Lakers' West plans to join Grizzlies

LOS ANGELES -- Jerry West, architect of the Los Angeles Lakers' team going for its third straight NBA title, has agreed to run the Memphis Grizzlies, a source close to the Lakers said Monday.

The Grizzlies announced plans to hold "a special press conference to make a significant announcement" today, but they wouldn't elaborate further.

On condition of anonymity, the source said West agreed to leave his $1 million-a-year job as a Lakers consultant to work for the Grizzlies.

Memphis had been pursuing West for weeks, hoping to hire him as head of operations. The team fired general manager Billy Knight this month.

Grizzlies owner Michael Heisle refused comment except to say he would attend the news conference.

"Yes, I'm going to be there," he said.

West's new job figures to be quite a challenge. Formed as an expansion team in 1995, the Grizzlies, who moved from Vancouver to Memphis before this season, have never come close to making the playoffs. Their 23-59 record this season tied for the best in franchise history.

When he retired as the Lakers' head of operations in 2000, his successor, Mitch Kupchak, recalled the threats West made to leave the job before finally deciding to go.

"Part of me tends to look at that door over there and see Jerry's face come out and say, 'I'm only kidding,"' Kupchak said at the time. "He's not kidding. Today's that day."

playoff format: Two high-ranking members of the NBA players' union said they are opposed to changing the first-round playoff format from best-of-five to best-of-seven, although the union and the league are discussing the issue.

The NBA planned to extend the first round to seven games when it negotiated its new television six-year television deals with ABC, Turner Sports and AOL Time Warner, but language in the contracts stated that the matter was subject to the approval of the players.

ALL-ROOKIE TEAM: Grizzlies teammates Pau Gasol and Shane Battier topped the voting for the NBA All-Rookie team. They were joined by San Antonio's Tony Parker, Utah's Andrei Kirilenko and Golden State's Jason Richardson on the squad selected by the NBA's 29 coaches, who weren't allowed to vote for their own players.

The second team was Indiana's Jamaal Tinsley, New Jersey's Richard Jefferson, Houston's Eddie Griffin, Detroit's Zeljko Rebraca, Seattle's Vladimir Radmanovic, and Phoenix's Joe Johnson.

-- From wire reports