North West Sports Beat

Chris Hansen, who led the failed bid to purchase the Sacramento Kings and bring them to Seattle, on Monday congratulated Sacramento for being able to retain the Kings, but said he's still committed to bringing an NBA team to Seattle.

• Hansen made his comments on the sonicsarena,com website, which is where he makes many of his public remarks.

  "I'd like to start out by congratulating Mayor Johnson and the fans in Sacramento for the tremendous effort they put together to keep their team," Hansen said on the website. "Given what our community went through in 2008, if there is any silver lining in this for Seattle it is seeing Sacramento's dedicated fan base successfully rally to keep the Kings. This was never about Seattle fans versus Sacramento fans, and it goes unsaid that there is a mutual respect given the circumstances we have both been through. This process was instead about our group and our city putting our best foot forward in an honest and transparent way to return basketball to Seattle, and in that regard our efforts remain undeterred.

  " . . . Even as we are disappointed with the developments related to our efforts to purchase the Kings, we would just like to reiterate our dedication to bringing the NBA back to Seattle. We will continue to press forward with our Arena plans with the same commitment and effort we have over the last two years, and look forward to working with the City and County to see the project through the hurdles that remain. Likewise, we plan to continue to work with the League regarding opportunities that may arise to return an NBA franchise to our City.

  " . . . Just know that we remain as dedicated as ever to seeing Sonics Basketball return to the Emerald City.

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony will have his sore left shoulder examined by team doctors, the New York Daily News reported Monday.

• The team is hoping that the injury is not serious and will not need surgery.

  Anthony played much of the postseason in pain and it got worse during Game 5 of the first-round series against the Boston Celtics when Kevin Garnett pulled on his arm while setting a screen.

  Anthony also had fluid drained from his right knee in March but will not require surgery.

  Anthony shot 43.3 percent in the playoffs.

  ---The Toronto Raptors are moving executive Bryan Colangelo out of basketball operations and into a corporate position with the team.

  Yahoo! Sports reported that the Raptors are making the move because they are interested in hiring Denver Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri to take over their front office.

  ---The Charlotte Bobcats have scheduled a press conference for Tuesday, and they are expected to announce that the team will change its name to the Hornets, SportsBusiness Daily reported Monday.

  The team will be known as the Hornets beginning in the 2014-2015 season, according to the report. The Hornets name became available after Saints owner Tom Benson bought the New Orleans Hornets in 2012 and this year changed the team's name to the Pelicans.

  ---Boston Celtics guard Terrence Williams was arrested Sunday for making threats with a gun, the Seattle Times reported.

  The incident occurred during an argument involving Williams and a woman at a parking lot in Kent, Wash., at 1:55 p.m. on Sunday. The woman told police she is the mother of Williams' 10-year-old son, with whom he had a scheduled visit.

  ---The NBA will hold its draft lottery on Tuesday, although there is no certain No. 1 overall pick.

  "I think when you look at this year's draft and you've got guys like (Indiana's Cody) Zeller and (Duke's Mason) Plumlee, (Kansas' Ben) McLemore, you have players that can absolutely play immediately," NBA scouting director Ryan Blake said this week. "What I think fans and media and even GMs, they want to pick that guy that is going to be your star franchise player, but if you look at what you're getting, you can get really good players that can be playing in the league a long time."

The Charlotte Bobcats have scheduled a press conference for Tuesday, and they are expected to announce that the team will change its name to the Hornets, SportsBusiness Daily reported Monday.

• Bobcats owner Michael Jordan will announe the team will switch to the name used by Charlotte's original NBA franchise. The team will be known as the Hornets beginning in the 2014-2015 season, according to the report.

  The Hornets name became available after Saints owner Tom Benson bought the New Orleans Hornets in 2012 and this year changed the team's name to the Pelicans.

  The Hornets played in Charlotte from 1988 until 20'02 before relocating to New Orleans.

New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony will have his sore left shoulder examined by team doctors, the New York Daily News reported Monday.

• The team is hoping that the injury is not serious and will not need surgery.

  Anthony played much of the postseason in pain and it got worse during Game 5 of the first-round series against the Boston Celtics when Kevin Garnett pulled on his arm while setting a screen.

  Anthony also had fluid drained from his right knee in March but will not require surgery.

  Anthony shot 43.3 percent in the playoffs.

The Toronto Raptors are moving executive Bryan Colangelo out of basketball operations and into a corporate position with the team.

• Yahoo! Sports reported Monday that the Raptors are making the move because they are interested in hiring Denver Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri to take over their front office.

  Colangelo has run the team's basketball operations for seven years but the team has only made the playoffs twice during that span and is coming off a 34-48 season.

