- A. Sherrod Blakely of Booth Newspapers: "All the talk about building a franchise that can consistently compete at the highest level sounds good. But that's not going to happen until this franchise stops acting like a junior college for head coaches who get the boot after a year or two. President of basketball operations Joe Dumars' reasoning for firing Curry was legitimate. Players began to sour on Curry near the end of last season, and Curry didn't make the kind of strides needed to mend those relationships. The Pistons finished 39-43 and were swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Coaching has as much to do with managing egos as it does managing a player's minutes. But there was a greater concern. There will be a lot of talk in the coming days about the strained relationships between Curry and key Pistons such as Richard Hamilton. But there was an even bigger concern that those same issues might be magnified with a revamped roster that should be bolstered via free agency, which begins today. If the Pistons sign Ben Gordon and keep Richard Hamilton, would both start? If not, who comes off the bench?"
- Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel: "Happy trails, Hedo. So long, Turk. Farewell, Hedo Turkoglu -- one of the greatest and most beloved players in Orlando Magic history. Amid the ongoing "Vinsanity" of the Magic trading for Vince Carter and the accompanying hype and hoopla of bringing in one of the NBA's most electrifying players, can we take just a few minutes today to give H-Turk the goodbye and Godspeed he deserves? I know, the free-agency period just started at midnight Tuesday and it's not yet official that Turk will sign with another team. I read the article where Magic General Manager Otis Smith hasn't completely shut the door on bringing back Turk. I even spoke with Turk's agent, Lon Babby, who also left the door cracked when he said, 'I'm not ready to talk about Hedo and the Magic in the past tense.' Come on, can we stop kidding ourselves? The chances of Turk re-signing with the Magic are about the same as Bernie Madoff getting elected banker for the Monopoly tournament during board-game night at the federal pen."
- Michael Grange of the Globe and Mail: "The last time the Toronto Raptors made a splash in free agency, they made it fast. Team president Bryan Colangelo and assistant general manager Maurizio Gherardini picked up a phone at their Air Canada Centre offices the moment the NBA's free agency period started. Minutes later, then-Raptors coach Sam Mitchell, at home in Atlanta, was linked in on a conference call. Together they made Jason Kapono very rich, using their quick-strike approach to lay a four-year, $24-million (all currency U.S.) contract at the journeyman's feet. The whole deal took about 10 minutes. Times have changed. Not only is Kapono, who agreed to his deal in the wee hours of July 1, 2007, now with the Philadelphia 76ers, but the NBA's economic landscape has shifted so much that players of his pedigree don't get plush offers any more."
- Paola Boivin of The Arizona Republic: "Even though Pat Williams directed many successful trades, fans most remember how, as the Philadelphia 76ers' general manager in 1986, he traded Moses Malone - along with Terry Catledge and two first-round picks - for Washington's Cliff Robinson and Jeff Ruland. Philadelphia management erred in thinking Malone's skills were on sharp decline. Malone, 31, went on to play nine productive seasons, while Robinson and Ruland spent much of their time on the bench nursing injuries. A team three years removed from an NBA title missed the playoffs eight of the next 12 years. The lesson? Make sure you have a firm grasp on the state of your player's skills. Stoudemire, of course, isn't Malone. His career isn't as established, and concerns about his health, including the detached retina that sidelined him for half of last season, linger. His desire for a contract extension when he becomes eligible later this summer also clouds the issue. On the other hand, he's 26, an age widely regarded as the start of an NBA player's prime. Many believe his best play is yet to come. 'The point is, with All-Star-caliber players, you need to be very careful before you proceed,' Williams said."
- Doug Robinson of the Deseret News: "Secretly, the Jazz had to be hoping Boozer would opt out and leave town. His return creates many headaches. With Boozer's contract on the books, they face the daunting task of already being over the luxury tax, for the first time in franchise history, and still needing to re-sign Paul Milsap. Then there's this: Milsap has earned more minutes, and he could get them elsewhere, if not here now that Boozer has opted to stay. There are not many upsides to Boozer's return. He has worn out his welcome with fans, if not the Jazz, with his attitude, unreliability and spotty play. And how does a team get behind a player who so obviously doesn't want to be here, his statements to the contrary notwithstanding. Well, if nothing else, the situation will force Boozer to try to bring his best game to the court next season, so he can demonstrate to other teams that he is worth signing or trading for. Meanwhile, Boozer and the Jazz are stuck with each other."
