Stern on Hornets, Nets, Warriors and NBA regular season game in London

NBA commissioner David Stern addressed a number of wide-ranging topics before Game 4 of the Lakers-Jazz Western Conference semifinals series Monday, but none were more revealing than his report regarding the pending ownership change in New Orleans.

The sale from George Shinn to Hornets minority owner Gary Chouest had appeared imminent for more than a month, but negotiations had reportedly stalled when the two sides couldn't come to an agreement on price.

Stern said he expects Russian tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov to complete his purchase of the New Jersey Nets as early as this week, while also adding that the Golden State situation has a much longer timeline.

Current Warriors owner Chris Cohan has been testing the market for months, with Oracle CEO Larry Ellison long expected to be his eventual successor. But as is the case in New Orleans, the lack of agreement on value has reportedly led to at least a dozen bidders getting involved.

Among other topics discussed, Stern said the league is attempting to hold a regular season game in London next season and expects it to happen some time before the 2012 Olympics in London at the latest.

"I'd say it's a possibility for a regular season game," Stern said. "Not at the start (of the regular season). It's just a possibility."

Stern also touched on the longstanding possibility of the league's overseas expansion, saying that the creation of a division in Europe is "the better part of a decade out."

"As those buildings come (in Europe), and as the NBA gets more popular, I think there will eventually be an NBA division in Europe, but we're talking some number of years," he said.