- Michael Lee of The Washington Post: "Michael Jordan has rarely spoken about his final two seasons with the Wizards and declined to be interviewed for this story through a spokesman. Former Washington Sports and Entertainment president Susan O'Malley and Wizards minority owner Ted Leonsis, who was instrumental in helping lure Jordan to the organization, both declined to comment. Wizards owner Abe Pollin also declined to be interviewed, but released a statement congratulating Jordan on his upcoming enshrinement. 'In my opinion, Michael was the greatest player to ever play this game, and there is no one more deserving of this honor,' Pollin said in the statement. That is the extent to which the Wizards will acknowledge one of their former players entering the shrine in Springfield, Mass. Jordan's time in Washington hasn't exactly been redacted from the Wizards history books, but it is hardly glorified. His jersey has been retired by two franchises, but Washington isn't one of them. (The Bulls, who have also honored Jordan with a statue in front of United Center, is one. Miami is the other.) Aside from a few mentions in the team media guide and the occasional sight of a fan in a Wizards No. 23 jersey at games or on the street, that period in franchise history is mostly ignored. You certainly couldn't purchase his jersey in the team store. 'The people who ask why the Wizards don't celebrate Michael Jordan, my question is, 'How do you do it?' We had the greatest player of all time playing in our uniform and it was great. Did we sell out the building? Yes. Did we win? No,' said a Wizards official, speaking on condition of anonymity because the individual was not authorized to make public comments. 'How do you celebrate it appropriately? I don't think it's something we sweep under the rug. In some ways, we'd get criticized if we did celebrate it.' "
- K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune: "Michael Jordan entering the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame on Friday is like the period at the end of this sentence. It -- and he -- has to be there to be proper and complete. Jordan rightfully will take his place among the game's elite, which lends proximity to the unsolvable debate of the best basketball player of all-time. Jordan will join other heavyweights such as Wilt Chamberlain, Bill Russell, Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson -- which, with apologies to Elgin Baylor, Jerry West and George Mikan, isn't a bad all-time starting five, by the way -- in the Springfield, Mass., building. But the debate -- Jordan or Chamberlain; maybe Russell or Robertson? -- can take place anywhere, any time. And likely will into eternity. 'For my money, Michael is the best of all-time,' said former Bulls assistant Johnny Bach, who may be a bit biased. 'How could he not be? I saw Oscar Robertson and Russell play. I coached against Wilt (in college). The idolatry Michael experienced would send anybody else off spinning. But he continued to produce.' Of course, all these heavyweights did."
- Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun: "To a younger generation of hoops fans and ballers, the name David Thompson doesn't resonate. To most, his name would likely get confused with John Thompson. But thanks to Michael Jordan, David Thompson has been reborn, as fleeting as it might be. When Jordan gets enshrined this Friday at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., his presenter will by Thompson. To many, Jordan's decision was a surprise, while others were completely taken aback. But kudos to His Airness for recognizing Thompson's contribution to the game and acknowledging the influence he had on Jordan."
- Robbi Pickeral of The News & Observer: "Michael Jordan's royal blue and gold No. 23 Bucs jersey was stolen from a Laney High trophy case more than 20 years ago. 'I never knew who took it, and certainly never thought I'd see it again,' said Fred Lynch, Laney's athletic director, who was an assistant coach on Jordan's high school teams. That is, until last year, when he was called to the school office to pick up a large envelope. Instead of a return address, there was a scripture in the upper left corner asking for forgiveness; and inside was the Jordan jersey -- in just as good shape as when it was stolen. 'I was shocked to see it -- and I'm glad to have it back again,' Lynch said. 'But I know I can't put it back into the trophy case.' Instead, he plans to donate it to either the Cape Fear Museum or the North Carolina Basketball Museum on UNC's campus, where there's better security."
- Shaun Powell for NBA.com: "Count Rick Barry as a big Kobe Bryant believer, even during the days of the post-Shaq era when backing Kobe wasn't fashionable. 'You heard all the garbage about Kobe being so selfish,' said Barry. 'Those people had no clue. Kobe shows up every night and is a great competitor. He tried to do too much early on because he didn't have the confidence in his teammates. It made him look selfish, but he wasn't. Once Kobe got Pau Gasol and Derek Fisher back and Lamar Odom started playing the way he's capable of playing, he adjusted. He respected those guys. I was so happy for Kobe this season. I admired his professionalism and commitment.' Barry has an appreciation for LeBron as well, although his enthusiasm is slightly tempered. 'Put this down and underline it: I'm a huge LeBron James fan. But he was never taught how to shoot properly, which isn't his fault. He has a flaw in his shot. I want to see him become even better, and this guy is scary good. He just needs to become a better shooter, especially from the free throw line, where he's less than 80 percent. I believe there were times when LeBron didn't even want to get to the line.' "
- Alan Hahn of Newsday: "Stop us if you've heard this before, but there's clearly a market for reporting the inevitable: A source indicated that restricted free agent David Lee and the Knicks could have a one-year deal hammered out by the end of the week. It is likely that the team's other restricted free agent, Nate Robinson, may soon follow. Donnie Walsh would not confirm anything was imminent, but he did tell us here at the Fix that the situation with both restricteds is 'at the point where we should start talking real numbers.' Lee's agent, Mark Bartelstein, also gave no indication of an impending deal, but did say, 'We hope something gets done soon.' Both Walsh and Bartelstein have both already publicly acknowledged a mutual interest in negotiating a one-year deal if a sign-and-trade could not be completed.Bartelstein had some scenarios outlined but none were of interest to the Knicks, who wanted to keep Lee all along."
- Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: "The Tuesday after Labor Day usually marks the point when Suns voluntary workouts get serious but the 10 Suns who were present Tuesday already had been coming in. The only difference this year was th
e games went from four-on-four, half-court contests to five-on-five, full-court games. There were actually 11 NBA players present today with Valley resident Eddie House joining the action. He matched up with Steve Nash, although Grant Hill continued to handle a lot of the point guard duties for Nash's opponents while Goran Dragic and Leandro Barbosa remain away due to their national team's tournaments. ... Perhaps sensing a need for more leadership on a younger team (or without any coaching going on now), Nash is being more vocal on the floor. He talked a few times to teammates about switches on defense and what they needed to be doing. Nash openly has not been much of a vocal leader, always hoping that his hard work and unselfish play was enough of a lead for others to follow." - Benjamin Hochman of The Denver Post: "The Nuggets swept the season series with the Clippers a season ago, as did five other teams in the Western Conference. Why? Because the Clippers weren't good at basketball. But as the upcoming NBA season peeks its head around the corner, may I make a potentially preposterous proclamation? The Clips could crack the playoffs this year. In each of the past three seasons, a fresh-faced team has extended its season -- Utah, New Orleans and Portland -- and it's very possible that with Houston's Yao-sized troubles, Los Angeles could host Los Angeles in a 1-8 opening-round matchup. Now, the optimism flowing from my fingertips is due to, in part, Blake Griffin, the NBA-ready No. 1 pick whose game's as polished as a Buckingham Palace armoire. ... The Clips have a fascinating mix of role players, from our old friend Marcus Camby to Al Thornton (16.8 points last season) to Chris Kaman, who is difficult to sustain when healthy, though he has difficulty sustaining health. But it all comes down to point guard Baron Davis, who shoots too much and doesn't pass enough."
- Harvey Araton of The New York Times: "Luc Mbah a Moute is not the first N.B.A. player from Cameroon; Georgetown's Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje had a short run with Portland early this decade. By the N.B.A.'s count, 23 Africans have played in the league, including six last season. Three more were drafted in June, including the Tanzanian center Hasheem Thabeet, taken second in the first round out of Connecticut by Memphis. Insisting he has retired after 19 N.B.A. seasons, Mutombo said by telephone not to forget Christian Eyenga, the last pick of the first round by Cleveland, from Mutombo's native Congo. 'Since we first came, the quality has improved so much,' he said. When Yao Ming landed in Houston in 2002, China was forecast to be the next major talent pipeline, based on its huge basketball-loving population. But Chinese players, limited in part by conservative coaching techniques, have not yet demonstrated the improvisational and freewheeling athleticism necessary to survive in the American game. Africa is beset with its own issues, mainly a lack of resources and quality coaching, but there apparently is an abundance of talent waiting to be offered a serious alternative to soccer."
- Tania Ganguli of the Orlando Sentinel: "When the campers at the NBA's South African stop of Basketball without Borders chatted with Dwight Howard last week, certain things always came up. How did he get so big? How does he jump so high? Why does he smile all the time? And, oh yeah, that Superman dunk Howard did while wearing a red cape during the 2008 dunk contest. 'They were calling me Superman,' Howard said by phone from Johannesburg. South Africa was Howard's second overseas trip in what's been a very busy summer -- he's shot a movie in New York and done sponsor functions in Vancouver, B.C., and China. His schedule won't let up much when he returns to the United States. He'll have two commercial shoots, another movie shoot, this one in Los Angeles, and a photo shoot with ESPN. But for a few days he got away from all that during the NBA and FIBA's Basketball without Borders program. 'Just watching on TV everybody gets this false impression of what Africa is until you get a chance to actually be here,' said Howard, who had never been to Africa. 'It's a very beautiful place. The people here are great. You know, I wish everybody could experience what I experienced.' "
- Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: "Who do you think was the biggest offseason acquisition by the Pacers? I say it's Dahntay Jones. Jones' signing let it be known that the Pacers -- for once -- are serious about trying to slow down their opponent. The Pacers have lacked a player that doesn't mind knocking a player to the ground and glaring at him as he steps over top of him since Ron Artest wore the blue and gold. Jones will give the Pacers that kind of toughness. Larry Bird and Co. hope everybody else will follow Jones' lead. Jones, who signed a four-year deal, will make Brandon Rush work to keep his starting position. He will compliment Danny Granger in the starting lineup or Dunleavy in the second unit because he'll defend the opposing team's best perimeter player."
- Michael Vega of The Boston Globe: "Bill Belichick lauded Celtics coach Doc Rivers yesterday for addressing the team Monday as part of an NFL sponsored life-skills presentation, saying it was 'one of the best presentations that we have heard,' Belichick said. 'He was awesome and talked about a lot of things that he had dealt with and experienced through his career, from not making the basketball team in the fifth grade - or whatever it was - to being an All-American in high school, to going to college [at Marquette], to being a point guard in the NBA, to having some injuries he had to deal with, losing championship games as a player to winning them as a coach.' Belichick, who has attended Celtics playoff games, said Rivers 'gave a lot of personal insight into his attitude and his approach as a player, as a coach, as a broadcaster and all the things he learned along the way. It was tremendous. I think every coach and every player there gained a lot of insight and took things out of it that can help us personally, each one of us.' "
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