Celtics vs. Lakers

• Jay Mariotti of the Chicago Sun-Times: "... it can be concluded unequivocally that avoiding Chicago is the best thing ever to happen to Kobe. While the Bulls crumbled beneath rumors of his arrival and never recovered, free-falling to a current disarray that finds Jerry Reinsdorf and John Paxson feebly unable to name a coach, Bryant is entrenched as the biggest star in American sports who doesn't swing a golf club. In a transformation no one could have anticipated even in Hollywood, Bryant left behind his daily trade demands and anti-management attacks, united with his Lakers teammates, finally melded his extraordinary talents with Phil Jackson's vision and evolved into one of the greatest players and finishers ever."
• Dave Krieger of the Rocky Mountain News: "Here comes the Nuggets' latest consolation, not to mention proof of the vast karmic conspiracy against them. Assuming the Lakers outlast the Celtics in the NBA Finals that begin tonight, it will be three times in four years the Nuggets' first-round playoff opponent will have gone on to win the championship. This makes it possible to argue that getting wiped out in the first round five years running is sort of a mirage. You're going to get knocked out when you play the eventual champs; it's just the Nuggets' luck they always seem to get them right away. The only hiccup in this perfectly rational paranoia is the R-rated loss to the Clippers in '06. We came up with a whole other set of rationalizations for that one."
• Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News: "Mitch Richmond knows: The single greatest common thread between Jordan and Bryant is their ability and hunger to destroy every opponent in their paths. Belittle Bryant's cold arrogance all you want. Call him selfish. Rail about his sense of entitlement. But you can't deny that Kobe and Jordan are the only two guards who have played the game like this. 'Both guys, when they've got you in a cage, they're going to keep you in there,' Richmond said this week. 'They're going to kill you and keep killing you until you're dead.'"
• Michael Wilbon of The Washington Post: " ... the Celtics once upon a time had the blackest team in the NBA and the league's first black coach; everybody knows the Celtics are synonymous with whiteness, the team of white superstars and scrubs alike. When white players became an endangered species in the NBA in the late 1970s, the Celtics at times seemed to be the only team that could find any. And it became, fairly or not, a big chunk of the team's identity, of why the Celtics were hated or beloved, depending on one's point of view. Their appearance was as noticeable as their athletic brilliance. And at a time when pop culture was telling us white men couldn't jump, the Celtics were a cultural curiosity and sometimes an obsession. Yet, when the Celtics take the floor for Game 1 of the NBA Finals here Thursday night, chances are pretty good there won't be one white player in uniform. Brian Scalabrine and Scot Pollard are on the roster, but it's likely they'll be inactive and therefore not in uniform." 
• Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "A franchise such as the Heat and a player such as Wade would be deluding themselves to believe the fast track is easily navigated. Hard work, visionary insight and dogged determination did not resurrect the Celtics or the Lakers. It took something far more difficult to conjure: A patsy. Take Kevin Garnett off the Celtics and you have, well, last year's Celtics. Take Pau Gasol off the Lakers and you have, well, everything that nearly drove Bryant to the Bulls in the first place. The blueprint rests not in the offensive efficiency the Lakers deliver to these Finals nor the defensive fervor offered by the Celtics. It rests in conniving, finding the perfect stumblebum."
• Dave Feschuk of the Toronto Star: "At least one Raptor made it to the NBA final. Chris Bosh, the Toronto all-star, spent yesterday interviewing a long list of Celtics and Lakers as a correspondent for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Bosh said his gig was essentially an on-camera job interview for possible future employment with the late-night variety show, the results of which are expected to air tonight."

