- Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: "Brent Barry did not allow himself to even consider what could have been. In the closing seconds of the Spurs' victory over the Lakers on Wednesday, Lakers guard Derek Fisher was called for a foul, the sort of foul that was not called when Fisher fell into Barry in the closing seconds of a playoff game on that floor last season. The foul was so egregious that the NBA said it should have been called, but Barry said he had no reaction to seeing the foul called seven months too late. 'I saw the highlights,' Barry said. 'I didn't even think about it. That's last year. You move on. We moved on then. There's no point in looking back.'"
- Dave D'Alessandro of The Star-Ledger: "Meet Vince Carter, Witness To History. Which, apparently, a lot of people can say if they live in a Weehawken high-rise overlooking the Hudson River. 'I was just sitting there, looking out the window -- dead even where the plane hit,' Carter said before tipoff Thursday night, still incredulous over the US Airways crash he saw hours earlier. That in itself was unexpected: The Nets star is usually napping at that time of day. 'No, I was up -- I was just sitting in the bedroom, and. ... .I thought I was watching TV. It landed like it was a movie. It hit like nose first, and you could (hear) the impact. Couldn't believe it. Just couldn't believe it.'"
- Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel: "Tonight is the last meeting between the Magic and the Lakers this year. Or ... is ... it? The answer: Not necessarily. This really isn't a trick question anymore. Because it's no longer a far-fetched notion that the Magic might have to find a seat for Jack Nicholson during the NBA Finals at Amway Arena. Think about the possibilities: Kobe vs. Dwight. Phil Jackson vs. Stan Van Gundy. Rodeo Drive vs. I-Drive. Gucci vs. Goofy. Magic vs. Lakers ... in June? 'It's not far-fetched at all because it's a reality for us,' all-star center Dwight Howard said Thursday. 'If we play like we've been playing and stay hungry, yes, we can be there. We can win a championship.'"
- Mark Heisler of the Los Angeles Times: "With less fanfare, or none, the Lakers are about to play the NBA's hottest team, which doesn't happen to have LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce or Ray Allen. This team isn't part of the old Lakers-Celtics rivalry or the new Celtics-Cavaliers rivalry, or any rivalry outside Florida. The last time it got past the second round of the playoffs, Shaquille O'Neal played there. It was so long ago, Shaq hadn't even heard of Kobe, although he was taking an increasingly dimmer view of Penny Hardaway. Aw, you guessed it. It's the Orlando Magic, which isn't mentioned in the same breath with the Lakers, Celtics and Cavaliers, but is right there with them at 31-8, which is even more impressive when you consider the Magic started 0-2."
- Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News: "Dallas owner Mark Cuban believed Nuggets guard J.R. Smith deserved a five-game suspension. Not only was Smith not suspended for an elbow he threw Tuesday that didn't connect, he didn't even get fined. 'I'm relieved,' Smith said. While the NBA closed its book Thursday on Smith, a league official said Cuban still is being investigated for talking to Smith at halftime about the incident and going onto the court in an animated fashion after a 99-97 Nuggets win that featured a late controversial call against the Mavericks. A decision could come Friday."
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "Thigh pads? Check. Hip pads? Check. Chest pads? Check. Armed, and ready. Tucked inside those ever-baggier shorts and stealthed beneath jerseys is a variety of protective gear that reaffirms this also is a contact sport. 'It's almost like how football is,' Heat President Pat Riley says of the protective gear. 'This is just an NBA staple right now.' In some ways, the layered look has become the league's hidden secret. So as not to offend the league's apparel heavy hitters, such as adidas, logos of protective gear must remain hidden, as must most of the gear, unless it is being utilized to protect an injury in an exposed area. Yet it's there, and just about everywhere." .... "NBA Vice President Stu Jackson said the league does not believe the proliferation of padding has emboldened players. 'We asked ourselves that question, whether or not players would engage in activities on the court that they might not otherwise engage in without padding,' he said. 'We haven't seen any incident of players doing that, and certainly none that have caused harm to other players.'"
- Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial-Appeal: "In 1997, back when Rick Pitino was president of the Celtics, he had high hopes of winning the lottery and drafting a dominant big man. Pitino and the Celtics whiffed. They wound up picking third and drafted a promising young point guard. And? They quickly soured on the point guard. They traded him to Toronto for an older point guard and beads. OK, I'll bite. Who was the young point guard they traded away? Chauncey Billups. Wow. It gets worse. Really? Yes. You know who worked with Pitino way back when? No. Current Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace. Yikes! You can say that again. But c'mon, it was just one deal, wasn't it? Yes. Except, four years later Wallace traded another young draft pick. Pitino had left the Celtics by this point. Wallace was on his own. He shipped the guy he had selected with the No. 10 pick in the draft to Phoenix. Who was it? Joe Johnson."
- Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post: "In the great spirit of American politics, there's only one course of action, George (Karl). Lobby. Call in favors. Beg. How can you have an All-Star Game without Chauncey Billups?"
- Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: "Roger Mason has surpassed teammate Matt Bonner as the league's most accurate shooter from beyond the arc. The difference, however, is negligible. Bonner is shooting 47.5 percent from 3-point range, making 50 of 106. Mason has been both more precise and more prolific, hitting 85 of 179. Both players have expressed a desire to participate in the 3-point shootout at All-Star weekend. As it stands, Mason seems to be in good shape to secure a spot. 'My thing is to try to make as many shots for the team,' Mason said. 'If they decide to put me in, I'll be thrilled to go.'"
- Brian Windhorst of Th
e Plain Dealer: "When LeBron James was slapped with a technical foul Tuesday night for hanging on the rim after a dunk in Memphis he moved into the Top 5 in the league in technicals with seven. The Pistons' Rasheed Wallace leads with 12. The midpoint of the season hasn't arrived yet but it's already a career high -- James had just two all of last season -- and he's on pace to brush up against the 16 technical foul barrier which means an automatic one-game suspension. While that likely won't happen, James has already reached the NBA threshold where his technical fines get a 50 percent hike. The standard fine is $1,000; James is now paying $1,500 for each. Like with most things, the Cavs seem to be following James' lead in this regard as well." - Michael Hunt of the Journal Sentinel: "Given the payroll mess he inherited from Larry Harris, John Hammond is in a bind. He's already performed near-miracles by unloading a ton of bad paper in Bobby Simmons and Mo Williams, but he's still stuck with Dan Gadzuric - $14 million over the next two years! - and the 12th-highest payroll in the NBA. Think about that for a minute. The Bucks are paying 15 guys who may or may not make the NBA playoffs a total of $70.6 million, not a lot less than the Brewers paid the 25 who made the far more exclusive MLB playoffs. The good news is the Bucks will begin realizing payroll flexibility in two years. But there is no way this franchise can sell the near future. It's all about now or nothing."
- Mike Ganter of the Toronto Sun: "Andrea Bargnani is on some kind of roll, but who knew it was an NBA history-making one? Bargnani has hit for two or more three-point field goals in nine consecutive games. That ties the longest streak of its kind in NBA history for a starting centre according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Utah's Mehmet Okur had at least a pair of treys in nine consecutive games last season for the Jazz."
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: "Nothing can fully capture the significance of John 'Red' Kerr's 35 years of service to the Bulls, but the team announced Thursday a halftime ceremony for Feb. 10 to at least try. 'Johnny Kerr is a Chicago Bulls icon,' team Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said in a statement. Kerr earned NBA Coach of the Year honors in 1966 as the franchise's inaugural coach, and he served as business manager for two seasons and as a broadcaster for more than 30. The Chicago native will be honored by dignitaries including Neil Funk, David Stern, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen."
- John Rohde of The Oklahoman: "Just two weeks ago, the Thunder was minding its own business, losing at a steady clip and selfishly hording ping-pong balls for next June's NBA Draft lottery. Oklahoma power forward Blake Griffin is only 23 miles away, and the Thunder was doing everything in its power to make sure Griffin filed in-state tax forms for 2009. Then came the unthinkable ... success. This season has become so discombobulated, the relocated Thunder can't win for winning. The better the Thunder gets, the worse its odds become in this year's lottery. Keep in mind, the Thunder could be in better shape than it already is in, which would have only made things worse."
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