- Marc Narducci of The Philadelphia Inquirer: "Of all the players who are considered possible future 76ers by the fans, the one who gets the most mention on this blog is Atlanta Hawks forward Josh Smith. And based on his performance in Atlanta's 96-91 win on Monday over the Sixers, the support for Smith should continue at a high volume. Smith had 19 points, nine blocked shots, nine assists, four steals and six rebounds while shooting 7 for 13 from the field. While he may not be the back-to-the-basket power forward that the Sixers are looking for, we think he could fit in just nicely with this team."
- Phil Jasner of the Philadelphia Daily News: "It was very early in the season, when Kobe Bryant seemed to be all but demanding to be traded by the Los Angeles Lakers. This was the first time agent Leon Rose told his client, Aaron McKie, that it was possible the Lakers would include McKie in a sign-and-trade deal if money was needed to make salaries match. 'I just laughed,' McKie recalled last night, on the telephone from Memphis. 'I said there was no way that could happen. But I also don't know how those things play out. ... He caught me in total shock,' McKie said after taking a physical. 'Leon asked whether I'd be willing to do this. I said I'd think about it, and here I am. I've been running around like a madman trying to get ready.'"
- Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: "For years, if the Rockets were on the road on Super Bowl Sunday, Rockets trainer Keith Jones put together watch parties only to have a few players make brief appearances. This season, Jones said most of the team attended from start to finish, and he did not think it was just because the game was close. 'That's typical of this team,' Jones said. 'We have good chemistry with the guys. The game happened to be good, but I think the guys just all get together and hang out.'"
- Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: "Lately, with point guard Tony Parker out and Popovich all but forced to increase Ginobili's workload, the Argentine guard has been reminded of one of life's most frequent lessons. Be careful what you wish for. 'When I play 28, 30 (minutes), I'm always upset and want to play more,' Ginobili said. 'When I play 40, I say, 'I never play 40, I'm tired, I need to play less.'' The moral of the story, as Ginobili sees it? 'Players are never happy,' he said with a chuckle."
- Dave D'Alessandro of The Star-Ledger: "Vince Carter also has known [Stromile] Swift since his high-school days. He met him during a Nike Camp a decade ago, when Carter was a counselor. 'I feel old,' Carter said."
- Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News: "'The league is very soft now,' Sam Cassell said. 'I know a lot of guys, like Charles Oakley, LaSalle Thompson and Buck Williams, they couldn't play in the game like it is right now. The enforcer on the team, he'd be cut right now. The game was tougher. It ain't that tough right now. It's like they're protecting the quarterback.' Not that Cassell really minds. He admits that David Stern had to clean up play, even if the commissioner did go a tad overboard. 'I just wish they made it like it is now when I first came into the league,' Cassell said. Then I wouldn't have had elbow surgery in '95 from falling on the floor. But it is what it is. It's a great job to have.'"
- Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune: "A European-league exile, Sam Mitchell unexpectedly survived 13 years in the NBA by his grit and character. On an expansion team loaded with characters, he was something of a renaissance man, able one moment to expound upon that year's beaujolais nouveau wine crop from France, willing to exchange in some playground trash-talk straight from a Hollywood movie script with a teammate the next. Today, in his suit and spectacles, he stands so professionally, almost professorially, on the sidelines, directing a promising Toronto Raptors team thick with three-point shooters, foreign players and depleting injuries to T.J. Ford and Jorge Garbajosa. It's a strange sight for anyone who knew him way back when."
- Krista Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press: "With the All-Star break just nine days away, Pistons coach Flip Saunders said this is the prime time for players to get distracted. 'They're always trying to see if they're going to go to Florida, if they're going to go to Vegas, if they're going to go to Cancun or if they're going to stay in Michigan,' Saunders said. 'You have to really keep your thumb on them.' Saunders said he typically would have given the players Monday off, because they don't play until Wednesday. But he worried about the break causing an extra distraction. 'Thought it was good, even though we didn't do a lot, that we got them in,' Saunders said. 'Put them through a sweat.'"
- Sekou Smith of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "The most notorious stat crew in the NBA was at it again, causing a halftime panic in the Hawks' locker room when it appeared the Hawks had been shorted two points. It turned out that Smith was given two points that should have gone to Tyronn Lue. After a brief deliberation between game officials and the stat crew, the issue was cleared up."
- Melody Gutierrez of the Sacramento Bee: "Brad Miller tucked his hands into his jacket pockets, hiding the bandages of what best can be described as his Greg Ostertag moment. Miller needed nine stitches in his right index finger after slicing it with a knife while doing dishes Sunday. He is questionable for Wednesday's game against Seattle as the Kings look to extend their season-high four-game winning streak. 'It's the last time I help do dishes,' Miller said. He might also want to make sure there isn't a footstool next to his bed. Ostertag, as a member of the Kings, broke his right hand in 2004 tripping on one while getting out of bed."
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