williams.
• The Cavs are actively pursuing another lottery pick, says Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Sulia link). Discussions with the Warriors for No. 7 have stalled, but the No. 12 pick, held by the Rockets, is in play. Lloyd speculates it will be tough to trade for a pick that high without including Anderson Varejao in the deal.  
• Jared Sullinger's stock was slipping even before word came out about the medical red flag on his back, tweets Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com. 
• Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says the league's recent small ball trend doesn't mean prospects like Fab Melo and Festus Ezeli won't be highly valued.
• The Nets could bundle Johan Petro and $3MM in cash to try to acquire a second-round pick and clear cap space, according to NetsDaily.com via Twitter.
• Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune tweets that the Blazers are eyeing Damian Lillard and Dion Waiters with the No. 6 pick, with a "hard lean" toward Lillard. Smith also says the Jazz still have hopes of moving into the lottery, and may be targeting a "draft-and-stash" international player in the second round (Sulia link).
• Chad Ford of ESPN.com unveils the site's final top 100 ranking before the draft (Insider only).
• Vin Parise of NBC Sports is hearing that the Bulls intend to draft Tyshawn Taylor at No. 29 (Twitter link).
• Besides liking Thomas Robinson at No. 5, the Kings are also high on Harrison Barnes,tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports.
• Sam Amick shares a number of draft tidbits in his latest piece for SI.com, including items onJared Sullinger, the Kings, and the Rockets.
• According to ESPN's Chad Ford, the Cavaliers have narrowed their choices at No. 4 toBradley Beal, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, and Harrison Barnes. While the team has interest in Dion Waiters (as linked below), that interest doesn't extend to the fourth overall pick, says Ford.
• As for the Cavs' second-round picks, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports says the team has "strong interest" in Turkish forward Furkan Aldemir (Twitter link). Aldemir doesn't have an NBA out clause until 2014.
• Temple center Michael Eric is drawing interest from teams in the second round, including the Warriors, Sixers, and Nuggets, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
• The Kings won't decide whether or not to trade the No. 5 pick until they see who is available, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. According to Spears, the Kings loveThomas Robinson, so if he slips past the first four picks, Sacramento is unlikely to trade down.
• While Evan Fournier has long been considered the only international player that will go in the first round, interest in Greek forward Kostas Papanikolaou is intensifying. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Heat and Thunder are considering Papanikolaou with their late-first-round picks, and Al Iannazzone of Newsday says theKnicks could try to acquire another pick to draft him.
• Wojnarowski's piece also includes a few other updates, including the Bucks seriously considering Terrence Jones at No. 14, and Andrew Nicholson drawing interest from the Rockets and Nuggets.
• Perry Jones III may have a knee issue that's causing his slide down draft boards, reportsESPN.com's Chad Ford.
• The Bobcats have five "legit offers" for the second overall pick that they're considering, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.
• Rumblings that the Cavaliers are seriously considering Dion Waiters at No. 4 continue to gain momentum. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Cavs are losing interest in dealing with the Bobcats if taking Tyrus Thomas is a requirement in any trade, and are leaning toward Waiters if Bradley Beal and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist are off the board at No. 4.
• According to Wojnarowski, the Raptors are also looking into trading up for Waiters, and there's plenty of members of the Warriors' front office that like him a lot too.
• The Grizzlies have talked to a number of teams about trading the No. 25 pick, according toRonald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. However, Tillery tweets that there's a major internal push for Memphis to select John Jenkins or Royce White.
• ESPN.com's Chad Ford (Insider link) has released version 10.0 of his 2012 mock draft. Ford also heard from Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who explained to the ESPN.com draft expert why he shouldn't be down on Austin Rivers.
• In a pair of tweets, Ford reports that the Pistons conducted a last-minute workout withAndre Drummond and that Detroit would likely take the big man if he slips to them at No. 9.
• Marc Berman of the New York Post has the details on the players the Knicks are eyeing with their second-round pick.

Immediately after the Wizards landed the third overall pick in the 2012 draft lottery, owner Ted Leonsis adamantly stated the team wouldn't be trading the pick. But it seems that hasn't stopped rival clubs from inquiring on its availability, just in case. According to Michael Lee of the Washington Post, the Wizards have been fielding calls this week from teams interested in moving up to No. 3, possibly to select Thomas Robinson.

