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NBA Rumors for Wednesday, May 15

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The NBA Board of Governors voted Wednesday to keep the Kings in Sacramento and not allow them to move to Seattle, a person with knowledge of the vote told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the vote has not been made public. USA Today

NBA owners have spoken: They, too, want the Sacramento Kings playing in Sacramento. A full meeting of the league's 30 teams met here Wednesday for nearly four hours and, according to sources with knowledge of the vote, ultimately backed last month's recommendation from a relocation committee which has been advocating since mid-April to reject the Kings' proposed sale to a Seattle group headlined by lead investor Chris Hansen and keep the team in Sacramento. ESPN.com

Hansen's group raised the overall valuation of their offer to buy the Kings to a league-record $625 million last week, but sources told ESPN.com that the owners gathered at this specially convened Board of Governors meeting at the Hilton Anatole have voted to reject the sale and proposed relocation of the Kings to Seattle. ESPN.com

EARLIER NBA RUMORS STORIES

It's D-Day in Big D. The NBA board of governors began gathering in Dallas today in an effort to resolve the five-month-long struggle over the future of the Sacramento Kings. The board's tasks: Decide whether the team should move to Seattle or stay in Sacramento, and then figure out who should own the troubled franchise. Owners and league executives trickled in for the climactic meeting, which was expected to begin at around 11 a.m. Sacramento time. Sacramento Bee

Kings co-owner George Maloof was prowling the Hilton lobby this morning and greeted Commissioner David Stern and his wife Diane at the hotel coffee shop. After breakfast, Stern waved hello to four purple-and-black-clad Kings fans who had arrived minutes earlier from Sacramento, but declined comment to reporters. Maloof - the man who in some respects is at the center of it all - himself was of two minds about the league's decision. Seen in the Hilton lobby late Tuesday and early today, he said, "I don't have a good feel for it." Sacramento Bee

Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade will be a game-time decision for Game 5 against the Chicago Bulls after participating in Wednesday morning's shootaround. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra provided the update on Wade's status, saying that the All-Star guard's bruised right knee will be evaluated prior to the start of Wednesday's contest. ESPN.com

"He had a very good day [Tuesday] and a good shootaround," Spoelstra said. "We'll evaluate him before the game and go from there." Wade did not address the media Wednesday, but Heat forward Chris Bosh said he expects the nine-time All-Star to play. Miami owns a 3-1 series lead against Chicago and can advance to the Eastern Conference finals for a third straight year with a victory Wednesday. ESPN.com

A Heat victory combined with the New York Knicks defeating the Indiana Pacers Thursday in the other semifinal series would mean the conference finals start May 22, giving Wade two extra days off. “He’s going to make his own decision,” center Chris Bosh said. “I expect him to play. I know he doesn’t want to miss out on these opportunities. He needs to get rest. We need to close out tonight.” South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Tony Parker had 25 points and 10 assists, and the San Antonio Spurs held the Golden State Warriors’ starting backcourt to 13 points for a 109-91 victory Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinals. Kawhi Leonard added 17 points, Danny Green scored 16 and Tim Duncan had 14 points and 11 rebounds for San Antonio. Harrison Barnes scored 25 points, Jarrett Jack added 20 and Carl Landry 16 for Golden State. No other Warriors player had more than nine points. AP

The Indiana Pacers finally figured it out. When given the chance to take command of a playoff series, they can’t give it back. On Tuesday night, they didn’t. George Hill scored 26 points and Paul George had 18 points, 14 rebounds and seven assists, leading the Pacers past the New York Knicks, 93-82 and to within one win of their first conference finals appearance since 2004. ”We wanted it,” George said. ”For us to come out with that edge, still, after being up 2-1 and being on our floor for Game 4, for us to be up and ready and have an edge to play, it just speaks to how focused we are right now.” AP

Only N.B.A. eight teams have overcome a 3-1 deficit to win a series. The Knicks’ quest to become the ninth will start Thursday night at Madison Square Garden. If they survive, they will have to win a Game 6 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, where they are 0-4 this season. The Pacers are undefeated at home in the playoffs. “I believe,” said Carmelo Anthony, who had 24 points on another tough shooting night. “I really believe that we can do something special here. I’m very confident that we can do something special here.” To a man, the Knicks expressed unwavering confidence, but their body language said otherwise for 48 minutes. They hesitated. They passed up open shots. And they missed most of the open ones they took, shooting 35.6 percent from the field. NY Times

