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Baron Davis 

• Janny Hu of the San Francisco Chronicle: "It's time for Baron Davis and the Warriors to call each other's bluff. Golden State's franchise point guard shocked his coaches and teammates by exercising his early-termination clause Monday night, forgoing the final year and $17.8 million left on his contract. ... It's a surprising turn of events that ranks as both a power move and a huge risk for Davis, who is essentially forcing the Warriors back to the negotiating table after failing to secure a long-term extension."
• Gwen Knapp of the San Francisco Chronicle: "The temptation to curse Baron Davis' name and burn his agent in effigy may feel overwhelming, but they made the most rational move possible Monday night. As a business decision, and as basketball insurance, opting out of the last year of his Warriors' contract was an uncontested layup for Davis."
• Geoff Lepper of the Contra Costa Times: "What promised to be a tumultuous offseason for the Warriors was kicked into overdrive Monday when point guard Baron Davis left $17.8 million on the table and opted out of the final year of his contract, becoming an unrestricted free agent and throwing Golden State's immediate plans into confusion. ... 'I'm surprised, because 17 million is a lot of money for a year of basketball, but that's his prerogative,' Warriors coach Don Nelson said. 'He talked to me a couple days ago and said he was coming back. ... Opting out of a $17 million contract, that's (bold).'"
• Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News: "Baron Davis wants out, opted out, and now it's time for the Warriors to ship him out. Even before the stunning news broke, I thought it was time to trade the Warriors' best and most unpredictable player. Even before word spread that Davis had become an unrestricted free agent by opting out of the final year of his contract -- and $17.8 million -- I figured this was a relationship souring quickly and due to expire soon. ... Time for the Warriors to dig in and turn the team over to Monta Ellis. Time for Davis to move on."
• Monte Poole of the Oakland Tribune: "Next season is beginning to look like a transition year -- and that was before Monday night, when Baron Davis opted out of his contract and became a free agent. Davis still could re-sign. He says he likes the area and loves his teammates. He also loves Hollywood and as far back as April was seeking potential buyers for his South of Market loft. The Warriors, however, already are planning for BD's eventual departure, as well as that of Nelson, who has one year left on his contract and one eye on his Maui hammock. They're also preparing for life without Mickael Pietrus and Matt Barnes, as one or both could leave."

