Quick Notes, News & Rumors For Tuesday October 26th 2010

Atlanta Hawks:
- Horford said Monday the Hawks and agent Arn Tellem, who have been in discussions for nearly a month, are set to meet at the end of the week regarding an extension to the contract he signed as the No. 3 overall draft pick in 2007. If no deal is reached by the end of business Monday, then Horford would become a restricted free agent next summer once the Hawks extended him a qualifying offer by June 30. “I kind of have thought this all along, but I think it really is going to come down to the last day,” Horford said.

Dallas Mavericks:
- A formal announcement that Dallas has picked up the third-year option on guard Roddy Beaubois’ contract – which must happen by Nov. 1 – is just about the easiest call this organization will have all season. Yet sources close to the situation told ESPNDallas.com that it’s “unlikely” that the Mavericks will pick up the fourth-year option for the 2011-12 season on reserve center Alexis Ajinca before Monday’s deadline, which would make Ajinca an unrestricted free agent next summer.

- He (Dirk Nowitzki) clearly is not a full-blown closer. Even he says as much when he admits to having a "wait" problem. "It's a great luxury to have," Nowitzki said of (Kobe) Bryant's flair for flipping a switch late in the game. "But I'm usually best when I have my rhythm. Sometimes, when I try to close, I don't really have a good feel for the game, and it's hard for me to take a game over and start making shots late. "Dirk wants to and he should be [a closer like Bryant]," owner Mark Cuban said. "It's more a question of, could he? Could we allow him to? The second unit has to not lose leads. They [the backups] have to increase leads, have to get stops. And we didn't do that last year."

Denver Nuggets:
- Denver coach George Karl wants to return next season with a multi-year contract extension. Karl, who Wednesday against Utah will coach his first regular-season game since March 16 before he missed the final 1 ½ months of last season due to a form of throat cancer, said there haven't been contract discussions yet with management. But, he wants to return next season to the Nuggets. Karl said of not being interested in just one season being tacked on. "I'm getting old enough to where I can (get one more) good deal. If I can't get it (in Denver), it'll be interesting to see if I can get it in the free market.'' "I'm going to live in Denver probably the rest of my life,'' said Karl, 59. "So I think that answer (about wanting to re-sign) is yes. But it's got to be a respectful offer.''

Detroit Pistons:
- Daye beat out Charlie Villanueva and Jason Maxiell for the job -- but expect both backups to play a lot as Daye regularly will be tested by guys outweighing him by 50 pounds or so. “It doesn’t matter to me if I start or not," Daye said before coach John Kuester gave the official word today. “I’m a little eager, but it’s not really a big deal for me if I start or not. It’s a matter of me playing significant minutes, and I’ll be happy.’’

Golden State Warriors:
- (Rodney) Carney has been promised that the Warriors know his name, his game and what it will take for him to return to the level of play that made him the No. 16 overall pick in 2006. Carney was the Conference USA Player of the Year as a senior, and he left as the school's No. 3 all-time scorer. He also was Memphis' career leader in threes, which seemed to give NBA scouts 20/20 blindness."On the teams I've played, I've been told to stand in the corner, spot up and then run back on defense," Carney said. The Warriors want more. They want Carney to use the athleticism that made him the Indiana high school high-jump champ the same year he finished sixth in the 400 meters. The Warriors need Carney to provide scoring in bunches from all areas of the floor."He's going to get even better as he understands how we want him to play and his role," head coach Keith Smart said. "I don't want him to settle for just shooting a lot of jump shots or three-pointers, because he has more to his game that he can offer.

Houston Rockets:
- The Houston Rockets will exercise the team options they hold for two of their top young players, center Jordan Hill and guard Courtney Lee. The options are for the 2011-2012 season. A league source told FOX 26 Sports the options for the two players will likely be exercised by Friday.

Indiana Pacers:
- The Pacers have had no success trying to package Dahntay Jones and Solomon Jones in a two-for-one trade. "It's out of my control," Solomon Jones said. "The only thing I can control is how I play when I get on the court. I need to help contribute to the team any way I can. All the other off-the-court issues and rumors are out of my control."

- Rookie Magnum Rolle, acquired in a draft-night deal with Oklahoma City (in exchange for No. 57 pick Ryan Reid and cash) after the Thunder selected him at No. 51 overall, was released today as the Pacers beat the NBA's 6 p.m. deadline to trim their roster to the maximum of 15 players.“Unfortunately for Magnum, it’s a numbers game and we had to get down to 15 players,” (Larry) Bird said in a statement released by the team. “We like Magnum, he played well for us and we’ll continue to scout him throughout the year.”

