Mike Krzyzewski had decided to remain coach of the U.S. men’s Olympic basketball team.

Krzyzewski will try to lead the Americans to a third straight gold medal, a person with knowledge of the decision said Wednesday. Originally expected to step down, Krzyzewski will hold a press conference to confirm his return Thursday at Duke, the person told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because no official announcement has been made.

The Hall of Fame coach has led the Americans since 2005, winning gold at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and the 2010 world basketball championship. His return was first reported by Sports Illustrated.

Reported by the Associated Press

The Charlotte Bobcats asked for and received permission to interview Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Nate Tibbetts for their head coaching job, the Cavs confirmed Tuesday.

Tibbetts, 35, was retained by the Cavaliers after they fired head coach Byron Scott and replaced him with Mike Brown last week. Tibbetts also interviewed with the Bobcats last spring before they hired Mike Dunlap.

Dunlap lasted a single 21-61 season in Charlotte before the Bobcats fired him last week.

Before joining Scott’s staff, Tibbetts was a successful development-league coach.

– Reported by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Blog)

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has relieved Mike Dunlap of his duties as head coach. The search for his successor will begin immediately.

“Rich Cho and I conducted our season-ending review and met with Coach Dunlap to reflect on this season.  As an organization, it was decided that we needed to make a change with the head coach position,” Higgins said. “We want to thank Mike for his contribution and wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

Dunlap was hired as the fifth head coach in franchise history on June 20, 2012 and posted an overall record of 21-61.

According to the Charlotte Observer, “Dunlap’s strength was player development and his greatest success was probably the improvement of point guard Kemba Walker. But he appeared to have friction at times with some of the veterans, including a verbal altercation with guard Ben Gordon during a shootaround. Players were asked in their exit interviews last week for a review of Dunlap’s coaching style. It’s unclear how much that factored in the decision to let him go. In a post-season interview with the Observer Friday, Dunlap said he had evolved as a coach this season. He noted that he had backed off on managing every aspect of games from the sideline and had shortened practices.”

Combine the Charlotte Bobcats’ 105-98 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers with the Orlando Magic’s loss to the Miami Heat, and the Bobcats top the Magic by a game in the standings.

Small potatoes, maybe. But after going 7-59 last season – worst record in NBA history – 21-61 felt OK Wednesday night.

“Absolutely we wanted to avoid that worst record. It was definitely one of our small goals down the stretch,” said Bobcats co-captain Gerald Henderson (15 points and six assists). “Obviously things didn’t go as well as we hoped, but we played hard.”

“Coming down the stretch, we played as pros.”

True enough. They won six of their last 15, and in doing so might have saved their rookie coach’s job. Nothing has been decided one way or the other, but the relatively strong finish spruces up Dunlap’s short-term resume a bit.

– Reported by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer

Sophomore forward James Michael McAdoo will return to the University of North Carolina for his junior season in 2013-14. McAdoo earned second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors after leading the Tar Heels in rebounding and steals and finishing second in scoring in 2012-13.

The Norfolk, Va., native averaged 14.4 points and 7.3 rebounds and made 54 steals in leading UNC to a 25-11 record and the third round of the NCAA Tournament.

“Coach (Williams) and I have been talking about this since the end of the season and today my parents joined Coach and me in those discussions,” says McAdoo. “I have decided to stay in school at North Carolina and play another season for the Tar Heels.

“I love this school and my teammates and I love being a North Carolina basketball player. There will certainly be a time when I want to play in the NBA, but right now I truly enjoy college life and I want to continue doing that for another season.”

McAdoo scored in double figures a team-high 32 times, posted nine double-doubles and scored 20 or more points five times. He was fourth in the ACC in steals, ninth in rebounding and 12th in scoring. He has averaged 10.1 points and 5.5 rebounds in 74 games as a Tar Heel.

“I am ecstatic about having the opportunity to coach James Michael for another season,” says Roy Williams. “He’s an incredible young man who did some really nice things this year. He’s going to be an even better player in the future. Coaching young people like James Michael is what makes me enjoy coaching so much.

“James Michael’s decision says a lot about the University of North Carolina and his teammates. He truly enjoys the entire collegiate experience. It’s the reason he came to this decision.”

Last week, rising junior guard P.J. Hairston said he was returning next year. Earlier today, junior forward Reggie Bullock announced that he was entering his name into the 2013 NBA Draft.

