Sam Amick of The Sacramento Bee: “The Ron Artest media tour continued over the weekend, when the Kings small forward submitted his longest e-mail rant yet to ESPN’s Marc Stein. Having already shared his regret over not opting out of his contract last month after learning he wasn’t in the Kings’ long-term plans, Artest expressed a desire to be traded and claimed he was “blinded by friendship” with the Maloof family that owns the Kings. A day later, Kings co-owner Joe Maloof had a message for his conflicted player.”
Marty Burns of CNNSI.com: “The Lakers have much more at stake in this deal, and thus much more to lose. For one, Artest, never shy about wanting to showcase his scoring ability, might not be willing to learn the triangle offense. Second, there is no guarantee that the self-titled Tru Warior won’t cut out in midseason to promote a rap CD for his Hollywood pals. Even Phil Jackson, who once dealt with Dennis Rodman, might not want to take on that kind of challenge.”
Howard Beck of The New York Times: “Foster was interviewed by investigators, according to a statement released by the N.B.A. “The government had complete access to Tim Donaghy’s phone records and thoroughly investigated this matter, including conducting an interview of referee Scott Foster,” the league said. “The government has said that they have found no evidence of criminal conduct aside from that of Mr. Donaghy.” Reached by Fox on the same cellphone number that was in the phone records, Foster declined to comment on his relationship with Donaghy and the nature of the calls. Asked if he were being investigated, Foster said, “Not that I know of.”
Marc Berman of the New York Post: “Under-the-gun Stephon Marbury, sporting his new head tattoo of his Starbury 3 logo, sat on Knicks bench in dark shades, looking unworried. But a reporter from Italy told D’Antoni in Italian he liked Marbury and the Knicks coach laughed and retorted in Italian, “You like Marbury?” (Hat tip: RealGM)
Preetom Bhattacharya of HoopsHype: “Kevin Love’s debut went exactly the way his college career did – a seemingly easy double-double. A noticeably slimmer Love struggled during the first half, admitting that he was a little bit nervous and needed some time to adjust to the increased speed of the game. But after he did that, the game came to Kevin, as he finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds. After the game, Love talked about how much he hates losing, citing his great record last season with UCLA as a reason he’s simply not used to this feeling; he vowed that it was “unacceptable” to love and he’d have to come in and do more to help the team win. Oh, and Love’s vaunted outlet pass was nicely on display – that thing is an absolute gem of a weapon that Randy Wittman is likely salivating over.”
Dave Del Grande of The Sports Xchange/CBSSports.com: “David Stern has insisted for years the Western Conference dominance both during the NBA regular season and in the playoffs was just a phase. In a quickly changing landscape, it now appears he was right. Shortly after the top dog in the East — Boston — easily dispensed of the Lakers in the NBA Finals, the East made the biggest early splash in free agency, with the up-and-coming 76ers swiping Elton Brand from the Clippers.”
Chris Colston of USA TODAY: “It’s a great move if O’Neal is healthy,” says ESPN analyst Hubie Brown. “But that’s a helluva ‘if.’ And they’re going to miss the Ford kid, no doubt about that.” Last year the Raptors finished 41-41, losing in the first playoff round to the Orlando Magic in five games. That series exposed Toronto’s weaknesses, primarily rebounding and defense. The 6-11 O’Neal, who has averaged 9.6 rebounds and 2.4 blocks since becoming a regular in 2000-01, could help there.”
C.L. Brown of The (Louisville) Courier Journal: “Prince was chosen for the 2008 Olympic team headed for Beijing because of his intangibles and willingness to do grunt work — not in spite of those things. But having a roster built with a team concept and roles for each player is no guarantee of a gold medal. Prince, a former University of Kentucky standout who won the 2004 NBA title with the Detroit Pistons, said the world has caught up with the United States.”
