With Boston’s impressive win in Game 5 on Tuesday night, the series has once again swung the Celtics’ way, and they have a chance to close out the Cavs in Game 6 on Thursday.

Has there ever been more riding on a conference semifinal playoff game?

While there are those that believe LeBron James is more likely to leave Cleveland if the Cavs were to win the title, the general consensus is just opposite. If the Cavs suffer another pre-Finals flame out, most NBA fans believe that LeBron will sign elsewhere this summer.

But it’s not like LeBron had one of his monster near-triple-double games and his teammates let him down. The other Cavs shot 46% from the field, 45% from 3PT and hit 18-of-22 free throws. Shaquille O’Neal posted 21-4 (hitting 7-of-10 free throws) along with four blocks.

Meanwhile, LeBron shot 3-of-14 from the field (0-4 from 3PT) and scored just 15 points. For the first three quarters, he settled for long jumper after long jumper and missed most of them. Once again, his unwillingness to go in the post limited his options in a game when his jumper just wasn’t falling. Two of the game’s great wings — Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant — made/make a living on the block, especially when they were having trouble scoring elsewhere.

Defensively for the Cavs, it was another story.

There were times in the third quarter that Mike Brown looked like his life was flashing before his eyes. The Celtics shot 55% from the field, but the guy who spearheaded that hot shooting night — Ray Allen (8-for-13. 6-for-9 from 3PT) — hit some tough shots. The bottom line is that the Cavs are having trouble hiding Mo Williams defensively. When he’s on Ray-Ray, they run him off of screens until Allen gets an open look. Rajon Rondo just takes him to the hole. (Maybe more Delonte West is in order?)

When the Celtics weren’t going after Williams, they were feeding the ball to Kevin Garnett on the block. Since last year’s playoff loss to the Magic, the Cavs were so worried about matching up with Orlando’s “stretch 4″ — Rashard Lewis — that they forgot about Garnett’s ability to hit the turnaround over Antawn Jamison in the post.

Now I’m not writing the Cavs off. They came out with a vengeance in Boston in Game 3 and they are perfectly capable of doing it again. I fully expect a great performance from LeBron in particular.

But what if the Celtics close out the series? What happens then?

Suddenly, LeBron is in play for a number of teams, namely the Knicks, Bulls, Nets, Heat…who knows, maybe even the Clippers. It would throw Dwyane Wade’s summer into question. Right now, it looks like he’s staying put and hoping that a power forward will join him in South Florida. But if LeBron is on the move, maybe Wade would join forces with him in New York, or maybe he’d convince him to come to Miami. Suddenly, instead of being the top free agent option for the Heat, Chris Bosh has to wait for LeBron to make up his mind. All the way down the line — Amare Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, Rudy Gay, David Lee — everyone would be affected.

If LeBron does change teams, it would alter the NBA landscape forever. Remember, he’s 25 and is just now getting into his prime. Whoever is lucky enough to sign LeBron will likely get the best that he ever has to offer. And we’re talking about a guy who has already won two MVP awards.

This is not just another playoff series. The final score of Game 6 could reverberate for a long, long time.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Originally published December 11, 2008.
Updated November 12, 2009.

The phrase “Summer of 2010″ has become part of the NBA lexicon. Teams have been tripping over each other trying to clear cap space for next summer so that they can sign an impact free agent (or two). With that in mind, let’s take a look ahead at the free agent crop of 2010.

Below is a list of the top 10 players that are likely to be free agents next summer. I’m ranking them based mostly on talent, but it’s also important to note each player’s age in July of 2010, as that will affect his value and skill. For example, a 31 year-old Paul Pierce holds much more value than a 33 year-old Paul Pierce. Get the drift?

1. LeBron James, SF (26 years-old)
James is the golden boy of this free agent class and is the player that every franchise would love to land next summer. He will have just turned 26 and whatever team is lucky enough to sign him will – barring injury – enjoy four or five years of the best basketball of his career. The Cavs have gone “all in” this season, signing Shaq, Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon, and re-signing Anderson Varejao. In the process, they gave up whatever cap space they would have enjoyed next summer. If Cleveland’s season ends in disappointment once again, it wouldn’t be surprising if LeBron decides to take his game elsewhere. Three teams — the Knicks, Bulls and Nets — jump out as good fits. LeBron has stated that his top priority is to become a “global icon” and playing in Manhattan would serve that purpose. If the Knicks are able to unload Eddy Curry or Jared Jeffries before the trade deadline, then they’ll have the projected cap space to sign two top players on this list, and that might be enough to convince LeBron to sign on the dotted line. Plus, he’s familiar with Mike D’Antoni (via the duo’s work with Team USA) and the Knicks’ up-tempo system would be a near-perfect fit for LeBron’s skill set. The Nets offer a better supporting cast (led by Devin Harris and Brook Lopez) and the (impending?) move to Brooklyn would boost the franchise’s profile. Chicago has a number of pieces already in place (Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah and Kirk Hinrich) and is bigger market than Cleveland. But would LeBron want to go to the franchise that Michael Jordan built?
Note: Player option (PO)