“I’m certainly looking forward to coaching P.J. and James Michael again,” says Williams. “They have grown a lot as young men in their first two years at Carolina and I expect them to be fantastic leaders for us next season.”

– Via North Carolina Men’s Basketball

While the Milwaukee Bucks are in the playoffs for the first time in three seasons, getting out of the first round will be a huge challenge given their recent poor play and a difficult first-round opponent.

By virtue of Saturday night’s 95-85 loss to the NBA-worst Charlotte Bobcats - their ninth straight defeat on the road and their 11th in the last 14 games overall - the Bucks will face the defending champion Miami Heat in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

Few will give the Bucks a chance to win even a game in the best-of-seven series. Heck, even Bucks swingman Mike Dunleavy called it a ”monumental task.”

If there’s any bit of good news for the Bucks it’s that they hope to get Larry Sanders and Brandon Jennings back for the postseason. Both sat out again against the Bobcats…

Kemba Walker had 21 points, Josh McRoberts nearly had a triple-double and the Bobcats won for only the third time in their last 12 games.

McRoberts had a season-high 18 points, nine rebounds and a career-high nine assists.

Bismack Biyombo, the team’s improving second-year center, chipped in 13 points and tied a career-high with 17 rebounds as the NBA-worst Bobcats dominated the Bucks 52-36 on the boards.

– Reported by Steve Reed of the Associated Press

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed guard Jannero Pargo for the remainder of the season.

The 6-1 Pargo has appeared in 10 games for the Bobcats, averaging 9.4 points, 2.5 assists, 1.1 rebounds and 1.0 steal in 17.4 minutes.  He has scored in double figures five times, while shooting .407 from the field (35-86), .380 from beyond the three-point line (19-50) and .833 from the free-throw line (5-6).

Prior to signing with the Bobcats, Pargo had played in 14 total games this season, seven each with the Wizards and Hawks, with overall averages of 4.0 points and 2.4 assists in 15.4 minutes.

Larry Sanders’ latest career night led to a big scoring night for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Sanders had a career-high 24 points and 13 rebounds as Milwaukee cruised to a 131-102 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Monday night for the Bucks’ highest total in more than four years.

”It’s working out pretty well,” said Sanders, who had set his previous career scoring high of 21 on Thursday in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers. ”I am just trying to stay active. My teammates are doing a great job of finding me down there, trusting me to finish plays, and I’m shooting the ball when I’m open.”

Monta Ellis had 19 points, a career-high 14 assists and six steals to help Milwaukee pull 1 1/2 games behind seventh-place Boston in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Celtics lost to Minnesota on Monday.

Ersan Ilyasova added 22 points for the Bucks, and J.J. Redick scored 20, 16 in the second half. Brandon Jennings had 19, as Milwaukee, which had lost five of six, remained solidly in the eighth position in the East, with a six-game lead over idle Philadelphia.

Kemba Walker scored 27 points to lead the Bobcats, and Gerald Henderson had 17.

Charlotte came in allowing 47.3 percent shooting and 103.1 points per game - second-worst in the league in both categories - and it showed.

– Reported by Erik Brooks of the Associated Press

The Charlotte Bobcats announced today that center Brendan Haywood will miss the remainder of the season after being diagnosed with a stress reaction in his left foot.

Haywood missed three of the team’s last four games due to left ankle soreness. He had an MRI yesterday, and a CT scan ordered by foot specialist Dr. Bob Anderson confirmed the stress reaction.

Haywood, who will be in a walking boot for the next four weeks, has appeared in 61 games for the Bobcats this season, with averages of 3.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 19.0 minutes.

Per the Charlotte Observer, “Haywood came to the Bobcats in July, after the Dallas Mavericks waived him under the amnesty clause. He is under contract to the Bobcats the next two seasons.”

Gerald Henderson is enjoying the best streak of his four-year NBA career, and the Charlotte Bobcats are playing better, too.

Henderson turned in another solid all-around game, Byron Mullens scored 25 points and the Bobcats beat the Toronto Raptors 107-101 on Wednesday night to win consecutive games for the first time since mid-November.

Henderson scored 21 points on 8-of-14 shooting and added seven rebounds and five assists. The soon-to-be restricted free agent is averaging 22.7 points on 50 percent shooting in his last seven games, including a 35-point performance in a win over Boston on March 12.

But he’s more willing to talk about the team’s recent improvement than his own personal accomplishments.

”I think it’s just us maturing,” Henderson said. ”I think that’s a big deal. We’ve been in a lot of situations where we haven’t gotten it done in the fourth quarter but we have recently, so that’s good.”

