- Dave Krieger of the Rocky Mountain News: "Trading Iverson straight up for Billups does not necessarily improve the Nuggets. Billups brings different qualities, many of them very welcome, but A.I. takes a lot of scoring with him. The combination of Billups and McDyess, on the other hand, fortifies frontcourt and backcourt and gives the Nuggets plausible depth even after the summer salary dumps of Camby and Eduardo Najera. The club could still deploy Rex Chapman to invite McDyess to pursue his long-sought championship ring in Denver. But as long as they think they can cut current cash costs in a buyout, the basketball consideration will apparently come second. The A.I. experiment was fun in a let's-ignore-the-adults-for-a-while kind of way. The Nuggets are now pursuing a more conventional strategy. What happens with McDyess will tell you just how hard they are pursuing it."
- Sekou Smith of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "The Hawks won't be sneaking up on anyone this season. Not after a 3-0 start that includes impressive wins in Orlando and New Orleans, Wednesday night's win over the Hornets here registering an 8.5 on the jaw-drop scale. And not after they wiped out a 23-point deficit in their home opener to thump a Philadelphia team forecasted to push its way into the top four in the Eastern Conference. I almost feel a little a foolish now for warning all of you to worry so much about the Hawks' early season schedule. Sure, they still have a ways to go. But if they travel the next 16 games anything like they have these first three, there's no need to fret. They're doing it with defense, doing it together and doing it without a hint f smoke and mirrors."
- John DeShazier of The Times-Picayune: "They weren't going to win 'em all. That much was a certainty. There are too many opportunities to not show up, too many chances for opponents to play lights out, too many nights for the bodies and minds to not be as fresh as they need to be. But the Hornets don't want to get into the habit of coughing 'em up like they did Wednesday night at the New Orleans Arena, either, their 87-79 loss to Atlanta ending the three-game winning streak that opened the season. They don't want to get into the habit of getting out-anything-ed, much less out-everything-ed like they were against the Hawks. 'We got exactly what we deserved,' Coach Byron Scott said. 'We got our butts kicked.'"
- Chris McCosky of The Detroit News: "There has been media speculation that Iverson's presence will force the Pistons to move Richard Hamilton into a sixth-man role because Iverson and Hamilton couldn't play together without a true point guard. Coach Michael Curry doused that theory. 'I look at it as being the same as if Chauncey were still here,' he said. For one, Curry said, Rodney Stuckey isn't ready to be the full-time starting point guard. Secondly, Curry thinks Iverson and Hamilton can be a lethal duo. 'Stuckey is still learning,' Curry said. 'He has a lot of talent, but he still has a ways to go. I've always said, if you don't give young guys things and you make them earn it, they will keep it. If you give them something, you can take it away. He's earning his keep, and he's earning his time on the court.'"
- Jerry Zgoda of the Minneapolis Star Tribune: "Somebody asked Wolves assistant general manager Fred Hoiberg if he must relinquish his nickname -- 'The Mayor' -- now that former NBA star Kevin Johnson is actually the mayor of Sacramento, Calif. 'Not as long as I keep getting write-in votes,' said Hoiberg, the former Iowa State star who got his nickname when he received a write-in vote for the mayor of Ames, Iowa. He said he hoped somebody wrote his name on a ballot in Chaska's mayoral election on Tuesday."
- Mike McGraw of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald: "Maybe politics would be a good move for LeBron James. Considering how former NBA guard Kevin Johnson was just elected mayor of Sacramento, what about James for mayor in his hometown of Akron, Ohio? 'Mayor of Akron?' James quipped. 'I'm already mayor of Akron. I've been that for about 10 years now.'"
- Bob Finnan of The News-Herald: "In each of the last three years, Bulls forward-center Drew Gooden has done something a bit outlandish with his facial hair. Two years ago, he had that hair patch on the back of his head. Last year, he wore a long black beard. This year, he's unveiled 'The Johnny.' Gooden has a full beard growing from his chin, and it is braided in five or six braids. 'I've been getting a lot of good reactions on it,' Gooden said. 'I think I'm back on the right track.' He said it's called 'The Johnny' because of Johnny Depp from 'Pirates of the Caribbean.'"