  Ujiri, the NBA's executive of the year, helped put together a Nuggets squad that won 57 games and got the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

  The Raptors had interest in hiring Phil Jackson, but he reportedly rejected their offer.

  Ujiri, former assistant general manager for the Raptors, took over as GM of the Nuggets in 2010. Ujiri and the Nuggets have discussed a contract extension. Ujiri is the lowest-paid GM in the NBA.

Winning the rights to the top overall draft pick in Tuesday's NBA Draft Lottery might not cause franchise-wide celebration or bring a surge in ticket sales at the team's box office.

• The 2013 draft, more than any in recent memory, has no sure thing at No. 1.

  "I think when you look at this year's draft and you've got guys like (Indiana's Cody) Zeller and (Duke's Mason) Plumlee, (Kansas' Ben) McLemore, you have players that can absolutely play immediately," NBA scouting director Ryan Blake said this week. "What I think fans and media and even GMs, they want to pick that guy that is going to be your star franchise player, but if you look at what you're getting, you can get really good players that can be playing in the league a long time."

  Orlando has the best chance to receive the No. 1 pick in Tuesday's draft lottery draw, which includes the NBA's 14 non-playoff teams with chances for the top picks weighted based on regular-season record.

  The Magic posted a 20-62 record and will be guaranteed leaving with a top-four pick on Tuesday. They have a 25-percent chance of getting the top pick.

  The Charlotte Bobcats, still in the process of interviewing head coaching candidates, are second (19.9 percent) and Cleveland (15.6), Phoenix (11.9) and New Orleans (8.8) round out the top five.

  The top overall prospect is arguably Nerlens Noel, the Kentucky freshman recovering from a torn ACL with a projected return date around Christmas. Noel tore his ACL on Feb. 21 and his defined NBA skill -- defense -- isn't going to create a queue of trade suitors. But he's a young 19 and at 6 feet, 10 inches tall, brings obvious potential because of his athleticism and length. Best-case scenario: Noel is an instant protector of the rim with his penchant for blocked shots and rebounds and eventually evolves a modest offensive game.

  "I feel I should be the top pick because I'm a great teammate, I really care about where I'm going to play and I'm going to give all my heart and 100 percent effort to get my team back to the promised land, which is where we all want to be," Noel said. A shooting guard hasn't been selected first since the 1975 NBA Draft, but David Thompson could be joined by Kansas freshman Ben McLemore, who some NBA executives describe as a "safe" choice. But McLemore, 6-5, 200 pounds with enough range to adjust quickly to the NBA game, didn't stand out in any positive way at last week's draft combine in Chicago.

  "Just coming from nowhere, coming from nothing, just being able to have the opportunity get a No. 1 spot is just a blessing," McLemore said. "I'm going to work for it the same way as him. He's going to work for it, and I'm going to work for it. It definitely is neck-and-neck."

  Other potential top picks include two other freshmen -- Michigan point guard Trey Burke and UCLA small forward Shabazz Muhammad.

  The 2013 draft is scheduled for June 27 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Boston Celtics guard Terrence Williams was arrested Sunday for making threats with a gun, the Seattle Times reported.

• The incident occurred during an argument involving Williams and a woman at a parking lot in Kent, Wash., at 1:55 p.m. on Sunday. The woman told police she is the mother of Williams' 10-year-old son, with whom he had a scheduled visit.

  Williams was taken into custody without incident. Police said it was a domestic violence case being investigated.

  The woman told police that during the argument, Williams showed a gun, made threats and then left. Police found him later and arrested him.

  Williams, 25, went to high school in the Seattle area and went to college at Louisville. He averaged 4.6 points and 2.4 assists per game for Boston this season.

Los Angeles Lakers center Dwight Howard, who soon will become a free agent, plans to consider several teams and does not seem likely to rush the process, CBSSports.com reported Sunday.

• Howard, 27, becomes a free agent in six weeks, and there is no assurance he will re-sign with the Lakers.

  Howard seems to be particularly interested in the Houston Rockets, according to the report.

  The presence of a young star (James Harden), a defensive-minded coach (Kevin McHale) and 7-foot Omer Asik as a possible frpontcourt partner are what attracts Howard.

  The Rockets would need to make only a few minor moves to have the space to sign Howard.

  The Dallas Mavericks are another club that might interest Howard.

  The collective bargaining agreement would allow the Lakers to give Howard a five-year deal with annual increases of 7.5 percent of his first-year salary, which will be more than $20 million. Other teams could only give him a four-year deal with 4.5 percent annual increases.

SAN ANTONIO -- Coming into the Western Conference Finals, Tony Parker stated that the San Antonio Spurs mindset against the Memphis Grizzlies was pretty simple: "respect the game plan."

• The Spurs executed it from tip-off to buzzer with Parker keeping them on the same page the whole game.

