Stoudemire Prefers Miami? Collison To Be Traded?

One source close to the situation insisted this week that Wade and Stoudemire are closer than advertised as pals even though they haven't played together on Team USA since 2004. The source also said that Miami is indeed Stoudemire's first choice in free agency if he finally leaves the Suns this summer after being shopped by Phoenix at two successive trade deadlines. - ESPN

The Hornets are expected to be cautious until they are certain about Paul’s health, but one NBA source said it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the team try to package Collison with Peja Stojakovic’s expiring contract next season in a possible trade. - Yahoo! Sports

Zydrunas Ilgauskas is back in the Cleveland area three days before he is eligible to re-sign with the Cavaliers. Ilgauskas declined to comment to The Associated Press on Friday following a workout at a suburban gym. His agent, Herb Rudoy, told the AP in an e-mail that he will talk to Cavaliers general manager Danny Ferry next week about returning the 7-foot-3 center to Cleveland. The first day he can re-sign is Monday. - USA Today

I still think there's a chance Brian Cook ends up in Denver. He shot lights out in his workout a couple of weeks back. The team was so closing to signing him that they were already devising a weight plan and a diet plan behind the scenes. - HoopsWorld

Shaun Livingston will finish the season as a member of the Wizards. When Livingston's second 10-day expired, the Wizards had to decide to keep or let him go. It made sense to keep him since he has already emerging as the starting point guard after only being around for 10 games. After starting the season in Oklahoma City, getting cut in December and spending the next two months working out in Chicago and Florida hoping for some team to reach out, Livingston was understandably excited about sticking around. "I'm being blessed. I'm in the league, a chance to showcase and play," he said. "I'm just happy, man." - Washington Post

And by the way, I was told by people very close to McDyess that he has privately admitted that he made a mistake by not coming to Denver. Trust me, dude has some regrets now about not reporting given the success the Nuggets have gone on to have. - HoopsWorld

Magic coach Stan Van Gundy defended his all-star center, Dwight Howard, after he picked up a technical foul in overtime for slamming the ball down in frustration Thursday night against the Heat. Van Gundy said that officials are just “looking” to give Howard a technical foul. He has 15 — and one more he will draw a one-game suspension. - Orlando Sentinel

Scola has been playing like a man unburdened since the passing of the Feb. 18 trade deadline. One source close to the Argentinean says that the unsettling prospect of being dealt, no matter how much his Houston bosses assured him that he wouldn't be moved, had seeped into Scola's psyche. Since the deadline? Scola finds himself with a bigger role because the Rockets had to surrender Carl Landry to Sacramento in the Martin deal and has responded with nine double-doubles in 13 games. - ESPN

Duncan's teammates weren't sure what to make of his poor shooting performance, which resulted in a season-low five points, but they remain confident Duncan will rebound. They've seen Duncan recover from bad games before, though never one quite as nightmarish as this. “I totally, blindly trust him,” guard Manu Ginobili said. “It was one of those games. Things happen. He's going to bounce back for sure.” - San Antonio Express-News

"Come to the West, you need to prepare, man, in the post," said Nene, who got the best of Okafor in four meetings this season, averaging 15.5 points and 10.0 rebounds and shooting 65.6 percent to Okafor's 11.3 points, 10..3 rebounds and 46.5 percent shooting. "It's definitely tougher. Just look at the records of the teams. "Oh, yeah (Okafor's statistics are down due to moving to the West). In the West, he needs to have something different. Something in the low post. Not just hook shot." - FanHouse

New Orleans Hornets coach Jeff Bower says he expects Chris Paul to return before the end of the month. Paul was cleared to practice a week ago for the first time since having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Feb. 4. Paul said he is running now, but hasn’t set a specific return date. Rookie Darren Collison has played well in Paul’s absence, but is preparing to return to the bench. “I didn’t expect to start before he got hurt, so it’s going to be the same thing as it was before,” Collison said. “After going up and down the floor with a lot more minutes, I will be a lot more confident. It’s not going to change. It’s going to be the same thing, but I will know exactly what to do when I’m out there.” - Yahoo! Sports

Bryant watched Evan Turner’s performance in Ohio State’s double-overtime victory over Illinois in the Big Ten tournament, and that was all he needed to see. “He seemed like the best player in the country to me,” Bryant said of Turner. “…He looked like he has all the tools. I think Wall is a great player, but I like Turner.” - Yahoo! Sports