With the Raptors keying on him in the final period, Henderson played the role of distributor and the Bobcats leaned heavily on Mullens and Ben Gordon down the stretch.

– Reported by Steve Reed of the Associated Press

Although the Charlotte Bobcats have been eliminated from playoff contention, Kemba Walker believes the young team can still take something from the season’s final 16 games.

Most notably learning how to win close games like Monday night.

Gerald Henderson had 27 points and Walker came up with a flurry of big plays in the closing minutes helping the Bobcats overcome a five-point deficit and beat Washington 119-114 to snap the Wizards’ three-game win streak.

Walker scored nine of his 18 points in the final three minutes, sparking a 12-0 Charlotte run…

Walker shot 8 of 14 from the field and had seven assists.

Henderson, who came in averaging 22.5 points over his previous five games, was 8 of 16 from the field and 10 of 11 on free throws. He also tied a career high with eight assists and his 3-pointer with 55 seconds left ultimately sealed the victory.

Ben Gordon had 19 points and Josh McRoberts added 17 for Charlotte.

John Wall scored 25 points and Nene added 21 for the Wizards, who lost three of four games this season to the NBA-worst Bobcats. Emeka Okafor and Garrett Temple each had 17 points.

– Reported by Steve Reed of the Associated Press

Even though playoff contention may be slipping out of reach for the Toronto Raptors, Amir Johnson isn’t about to slow down.

Johnson had 12 points and a career-high 21 rebounds, and Rudy Gay scored 28 points as the Raptors beat the Charlotte Bobcats 92-78 on Friday night.

”That was a heck of an effort by Amir Johnson,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. ”I can’t sing his praises enough.”

Toronto drew to within 7 1/2 games of Milwaukee for the final playoff spot in the East after the Bucks lost at home to Miami, the Heat’s 21st straight win. The Raptors host Miami on Sunday.

Joey Dorsey was the last Toronto player to record 20 rebounds, doing it April 11, 2011, at Milwaukee…

Gerald Henderson, coming off a career-best 35-point performance in the Bobcats’ 100-74 victory over Boston on Tuesday, scored 22 points. Kemba Walker added 20, and Ben Gordon and McRoberts each had 10 for Charlotte, which has won just one of 11 and four of its past 26.

The Bobcats made just one of 13 field goal attempts in the fourth, and were outscored 23-10.

– Reported by Ian Harrison of the Associated Press

Charlotte Bobcats President of Basketball Operations Rod Higgins announced today that the team has signed guard Jannero Pargo to a 10-day contract.

The 6-1 Pargo is in his ninth NBA season and has career averages of 6.4 points, 2.0 assists and 1.5 rebounds in 443 games played with the Lakers, Raptors, Bulls, Hornets, Hawks and Wizards.  For his career, Pargo has shot .388 from the field (1104-2845), .350 from beyond the three-point line (338-966) and .867 from the free-throw line (301-347).  He has also seen action in 40 playoff games, averaging 5.8 points, 1.5 assists and 1.4 rebounds in the postseason.

Pargo has played in 14 total games this season, seven each with the Wizards and Hawks, with overall averages of 4.0 points and 2.4 assists in 15.4 minutes.

Pargo will wear No. 5.

The Bobcats roster stands at 15 players.

The Charlotte Bobcats plan to sign eight-season NBA veteran Jannero Pargo on Wednesday to shore up depth at the point guard position, an informed source told the Observer.

For Pargo, 33, this will be his seventh NBA franchise. He spent portions of this season with the Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks after previous stints with the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls and New Orleans Hornets.

The Bobcats are expected to sign Pargo to a 10-day contract, after the team lost reserve point guard Ramon Sessions for up to a month with a sprained left knee.

– Reported by Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer

Paul Pierce rested while Gerald Henderson went to work.

Henderson scored a career-high 35 points and Charlotte Bobcats snapped a 10-game losing streak by pounding the lackluster Boston Celtics 100-74 on Tuesday night.

It was Charlotte’s biggest margin of victory since beating the Miami Heat 104-65 on Jan. 20, 2010.

”I was just trying to be aggressive from the start and just attack,” said Henderson, who was 11 of 19 from the field and knocked down all 12 of his foul shots.