Leaguewide 

• Krista Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press: "Some question whether, given his lack of experience, he can command the respect needed to deal with the egos and viewpoints of NBA players, especially the veterans he likely would inherit in Detroit. The truth is no one, not even Dumars, will know for sure until Curry is in the boss' chair. But there are the reasons Dumars believes in him. Curry played in the league for 11 seasons despite being undrafted out of Georgia Southern. He made his mark not with extraordinary talent but with hard work and basketball smarts, and he demanded the same from his more-talented teammates. Although he was 6-feet-5, small for a forward, he managed to gain playing time by doing the little things teams need to win. He served as a leader in that sense, despite not being a leading scorer."
• Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer: "I have an idea, and on the surface it will seem a bit reckless, but hear me out: The Bobcats should consider trading for Detroit Pistons big man Rasheed Wallace. ... This could work in part because Larry Brown will coach the Bobcats. From what I hear, Brown and Wallace had a great relationship in Detroit, winning a championship together. Wallace speaks warmly of Brown, whom he calls 'Pounds,' as in Brown's initials, L.B. Reuniting them could be just the tweak to get the Bobcats into the playoffs. If I were the Bobcats, I'd at least consider giving up the ninth pick, a couple of players and some salary-cap space to make that happen."
• Monte Poole of the Contra Costa Times: "Don Nelson has decided to fulfill the final year of his contractual obligation to coach the Warriors. Great for him, great for the team, great for its fans. Great, however, wasn't enough for Nellie. He had to complicate matters by floating the possibility of staying in Oakland for another four years. Our response? Oh, please, no. One more year should mean another mercurial 82-game run, another year of teaching and 6 1/2 months for Nelson's farewell tour. Anything more, though, and he's getting in the way."
• John DeShazier of The Times-Picayune: "The most important item on the Hornets' spring/summer to-do list remains unchecked. It will stay that way until July, when the team officially can offer Chris Paul his contract extension and CP3 -- if he's as happy as he should be with the way things are progressing in New Orleans -- can accept it and lead the Hornets to the playoffs for years and years. But the team now has checked a pretty big to-do off the list, with Coach Byron Scott signing his two-year extension."
• Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press: "For billionaire Glen Taylor, owning the Timberwolves is equally as enjoyable and important as owning the Lynx, his WNBA team that is off to a 5-0 start. 'There are two parts to that: the emotional part -- wanting to win and knowing the staff and the members, the people part,' Taylor said. 'To me, people-wise, that's equal. These are people that I enjoy and value. I can't sort out that some people are more important to me than other people. My big business or my little business, I like all the people, and I want them all to be successful. ...Where it's different is the financial risk, business-wise, money-wise. One (Timberwolves) is a huge amount of money and opportunity and reward. The other (Lynx) is that if you do the very best, you're going to hardly make anything. And if you do worse, you're going to lose a lot less.'"
• Greg Johns of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "Former Sonics star Gus Williams, the leader of the 1979 NBA title team, can't imagine Seattle without its professional basketball franchise. The man whose No. 1 jersey hangs in the rafters at KeyArena said Wednesday he felt it was time to come out in public support of his favorite fans and their team. 'If you know my past, I'm not the most accessible guy with the media,' Williams said. 'But this hits home. Seattle is my second home and really made my career. It's only fair to come out and say something.' ... 'It's unbelievable and an insult for a major city like Seattle to be without a professional basketball franchise. ... It's embarrassing. If the Sonics leave it will be a travesty. I don't know all the details, but I know this isn't the way it was supposed to go down.'"

