- Todd Bensman, Tom Orsborn and Kelly Guckian of the San Antonio Express-News: "... earthly comforts inside Champion Air jets insulated the Spurs from an unseen gremlin. The charter carrier has been running its aged jets on a taut financial shoestring while racking up hundreds of safety and maintenance incidents, according to an examination of Federal Aviation Administration records. Now, the carrier has announced it will ground its 16-plane fleet for good May 31, a casualty of financial duress and inefficient, fuel-guzzling 30-year-old planes that compete poorly against newer planes. League and airline officials said the Spurs will continue flying the airline through the playoffs, which begin April 19, or until further notice. If the airline is financially barren and shutting down, how safe are the Spurs going to be in the air? Aviation experts warn of a dangerous mix when airlines with old planes are cash starved."
- Ivan Carter of The Washington Post: "Wizards President Ernie Grunfeld said he did not think the way Arenas handled his return was disrespectful to the coaching staff. 'Gilbert was medically cleared to play, it was a game-time decision and he was going to play when he felt ready,' Grunfeld said. 'Maybe there was a miscommunication, but he talked with the trainer and then he stayed in the back to warm up before coming out to play.' With the Arenas-induced drama of Wednesday and a disappointing loss to the lottery-bound Bucks behind them, the Wizards must now focus on finishing the regular season as strong as possible. 'He made his grand entrance and he had his time,' center Brendan Haywood said. "Now it's time to get back to business.'"
- Robyn Norwood of the Los Angeles Times: "Derrick Rose's needle phobia might stem from a childhood bicycle accident, although for some reason it hasn't prevented him from getting tattoos. But rest assured, Calipari said, it is real. 'When I tell you terrified, I mean, like if there's something that scares you where your heart races,' he said. 'Like snakes, or a spider or mice, whatever fear you have, that's his. Sweat pours from him. He's deathly afraid of needles.' A stomach virus this season nearly undid Rose. 'He threw up, so now he's dehydrated,' Calipari said. 'If they give him the medicine through the IV, you're good in 24 hours. He's laying on the table. He's tight. He's sweating. His veins are small because he's dehydrated. So they go to do it, and the first one, they miss. Now he's like, 'No!' So I've got to come off the practice floor, and I've got to talk to him. ... And I'm holding his hand. He's saying, 'Coach, I can't do it!' Tears coming down. So I start pinching his arm, telling him, this is what it's going to feel like. I'm rubbing his arm. I'm holding his hand. Finally they get it in, and 24 hours later, he's fine.'"
- Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News: "Linas Kleiza is among several Nuggets players who regularly take a taxi to road games for an early workout with coaches. No name has been given to this group, with 'taxi squad' already having been taken by other sports leagues. For road games, the Nuggets have two buses that go to the arena. For a 7 p.m. game, the first bus usually leaves at 4:30, the second at 5. But the Nuggets, like a number of other NBA teams, encourage some players to show up for early work. So cabs are hailed. For a 7 p.m. game, guard Yakhouba Diawara and assistant Mike Dunlap leave the hotel by 4 p.m. By 4:15 p.m., Kleiza, forward Eduardo Najera, guard Taurean Green and assistants Tim Grgurich, John Welch, Jamahl Mosley and Stacey Augmon round up two or three taxis. The players and assistants also arrive early for home games, but they get there on their own. And the stories aren't as good."
- Howard Beck of The New York Times: "Collect enough opinions, and the descriptions start to sound like a Boy Scout handbook. Those who know Donnie Walsh best call him a tireless worker, a gifted communicator, a great listener, thoughtful, honorable, trustworthy and respectful. Commissioner David Stern consults him when he needs advice. So does Arn Tellem, one of the most powerful agents in sports. Walsh is not only respected but beloved. The Pacers’ co-owner Herb Simon, Walsh’s boss for two decades, began a conversation by saying he was happy to talk about 'my favorite person.' David Benner, the Pacers’ media-relations director since 1994, said, 'Outside of my own family, I don’t think I’ve ever met anybody as honorable as him.'"
- Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News: "With riots tearing apart the nation and King's funeral April 9, the NBA postponed Game 2 from April 7 to April 10. But Wali Jones now looks back and wishes he hadn't played in Game 1. 'I was devastated,' said Jones, now the Miami Heat's community affairs liaison. 'I was in tears. I wish I had stood up for something instead of falling for anything. But you've got to understand, it was a much different time for African-Americans. I had a job to keep. We shouldn't have played. Martin Luther King stood for the rights of not just African-Americans, but Jewish-Americans, Irish-Americans, and we had all of those on our team.' Forty years later, it's still debated whether the NBA should have played April 5."
- Gary Washburn of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "Kevin Durant is still bothered by the perception -- primarily by former Texas Tech coach Bob Knight -- that he attended school one semester at Texas while merely waiting to enter the NBA draft following last season. Prospects such as Michael Beasley and Eric Gordon, similar to Durant, are pondering their professional futures after one year of college. Durant is a proponent of the mandatory one-year rule and said his season with the Longhorns was a tremendous help as opposed to entering the draft straight out of Montrose Christian High School. 'I miss Texas, the whole group of guys, the schools, and I didn't want to rush into anything,' he said. 'When (Knight) made that comment I was a little upset because a lot of people think I don't always go to class and people do my work for me and I got paid to go to school. And that upset me coming from a coach. I thought he would understand more where the players are coming from in terms of getting an education.'"
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