- Geoff Calkins of The Commercial Appeal: "The Grizzlies really should get rid of their ushers. The seat numbers are right there on the tickets, aren't they? Can't people find their own seats? Then they should cut back on dancers. So many dancers. Wouldn't one really good dancer be enough? Especially if it were Linea? One ball boy should be plenty, too. Let the kid run back and forth between the two hoops. And one combination radio/TV guy. Why should the Grizzlies pay for Pete Pranica and Eric Haseltine to call the same game? I bring this up because the Grizzlies recently decided to let go of their scouts. Yes, all of their scouts. 'I prefer a smaller group,' said Chris Wallace, the Grizzlies GM. You have to love Wallace, don't you? He could have put a positive spin on the yellow fever epidemic. 'I prefer a smaller city,' he'd have said. ... Wallace makes the point -- a fair one -- that scouting in the NBA is not like scouting in the NFL. A team makes a couple of picks a year. Any moron can identify the top few players. Wallace, Tony Barone, Tony Barone Jr. and Kenny Williamson -- all still with the franchise -- can get out there and see those players themselves. But it's hard not to look at this move as additional evidence that the Grizzlies care less about basketball than the bottom line. No scouts? For a team that has said it is committed to building through the draft?"
- Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald: "Last week's big-man trade of Tyson Chandler for Emeka Okafor might have seemed random when it came to the players involved. But the deal was built around salaries. Chandler has two more years and $24.6 million left on the contract he originally signed with the Bulls in 2005. Okafor has five years and $62.7 million remaining, which means Charlotte shaved nearly $40 million in future salary commitments by making the deal with New Orleans. The Hornets, meanwhile, trimmed a few million off next year's luxury-tax bill, since Okafor will make less this season. So each side saved money in some way. Like so many industries, economics are troubling the NBA, and many observers expect another lockout in 2011 when the current collective-bargaining agreement expires. I'd say the biggest issues the league needs to solve are keeping the games affordable and evening the playing field for small-market teams. But the fundamental problem in the NBA right now is simply too many players who are wildly overpaid and locked into guaranteed contracts. That's why teams make so many personnel decisions based on money."
- Frank Dell'Apa of The Boston Globe: "During the NBA draft in June, Celtics coach Doc Rivers gave his take on the offseason strategies of teams. Rivers noted about one-third of the league's 30 teams seemed confident of going for the championship next season. Those teams are willing to spend money on free agents, the others shying away, believing they do not have a realistic chance of contending. Most of the league's teams simply cannot compete with the elite, so they are undertaking long-term rebuilding programs, or setting themselves up for next year's free agent extravaganza. But there are other factors muddling the free agent market. Agents have struggled to judge the level of demand for players. The fates of restricted free agents Marcin Gortat, 25, and Glen Davis, 23, show how confounding the market can be. ... 'It is not a lack of money, but a strategy,' Guy Zucker said. 'New York, for example, could easily pay more but is choosing not to. They want to reduce the payroll and grab a superstar.' The 'haves' are using the perceived economic downturn to their advantage. When the negotiating period began last month, many free agents expected teams to come to them. As time goes on, some of those free agents are not receiving the offers hoped for, so they are going from the pursued to the role of pursuers, going to teams with reduced demands."
- Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer: "This week Dan Gilbert will be putting on yet another hat. The Cavaliers owner has been given an important responsibility by NBA Commissioner David Stern, who has named Gilbert as a member of the Board of Governors' Labor Relations Committee. The group is scheduled to begin talks with the National Basketball Players Association on Tuesday about a new collective bargaining agreement. That's a lot of verbiage and capitalized words. Basically, Gilbert is one of the five new members on the committee representing the 30 owners against the players. And it isn't going to be easy. The CBA doesn't expire until 2011 and owners possess a rollover clause to 2012. Normally new talks wouldn't begin until a year from now and maybe later if the owners picked up their option, as they did the last time it was an option in 2003. But expecting some sticky issues, both sides have decided to begin now. Stern put Gilbert and several other young owners on the committee -- including Phoenix's owner Robert Sarver and Oklahoma City's Clay Bennett -- in part because they represent new blood and a new attitude that have come into the ownership circle over the last decade. Gilbert, Sarver and Bennett have more than a combined $1 billion invested in their teams, unlike some of the veteran owners who bought cheaper many years ago."