  Parker had 20 points and nine assists to lead the Spurs to a 105-83 win over the Grizzlies in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals Sunday afternoon.

  Parker was 9-of-14 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line in 33 minutes. He also had just three turnovers.

  "Just one of those games. It happens sometimes," said Parker on his team's performance. "Our ball movement was great tonight and I shot the ball very well.

  The second-seeded Spurs came out strong in the first quarter, shooting 58 percent. They built an early 17-point lead on the Grizzlies when Matt Bonner connected on back-to-back 3-pointers, making it 29-12.

  By the time Parker's 12-foot teardrop fell through the basket midway through the second quarter, the Spurs had built a 20-point lead over the Grizzlies, 43-23.

  San Antonio, set a playoff record for 3-pointers made, going 14-of-29 for 48 percent against the second-ranked defense in the league.

  "We shot incredibly," said Manu Ginobili. "When you are making shots like that, everything opens up and makes the game easier."

  It did, as the Spurs ball movement gave them 28 assists on 40 field goals. San Antonio shot 53 percent from the field and 79 percent from the free throw line.

  "Ball movement was better," said Parker. "Good to great. We always try to do that. Sometimes defenses, they do a good job of playing aggressive and making it hard on us, but we have to stick with that. That's who we are."

  Kawhi Leonard had 18 points for San Antonio. Danny Green added 16, Gary Neal 11 and Matt Bonner 12, with all of Bonner's points coming on four 3-pointers.

  Tim Duncan had 10 rebounds.

  Memphis, a sixth seed, went on a 10-0 run in the third quarter, behind consecutive 3-pointers from Quincy Pondexter that cut the double-digit lead to six, making it 62-56 with three minutes left.

  San Antonio answered with an 11-1 spurt of its own to end the quarter, with Manu Ginobili hitting nine points in the run that gave the Spurs a 73-57 lead.

  By the time DeJuan Blair hit a pair of free throws with 1:32 left in the game, the Spurs had stretched the lead to 28.

  Memphis' only lead of the game was on their first basket that made it 2-0.

  "It happens. It's basketball," said Memphis center Marc Gasol on his team's mishaps. "It's not always about you. We have a team in front of you that plays really good basketball and they know how to do it. We've got to come back, regroup and do what we do and do the best we can."

  The Grizzlies were led by Pondexter, who had 17 points. It was the first time all season Pondexter has led the team in scoring.

  Mike Conley added 15 points, with eight assists, and Marc Gasol had 15 points.

  Zach Randolph, the Grizzlies' leading scorer at 19.7 a game, was 1-of-8 from the field for two points. He also had seven rebounds.

  "Well, obviously it hurt us because we only scored 83, so we do need him to score a little bit,' said Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins on Randolph's lack of offense. "But we need other people to score and play well."

  Memphis came in having won eight of its last nine playoff games, and ousted the defending Western Conference champs, Oklahoma City Thunder, 4-1 to advance to their first ever conference finals.

  The Grizzlies have dropped the opening game in their series against the LA Clippers and Oklahoma City, but rebounded strong

  Game 2 will be Tuesday night in San Antonio.

New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith can be a free agent this summer, but said he does not want to leave the team.

• Smith, the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year, has a player option for next season for just under $3 million, but there is a good chance that he will opt out of it and seek a multi-year contract that includes a higher salary.

  "I want to retire a Knick," Smith told the New York Daily News. "I don't want to go anywhere else. I love my teammates, I love my coaches. I was standing in the locker room looking at my jersey after the game (Saturday) and just knowing that I don't want to be anywhere else except in the orange and blue. We'll see."

  The Knicks were eliminated from the Eastern Conference playoffs by the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.

  When asked if he was willing to take less money to stay with the Knicks, Smith said, "I haven't even thought about all that, that far. I still have to talk to (agent) Leon (Rose) and see where we're at."

  ---Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins is owed nearly $19 million over the next two seasons, but the team has no plans to amnesty him.

  The NBA's collective bargaining agreement that was agreed on in 2011 allows teams to release one player without his salary counting against the cap. The Thunder have not yet used the one-time provision. Perkins averaged 4.2 points and six rebounds per game this season.

  ---In his upcoming book, "Eleven Rings," former NBA coach Phil Jackson writes that Michael Jordan was a better leader, shooter and defender than Kobe Bryant.

  The Los Angeles Times published excerpts of the book, which is scheduled to be released on Tuesday.

  In comparing Jordan and Bryant, Jackson wrote: "One of the biggest differences between the two stars from my perspective was Michael's superior skills as a leader. Though at times he could be hard on his teammates, Michael was masterful at controlling the emotional climate of the team with the power of his presence. Kobe had a long way to go before he could make that claim. He talked a good game, but he'd yet to experience the cold truth of leadership in his bones, as Michael had."

