Week in Review News & Rumors

Boy, that was fast.  Hours after being eliminated in Game 7 by the Bulls, the Nets decided to remove P.J. Carlesimo as coach.  We’ll be keeping a close eye on Brooklyn as they figure to start weeding through candidates immediately.  Here’s more from the week that was..

• The Timberwolves made it official and brought former coach Flip Saunders aboard to run the show.  Saunders takes over for the much maligned David Kahn and hopes to find more success than his predecessor.
• The Bucks got rid of coach Jim Boylan after Milwaukee was bounced in the first round by the Heat.
• Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett said they weren’t thinking retirement last week, but there’s still speculation that they both won’t be back next season.
• The Pistons hired  Phil Jackson to consult in their coaching search.  Meanwhile, the Zen Master says he’s still open to other NBA opportunities.  The Raptors are ramping things up.
• Jarrett Jack said no to in-season extension talks.
• The Pistons will talk with Nate McMillan.
• Despite all the talk to the contrary, the Lakers might be keen on keeping Pau Gasol.
• The Clippers will decide on Vinny Del Negro soon.  But don’t expect Jackson to be in the mix.
• Here’s the official early entrant list for the 2013 draft.
• The Pistons like Kelvin Sampson but they’ve got a new candidate in the frey as well.
• Rockets GM Daryl Morey officially inked his four-year extension.
• No surprise here, Damian Lillard is the Rookie of the Year.
• The Cavs like Tony Allen.
• Danny Ferry is mulling his options when it comes to Larry Drew.

Will one of the greatest coaches of all-time return to the NBA in a front office capacity?  We'll look at that and more in our weekly recap..

• Coach Phil Jackson said that he has spoken to three or four teams about a potential front office position.  Later in the week, we learned that the Raptors are among the clubs that are making a run at the legendary coach.  Meanwhile, a return to the Lakers still looks highly unlikely for the Zen Master.
• The Cavs were said to be interested in Jackson but wound up bringing Mike Brown back.  The coach will get $20-25MM over five years from Cleveland.  Brown was said to turn down the Suns not once, but twice.
• The Wolves are expected to replace David Kahn with Flip Saunders.  The move comes as something of a surprise as it was recently reported that Kahn would return.
• The Bobcats ousted Mike Dunlap.
• The Nets signed GM Billy King to a multi-year extension. 
• There are a number of candidates for the Suns' GM opening after Lance Blanks was let go.
• Alvin Gentry is interested in the Bobcats job.
• Lindsey Hunter will interview with the Pistons but could still return to the Suns.  Yes, you read that right.
• Brandon Jennings has softened his stance.
• Gregg Popovich may walk away from the Spurs when Tim Duncan does.
• The Raptors will keep Bryan Colangelo and Dwane Casey.
• The Pelicans won't rule out an Eric Gordon trade.
• Tony DiLeo's status in Philly is up in the air.  Meanwhile, the 76ers have a pair of experienced coaches at the top of their wish list.
• Nate McMillan might be the frontrunner in Detroit.
• LeBron James is unlikely to sign with Jay-Z.
• The Bulls want Nazr Mohammed back.
• Miami's Shane Larkin is going pro.
• Marcus Smart will return to Oklahoma State.
• The Birdman hopes to touch down in Miami again next year.
• A recommendation on the Kings will come tomorrow.
• David Stern wants to see the Zen Master back in the NBA.
• Marc Gasol is the DPOY.
• Paul George was named the Most Improved Player of the year.
• Samuel Dalembert likes the Heat.
• J.R. Smith is the sixth man of the year.
• Andres Nocioni reportedly turned down an NBA offer.
• The Sixers will announce a new D-League affiliate.

Earlier this week, Rasheed Wallace decided to call it a career for the second time.  Wallace played in 1109 games  for six teams over the course of his NBA career, averaging 14.4 PPG and 6.7 RPG.  The 38-year-old big man won't be hurting for money after walking away from the game as he earned roughly $157MM over the course of his NBA career.  Here's more from around the league as we enjoy more playoff action..

