- Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press: "Chris Bosh won a legal victory Wednesday and claimed custody of around 800 Internet domain names that had been stolen from celebrities and professional and college athletes -- including seven Pistons. Bosh accused a cybersquatter and his company of wrongfully using his name -- and the names of the other athletes and celebrities -- as domain names. One of the biggest celebrities on the list is singer Britney Spears. Bosh, through his social media firm Max Deal, is offering to return the names -- such as charlievillanueva.com -- free of charge to the domains' namesakes. 'Great job, Chris,' was Villanueva's reaction Thursday. Other affected Pistons were Tayshaun Prince, Chris Wilcox, Rodney Stuckey, Kwame Brown, DaJuan Summers and Chucky Atkins. It might not seem like that big of a deal since athletes make millions, but for someone like Villanueva, who takes branding his name seriously, it's huge. His Web site URL is CV31.com because his name was taken. Cybersquatters can also get a domain name and then charge a hefty sum in order for the celebrity to get the name back. Or the cybersquatter can use the name to set up a Web site that generates revenue -- basically using the athlete's name or likeness to make money."
- Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald: "There are reports going around that Bulls forward Tyrus Thomas suggested he's capable of averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds. That's not exactly true. What happened at Thursday's practice was a reporter asked Thomas is he envisions himself as a 20-10 player. At the same time, Derrick Rose walked past and gave Thomas a hard time for not wearing a shirt during the interview. But it did seem as though Thomas heard the question correctly. 'Yeah, I feel that's something I can do,' he answered. 'I have to figure out my role on the team first as far as the offensive end, figuring out where I'm going to get my shots. On the defensive end, definitely 10.' So what he said was he's confident he can average 10 rebounds this season, but doesn't think his role in the offense will be to try to average 20 points. Not a bold statement by any means."
- Tom Enlund of the Journal Sentinel: "Milwaukee Bucks guard Charlie Bell isn't pushing the panic button. There is no need at this early stage of the season. Bell, entering his sixth National Basketball Association season and fifth with the Bucks, has not shot the ball well during the exhibition season. But he's healthy, has said that he reported to training camp in the best shape of his career and is in the process of getting some wrinkles ironed out as the team works its way through the exhibition season. 'I feel well,' he said after Thursday's practice. 'I feel OK. It's preseason. You're just trying to get ready for the start and try to build a rhythm up and try to get ready. All summer you're working out, but it's different once you get on the basketball court. It takes some adjustments, and I'm just trying to make those adjustments and get ready for another season. It's still two weeks away, and I've still got a couple more games to get out there at 100%. I'm going to stay in the gym and continue to work, and once the season rolls around just be ready to go.' "
- Sekou Smith of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Joe Smith has more to give than just knowledge, though. At 6 feet 10 and a sinewy 225 pounds, Smith still has plenty left in his tank. He averaged 17 minutes in 13 playoff games with Cleveland last year. Hawks coach Mike Woodson said he plans on using Smith in a similar capacity. 'A guy like that, he's seen it all and been in it all,' assistant coach Larry Drew said. 'He knows who he is. So when he comes to a team, he knows what he brings to the table. He knows his body and he knows how to prepare. And obviously at this stage of his career, he may have lost a step or two, but there's still a lot there to work with. With the way we're going to be using him, as a power forward that can pick-and-pop and stretch the defense or go down low in certain situations, I think it's a perfect fit.' The right fit is what Smith said he was searching for as a free agent. He explored his options with Cleveland, the Hawks and several other teams but recognized the opportunity to do good things on and off the floor here. And he's prepared to fill whatever role Woodson has mapped out for him."
- Julian Garcia of the New York Daily News: "One of the Nets' offseason goals was finding a point guard to back up Devin Harris and Keyon Dooling, preferably one with experience. In Rafer Alston, they got more than that. 'He's run the gamut in terms of the different experiences you can have as a player,' said Lawrence Frank, 'From street ball legend, to playing in the D-League, to playing on the Bucks and the end of the bench to starting for the last six years on high, high-level teams. He knows how to run a team.' That's the good news for the Nets. The bad news? That Alston may actually have to run their team more than they'd like. Harris has been injured three times already this preseason and will miss tonight's game against the Knicks. Dooling had hip surgery last spring and is still not fully recovered. He has yet to practice and the Nets don't know when he will return."
- Alan Hahn of Newsday: "If you're from New York, you root for the Yankees, right? Well, for the most part. But what if you play for one of the Big Apple's other pro teams? That means you root for the Yankees, too, right? Not necessarily. Here's a sampling: Knicks forward Al Harrington has a tattoo of the Anaheim Angels' trademark halo 'A' on his neck, but he bleeds Yankees blue. 'I'm rooting for my boys,' said Harrington, who grew up in South Orange, N.J. 'I've been with them since I've known about baseball and I think this is the year.' His prediction for the ALCS? 'Yankees in six.' To explain, the artwork is in reference to his grandmother, who called him 'Angel' when he was a boy. Harrington grew up a Yankees fan, attended seven games this season and loves the new stadium. 'Especially where I sit at,' he said, 'everything's free.' He said he is tight with CC Sabathia, who is from Oakland and attended many Warriors games when Harrington played for Golden State."
