LOS ANGELES -- The Los Angeles Lakers do not yet know Dwight Howard's decision for next season, but the All-Star center made his feelings about Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni known before starting his offseason.

Nearly three weeks have passed since Howard had his exit interview with the Lakers and there's been barely a peep out of Howard since.

While he hasn't had anything to say to the press, Howard had a lot to say to Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak back before the relative silence, however.

Fresh off winning the Commissioner’s Cup, the Alaska Aces have already set their sights on the next tournament.

In its quest for back-to-back titles, Alaska has tapped former New Mexico star Wendel McKines to reinforce the team for the Governors’ Cup.

McKines is coming off an impressive stint in France, averaging 17.3 points and 8.9 rebounds while playing for Rouen.

SEATTLE -- Chris Hansen is not going away in his pursuit of bringing the NBA back to Seattle.

Hansen released a statement on his SonicsArena.com website on Monday afternoon, congratulating Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson on his efforts to keep the Kings in California, while also vowing to keep up his pursuit of getting the NBA back to Seattle.

"Even as we are disappointed with the developments related to our efforts to purchase the Kings, we would just like to reiterate our dedication to bringing the NBA back to Seattle," Hansen wrote. "We will continue to press forward with our arena plans with the same commitment and effort we have over the last two years, and look forward to working with the City (of Seattle) and (King) County to see the project through the hurdles that remain. Likewise, we plan to continue to work with the league regarding opportunities that may arise to return an NBA franchise to our City."

The massive tornado that ripped through a handful of Oklahoma City suburbs grabbed the attention of the sports world on Monday, especially for the players and coaches with ties to the area.

Kevin Durant, a three-time scoring champion for the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder, posted on his Twitter account that he was praying for everyone involved. He added: "Everybody stay safe!"

The Oklahoma Medical Examiner's Office, according to ABC News, said 51 people are confirmed dead, of which at least 20 are childen. More than 100 casualties are being treated at area hospitals.

The San Mig Coffee Mixers are bringing back a familiar face to lead them in the season-ending Governors’ Cup.

Marqus Blakely, who led the team known as the B-MEG Llamados to the finals of the tournament last season, will be back for a second tour of duty when the conference begins in August.

San Mig Coffee coach Tim Cone said Blakely is scheduled to arrive in early July.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte Bobcats owner Michael Jordan is changing his team's name to the Hornets, said a person familiar with the situation.

The person said Jordan will detail the timetable for the change to be completed at a press conference the Bobcats have scheduled for Tuesday. The person spoke to The Associated Press Monday on condition of anonymity because the name change has not been publicly announced.

NBA deputy commissioner and COO Adam Silver previously said it would take "about 18 months" for the Bobcats to change their name. That means Charlotte could once again become the Hornets by the 2014-15 season.

Everyone thought Alaska owner Wilfred Uytengsu had gone nuts when he appointed Luigi Trillo—zero for 28 as a UAAP coach and winless in a short stint on the bench in the D-League—coach of the Aces in the PBA.

After two conferences of coaching duties in the pro league, everyone is now calling Trillo a champion and Uytengsu a genius.

“I made that decision based on merits and his potential,” Uytengsu told the Inquirer over the phone the morning after Alaska swept Barangay Ginebra in the Commissioner’s Cup Finals Sunday.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Pacers forward David West is expected to play Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals at Miami, despite an injured right leg.

Team doctors held West out of Monday's practice with what coach Frank Vogel described as a calf strain or lower leg strain. He did shoot around with his teammates after practice ended. Vogel said doctors thought it would be best to give West a day off.

Pacers center Roy Hibbert had his right thumb taped after getting hit in practice. He finished the workout and it is not expected to keep him out of the Miami game on Wednesday night.

We’ve seen it too many times in the past. Big market teams take talents from smaller market teams. Powerhouse ball clubs clean out the roster of a franchise on its way out of the PBA. We’ve seen up-and-coming talents traded for journeymen. We’ve seen potentially good rookies uprooted from the teams that drafted them.

We’ve also seen those teams winning championship after championship. But with the Alaska Aces' sweep of Barangay Ginebra San Miguel in the 2013 PBA Commissioner’s Cup Finals, we’ve also seen that one-sided trades and blockbuster deals are not the only paths to a championship.

Mired in mediocrity

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Carmelo Anthony will have his injured left shoulder re-examined by doctors in the coming days to determine the extent of damage and course of rehabilitation.

"I don't think it's any major damage," Anthony said Monday after meeting with the Knicks' coaching staff for exit interviews. "But we'll see. We'll find that out shortly."

Anthony first injured his shoulder on April 14 against the Indiana Pacers. He said on Monday that it affected him throughout the postseason.