2008 NBA Draft

• Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "The Heat continued its draft preparations, conducting workouts with four second-tier prospects Wednesday at AmericanAirlines Arena, all, at best, options with the team's No. 52 second-round pick. The session featured University of Houston senior guard Dion Dowdell, Nevada senior guard Marcelus Kemp, Davidson senior guard Jason Richards and Development League guard Mike Taylor, who spent this past season with the Idaho Stampede after being dismissed from Iowa State."
• Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal: "The Griz begin draft workouts today with an emphasis on their No.28 pick. Israeli forward Omri Casspi, Southern California's Davon Jefferson and Mississippi State's Charles Rhodes are scheduled to participate. Workouts resume Monday, geared toward evaluating higher-profile players -- UCLA's Kevin Love and Texas A&M's DeAndre Jordan -- expected to be available when the Griz select fifth overall. Convincing other top-10 talent to come to town has been a bit more challenging because of circumstances that aren't isolated to Memphis. A relatively brief timeframe between the end of the NBA's pre-draft camp and the June 26 draft, simple logistics and considerable agent influence have muddled the process for several teams."
• Alan Hahn of Newsday: "I'm expecting Donnie Walsh will keep us guessing until draft night. What do you make of the six he brought in to work out on Wednesday? You're talking about two very tantalizing projects in Joe Alexander and JaVale McGee and a sort of potential Rajon Rondo-type in Russell Westbrook. Chase Budinger is a late first-rounder at best. Sundiata Gaines and Steven Hill? Euroleague bound, for sure. None are the type you take at sixth overall, so you have to figure there are a few players here to consider if he swaps the six for a pair of picks later in the first. Or if he somehow picks up another first. Or second."
• Steve Adamek of The Record: "Whatever the Knicks do with Stephon Marbury for next season, even if it's just letting him play out his contract, Russell Westbrook knows they'll need a point guard, sooner or later. The UCLA product also knows, like some of his fellow potential draftees, that he'd love to play Mike D'Antoni's system. ... 'It's great,' he said. 'I can play like that.' ... 'I like to pass,' he said after D'Antoni and Walsh watched assistant coach Herb Williams work him out. 'I like to get my teammates involved first, then go from there, find my shot whenever it's open, but try to get everybody involved first.'"
• Al Iannazzone of The Record: "Kansas forward Darrell Arthur, who could be available at No. 10 if the Nets keep the pick, Indiana power forward D.J. White, Washington State guard Derrick Low, St. John's guard Eugene Lawrence, Massachusetts forward Gary Forbes and North Carolina guard Wayne Ellington worked out Wednesday. Kiki Vandeweghe was impressed by Arthur and White, but this was just Day One. Workouts continue today with athletic Nevada 7-footer JaVale McGee, Stanford center Robin Lopez, Nevada shooting guard Marcelus Kemp and Arkansas swingman Sonny Weems."
• Dave D'Alessandro of The Star-Ledger: "Right off the bat, here's one thing the Nets have to like about Darrell Arthur: He has high standards. A cornerstone of Kansas' NCAA champion two months back, the 6-9 forward went through his first of 10 predraft workouts yesterday and practically gave himself failing marks across the board. 'It was kind of slow. I was nervous out there,' the otherwise poised and polite Dallas native said after working out for Nets officials at the team's practice site in East Rutherford. 'It was pretty cool for the most part, but I don't think I worked out that (well). It was my first one.'"
• Richard Walker of the Gaston Gazette: "The Bobcats brought in three ACC standouts in DeMarcus Nelson of Duke, Jason Rich of Florida State and Sean Singletary of Virginia in addition to Jamont Gordon of Mississippi State, Malik Hairston of Oregon and Courtney Pigram of East Tennessee State. The Bobcats have established finding another point guard and another post player as their priorities in this draft."
• Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: "D. J. Augustin, who spent two seasons at the University of Texas, was one of six players who worked out for the Pacers on Wednesday at Conseco Fieldhouse. North Carolina point guard Ty Lawson, former Ben Davis High School guard Stanley Burrell (Xavier), Ohio State guard Jamar Butler, Kansas center Sasha Kaun and Nebraska center Aleks Maric were the others. Augustin was the main attraction because several mock drafts have the Pacers taking him at No. 11 in the June 26 draft. 'I did my research on them and they are a great team and they do need a point guard,' Augustin said after the two-hour workout. 'Hopefully I can show I can help the team as much as possible.'"
• Jeff Rabjohns of The Indianapolis Star: "Ty Lawson said the Pacers are the first of six teams for which he'll work out, followed by Cleveland, Denver, Washington, Portland and Sacramento. ... What is he hearing from NBA teams about his size? ... 'They think it's mismatch or (isolation) thing, but I'm a strong guard so it's not like they're going to back me down and score like that. I feel like the size isn't a matter when it comes to me playing bigger players.'"
• Jerry Brown of the East Valley Tribune: "The Suns scouting staff got a look at LSU forward Anthony Randolph and Syracuse small forward Donte Greene in separate, one-hour, individual workouts on Wednesday. The 6-foot-10 Randolph is projected by many to a top-10 pick but might slide a bit after weighing in at just 197 pounds at the Orlando pre-draft camp. He chose not to speak with the media Wednesday. ... Texas point guard D.J. Augustin is the big name expected on Friday while Stanford center Robin Lopez and Floridas Marreese Speights are scheduled to be among Sundays group."
• Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun: "Robin Lopez stood out yesterday as the Raptors, holders of the 17th pick at the June 26th NBA draft, held their second day of pre-draft workouts at the Air Canada Centre. Lopez showed his stuff alongside 7-foot-1 Ohio State freshman Kosta Koufos, 6-foot-10 California forward Ryan Anderson, 6-foot-11 Rider big man Jason Thompson, Gonzaga guard Jeremy Pargo and Michigan State guard Drew Neitzel. Both Koufos and Lopez have been bandied about as possibilities to be taken before the Raptors pick, so director of player personnel Jim Kelly was pleased that the duo travelled to do drills and scrimmage for the team."
• Tim Povtak of the Orlando Sentinel: On Wednesday, they watched shooting guards such as Chris Douglas-Roberts (Memphis), Brandon Rush (Kansas), Courtney Lee (Western Kentucky), and Mark Tyndale (Temple). There is no guarantee that the Magic will take one of those they brought in this week, leaving open the possibility of trading a few spots up or down in the draft. Although they currently do not have a second-round choice, having sent it to Miami to sign Coach Stan Van Gundy, they are expected to trade for one on draft night.
• Tim Buckley of the Deseret News: "Roy Hibbert really does sense a match, and Kevin O'Connor thinks he knows why. 'I think there are people that recognize that maybe they could fit into a position, or a place, here,' the Jazz GM said. Let Hibbert, the first of what is bound to be several bona fide big-men prospects working out in Utah this month, expound. 'There's rich history of ... tradition of ... winning here,' he said. 'And I'd love to try to be, like, a little cog in their little clockwork. To do my part.'"