• The Pistons told Lawrence Frank that he's out as coach.
• Another former Nets coach, Byron Scott, is also out of a job after being let go by the Cavs.
• It's now official – Doug Collins won't be returning to the 76ers as coach.  Collins, who walked away despite the club wanting him back for another year, will serve as an adviser to the team.
• Mike D'Antoni will stay on as Lakers coach.
• Phil Jackson is interested in returning to the NBA.  The Cavs are planning to make a run at him and a source close to the former coach says that he'll absolutely consider them.
• Meanwhile, it looks like there's mutual interest in a reunion between the Cavs and Mike Brown.
• Things can always change, but right now it looks like Dwight Howard is staying with the Lakers.
• Pat Riley believes that he can keep the Miami core together.
• The Blazers waived Jared Jeffries.
• The Nuggets will tender a qualifying offer to Timofey Mozgov.
• The Spurs signed Tracy McGrady for the remainder of the season.  The 33-year-old spent most of the 2012/13 season with China's Qingdao Double Star Eagles, averaging 25.0 PPG and 7.2 RPG in 29 games in the CBA.
• The Knicks also hit the way back machine and inked Quentin Richardson to a contract.
• The Raptors still hope to trade Andrea Bargnani.
• The earliest the league will decide on the Kings will be in the first week of May.
• Maryland center Alex Len is going into the draft.
• Glenn Robinson III and Mitch McGary are going to return to Michigan.  Tim Hardaway Jr., meanwhile, is entering the draft.
• No surprise here, but Shabazz Muhammad is entering the draft.
• After Rasheed retired, the Knicks quickly turned around and signed Earl Barron.
• O.J. Mayo is going to opt out of his deal and test the open market.
• Gary Harris will return to Michigan State.
• Marcus Smart will stay in school.
• Grant Jerrett is entering the draft.
• Georgetown's Otto Porter is going pro rather than helping the Hoyas get some redemption next season.
• It's official: Nerlens Noel is entering the draft.  He could go first overall, despite his season-ending ACL tear.
• North Carolina junior Reggie Bullock is going pro, even though he's a borderline first-round pick.
• Marquette's Vander Blue is entering the 2013 draft.
• The Grizzlies signed Donte Greene as well as Willie Reed.
• The Warriors re-signed Scott Machado.
• The Warriors signed Dwayne Jones for the rest of the year.
• Gonzaga junior Kelly Olynyk is jumping in the draft.
• The Hornets are officially the Pelicans.
• Brazilian center Lucas Nogueira says he's entering the draft.
• Georgia's Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is leaving school.

This week, the Basketball Hall of Fame inducted twelve new members in a star-studded 2013 class.  Sonics guard Gary Payton dished and smack-talked his way into the Hall along with former Nets and Knicks great Bernard King.  The induction of Rick Pitino capped an unbelievable week for the coach, who captured the National Championship and saw his son, Richard, named as the head coach of the Minnesota Golden Gophers.  As if that wasn't enough, Pitino's horse Goldencents is headed to the Kentucky Derby in May after winning the Santa Anita Derby.  Here's more from the week that was in hoops..

• Kobe Bryant suffered an Achilles tendon tear, ending his season and putting him on the shelf for at least a significant portion of the 2013/14 season.  With an extra roster spot, the Lakers signed Andrew Goudelock.
• There has been discord between Stephen Jackson and the Spurs and it finally came to a head this week when the veteran was cut loose.
• Bucks guard Monta Ellis is likely to opt out of his deal rather than make $11MM in Milwaukee next season.
• Louisville's Gorgui Dieng is leaving college on a high note and going pro.  Michigan's Trey Burke will also take advantage of a soft draft class.  To keep up on all early entrants, check out our running list.
• J.J. Hickson and the Blazers are probably heading in different directions.
• The tug-of-war between Sacramento and Seattle continues.  Meanwhile, Sacramento's group had some shuffling.
• The Bulls won't sign Nikola Mirotic until 2014.
• Kevin Love is going to have his knee scoped.
• The Pistons might be planning to part ways with Joe Dumars.
• The Thunder, Hawks, and Bulls may pursue Nolan Smith.
• Nerlens Noel could become Jay-Z's first NBA client.
• Chauncey Billups isn't considering retirement.
• Mark Cuban wants to keep Vince Carter for the long-term.
• Rick Adelman, however, is thinking about walking away.
• Brandon Roy plans to continue his playing career.
• Jason Collins would like to return to the Celtics.
• The Bulls signed Malcolm Thomas to a two-year deal.
• The Knicks signed James Singleton and cut Kurt Thomas loose.
• Lionel Hollins doesn't think his fate is tied to the playoffs.
• The Knicks are eyeing free agent bigs.
• Omri Casspi wants to return to the Cavs.
• The Nets signed Kris Joseph for the rest of the year.