  ---Scott Skiles is a candidate for the Brooklyn Nets coaching vacancy.

  The Racine Journal Times reported that the former Milwaukee Bucks coach is on the short list of those being considered for the Nets' job.

  The Nets are reportedly looking for a tough-minded coach who is offensively innovative.

  --- Nate Robinson, who is an unrestricted free agent, is unlikely to return to the Chicago Bulls next season, CSN Chicago reported.

  With Derrick Rose and Kirk Hinrich expected back and depth in the backcourt, the Bulls are unlikely to offer Robinson the multiyear deal is likely to command.

SAN ANTONIO -- Tony Parker had 20 points and nine assists to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 105-83 win over the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals Sunday afternoon.

• Parker was 9 of 14 from the field and 2 of 2 from the free throw line in 33 minutes. He had only three turnovers.

  The second-seeded Spurs came out strong in the first quarter, shooting 58 percent. They built an early 17-point lead on the Grizzlies when Matt Bonner connected on back-to-back 3-pointers, making it 29-12.

  By the time Parker's 12-foot teardrop fell through the basket midway through the second quarter, the Spurs had built a 20-point lead over the Grizzlies 43-23.

  San Antonio, set a playoff record for 3-pointers made, going 14 of 29 for 48 percent against the second-ranked defense in the league.

  Kawhi Leonard had 18 points for San Anthonio. Danny Green added 16, Gary Neal 11 and Matt Bonner 12, with all of Bonner's points coming on four 3-pointers.

  Tim Duncan had 10 rebounds.

  Memphis, a sixth seed, went on a 10-0 run in the third quarter, behind consecutive 3-pointers from Quincy Pondexter that cut the double-digit lead to six, making it 62-56 with three minutes left.

  San Antonio answered with an 11-1 spurt of its own to end the quarter, with Manu Ginobili hitting nine points in the run that gave the Spurs a 73-57 lead.

  By the time DeJuan Blair hit a pair of free throws with 1:32 left in the game, the Spurs had stretched the lead to 28.

  The Grizzlies were led by Pondexter, who had 17 points. It was the first time all season Pondexter has led the team in scoring.

  Mike Conley added 15 points, with eight assists, and Marc Gasol had 15 points.

  Zach Randolph, the Grizzlies' leading scorer at 19.7 a game, was 1 of 8 from the field for two points. He had seven rebounds.

  Memphis came in having won eight of its last nine playoff games, and ousted the defending Western Conference champs, Oklahoma City Thunder, 4-1 to advance to their first ever conference finals.

  Game 2 will be Tuesday night in San Antonio.

  NOTES: This is the third playoff meeting between the Spurs and Grizzlies, with San Antonio sweeping Memphis in a 2004 first-round matchup, the Grizzlies first-ever postseason appearance. In 2011, No. 8 seed Memphis upended top-seeded San Antonio 4-2 in the first round. ... Memphis and San Antonio met four times during the regular season, splitting the series 2-2. The home team held court for the wins, with two games going to overtime and one decided by two points. San Antonio's 103-82 win on Jan. 16 was the largest by either team. ... This is the eighth Western Conference Finals appearance for San Antonio in the Duncan/Gregg Popovich era. The Spurs series record is 4-3 during that time.

New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith can be a free agent this summer, but said he does not want to leave the team.

• Smith, the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year, has a player option for next season for just under $3 million, but there is a good chance that he will opt out of it and seek a multi-year contract that includes a higher salary.

  "I want to retire a Knick," Smith told the New York Daily News. "I don't want to go anywhere else. I love my teammates, I love my coaches. I was standing in the locker room looking at my jersey after the game (Saturday) and just knowing that I don't want to be anywhere else except in the orange and blue. We'll see."

  The Knicks were eliminated from the Eastern Conference playoffs by the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.

  When asked if he was willing to take less money to stay with the Knicks, Smith said, "I haven't even thought about all that, that far. I still have to talk to (agent) Leon (Rose) and see where we're at."

  Smith was strong in the regular season, but his production dipped in the playoffs. His field goal percentage dropped from 42.2 percent to 33.1 percent and his three-point shooting fell from 35.6 percent to 27.3 percent. He also averaged about four points per game less in the postseason that the regular season.

Scott Skiles is a candidate for the Brooklyn Nets coaching vacancy.

• The Racine Journal Times reported that the former Milwaukee Bucks coach is on the short list of those being considered for the Nets' job.

  The Nets are reportedly looking for a tough-minded coach who is offensively innovative. Skiles' coaching history indicates he qualifies under the first criteria but not the second.

