- Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: "Shaquille O'Neal's career should have had the perfect fairytale ending. He should be finishing his NBA career where he started it all those years ago -- right here in Orlando, trying to help the Magic win that elusive championship. He could have gone out as a hero here. He could have been a mentor and a backup to Dwight Howard. He could have announced his retirement at the end of a ticker-tape parade in the city he and his mother still call home. Instead, he will end his career as an over-the-hill hired gun in Boston, where he was signed for a minimum salary by the Celtics -- a big, burly insurance policy mostly to provide six fouls against Howard and the Lakers' big men. The Big Hanger-On. Once the most dominant player in the game, Shaq has now become so irrelevant that, after signing with Boston, he resorted to challenging national radio host Jim Rome to a fight via Twitter. Coming soon: Shaq leaves nasty messages on Colin Cowherd's Facebook page."
- Dan Duggan of the Boston Herald: "Big Papi is eager to welcome another big man to town. David Ortiz, a regular at TD Garden, was happy to hear that the Celtics signed Shaquille O’Neal on Wednesday. 'That’s good stuff,' Ortiz said before last night’s game against the Indians. 'Shaq is always fun to watch.' Ortiz and O’Neal are two of the biggest personalities in sports, but they’ve never met. That’s something Ortiz plans on changing now that they’re both in Boston. 'I’ve seen him from far away, but I’ve never met him,' said Ortiz. “But I will this year though.' Ortiz figures he’ll get along well with O’Neal, who signed a two-year contract with the Celtics. The future Hall of Famer will join the core of a Celtics team that was six minutes away from winning the title in June."
- Michael Cunningham of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "With Shaq off to Boston here’s a quick
epilogue as it relates to the Hawks: I’ve been told that Atlanta wouldn’t budge on giving Shaq a starting nod over Al, who is after all still only 24-years old and an All-Star. Shaq believes he will get the starting nod over Jermaine O’Neal in Boston as Kendrick Perkins rehabs from his knee injury. Atlanta also wasn’t willing to pay Shaq more than the minimum and that was a sticking point for him. He didn’t want to sign for the minimum when the Hawks had their bi-annual and mid-level exceptions available because of the perception that would create–as in the Hawks could have paid him more but didn’t. That’s not the case with Boston, which had neither of those exceptions and so could only give him the minimum. The big guy still has his pride. The Hawks thought Shaq could help them and would be a good risk at the minimum salary despite his history of negatively effecting locker rooms and tending not to respect coaches who aren’t Phil Jackson or Pat Riley." - Jeff Miller of The Orange County Register: "You fans are tough. And I’m the one always accused of 'hating on' everyone. By the way,'hating on' officially is an ancient term. So, three months ago. But your treatment of Sasha Vujacic is just so columnist-like cruel. Those two free throws against the Celtics alone should have bought him a full offseason of love. Great news that the Lakers are about to re-sign Shannon Brown. This roster today is an impressive one. Looks solid and deep, which is something we all know will be tested along the way to beating the Heat in the 2011 Finals, not that I’m projecting way into the future or anything. But have a little heart when it comes to Sasha, OK? If there’s one thing no one wants to see it’s a Machine crying."
- Brad Townsend of The Dallas Morning News: "Mark Cuban hates losing. But just before 1 a.m. Thursday, with the Rangers ownership within his grasp, Cuban conceded. With a smile, no less, and handshakes and a Tweet for the victors, Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan. 'Congrats Chuck and Nolan,' Cuban tweeted at 1:33 a.m. 'Go Rangers!' If Cuban was steaming over the near-miss, as he might when his Mavericks lose a key game on a blown referee's call, it didn't show in his 11:24 a.m. emailed response to questions from The News. Later Thursday, Ryan admitted that he was 'stunned' when Cuban and bidding partner Jim Crane declined to increase their $581 million bid, after being topped by the Greenberg/Ryan group's $590 million proffer. 'Probably the whole court was surprised,' Ryan said. It turns out that Cuban and Crane were playing a high-stakes poker game of sorts. By bidding in much larger increments than Greenberg/Ryan, Cuban and Crane gave everyone the impression that they were holding a straight-flush. But of course, nearly all auction bidders have a ceiling in mind."