2. Dwyane Wade, SG (28)
Wade is two years older than James, but is just as effective when healthy. In fact, staying healthy is his biggest problem. In six-plus seasons, he has missed almost 20% of his team’s games. He isn’t a great three-point shooter, but he’s a terrific all-around scorer and gets to the line as well as anyone in the NBA. Like LeBron, he’ll be seeking a max contract, but since he’s older and somewhat injury-prone, he won’t be as good of a value as his counterpart. I wouldn’t rule out a LeBron-Wade combo in New York, but it’s more likely that the Knicks will want to pair LeBron with a big man, like Chris Bosh or Amare Stoudemire. There’s a good chance that Wade will stay put in Miami since it’s a very desirable place to play and the Heat have enough cap space to sign someone like Bosh or Stoudemire in addition to re-signing their superstar. After all, there are worse things in life than being a multi-millionaire living in South Beach.
Note: PO

3. Chris Bosh, FC (26)
Simply stated – Chris Bosh is one of the best young big men in the NBA. He has averaged at least 22.3 points and 8.7 rebounds over the last four seasons. This year, the versatile power forward has stepped up his game and is averaging 28.9 points and 11.5 rebounds. Everyone in New York is talking about a possible LeBron-Bosh combo, and this would be an ideal situation, but with a projected drop in the salary cap, the Knicks will need to move a player or two by the trade deadline to make it work. Bosh is no sure thing to leave Toronto – the franchise proved it was willing to spend when it signed Hedo Turkoglu to give Bosh some help. With the emergence of Andrea Bargnani and the steady play of Jose Calderon, the Raptors have something going.
Note: PO

4. Amare Stoudemire, FC (28)
Stoudemire is a little bigger and stronger than Bosh, but their numbers are almost identical. Stoudemire is two years older, far more injury-prone, and isn’t as good of a defender, but he boasts a much higher FG%. He’s at his best when he catches a pass from Steve Nash off of the duo’s patented pick-and-roll and attacks the rim. If the Knicks are able to woo LeBron but are unable for some reason to get Bosh, Stoudemire would be the next best choice. He’s obviously a great fit in Mike D’Antoni’s system – he averaged 26 points and 9 rebounds in the 2004-05 season – so it’s a logical pairing.
Note: Early Termination Option (ETO)

5. Joe Johnson, SG (29)
The Hawks raised some eyebrows when they traded future Most Improved Player Boris Diaw and two first round draft picks to the Suns for Joe Johnson. Once Diaw won the MIP, it looked like the Suns got the better end of the deal. But with Johnson turning into a 23-point, five-assist, four-rebound kind of player, it sure looks like the Hawks were the ones to benefit most from the trade. It’s likely that Atlanta will do everything possible to retain him, as he’s the biggest reason the team made its return to the playoffs last season. Given his age, scoring ability, versatility and three-point accuracy (39%), he will be highly valued in the summer of 2010.

6. Dirk Nowitzki, PF (32)
Nowitzki’s reputation has taken a bit of a dip over the last couple of seasons, but he’s still averaging 26-and-9 this year. The Mavs are committed to him, so it’s going to be tough for Dirk to turn down the $21.5 million if the two sides are unable to reach an agreement on an extension by next summer. I don’t see Dirk leaving Dallas anytime soon.
Note: ETO

7. Carlos Boozer, PF (27)
Boozer elected to play out the final year of his contract because he found out last summer that his market value didn’t meet his expectations. Instead, he’s focused on having a good season in Utah and proving to everyone that he can stay healthy. Boozer is a great fit as a sidekick, so it wouldn’t be at all surprising if he landed in Miami, New York or New Jersey/Brooklyn. In fact, the Nets are a trade away from having enough cap space to sign both LeBron/Wade and Boozer, assuming he doesn’t expect a max deal. It’s highly unlikely that he stays in Utah since the Jazz just made a big commitment to Paul Millsap, who has a very similar skill set.

