The Miami Heat have decided to preclude the free agency fest that begins tomorrow by extending their head coach Stan Van Gundy.

Terms weren't disclosed but Heat President Pat Riley said he is waiting for approval from Van Gundy's attorney.

"As far as I'm concerned, it's done," Riley said.

Van Gundy, the longtime Heat assistant coach who took over four days before the start of the season after Riley resigned, was one of the best coaching success stories of last season. He took a team that was 25-57 in 2002-03 and led it to a 42-40 regular-season record and the second round of the playoffs.

Already the comparisons are coming without stepping on the yet.

"[Dorell] doesn't know how good he is because he hasn't played a lot of basketball," said South Kent coach Raphael Chillious. "I tell people that's one of the best things about him -- he comes into this with no preconceptions. He just goes and plays. He's a sponge. He wants to get better."

Chillious, who calls Wright a cross between Tracy McGrady and Paul Pierce, said he believed Wright had a chance to be a second-round pick when he arrived at South Kent in September.

He practiced so much, "I had to ask him to get out of the gym because I didn't want him to wear himself down," Chillious said.

By mid-December, the coach started proclaiming Wright a first-rounder.

Apparently he wasn't the only one impressed.

"Dorell Wright will certainly make you salivate when you see him do certain things on the court," Riley said. "Even though he's going to need to be banged around, pushed around, put out there and drilled. We are really excited about that process of taking this kid and putting him to work."

With the 39th pick, in the second round, the Raptors selected 6-foot-10, 223-pound Spanish centre Albert Miralles, who played last season in Italy.

According to a team source, the Raptors were involved in trade talks with Miami in which Miralles would be sent to the Heat in exchange for Pape Sow, a 6-foot-10, 250-pound forward from Cal State Fullerton. Sow was selected by Miami with the 47th pick.

As for their first round pick, Babcock, who plugged a hole in Toronto's undersized front line by choosing Araujo -- the rookie is the fourth heaviest Raptor of all time -- later pleaded for patience from the Toronto basketball fans.

"All I expect from the fans is that they have an open mind and that they give not only Rafael Araujo, but myself, the new coach and everybody an opportunity to prove that we're not just talking words," Babcock said.

"We're going to get out and do what we plan to do, and that's play basketball the right way."

Miami Heat heac coach Stan Van Gundy has heard the rumors, but chalks it up as idle talk.

"What I would say to Caron is there's good reason your name keeps coming up," Van Gundy said. "First of all, all the good young players' names will come up because their contracts are low so they're good values No. 1.

"No. 2, if you're going to deal with the Miami Heat he's about the only name that's going to come up. I think people assume we're not going to give up (rookie guard) Dwyane (Wade) after the rookie year he had, and our other guys who people might want have very large contracts.

"We're not looking to deal Caron. That's for sure. Nobody in this league is beyond being discussed. (Shaquille O'Neal's) name is out there now."

Miami Heat head coach Stan Van Gundy said Thursday he is on the verge of signing a contract extension.

"Everything's moving along very well. I'm happy with it," said Van Gundy. "It'll been sooner rather than later; it's not going to drag on into September."

Van Gundy's contract negotiations are linked to those of Heat president Pat Riley and the entire situation took an unexpected turn recently when Riley had discussions over the vacant Los Angeles Lakers head coaching job.

"You've got to look at that a lot differently than say if he were in Atlanta or Toronto," Van Gundy said. "I would have been shocked if the Lakers didn't pursue Pat in that situation."

The trade of Tracy McGrady to the Houston Rockets could end up bringing both Seattle all-star guard Ray Allen and Miami Heat small forward Caron Butler to Orlando.

Meanwhile, with interest in McGrady peaking and offers rolling in, Weisbrod said he will turn his attention to the Draft tonight and put a moratorium on T-Mac discussions.

"We're still weighing a lot of options with Tracy. He still could be here this season, or he could be traded," Weisbrod said. "If we do trade him, I don't think there's any chance of it happening before the Draft."

If the deal with Houston does go through, the Magic have talked with Seattle about a trade with Francis and Allen as the centerpiece.

The Magic have also talked to the Miami Heat about a trade that would send Mobley and forward Drew Gooden in exchange for Butler.

The Rockets and Pacers may be the two strongest bidders for McGrady's services.

"There are plenty of deals out there for Tracy. If we wanted to do a deal today, we could," Weisbrod said. "But we're certainly not going to rush anything. We're going about it as methodically as we can. There is no time pressure."

In anticipation of the Houston trade, the Magic are also talking to the Washington Wizards about dealing Francis on to them in exchange for point guard Gilbert Arenas and former No. 1 pick Kwame Brown.

While denying his candidacy, Heat president Pat Riley was in contact with the Lakers and being considered for their coaching job as late as Monday.

All indications are that these discussions were ongoing through the weekend.

According to reports, Riley gave the Lakers a list of demands that they are not willing to meet.

The Miami Heat are not likely to be affected by the expansion draft.

Heat general manager Randy Pfund indicated that the Charlotte Bobcats aren't interested in either Brian Grant or Eddie Jones.

The expansion draft could affect the Heat indirectly in that restricted free agents the Bobcats select would become unrestricted free agents.  On the list of unprotected restricted free agents are Marcus Fizer, Courtney Alexander and DeShawn Stevenson.

List includes two former Laker head coaches

Former Houston Rockets coach Rudy Tomjanovich is emerging as a top candidate to replace Phil Jackson as Lakers coach if Jackson does not return, according to a source familiar with the Lakers' thinking.

Tomjanovich, who resigned as coach 13 months ago after being diagnosed with bladder cancer, owns a lifetime 503-397 record and coached Houston to back-to-back NBA titles in 1994 and 1995. He is regarded as a superb offensive coach who is well-liked by players and one who has first-hand experience relating to superstars, having coached Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley and Scottie Pippen.

The Lakers believe Tomjanovich's personality would serve as a calming influence for Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant, teammates who have feuded for years. Bryant will opt out of his contract on July1 but is likely to re-sign with the Lakers.

Jackson's contract expires this summer, and after the Lakers were eliminated on Tuesday, he said the chances of him returning were "slim."

Add Mike Bibby to the long list of Olympic pull outs.
Sources also told ESPN.com that the need for a point guard to replace Bibby makes Miami rookie Dwyane Wade a more likely addition to the roster than Denver's Carmelo Anthony.

Bibby had been considered on the fence by USA Basketball for weeks, but sources say the selection committee has formally moved on in hopes of securing commitments from four players to fill out the roster.

In Anthony's case, sources added, the selection committee is interested but isn't sure how much playing time would be left for him with James, Jefferson and Marion essentially playing the same position.