NBA notebook: Durant to miss Game 1 of conference finals

ESPN's Ramona Shelburne reported that the two-time NBA Finals MVP will not be
reevaluated until Thursday, leaving his status for Thursday night's Game 2 up
in the air.

Injured during Wednesday's Game 5 win against Houston, the 30-year-old forward
did not travel to Texas for Game 6 on Friday when Golden State finished off
the Rockets with a 118-113 victory.

A 10-time All-Star, Durant is averaging a league-high 34.2 points this
postseason with 5.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.2 steals in 11 games.

--The Cleveland Cavaliers signed John Beilein to a reported five-year contract
to be their new head coach, ending his 12 years at the University of Michigan.

The 66-year-old coach informed players and staff at Michigan he was moving on
in a meeting Monday morning, prompting a message of thanks from the
Wolverines' athletic department after guiding the program to four Big Ten
titles and a pair of Final Fours.

The Cavaliers are back in the NBA draft lottery on Tuesday seeking another
cornerstone for the franchise after narrowly missing the worst record in the
league in their first season without LeBron James since his return from Miami.
The Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks all have a 14-percent chance
to land the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft.

--Head coach Brett Brown and forward Jimmy Butler shook off questions about
their long-term plans with the Philadelphia 76ers in the immediate aftermath
of a Game 7 loss Sunday to the Toronto Raptors.

Brown, rumored to be on the hot seat if the 76ers didn't advance to the
conference finals, invited reporters to address general manager Elton Brand
and team ownership about anything "internal," including his standing with the
76ers. Team owner Josh Harris was noncommittal in April when asked about
Brown's hold on the job, sparking speculation the franchise was ready to move
in another direction.

Whether Butler, a pending free agent, will be around for the next phase of the
"process" is up in the air. "I'm not worried about that right now," Butler
said. "I don't want to talk about anything besides basketball."

--Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., who missed the 2018-19 season
while recovering from a second surgery on his lumbar spine in July, told
NBA.com he is ready to play in the NBA Summer League this year.

The 6-foot-10 Porter was considered a potential No. 1 overall pick when he
signed with Missouri for the 2017-18 season, but a back injury cost him most
of his freshman season and he slid to No. 14 in the 2018 draft. The
20-year-old did not participate in the 2018 Summer League.

The Nuggets were eliminated in the Western Conference semifinals on Sunday
night, falling 100-96 in Game 7 to the Portland Trail Blazers. The NBA Summer
League will be held July 5-15 in Las Vegas.

--Phoenix Suns forward Josh Jackson is facing a felony charge of escape after
being arrested at a weekend music festival in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Jackson, who averaged 11.5 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 79 games (29
starts) during his second season with the Suns in 2018-19, allegedly attempted
to enter the VIP area at the Rolling Loud festival multiple times without a
proper pass, reported Andy Slater of 640 The Hurricane in Miami. After police
handcuffed the 6-foot-8 Jackson, he ran away, per the report.

Miami-Dade County police records obtained by Arizona Sports confirm that the
22-year-old was arrested Saturday on a felony charge of escape and a
misdemeanor charge of resisting arrest without violence. He was released after
posting a $1,000 bond that same day and has a hearing date scheduled for June
10.

--Field Level Media