8. Paul Pierce, SG (33)
If Pierce were younger in the summer of 2010, he‘d be higher on this list. Realistically, he’s unlikely to be available because the last year of his deal is worth $21.5 million, and he’s not going to find that kind of money elsewhere. He’ll probably stick in Boston since Kevin Garnett is signed through 2011-12.
Note: PO

9. Manu Ginobili, SG (32)
Ginobili has a reputation for being injury-prone; he has missed almost 17% of his team’s regular season games in seven-plus years. He’s a good three-point shooter (career 38%), and a crafty scorer (14.8 ppg) and passer (3.6 apg). The Spurs have done a great job over the years of re-signing their stars, but if Ginobili becomes available in the summer of 2010, more than a few teams will be interested in signing him to a three- or four-year contract. He always seems to come up big in crunch time.

10. David Lee, PF (27)
Lee was a restricted free agent this past summer and ended up signing a one-year deal to stay with the Knicks. His camp was looking for a deal averaging $8-$10 million per season, but quickly found that the market wasn’t willing to bear that. He led the league in double-doubles in the 2008-09 season, but given the frenetic pace at which the Knicks play, his numbers are a little inflated. Still, he’ll be a great complementary forward wherever he lands.

Honorable Mention:

Yao Ming, C (29)
Yao is a 22/10 guy, but his biggest problem is staying healthy. After playing in all but two games of his first three seasons, Yao has missed more than a third of his team’s games. Yao’s big frame isn’t built for the long haul. This makes him a dicey investment for a team trying to win a championship. Yao would have to terminate a contract that would pay him $17.7 million for the 2010-11 season. It’s doubtful that he’ll find that kind of money on the open market coming off a season-long injury.

Tracy McGrady, SG (31)
T-Mac is one of the league’s most talented and versatile players, but he has two serious issues: staying healthy and an apparent inability to win in the postseason. In the three seasons spanning from 2005-2008, he has missed a quarter of the Rockets’ games. Given his age and health concerns, If he continues to struggle with his knees and back, he could be passed (value-wise) by Richard Jefferson, Michael Redd or Josh Howard.

Shaquille O’Neal, C (38)
Will anyone want to take on a 38-year-old O’Neal? What kind of contract is he willing to play for? If he can help the Cavs win a title, it will boost his stock considerably.

Richard Jefferson, SF (30)
Jefferson would have to opt-out of the final year of his deal ($15.0 million) to become a free agent. It’s doubtful that he’s going to find that kind of money on the open market.

Michael Redd, SG (30)
Redd has a ETO, and is unikely to exercise it due to the value of the final year of his contract ($18.3 million).

Josh Howard, SF (30)
The Mavs have a team option for the 2010-11 season, and given Howard’s off-the-court antics, there’s no guarantee that he’ll be a Maverick for long. If he’s a good citizen, however, he’s sure to stay in Dallas.

Other notables: T.J. Ford, PG (27); Tyson Chandler, C (28); Ray Allen, SG (34); Marcus Camby, C (36); Raymond Felton, PG (26); John Salmons, GF (30); Allen Iverson, G (35); Nate Robinson, G (26); Al Harrington, F (30) and Travis Outlaw, SF (25)

Significant restricted free agents: Rudy Gay, Tyrus Thomas, Ronnie Brewer, Randy Foye, Kyle Lowry and Josh Childress.

Photos from fOTOGLIF

John Hollinger writes in his latest PER Diem (Insider subscription required) that LeBron’s best bet for long term success may not be in Cleveland…or New York…or New Jersey/Brooklyn…

And it’s especially worth noting that if the Cavs are back in the 45-50 win range this season, King James might be a much more portable commodity this coming summer. If he’s looking at a Cleveland lineup with one majestically talented player and several spare parts, one would think the comparison to such arrangements in New York or New Jersey wouldn’t be dramatically different.

But those aren’t close to being the most palatable changes of uniform available. For instance, it bears mentioning that joining the Chicago squad LeBron’s team lost to Thursday night would be dramatically different. With a young star point guard, quality big men and lots of secondary help, the Bulls — who could get as much as $20 million under the cap if John Salmons opts out of his contract, conveniently opening a spot in the lineup for LeBron at the same time — would offer a more clear opportunity for long-term success.

