- Howard Beck of The New York Times: "LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh became Miami Heat teammates last week, turning a shared dream into reality and unleashing a torrent of suspicion: Had they planned it all along? If so, was this collusion? Tampering? Illegal? The answer, as far as N.B.A. officials are concerned, is probably not. The subject was discussed broadly at the owners meeting here on Monday, and there was some sentiment for revisiting the rules governing player-to-player tampering. But no team has filed a tampering complaint, nor does the league expect one. 'What we told the owners was that the three players are totally, as our system has evolved, within their rights to talk to each other,' Commissioner David Stern said after the meeting, which was held here in conjunction with the N.B.A. summer league. Players on different teams who discuss the idea of someday playing together 'is not tampering or collusion that is prohibited,' Stern said. Although the league could investigate without a formal complaint, Stern said, 'There’s nothing here at this time that is causing us to lodge an investigation.' He dismissed news reports that implied a long-term conspiracy as a 'variety of gossip, bound together with innuendo, infused by hearsay.' "
- Greg Cote of The Miami Herald: "The Miami Heat has become the most hated team in America, and it might be this way for a long time. LeBron James turned from adored to abhorred overnight, apparently. 'The fallout continues,'' ESPN keeps telling me. Isn't it great? Love this. I am dancing with delight -- reveling in the misery of basketball America and all the haters out there. Do I speak for all of Miami and South Florida? No. There are approximately nine people down here who used to live in Cleveland prior to escaping and feel a little bit bad. But other than those nine people I think I speak for everyone in saying the national vineyard of whine from all your sour grapes -- it amuses us!"
- Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News: "Free agency, NBA-style, wasn't crazy enough with the entire LeBron James circus, a three-ring embarrassment if there ever was one. Now we're all supposed to get worked up because Chris Paul made a remark about wanting to come to New York with Carmelo Anthony to form the Knicks' own Big Three, with Amar'e Stoudemire? Gee, what a surprise! Wow! Players talk? They scheme? They plot? Unbelievable! The great South Beach Plan hasn't even taken the court for its first practice and already players want to copy it? That's just a little premature, don't you think?"
- Lacy J. Banks of the Chicago Sun-Times: "Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, who also owns Quicken Loans Inc., made
a fool of himself when he viciously criticized LeBron James for joining another team to enhance his chance of winning a championship ring. But James simply was exercising a right enjoyed by 99.9 percent of America's work force. This includes Gilbert. No city is granted inherent ownership of any worker. Sure, James was born in nearby Akron, Ohio, and he called the Cavaliers his hometown team. But once a worker wants to change jobs, that is his right to do so as an American. After all, Gilbert, a multimillionaire, was not born in Cleveland. He was born in Detroit and still lives in Michigan. But he never concentrated his business investments solely in Detroit or more needy Flint. Rather, while Gilbert's Quicken Loans Inc. is headquartered in Detroit, he owns companies outside of the city. And nobody in Michigan ever accused Gilbert of 'cowardly betrayal,' as he did James." - Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News: "Trade winds and free-agent speculation are blowing hotter than the 109-degree temperature at Glitter Gulch. The Mavericks, as is the norm, are connected to just about every rumor. But we can sort some fact from fiction. First, they are not at the top of the list for Al Jefferson. Utah has assumed that role. And the Mavericks, while having discussed Jefferson with Minnesota, have not decided how far they will go in terms of giving up future draft picks that the Timberwolves are seeking. Second, the Mavericks still have an interest in a big man, however. And the newest name that is being considered internally by the Mavericks is a familiar one. Shaquille O'Neal. A source close to the situation said Monday that O'Neal has not yet committed to Miami, which was widely suspected after LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all landed there. Instead, the 38-year-old appears to be open to other options, and the Mavericks currently are going through the pros and cons that would come from attaining the future hall of famer."
- Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune: "There is hope for the Jazz, after all. When Carlos Boozer walked and Kyle Korver walked and Wesley Matthews walked far enough to sign a steep deal with Portland that the Jazz have yet to match, the heavy question on everybody’s mind was: What’s the Jazz’s next move? The club answered that late Monday night, according to some reports, by using the trade exception gained in the Boozer deal, trading for Minnesota big man Al Jefferson, a career 15-point scorer who averages nearly nine boards and 1.3 blocks. What that means, if it actually happens, beyond the fact that the Jazz are, indeed, capable of pulling off a major deal -- We all had started to wonder, right? -- is that all the doom and gloom surrounding the Jazz and their fans of late can subside. The Jazz have the potential to be better this coming season than they were last. Let me repeat that. The Jazz might be better in 2010-11 than they were in 2009-10."
- Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: "When the Suns' trades likely are done Tuesday, adding Hedo Turkoglu and Josh Childress while losing Leandro Barbosa makes the Suns undoubtedly more talented. For Phoenix to come away from Amar'e Stoudemire's exit with Hakim Warrick, Turkoglu and Childress is more palatable than how nothing would have tasted. Leandro Barbosa and possibly Dwayne Jones will go to Toronto for Turkoglu. A three-way deal involving Charlotte that would send ex-Suns player Boris Diaw to Toronto remains a possibility, but a Barbosa-Turkoglu swap will happen regardless. ... The deals make the Suns intriguing and relevant again, just as they were starting to look like a fringe playoff team without Stoudemire. But how will it work in Phoenix? ... The Suns have much to work out but more talent to do so than when last weekend began."
- Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "The first thing to remember about a sign-and-trade is it takes a lot to make it happen. The teams have to agree to the trade, the player has to be willing to join his new team and the new team has to reach contract terms with the player. It turned out Phoenix was the only team where all of these factors aligned with Chills (Josh Childress). From what I’ve heard, the other teams interested in Chills weren’t willing to meet his price, so that narrowed the potential trade partners for the Hawks. Then Phoenix stepped up with a big offer that the Hawks probably wouldn’t have been willing to match. The Hawks apparently did a good enough job of making the Suns think they might match it that they got them to send a second-round pick and earned a trade exception (the amount of which will depend on Chills’ first-year salary). So the Hawks, with little leverage, got something for Chills when they very well could have received nothing. The fact that Chills wasn’t getting the kind of offers he wanted until the Suns came through tells you his value just wasn’t that great with NBA teams. The Hawks made the only deal they could under the circumstances."
- Patrick Harrel for the Houston Chronicle: "So why is Luis Scola receiving such little interest while other players are getting handed checks they never deserved? The first reason is the team that holds his restricted free agent rights. Over the years, the Rockets have been notorious for keeping their restricted free agents, as losing them without compensation is not their style. Additionally, while other teams like to show interest in their restricted free agents to let them know they are wanted, the Rockets typically do not make offers to build a market for their players, knowing that they can match any bid that the player receives. Instead of giving Scola a starting point for any negotiations with other teams, they instead wait, knowing that this will only help them as they attempt to get the best bargain. For this reason, it is difficult for Scola to get any traction in talks with other teams as the Rockets refuse to bid to keep him, unlike teams like the Grizzlies who bid against themselves and end up overpaying for their talent. ... Perhaps it is no surprise that he would be getting so little interest at this stage of the game given Daryl Morey's philosophy of not bidding against himself, but still it seems a bit ridiculous that a player of his caliber could be so overlooked while players without half of his basketball skills are getting exorbitant contracts in this process."
- Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: "Tiago Splitter’s draft-night anger derived not from antipathy toward the Spurs. Rather, he was annoyed that advisors and friends had led him to believe he would be among the top 10 players selected in a draft class that included Greg Oden and Kevin Durant. Certainly, he had been assured, he would not slide past the 14 teams that had been in the draft lottery. His emotion given post-selection vent, Splitter chose reflection over fury. Ultimately, his eventual NBA destination won the day, and he now believes San Antonio is the perfect place for a 25-year-old with 10 pro seasons under his belt to make a move to the NBA. 'I realize where you have the opportunity to be — on a team that is international and a team that won titles with such good players, Manu (Ginobili) and Tim Duncan and Tony Parker,' Splitter said. 'Then I realized that I’m in good hands, and the team who had my rights was great for me.' It was Splitter’s contract with Baskonia, the team in Vitoria, the capitol of Spain’s Basque country, that complicated the decision making for NBA teams in 2007. Spurs general manager R.C. Buford, who has plucked All-Stars from the lower reaches of the first round and into the second round, understood it was Splitter’s very contractual obligation to continue playing in Spain that allowed him to drop to No. 28. On Monday, the waiting seemed worth it. 'This is a very exciting day for the Spurs,' Buford said. 'We’re very fortunate to be adding to our program one of the best players not currently playing in the NBA.' "
- Michael Grange of the Globe and Mail: "If it’s July in Raptorland it must be time to remake your roster, and Bryan Colangelo has the pieces to do it. Yet after so much motion over the years leading nowhere, Raptors fans can’t help but take a wait-and-see attitude before buying in again. Better this time to let July’s work be properly evaluated come November. In the meantime they can’t help but watch."
- Andy Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com: "Derek Fisher makes teammates believe they can win simply because he tells them so. Brian wisely equated it to Linus' security blanket and at some point, the team will need to outgrow it. But it's nice knowing the weening process will be gradual versus cold turkey. And if anybody needs further evidence of the guy's mental fortitude, dude's apparently the only man alive capable of resisting Riles' Jedi-like powers of persuasion. I'm also very happy to see Fisher avoid potentially altering a beloved legacy and career by ending it somewhere other than L.A. In particular, because of a contract dispute. Fairly or not, as my buddy Dave McMenamin noted, Fish would be seen in a different, unflattering light. He'd come off like a player willing to forego his legacy out of spite over dollars that should ultimately be secondary at this stage. Less "character driven" than presented, if you will. Again, that may not be an accurate depiction, but such is the world we live in. Either way, it would be a shame. Fisher's time in the NBA hasn't just been important for the Lakers, it's been unique for the NBA. Role players don't typically gain Fish's clout, acclaim and universal respect. He's been a special player in the truest sense, and the memories created, save one for the ages with the Jazz, have all come in the same uni. It's only fitting to see this storyline set up for the ideal final chapter. "
- Ronald Tillery of The Commercial-Appeal: "Grizzlies rookie Xavier Henry did not make his NBA summer league debut Monday night because of what appears to be a contract dispute with the team. 'We have not come to contractual terms with him so my understanding is that his agent (Arn Tellem) decided not to let him play in the summer league until a contract is signed,' Griz owner Michael Heisley said while sitting courtside for his team’s game against Atlanta in UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center. Henry, a 6-6 guard, was the 12th overall pick in the first round of the NBA’s June draft. The Griz selected the 19-year-old Henry mainly to provide scoring off the bench."
- Michael Lee of The Washington Post: "The Wizards on Monday held a workout in Las Vegas for free agent forward Adam Morrison, the third overall pick of the 2006 NBA draft. According to a source at the Impact Sports facility, Wizards Coach Flip Saunders personally conducted the workout, running Morrison through a series of shooting drills. Scout Ed Tapscott was also in attendance according to a witness. Morrison has won two championships the past two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, but his career has been a disappointment. He still has a reputation as an excellent shooter and the Wizards feel the need to add someone with long distance proficiency to spread the floor and create space, given No. 1 overall pick John Wall's ability to break down a defense and get to the basket. Another source confirmed the workout with Morrison but added, 'nothing is imminent.' Morrison is expected to work out for the Chicago Bulls on Tuesday."
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