  Skiles preaches tough defense. The Bucks only made the playoffs once in his four years as their coach, and the team had internal problems under his guidance. Milwaukee also consistently had trouble scoring points. It is also questionable if his abrasive style would clash with point guard Deron Williams.

  Memphis Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins and Phil Jackson have also been mentioned as rumored candidates to coach the Nets.

  The Nets fired Avery Johnson early in the season and placed P.J. Carlesimo in the interim. The Nets made the playoffs under Carlesimo but he was let go after their early exit from the postseason.

Oklahoma City Thunder center Kendrick Perkins is owed nearly $19 million over the next two seasons, but the team has no plans to amnesty him.

• The NBA's collective bargaining agreement that was agreed on in 2011 allows teams to release one player without his salary counting against the cap. The Thunder have not yet used the one-time provision.

  Even though Perkins may seem like a solid candidate after averaging just 4.2 points and six rebounds per game this season, the Thunder indicated they will not amnesty him.

  "We think Perk has a lot of value to our team," general manager Sam Presti told the Oklahoman. "He's a member of a team that won 60 games and helped us to our third division title in three years. I don't know that we can discount that. I'm sure he'd like to have had a better postseason. But I'm sure that’s pretty universal for the whole group. And we accept that."

  The Thunder received the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference playoffs, but were ousted in the second round last week by the No. 5 Memphis Grizzlies. Perkins averaged 2.2 points and 3.7 rebounds in the playoffs.

  Part of the reason the Thunder have not used the amnesty is because the team still has to pay the player after its releases him.

  "We just haven't considered using the provision," Presti said. "I wouldn't necessarily directly attribute that to any player on our team. Every team looks at the amnesty provision different based on their different circumstances. But it's not something that we've really explored."

In his upcoming book, "Eleven Rings," former NBA coach Phil Jackson writes that Michael Jordan was a better leader, shooter and defender than Kobe Bryant.

• The Los Angeles Times published excerpts of the book, which is scheduled to be released on Tuesday.

  In comparing the leaderships skills of Jordan and Bryant, Jackson wrote: "One of the biggest differences between the two stars from my perspective was Michael's superior skills as a leader. Though at times he could be hard on his teammates, Michael was masterful at controlling the emotional climate of the team with the power of his presence. Kobe had a long way to go before he could make that claim. He talked a good game, but he'd yet to experience the cold truth of leadership in his bones, as Michael had."

  Jackson wrote that the most "pronounced" difference between the two players was their shooting ability. Jordan shot nearly 50 percent for his career while Bryant has made about 45 percent for his career.

  On defense, "No question, Michael was a tougher, more intimidating defender (than Bryant)," Jackson wrote. "He could break through virtually any screen and shut down almost any player with his intense, laser-focused style of defense."

  Bryant responded to Jackson's assessments, via Twitter.

  "The comparisons are apples to oranges," he wrote. "Wonder what the perception would be if (Jordan) played (with Shaquille O'Neal) instead. Different roles, different career paths."

  Jackson wrote on Twitter that he was not putting down Bryant by believing that Jordan was better.

  "Listen friends of (basketball)," he wrote. "Don't get hung up on words. I was most fortunate to have the chance to coach two of the greatest (guards) ever."

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indiana Pacers are headed to the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2004.

• But it was a battle.

  The Pacers beat the New York Knicks 106-99 on Saturday night to win the best-of-seven series 4-2.

  "I just want to start by congratulating the Knicks on a heck of a series, especially this Game 6," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "They really gave us all we could handle. They played an excellent, excellent basketball game and I'm just glad we prevailed."

  Indiana will face the Miami Heat in Game 1 on Wednesday. The Pacers were 2-1 against the Heat in the regular season.

  The Pacers are moving on because they used a balanced attack to beat the Knicks.

  Swingman Lance Stephenson scored 25 points. Paul George and Roy Hibbert added 23 and 21 points, respectively.

  Knicks All-Star Carmelo Anthony led all scorers with 39 points.

  "It's tough," Anthony said. "We all know what the goal was. Everybody wanted to go to the championship. That's the ultimate goal. Unfortunately, our run has to stop here."

  The Pacers trailed by as many as three points in the fourth quarter before Stephenson got a steal, layup and foul to break a 92-92 tie with less than four minutes left.

  The score was never tied again after that.

  "They were still the aggressor," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "We had our chances. We came back and took the lead. But we just didn't make the plays coming down the home stretch. We put them on the line a lot in terms of shooting free throws and that was a big difference in the game."

  Stephenson needed a bounce-back game after he was benched for most of the second half for poor play in Game 5. He said he didn't sleep well after that performance.

  "The last game I felt like I didn't play to my ability," Stephenson said. "I couldn't wait for this game. I was focused tonight on playing my game and doing whatever I could to help my teammates."