Let me throw out an even crazier proposition — Minnesota. The Wolves will have the cap space to make a run at LeBron, depending on a few variables — or at the very least can get there fairly easily if they know there’s a chance for a player of this caliber. (Declining an option on Ryan Gomes, for instance, is done much more easily if it allows you to replace him with the best player in the league.)

Minnesota is generally thought of as one of the NBA’s least-desirable relocation options, but let’s consider it from a winning perspective. Who would you rather play with for the next five years: Al Jefferson or Anderson Varejao? Kevin Love or Ilgauskas? Ricky Rubio or Mo Williams? Jonny Flynn or West? Ramon Sessions or Daniel Gibson? Next year’s fourth pick or next year’s 24th? It’s obvious, isn’t it?

Don’t get me wrong — the T-Wolves would be a good fit for LeBron, but he’d be a pretty good fit anywhere. I just don’t see him taking his show from one cold, small-market Midwestern city to another cold, small-market Midwestern city. If he doesn’t stay in Cleveland, then there seem to be three real options:

1. Brooklyn Nets
With Devin Harris and Brook Lopez locked up for the next few years, the Nets have two All-Star caliber players already on the roster at two of the toughest positions to fill — point guard and center. Is the penetrating Harris the perfect fit alongside LeBron? Not necessarily, but if the Nets can find a sharpshooting off guard (Courtney Lee?) and face up power forward (a la Rashard Lewis), the Nets would really be in business. Plus, the move to Brooklyn would take away the stigma of playing in New Jersey.

2. Chicago Bulls
It would break the city of Cleveland’s heart if LeBron fled to the Windy City. New York or Brooklyn? Cleveland fans wouldn’t like it, but they’d understand. But if LeBron heads to Chicago, home of the team that stepped on the Cavs’ throats so many times during the Jordan era, the city might explode. From a pure basketball point of view, it’s a nice fit. They already have Derrick Rose, Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Kirk Hinrich and maybe Tyrus Thomas. Chicago is also a threat to pry Dwyane Wade out of Miami.

3. New York Knicks
This is more about MSG and the spotlight than who the Knicks have on the roster. Playing in Mike D’Antoni’s system would be nice, and if the Knicks can unload either Eddy Curry or Jared Jeffries, they’d have enough cap space to sign another free agent to max deal. This might be a case of the Knicks having to coax Chris Bosh out of Toronto or Amare Stoudemire out of Phoenix before being able to convince LeBron to sign on the dotted line.

We’re only a couple of weeks into the season and the talk is already starting. The Cavs have plenty of time to morph into a 60-win team, but right now they don’t look it. And the longer they struggle, the louder the drum beat is going to sound.

Delonte West misses practice (unexcused) again. All right, one unexcused absence I can understand, but after he was MIA yesterday, wouldn’t the Cavs track him down to find out why he was absent? Of course they would, which is why he is either completely unreachable or the Cavs don’t approve of his reasons for missing practice. This is worrisome, but expect the team to give him a lot of leeway to get his life straightened out.

The New York Daily News thinks there has been another sign that LeBron is headed to the Knicks. His name is William Wesley and apparently he has LeBron’s ear. He was at Knicks camp this week and some conspiracy theorists believe his presence is a sign that LeBron will be playing in New York next season.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that Joe Johnson will not sign an extension this season. Instead, Johnson is going to become a free agent next summer when a number of teams are going to have the cap space to offer a max deal. After LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and (maybe) Amare Stoudemire, Johnson is the next biggest prize in the free agent class of 2010. He’s one of those players that isn’t quite worth a max deal but he’s going to get one anyway. (Think Michael Redd circa 2005.)

Byron Scott told the Times-Picayune that the Hornets’ starting small forward job is Julian Wright’s to lose. This is about a year too late. Wright was quite productive (PER: 15.48) in his rookie season, but the Hornets went with James Posey instead, thinking that he’d be the missing piece to the championship puzzle. Wright is one of those young, talented players that is going to see a big increase in minutes, so fantasy basketball owners should take note.

- SPORTSBYBROOKS discusses why the vast majority of sports talk radio hosts are white men.

- FIVE TOOL TOOL has a great list of 10 Lame NFL Excuses.

- BALL DON’T LIE has video of Jon Stewart trying to woo LeBron to New York on an episode of “The Daily Show.”

This is not how it was supposed to go.

