Indiana Pacers President of Basketball Operations Larry Bird is the recipient of the 2011-12 NBA Executive of the Year award, the NBA announced Wednesday. Bird totaled 88 points and received 12 first-place votes from a panel of his fellow team executives throughout the NBA.

Bird is the only person to win all three awards – MVP, Coach and Executive of the Year. Red Auerbach, Frank Layden and Pat Riley are the only people to earn both Coach of the Year and Executive of the Year honors.

As President of Basketball Operations, Bird oversaw a Pacers team that went 42-24 (.636), earning the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference and finishing with the league’s fifth-best record.

“This is an honor for the Indiana Pacers, not an award for Larry Bird,” said Bird. “Everyone in this franchise put in a lot of work and showed a lot of patience as we have tried to get this team to a level on and off the court the fans in Indiana can be proud of. You always believe, and hope, the players you get will fit into a plan and I’m very proud of what our guys and our coaches have accomplished so far this year.”

The San Antonio Spurs’ R.C. Buford finished second with 56 points (eight first-place votes) votes and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Neil Olshey finished third with 55 points (six first-place votes). Executives were awarded five points for each first-place vote, three points for each second-place vote and one point for each third-place vote.

Jabari Parker will be featured on the cover of the May 21 issue of Sports Illustrated, with a story proclaiming Parker the "best high school basketball player since LeBron James."

The story focuses on Parker’s Mormon faith.

Parker is considering embarking on a two-year mission when he turns 19.

LeBron James is playing more minutes at power forward due to the injury to Chris Bosh.

James admitted before Game 2 that significant minutes at the position takes its toll on him physically.

“It’s a lot more taxing being in there with bigger guys,” James said. Defensively “is the biggest difference. When you’re on the perimeter, there’s more space. The interior is more cramped and physical. … But I’m ready for the challenge.”

James also said that he has played more positions this season than any of his seven with the Cavaliers.

The NBA has announced the members of the new Competition Committee, which is scaled down from its previous incarnation.

Previously, the Committee included the general manager from each of the 30 teams. That Committee has been reconstituted as the new General Managers Committee.

"The Board decided that the inclusion of owners and head coaches on the Competition Committee would add valuable perspectives to discussions about our game and how it might be improved," said Joel Litvin, NBA President, League Operations. "At the same time, we will continue to receive input on competition and rules matters from all 30 teams through the General Managers Committee."

The members of the new Competition Committee are owners Dan Gilbert (Cleveland Cavaliers) and Joe Lacob (Golden State); general managers Bryan Colangelo (Toronto Raptors), Mitch Kupchak (L.A. Lakers), Kevin O'Connor (Utah Jazz), and Sam Presti (Oklahoma City); and coaches Rick Carlisle (Dallas Mavericks), Lionel Hollins (Memphis Grizzlies), and Doc Rivers (Boston Celtics). The NBPA will designate one of its members to serve on the Committee.

Alex Martins said evaluations of Orlando's basketball operations department remains ongoing.

“No decisions have been reached,” Martins told the Orlando Sentinel via text message.

Both Otis Smith and Stan Van Gundy may not return next season.

Smith will meet with team officials on Wednesday to discuss his future.

Martins also said that the club has been in touch with Dwight Howard's camp recently.

Joe Lacob and Peter Guber met with mayor Ed Lee on Tuesday to discuss moving the Warriors to San Francisco.

The franchise is seeking an arena at Piers 30-32 between the base of the Bay Bridge and AT&T Park.

Lee traveled to Los Angeles for a meeting with Guber on Friday where he brought a letter signed by all 11 members of the Board of Supervisors in hopes of brining the Warriors to San Francisco for the 2017 season.

The Warriors have also hired several people connected to City Hall to help with the project.

Bulls team surgeon Dr. Brian Cole provided an assessment of Derrick Rose's recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

"While he will hopefully be at a very high level in 12 months, it still may take slightly longer to be at his pre-injury level," Cole said. "That's not uncommon in athletes of this caliber."

"Lots of athletes come back and play at a high level but not necessarily initially at the level they were pre-injury. Some get it at six months. Some get it at eight. It might take three years. It depends on the muscle physiology, confidence issues. All that plays a part."

Cole won't recommend that Rose sit out the entire 2012-13 season.

"There's actually a lot of therapeutic benefit to starting with early minutes when it's safe," Cole said. "You have to play to play. All these muscle patterns have to kick in. You can do that off the court informally. But there's a lot of benefit to playing. Whether he has to go 40 minutes, that's a whole different story. Just getting out there and playing when he's able, that's when his exponential growth is going to come.

"The good news is he's an incredible athlete. The other good news is he's an unbelievably hard worker who wants this more than anything. We're not going to rush him. The most important thing is all of us feel comfortable based on specific parameters that he's ready to go as we advance him. If he's not ready, we just delay. If he's ready, we move him to the next stage."

The Blazers have identified an additional two or three general manager candidates.

Jeff Bower and David Morway have already interviewed for the position, while interim GM Chad Buchanan is also still being considered.

“We’ve had a couple of candidates in front of Paul, and the goal is to get a couple of more in front of him in the near future — hopefully in the next couple of weeks,” Larry Miller said. “At that point, there’s a pretty good chance we will be ready to have someone named.”

Portland doesn't have a timeline for reaching a decision.

“It would be great if we could make it happen in the next two weeks,” he says, “but we want to make sure we get the right person. If it takes a little longer, that’s fine.”

One source says the Blazers are having their candidates take a written psychological test to establish leadership qualities.

“I’ll just say it’s pretty extensive,” Miller says. “We try to do as much due diligence as possible.”

Dwyane Wade has set the bar at three NBA titles.

"Me, personally, I've always told myself, if I can win three championships, if I can retire with at least three, then I've had an unbelievable career," Wade said.

"If I were to retire right now with one, I've done more than a lot of players before me. But I've always said to myself, if I can get three total, I've done all right for myself."

Wade, 30, was named MVP of the 2006 NBA Finals, when the Heat came back from a 2-0 deficit to win four straight games against the Mavericks.

Nicolas Batum, who will be a restricted free agent this summer, will not delay free agency negotiations to help the Trail Blazers, who hope to spend their cap space prior to re-signing him.

“The first good offer we get, we're going with that,” Batum’s agent, Bouna Ndiaye, said. “We're not waiting for anything.”

The Trail Blazers are expected to have as much as $15-20 million in cap space, while Batum could command as much as $10-11 million per year from another team.