- Geoff Calkins of The Commercial-Appeal: "The Grizzlies should never have signed Allen Iverson. By signing him and then losing him, they're making it harder for everyone. Lionel Hollins will be known as the coach who ran Iverson out of the game. MikeConley will be known as the player who kept Iverson on the bench. Conley, at least, deserves better. Michael Heisley, Chris Wallace and Hollins deserve all the ridicule they'll get. They're the ones who failed here. They're the ones who created this mess. Allen Iverson is contemplating retirement. The Grizzlies' incompetents remain."
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: "As if the loss to a reigning lottery team wasn't bad enough, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard said it appeared his team "quit" during the dreary proceedings. 'We haven't had a game like this in a long time. We'd miss shots and guys would hang their heads,' Howard said. 'I don't think we should quit in a game. Seems like, as a team, we shouldn't quit.' It's one thing for the Magic to be routed by the Oklahoma City Thunder 102-74 on Sunday night at Ford Center. It's another thing for Howard to suggest the Magic (5-2) retired early against a team that is improving, but one that won just 23 games last season. Howard showed no anger. He was singing some song as he sprayed a cloud of cologne. Nobody turned over a table in the middle of the room that offered chicken and mixed vegetables. 'It doesn't seem to bother anybody in the locker room,' Coach Stan Van Gundy said."
- Israel Gutierrez of The Miami Herald: "Yes, it's probably true that both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade badly want to be the main man on their respective teams and be surrounded by complementary talent that wins them a championship. But it's also true that both James and Wade think big. They think about image. They think about legacy. They want to be great, and they want to be remembered for accomplishing great things. If they team up and start collecting championship rings like trading cards, dominating the league for a decade and winning more titles than Michael Jordan ever did and possibly even reaching Bill Russell numbers, wouldn't that be so much more memorable than winning a championship or two on their own? Think about the impact this would have. Together, they could go down as the most dominating force this league has seen. In the big picture, isn't that exactly what they play for?"
- Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News: "Perhaps it's hard to believe, but the Dallas Mavericks' new mantra is strong defense. For a team that once believed the fastest way to the win column was getting to 100 points, this season's Mavericks have talked defense from the beginning and backed it up on the court. Even on Saturday night, when the offense finally found a rhythm with swingman Josh Howard making his season debut, forward Shawn Marion attributed the Mavericks' season-high point total in a 129-101 win over Toronto to defense. 'Everything starts with the defensive end. We're all playing defense, and you're seeing it now,' Marion said. 'The more we keep playing defense and getting stops, it's going to fuel our offense.' "
- Tom Knott of The Washington Times: "The Wizards already are immersed in self-doubt. They are out of sync and out of sorts, found wanting in purpose and cohesiveness. They are not a pretty sight, whether it is Caron Butler missing three shots at the rim or Randy Foye, inexplicably, making an ill-advised move to the basket before halftime that allowed the Suns enough time to sink a 3-pointer. The latter prompted assistant coach Sam Cassell to give Foye a quickie lesson in time management as the players made their way to the locker room. That snapshot is emblematic of a team that is exhibiting a low basketball IQ and lacks a sense of urgency."
- John Jackson of the Chicago Sun-Times: "As crazy as it sounds, Joakim Noah quietly has become one of the top 12 or so true centers in the NBA. He's not a big-time scorer, but he does things that don't get noticed in the box score. He's stronger this season and is better able to hold his ground against big centers. That much was evident against Shaquille O'Neal of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday. Noah also is able to play strong post defense without fouling, which is no small factor because it keeps him on the court and keeps the Bulls from exceeding the foul limit early in quarters. With starting power forward Tyrus Thomas out for at least a month with a fractured left forearm, Noah assumes a larger role. He played more than 40 minutes against the Bobcats and, for at least one game, showed he's up to the challenge."
- Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald: "Nearly two weeks into the NBA season, things are shaping up pretty much as expected – with one exception. I’m not sure anyone thought the Phoenix Suns would be off to such a fast start. The Suns improved to 6-1 by beating Washington on Sunday afternoon and during their current road trip have knocked off Boston and Miami. This is basically the same roster that failed to reach the playoffs last season except for Channing Frye taking the place of Shaquille O’Neal. What a trade that turned out to be, since Frye, who never saw the court in Portland, is averaging 13.5 points and leading a crew of lights-out 3-point shooters by making 16 of 33."
- Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: "After having the NBA's worst rebounding margin in the preseason, the Suns have outrebounded opponents in four of seven games. 'That's probably been the biggest surprise,' Alvin Gentry said. 'We thought that would be our Achilles' heel. We've done a good job of staying in and fighting.' "
- Jonathan Abrams of The New York Times: "For much of his first six N.B.A. seasons, Carmelo Anthony settled on the wrong side of great. Great scorer, not a great player. Great shooter, not a gracious passer. Great athlete, not a good defender. The distinctions are important in the N.B.A. One side nearly always carries the connotation of losing, garnering a player name recognition and little more. The great player can score, but he flows in and out of the game’s rhythm as required, guiding his team to victories. In a coming-of-age transformation, Anthony is crossing to the positive side. The Nuggets’ streak into the Western Conference finals last season only whetted his appetite. Denver (5-2) began this season with five straight wins, its best start in 24 years. Anthony is still on a Mile High high, averaging 31.4 points as an all-around player. 'Young guys coming into the league, they want to score in the N.B.A. and establish something early,' said Anthony, 25. 'But as you get older, you become smarter. You become more aware of basketball things.' For basketball purists, the evolution is special. It appears sudden but is more of a gradual progression. There is no light bulb that suddenly turns on or gears that magically shift."
- Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post: "Danny Granger’s desire to be a leader is very much like Denver’s Carmelo Anthony, who has taken baby steps each of the past few seasons to be a leader in the Nuggets locker room. Anthony has established himself in that role this season. Granger is walking a similar path and is confident that his mental makeup will allow him to take control and adapt to a leadership role quickly. 'It kind of comes naturally, especially if it’s in your personality,' Granger said. 'And it somewhat is in mine. I think it’s also a learning process, because if you’re going to lead you have to be doing a lot of things right yourself. When everybody is down you’ve got to be the one to pick everyone up. It’s a hard job.' Right now, it’s a job that requires patience. The Pacers are a relatively young basketball team, but more than that, they are an injured basketball team. Their first-round draft pick, Tyler Hansbrough, just played his first game for the team on Friday. Two of their best players, Troy Murphy and Jeff Foster, have been out with injuries. And Mike Dunleavy Jr., a player who has the ability to help take Indiana to the next level, has been dealing with a right knee injury for the better part of the last two seasons."
- Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald: "And on the 13th day, they rested. The relevant numbers are eight, 12 and seven, but the Celtics don’t want to get muddled in the math. They made it through their season opening run of eight games in 12 days with seven wins. Big whoop, sayeth the C’s. 'It’s over, and coming out 7-1 ... before the season when we looked at these eight games we would have said, ‘Oh, we’ll take that,’ ' coach Doc Rivers said. 'But for us it’s not all about the record obviously. We want to just keep getting better.' The Celtics are trying to win these games, but they are after something larger than regular-season glory. And unlike other franchises, they don’t hang banners for division and conference championships. They are paying attention to now only as it relates to later."
- Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee: "This league never fails to surprise, though. Two nights. Two victories. Two appearances this weekend by Donté Greene, and suddenly, the 6-foot-11 forward, best known for his pranks and his playful personality, has thrust himself into the conversation with the other promising young Kings. If he was effective Saturday night in Salt Lake City, stroking timely jumpers in his club's victory over the Utah Jazz, his contribution Sunday was significantly more influential, and yes, definitely worthy of some love from the late-night crowd at ESPN. Greene energized both the crowd and his teammates with a pair of baseline drives and nifty finishes, stole a ball at the far end of the court that led to a field goal, reached in and deflected others. He lunged for rebounds, blocked a shot, converted all of his free throws. He also produced the most spectacular sequence of the evening, inbounding a perfect alley oop that Jason Thompson slammed through as time expired at the end of the third period."
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer: "Doc Rivers coached Tracy McGrady in Orlando and Paul Pierce in Boston. But he didn't win an NBA championship until the Celtics also acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen two years ago. Is there a difference between coaching one superstar and multiple superstars? 'I wasn't very good with the one,' Rivers said, laughing. 'I had Tracy in Orlando and that didn't go very well. I like the multiple ones much better. I will say that.' Actually, Rivers said, the players were more responsible for the team's success than he was. 'I think the secret is them,' he said, referring to Pierce, Garnett and Allen. 'I don't know if it's the coach. If you have stars -- and it doesn't have to be stars -- but if you have stars willing to be coached and willing to try to make it work with each other, then you have a chance. We have that.' The Cavaliers are hoping they have it, too. Certainly, to this point, LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal have said and done all the right things in the early days of what they hope will be a long, long season. Whether it will end with the championship they long for remains to be seen."
- Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: "What's the deal on that espn.com blurb about Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw? Would the Bobcats be interested in adding Stephen Jackson? Sure. Would they give up Diaw to make that happen? Highly unlikely. ... Are the Bobcats a better team with Jackson, but without Diaw? Nope. Coach Larry Brown diagnosed early last season that this team's biggest problem was ball movement. Diaw improved that dramatically. Diaw has flaws -- his nonchalance is annoying in a sport where intensity counts for plenty -- but he's still the most skilled player in franchise history."
- Frank Isola of the New York Daily News: "The Utah Jazz has more of a vested interest in the Knicks this season than most of the Knicks themselves. Utah is the sole beneficiary of every loss the Knicks pile up this year. And from the looks of things, there will be plenty of losses. Utah owns the Knicks' 2010 first-round pick, a pick that originally was included in the ill-fated Stephon Marbury deal with the Phoenix Suns and later rerouted to Utah. The defining trade of the Isiah Thomas regime is the trade that keeps on giving ... to everyone except the Knicks. It's the one that continues to haunt the franchise every bit as much as the ill-fated Patrick Ewing trade. Utah makes its only trip to the Garden Monday and Jerry Sloan's club should be encouraged by what the future holds. The Knicks, 1-6 and coming off Saturday's woeful loss to the Bucks, appear to be on the verge of a complete breakdown."
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