The Cavs were destined to make the Finals and face the Lakers, with LeBron turning in a fantastic Game 7 performance in front of his loyal fans at the Q to bring the city of Cleveland its first championship since 1964. With a title already under his belt, and a few more on the horizon, he would happily re-up for another four or five seasons. Or at the very worst, the Cavs would lose to the more talented Lakers, leaving fans with the feeling that “one more piece” would be all that is needed to finally bring a title to Cleveland. Under that scenario, there would be no way that LeBron could leave, right? Not when the Cavs were thisclose to a title…

Just over a year ago, I wrote that “The Cavs have failed LeBron James,” which was posted about three months before GM Danny Ferry pulled the trigger on the trade that brought Mo Williams to Cleveland. That trade, along with LeBron’s renewed focus and an improved work ethic (which was inspired by his seeing first hand how Kobe prepared during the 2008 Olympics), pushed the Cavs to a league-best 66 wins this season. Williams was named as an alternate to the All-Star Game (after grousing about not being voted in by the coaches) and all was well with the world.

The Cavs received some more good news when Kevin Garnett struggled with injuries down the stretch of the regular season and was eventually shut down for the playoffs. At the time, the Celtics were considered the Cavs’ biggest threat in the East, but KG’s injury might have allowed the Magic, one of four teams that beat the Cavs twice during the year — the Celtics, the Lakers and…um…the Wizards were the other three — to advance to the Conference Finals when they otherwise wouldn’t have survived to face the Cavs. The Magic were a very bad matchup because the Cavs simply didn’t have anyone that could cover Dwight Howard. When they didn’t double-team him, he would make a living on the post, and when they did send another guy, it would free up the Orlando sharpshooters for open jumpers.

Since the Cavs won 66 games, those same flaws that went overlooked for much of the season and postseason once again reared their ugly heads against the Magic: 1) the lack of an inside scorer, 2) no defensive stopper in the middle, 3) very little ingenuity on offense and 4) a weak bench. Williams, who shot 47% from the field and 44% from long range during the regular season, suddenly couldn’t eclipse the 38% mark in either category. Delonte West was the only Cleveland player to step up his game in the Orlando series, but he’s better suited to be the third or fourth option on offense, not LeBron’s main sidekick.

Let’s not forget that the Cavs had an opportunity to address one or more of these flaws at the trade deadline in February and failed to strike a deal. Armed with Wally Szczerbiak’s expiring contract (worth $13.8 million) as trade bait, and pursued Shaq, Amare Stoudemire, Richard Jefferson and Antawn Jamison. We’ll never know just how close Cleveland was to making a deal, though David Aldridge said that the Cavs “really did try” to acquire a big man. There are reports that the Suns would have been willing to part with Shaq had the Cavs agreed to give up Szczerbiak (along with Sasha Pavlovic), but Danny Ferry insisted that the Suns take Ben Wallace instead. The Suns balked, and for good reason.

Regardless, any of these players probably would have been enough to put the Cavs in the Finals, assuming the transition went relatively smoothly. Shaq would have provided both a low post presence and a big body to limit Howard in the post. Stoudemire would have given LeBron a legitimate All-NBA sidekick to relieve some of the scoring burden. (Just imagine LeBron and Amare running the high pick and roll. Geesh.) Jefferson and Jamison would have given the Cavs another established forward to deal with Hedo Turkoglu and/or Rashard Lewis defensively while giving LeBron another option on the offensive end.

LeBron’s silence after Game 6 speaks volumes. He was obviously frustrated with losing the series, was probably upset about his own play and may have already been contemplating his future with the franchise. This summer, he is going to hear all about how great he played and how his supporting cast let him down. This kind of talk will wear on him and might impact his decision next summer, when he can opt out of the final year of his contract and become an unrestricted free agent.

Most star and superstar free agents re-sign. For every player who changes teams, there are six or seven that stay put. But LeBron is a special case. He knows that he’ll be able to contend just about anywhere he goes, and any team would be more than happy to have him.

So how do the Cavs keep him?

For LeBron to re-sign next summer, he needs to see a bright future in Cleveland. So the Cavs either need to win a title next year (or come damn close) or get the pieces in place to ensure that the Cavs are amongst the elite teams in the East for years to come.

First, the Cavs have to deal with a few losses. Wally Szczerbiak will almost certainly not be back, Anderson Varejao can (and likely will) become a free agent, Joe Smith will be a free agent, and Ben Wallace is thinking about retiring. The Cavs are over the cap, so they can improve their roster in three ways: 1) sign a player to the mid-level exception, 2) make a trade, and 3) strike gold in the draft. Since the Cavs pick last in the first round, finding an immediate contributor in the draft is a long shot, so let’s focus on the first two options.