Here’s a look back at the week that was on Hoops Rumors..

• Zach Randolph is likely to exercise his option for 2014/15.  The 31-year-old is still a consistent double-double threat but hasn’t been quite the same since his MCL injury.
• No surprise here, but Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza will opt in for 2013/14.
• Grant Hill is likely to retire at the end of this season.  Hill, who signed with the Clippers last July, didn’t appear in a regular-season game until January due to a bone bruise to his right knee.
• Jay-Z announced that he is becoming an agent in the NBA as well as MLB.  Becoming an agent means that the rapper has to give up his stake in the Nets.
• The Rockets think they can make space for Dwight Howard.
• Jerry Stackhouse might call it quits, but nothing is set in stone just yet.
• Alex Poythress is returning to Kentucky.  You can keep up with the players who are entering the 2013 draft with our Early Entrants tracker.
• The Suns and Lon Babby agreed to a new two-year pact.
• Dirk Nowitzki says he’ll be happy to recruit for the Mavs this summer.
• The Grizzlies signed guard Keyon Dooling.  Memphis also had their eye on Jonny Flynn and others.
• The Bobcats signed Jannero Pargo for the season.
• The Nets signed Kris Joseph to a 10-day deal.

Kobe Bryant has said for a while now that he'll retire after the 2013/14 season, but it's clear that he still has plenty of basketball left.  Earlier today, we learned that the future Hall of Famer will formally announce his intentions soon.  Even though things can change, Bryant still says that he's leaning towards hanging it up after next season.  Here's a look at the other top stories from this past week..

• Nuggets swingman Andre Iguodala is likely to opt out of his contract this summer.  Iguodala is eligible for a $16.1MM player option next year, but the ninth-year veteran would rather sign a multi-year deal that pays him less next season but brings a long-term commitment.
• Despite the team's struggles and questionable moves over the last few years, David Kahn will return as Wolves GM next season.
• Jose Calderon won't close the door on a return to Toronto.
• Speaking of the Raptors, they're among the clubs interested in Gigi Datome.
• The Hawks' Zaza Pachulia will have season ending surgery as he heads towards unrestricted free agency.
• After playing just five games this season, Danny Granger will undergo surgery on his knee.
• NBA veteran Jerry Stackhouse is likely to retire after this season.  
• Sacramento approved an investment group's proposal for a new arena.
• Metta World Peace tore his meniscus and says that he may not pick up his option for 2013/14.
• The Hawks are keeping Shelvin Mack for the balance of the season.
• The Clippers signed Maalik Wayns for the rest of the year.
• The Hornets inked Terrel Harris.
• Miami guard Shane Larkin will test the draft waters.
• Arkansas guard B.J. Young is set to enter the draft.
• Royce White decided not to stick around for the D-League playoffs.
• UNLV's Anthony Bennett is headed to the NBA.
• N.C. State junior Lorenzo Brown is going pro along with teammate C.J. Leslie.
• Prep star Norvel Pelle is expected to enter the 2013 draft.
• The Sixers will sign Jrue Holiday's brother, Justin.

Kenyon Martin is once again the darling of the Tri-State area and the big man says that he “would love” to extend his stay in New York.  It took the former No. 1 overall pick quite a while to find his fit this season, but he certainly has a home now as he helps the Knicks get through their injury woes.  Here’s the rest of this week’s news..

• The Wizards might be thinking about a max deal for John Wall.
• There’s mutual interest between Martell Webster and the Wizards in a reunion.
• Rick Adelman might resign this summer.
• Insurance will cover about $6.76MM of Andrew Bynum‘s salary for 2012/13.  Philly found out early last week that they were losing the center for the season.
• Royce White left his D-League team.
• Sacramento finalized their arena proposal.
• Celtics GM Danny Ainge doesn’t anticipate trading Rajon Rondo or Avery Bradley.
• Eric Maynor won’t recieve the qualifying offer.
• George Karl wants to finish his career in Denver.
• The Knicks aren’t expecting to make a roster move just yet but that could change.
• Tony Mitchell is jumping to the pros.
• The Heat inked Juwan Howard for the rest of the year.
• Chris Quinn will be with the Cavs for the remainder of the season thanks to their banged up backcourt.
• It sounds like Kentucky will hang on to a few of their talented freshmen.
• The Bobcats expect some serious change this offseason.
• The C’s signed Shavlik Randolph for the balance of the season.