As ESPN.com's Chad Ford points out (via Twitter), Charlotte and Washington seem to have engaged in a game of draft chicken at this point -- the Wizards likely covet Bradley Beal at No. 3 and are concerned the Bobcats will trade the No. 2 pick to a team like Cleveland that will swoop in to draft Beal. The Bobcats, meanwhile, reportedly have Robinson atop their list of options at the No. 2 pick, but are said to be shopping their lottery selection. By talking to teams interested in Robinson, the Wizards could make the Bobcats nervous that their preferred prospect may not be available if the 'Cats were to trade down to No. 4.

A trade of Charlotte's second overall pick may be a long shot anyway. According to Lee, the Bobcats are trying to convince potential trade partners to take on Tyrus Thomas and his hefty contract as well. One Western Conference executive that spoke to Lee doesn't think any clubs will be willing to take on Thomas, who still has three years and $26MM+ remaining on his deal.

Tyrus Thomas and Bobcats coach Paul Silas engaged in a post-game shouting match following Sunday's game that led to Silas shoving Thomas, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. No punches were thrown, as several players intervened immediately to separate the two. According to Wojnarowski, Silas was angry that Thomas chatted with some Celtics after the Bobcats lost their 16th straight game.

"Silas hates losing to the Celtics, and Paul was even angrier that he thought [Thomas] was acting buddy-buddy with some of their guys," a source told Wojnarowski. "That’s what got it going. But Paul was yelling at him over his salary, over what they have left to pay him. But it started with him saying, hey, he could live with the losing, but you’re going to be buddy-buddy as they’re beating your ass too?"

GM Rod Higgins told Wojnarowski that he has met with Silas and Thomas about the incident and both have been fined.

Even before this confrontation, it was hard to imagine a scenario that involved both Silas and Thomas returning to Charlotte next season. Silas was identified today by Susan Bible of HoopsWorld as one of a handful of NBA coaches on the hot seat, which is hard to argue, given the Bobcats' awful 2011/12 record. Silas, who is in the last year of his contract, also reportedly clashed with Boris Diaw earlier this season, and has allowed his son Stephen to coach the occasional Bobcats game.

Thomas, meanwhile, still has about $26MM left on his contract after this season, and is a prime candidate to be amnestied. Besides Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo, Thomas is the only Bobcat under contract past 2012/13.

The Wizards have "aggressively" attempted to move Andray Blatche in advance of the trade deadline, multiple sources tell Michael Lee of the Washington Post. For his part, Blatche wouldn't mind a change of scenery, Lee hears from a person close to the 25-year-old.

Blatche averaged 15.3 PPG and 7.1 RPG over his previous two seasons with the Wizards, but has struggled this year, with his PER slipping from 17.2 in the last two seasons to 11.4 in 2011/12. While Blatche has shown some promise, the remaining money on his deal is an obstacle -- after this season, he's still owed over $23MM for an additional three years. Besides his contract, Blatche's condition and character concerns rival teams, says Lee.

According to Lee, the Wizards discussed a deal that would have sent Blatche to Charlotte for Tyrus Thomas, but were turned down by the Bobcats. We heard a similar rumor from ESPN.com's Marc Stein in the first week of February. Stein noted that the Wizards were hoping to acquire Boris Diaw's expiring contract in a deal with Charlotte.

If the Wizards can't find a deal they like before March 15th or this summer, they could consider using their amnesty clause on the 6'11" forward.

In a wide-ranging interview with Charlotte Observer beat writer Rick Bonnell, Bobcats president of basketball operations Rod Higgins said he won't make any deal that would improve the woeful team for this season but sacrifice its chances for success long-term. (The full transcript of the interview is available here.)

"Panic doesn't exist for us," he said. "Once we made those trades [exchanging veterans Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson for packages that included draft picks], we have to see it through, the path we've taken: Get assets, create [cap] flexibility.

Some of the flexibility with the cap depends on the offers that restricted free agents D.J. Augustin and D.J. White receive from other teams this summer. Higgins said the team could be anywhere from $5MM to $21MM under the cap during the offseason, and told Bonnell the team would pursue a marquee free agent if any of them have mutual interest.

Higgins and GM Rich Cho said they're also listening to offers for what figures to be a high pick in the 2012 draft. If they keep the pick, they're looking for someone who "can help a team right away," Higgins said.

Though Higgins and Cho wouldn't discuss amnesty candidates, Bonnell figures Matt Carroll, DeSagana Diop and Tyrus Thomas might be considered. Thomas, the fourth overall pick in the 2006 draft, would raise the most eyebrows. He has about $26MM guaranteed on his contract the next three years. Higgins seems on the fence about whether the team regrets signing Thomas to a five-year, $40MM deal in 2010.