Portland Trail Blazers assistant Tim Grgurich sued the team in a bid to coach elsewhere.

The suit, filed Thursday in U.S. District Court, also asks for $114,583 that Grgurich claims the team has withheld since July, as well as additional damages. It includes a temporary restraining order that would allow Grgurich to accept a job with another team.

The lawsuit contends that with training camp to start next week Grgurich will "suffer irreparable financial and professional harm" if not allowed to sign in the next few days with another NBA team for the 2005-06 season.

Blazers president Steve Patterson said the team has granted the Denver Nuggets permission to talk to the veteran assistant.

According to the suit, new Blazers coach Nate McMillan informed Grgurich on July 13 he was not wanted as an assistant. A day later, the team sent Grgurich a letter telling him he was suspended without pay because he did not work with the team's summer league team.

He reported to the summer league team in Las Vegas, but McMillan did not assign him duties, the affidavit said.

Grgurich was hired in July 2004 under former coach Maurice Cheeks. He signed a two-year contract, with a base salary of $550,000, that expires in July 2006.

The Denver Nuggets have re-signed G Greg Buckner to a contract, team General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe announced today.  Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

"We are extremely pleased to have Greg back," said Vandeweghe.  "He is one of our toughest defenders and played a key role for us last year."

Buckner, 6-4, 210, appeared in 70 games for the Nuggets last season, his first in Denver.  Starting 41 times, he averaged 6.2 ppg, 3.0 rpg and 1.07 spg in 21.7 minutes.  In addition, he shot .528 (160-303) from the field and .405 (49-121) from three-point range - both career highs.  

Over six NBA seasons, Buckner has averaged 5.6 ppg and 3.2 rpg.

Kenyon Martin no longer wants to be affiliated with the University of Cincinnati because the school forced coach Bob Huggins to resign.

The forward, one of only three players to have his number retired by the Bearcats, expressed his displeasure during a charity event honoring the coach Thursday night. Martin said he'd like to have his number un-retired and taken off the wall at the arena.

The Nuggets' final roster moves should surprise few as the team prepares to start practice Tuesday. Greg Buckner is in and, at least for now, Wesley Person is out.

Steve Kauffman, Buckner's agent, said Thursday he assumes his client will sign a new contract with Denver today. Buckner is expected to receive the Nuggets' biannual exception, a one-year deal worth $1.67 million. Meanwhile, coach George Karl said he did not expect Person, a guard who aided the team in its late push last season, to return to Denver, at least not right now.

"I wouldn't rule it out in the future, but I think for training camp we're going to go with what we've got right now. Injuries, trades, you never know. I liked Wesley. I'm surprised he hasn't caught on somewhere," Karl said.

NBA senior vice president Stu Jackson and NBA Development League president Philip Evans are scheduled to announce team affiliations today. The Nuggets, San Antonio Spurs, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers are expected to be affiliated with the new NBDL franchise in Austin. The NBA will be affiliated with the now eight-team NBDL for the first time in the 2005-06 season.

NBA teams can send players with less than two years' experience to play for the NBDL teams.

According to New York Daily News writer Frank Isola, Knicks president Isiah Thomas is not giving up on Eddy Curry, proposing a deal last week that is believed to have included Michael Sweetney. The Bulls rejected the package.

If Curry is not traded by Oct. 1, he will sign a one-year, $5.1 million contract with Chicago and then become an unrestricted free agent in July.

Thomas has been trying to acquire the former lottery pick since last summer and remains interested even though in July he signed veteran center Jerome James to a six-year contract.

Eddy Curry's agent said Saturday he has found a team that is a willing buyer in a sign-and-trade for the Bulls' center. The agent, Leon Rose, declined to name the team, but sources familiar with the negotiations said it was the Knicks.

Bulls general manager John Paxson said he would not pursue the proposal, which Rose said he made about a week ago.

"Unless there's a deal out there I want to make, I'm not making it," said Paxson, clearly angered by Rose's announcement. "I'm not going to give Eddy Curry away."

Worse for Curry, a three-year offer from the Bulls appears to be off the table, leaving him with only the one-year qualifying offer of $5.14 million.

"They've already rejected it," Paxson said of the short-term contract offer.

At this point, any other contract offer is "not going to happen," Paxson said. "There are too many questions."

Those questions always come back to Curry's risky heart condition, which was diagnosed last spring.

Unless a sign-and-trade can be put together, or another team gives him an offer sheet by Oct. 1, Curry will have no choice but to accept the qualifying offer.

A source close to Curry said Paxson will not negotiate with an Eastern Conference team but has sent out feelers to Memphis and Denver, both from the Western Conference. Paxson said he has not spoken to representatives from either team.

"I don't think it's my obligation to cold-call teams," he said.

Kiki Vandeweghe said on Thursday he hopes to finalize a contract with Nuggets free-agent shooting guard Greg Buckner in the next week.

Both parties have said all summer long that they want to maintain the relationship.

It does not appear Denver Nuggets coach George Karl will receive a pardon from the commissioner's office.

According to two league sources, the NBA is expected to stand by the three-game suspension that was handed down after Karl violated league rules regarding college players.

Karl is set to miss Denver's opener Nov. 1 in San Antonio and home games against the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 2 and Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 4.

As recently as this week, Karl held out hope the suspension would be reduced.

"You never know," he said. "I put that in the hands of (Nuggets general manager) Kiki (Vandeweghe) and (commissioner) David Stern and (deputy commissioner) Russ Granik. I've pleaded my case. I don't think I need to go back in the past and do it again."

Karl was suspended and the Nuggets were fined $200,000 after the coach attended May workouts involving college players, including son Coby, who were not yet eligible for the NBA draft.

With Karl forced to watch his team's first three games on television, assistant Scott Brooks is the likely candidate to assume the coaching duties.

The Denver Nuggets have re-signed G DerMarr Johnson, team General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe announced today.  Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.

?We?re pleased to have D.J. back,? said Vandeweghe.  ?He played a key role in our success last season and continues to get better.?

Johnson, 6-9, 201, averaged 7.1 ppg and 2.1 rpg in 71 games for the Nuggets last season.  He shot a career-best .499 (185-371) from the floor and .358 (53-148) from three-point territory.  He started 40 games with the Nuggets posting a 28-12 record in those contests.  He has averaged 6.7 ppg and 2.5 rpg in 242 games during his four-year NBA career.