League sources say that David Stern very quietly has approached Jerry Colangelo about coming in as the replacement for deputy commissioner Russ Granik, who will step down at season's end. Stern intends to present his plans for reorganizing his executive posts to the league's owners at next month's Board of Governors meeting.

"The league is the one doing the inquiring," said one source. Colangelo has a year to go with the Suns, the team he started in 1968, before the new owner, Robert Sarver, takes full control of the team. So Colangelo might be ready to make a move, although he's been a Phoenix fixture since he started the franchise, he's originally from Chicago.

"He's still relatively young, so it's a possibility," said one of Colangelo's buddies, who placed his age at 62. The Suns' media guide reports he'll turn 67 in November. The bottom line is, he's nowhere near retiring and needs to find something to do once his days in Phoenix are over, and once his duties overseeing the formation and operation of the U.S. Olympic basketball team are completed.