Ben Gordon scored 17 points and new starting forward Josh McRoberts had his first double-double for Charlotte with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

When asked if the Bobcats took Doc Rivers’ decision to rest Pierce as a slap in the face, Gordon simply shrugged his shoulders…

Kevin Garnett needed nine points to pass Jerry West and move into 15th place on the NBA’s career scoring list, but was held to just five on 2-of-10 shooting. Jeff Green and Jordan Crawford each had 14 points for the Celtics, who were outrebounded 48-29 by a Bobcats team not known for its prowess on the glass…

The Celtics probably should have been expecting more of a game from the Bobcats after losing in Charlotte earlier in the season. But Rivers decided to sit the 35-year-old Pierce with Boston in the midst of a difficult part of the schedule.

– Reported by Steve Reed of the Associated Press

The Charlotte Bobcats announced today that guard Ramon Sessions could miss approximately 2-4 weeks after an MRI on his left knee revealed that he suffered a second degree MCL sprain during last night’s game against Brooklyn.  His meniscus and other ligaments are intact and no surgery is needed.

Sessions has appeared in all 61 games this season, with averages of 14.4 points, 3.8 assists and 2.8 rebounds in 27.1 minutes.

The Bobcats have a 13-48 record, which is worst in the NBA. They are led in scoring by Kemba Walker at 17.2 points per game. Sessions is their second-leading scorer. He’s followed by Gerald Henderson, who averages 13.2 ppg.

Sports icon Michael Jordan is facing a legal battle with a woman who claims he is the father of her 16-year-old son.

The basketball legend has been sued by Pamela Smith, who filed documents in Georgia on Feb. 6 alleging she fell pregnant with Jordan’s child in 1995, and gave birth to a son, Grant, in 1996.

– Reported by the Toronto Sun

Bobcats owner Michael Jordan has bought his second Charlotte area property in three years – this time on the shores of Lake Norman.

First Community Bank sold the 12,310-square-foot home in the Peninsula Club in Cornelius to The Jordan Family Gift Trust for $2.8 million, according to property records. It closed Feb. 19 after more than 460 days on the market.

In 2010, the former University of North Carolina star and six-time NBA champion invested $3.15 million in two combined top-floor penthouses at The Trust condos in uptown Charlotte.

Jordan also recently built a $12.4 million mansion with 11 bedrooms and 28,000 square feet on a 3-acre property in Jupiter, Fla., according to the Chicago Tribune.

– Reported by Elisabeth Arriero of the Charlotte Observer

With the NBA’s worst team in town, the Los Angeles Clippers were conscious not to play down to the Bobcats’ level.

Blake Griffin scored 24 points, keying a decisive second-quarter burst that put the Clippers in command en route to a 106-84 victory Tuesday night that improved their home record to 23-6.

Matt Barnes added 17 points off the bench, Caron Butler had 16 points, DeAndre Jordan 13, and Chris Paul had 13 of the Clippers’ season-high 34 assists for their sixth win in seven games. The Bobcats managed just 17 assists…

Gerald Henderson tied his season high with 24 points and Kemba Walker had 15 points for Charlotte, which has lost four straight and 12 of 14 while falling to 7-23 on the road…

The Clippers put together a 21-6 run over the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth that extended their lead to 91-63 - largest of the game. Lamar Odom ended the third with a 3-pointer and opened the fourth with another for six points in the spurt. Griffin had five points and Grant Hill three.

Griffin was involved in two highlights during that stretch. Jordan blocked a shot, Paul grabbed the ball and fed Griffin on the break for a left-handed dunk and a foul that resulted in a three-point play. Barnes set Griffin up on the break with an alley-oop pass that the All-Star converted into a layup…

Clippers backup G Jamal Crawford had the night off after his wife gave birth to their daughter, London Faith, on Monday in Seattle. He will rejoin the team for its game at Indiana on Thursday. … Clippers reserve G Eric Bledsoe sat out with a sore left calf he injured last week against San Antonio. He’s day-to-day.

– Reported by Beth Harris of the Associated Press

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski will not return to coach USA Basketball after the Blue Devils’ season, he said Tuesday.

Talking in a phone interview with ESPN Radio’s “Mike & Mike in the Morning”, Krzyzewski said USA Basketball will likely name his successor this summer in preparation for the 2014 world championships in Madrid.

“I’ve loved, loved, loved, and it’s been an honor being with the USA Basketball team,” Krzyzewski said. “And to coach the team and work with [chairman and president Jerry Colangelo] for seven years has been marvelous.

“And we’re in a good spot,” Krzyzewski added. “We need to keep building.”

– Reported by ESPN.com