Two NBA sources said the Players Association could push hard for a new rule in the next collective bargaining agreement that anyone recruiting players for agents become certified. The union has become leery of “runners” making contact to NBA prospects on an agent’s behalf. - Yahoo! Sports




Randolph shook his head when he saw the New York media surrounding Gay at the morning shoot-around. "Y'all trying to take him away from us?" he said with a grin. But everyone here knows the situation. Gay, who has played his first four NBA seasons with the Grizzlies, entered Friday night's game averaging 20.0 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. "I think it's a start," Gay said of his performance. "I don't think I've maxed out at all." - Newsday

Azubuike is finishing the second year of a three-year contract worth approximately $9 million, and can forgo the final year at $3.3 million if he wants. Back in 2008, Azubuike signed an offer sheet with the L.A. Clippers, but the Warriors matched. No surprise, and I figured as much, but Azubuike indicated he’s virtually certain to exercise the option and return to the Warriors in 2010-11 rather than become an unrestricted free agent. “That’s the logical thing to do,” said Azubuike, who entered 2009-10 with a career scoring average or 10.4 points per game in three seasons. “I’m leaning toward a certain way – coming back.” - CSNBayArea

Scalabrine, who turned 32 on Thursday, is playing in a contract year. He knows there is a possibility this could be his last season in Boston — or in the NBA, for that matter. “If I can play in Boston for another year, play with this great team and this great staff and be with this organization, I’d be really excited about that,” he told WEEI.com following the Celtics' win over the Knicks on Wednesday. “If that doesn’t happen, then I would try to play somewhere else. If I can’t play in the league then I’d go overseas.” - WEEI

The question is whether Garnett can perform as well as the Celtics need him to in the postseason. “Yes,” Ainge said. “Absolutely. “The bottom line is he and Paul (Pierce) and (Rajon) Rondo and Marquis (Daniels) and everybody, I mean, it’s up to all of them to play great. I don’t think KG is going to carry us by himself, so I don’t expect him to. But KG is making his shots and playing the good team defense. Other guys have to help him, too, for us to be successful. “I just think we give KG too much credit, and we give him too much (scrutiny) when things are not going right for us.” - Boston Herald

Walsh is not giving up on Curry even though it appears as if Curry has given up on the Knicks. He was supposed to play March 10 against San Antonio but sat out all five games on the trip with a calf injury. Curry, Wilson Chandler and Eddie House are all listed as doubtful for tonight's home game against Philadelphia. Walsh's best teams in Indiana featured Rik Smits, a lumbering center who could score. Curry, when he plays, is more agile than Smits and Walsh remains convinced he can make a contribution next season. - New York Daily News

Ask him, for instance, to discuss the development of the rookie DeRozan, and he's quick to point out not the youngster's sudden decision to be more aggressive offensively. Instead, he notes DeRozan's shortcomings on the defensive end of the floor. "I never knew a dude who could jump that high to have the (low) amount of blocks that he has," Wright said in his typical blunt manner after practice Thursday. "It's a shame because you're cheating our team by not using that athletic ability on both ends of the court." - Toronto Star

“We need (Bargnani) to focus,” head coach Jay Triano said. “When we were rolling, he was doing more things and it becomes a confidence building thing for him. If he’s not making shots (he has to) do something else so we can keep him on the floor. Defend, be there on the help side, rebound and box out. “When we were rolling, he was doing that and scoring. I think sometimes when he doesn’t get the basketball, he gets a little frustrated and it has been tough with sliding Chris back into the lineup for him to get touches. He worries about his scoring, but he can help this team a lot more than just scoring the basketball.” - Toronto Sun

In 15 games since the All-Star break, Ginobili is averaging 19.3 points and 5.2 assists while shooting 49 percent. Jefferson, meanwhile, has been stuck in attack mode for four games since returning to the starting lineup after a 10-game demotion, averaging 18 points and eight rebounds. “I still think I could contribute more,” Jefferson said, “but this is encouraging.” - San Antonio Express-News

"Charles will continue to say things to make himself relevant." --Dwyane Wade, responding to TNT's Craig Sager saying that Charles Barkley has referred to Wade's Heat teammates as "Titos," as in Tito Jackson, who backed up Michael Jackson. - NBCSports