- Alan Hahn of Newsday: "Chris Duhon, who voted for Obama, has been part of the president-elect's circle of pickup-game players at Chicago's East Bank Club, where Obama shot hoops to take the edge off on Election Day. Duhon's friend, former Duke player Reggie Love, is Obama's 'body man,' or personal assistant. So can Obama hang with pros like the Knicks' point guard? 'Yeah, I mean, not if we turned the notch up on him,' Duhon said with a laugh. 'He wouldn't be able to handle it. He looks like a player, he talks like a player. That's his biggest attribute, he knows what he's talking about. He's a great passer and he understands the game. For his age , he's not bad.'"
- Kyle Hightower of the Orlando Sentinel: "When Rashard Lewis left Seattle after nine seasons prior to the start of 2007-08, Magic General Manager Otis Smith laid a lot of expectations and lot of cash on the vet to the tune of an eye-popping six-year,$118 million deal. While that investment won't mean a heck of a lot to fans unless he and team centerpiece Dwight Howard eventually gallop to a championship, his impact was immediate. The Magic went from 40-42 and just slipping into the playoffs in '06-'07 to strolling in with 52 wins and a Southeast Division crown last season. At 2-2 the early start to this season may not show the since of urgency yet, but Lewis was poised when he talked about the tone that his first season in Orlando set moving forward. 'We don't have time to take it easy,' Lewis said. 'The conference has gotten a lot better. Philadelphia. Washington's a better team. Toronto. I just think up and down it's going to better league. We're not the underdogs anymore. They know what kind of team we have.'"
- Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal: "Griz coach Marc Iavaroni is pleased with O.J. Mayo on the court, saying the 6-4 combo guard's transition to the NBA is going as well as can be expected. Mayo scored 28 points Wednesday night in the Grizzlies' 100-95 loss. Iavaroni said it shouldn't be lost that Mayo essentially is filling big shoes left by veteran sharpshooter Mike M
iller. The Griz included Miller and the draft rights to UCLA's Kevin Love in a draft-day package that landed them Mayo. 'You're inserting a guy who you think can be better than Mike Miller. But a lot of the battle scars have to be learned,' Iavaroni said. 'He's learning about NBA defense. He's learning about the fact that he's going to go against a pretty good scorer most nights. He might be outsized some nights, but he's not short on fight and wanting to learn every night. He goes through periods where he gets pretty hot and you wonder if he's ever going to be stopped.'" - Melody Gutierrez of the Sacramento Bee: "Gavin Maloof presented Sacramento Mayor-elect Kevin Johnson with a personalized Kings jersey at the team's home opener Wednesday. Johnson accepted the jersey amid fan applause one day after ousting two-term Mayor Heather Fargo. 'I played 12 years in the NBA and traveled to many other cities, and I can tell you the best fans are here in Sacramento, California,' Johnson told the announced crowd of 13,685 at Arco Arena. 'We have to make sure we continue to support our team.' That's a message Kings coach Reggie Theus can get behind. 'I'm happy for him, very happy,' Theus said. 'He's always been very passionate about the city of Sacramento. It didn't surprise me when he wanted to (run for mayor) because that's the kind of guy he is.'"
- Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle: "Don Nelson might be the only person in basketball, let alone the NBA, who would value Rob Kurz, the undrafted forward out of Notre Dame, over Anthony Randolph, the No. 1 draft pick from LSU -- at least at this early stage for both rookies. 'Kurz is more NBA-ready than Randolph,' Nelson insisted. 'He's not as talented, but I'm talking about right now, the ability to play in the system without error. It just takes a while, that's all. Randolph has to earn his way onto the court in practice.' A natural retort might be 'What system?', since it takes maybe five seconds to learn the Warriors' halfcourt offense, at least as it manifests itself in games. For now, the Warriors have a win, they have a slightly new look, and they still have the best fans in the league. Allow them some mercy."
- Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News: "Dirk Nowitzki leads in his own way, and the latest example of him taking a more vocal role stems from the strain that could develop on a team crowded with swing players. With Jerry Stackhouse, Jason Terry, Antoine Wright, Gerald Green and, when he returns from injury, Devean George, the Mavericks are overloaded at shooting guard and/or small forward. 'It's a feeling-out process,' Nowitzki said. 'The coach has to learn about us and vice versa. There's going to be some frustration, especially on the wing spot. But I think a good team has to overcome that. You've got to stick together even though some guys might not be satisfied with their roles. We're loaded at that position, but guys still got to be supportive when they're not in the game. That's the only way it's going to work.'"
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