The Mavericks' president of basketball operations, Donnie Nelson, said he sees virtually no scenario that would land the Los Angeles Lakers' star in a Dallas uniform.

"There's nothing there with us," Nelson said from Orlando, Fla., where he and almost all of the other NBA's executives are at the pre-draft camp. "We're not going to do anything crazy."

Del Harris is staying with the Mavericks, thanks largely to owner Mark Cuban's insistence that one of the franchise's icons stay on board.

Harris' role is yet to be defined, but he essentially has been given a lifetime contract to stay on in an advisory capacity for this season. As a consultant, he will continue to be involved in the day-to-day operations of the team.

"I'm thankful for my many years here, and I thought it would be good to take a year off," Harris said Tuesday. "But Mark was kind enough to offer me a very nice contract situation, and I'm thankful for the opportunity. We talked, and he said he didn't want me to leave."

The NBA has decided not to fine Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban for saying he hopes Michael Finley will consider returning to his former team after his contract with the Spurs ends.

But that doesn't mean Spurs coach Gregg Popovich agrees with the decision.

"I don't know what tampering means, but it sure sounded like it to me," Popovich said. "I got a feeling if one of us coaches talked about somebody who had an option on his contract to leave that that would probably not be allowed.

"If we can't do it, I don't know why an owner can do it."

Cuban made the comment in a Fort Worth Star-Telegram story last week.

"I would hope that after his contract is over in San Antone, he would consider the Mavs an option," Cuban said. "I don't know that he would, but our entire organization has that much respect for him."

Kobe Bryant and Jerry Stackhouse had to shake their heads over this one.

In the third quarter of Game 1, LeBron James knocked Chris Webber to the floor with a flailing right arm upon the release of an errant shot. No foul was called, but Wednesday, after reviewing the tape of the play, NBA senior vice president Stu Jackson decided to slap James with a Flagrant-2 foul -- which carries a $5,000 fine and, in some cases (as Bryant and Stackhouse would attest) a suspension.

James, though, was not suspended.

"I didn't think it warranted a suspension," Pistons coach Flip Saunders said Friday. "There was some contact, but I don't think he should have been suspended."

A comment by Mark Cuban regarding Michael Finley's future is under review by the NBA office.

San Antonio holds the key as to whether those statements could cost the Mavericks owner some money.

A newspaper report earlier this week quoted Cuban saying, "I would hope that after his contract is over in San Antone, he would consider the Mavs as an option. I don't know that he would, but our entire organization has that much respect for him."

Finley can opt out of his contract with San Antonio once the playoffs are over or stay for his final season at $3.1 million. The league frowns on club officials commenting on players under contract to another team and can levy a fine. The first step is for that team to file a tampering charge with the league office.

A San Antonio official said the club was aware of Cuban's comments but had not filed a complaint. He declined to speculate whether the Spurs would pursue the matter.

"It was nothing more than a compliment to Mike and to surprise everyone that I was supporting the Spurs," Cuban said. "We can't sign him for a long time because of the amnesty provision anyway, so I didn't see it as tampering."

Mark Cuban would be interested in having Michael Finley return to Dallas one day.

"I would hope that after his contract is over in San Antone, he would consider the Mavs as an option," Cuban said. "I don't know that he would, but our entire organization has that much respect for him."

Cuban continued: "I'm absolutely rooting for Fin. No question about it. I told him the first time I saw him after he joined the Spurs that if we didn't win, I hoped he did. I even sent him a text after he beat the Suns saying the same thing."

Finley has one season left on his deal, a player option, which calls for $18.6 million in Mavs money and $3.1 million from the Spurs.

Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks was named the winner of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the NBA?s Most Valuable Player for the 2006-07 season, the NBA announced today.  

The  nine-year  NBA  veteran totaled 1,138 points, including 83 first place votes,  from  a  panel of 129 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United  States  and  Canada.  Players  were  awarded  10  points  for  each first-place  vote, seven points for each second-place vote, five for third, three for fourth and one for each fifth-place vote received.  

Rounding  out  the  top  five  in  voting for MVP were Phoenix?s Steve Nash (1,013  points/44  first-place  votes), the Los Angeles Lakers? Kobe Bryant (521  points/two  first-place votes), San Antonio?s Tim Duncan (286 points) and Cleveland?s LeBron James (183 points).  

Nowitzki  is  the  first  European-born player to win the NBA MVP Award and joins Hakeem Olajuwon of the Houston Rockets (1993-94), Duncan (2001-02 and 2002-03)  and  Nash  (2004-05  and  2005-06)  on  the list of international players that have captured the Podoloff Trophy.

The NBA has released the schedule for the final round of NBA awards for 2006-07.

The NBA Executive Of The Year will be announced on May 14, while the NBA Most Valuable Player will be announced on May 15.

It has been leaked that Dallas Maverick Dirk Nowitzki will receive his first ever MVP award Tuesday.

oses Malone doesn't remember the particulars of his MVP awards in 1979 and '82. But he will never forget the feeling of accomplishment they gave him, even after getting bounced out of the playoffs in the first round in each of those seasons.

A quarter-century later, he has some good advice for Dirk Nowitzki, who sat twisting in the wind for too long before NBA sources confirmed Friday that he will be named the MVP next week. Malone said Nowitzki should feel a great sense of achievement, no matter how humiliating it was for the Mavericks to lose in the first round of the playoffs.

"He deserves to be the MVP," Malone said from Houston earlier this week. "He had a great year. If he wins it, he deserves it. His team had 67 wins. That's a great season. He shouldn't have any letdown if he wins. It's an honor he deserves, and he should accept the MVP trophy with a lot of pride. He should have no shame, because he earned it."

The Dallas Mavericks exercised their option on center DeSagana Diop on Friday, keeping him with the team for the third and final year on his contract.

The 7-foot, 280-pound center averaged 18.3 minutes with 2.3 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 81 regular-season games with the Mavericks, including nine starts