"Just like I've said from the beginning," explained Wade. "It's something I will sit down and talk to with my agent. Of course, we've got until July before there can really be serious talk about it. We'll see what's best for both sides. I'm not ruling it out, but I'm not saying that I would do it, either."

"There are advantages," admitted Wade of inking an extension this summer. "I think one of the biggest advantages is making a commitment to the organization that you want to call your organization and have other players say, 'Well, Dwyane is there,' and they might want to be a part. But, at the same time, I signed the contract for a reason, to have flexibility. You want to use that flexibility, as a player."

"Of course me and LeBron talked about it," Wade said of both he and James having free agency options next summer.

"We both signed this deal together. But we didn't sign the deal saying that we were going to play together. We just signed the deal giving ourselves flexibility."

• Raptors Looking For Size: League sources are saying that the Raptors may have found their man and it could be Pitt's DeJuan Blair. The Raptors have been in to see virtually every workout site in the country and have split into two teams stopping in for advanced looks. The Raptors will bring in several first round prospects after the Combine, but early word is they are looking for toughness and rebounding first and could be buying a later first rounder hoping for a backup point guard. Don't rule out Toronto taking a sniff as Gonzaga's Austin Daye late in the first if he's still there, word is Raptor's head coach Jay Triano was intrigued by Daye's length and outside shooting. The Raptors currently hold the 9th overall selection.
  
  
• Clippers Not Shopping Pick?: There has been a lot of speculation about whether the Top overall pick was indeed available from the Clippers. Clips sources are adamant they are keeping the pick and selecting Oklahoma's Blake Griffin, saying that anything short of a LeBron or Kobe type offer would be rejected. The issue with the Clippers is they have been hit hard at the box office, and the appeal of Griffin and the early commitment to him is about assuring ticket holders and would-be season ticket holders that there is a future for the club that does not include another 19-win season. Clips source also say that Marcus Camby will not be traded, that the likely trade candidate is Chris Kaman, and that moving a player this summer is not critical, but will be explored.
  
  
• Bucks Optimistic: The Milwaukee Bucks are looking at point guards pretty heavily in the draft process and seem to be locked in on Jonny Flynn. The Bucks hope they can resign Ramon Sessions, but seem resigned to the idea that they will lose Charlie Villanueva. League sources said should Flynn be off the board when the Bucks select at #10 that Earl Clark could be their second option.
  
  
• Evans An Enigma: Tyreke Evans still has not selected an agent, and while most players at this point have someone "advising" them and fielding calls and setting up workouts. Evans could be primed to pull out. Evans is expected to attend the Pre-Draft Combine and could be part of the Warriors Group workout next week in Oakland, but the belief is the lack of direction on Evans makes him more likely to withdraw than to stay.
  
  
• Is Twitter Hurting Thabeet: More than one league executive openly questioned Hasheem Thabeet's focus, pointing to his constant Tweeting about where good parties and nightclubs are in the various cities he's been in recently. It's one thing to live the life; it's another thing to tweet about it especially during the draft process. There is no questioning Thabeet's upside. He will be a game changer as a rebounder and shot blocker and could go very high in the draft as more and people get a look at him in their own environment. One prominent NBA talent evaluator said that Thabeet has all the tools to be great at the NBA level, just openly questioned whether he had the desire to be great, suggesting that this was simply a job for Thabeet. One NBA executive whose team has a top 10 selection openly questioned Thabeet's age, saying there is a consensus that like most players from Africa that Thabeet may be older than advertised. There is little doubt Thabeet could be the next Dikembe Mutombo in a lot more ways than his size and shot blocking. Thabeet is expected to be off the board in the top 5 picks.
  
  
• Jrue The Killer?: Jrue Holiday was brought into to see the Sacramento Kings and he had a great workout. The Kings have a tough choice to make with the #4 overall selection, and while #4 for Jrue may seem high, he's got a lot of positive buzz going mainly because half a dozen teams have been into see him at IMG Basketball in Bradenton and have walked away intrigued. Its doubtful Jrue is on the board past the 10th pick to Milwaukee, with sources saying Jrue has drawn interest from the Knicks, the Kings, the Raptors and the Bucks. One scenario being floated is that Sacramento decides Jrue is their man, and trades down a few slots to grab him and an additional asset. The problem with Jrue is he may not be a major impact player out of the gate; his value is in his upside as an 18-year-old phenom type guard and a team like Sacramento might not be able to wait for Jrue to be an impact player with the #4 pick. Trading down and getting a veteran might be the best scenario if the Kings can not find a better prospect.
  
  
• Calathes And Greece: Nick Calathes' decision to join Greek powerhouse Panathinaikos took some by surprise especially those in Gainesville Florida who were hoping their star guard would return for his junior season. There are a few things to note about this deal. Calathes may not withdraw from the NBA draft process, in fact his new Greek deal may move him into the first round as playoff teams can safely draft him and park him overseas for a year or two and not eat his guaranteed contract. The second part is Calathes holds a Greek passport and has been part of the Greek national team, something his father pushed for. He does not count against Panathinaikos' two international roster spots leaving those open to add additional talent. His brother Pat Calathes will be returning to the NBA this summer for summer league after playing a season in Greece, so the situation is not foreign to the Calathes at all. The financial side of the deal is three-years at $2.1 million Euros (roughly $2.9 million dollars) – roughly what a mid first round pick would earn. Calathes had been into see the Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs last week and those results may have made the decision easier. The selling point for Panathinaikos was their desire to sign Nick now and a willingness to give him favorable exit clauses to come to the NBA in the future. Panathinaikos really pushed that they wanted him to be their point guard of the future, not just a one-year development stop that may or may not be a deterrent for NBA teams considering Nick in the late first round; however Nick sliding into the 2nd round may give him more leverage. 2nd round draft picks are not tied to the Rookie salary scale, meaning a team that wants Nick now or in coming years might have to pony up equal dollars, so in reality this deal is a win/win for Calathes.
  
  
• Mr. Biggs: One of HOOPSWORLD's favorite fringe players is really seeing some interest. Tyrell Biggs is a 2nd round draft pick at best, but two very strong workouts have generated some buzz for the 6'8 Biggs. The Pacers recently had Biggs in for a look and his "all over the court effort" got him praise from the Pacers and a couple of stitches above his eye after the workout. Biggs had his best workout of the week with the Chicago Bulls. Sources near the situation say he thoroughly dominated UNC's Tyler Hansbrough in almost every drill and has now landed himself a spot on the Bulls' board in the second round. A lot of thing have to break Biggs' way for him to be a draft pick, but considering how far on the outside the process he was four weeks ago things are looking up for Biggs.

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Kahn To Meet McHale:  New Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations David Kahn will meet with Kevin McHale today to talk about the coaching positions with the Wolves according to Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

"Kevin has a long history here and a relationship with the owner that I respect and trust," Kahn said. "He's Kevin McHale."

The popular belief is that McHale who is no longer under contract wants a traditional coaching contract of three-years or more with a salary on par with his peer group, meaning between $2.5 and $3 million per season.