- Julian Benbow of The Boston Globe: "Leon Powe signed a two-year deal with the Cavaliers after the Celtics declined to make him a qualifying offer this summer. 'Initially, I was hurt,' said Powe. 'I was mad with what they said to me at first. But I had to realize myself it was a business. Not Doc, but management. So I take it and move on.' Powe believes he never got a valid explanation from the Celtics. 'One of them told me they didn't feel like waiting,' he said. he other one said they didn't have enough money. It was a lot of different stories, but it wasn't valid. So I said, if it's time for me to move on then it's time to move on. I called my agent and told him we've got to find somewhere else. I thought I was going to come back to that team. In my mind I thought I was going to get back on that team. And that's the business part. That's when they had to make a decision. Did they want to stay here and rehab so I can stay healthy or do they want to go move on and get somebody else? Which they made the choice.' "
- Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post: "There is no honor in the preseason, no revenge in an exhibition win. The Nuggets face the L.A. Lakers in back-to-back games beginning tonight in Anaheim, Calif., and concluding Friday in San Diego. The matchups, tonight on TNT and Friday on ESPN, will no doubt be laced by the broadcasters with Western Conference finals rematch overtones, even if they're subtle. But the Nuggets aren't looking at it that way against the team that eliminated them from last season's playoffs. Not even close. 'Of course we want to win, but we're just trying to get better at the end of the day,' forward Carmelo Anthony said. 'We're going to see them four times during the year. It's more on us and how we execute plays, how we bring practice into game situations. It ain't really too much on them.' "
- Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: "Amaré Stoudemire has been as confident in his comeback, often stating how he has improved since he started playing in voluntary pickup games about six weeks ago. A better indication of Stoudemire's return to form might come in that vocal swagger and other Suns' observations.'Amaré was the best I've seen him, getting back to attacking the basket,' forward Grant Hill said of Stoudemire's 27-point effort Tuesday. 'Early on, he's sort of been finding his rhythm and shooting a lot of jump shots. But when he's attacking the rim and getting to the free throw-line and mixing and matching, doing both that and shooting his jumper, he's a load. He was STAT. ... He's getting his comfort level so that's reassuring.' "
- John Canzano of The Oregonian: "Nate McMillan will not like this decision because it takes away a full-time player and gives the roster spot to someone who isn't ready. And general manager Kevin Pritchard won't like it because he promised Ime Udoka and Jarron Collins that their play on the court in the preseason would determine who won the spot. Neither owns the team, though. Allen made that clear through this decision, and right now, I think the Blazers owner got it right. Allen doesn't make day-to-day decisions. He isn't a distraction, like the Mavericks' Mark Cuban or the Cowboys' Jerry Jones. As owners go, if picking the final roster spot ends up being his only request, then I think you have to accept that it's a reasonable one. McMillan miffed? Pritchard frustrated? Sorry, but the Blazers haven't played well enough at spots 1-14 in the preseason to be in a position to stomp their feet over the No. 15 spot. The move simplifies McMillan's playing rotation by removing Udoka, who could play multiple positions. It saves Allen a few hundred thousand dollars in salary. And the upside of keeping Mills is infinitely higher than either Udoka or Collins, who are good guys but would never have been threats to start."
- Tom Enlund of the Journal Sentinel: "There are any number of factors that will determine how successful the Milwaukee Bucks will be this season, not the least of which will be at the foul line. And it won't just be how well the Bucks shoot their free throws that will be important, but also how often they visit the foul line. The Bucks haven't fared very well in either department during the preseason as they have made 135 of 195 free throws (69.2%) while their opponents have made 209 of 276 (75.7%). In other words, the opposition has made more free throws than the Bucks have attempted. That's partly due to the fact that in the first two exhibition games Minnesota made 50 of 56 free throws and Detroit made 31 of 46, but there are other factors involved also. 'We've had two really high (opponents') numbers that have skewed it a little bit,' said coach Scott Skiles after Wednesday's practice. 'But we have fouled too much. The thing that has bothered me more, though, is our free-throw percentage. I don't know yet if we're going to be a team that is going to get to the line a lot or not.' "
- Iliana Limon of the Chicago Tribune: "A pair of shoes could end up costing the University of Central Florida nearly $2 million a year. UCF promised Marcus Jordan, son of NBA legend Michael Jordan, that he could wear his father's Nike Air Jordan brand for the Knights' basketball team this season. The problem? UCF has an exclusive $1.9 million contract with Adidas that requires all coaches and athletes to use the company's shoes, apparel and game equipment. And now UCF and Adidas are at an impasse, leaving an 18-year-old freshman with a famous father caught in middle. 'When I was being recruited, we talked about it,' said Marcus Jordan, who led Young to the 4A title last season. 'They said they had talked to the Adidas people and it wasn't going to be a problem. I think everybody understands how big of a deal it is for my family.' The deal has strained the relationship between UCF and one of its most important business partners, complicating current contract renewal negotiations. The university's agreement with the company expires in 2010."
- Brian Windhorst of The Plain Dealer: "Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor namedropped LeBron James on Wednesday as one of the people he'd turned to during his struggles this season. After Wednesday's exhibition game at Ohio State between the Cavaliers and Boston Celtics, James explained how he's aided the OSU sophomore. 'It's a personal relationship. I've been trying to mentor him and trying to get him through life in the spotlight, which I've been through,' James said. 'Being that No. 1 guy and how do you adjust to it and how do you get through it while still performing at a high level. Sometimes it can be difficult on someone, and I'm trying to be that guy that can really help him get through a lot of situations which he's never seen before. I've known him for a few years, but our relationship started a few months ago. When I was contacted and asked if it was possible for me to reach out to the kid and, you know me, that's a no-brainer. Our relationship has grown within the last few months. I try to keep up on him on game days and wish him luck throughout the week. At the end of the day it is a lot more than just football or basketball. I know because I've seen it all from when I was a prep kid and now as a professional.' "
- Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News: "No doubt yesterday was a tough one for Dionte Christmas, who, along with Brandon Bowman, was released. It also was difficult for Eddie Jordan and Ed Stefanski to let go of the Temple and Samuel Fels High product. 'Dionte, I can't say enough about the kid,' Stefanski said. 'We brought him in the summer league, that's why we brought him here. He has to get seasoning, he has to get experience. Is he an NBA player? I think eventually he will be an NBA player. But it takes time to get that.' Added Jordan: 'If we have a situation where we need to call somebody up, he would be first in our minds, no doubt about it.' There was a theory circulating that, if the Sixers were going to carry a 14th man, Christmas might fit the bill. The theory suggested that a 14th guy should have a special skill, and Christmas is a good shooter. But if Christmas was crushed by the news, agent Andre Buck said he has not shown it. 'I told his father that Dionte's the best I've ever seen at handling a situation like this, in terms of the process,' Buck said. "It's tough, because it's not a friendly process; there are always guys out there that teams are looking at. And there are guys who were in the NBA last season that are looking around.' "
- Ronald Tillery of The Commercial-Appeal: "The NBA sure understands Spanish-speaking players and the importance of their audience. With 15 percent of the league's total fan base being Hispanic (roughly 18 million), the NBA launched a new campaign this week to help grow interest. Marc Gasol is among several players who will contribute to the league's most comprehensive Hispanic campaign yet. 'It's great,' Gasol said. 'It's not just Spain. But everybody in Mexico and South America loves the NBA. I'm excited about it. It's new for me because I haven't been in many campaigns.' "
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