Although Byron Scott is seeking a new contract, Shinn said the team's top priority is signing star point guard Chris Paul to an extension. Contract talks for Paul will start July 1 and if no agreement is made this summer he will become a restricted free agent after the 2008-09 season. New Orleans Times Picayune
NBA coach of the year Byron Scott, who has the right to buy out the remainder of his contract and go to the highest bidder next season, showed little interest in leaving the Hornets on Wednesday. "I expect to be here," Scott said. "In my mind right now I hope to be here unless something crazy happens." The Hornets pay Scott about $3.5 million a year and the team's majority owner, George Shinn, said he intends to make a fair extension offer that would make Scott one of the highest-paid coaches in the league. AP/Charlotte Observer
The agent for Nuggets forward Carmelo Anthony shot down trade speculation Wednesday, saying recent media reports are based on "bad information." Calvin Andrews of BDA Sports Management said the Nuggets are "not shopping" his client despite reports the team has had preliminary talks with the New Jersey Nets. "He was caught off-guard, getting all these calls and seeing his name in talks about getting traded," Andrews said. Rocky Mountain News
After talking with the Nuggets, Andrews expressed confidence Anthony won't be traded. Rocky Mountain News
"Carmelo Anthony is their guy," Andrews said Wednesday, relaying what Nuggets' management told him. "There are no plans to trade Melo. Melo will be in a Denver uniform next year. They're not entertaining trades for Melo. It's not even in the cards." Nuggets vice president of basketball operations Mark Warkentien, who is Denver's designated trade negotiator, declined comment. Denver Post
And Allen Iverson? He will exercise his contract option for next season, and the expiring deal in theory makes him marketable, but the number of teams that can handle it next season is so limited that it doesn't do the Nuggets much good. This Nuggets team has problems, and it doesn't take James Naismith to spot them: There's only one ball; there's no real point guard; Camby is a liability when he thinks he's a shooting guard; the Nuggets play as if they have hangovers in the second of back-to-back games; and there's minimal effort put in at the defensive end for long stretches, or entire games. Denver Post
The Nets picking 10th won't help in any pursuit of Carmelo Anthony. The Nets and Nuggets have had talks regarding Anthony, who is available. But it was generally felt that if the Nets could have moved up, like the Bulls did in getting the No. 1 pick from No. 9, it would have greatly aided any chance of getting Anthony. NY Post
Cavaliers guard Eric Snow is a candidate for the Chicago Bulls head coaching vacancy, according to Snow's agent, Steve Kauffman. The interview is the easy part. The challenge is that Snow must resolve his contract situation with the Cavs. Snow is under contract through the 2008-09 season for $7.3 million. Kauffman said Bulls GM John Paxson and Cavs GM Danny Ferry were scheduled to talk today. Ferry and Paxson were not available when contacted by The Plain Dealer this afternoon. Cleveland Plain Dealer
According to a league source, ex-Bulls coach Phil Jackson worked out a time for Paxson to visit Los Angeles in recent days, where he most likely spoke to Lakers assistants Brian Shaw and Kurt Rambis. Among the teams playing in the conference finals, other candidates for the Bulls' job include Boston's Tom Thibodeau, Detroit's Michael Curry and Terry Porter, along with San Antonio's Mike Budenholzer. Arlington Heights Daily Herald
The Knicks and Heat have a logjam at forward and likely would need to deal players to make room for Beasley. In the Heat's case, that likely would mean having to shop Udonis Haslem or Shawn Marion, who can opt out of the final season and $17.2 million of his contract to become a free agent July 1. Miami Herald
Memphis, Seattle and Sacramento have needs for a low-post scorer. New Jersey is expected to be one of the more active teams this offseason as new general manager Kiki Vandeweghe looks to retool the roster after Jason Kidd's departure. Miami Herald
Pat Riley would not say what the Heat would expect in return should it part with the No. 2 pick. But it likely would require the combination of the Heat swapping selections with a team that chooses later in the lottery -- but likely within the top 10 -- and adding a proven veteran at point guard or center. Miami Herald
It might also take a trading partner willing to take on the two seasons and $15.2 million remaining on center Mark Blount's contract or the three seasons and $13.2 million left on guard Marcus Banks' deal. Miami Herald
Right now, at this very moment, Heat President Pat Riley might be on the telephone, working out a blockbuster trade for Miami's No. 2 pick in the June 26 draft. "We feel like we have a lot of leverage with that pick," he said. But if Riley followed through and made a trade - declining the opportunity to draft Kansas State power forward Michael Beasley or Memphis point guard Derrick Rose after Chicago makes its choice at No. 1 - he would be taking a bold path. Palm Beach Post
However, a source familiar with the dealings said Wednesday that the Bulls have laid out a plan to take Beasley, with Heat President Pat Riley left with Rose. The insider insisted, "No. 1 and No. 2 are booked and done." Riley was not available for comment Wednesday. He said Tuesday night that he would explore all options, including a trade of the No. 2 selection. South Florida Sun-Sentinel
My gut tells me the Knicks will make a Draft-Day trade for the second straight year. And for the second straight year, Zach Randolph could be involved. I think there's a reason Walsh repeats the 2010 under-the-cap game plan. Because their next trade - if it involves Randolph - will not make sense basketball-wise, only cap-wise. It's the kind of trade Isiah Thomas never made, always getting more talent in the deal. NY Post blog
The Knicks would love to get their hands on Calderon, but T.J. Ford is probably the more realistic option of the two. If the Knicks don't draft a guard they could opt for Danilo Gallinari, a 6-9 small forward who is playing in his home country of Italy. He has the skills to thrive in D'Antoni's system. Gallinari's father, Victorio, played with D'Antoni in Italy. NY Daily News
Shaquille O'Neal and others calling players cowards for flopping usually falls on deaf ears, because more and more players are using the tactic, especially during the playoffs. There's not a quarter that goes by in which a defender doesn't act as if he has been smashed into, flying backward and landing on his back ... only to look up with a smile as the referee makes a charging call. The ploy has reached a level that the NBA is being compared to soccer, where flopping reached near-epidemic proportions during the 2006 World Cup. NBA commissioner David Stern has said he doesn't like players flopping on the court, and the league will review the rule this summer. For now, however, players such as the Los Angeles Lakers' Derek Fisher will continue falling backward, sometimes at the slightest touch. Houston Chronicle
