NBAFullCourt - Basketball Daily

Byron Scott had a chance to chat with Michael Jordan last week when the two were in Orlando to watch prospects work out at a pre-draft camp. When they spoke, Scott, the NBA coach of the year, had yet to agree to a contract extension with the New Orleans Hornets. Jordan, now a part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats, was curious about Scott's plans.

C.J. Giles is hoping to show that he has learned from his mistakes and has the discipline and maturity to make it in the pros. Giles, who was kicked out of two college programs, worked out for the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday, the first of eight workouts he's scheduled in advance of the NBA draft.

Three stars. One basketball. Zero complaints. Boston's Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen are playing for a championship in their first year together, finding success in the kind of selflessness only losing can teach. Their scoring is down. Their minutes are down. But their spirits are up, because after a combined 2,774 career games, they're about to play their first in the NBA...

While Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers used an explosive offense to reach the NBA finals, their defensive adjustments were critical as well. Now, after getting past the likes of Utah's Carlos Boozer and San Antonio's Tim Duncan in the Western Conference playoffs, they face perhaps their most daunting challenge in Boston's Kevin Garnett, a versatile 7-footer who can do damage from the inside...

Michael Jordan's lawyers have asked a judge to permanently bar a western Pennsylvania woman from having contact with him. Jordan's lawyers asked a Meadville judge on Wednesday to order a permanent no-contact order against Lisa Miceli. The Meadville woman claims Jordan fathered her 4-year-old son. Miceli was thrown out of the courtroom after speaking out several times during the hearing.

Larry Brown spent his two-year hiatus from the NBA bench watching countless games, studying coaches and learning new strategies. Brown finally got to test his new theories Wednesday in an effort to erase the ugly memories of his last job with the New York Knicks. Dressed in a long-sleeved T-shirt with a giant Bobcats logo, Brown shouted instructions and gave tips to six college players in...

Utah Jazz forward Kyle Korver plans to have surgery to remove a bone spur on his left foot. He was scheduled for surgery Wednesday night in New York. Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor isn't sure how long he'll have to stay off his foot, but expects Korver to be fine by training camp. The Jazz were 38-12 after acquiring Korver from Philadelphia in a trade on Dec.

Charlotte Bobcats coach Larry Brown is pursuing his former college teammate, Doug Moe, to join his new coaching staff. The Bobcats announced Wednesday that Brown hired Dave Hanners as an assistant and retained Phil Ford and Jeff Capel from former coach Sam Vincent's staff. Brown indicated he was trying to get Moe to agree to return to the bench.

Former NBA All-Star Kevin Johnson survived his first political test Tuesday, forcing a runoff election against the two-term incumbent in California's capital city. Neither candidate secured enough votes to win outright in a mayoral race that drew national attention and claims of dirty politics after old sexual misconduct accusations surfaced against the challenger.

The Detroit Pistons fired Flip Saunders and put their players on notice, marking the beginning of what is expected to be a busy offseason. President of basketball operations Joe Dumars also publicly put his entire lineup on the trading block, less than a week after the Pistons lost in the Eastern Conference final for the third straight year.

Turns out, Michael Beasley is not 6-foot-10, as he was listed by Kansas State. He also isn't 6-foot-7, as some of his detractors have suggested in recent weeks, either. The truth was almost exactly in the middle. The Kansas State star who left college after one year for the lure of pro riches officially is 6-foot-8 tall with basketball shoes on, according to measurements taken at last week's NBA...

Just before an NBA game on Dec. 26, 2006, Tim Donaghy overheard an official scorekeeper say that one of the teams playing that night, the Memphis Grizzlies, was "all banged up" with injuries. The passing remark prompted the veteran referee to pick up the phone. Donaghy secretly called a coconspirator in a gambling scheme to recommend betting on the opponent, the Washington Wizards.

Sacramento Kings assistant coach Chuck Person is set to have a second interview with the Chicago Bulls for their vacant head coaching job. A person familiar with the search, who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the search is ongoing, said Person was flying to Chicago on Tuesday.

Jerry West has had a front-row seat to watch the evolution of Kobe Bryant: precocious teenager, three-time NBA champion, angry superstar and beloved MVP. One of the game's all-time greats himself, West can relate to some of what Bryant has experienced. And the man known as Mr. Clutch understands what separates Bryant from the rest.

Boston backup guard Tony Allen is back on the practice court as the Celtics prepare for the NBA finals against the Los Angeles Lakers. Coach Doc Rivers said Allen was only supposed to go through the first part of practice on Tuesday, but he was jumping and dunking. Allen had some success guarding Lakers star Kobe Bryant in the regular season, holding the NBA MVP to 22 points on 6-for-25 shooting.