  The Pacers had everything going their way in the third quarter.

  They led by as many as 12 points and the home crowd was behind them.

  All it took was one more big run to send the Knicks home for the summer.

  That run didn't happen.

  That's because Anthony and Iman Shumpert decided to put on a show.

  Shumpert, taking advantage of having Tyler Hansbrough and David West defending him, made three straight 3-pointers and J.R Smith added a fourth to tie the score at 72-72.

  The Knicks, who struggled from long distance all series, went on a stretch where they made seven straight 3's.

  The Pacers were fortunate to head into the fourth quarter tied 81-81 after Shumpert scored 16 points and Anthony added 15 on a combined 10-of-13 shooting from the field in the third quarter.

  "It's tough to go out this way," Woodson said. "I tip my hat to the Pacers. Their staff did an excellent job in getting their team to the next round. I didn't make it happen for u and that's what's disappointing."

  NOTES: Pacers point guard George Hill, who suffered a concussion in Game 4, was cleared to play Saturday afternoon after passing the NBA's mandatory concussion protocol. He missed Game 5 after failing the concussion test on Thursday. Hill participated in shootaround Saturday and didn't have any setbacks. "He's a big part of what we do," Vogel said. ... Vogel said "no comment" when asked if the thought the screen Tyson Chandler set on Hill in which he suffered the concussion was clean. ... Each Pacers player attempted 100 free throws after practice Friday after they were only 19 of 33 from the line in their Game 5 loss. ... Knicks guard Jason Kidd went into Game 6 having not scored in the series on eight shots from the field.

Indiana Pacers point guard George Hill iwas cleared to play in Saturday night's game against the New York Knicks.

• Hill passed concussion tests as part of the NBA's protocol for head injuries before receiving medical clearance, the team announced several hours before game time.

  Pacers coach Frank Vogel had not revealed to reporters after Saturday morning's shootaround whether Hill passed the tests. He only said Hill was a game-time decision but that the team was prepared to play without him.

  The host Pacers will eliminate the Knicks from the playoffs with a win. Indiana leads the Eastern Conference semifinal best-of-seven series 3-2.

  Hill did not play in the Pacers' Game 5 loss in New York on Thursday after complaining about headaches. He was later diagnosed with a concussion. D.J. Augustin played in his place.

  Hill is averaging 16 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.4 assists in the playoffs.

Denver Nuggets general manager Masai Ujiri is the top candidate to take over the Toronto Raptors front office, according to CBS Sports.

• Ujiri, the NBA executive of the year, helped put together a Nuggets squad that won 57 games and got the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference playoffs.

  Ujiri turned down the Philadelphia 76ers offer to be their GM last year.

  The Raptors were turned down last week by Phil Jackson. The Raptors' ownership group, led by former Staples Center executive Tim Leiweke, may shake up the front office. The future status of executives Bryan Colangelo, Marc Eversley and Ed Stefanski has not been decided.

  Ujiri, former assistant general manager for the Raptors, took over as GM of the Nuggets in 2010. Ujiri and the Nuggets have discussed a contract extension. Ujiri is the lowest-paid GM in the NBA.

The Charlotte Bobcats want their old name back and have begun the process to become the Hornets again, according to CBSSports.com.

• The NBA franchise is pursuing the switch after New Orleans gave up the nickname when its season ended in April to become the Pelicans.

  Charlotte's original team was known as the Hornets from 1988 until 2002 when it moved to New Orleans.

  The transition could take up to 18 months, NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver said in April.

Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson announced Friday that the deal for the Maloof family to sell the Kings to software billionaire Vivek Ranadive has been signed.

• The announcement came two days after the NBA Board of Governors voted 22-8 to turn down the Maloofs' proposed sale of the team to a group planning to move the franchise to Seattle. And it came after five months of work to put an ownership group together, organize a viable plan for a new arena and convince the NBA's owners that the Kings were better served by remaining in Sacramento.

  The franchise was valued at $523 million for the sale, an NBA record according to ESPN. Ranadive, who had to divest his minority ownership in the Golden State Warriors, will purchase 65 percent of the Kings from the Maloof family, and his group put more than $341 million in escrow to ensure the deal could be executed.

  The next step is for a stadium project to be announced.

  Ranadive will be the first owner of Indian descent in the NBA. Included in the ownership group is former Facebook executive Chris Kelly, 24-Hour Fitness Founder Mark Mastrov, the Jacobs Family, which runs Qualcomm communications company and Raj Bhathal, who made his fortune in swimwear with Raj Manufacturing but was once the owner of a World Football League team in Orlando.

  --Retired coach Phil Jackson said Thursday night he was interested in a front-office post with the Seattle group, which failed in a bid to relocate the Sacramento Kings.

