NBA may alter playoff seedings

A division title might soon mean a banner but no assurance of a playoff spot in the NBA.

Commissioner Adam Silver said Wednesday the league is leaning toward not guaranteeing a postseason berth to a team that wins its division, forcing clubs to finish in the top eight of their conference if they want a shot at the title.

Silver had already said he expected a change from the current format that guarantees division winners no worse than the No. 4 seed. But after discussions with both the competition committee and board of governors, he believes the change will go further than that.

Portland got the No. 4 seed in the Western Conference last season by winning the Northwest Division, but the Trail Blazers would have been seeded sixth by win-loss record. That sparked new calls to throw out the protection for division winners, and Silver said after the owners’ annual summer meeting in Las Vegas that change was coming, though they wanted more time before voting on it.

Free-agent forward Tyler Hansbrough signed with the Charlotte Hornets after spending the last two seasons with the Toronto Raptors. . . . The San Antonio Spurs signed guard Jimmer Fredette, the former Brigham Young star who spent last season with New Orleans Pelicans.

Tina Charles had 14 points and 14 rebounds as the New York Liberty defeated the Sparks, 59-53, on a coldshooting night for both teams at Staples Center. Kristi Toliver led the Sparks (3-13) with 16 points, but she made only five of 18 shots and the team shot only 31.7% from the field. But that was better than the Liberty (12-5), which shot only 25.8%.