NBA notebook: Nets' GM suspended; NBA notes missed foul call

The announcement by Byron Spruell, president of NBA league operations, didn't
divulge what occurred after Marks entered the room following Brooklyn's
112-108 loss. But the contest was emotionally charged and included a ruckus in
which Jared Dudley of the Nets and Jimmy Butler of the 76ers were ejected.

Nets coach Kenny Atkinson was upset following the contest that there wasn't a
call on Philadelphia's Tobias Harris for grabbing Brooklyn's Jarrett Allen
with 4.8 seconds left in regulation as his club looked for a tying or winning
shot while trailing by two.

On Sunday, the NBA agreed with Atkinson's contention, acknowledging that
Harris should have been called for fouling Allen. Marks will serve the
suspension on Tuesday when the Nets visit the 76ers in Game 5.

--The NBA fined Dudley and Butler in the wake of the altercation involving
several players in the third quarter of Saturday's first-round NBA playoff
game in Brooklyn.

Dudley, who shoved Philadelphia's Joel Embiid after Embiid made a hard foul on
Allen, was fined $25,000, according to Kiki VanDeWeghe, the league's vice
president of basketball operations.

Butler, who then shoved Dudley, was fined $15,000 for escalating the
situation. The scuffle then spilled over into the stands, with Philadelphia's
Ben Simmons and Dudley as lead combatants.

--San Antonio Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan was fined $25,000 for his ball-tossing
effort during Saturday's 117-103 loss to the Denver Nuggets.

VanDeWeghe said in announcing the fine that DeRozan was disciplined "for
recklessly throwing the basketball toward a game official and into the
spectator stands."

DeRozan was given a technical foul and was ejected after the incident with
5:01 remaining in the contest. DeRozan was called for an offensive foul after
charging into Denver guard Gary Harris. He then leaped in the air and spun and
sent the ball flying to the left of Foster.

--The Cleveland Cavaliers were quick to halt any talk that they have interest
in Rick Pitino as a candidate for their vacant head coaching position,
cleveland.com reported.

The report, citing an unnamed source, said the Cavaliers have had no
conversations with Pitino and "are respectfully not interested in him at all."

Veteran NBA reporter Peter Vecsey reported Saturday that Cavaliers chairman
Dan Gilbert had talked to the longtime coach about the vacancy. Pitino, who
also was the head coach of the New York Knicks (1987-89) and the Boston
Celtics (1997-2001), has been coaching in Greece since last year.

--Dirk Nowitzki's NBA career might have ended earlier this month, but he still
managed to score more points this weekend with a thank-you letter he penned to
Dallas Mavericks fans.

The 2011 NBA Finals MVP and 14-time All-Star posted the letter in an ad he
took out in the Dallas Morning News, wrapping up his 21-year career into 21
heart-felt lines that read like a poem.

Among the more touching lines: "From the moment I arrived in Dallas riding on
this amazing roller coaster, you lifted me, supported me, pushed me to work
harder," and, "This is THANK YOU Mavs fans, from the bottom of my heart, for
taking in a kid from Wurzburg and making me one of your own."

--Field Level Media