  "I had communication with the guy that's trying to make this move," Jackson said on the Tonight Show, referencing Chris Hansen, the ringleader of the Seattle bid. "It was serious talk. I thought he was a really good guy for the league."

  ---Jerry Sloan is willing to return to coaching in the NBA at age 71, but he's not planning to take just any opportunity that might come up.

  His agent, Keith Glass, told NBA.com, that Sloan is not ready to commit to a job with the Milwaukee Bucks, who talked to Sloan about their coaching vacancy.

  "The bottom line is, Jerry doesn't really feel it's the right fit for him right now," Glass said.

  ---European-born Ettore Messina, an Italian coach who presides over CSKA Moscow, is one of the Atlanta Hawks' top candidates to replace coach Larry Drew. Messina recently met with general manager Danny Ferry in London, according to Yahoo.

  The Hawks could make a swift move to hire the 53-year old, two-time Euroleague coach of the year who has nine titles combined in the Russian and Italian professional leagues.

  Messina was a member of Mike Brown's coaching staff with the Lakers temporarily in 2011, but left for a $1 million salary in Russia.

  ---Chicago Bulls forward Joakim Noah has not yet decided whether he will have surgery to repair the plantar fasciitis in his foot.

  "That hasn't been determined,'' coach Tom Thibodeau told the Chicago Sun-Times regarding Noah's possible surgery. "Obviously, we'd like to avoid the surgery. He has responded a lot better."

  ---Indiana Pacers point guard George Hill, who missed Thursday's Game 5 of the series against the New York Knicks with a concussion, was scheduled to take a concussion test Friday, coach Frank Vogel told the Indianapolis Star.

  Results of the test were not available Friday afternoon. He needs to pass the test to be cleared to participate in Game 6.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson announced Friday that the deal for the Maloof family to sell the Kings to software billionaire Vivek Ranadive has been signed.

• The announcement came two days after the NBA Board of Governors voted 22-8 to turn down the Maloofs' proposed sale of the team to a group planning to move the franchise to Seattle. And it came after five months of work to put an ownership group together, organize a viable plan for a new arena and convince the NBA's owners that the Kings were better served by remaining in Sacramento.

  "This was one heck of a comeback," Johnson, a former All-Star point guard, told a throng of Kings fans.

  The franchise was valued at $523 million for the sale, an NBA record according to ESPN. Ranadive, who had to divest his minority ownership in the Golden State Warriors, will purchase 65 percent of the Kings from the Maloof family, and his group put more than $341 million in escrow to ensure the deal could be executed.

  "It's a new era today," said Johnson, joined on state by politicians, local team investors and supporters who helped in the effort to keep the franchise.

  "We know it's about a team, yes, but it's about jobs, it's about revitalizing our downtown community, it's about civic pride.

  He also drew a rousing applause by proclaiming: "It's about not letting somebody take something away that's not theirs. We don't take a backseat to anyone."

  The work is far from done, however. The next step is for a stadium project to be announced.

  Ranadive will be the first owner of Indian descent in the NBA, but he has deep pockets behind him, too. Included in the ownership group is former Facebook executive Chris Kelly, 24-Hour Fitness Founder Mark Mastrov, the Jacobs Family, which runs Qualcomm communications company and Raj Bhathal, who made his fortune in swimwear with Raj Manufacturing but was once the owner of a World Football League team in Orlando.

  Bhathal will have a significant role with the Kings, and this venture represents a 30-year chase of a Sacramento franchise. In the early 1990s, he tried to buy the WFL's Sacramento Surge but was outbid by Fred Anderson.

Mike Conley might be a Johnny Come Lately figure to casual NBA fans who paid little mind to the Memphis Grizzlies before their ouster of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.

• Conley has been a breakout star of the playoffs, but coach Lionel Hollins credits Conley with steering the Grizzlies all season and emerging as a leader after the January trade of leading scorer Rudy Gay to Toronto.

  It was the latest show of support by Hollins, who encouraged management to retain Conley and part with Kyle Lowry instead. Hollins made Conley a starter and backed the decision to give him a five-year, $45 million contract that raised eyebrows from even staunch supporters of the former Ohio State star.

  "I came in and was like, 'Why? Why are we talking about trading him,'" Hollins said. "Why don't we put this guy out there and see if he can play before you go trade him?"

  And play he has.

  Zach Randolph is the Grizzlies' leading scorer with Gay gone, but Conley has led the team with 16.4 points and 6.8 assists since Gay was dealt. He has also emerged as the go-to option in tight moments, delivering repeatedly against Chris Paul and the Clippers and in the 4-1 series victory over Oklahoma City to send Memphis to the conference finals.

