NBA RUMORS AND NEWS

• New role, new heights for T-Mac

  ESPN.com "Yes, Tracy McGrady noticed the cheers when he checked in to Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. They were unusually loud for a guy playing mop-up minutes in the San Antonio Spurs' blowout victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. What T-Mac didn't hear was Mark Morrison's song "Return of The Mack"..." May 21

• Dwight Howard voiced frustrations

  ESPN Los Angeles "The Los Angeles Lakers do not yet know Dwight Howard's decision for next season, but the All-Star center made his feelings about Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni known before starting his offseason. Nearly three weeks have passed since Howard had his exit interview with the Lakers and there's been..." May 21

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  Scott Agness @ScottAgness

  David West was limited in practice due to a strained right calf. When asked if it’d be an issue, he said “Nahh.”

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  Shandel Richardson @ShandelRich

  Growing tiresome of health questions, Dwyane Wade said today he has no plans of missing any more practice time during postseason.

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• Bobcats Expected To Announce Name Change To Hornets Tommorow

  Sports Business Daily "The Bobcats will hold a press conference tomorrow at 6:00pm ET at Time Warner Cable Arena, a source said. It is expected that Bobcats Owner Michael Jordan will announce that the team will change its name to the Hornets, likely for the '14-15 season. Bobcats officials declined to comment. " May 20

• J.R. Smith expected opt out of contract, re-sign with Knicks

  SportingNews.com "Knicks guard J.R. Smith is expected to opt out of his contract and sign a four-year deal to remain in New York, according to a New York Post report. The deal would pay Smith about $5 million per season because the Knicks hold his early Larry Bird rights. Also playing into Smith’s decision is..." May 20

• Risks involved regarding signing of Howard, Paul

  Fox Sports West "Plenty of teams would envy them. Plenty of good teams. Plenty of teams that made it past the first round of the playoffs this spring. The situations, of course, being Chris Paul and Dwight Howard and the Clippers’ and Lakers’ waiting games, respectively. Don’t get me wrong, having the..." May 20

• Frank Vogel: 'Great respect for LBJ'

  ESPN.com "Frank Vogel said Monday that he has great respect for LeBron James and the Miami Heat, but as for James' perception that the Indiana Pacers coach considers Miami "just another team," he said the Heat superstar is mistaken. "Sorry, sports world, the words 'just another team' never came out of my..." May 20

• LeBron James expects Pacers to get physical

  Indianapolis Star "The Pacers-Heat starts in Miami on Wednesday and there already is plenty of chatter going on with LeBron James reacting to Pacers coach Frank Vogel saying the Heat are another team in our way. Vogel actually said “next team in our way.” LeBron James says he knows Pacers will try to put him on..." May 20

• Carmelo Anthony could be destined for same Knicks fate as Patrick Ewing - zero NBA championships

  New York Daily News "Carmelo Anthony sat shirtless and wore ice packs on both knees late Saturday night as he surveyed the losing locker room inside Bankers Life Fieldhouse. From his demeanor and posture right down to the accessories needed to heal his aching body, Anthony resembled Patrick Ewing more than ever after..." May 20

• Pacers will try to leverage size advantage over dominant Heat

  NBA.com "The Indiana Pacers had the No. 1 defense in the NBA this season and just shut down Carmelo Anthony and the New York Knicks over six games. The Miami Heat had the league's No. 1 offense and just dispatched Tom Thibodeau's D in five. The trump card in the Eastern Conference finals, tipping off..." May 20

• Bryan Colangelo finished as Raptors GM but will stay with MLSE: Sources

  Toronto Star "All signals point to Bryan Colangelo staying with Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment but in a role away from basketball. According to multiple sources, Colangelo will assume a senior management position within the conglomerate and the search for a new president and general manager for the..." May 20

• Report: Several teams going to go after Mike Dunleavy Jr.