Miami Heat:
- Spoelstra confirmed point guard Carlos Arroyo and center Joel Anthony will start alongside James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh against Boston Tuesday. The Anthony decision was expected all preseason, but Arroyo outplayed Mario Chalmers to earn his role. "I've done what they asked me to do," Arroyo said. "It's pretty much what I did last year coming into preseason games. I wasn't here from the start [last year], but I knew my role and exactly what it was. I did my job."

Milwaukee Bucks:
- (Chris) Douglas-Roberts did not practice Monday and isn't sure if he will be able to play in Wednesday's season opener in New Orleans because of blurred vision in his right eye. He was poked in the eye in practice Sunday. The eye was discolored and swollen half shut Monday. "My vision was already bad and this made it worse," said Douglas-Roberts, who added that he would have to start wearing prescription protective eye gear. "I can't really see out of it. It's really blurry. It's inconvenient." Asked if he would be able to play in the opener, Douglas-Roberts said, "I don't know yet. I didn't do anything (Monday). . . we'll see."

Minnesota Timberwolves:
- Minnesota Timberwolves small forward Martell Webster had a minor surgical procedure this morning at the Tria Orthopedic Center in Bloomington to remove part of a herniated disc in his lower back, according to Wolves director of public relations Michael Cristaldi. Cristaldi said Webster, acquired by the Timberwolves in a trade with Portland in June, will be out four to six weeks. Dr. James Schwender of the Twin Cities Spine Center performed the surgery, known as a microdisectomy, to alleviate discomfort in Webster's lower back.

New Jersey Nets:
- Troy Murphy took part in roughly half of today's practice for the Nets and did everything except scrimmage, according to coach Avery Johnson. The next step for Murphy will be to participate in a minimum of three full practices with the team before he could possibly be ready to play in a game, Johnson said. "I would say a minimum three (practices), because he hasn’t really practiced,'' Johnson said of Murphy, the Sparta native who has missed all of training camp and the preseason with a back problem.

New Orleans Hornets:
- Pops Mensah-Bonsu confirmed on New Orleans Hornets opening night roster. Contract fully guaranteed for this season.

- New Orleans Hornets point guard Chris Paul worked in practice Sunday with a brace off over his surgically repaired left knee. Hornets Coach Monty Williams said Paul was getting used to the brace he'll probably use throughout the regular season. "We're just trying to stay on top of anything that could be nagging,'' Williams said. "It's such a long season. When a guy is coming off a surgery, you want to be as cautious as you can to keep him from having any setbacks.''

New York Knicks:
- Armed with a legendary name and a partially guaranteed contract, many people expected Patrick Ewing, Jr., to make the Knicks' roster. Count Shawne Williams among them. "I'm not gonna lie . . . I really thought it was a long shot," Williams said after yesterday's practice. "I knew I had to work, but they told me it was going to be between me and him, and that I'd have an opportunity. Once they told me I had an opportunity, I just took it for what it was, and I just tried to go show them everything I could do in the limited minutes I played."

Orlando Magic:
- Mickael Pietrus’ right wrist, which he re-aggravated when he took a charge Oct. 14 against Charlotte, caused him to miss two games. When he returned for the team’s last preseason game Oct. 20 against Dallas.Pietrus is still favoring his right wrist and is bothered by it constantly, even though he continues to practice (and practice well). He thinks about the wrist every time he shoots, he holds the wrist sturdy and admits it never stops hurting. But Pietrus doesn’t plan to miss any time because of the injury. “Sometimes you have to go through pain,” Pietrus said. “It’s not like I blew my knee out and I’m trying to come back. It’s just a wrist. Sometimes it’s tough to play with, but I just toughen up and try to play through it.“I’m just trying to win championship, so I’m going to keep going to practice, try to get better and help my teammates. Hopefully I’ll be pain free in June, and I’ll be able to get that trophy up.”

Philadelphia 76'ers:
- 76ers swingman Andre Iguodala was limited to noncontact drills Monday as the team prepared for the season opener Wednesday against Miami. The sprain - believed to be a lingering injury for Iguodala, who played this summer on the USA Basketball team - kept him out of practice Sunday at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine. The Sixers went through drills Monday but did not scrimmage. Iguodala said he expects to play against the Heat."That's the plan," he said. "I haven't been able to shoot the ball for a couple days, just trying to get it better. I had a problem with it this summer. It wasn't this bad, so I played through it a little bit and wore a little device to help me out." Iguodala said he aggravated the injury in the preseason finale on Wednesday but did not feel the effects of it until the end of Friday's practice. The Sixers had the day off on Thursday.