  "After we lost Rudy, it was tough," Conley said. "We didn't know who was going to be that guy down the stretch. I've kind of had to assume that role, grow into it and live and learn from it."

  His counterpart, San Antonio Spurs point guard Tony Parker, is a 12-year veteran - a trusted All-Star who was an MVP candidate until he was felled by an ankle injury late in the season. Coach Gregg Popovich erred on the side of caution, keeping Parker out of 11 games, and watched his offense slog through contests without him.

  The upshot of the injury to Parker and health-related absences of several other prime contributors for Popovich was the development of quality depth. Parker led the team with 20.3 points per game, but relative no-names Danny Green, Gary Neal and D-League product Cory Joseph contributed heavily to series wins over the Warriors and Lakers, not to mention usual contributions from Manu Ginobili and spot duty from Matt Bonner and DeJuan Blair.

  With more options in his rotation, the matchups -- and potential adjustments -- favor the sagacious Popovich.

  The Spurs are also driven by their failure in this very spot last season. San Antonio led Oklahoma City 2-0 in the 2012 NBA Finals.

  "We were disappointed last year being up 2-0, having home court, not being able to go to the Finals. It gives us a lot of fuel for this year," said Parker. "I think everybody in the team, we all want to go one more time. It's been a long time -- since 2007 we didn't go to the Finals. I think everybody understands ... opportunities don't come very often. Last year we missed one, a close one. We were two games away from the Finals."

  Popovich, never one to tip his hand with information or intel, claimed ignorance when asked for his early thoughts on Sunday's conference finals opener.

  "I do know they've had a heck of a year, along with Indiana and Miami, you can argue who is the best defensive team," he said of the Grizzlies. "They're gritty, talented. Be a heck of a challenge."

General manager Danny Ferry and the Atlanta Hawks are projected to make waves this offseason after shedding salary and likely allowing All-Star Josh Smith to seek greener pastures in free agency.

• Those moves, according to Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski, could include a trailblazing head-coaching hire.

  European-born Ettore Messina, an Italian coach who presides over CSKA Moscow, is one of the team's top candidates to replace coach Larry Drew. Messina recently met with Ferry in London, according to Yahoo.

  The Hawks could make a swift move to hire the 53-year old, two-time Euroleague coach of the year who has nine titles combined in the Russian and Italian professional leagues.

  Messina was a member of Mike Brown's coaching staff with the Lakers temporarily in 2011, but left for a $1 million salary in Russia.

  Ferry was hired last year and signed a six-year, $12 million contract. He is also reportedly interested in hiring Stan Van Gundy and played collegiately with Quin Snyder at Duke. Snyder was an assistant coach for Messina, who speaks fluent English and teaches an NBA-style, attacking offensive game.

  The Hawks are expected to have as little as $25 million committed in salary by mid-July, when just three players on their current roster have guaranteed contracts: Al Horford, John Jenkins and Lou Williams.

Jerry Sloan is willing to return to coaching in the NBA at age 71, but he's not planning to take just any opportunity that might come up in an offseason where turnover might lead to one-third of teams hiring a new coach.

• "For Jerry to go to a place that's going to take years to build -- and I'm not talking about Milwaukee, I'm talking about anywhere -- that's just not right for him," agent Keith Glass told NBA.com. "They have to be able to compete. Jerry is a competitor, and he wants to compete and teach."

  Glass said the Bucks visited Sloan on his farm in rural Illinois. General manager John Hammond and Sloan had a "great visit" but Sloan isn't ready to commit to that job.

  "The bottom line is, Jerry doesn't really feel it's the right fit for him right now," Glass said. "He's interested (in coaching again). He's in Chicago now watching the Pre-Draft. And his name keeps popping up with every job, and he hasn't applied for anything."

  If Sloan is chasing a job with a contender, he's likely waiting to hear how Vinny Del Negro's situation plays out with the Los Angeles Clippers.

Retired coach Phil Jackson said Thursday night he was interested in a front-office post with the Seattle group, which failed in a bid to relocate the Sacramento Kings Thursday.

• "I had communication with the guy that's trying to make this move," Jackson said on the Tonight Show, referencing Chris Hansen, the ringleader of the Seattle bid. "It was serious talk. I thought he was a really good guy for the league."

  Jackson said last week he has no interest in coaching. He hopes to get back into the league soon in a front-office capacity. He interviewed for a team president job with the Toronto Raptors but turned it down.

  Does Jackson see himself as a fit in the new Kings' front office, sure to be turned on its ear under new ownership?

  "I won't be doing the (front-office) job in Sacramento. I like Sacramento," said Jackson. "Well, not that much."

  Jackson is making the media rounds to stump for his book "Eleven Rings" and said he'll be focused on that multi-city tour for the next few weeks.