  Pro Basketball Talk "Anyone need a 6’9” floor-stretching forward who hit 44.2 percent of his threes last year? A lot of teams could, which is why Mike Dunleavy Jr. is starting to draw some interest around the league, reports the Journal-Times. Apparently, Dunleavy’s fine playoff showing after a quality..." May 20

• Knicks' Carmelo Anthony to have injured left shoulder examined

  New York Daily News "Carmelo Anthony will have his ailing left shoulder re-examined by team doctors to determine the extent of the injury and how to treat it, according to a Knicks official. The club is hopeful that Anthony's injury is not serious and that it will improve with rest and therapy and won't require..." May 20

• Zach Randolph apologizes to Grizzlies for Game 1 wreck

  USA Today "The Memphis Grizzlies' goal for Game 2 of the Western Conference finals on Tuesday night? No more postgame apologies for Zach Randolph. Admirable though it may have been for their leading scorer to fall on the sword after his two-point, seven-rebound outing in a 105-83 loss in Game 1 to the San..." May 20

• Honest approach makes Hawks coach search unorthodox

  Atlanta Journal-Constitution "It is unorthodox, no question. Hawks general manager Danny Ferry is conducting a head coach search while Larry Drew still holds the position. Drew, under contract until June 30, is interviewing for other head coaching jobs in the NBA. Not how it’s usually done. What makes the situation unique..." May 20

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  Marc Stein @ESPNSteinLine

  Clips, I'm told, have NOT asked to interview Spurs' in-demand Mike Budenholzer. Suggests Sterling was thus scouting free agent-to-be Hollins

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• Parker leads Spurs over Grizzlies 105-83 in Game 1

  San Antonio Express-News "The Grizzlies had arguably the best 3-point defense in the NBA this season, giving up the third-fewest makes on the second-worst percentage. It made no difference to the Spurs, who shredded them for 14 makes from beyond the arc — more than the Grizzlies had given up in more than two years — to..." May 19

• Dwight Howard no lock to return to Lakers, two teams in Texas could intrigue him

  CBSSports.com "With the Lakers hoping for a swift decision from Dwight Howard on his free agency this summer, the All-Star center has given no indication he will rush the process and has privately indicated that he plans to give strong consideration to multiple teams, league sources told CBSSports.com. Though..." May 19

• Stoudemire wants Knicks frontcourt of Anthony and Chandler to coexist

  New York Daily News "Amar’e Stoudemire knows his contract won’t allow him to go anywhere and he wants Mike Woodson to make a commitment to make a frontcourt of Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler work. “We never gave it a chance,” Stoudemire said after Indiana’s 106-99 victory eliminated the Knicks from..." May 19

• LeBron responds to Frank Vogel

  ESPN.com "The Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers don't start the Eastern Conference finals until Wednesday, but that hasn't stopped the teams from engaging one another early. Heat star LeBron James took exception Sunday to Pacers coach Frank Vogel referring to Miami as "just the next team" standing between..." May 19

• Sloan keeps getting calls about coaching jobs

  Salt Lake Tribune "So much for riding off into the sunset. Jerry Sloan’s name continues to be connected with virtually every NBA job that opens more than two years after abruptly resigning as coach of the Utah Jazz. The list of teams reaching out to Sloan last summer included Portland, Charlotte and..." May 19

• New Kings boss Ranadive is all about winning

  Sacramento Bee "Two young employees at Tibco Software Inc. recently challenged the head of the company to a pull-up contest, and Vivek Ranadive didn't hesitate to accept. The employees, men in their 30s, combined to gut out 12 pull-ups. Ranadive, who is 55, pumped out nearly twice as many. "When he was..." May 19

• Thunder GM Sam Presti won't amnesty Kendrick Perkins

  The Oklahoman "Kendrick Perkins sat down for his season-ending interview with reporters Thursday and was told, to his surprise, that he was sweating. “Well I just left out of Sam's office so I might be sweating,” Perkins said of his exit interview with Thunder general manager Sam Presti. “That was a joke,”..." May 19

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  ESPN Stats & Info @ESPNStatsInfo

  The Pacers' highest-drafted player is D.J. Augustin, a No. 9 overall pick by the Bobcats.