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel: "One of the Orlando Magic's most important goals this preseason has been to make sure their all-star point guard has recovered fully from the torn shoulder labrum he suffered last February. The entire team plays better when Jameer Nelson, the floor leader, feels confident. Any of Nelson's own remaining doubts have evaporated, especially now that he can hurl his across-the-body passes once again. 'I've seen him in practice, and he's not worried about his shoulder anymore,' said Dwight Howard, one of Nelson's closest friends on the team. 'He just gets out there and plays. He's not worried about anything but getting better. I think he's 100 percent.' Nelson has approached this preseason in his typically gritty fashion. He has boxed-out opponents. He has fallen to the floor. He has collided with teammates. And no problems."
- Julian Benbow of The Boston Globe: "It's a difficult proposition, and for J.R. Giddens to accept being a young man in a grown man's locker room, he had to adjust his perspective. He was 23 when the Celtics took him with their first-round pick in 2008, and he was immediately surrounded by championship rings. Future Hall of Famers were scattered around the room. And even though Kendrick Perkins and Rajon Rondo were close to him in age - after being on one of the worst teams in Celtics history, then being on the franchise's best team in two decades - those two had already been through a couple of NBA lifetimes. Giddens wanted to jump right in and be a part of the equation, not realizing how unrealistic he was being. He wound up playing eight NBA minutes last season, not for lack of talent, but for lack of room and maybe readiness. 'It changed my perspective a lot,' he said. 'It was my first year and I was unable to be kind of realistic with it. Not being sure what they want me to do or where I stand on the team or with my teammates. Now, I kind of know that because I've been here a year.' "
- Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News: "In his 4 years at Campbell Hall High School in North Hollywood, Calif., Jrue Holiday led his team to three state titles. Following his senior season, he was listed as the No. 2 overall prospect by Rivals.com and named the Gatorade national player of the year. He played one season for Ben Howland at UCLA, starting all 35 games and averaging 8.5 points, before declaring for the NBA draft. Now he is entering a new world of his basketball life. And so far, it has been, well, rocky. 'I think it's early for him,' said Lou Williams, one of the many guards ahead of Holiday on the depth chart right now. 'He's still kind of soaking everything in. But he's a naturally talented player. He still competes hard. I think it's going to take some time for him to get his feet wet. When he does, I think he'll be a tremendous help for our team.' For now, it's trudging through the daily practices with the hope that playing time comes during the four remaining exhibition games. Like all employees, Holiday is looking for that chance to prove himself, to show that he can be given more of a workload. 'I'm just trying to be the best that I can be,' Holiday said yesterday. 'I'm trying to compete against [fellow guards] because it's making me better. They've been in the league. They know the ropes. I'm trying to make myself better as well as trying to make them better.' "
- Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post: "As if preseason practices weren't important enough, they are even more so this year for Nuggets guard J.R. Smith. In these sessions Smith will get the work he needs to knock enough rust off his game to be able to hit the floor running after his seven-game suspension at the start of the season. 'My feeling is he's got to prepare by practicing,' Nuggets coach George Karl said. 'I think he's got to tune up and start playing every possession in practice and stay involved. So when he's not on the court, the rust that comes with that is overcome by his repetitions in practice.' Smith has averaged 23 minutes per game in the first few exhibitions, but the minutes aren't the point. Karl is going to start homing in on rotations and the combinations of players he's going to use those first seven games -- five of which are on the road. That means Smith will get less playing time leading up to the season opener at month's end."
- Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News: "Spurs forward Marcus Haislip made a lifetime's worth of memories playing the past four seasons in Europe. Not all of them were good. There was the time in Turkey when some disorderly fans shot off flares in the middle of a game. He has been spat upon and pelted with coins from varying nations. 'One time, I saw a pocketknife fly on the floor,' Haislip recalled, shaking his head. 'The fans over there are crazy.' Through four preseason games back on U.S. soil, Haislip -- a former first-round draft pick of the Milwaukee Bucks -- has been reminded of one perk of playing in the NBA. 'They've actually got security here,' he said. 'So that's great.' Haislip's European escapade did more than simply prepare him for a perverse game of dodge-the-debris. To hear him tell it, it has prepared him for new life in the NBA. After four seasons overseas -- two in Turkey and two in Spain -- Haislip has resurfaced with the Spurs, eager to pick up where he left off before being forced across the Atlantic."
- Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: "A week or two after the trade that brought him to Charlotte, I called Boris Diaw a transformational player for the Bobcats. If you were at the open practice Thursday, you saw that description still applies. Diaw -- out most of the preseason with an ankle sprain -- fully participated. And in an hour or so, Diaw threw five passes you did not see previously in the preseason. You forget just how remarkable Diaw's hand skills are, how well he sees passing lanes through traffic in the lane. Almost immediately coach Larry Brown knew last preseason that this team's biggest problem was ball movement. Diaw was a great fix for that then and now."
- Lisa Dillman of the Los Angeles Times: "Either Blake Griffin was being his usual humble self or he hadn't been on the Internet all day because he seemed unaware of the compliment from Spurs Coach Gregg Popovich. 'He's a monster,' Popovich told reporters after the Clippers beat the Spurs, 93-90, on Wednesday in San Antonio. 'He deserved to be picked where he was picked, that's for sure.' Griffin smiled after being sufficiently reassured that monster was meant in the most complimentary way. 'That's cool; humbling,' Griffin said. 'For somebody like that ... somebody who has coached a lot of guys. Makes me feel good.' A day later, he was still inspired by having gone head to head against an All-Star fixture. Griffin remembered watching Duncan play in Duncan's first year in the league. 'It's weird, because you dream about it and you think about it,' Griffin said. 'But then when it actually happens, or is about to happen, you're like, 'Whoa. Is this actually about to happen?' ' "
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