“We had good looks,” Woodson said. “We just couldn’t knock them down. I thought our offensive flow wasn’t bad tonight.” The Pacers led from wire to wire, by as many as 18 points and by double digits for nearly the entire second half. The Knicks cut the deficit to 9 with 57.8 seconds left, but that was as close as they got. NY Times

“My frustration level with myself is extremely high,” [J.R.] Smith said. “I take the blame for this whole series.” He made reference to the Boston series, adding: “I haven’t been playing myself. I haven’t played my part. I’ve been letting my teammates down. I’ve been letting my coaches down. It doesn’t feel good.” NY Times

The Pacers’ size and strength have proven too much. Woodson started with a big starting lineup, adding Kenyon Martin at power forward, moving Anthony to small forward, but it didn’t help. Indiana slaughtered the Knicks, 54-36, on the boards to continue a series-long trend. The Pacers collected 16 offensive rebounds, leading to 19 second-chance points. “They’re pinning their ears — five guys crashing the boards,’’ Chandler said. “For the defense after making the stop, it’s a backbreaker.’’ NY Post

The Portland Trail Blazers’ Damian Lillard, the unanimous selection for the 2012-13 NBA Rookie of the Year, headlines the 2012-13 NBA All-Rookie First Team, the NBA announced today. Lillard was the lone unanimous First Team selection (58 points, 29 First Team votes), while the Washington Wizards’ Bradley Beal and the New Orleans Hornets’ Anthony Davis totaled 57 points each, including 28 First Team votes. Rounding out the 2012-13 NBA All-Rookie First Team are Dion Waiters of the Cleveland Cavaliers (50 points, 21 First Team) and Harrison Barnes of the Golden State Warriors (47 points, 18 First Team). InsideHoops

The NBA All-Rookie Second Team consists of the Detroit Pistons’ Andre Drummond (35 points, 10 First Team), the Toronto Raptors’ Jonas Valanciunas (31 points, six First Team), the Charlotte Bobcats’ Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (29 points, three First Team), the Detroit Pistons’ Kyle Singler (17 points, one First Team), and the Cavaliers’ Tyler Zeller (15 points, three First Team). InsideHoops

The Portland Trail Blazers have hired Nate Tibbetts as an assistant coach, it was announced today by General Manager Neil Olshey. Tibbetts, 35, joins Head Coach Terry Stotts’ staff from the Cleveland Cavaliers, where he served as an assistant coach for the past two seasons. “Nate is an exceptional addition to our staff and I am very excited to welcome him to the Trail Blazers,” said Stotts. “He possesses a strong work ethic and a passion for coaching. He has been instrumental in developing young players in the D-League and in the NBA. Additionally, his successful head coaching experience in the D-League provides a unique ability, which will complement our current staff." InsideHoops

The Philadelphia 76ers announced today that Sam Hinkie has been named President of Basketball Operations and General Manager. Hinkie arrives to Philadelphia after eight years with the Houston Rockets, most recently as Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations since 2010, where he was responsible for the Rockets' considerable and ground-breaking analytic efforts, which included utilizing data to improve decision making in the NBA Draft, via free agency and trades, and in-game strategy. Additionally, Hinkie provided day-to-day management of basketball operations, managed the Rockets salary cap and scouted prospects in person across the collegiate and professional ranks. InsideHoops

Brook Lopez finished fifth in Player Efficiency Rating -- behind LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony -- and made his first All-Star team. Plus he played in his first playoffs and put up solid stats -- 22.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game. So much for all that concern about his defense and rebounding after he played just five games in 2011-12. But Lopez was outplayed by Joakim Noah in the elimination Game 7, so King hopes that pain adds fuel to Lopez's fire for next season. Lopez is only 25, so it's possible he can be even better in 2013-14. That would certainly be big for the Nets. ESPN NY

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