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• Colangelo likely out as Raptors GM

  Toronto Sun "It appears Bryan Colangelo’s time in Toronto is running out. Sources confirmed a deadline has been set for Monday for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment to determine whether Colangelo will get his third-year option picked up. That seems a highly unlikely outcome. New MLSE president/chief..." May 19

• Heat vs. Pacers in Eastern Conference finals starting Wednesday

  Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel "The rivalry has simmered for a year. Now the stakes are even higher. After defeating the Indiana Pacers in a bitterly contested six-game series in last season's Eastern Conference semifinals, the Miami Heat now will face the Pacers in the Eastern Conference finals, a series that opens..." May 19

• When it counted, Melo wasn’t good enough

  New York Post "Carmelo Anthony made the same slow, sad walk off the court that Patrick Ewing used to make all too often at the Garden, the walk into another season without a championship. Ewing always had Michael Jordan in his way, and Melo would have had LeBron James in his way again, but he couldn’t even..." May 19

• No Ty in this center clash

  New York Post "Following the Knicks’ 106-99 ouster by the Pacers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinals last night, center Tyson Chandler was asked why the Knicks never seemed to get back to their early-season form, when they were one of the NBA’s brightest stories. “I don’t know, I can’t answer..." May 19

• Shumpert’s trey-mendous stretch not enough

  New York Post "The shots just kept coming from Iman Shumpert. They kept going in. But it wasn’t enough. In the Knicks’ 106-99 season-ending Game 6 loss to the Pacers last night, it was Shumpert who delivered a surge that nearly saved the Knicks’ season. Midway through the third quarter, Shumpert almost..." May 19

• J.R. sings ‘stay’ tune on way out

  New York Post "After it ended, J.R. Smith said he looked at his Knicks jersey and thought about how he doesn’t want to leave New York. “I want to retire a Knick,” said Smith, who can opt out of his contract this offseason, in the aftermath of the Knicks’ season-ending 106-99 Game 6 defeat. “I don’t want to go..." May 19

• A Hill of a return

  New York Post "The Pacers prepared for the worst. But it worked out for the best — in every way. Indiana was preparing to go without George Hill, who had missed Thursday’s game with a concussion, but the starting point guard was cleared in the afternoon by team doctors and the league. He started and played 42..." May 19

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  Al Iannazzone @Al_Iannazzone

  JR Smith, who likely will opt out and becomea free agent, said"I want to retire a Knick."

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• Stephenson's career-high 25 points sends Pacers to the Eastern Conference finals

  Indianapolis Star "Lance Stephenson finished with a playoff career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds and the Indiana Pacers pulled away late to beat the New York Knicks 106-99 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Saturday night and won their Eastern Conference semifinal series four games to two. The victory sends the..." May 19

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  Marc Stein @ESPNSteinLine

  After consultation with league physicians, Pacers announce that George Hill has been cleared to play in tonight's Game 6 vs. Knicks

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  Shaun Powell @Powell2daPeople

  An NBA GM at the combines predicted Andrew Bynum won't get more than a 1-year deal.

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• Sources: Raptors targeting Nuggets GM Masai Ujiri to run organization

  Yahoo! Sports "Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment is pursuing Denver Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri to take over as the top basketball executive of the Toronto Raptors, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. Masai, the 2013 NBA Executive of the Year, has emerged as the top choice of the search firm –..." May 18

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  The NBA on ESPN @ESPNNBA

  RT @windhorstespn: George Hill (concussion) hasn't been cleared to play. Coach Frank Vogel said he's preparing as if Hill won't play tonite.