Late last week, the Knicks announced that they have re-signed Kenyon Martin for the remainder of the season following the expiration of his second 10-day contract.   With Amare Stoudemire and Rasheed Wallace both sidelined with injuries, Martin figures to play a vital role for the Knicks down the stretch.  K-Mart waited on the shelf for most of 2012/13 without a deal, but he now finds himself as a important part of a playoff-bound team.  Here’s the rest of this week’s recap..

• The Jazz are expected to keep one of their standout big men, but not both.
• The Hawks want to keep Josh Smith and Kyle Korver.
• The Pacers top David West‘s offseason wish list.
• Several teams have their eye on Delonte West.  The Knicks, who are eyeing a point guard, are among those clubs.
• Brandon Jennings denied a report that he received a four-year, $40MM offer from the Bucks.
• The Raps lost Andrea Bargnani for the season.
• Speaking of Toronto, they may go after Carl Landry this summer.
• The Hornets added Louis Amundson and waived Henry Sims.
• The Lakers won’t use their disabled player exception.
• The Knicks are would like a reunion with Timofey Mozgov and the interest appears to be mutual.
• The (alleged) proposed Klay Thompson for James Harden deal would have been impossible.
• Kobe Bryant doesn’t plan on playing forever.
• Luke Walton is no longer considering retirement.
• Gilbert Arenas doesn’t plan on returning to the Association.
• The Hawks re-upped Shelvin Mack.

Our long national Dwightmare may not reach its conclusion until this summer, but we at least have one pesky NBA storyline out of the way.  This week, the Jazz finally reached agreement with veteran Raja Bell on a buyout.  The two sides have been at odds all season and Bell did not suit up for Utah once all year after being told not to come to training camp.  Here's more on the week that was on Hoops Rumors..

• The Raptors are likely to offer an extension to Rudy Gay and are going to look to get a proven post player in return for Andrea Bargnani.
• Bucks guard Brandon Jennings is thinking about signing a qualifying offer.  The club is also going to make a strong effort to re-sign J.J. Redick.
• The Nuggets are expected to target Kyle Korver this summer.
• Three teams have interest in Italian forward Gigi Datome, including the Celtics.
• The Knicks are going to be without Amare Stoudemire for six weeks and are looking for help.
• The Jazz discussed deals for Paul Millsap with the Pacers and Clippers but ultimately did not move him.
• Speaking of near deals, the Bucks almost landed Josh Smith at the deadline.  Milwaukee was closer to landing the Hawks forward than the 76ers.  The Celtics also came close to moving Paul Pierce in a deal for Smith.
• Manu Ginobili wants to play for two more years.
• Al Harrington hopes to play for five more years.
• GM Daryl Morey inked an extension with the Rockets.
• The Heat were high on Nikola Vucevic but didn't land him.
• The Wolves are seeking clearance to add a 16th player.  No word on whether the league will let them use six players on the court at the same time though.
• Houston signed Aaron Brooks.
• The Jazz signed Travis Leslie after dumping Bell.
• Commissioner Stern says that Sacramento has to up their bid to keep the Kings.
• Greg Oden is keeping the Cavs on his wish list.
• Pablo Prigioni isn't sure about his NBA future.
• A promising Russian forward is going to wait another year before entering the draft.

Even though the trade deadline is in the rear view mirror, it was a busy week in the NBA.  Let's dive in..

• The Magic are going to pursue trades for Glen Davis.
• There's mutual interest between the Pistons and Corey Maggette in a return for next season.
• Andrew Bynum may not play this season for the 76ers.
• Greg Monroe is unlikely to sign an extension.
• The Clippers and Wizards nearly swapped Caron Butler and Trevor Ariza.
• The Celtics signed Terrence Williams to a multi-year deal.
• The Rockets are likely to pick up Aaron Brooks after the Kings let him go.
• Kenyon Martin got a second 10-day deal from the Knicks.
• Isaiah Thomas' contract is now guaranteed for 2013/14.
• Brandon Jennings is interested in joining the Mavs.
• The Thunder signed Derek Fisher for the rest of the season.
• The C's discussed some significant shakeups.
• The Heat inked Juwan Howard to a 10-day contract.
• The Blazers aren't sure if Elliot Williams is a part of their future.
• The Knicks will be without Rasheed Wallace for eight weeks.
• The Bulls signed Louis Amundson to a 10-day deal.
• Raja Bell and the Jazz couldn't get a buyout deal done.
• Ditto for the Cavs and Omri Casspi. The Rockets were the only other club with real interest.