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "A key, perhaps the key, to Pat Riley's plan to bridge the Heat's growth from last season's resurrection to next summer's free agency is the contribution of Jermaine O'Neal this coming season. O'Neal, who has been a regular in the weight room and on the court at AmericanAirlines Arena the past two months, showing up about four times a week, is poised to take the next step, with eight weeks of work planned with noted Chicago trainer Tim Grover. Yes, the same Tim Grover who last summer so reinvigorated Dwyane Wade. While appearances can be deceiving, O'Neal has impressed those in the weight room with his physique and appearance. Granted, that doesn't necessarily mean he'll ever be able to again explode off both knees. But with Lamar Odom out of the equation, and with no one else out there beyond Carlos Boozer who could truly energize the Heat's front line, these next two months could be critical for both O'Neal and the Heat."
- Tim MacMahon of The Dallas Morning News: "Nothing is official, but it's likely that James Singleton will return to the Mavs. They need him. Singleton won't play major minutes. With Drew Gooden and Tim Thomas crowding the frontcourt picture, Singeton might not even play as many as he did last season, when he averaged 14.3 minutes in 62 games. But Singleton would play a significant role as a energy source/enforcer when he's summoned off the bench. ... Singleton's game is based on dirty work with the occasional highlight slam. He's a relentless defender and rebounder (10.2 per 36 minutes last season), always runs the floor hard and doesn't back down from anybody. His focus this off-season has been to bulk up a bit to better prepare him to battle in the paint. Singleton
is the Mav best suited to get Dirk's back when necessary, assuming he's on the roster, which is exactly why he needs to be." - Mike Baldwin of The Oklahoman: "So what do we make of the revamped roster two months before training camp begins? GM Sam Presti repeatedly has used terms like 'methodical' and 'build for sustained success.' That's why salary cap savings -- OKC is $14 million under the cap -- aren't burning a hole in Presti's pocket. The primary reason Presti prefers to save his money is he wants to assure he has cap space to pay Durant, Green, Westbrook and other young players when their contracts kick in for sizeable raises in the near future. But there's another reason Presti didn't throw a lot of money at free agents he could afford. Presti wants to make sure young players have ample playing time this season so he can evaluate what he has as he tries to build a roster that evolves into a viable playoff threat in the rugged Western Conference."
- Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: "Though Willie Green has a lot of basketball left, he has started to think about the future. As far as the 76ers go, observers think they will take a step back from last season's playoff run because of the free-agent defection of point guard Andre Miller. Green is one of the few veteran guards remaining and is confident with talent like Andre Iguodala and Thaddeus Young around. 'We can still play,' Green said. 'We may make a couple of moves. Who knows? 'But for now, we're going to be OK. We're going to be in the mix of things in the Eastern Conference.' After basketball he is thinking about broadcasting or coaching, with a goal of becoming a team general manager or president. No matter what the future holds, Green won't forget his roots and will keep trying to help. 'Willie is just a great example of what former student-athletes should be like, not only with his generosity back to his alma mater, but also giving back to the community and valuing education and appreciating his time at the university,' UDM athletic director Keri Gaither said. 'He's just one these guys that's very humble about things, and he's very down to earth. He's a great role model for all of our student-athletes. He's just that kind of guy.' "
- Pierce W. Huff of The Times-Picayune: "New Orleans will forever be in the heart of Charlotte Bobcats guard D.J. Augustin. When Augustin and his family relocated to Houston after Hurricane Katrina, he was heartbroken about having to leave the Crescent City and miss his senior year at Brother Martin. For the past few years, Augustin said he has hoped to do something to give back to his old hometown, and this week he has that chance. Augustin will host the first D.J. Augustin Basketball Camp for children ages 8 to 15 at Brother Martin on Monday through Thursday. Augustin also will have a point guard camp for some of the country's top-rated point guard prospects from Thursday to Saturday at Xavier. 'This (New Orleans) is where I grew up and where I learned everything I know,' he said. The camp is free, and Augustin wouldn't have it any other way. 'I know times are tough not only for people coming back from Katrina, but for people, period,' he said."
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