- Tom Knott of The Washington Times: "The firing of Eddie Jordan as coach of the Wizards was undeserved. The back-to-the-'90s move was implemented after the shell of a team stumbled to a 1-10 start. And this team is a shell. It is a patchwork of parts that no one -- not even the late Red Auerbach -- could make chicken salad out of chicken fertilizer with it."
- Michael Wilbon of The Washington Post: "I probably should admit here that I'm rooting for Ed Tapscott, whom I've been close friends with for 20 years, to find some way to trigger a turnaround. What keeps me from thinking 'Same old Bullets' right about now is that Ernie Grunfeld has a track record of being right about these things, and Tapscott can diagnose what ails a team as well as anyone. In tandem, they set up the Knicks to reach the NBA Finals twice. They were setting the table in Milwaukee before ownership got meddlesome. Eddie Jordan is unemployed now, though surely not for long, because Grunfeld's instincts tell him the Wizards ought to be better than their record and because he believes Tapscott can get out of them something Jordan couldn't. Few people can communicate the game's strategies and its nuances, to insiders or outsiders, as well as Ed Tapscott. Whether the coach, new or old, can get the players to do what he knows is necessary is always at the core of the season.
" - Chris McCosky of The Detroit News: "There are countless reasons the Pistons are thrilled Antonio McDyess is coming back, but one stood out to coach Michael Curry. 'Everybody thought I was crazy bringing 'Dyess off the bench,' Curry said. 'Now you look at our second quarters, and we are like minus-60 and everybody realizes why I brought him off the bench.' In the five losses since McDyess was traded to Denver, Detroit has been outscored by 51 points in the second quarter, a time when the reserves are on the floor. McDyess can re-sign with the Pistons on Dec. 7 -- 30 days after he agreed to take a buyout from the Nuggets. He is expected to sign a two-year contract with a player option for the second year. He will make a full $1.9 million this year, and $2.06 million if he takes the second year."
- George M. Thomas of the Akron Beacon-Journal: "The New York media will be out in force looking for any nugget of a quote that will show any intent on James' part. Never mind that any decision regarding his NBA future is two years away. LeBron James wasn't available for comment Monday, but Ilgauskas said that it's not an issue with the team. Mike Brown agreed. The media have 'a job to do so you've got to be able to write something, so ask the question. I don't care,' he said. Ilgauskas doesn't think the talk will bother James. 'No [it's not a distraction], not to us and not to him. It's not as bad as in China last year,' he said. 'They think he's God over there. L.B.'s handled it well so far. He always plays his best in the Garden, so we're not worried about it. We have to do our best.'"
- Frank Isola and Mark Lelinwalla of the New York Daily News: "It's too early for the Knicks to tell LeBron James directly how much they want him. But when his Cavaliers visit the Garden Tuesday, James will be the one showing love to New York. He will step onto the court wearing a special 'New York' version of his sneakers. Dark red, the Big Apple Zoom LeBron VI sneakers take inspiration from the city's nickname. Last season at the Garden, James wore his LeBron V sneakers, which featured pinstripes to honor the Yankees, his favorite baseball team. He scored 50 points that night."
- Janny Hu of the San Francisco Chronicle: "Jamal Crawford received his 2-inch thick copy of the Warriors' playbook Monday, and without committing a single set to memory, already felt in command. Eliminating the distractions of the soap-opera Knicks will have that effect. 'All the stuff that happened in New York, if you're still there, it's like, 'Oh, you're just part of that whole losing regime,' ' said Crawford, who debuts tonight against the Wizards. 'I think we had some good players, we just didn't gel and it just didn't work out. But that tag is always on you. So I want to shake that tag. It's a new start.' Crawford's initial shock at being traded has turned into delight over his new surroundings, and the chance to run Golden State's offense in particular."
- Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post: "The first change of many to help jump-start Carmelo Anthony's offensive game was a subtle one Sunday against Chicago. It was a turn-and-face. When Anthony caught the ball on the block, or just off the block, he immediately turned to face the defender. It gave him clear vision of any impending double-teams and the ability to make a crisper play than he could with his back to the basket. The Nuggets sent cutters through the lane, and he hit them for layups and dunks. Other times, his face-up slowed or stopped the double-team, allowing him to get a clearer look at a shot. Details like this are what coach George Karl, Anthony and the team are addressing to help their best scorer lift himself from an early-season shooting slump."
- Eric Koreen of the National Post: "As this NBA season has progressed, the Toronto Raptors' season has become gloomier and gloomier. That pessimism reached a nadir Sunday when Boston spanked the Raptors by 15 points in Toronto. But look at the bright side: Andrea Bargnani has been decent at small forward. In the five games he has started at the position, Bargnani has averaged 17 points and 5.4 rebounds. 'We thought Andrea could play [small forward],' Raptors coach Sam Mitchell said. 'I think Andrea, to everybody's surprise, is playing well at that position. He's guarding well. He's rebounding. He's aggressive. He's scoring.'"
- Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: "It's easy for an NBA player to become selfish and self-absorbed. This is a league where statistics matter, particularly when your contract expires at the end of the season. And that's what makes me admire Raymond Felton so much these days. Everyone says they'll do what it takes to win, but Felton lives it. When Larry Brown moved rookie point guard D.J. Augustin into the starting lineup, Felton could have treated this like a threat. Had Felton frozen out Augustin, leaving him to figure out the NBA by himself, Felton would have been no more selfish than half this league. Instead, Felton took charge of the transition. He mentors Augustin so much, he should draw a coaching salary atop his player salary. With Augustin scoring and passing, Felton has channeled his energy toward defense and rebounding."
- Jerry Brown of the East Valley Tribune: "The losses haven't been pretty -- especially against the upper crust of the Western Conference -- but they haven't come as fr
equently as the Suns GM steeled himself for. And at 9-5, the Suns were tied for the second-best record in the conference Monday with a chance to end November strong with four games against losing teams, beginning with Tuesday's trip to Oklahoma to meet the 1-13 Thunder. 'I don't know if people understand what it takes to change styles and rotations and players' minutes, especially for us because we have been such a rhythm team,' Steve Kerr said. 'We've been dialed into what we were doing because it was just a continuation of the last season. Now, everything is different. Yeah, it's just basketball but at this level, any indecision or unfamiliarity is going to show up.' ... Kerr is most pleased with Phoenix's defense. The Suns beat Portland 102-92 on Saturday, marking the eighth time in 14 games they held an opponent to less than 100 points, winning seven times." - Art Thompson III of The Orange County Register: "Line of the night uttered by a clearly disenchanted fan at the conclusion of yet another Clippers' loss, Monday night at Staples Center to the New Orleans Hornets. 'Dunleavy, fire yourself.' The fan of course was noting that Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy has added the official title of general manager this season, putting him in total charge of all basketball-related decisions. But would the GM consider firing the coach in light of the team's dismal 2-12 start? In all likelihood, no. Yet, Dunleavy was involved in a similar situation in Milwaukee. He held the dual roles of head coach and vice president of basketball operations but was relieved of his coaching duties after a 25-57 finish in 1995-96. He kept his executive duties for another year before he was forced out."
- Mike McGraw of the Arlington Heights Daily Herald: "Correct me if I'm wrong here, but wasn't it Joe Buck who apologized to viewers after Randy Moss did his fake mooning in Green Bay a few years back? I wonder what Buck would have said about Kenyon Martin's celebratory dance after hitting a late 3-pointer on Sunday against the Bulls. Let's just say Martin accentuated a certain part of the male anatomy. Two parts, actually. If the NBA has any self-respect, it will fine Martin for that gesture. Hopefully, it didn't make it on television, but there were plenty of kids watching from the stands. Go ahead and celebrate a nice victory all you want, but that was low-class no matter how you look at it."
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