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Leaguewide

• Bob Kravitz of The Indianapolis Star: "Do it. Can I make it any clearer? It was reported Monday that the Indiana Pacers and Toronto Raptors are working on a deal that would send Jermaine O'Neal north for point guard T.J. Ford, post player Rasho Nesterovic, the No. 17 pick in the draft and some other odds and ends to make the deal work. Do it. Do it. ... A deal for Ford would give the rookie time to grow into his role. If Augustin blossoms quickly into a starter, Ford is either a solid backup or trade bait. Tinsley is done in Indiana. (Please, hold the applause until the end of the column.) If he's in a Pacers uniform when the season begins, I'll walk to Kokomo. If they can't move him, and good luck with that, they'll bite the bullet and buy him out."
• Mike Wells of The Indianapolis Star: "I spent time thinking about and talking to reporters, including former ones (Mark Montieth), to get their opinions about the talked about [deal. I thought it might be 50-50, but most of the reporters I talked to think it's a deal the Pacers should make because it's time for O'Neal and the Pacers to go their separate ways. By the sounds of things, it seems like most of you feel the same way. There appears to be one major sticking point with the deal, and it surrounds the key players involved. The Raptors have concerns about O'Neal's left knee and the Pacers are worried about Ford's durability."
  
• Doug Smith of the Toronto Star: "Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo had no comment on the Indiana talks, or any Ford speculation, yesterday. But it is glaringly apparent now that the Raptors are bent on finding a new home for Ford, 25, so they can hand the starting point guard duties to Jose Calderon."
• Chris Tomasson of the Rocky Mountain News: "Calvin Andrews said he was hoping for a one-game suspension because "no NBA player ever has gotten two games for a DUI." But Andrews realizes the NBA has come down harder in recent years on those who break the law, and he cited then-Sacramento coach Eric Musselman getting a two-game suspension after being convicted of driving under the influence in an August 2006 episode."
  
• Jean-Jacques Taylor of The Dallas Morning News: "Josh Howard's words -- the foolish ones he uttered on the radio before Game 3 of the playoff series against New Orleans about smoking marijuana during the off-season -- have tainted his reputation. But he refuses to run from his words. Or let them prevent him from being an asset to the communities in Dallas and his native North Carolina. Actually, he'll spend some more time dealing with the fallout from his words during the four-day basketball camp, which began Monday, that bears his name. You can't fool kids. They know what he said about smoking marijuana, whether they listened to it on the radio, read it or heard from their friends."
  

2008 NBA Draft

• Frank Isola of the New York Daily News: "Donnie Walsh's long-range plan is to make a play for LeBron James when James becomes a free agent in two years. In the interim, the Knicks' president is trying to clear salary cap space and assemble a few pieces that would make New York more appealing to James. One such player is USC guard O.J. Mayo, who could go as high as third in Thursday's draft. The Minnesota Timberwolves own the pick and the club is open to trading it. The Knicks, who select sixth, are looking to move up and are intrigued by Mayo, who like coach Mike D'Antoni hails from West Virginia. The fact that Mayo, regarded as the top combo guard in the draft, is good friends with James doesn't hurt."
• Dave D'Alessandro of The Star-Ledger: "Europe hasn't produced a single NBA star since early in the decade, when Tony Parker, Pau Gasol and Mehmet Okur came out of the 2001 draft. It has produced a large number of good but flawed players -- Boris Diaw, Andris Biedrins, Nenad Krstic and Sasha Vujacic the best of them. 'And most would say the jury is still out on (Andrea) Bargnani,' conceded Nets president Rod Thorn, referring to the Italian superstar who was picked first in the 2006 draft. 'The numbers are very interesting. They show that there is a lull as far as guys who are NBA eligible from Europe.' The bigger picture reveals that in just half a decade -- from 2000-01 to 2005-06 -- the number of Europeans in the NBA doubled from 26 to 52. But in the past two seasons, that number has dropped significantly, with 40 Euros on opening day rosters for 2007-08."
  
