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Jared Sullinger's rookie season was cut short after having back surgery and so far his rehab is going well. Sullinger needed the operations due to a previous issue and he is ready to come back better than he played during his first year in the NBA.

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The Brooklyn Nets are in the process of considering candidates for their head coach position. They had hoped to speak with Boston Celtics head coach Doc Rivers, but that is not going to happen after president of basketball operations Danny Ainge denied the request.

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There were reports out of Venezuela claiming New Orleans Pelicans point guard Greivis Vasquez is set to have surgery on both ankles and that has been confirmed by The Times-Picayune.

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Golden State Warriors backup center Andris Biedrins owns an ETO (early termination option) in his contract and to no surprise he's not going to invoke it. As a result, Biedrins will earn $9 million next season and he won't be an unrestricted free agent until 2014.

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Stan Van Gundy let it be known this week that he will not coach in the NBA next season, a decision he reached with the help of his family. Considering the interest teams like Atlanta and the Los Angeles Clippers had in possibly bringing Van Gundy aboard, this is big news. Big enough, in fact, that Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel referred to Gundy's recent decision as "a shocking revelation coming from one of the premier coaching candidates in the league."

Now, there is word that Van Gundy may in fact be done coaching for good.

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UPDATE: Will promising 22-year-old Greek forward Kostas Papanikolaou play in Portland next season? We pondered the question last week, and appear to already have our answer.

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This question was posed to a panel of five ESPN basketball experts who have witnessed the game at various levels -- Chad Ford, Dave Telep, Fran Fraschilla, Kevin Pelton and Amin Elhassan -- and all but Fraschilla came up with the same answer.

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Charlotte's rebranding efforts will bring back the "Hornets" nickname in 2014-15, and it may have the next Grandmama on its roster to make the transition complete.

UNLV freshman Anthony Bennett, a thick offensive-minded combo forward deemed by some to be the next Larry Johnson (the No. 1 pick in 1991 out of UNLV), could go to Charlotte with pick No. 4 in next month's draft if he's still on the board.

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UPDATE: Last week, we wrote about an overlooked player with a similar skill set to Dennis Rodman -- Colorado's undersized forward, Andre Roberson. Can the high-energy rebounder follow in the footsteps of The Worm and stick in the league long-term, even if on a lesser scale? That remains to be seen, but ESPN Insider Kevin Pelton writes today that Roberson is the most underrated prospect in the draft. Here's Pelton with more below.

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Dennis Rodman was listed at 6-foot-8, 220 pounds at the end of his 14-year playing career. Andre Roberson, who left Colorado a year early to enter next month's NBA draft, is listed at 6-foot-7, 210 pounds.

This isn't to say that Roberson will have anywhere close to the same type of pro career that "The Worm" had in the late 1980s through the 1990s, but the similarities in their game go well beyond their stature on the court. Like Rodman, Roberson is a tenacious rebounder with a relentless motor, and though he's projected to be a second-round pick next month there's a chance this one skill could translate well at the next level.

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Every day brings more buzz regarding the Los Angeles Clippers' search for a new head coach, and why not? With a team built around Blake Griffin and, barring an unforeseen turn of events, free agent Chris Paul, it's a position that's filled with intrigue. Here's the latest we're hearing out of L.A.

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UPDATE: There are several big reasons why Carl Landry will likely opt out of the final year of his two-year contract with Golden State, despite his unquestioned love for the team and the city.

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Dwyane Wade's ailing right knee is affecting his production throughout the playoffs, with his scoring down from 21.2 PPG in the regular season to 13.7 PPG in the nine games he's played since. That's no secret. It's also no secret, however, that Miami continues to find a way to win; incredibly, last night's victory pushed the Heat to 46-3 since Feb. 2.

Still, if Miami is going to win it all this season as so many forecast, it can't afford Wade's knee to worsen or his production to decline further. How do things stand now? Wade spoke of his injury on Wednesday.

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Maurice Cheeks is the latest to interview for the Detroit Pistons head coaching vacancy, and he may be the final candidate the team looks at before arriving at a decision.

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The Oklahoma City Thunder currently own three picks in the 2013 NBA draft and Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman was asked what he thinks the team will do with them.

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