Leaguewide 

• Jonathan Abrams of the L.A. Times: "When reached by phone, [Elton] Brand said he is aiming to re-sign with the Clippers. He is a two-time All-Star who has been with the team since 2001-02 but played in only eight games last season while recuperating from a ruptured Achilles' tendon. Now, the Clippers must decide whether they are willing to offer him a new maximum contract that could command $120 million over six years. 'It means I'm a free agent, but my intentions are to stay with the Clippers,' said Brand, who was owed $16.44 million if he remained in his former contract. 'That's always been my intention.' Referring to the Clippers as 'we,' Brand said he would like to see them be aggressive in this free-agent market. 'I think with the pieces we have, we can do some damage,' he said, adding their focus should be on signing a proven point guard. 'We're definitely playoff contenders with the pieces we have,' Brand said. 'There are guys like a Beno Udrih or someone like that, solid at the point guard spot, because we don't really know Shaun [Livingston's] situation and Brevin [Knight] is the only point guard we have on the roster right now, but I think we're fine.'"
• Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee: "Ron Artest is a funny guy. Seriously, a funny guy. He has parlayed this little drama into a weekly serial. He kept everyone guessing about his plans for 2008-09 because, as everyone knows, he loves to grab the microphone and rap without a script. But Artest is also a smart guy, and a loyal guy, and he is acutely aware that his return to the Kings benefits both parties. For now. For the next few weeks, maybe the next few months. After that? The Kings will do the prudent and honorable thing. They will reiterate that they are in the rebuilding process, thank their small forward for his competitive spirit and numerous contributions, and then trade him to a contender and/or a franchise willing to make a long-term investment in the small forward with the short-term attention span. An amicable divorce is inevitable. It's nothing personal, just time to acknowledge that this couple has grown apart."
• Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal: "Don't expect GM Chris Wallace to add to his frequent flier mileage when the NBA free agent period begins today. Teams can negotiate and then sign players starting July 9. The Grizzlies won't enter free agency with full steam this time around, preferring to take a wait-and-see, disciplined approach. 'My passport is in the drawer,' Wallace said. 'The strategy is to take our time. We have to be careful and judicious. We have the possibility of having very significant cap room next year. If we spent that money now, it's got to be for a very good reason. That is an issue that we have to be very careful with.'"
• Phil Sheridan of The Philadelphia Inquirer: "All the cheesesteaks at Ninth and Passyunk aren't going to mean a thing. Ed Stefanski knows that much. As president and general manager of the Sixers, Stefanski will order up the local foodstuffs when potential free agents visit. He'll spin the pressure of playing in Philadelphia as a positive, the happy by-product of passionate fans. He'll sell the city as a great place to live and, because he's a Philly guy, he'll be convincing. And it won't mean a thing. The only part of the sales pitch that matters is the part after the dollar sign. 'The money helps,' Stefanski said the other day. 'Let's not kid anybody. The money helps.'"
• Michael Wallace of The Miami Herald: "The Heat will take a short-term approach to filling its voids. Any potential targets would essentially be stopgap options. That's because the larger plan is to create maximum salary-cap space for the summer of 2010, when Wade, Cleveland's LeBron James, Toronto's Chris Bosh and Phoenix's Amare Stoudemire could be among a crop of elite free agents. 'The hardest thing is to convinc
  e free agents to take short money,' Riley said. 'I hate to use 2010 as this abyss. If you make decisions to rebuild early and leave that open, you're not protecting your flank. We don't know what Dwyane's going to do, and we have to protect ourselves. We think we're going to be good enough when he's going to want to extend. We need to show other free agents we have room -- a max contract -- to be taken seriously.'"
• Dave D'Alessandro of The Star-Ledger: "Finally, somebody used the 'R' word. No, not 'refitting,' or 'refurbishing,' or 'redecorating.' 'I call it retooling,' Rod Thorn said. You say po-tah-to. But no, it's not that one either. 'Yeah, it's a rebuilding effort,' Nets owner Bruce Ratner conceded yesterday, when the team brought in three guys barely a year out of their teens to underscore their predicament. 'Maybe people don't like to use that word. But at the same time, when you rebuild, you try to make yourself competitive ... It's hard to do.'"
• Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: "The Spurs, who quite possibly were a Manu Ginobili jammed ankle away from playing for another NBA title last season, plan to approach this offseason like an aging Hollywood starlet seeking one last leading role: They are in for just a nip here and a tuck there, not a full-fledged facelift."
• David Moore of The Dallas Morning News: "Let me start by saying this is not a criticism of DeSagana Diop. He is a nice player, and the Mavericks are a better team with him than without him. But if the club uses its mid-level exception to bring Diop back into the fold, if this is the free-agent move Donnie Nelson says the club can't afford to miss on, what does it say about the team's upcoming season? It says the Mavericks are living in the past. It perpetuates the spin that deposed coach Avery Johnson was the reason for the team's ills and inflates the already high price the Mavericks paid to acquire Jason Kidd."
• Jerry Brown of the East Valley Tribune: "The Suns do have interest. They will make calls and inquiries to agents and players today, and they do expect to land one or two free agents over the next month-plus. But with their noses pressed against the luxury tax the NBA imposes on high-payroll teams, the Suns will be watching the big names go elsewhere and hoping the money runs out across the league before all the players they have targeted are signed."
• Chris McCosky of the Detroit News: "As summer league teams go, the Pistons are going to be pretty stacked. Their probable starting lineup will have Rodney Stuckey, Arron Afflalo, Amir Johnson, Cheikh Samb and the 32nd overall pick in the draft, small forward Walter Sharpe." 
• Brian Hanley of the Chicago Sun-Times: "[GM John] Paxson said [Tyrus] Thomas and Joakim Noah will be part of the Bulls' summer league team, which begins practice Thursday and plays its first game in Orlando on Monday. It is unusual for a player entering his third season, such as Thomas, to take part in summer league. But Thomas said the idea of helping Rose start his career, combined with having witnessed some of the Boston Celtics run to the NBA championship, made him decide to participate. Thomas was in Boston to support Celtics forward Glen Davis, his former LSU teammate. 'It was my choice,' Thomas said. 'After winning 33 games, you want to do whatever it takes to get better and win. Me playing a couple of summer league games is not going to hurt, it's going to help to acclimate Derrick and build more chemistry with Joakim. If that's what it takes to get to that level where you want to get, it's a small sacrifice.'"