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Baron Davis

• Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News: "I talked to people. Read the stories. Analyzed the personalities. And now I've decided: Brand's agent, David Falk, is the most likely candidate to have masterminded this. I'm saying if any one person put this together (and this has all the ear-marks of a one-genius creation), it was Falk, who formerly was the most powerful agent in the world back when his client Michael Jordan was winning championships."
• Gwen Knapp of the San Francisco Chronicle: "Baron Davis knows that the fans here may never forgive him, but also knows that he and the former wasteland known as Golden State went through a renaissance together. He brought glamour to the team, and not just through his locker-room visitors from Hollywood. His stunning dunk over Andrei Kirilenko in the 2007 playoffs, replayed endlessly, captured the dynamism of that team, a band of rejects who endeared themselves to NBA fans everywhere. Even as he heads south to go home, a huge piece of this multifaceted man will always represent the Bay Area, with barely two degrees of separation between Baron Davis the savior and Baron Davis the traitor."
• Cam Inman of the Contra Costa Times: "Now it's lights-camera-action for Boom Dizzle (as he refers to himself on his Yardbarker blog, where he's usually name-dropping or bragging about L.A.'s perfect weather). If the Clippers re-sign Elton Brand, they'll make noise not only in the Western Conference, but they could develop a great intracity rivalry with the Lakers. No need for the NFL in Los Angeles for a couple more years. Davis knows he'll be playing in Kobe Bryant's shadow. But Davis surely won't hide from the Hollywood spotlight. He'll embrace it, unless the Clippers revert to their classic form of perennial playoff outcast. Warriors fans shouldn't be speechless. There's another reason to shout: 'BEAT L.A.!'"
• Bill Plaschke of the Los Angeles Times: "Admit it, you thought that this summer, the Clippers were going back to Square One. Instead, on the most glorious July Tuesday in franchise history, they have leaped to Seed Seven. Baron Davis? Are you kidding me?"

Leaguewide

• Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News: "If the Spurs emerge from the Western Conference playoffs and win another NBA title next season they might have to consider giving a playoff share to Baron Davis. Davis' decision to opt out of the final year of his Golden State Warriors contract, which would have paid him $17.8 million, has set the table for the Spurs to make an offer to Clippers guard-forward Corey Maggette, just the sort of athletic wing man they have coveted for the past few seasons."
• Steve Politi of The Star-Ledger: "Look, it's no secret that James' BFF is Jay-Z, the rapper/Nets co-owner. That gives the Nets an edge that other teams -- including his current one -- lacks if James puts himself on the market. It could very well make them the leader for his services in two years. 'My friendship with Jay,' James said this week, 'was way before he became part-owner of the Nets.' But the friendship alone won't be enough if some not-so minor details aren't ironed out between now and 2010. The list of 'ifs' that must fall into place is long and daunting."
• Tom Knott of The Washington Times: "Ernie Grunfeld believes in the championship potential of these Wizards. He believes in the trio of Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison. He believes that these Wizards, if healthy, can play with anyone in the Eastern Conference and go deep into the playoffs. That was the implicit message as the Wizards announced the signing of Jamison on Tuesday, both sides coming to terms before the onset of free agency."
• Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee: "Ron Artest regrets returning to the Kings? Now what do you do? You entertain trade offers. Artest isn't one to sit around and watch the competition, and from the minute Baron Davis opted out of his contract with Golden State late Monday, the reverberations extended from Oakland to Sacramento. Suddenly, everything changed. Ron's good mood. Geoff Petrie's quiet plans. Beno Udrih's big day."
• Greg Johns of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: "With U.S. District Judge Marsha Pechman set to make her ruling on the Sonics' future Wednesday afternoon, one local attorney says the decision remains a jump ball. Randy Aliment, who specializes in commercial litigation and has been closely following the case, said it's impossible to know which way Pechman will rule after the waters were muddied by charges against the city and former Sen. Slade Gorton during the trial."
• Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press: "For all intents and purposes, Tuesday at Target Center was an NBA homecoming for Mike Miller, the South Dakota native and linchpin of the Timberwolves' mega-trade with Memphis last week. Wolves vice president Kevin McHale introduced the veteran swingman as a versatile shooter who can spread out defenders and create room for teammates. Those are lofty expectations befitting an eight-year NBA veteran and career 40 percent three-point shooter at the center of Minnesota's offseason makeover."
• Rick Telander of the Chicago Sun-Times: "Yes, we now know he is due in Kane County Court on July 11 to explain why he allegedly was going about 105 mph in a 65 mph zone on Interstate 88 in April. In a 2008 Land Rover reportedly registered to the Wasserman Media Group, the company that employs B.J. Armstrong, who works with Rose's agent, Arn Tellem. At 2:58 a.m. Not good. But Rose has never before even had a speeding ticket. Apparently, he wasn't drunk or stoned. And, by golly, I recall going 108 mph in my dad's car when I was a dumb-ass teenager a thousand years ago. So can we cut 19-year-old Derrick this one break? It still seems that whatever is in this youth is strong as a girder, straight as a laser, focused as a lens. He should be worthy of emulation by children, adulation by fans, respect by adults."
• Doug Smith of the Toronto Star: "Never let it be said that Bryan Colangelo dithers. In one blistering overnight period, the Raptor president and general manager put a lot of the finishing touches on his 2008-09 roster, leaving him with just a couple of minor moves to make before sitting back and watching other teams sweat out the rest of the NBA free-agent season. Colangelo got Jose Calderon locked up to a long-term contract and signed Roko Ukic and Hassan Adams to deals that leave him with just one more spot to fill to get to the pared-down roster he wants to give coach Sam Mitchell this season."

Summer League

• Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel : "Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley will pick up next week where they left off in last week's NBA Draft. After Rose went No. 1 to the Chicago Bulls and Beasley went No. 2 to the Heat, their professional debuts also will be linked, with the Heat to play the Bulls on Monday on the first day of the Orlando Pro Summer League. ... In addition to Beasley, also listed on the Heat's summer roster are second-round pick Mario Chalmers, returning Heat players Daequan Cook, Stephane Lasme and Kasib Powell, as well as former collegiate standouts Pat Calathes, Marco Killingsworth, David Padgett, Josh Duncan and Jason Richards."
• Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle: "The Rockets on Tuesday named their summer league team, led by Aaron Brooks, who was named the top rookie of last season's summer league; this season's draft choices, Donté Greene, Joey Dorsey and Maarty Leunen; and returning veterans Mike Harris and Loren Woods. Former University of Houston point guard Lanny Smith and former Texas A&M forward Joseph Jones also are part of the team. The Rockets' summer league team also includes former Kansas guard Russell Robinson, former UCLA forward Dijon Thompson, former Temple guard Mark Tyndale and guard Gustavo Barrera of Uruguay."
• Tim Buckley of the Deseret News "A game between the Jazz and the Olympic-qualified Iranian National Team highlight the schedule for this month's Rocky Mountain Revue summer league, which was released Tuesday. The Revue will be held July 18-25 at Salt Lake Community College's Lifetime Activities Center. ... Iran is one of three nations that make up the so-called 'Axis of Evil' -- the phrase used by President Bush in his 2002 State of the Union address to describe governments he accused of seeking weapons of mass destruction. Its national team will be playing in its first Olympic men's basketball tourney since 1948. The Iranians will be in the opposite group of Team USA in Beijing, and they feature 7-foot-5 center Jaber Rouzbahani -- who made himself eligible for, but went unselected in, the 2004 NBA Draft."