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  Darnell Mayberry @DarnellMayberry

  Sam Presti on the amnesty clause: "We just haven't considered using the provision...We think Perk has a lot of value to our team."

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• Hawks coach Larry Drew to interview with Bucks on Monday

  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "Atlanta Hawks coach Larry Drew will interview for the Milwaukee Bucks vacant coaching position Monday, a league source confirmed Friday. And it's a very strange twist to have a currently employed NBA coach interviewing with another team. But that's the agreement reached by Hawks management..." May 18

• Dwyane Wade surprises local Miami teen at prom

  Miami Herald "Dwyane Wade would have been in Chicago for a Heat playoff game Friday night if he hadn’t helped eliminate the Bulls with a big fourth quarter two nights early. So how did Wade fill the opening on his schedule? By attending the senior prom of an Archbishop Coleman Carroll student who had..." May 18

• Charlotte Bobcats name change: Team reportedly moving toward switch to Hornets

  SportingNews.com "The return of the Hornets to Charlotte appears to be under way. The team now known as the Bobcats is working to claim the nickname of Charlotte’s first NBA franchise, CBSSports.com reported Friday night. Specifically, the digital domain name NBAHornets.com was registered on Wednesday by a media..." May 18

• Spurs' Duncan, Splitter ready to get dirty

  San Antonio Express-News "It was just after midnight back in San Antonio when Tim Duncan emerged fully clothed from a back room at Oracle Arena, eased himself into a chair in front of his locker and emitted the worn-out groan of grandpa melting into his favorite recliner for a “Matlock” marathon. Just finished with a..." May 18

• Pacers playing head games with PG Hill

  New York Post "If they absolutely had to, the Pacers believe they could win a Game 7 at the Garden. But it’s like getting in a car driven by Lindsay Lohan. If you can avoid it, by all means do. The way to avoid that winner-take-all, pack-your-bags-for-Miami showdown would be winning Game 6 of the Eastern..." May 18

• Dirk Nowitzki can relate to Kevin Durant’s rough series vs. Memphis

  Dallas Morning News "Kevin Durant’s season ended early in large part because he got the Dirk Nowitzki treatment. And he didn’t have enough help around him to compensate. When Russell Westbrook injured his knee in the first round against Houston, it meant Durant was destined for major multi-player coverages on..." May 18

• Woodson not giving up on Kidd

  New York Post "During a quiet moment, in the locker room in Toronto, on the eve of his 40th birthday in March, Jason Kidd asked a group of Knicks beat writers if they thought he would make a good coach and whether he would enjoy being one. Kidd said jokingly that dealing with the media several times a day..." May 18

• Bradley Beal: I'd lose respect for a teammate who stayed out the way Derrick Rose did

  SportingNews.com "Washington Wizards guard Bradley Beal said Friday he’d lose some respect for a teammate who stayed on the sidelines the way Chicago Bulls point guard Derrick Rose did this season. “A little bit. Yeah, I would,” Beal said in an interview with Washington radio station WJFK-FM (via The Washington..." May 18

• Grizzlies took long road to conference finals

  USA Today "Looking back, Jerry West calls it "one of the lowest points in my life" as an NBA executive. It was May 22, 2007 and West was sitting in a television studio in Secaucus, N.J., a long way from the kinds of playoff games the Memphis Grizzlies are now winning. At stake, West thought, was the most..." May 18

• Noel anticipating Christmas return

  NBA.com "Potential No. 1 pick Nerlens Noel said his recovery from a torn knee ligament is going better than anticipated but that he expects to make his NBA debut sometime around Christmas, an assessment that should end speculation about whether he could be ready for the start of the season. The Kentucky..." May 18

• Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo: MLSE hires firm to look for possible replacement, sources say

  Toronto Star "The deadline to determine the future of Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo is quickly arriving. According to NBA sources, Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment — and new chief executive officer Tim Leiweke — has to decide by Monday on whether to pick up Colangelo’s option year..." May 17

Wiggins to Kansas