Steve Kelley of The Seattle Times: "Nobody in the NBA, nobody, talks more trash these days than commissioner David Stern. He has belittled Seattle, a city that has supported his game for four decades. He has mocked citizens as solid as Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and Costco CEO Jim Sinegal. He has treated the state legislature and city council with finger-wagging disdain. Stern has trash talked so much this season that if he were a player, he would have fined himself. The trouble is, Stern's no good at it. Surely he knows his trash talking sounds clumsy. It's too much Park Avenue penthouse and not enough Rucker Park playground. He needs a trash talk intervention."
Claudia Rowe of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "Despite its quixotic overtones, Howard Schultz's expected attempt to prove that Clay Bennett and his partners acted in bad faith when they promised to try to keep the team in the Northwest could set up years of courtroom litigation -- less a legal slam dunk than an exhausting chess match. ... 'It's a long shot, practically speaking,' said Mike Hunsinger, a lawyer with long experience representing Seattle sports interests. 'But if I were advising Bennett, I'd be telling him to prepare for trial. I would think that Mr. Schultz will probably take this pretty seriously.' ... 'This is absolutely bizarre and almost certainly a loser,' said Marc Edelman, who teaches sports law at New York University Law School. 'I would be shocked if any court would rescind a contract where there's been substantial performance -- in this case, payment -- for failing to perform a small condition, which is subject to many interpretations anyway.'" (An Edelman blog entry on the case, which seems not to account for the "side letter.")
Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: "The Rockets will face the Jazz, Spurs or Suns in the first round, and without Yao Ming are not expected to be favored in any matchup. Part of that is because they lost last season when they did have home-court advantage. McGrady was not sure if the Rockets are as well-equipped to win a series this season. They are missing Yao, but have more depth, albeit are more inexperienced. 'It's a team sport,' McGrady said. 'We go out there and play as a team, compete as a team. I'm not out there by myself. That's what I tell people. Don't single me out.' But last season, he singled himself out. 'I singled myself out because I felt like it was the first time I was favored to win a playoff series, and I just wanted my teammates to relax and put all the pressure and attention on me,' McGrady said. 'It had to be on me. I was the guy handling the ball 90 percent of the time.'"
Dave D'Alessandro of The Star-Ledger: "From East Rutherford to Dakar, there is a trail of hope that carries DeSagana N'gagne Diop home. His job description is backup center, New Jersey Nets, but he carries the dreams of a small nation every time he puts on the uniform, and the proof is seen by Amadou Gallo Fall every day. Fall is not some third-world street agent. He is the Dallas Mavericks VP of International Affairs, but for those who understand the extraordinary work he has done over the past five years, he is the Branch Rickey of Africa -- an American-educated microbiologist who strives to promote the general welfare of kids who would normally never get out of Senegal."
T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times: "The NBA has a number of great players, such as Chris Paul, but with Bryant, like Michael Jordan, there is always the chance we will be watching something we might never see again. The notion, though, that he wants a championship ring more than everyone else is also ridiculous. He's just better than everyone else, his competitive drive usually resulting in success, while others who might compete with just as much heart and soul lack the overall Bryant talent. That's what makes Bryant the obvious choice for MVP every year, because he has such talent and delivers so often."
Ross Siler of The Salt Lake Tribune: "For the Jazz fan who bemoaned the strained hamstring and strained foot that once cost Carlos Boozer the equivalent of nearly a full season of games, tonight's game in San Antonio will mark a milestone of sorts. Boozer can match his career high by playing in his 81st game of the season. The only game Boozer has missed came when he sat out the Jazz's Nov. 30 victory over the L.A. Lakers with a sprained right ankle. 'I wish I could have played all 82,' Boozer said. 'That ankle messed me up. I'm very proud, you know, staying healthy. The last year has been very good and I'm looking forward to some more.'"
Paola Boivin of The Arizona Republic: "Are we there yet? Forget Utah. Never mind about Houston. I want the San Antonio Spurs to face the Suns in Round 1. Can you think of a more entertaining series? The Spurs and Public Enemy No. 1, 'Genghis' Bowen, against the Suns, a team that made a blockbuster trade primarily to shorten San Antonio's postseason. Some don't want the Spurs until later. I want them now."
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