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In the SEATTLE TIMES, Jayda Evans writes “it’s a position she envisioned 15 years ago. When Storm star Sue Bird began playing basketball on the neighborhood courts in Syosset, N.Y., there wasn’t a visible professional women’s league like the WNBA. The Olympics were her dream. She also saw her desired future. “When I was watching that game, I said, ‘I’d love to play for that team,’ Bird said. ‘It became my goal. That’s when it was really real.’ More than a decade later, in Beijing beginning next week, Bird will be part of a different era for U.S. women’s basketball. She’s the leader of a group that has experienced losing in the red, white, and blue uniform. It’s a team that wants to use this Olympics to put fear back in the world that has seen the Americans aren’t invincible.?

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In the SEATTLE TIMES, Jayda Evans writes “it’s a position she envisioned 15 years ago. When Storm star Sue Bird began playing basketball on the neighborhood courts in Syosset, N.Y., there wasn’t a visible professional women’s league like the WNBA. The Olympics were her dream. She also saw her desired future. “When I was watching that game, I said, ‘I’d love to play for that team,’ Bird said. ‘It became my goal. That’s when it was really real.’ More than a decade later, in Beijing beginning next week, Bird will be part of a different era for U.S. women’s basketball. She’s the leader of a group that has experienced losing in the red, white, and blue uniform. It’s a team that wants to use this Olympics to put fear back in the world that has seen the Americans aren’t invincible.?

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In the SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, Rusty Simmons writes “Warriors guard Monta Ellis provided a variety of camera-ready facial expressions but insisted he’s not the new face of the franchise Tuesday in his first public statements since signing a lucrative deal five days earlier. Ellis, a 6-foot-3, 177-pound fourth-year player, signed a six-year, $67 million deal Thursday. Whether he likes it or not, he’s the highest-paid and most-featured player on the Golden State roster since Baron Davis bolted for the Los Angeles Clippers. Still, Ellis spent the majority of a 13-minute news conference juking eight variations of a question about being “the man,” offering dramatic pauses and playing with verbiage.?

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In the SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE, Rusty Simmons writes “Warriors guard Monta Ellis provided a variety of camera-ready facial expressions but insisted he’s not the new face of the franchise Tuesday in his first public statements since signing a lucrative deal five days earlier. Ellis, a 6-foot-3, 177-pound fourth-year player, signed a six-year, $67 million deal Thursday. Whether he likes it or not, he’s the highest-paid and most-featured player on the Golden State roster since Baron Davis bolted for the Los Angeles Clippers. Still, Ellis spent the majority of a 13-minute news conference juking eight variations of a question about being “the man,” offering dramatic pauses and playing with verbiage.?

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In HOUSTON CHRONICLE, Richard Justice writes “let’s get the basketball stuff out of the way first, because that’s the easy part. Any conversation about next season’s NBA champion will include the Rockets, and when is the last time that was the case? Ron Artest doesn’t just make this team better. He makes it dramatically better. He brings a dimension of mental and physical toughness the Rockets haven’t had. He’s a lock-down defensive player and is coming off a season in which he averaged 20.5 points and 5.8 rebounds. If he behaves himself, the Rockets will have three of the NBA’s 30 best players. Rick Adelman will have all kinds of flexibility in regard to matchups and tempo. The Lakers, Spurs and Hornets may have comparable talent, but no Western Conference team will have more.?

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In HOUSTON CHRONICLE, Richard Justice writes “let’s get the basketball stuff out of the way first, because that’s the easy part. Any conversation about next season’s NBA champion will include the Rockets, and when is the last time that was the case? Ron Artest doesn’t just make this team better. He makes it dramatically better. He brings a dimension of mental and physical toughness the Rockets haven’t had. He’s a lock-down defensive player and is coming off a season in which he averaged 20.5 points and 5.8 rebounds. If he behaves himself, the Rockets will have three of the NBA’s 30 best players. Rick Adelman will have all kinds of flexibility in regard to matchups and tempo. The Lakers, Spurs and Hornets may have comparable talent, but no Western Conference team will have more.?

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The ASSOCIATED PRESS reports, “whether it’s shooting a 3, driving to the basket, or just scoring inside, the U.S. women’s basketball post players have an incredible amount of versatility in their games. Gone are the days when post players would score only in the paint. This talented group can score anywhere on the court. ‘One through five, this might be the most versatile post team in a long time,’ center Lisa Leslie said. ‘Players who can shoot from the outside and the inside. Everyone is going to have an opportunity. It’s like an orchestra, everyone plays a different instrument and at some point you will have a solo.’ Leslie may be the very reason that some of her young teammates are so versatile.?

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The ASSOCIATED PRESS reports, “whether it’s shooting a 3, driving to the basket, or just scoring inside, the U.S. women’s basketball post players have an incredible amount of versatility in their games. Gone are the days when post players would score only in the paint. This talented group can score anywhere on the court. ‘One through five, this might be the most versatile post team in a long time,’ center Lisa Leslie said. ‘Players who can shoot from the outside and the inside. Everyone is going to have an opportunity. It’s like an orchestra, everyone plays a different instrument and at some point you will have a solo.’ Leslie may be the very reason that some of her young teammates are so versatile.?

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In the CHICAGO TRIBUNE, K.C. Johnson writes “Deng and his representative, Jason Levien, certainly had plenty of reason to, given that many league observers decried Deng’s decision to turn down a five-year, $57.5 million deal last off-season. Not only did Deng get more money and a higher annual average, he got it from the organization with which he wanted to remain. ‘This is where he wanted to be,’ Levien said. “We are very happy that Luol’s contract is agreed to, and both sides can look forward to this season with him secure in his position with the Bulls,’ general manager John Paxson wrote in an e-mail. ‘Lu has been a very important part of our team for four years, and we feel strongly that he will be a fixture for many years to come. He is only 23 years old and one of the best young small forwards in the game, so we are happy to have the contract done.’”

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