Assuming James opts out (and he most certainly will, either to re-sign with the Cavs or sign elsewhere), Cleveland will only be on the hook for about $21 million heading into the summer of 2010, and that’s enough cap space to not only re-sign LeBron but to also sign another superstar like Stoudemire, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade or Joe Johnson. But if the Cavs head into that summer without James locked up, anything can happen. They could sign another superstar only to lose James, or vice versa. Or the worst could happen — they fail to sign anyone.

The good news it that given the current state of the economy, there should be a number of bargains available at the mid-level (~$5.8 million per season). It’s not out of the realm of possibility that players like Ron Artest, Lamar Odom, Andre Miller, Shawn Marion, Jason Kidd, Mehmet Okur, Charlie Villanueva, Ray Felton or Mike Bibby could ultimately sign a mid-level deal (not that any of these players are a particularly good fit in Cleveland). The prospect of playing with LeBron will be especially attractive to vets who are more interested in a ring than they are in signing a monster deal.

If the Cavs sign one of these players to a two-year (or longer) mid-level deal, that will still leave about $31 million of projected cap space in the summer of 2010, which would be enough to re-sign LeBron and sign a superstar sidekick. The problem is that if the Cavs don’t re-sign Varejao and don’t replace him, they’re going to have trouble getting to the Finals next year, which will put LeBron’s future very much up in the air. If Varejao departs and Wallace retires, then the Cavs will be left with Zydrunas Ilgauskas and J.J. Hickson up front, and while Hickson is a nice prospect, that’s simply not enough beef to compete for the Eastern Conference crown. The Cavs’ best bet may be to sign Varejao to a one-year deal to keep him in town for another season. Otherwise, they’ll be really hurting on the front line. He’s looking for $10 million a season, but I don’t think he’s going to find that kind of money in this environment. Varejao could play out the last year of his contract for $6.2 million and try his luck next summer.

Ironically, the only post player in this year’s free agent class that fits the Cavs’ needs is Carlos Boozer. If the Cavs would be willing to let bygones be bygones, the only way to acquire him is via a sign-and-trade, and they’d have to give up a young prospect and/or a first round pick (or two) to convince the Jazz to take on the salary for a year. Wallace or Varejao would have to be included to make the numbers work.

Another option is to try to acquire Bosh or Stoudemire now instead of waiting for next summer. A move like this would almost certainly keep LeBron in town, and it would be worth Varejao, Hickson, two first round draft picks and whatever else the Raptors or Suns would want (including Williams, who is now somewhat expendable). Stoudemire is probably more available to the Cavs than Bosh, since the Raptors would be hesitant to trade him to an Eastern Conference team.

One thing is certain — with the loss to the Magic, the Cavs’ future is far less stable than it appeared even two weeks ago. Cleveland fans that still don’t believe that LeBron could sign elsewhere next summer because the team had a great regular season are just fooling themselves. The good news is that if owner Dan Gilbert is willing to spend, there is plenty of opportunity for Danny Ferry to improve this roster over the next three months.

LeBron’s future depends on it.

- Steve Nash plans to wait and see what happens to the Suns’ roster before getting serious about an extension.

- Ron Artest would like to return to Houston, but if he gets an offer he can’t refuse from someone else, he’s not going to refuse it.

- The Nets have been rumored to be shopping Yi Jianlian, but Rod Thorn doesn’t see it that way.

- Before the lottery, the Grizzlies were supposedly one of the few teams to have more interest in Hasheem Thabeet than Blake Griffin, so expect Memphis to take the UConn shotblocker with the second pick in the draft.

- ESPN Insider says that the Knicks’ interest in Stephen Curry might have more to do with LeBron’s friendship with and admiration for the young man than his being the right pick for the Knicks. So they may draft Curry to have a better shot at LeBron next summer.

- It looks like Rockets owner Leslie Alexander is willing to spend. There’s never been a better time to wrestle good players from other teams looking to cut salary. The Rockets have T-Mac’s monster contract ($22.5 million) that expires next summer, which means the Rockets may be able to pull off a deal similar to the Iverson/Billups swap that the Nuggets made last year.

- The Jazz are willing to pay luxury tax to keep Paul Millsap on the roster. This could just be a smokescreen meant to dissuade other teams from making the restricted free agent an offer, but the Jazz do seem determined to re-sign the talented forward.