• David Moore of The Dallas Morning News: "The draft does more than refresh the league's talent pool. It's the excuse every team uses to float trial balloons and spark trade discussions. It allows general managers to assess the market value for their players and lays the groundwork for trades that may not take place for months. Think of the biggest trades that have taken place in the last year. Kevin Garnett to Boston. Jason Kidd to Dallas. Pau Gasol to LA. Shaquille O'Neal and Shawn Marion trading places. All of these players, with the exception of O'Neal, were the focus of intense speculation in the days leading up to last year's draft."
• Don Seeholzer of The Pioneer Press: "The Timberwolves held their final pre-draft workouts Monday, looking at three prospects, including a pair of projected top-10 guards in Arizona's Jerryd Bayless and Indiana's Eric Gordon. Vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale, in his last media session before Thursday's NBA draft, said he expects trade offers for the Wolves' third overall selection to heat up between now and then."
• Chris Herrington for The Memphis Flyer: "I spoke to Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace today about this and other draft-related matters. Wallace, as is his policy, declined to respond to the specific trade rumors, but did respond strongly to Ford's underlying premise. 'Were under no pressure to reduce salary. That is not true,' Wallace said, before allowing that 'we are looking at a number of proposals that could bring back a veteran player.'"
• Marc Berman of the New York Post: "Defending the perimeter has been one of the Knicks' biggest weaknesses during their tragic fall and perhaps they can address both at Thursday night's Draft. The Knicks are feeling UCLA 6-foot-3 sophomore point guard Russell Westbrook could be both an engine and stopper. The athletic, rugged guard has seen his stock explode since pre-draft workouts began earlier this month. With Arizona guard Jerryd Bayless starting to fall off the Knicks' radar, the Knicks are hoping O.J. Mayo falls to six. But that is unlikely. As such, Westbrook has emerged as a strong candidate for the Knicks, if he's even still there. There are rumblings Seattle, which was linked to Bayless, may opt for Westbrook instead. Indeed, one personnel director told The Post Bayless may sink the most Thursday night."
• Dave D'Alessandro of The Star-Ledger: "Now he doesn't know what to think. 'It's rarely been this fluid' after the first two picks, Rod Thorn said today. 'You've got so many things going on, so many iffy things, that you can only be sure of four individuals definitely going ahead of us.' The Nets pick 10th. The four guys Thorn is certain won't be available are Rose, Beasley, Mayo and Love. 'And that's it,' he said. 'Anybody else could be there. It's far too close to call at this point.'"
• Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer: "Ed Stefanski's first draft with the Sixers, for now, appears cut-and-dried. The team likes its position at No. 16, where it can take a power forward, a need Stefanski has identified as the top priority this off-season. Stefanski said his staff has whittled the list down to eight players, and he anticipates more than one will be available when the Sixers pick. Don't expect instant dividends, though. 'Whoever we draft is going to be a young man who we are going to have a structured program with mentorship,' Stefanski said. 'If you have a 19-year-old and you're going through that, I don't care who the kid is, you need some structure.'"
• Tim Buckley of the Deseret News: "It was the first Jazz draft conducted by current general manager Kevin O'Connor, and Utah tapped shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson -- then a 19-year-old from Washington Union High School near Fresno, Calif. Eight years later, Stevenson will soon begin his ninth season in the NBA -- and the Jazz again hold the No. 23 pick, this time in Thursday night's draft. Good pick? Bad pick? Something in between? With the benefit of hindsight, O'Connor wastes no time in making a case for 'good.' 'DeShawn Stevenson is a starter in this league, so that would answer the question,' he said."
• A. Sherrod Blakely of Booth Newspapers: "Tony Ronzone, Detroit's director of basketball operations, said one of the reasons the Pistons have had such success in the latter stages of the first and second rounds is because they look at factors that go beyond a player's skill level. 'You want good players, obviously, but we definitely have a certain identity, and that's tough-minded players who aren't afraid to mix it up,' Ronzone said. 'You need good players to win, but they have to be good fits for your team, too. We've been very fortunate to find a lot of good players who were good Pistons.'"