- Phil Sheridan of the The Philadelphia Inquirer: "It seems funny but sad now that the Los Angeles Clippers were ticked off last July when the 76ers lured free agent Elton Brand away with an $80 million contract. The Clips thought they had Brand's word he would re-sign with them. For the Sixers and their fans, it is too painful to think about how differently things might have been had Brand indeed remained with L.A.'s B team. All the bubbling excitement and anticipation that accompanied the Brand deal congealed quickly into a grim reality: Brand didn't look like a particularly good fit with the Sixers before a shoulder injury ended his season. Because he went all-in last year with the Brand deal and an enormous long-term contract for Andre Iguodala, Sixers president and general manager Ed Stefanski is not holding a full hand as the market opens today. His options are limited. He can sign, sign-and-trade, or not sign veteran point guard Andre Miller. He can offer some journeyman a mid-level exemption deal. He can light a candle in hopes that Brand is both healthy and better adjusted to the Sixers' new offensive schemes. The NBA is an unforgiving place, a league in which a wrong draft choice or a bad free-agent signing can relegate a franchise to oblivion for a decade."
- Mike Jones of The Washington Times: "Wednesday signals the beginning of the NBA's free agency period, and although teams are free to begin courting and negotiating with players, don't expect the Washington Wizards to spring into action. Instead, the Wizards are expected to wait, then comb the leftovers to add the final pieces to their roster. 'We're going
to start making calls, and we'll monitor the situation, but the teams like Detroit, Oklahoma City, Memphis and Portland -- the teams with a lot of [salary] cap room -- will be doing the big spending in free agency,' Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld said Tuesday. 'The whole situation will shake itself out, and we'll see what presents itself and carefully go from there. I expect this to be a drawn-out process.' The Wizards are expected to use a conservative approach because of the luxury tax and a deep roster at most positions." - Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer: "Warren Buffett, a friend of LeBron James and a rather established expert in making acquisitions, can certainly relate to the situation the Cavaliers are now in. One of the billioniare's core philosophies and known quotes is to 'attempt to be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful.' In listening to sources within the organization and across the league, despite being in a challenging climate for professional sports that has prompted fear with good reason, the Cavs fully intend to be greedy. It seems the team is expected to act quickly to add to their already well-heeled roster in an attempt to win their first title next season, which is famously the last on James' contract. They are going to make their pitch and look to spend about as much as the league rules will allow them, within reason. Their product already has James and now Shaquille O'Neal, and another All-Star in Mo Williams in residence. Plus it owns some of the best facilities in which to play and train in the league, even if it isn't located in a glamour city."
- Ailene Voisin of the The Sacramento Bee: "Mental toughness? Physical toughness? Blue-collar workers? Granted, these are not concepts normally associated with the Kings basketball president, whose conversations are dominated by references to backdoor cuts, ball and body movement, and the fluid beauty of the game -- all elements he still values. But after watching his club's incremental descent to a 17-win season, coupled with its amazing capacity to chase fans out of the building with feeble, uninspired performances, Petrie underwent a not-so-subtle offseason change in philosophy. You can feel it. You can sense it. You can look at the three players drafted by the Kings last week -- Tyreke Evans, Omri Casspi and Jon Brockman -- and understand his thinking. The plan is for the Kings to be competitive and entertaining and endearing enough that earplugs once again will be required at Arco Arena."
- John Gonzalez of The Philadelphia Inquirer: "Last week, the 76ers mercifully scrapped their unsightly, tricked-out, late-'90s uniforms and logo in favor of returning to the franchise's famous old-school models. A lot of people were happy about that. I was one of them. Some Sixers employees have accused me of being overly critical of the organization, so I'd like to address them directly here. Kudos on a job well done. It was smart to go retro, and you should be commended for it. I just have one nagging question: What's with the bunny? If you're going to erase the hideous black uniforms and outdated, overactive logo, you guys should have gone all-out and retired the mascot, too. To this day, I can't understand what the Sixers were thinking when they came up with Hip-Hop."
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