- Bob Wojnowski of The Detroit News: "Chauncey Billups has listened from afar, wondering how it got to this, how he went from Mr. Big Shot to Mr. Big Rumor. Ultimately, he understands the trade talk because he understands the business, which took another surprising turn Monday when the Pistons signed free-agent center Kwame Brown, 26, a former No. 1 overall pick. None of the noise and upheaval has changed Billups' stance. He still desperately wants to be a Piston. And he still expects to be a Piston -- along with many of his teammates -- when the season starts. 'Yep, I do, without a doubt,' Billups said Monday, looking relaxed during a charity golf outing at Birmingham Country Club to benefit the Children's Center."
- Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: "A Denver Nugget actually said this: 'Defense is first on my mind, before scoring.' Those were the words of Renaldo Balkman, whom the Nuggets acquired Monday from the Knicks for reserves Bobby Jones, Taurean Green and a 2010 second-round draft pick. The Nuggets, who sometimes play as if defense was optional, now have a player whose main focus is at the defensive end. 'I'm a defensive stopper,' said Balkman, a 6-foot-8 reserve forward. 'Any (position) you put me on, I can guard. That's what I do.'"
- Aaron J. Lopez of the Rocky Mountain News: "With Isiah Thomas no longer calling the shots in New York, the cold war between the Nuggets and Knicks officially is over. More than 19 months after brawling with the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, the Nuggets acquired forward Renaldo Balkman from New York for guard Taurean Green, swingman Bobby Jones and a second-round pick in the 2010 draft. ... 'I think it's a good move, for the most part,' Balkman said. 'We have a lot of forwards in New York. Somebody wasn't going to play. Hopefully this is a better place.'"
- John Hollinger for the New York Sun: "The trade essentially amounts to a rare salary dump by the Knicks. It off-loads a player who would be superfluous in Mike D'Antoni's system -- shooting and passing isn't Balkman's thing -- while alleviating a roster issue created when they signed Anthony Roberson as their 16th player. It also, perhaps, hints at a larger issue at MSG -- that they haven't yet resolved to waive Stephon Marbury before the season starts. If they were intending to do so, surely it would seem unnecessary to bother with the jettisoning of Balkman, especially since he's both a fairly useful player and, by Knicks' standards, an extremely inexpensive one."
- A. Sherrod Blakely of Booth Newspapers: "For Kwame Brown, his NBA career has been limited by injuries and inconsistent play. In seven seasons, Brown has played in 70 or more games only three times. However, Mark Bartelstein is confident that things will improve for Brown now that he'll be joining the Pistons. 'They (Pistons) have a great tradition of building up players who have had things not go their way, the way Kwame has,' Bartelstein said. 'I think Joe Dumars' philosophy in dealing with players like Kwame, along with (new head coach) Michael Curry who works really well with young players, I think Detroit will be a perfect fit for what Kwame needs.'"
- Marcus Thompson II of the Contra Costa Times: '"After this interview,' Andris Biedrins proclaimed through the phone, 'I'm not talking to (the media) anymore.' Yeah, that'll happen. 'There is no risk in a situation like this. He's an exemplary guy,' said Bill Duffy, Biedrins' agent. 'He has the work ethic. He's compliant. He does the dirty work. He's unselfish. These are the guys who should be rewarded.' Don't be fooled by Biedrins' humorous prima donna aside. The 6-foot-11, 230-pound center couldn't be a jerk if he tried. Not even being the third-highest paid player on the Warriors next season could derail his humility. Not even the supreme gesture of faith the Warriors expressed in him by giving him more than $60 million (including incentives) could inflate his ego."
- Bob Finnan of The News-Herald: "Aaron Goodwin and Noah Croom, the lead negotiator in this ordeal, have spoken to teams from Europe, including Dynamo Moscow in Russia. Playing overseas, though, doesn't appear to be a viable option (for Delonte West). Goodwin said he wants to get a fair deal for his client with the Cavs. 'The ball is in their hands,' Goodwin said. 'If they go get someone else, the hand is set. If we sit down and work something out, we'll get something done. We are not posturing. That's where he wants to be. Quit telling us these bluffs. Sit down and negotiate a fair deal. They are making offers not far off the qualifying offer.' Goodwin said he normally doesn't comment on negotiations, but he felt compelled to do so with the way the Cavs are handling negotiations."
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "Well, so much for free agency being Greek to Ricky Davis. Instead, the twice-failed Heat forward now is a Los Angeles Clipper. Somehow, that seems to make perfect sense. No, Davis is not the reason -- at least not the sole reason -- the Heat fell to 15-67 this past season. He played hard when called upon, and, unlike so many others on the roster, pushed through all 82 games, even during the toughest times. But like the Heat itself, Davis spent too much of the season zigging when asked to zag."
- Brian Hanley of the Chicago Sun-Times: "Derrick Rose's whirlwind summer schedule landed him in Otisfield, Maine on Monday. Rose was among a group of NBA players who hosted 162 kids at the seventh annual 'Play for Peace' basketball clinic at the Seeds of Peace International Camp. ... 'They know about basketball but, some of them, you can tell they've never really played,' Rose said of the kids from the Middle East. 'But it means a lot to give back. Especially from where I'm from, just to give kids hope, that's the main thing.' Rose sounded weary from his hectic schedule and said he would look forward to a break before the Bulls start training camp in October. 'But I know it's really not going to happen,' Rose said. 'So I just have to suck it up.'"
- Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Times: "Leaving nothing to chance, Coach Mike Krzyzewski and his players opened the As
ian phase of their preparation Monday -- 11 days before the opening ceremony in Beijing -- in the usual style. According to the Eleventh Commandment handed down in 1992 when NBA players began Olympic play, no U.S. team can ever be out of sight of a five-star hotel, a casino or, preferably, both." - Broderick Turner of The Press-Enterprise: "When Sasha Vujacic got a lucrative offer worth a tax-free $4 million per year in euros, 'the negotiation process sped up a little bit,' Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak said. Suddenly, leaving the NBA for Europe 'was a viable possibility.' Vujacic, who played three seasons in Italy before the Lakers drafted him, even thought about hopping on a plane for Europe on Friday night before the deal was completed. 'I was a nervous wreck,' Vujacic said. 'Well, nervous might not be the word. I think what I learned last year from P. J. (Lakers coach Phil Jackson) is equanimity. That's one thing that just helped me in a tough situation -- being calm. It gave me some extra patience in the negotiations.'"
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