- Richard Griffin of the Toronto Star: "Baseball needs more personality in its ownership ranks. Recall that when George Steinbrenner was in his meddling prime with the Yankees, he was considered a loose-cannon, wing-nut owner, yet with his recent passing there are those, including this corner, who are calling for him to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Baseball has gone corporate and lost most of the charisma of individual ownership. ... Baseball may change its conservatism after Bud Selig leves office in 2012, but why wait? If Makr Cuban rants about umpires and tilts against windmills, fans pay attention. It’s all good."
- Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: "DeJuan Blair grabbed the ball, gathered himself, then rose up for a dunk. Then he did it again and again. For the bedazzled grade-schoolers who had gathered for Spurs youth camp at the University of the Incarnate Word on Thursday, the display was well worth the price of admission. For skittish Spurs fans everywhere, concerned about Blair's health after lower leg soreness kept the All-Rookie big man off the floor at last month's Las Vegas Summer League, it was cause for hallelujah. 'I said I wasn't going to do it (dunk), but they got me,' Blair said after succumbing to the campers' peer pressure. 'I'm glad they saw a couple. I didn't think I could do it.' In truth, Blair's July 'injury' was hardly an injury at all. He had bruised his right calf in a workout prior to summer league, and the Spurs coaching staff in Vegas felt it best to hold him out as a precautionary measure. By the end of the Spurs' week in the desert, Blair said, he felt spry enough to play. ... Take it from Blair, and from the campers who watched Thursday's dunkathon. He's fine. 'I'm feeling wonderful,' Blair said."
- Loren Jorgensen of the Deseret News: "After losing Carlos Boozer and Kyle Korver in free agency to the Chicago Bulls, and seeing Wesley Matthews sign a front-loaded, $34 million offer sheet from the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz general manager Kevin O'Connor had his work cut out for him this summer if he didn't want the team to take a major step backward. O'Connor proved he still had some tricks up his sleeve, however, as he landed center/forward Al Jefferson in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves and signed hard-nosed veteran Raja Bell. The Jazz ownership certainly liked the moves O'Connor was able to pull out of his hat -- enough to reward the team's executive vice president of basketball operations/general manager with a multiyear contract extension. ... O'Connor is starting his 12th season as the Jazz's general manager. Only Sacramento's Geoff Petrie, who has been with the Kings for 16 years, has a longer tenure with his current NBA team. ... Also, to no one's surprise, the Jazz announced that head coach Jerry Sloan has confirmed that he will return for his 23rd season, leading the team into the 2010-11 season. Sloan has been Utah's head coach since Frank Layden resigned in December 1988."
- Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times: "Finger-pointing. Allegations of fraudulent inducement. He said, he said. Welcome to the Clippers vs. Mike Dunleavy. The latest curious twist in the battle between the Clippers and owner Donald Sterling and the team's former coach-general manager took a wild turn last week when the Clippers, trying to halt Dunleavy's arbitration claim, alleged that Dunleavy fraudulently induced the Clippers into entering an employment agreement. Dunleavy's lawyer, in an interview with The Times on Thursday, said the lawsuit does not pass 'the laugh test.' The Clippers quit paying Dunleavy when they fired him as general manager in March and he is owed $6.75 million on the remainder of his contract. 'It's a pretty bold and reckless piece of strategy,' Miles Clements said. 'But I think it's just another delay tactic. From what I can see, that has been the Clippers' pattern in the past when they don't honor contracts of coaches they terminate. I don't know if that's been a good strategy for them in the past. I wasn't involved in those lawsuits. But I do not expect it to be a good strategy for them in Mike's case.' "
- Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer: "Despite the fallout over the past month, the Cavaliers' front office must have done at least a few things right over the past five years. Because teams keep hiring their executives away. The latest was Cavs assistant general manager Lance Blanks, who was hired as the Phoenix Suns' general manager on Thursday. Blanks, who arrived with former GM Danny Ferry from the San Antonio Spurs in 2005, is the second executive to be hired away in the past week. Team legal counsel and salary-cap specialist Mike Winger was hired by the Oklahoma City Thunder for a higher-level management position last week. Ferry, who resigned in June, interviewed for the Portland Trail Blazers and New Jersey Nets general manager jobs after leaving the Cavs. Blanks was especially effective in working with players during his time with the Cavs. He was also an integral part of recruiting new coach Byron Scott to the team."
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