Phoenix Suns:
- No Suns question looms larger for the season's tip-off Tuesday at Portland than how Hedo Turkoglu will perform with a new team and new role. Can it all click when the bright lights come on and the games begin to matter Tuesday? "I hope so," Turkoglu said. "They told me it'd take some time to get used to everything. I know I can't play the way I was in preseason but it was a good learning process for me." Suns coach Alvin Gentry said he has not settled on starting Turkoglu for the long term. Such a move - Turkoglu coming off the bench - would be to give Steve Nash a pick-and-roll partner in Hakim Warrick and help the second unit, which struggled in the preseason. Turkoglu said he would have no problem with coming off the bench as "a team guy."

- Suns forward Josh Childress practiced Monday for the first time since fracturing his right index finger a week ago but his availability to play will be determined Tuesday. "If it does get worse, it would require surgery and that's what I don't want," Childress said. "That's where there is a little bit of hesitation."

Sacramento Kings:
- The Sacramento Kings today exercised the options on guard Tyreke Evans and forwards Jason Thompson, Donté Greene, and Omri Casspi, it was announced by Kings’ President of Basketball Operations Geoff Petrie.

San Antonio Spurs:
- His current contract is set to expire after the 2011-12 campaign. If labor strife were to erase that season, would Duncan want to return for more at 36? Duncan has long maintained he intends to play for as long as his body allows — “until the wheels fall off,” as he puts it. His goal is to postpone that day for as long as possible. For now, Duncan isn't thinking about the end of a career, only the beginning of a season. Another one starts Wednesday.

- The moving part is Alonzo Gee, a second-year wing man who appears to be the Spurs' unlucky 14th. As our friends at 48 Minutes of Hell mentioned today,, Gee has a funky contract that becomes guaranteed in increments. Whether they waive him today or next month, Gee has already been bought and paid for through Nov. 25. After that, the Spurs must guarantee an additional $100,000 to keep him. His full $762,195 contract becomes guaranteed on Jan. 10. The Spurs can keep Gee around without spending any more money until late November.

- On the eve of the 2010-11 regular-season opener, Jefferson, the Spurs starter at small forward, believes he finally understands what is involved in the Spurs culture. “I have a much better understanding of what it means and what they want from me,” Jefferson said after Monday's final practice session before the Spurs meet the Indiana Pacers at the AT&T Center on Wednesday night.
Utah Jazz:
- Jerry Sloan finally made it official Monday, naming the players as the team’s starting five as the Jazz prepare to open the 2010-11 season Wednesday in Denver. Williams and Jefferson were set in stone during training camp, while Millsap was a near lock. The only questions surrounded Bell and Kirilenko, who competed with C.J. Miles in a three-way battle for two spots.Bell gives the Jazz a lockdown defender who is dangerous from the perimeter; Kirilenko brings versatility, experience and energy. And with Miles buying into the his new role as the offensive and veteran leader of Utah’s second unit, this season’s Jazz are now locked in place — at least for the moment.

Washington Wizards:
- Gilbert Arenas missed his second day of practice on Monday with soreness right ankle and Coach Flip Saunders said he was unsure if he would have the three-time all-star available for the season opener on Thursday in Orlando. Arenas first developed the injury during training camp. He was forced to miss the last two days, including an open scrimmage, before returning to play the first three preseason games. Arenas aggravated the ankle injury last Friday when he returned after missing the previous week with a strained right groin. "He's got soreness in his ankle, a little bit of fluid," Saunders said. "It's kind of day to day. Kind of wait to see how it is."

Non NBA Teams & Free Agents:
- The president of Turkey's Besiktas basketball team says he has a verbal agreement to sign a $2 million contract with former NBA most valuable player Allen Iverson. "I'm going to New York on Friday," said Seref Yalcin, the president of the Besiktas basketball team. "I talked to Allan and his manager yesterday, Gary Moore. He said there's no problem; he's able to sign. Friday, I'll be there, and we'll probably sign Sunday. And Monday, I'll bring him with me."

- Of course, as far as McCants is concerned, getting released by Kings can't be a good thing. Warriors may have interest; same with Magic.

- One of the major issues facing the NBA this season involves its officials. Seven veteran referees have retired from the NBA's 60-person officiating staff since the end of the 2008-09 season. Jim Clark, Jack Nies and Luis Grillo retired last year after working a combined 73 seasons and 287 playoff games. This year, Joe Forte, Joe DeRosa, Sean Corbin and Phil Robinson retired. They had worked a combined 72 seasons and 299 playoff games. Adding to the revamped staff, perhaps is the fact that Steve Javie and Mark Wunderlich are coming of knee surgery and their future is questionable. Along with Joe Crawford, Javie and Wunderlich might be two of the top three officials in the game. So the question must be asked: is experience important for an official? We're all going to find out.