Sekou Smith of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Hawks forward Josh Smith is ready to lead this season. Armed with a new contract, a renewed sense of his place on his team and eager to show that last season's playoff berth was more than just a stroke of luck, Smith is the driving force in unofficial workouts and pickup games at Philips Arena a month before training camp."
Childs Walker of The Baltimore Sun: "Asked whether he had Baltimore on his mind during his weeks in China, he said: 'Got to be. At the end of the day, you don't forget where you came from. I took Baltimore to Beijing with me, and now, I'm bringing Beijing back to Baltimore.' Anyone doubting Carmelo Anthony's love for his hometown need only peruse his tattoos, which include a Raven, an Oriole, the area code 410 and a WB for West Baltimore. The rec center in East Baltimore bears his name and continues as his chief charitable endeavor (Anthony contributes about $300,000 of the annual $500,000 budget). He remembered sitting in geography class, as a kid who rarely left his neighborhood, staring at maps of far-away places. He said he was overwhelmed in China to rub shoulders with the best athletes from those countries."
Frank Dell'Apa of the Boston Globe: "Injuries have cost Bill Walker playing time and, perhaps, millions of dollars. But rather than being burdened by regrets, Walker has retained his eagerness and optimism; he is, after all, living his dream in becoming a professional basketball player with the Celtics. And he plans to fully experience the opportunity. Walker, 20, has immersed himself in a new life, far from the uncertainties of his Huntington, W.Va., upbringing. He moved to Boston soon after being selected in the second round of the NBA draft in June, and has been concentrating on both physical conditioning and his contract."
Sam Amick of the Sacramento Bee: "... on an 11-day trip to Africa that concludes Monday, Shareef Abdur-Rahim said he was reminded how fortunate he is regardless of his future. While taking part in the same 'Basketball Without Borders' program that brought Kevin Martin and Ron Artest there last summer, Abdur-Rahim witnessed poverty and struggles that provided rich perspective. 'We have poverty in America, a lot of poor people,' the Kings forward said by phone from South Africa. 'But this is real poverty around here. It makes you extremely appreciative. It's the simple things you take for granted, like running water, a bathroom.'"
Cam Inman of the Contra Costa Times: "More light is being shed on Monta Ellis' twisted-up story about his mangled ankle. But the damage has already been done. To his ankle. To his credibility. To his leadership role. ... His punishment will be, first and foremost, get healthy as quick as he can. There'll likely be a stiff fine, but, really, how stiff can, say, a $500,000 penalty be if he still stands to pocket $65,500,000? Perhaps his penance should also be determined by how exactly he got hurt."
Alan Hahn of Newsday: "Zach Randolph is bracing himself for a second trade in as many years and a person close to the Knicks forward said he believes Memphis will be his destination. The Grizzlies and Knicks have had ongoing dialogue about Randolph over the summer and Donnie Walsh, who is still looking to add some shot-blocking to the roster, has interest in 7-foot center Darko Milicic."
O'Ryan Johnson of the Boston Herald: "[Then] Sacramento Kings forward Ron Artest pleaded no contest to domestic violence charges in March 2007. Golden State Warrior guard Stephen Jackson has had gun and strip club problems. Each man has landed in court, and both were hit with multiple game suspensions. [NBA Senior VP] Mike Bantom brushed off the criticism, saying that per capita the 450 NBA players are far better behaved than society as a whole. 'You take that number and match that against the number of players that have run-ins with the law, it's a very small percentage,' he said. 'I'll match our record against anybody. If you take that number of 450 guys, half of them have their own foundations to do things that help social causes.'"
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