Geoff Calkins of The Commercial-Appeal: The Grizzlies kept the core together by signing Randolph to a new deal in July. They signed Allen to a new deal the summer before that. Next summer, Gasol will be a free agent, and every Grizzlies fan is hoping he chooses to stay in Memphis. In the meantime, there is another year. With new players in town to replace some of the old. Mike Miller, James Johnson and Ed Davis have given way to Vince Carter, Jarnell Stokes and Jordan Adams. Could these Grizzlies win it all? There was a lot of bold talk about that Monday. And, I guess, you never know. Dallas won the title three years ago and nobody ever thought that would happen. But it’s not just about titles, no matter what you hear. It’s about the whole exhilarating chase. It’s about winning hearts in pursuit of those elusive titles. So Tuesday at practice, that pursuit begins again. For the fifth straight year, it is led by four players who will forever be known by their first names in this town, by Marc and Mike and Tony and Z-Bo. “We’ve done some good things,” Gasol said, “but there’s more good things to do.” All of Memphis is counting on it.

Scott Cacciola of The New York Times: If any doubt lingered over whether Carmelo Anthony had finally emerged from the dungeon of despair that was the 2013-14 season, he seemed determined to squash it on Monday when he took the dais at the Knicks’ training center. He used words like “excited” (six times), “fun” (four times) and “rejuvenated” (once). He talked about embracing the opportunity to start fresh in a new system. He cited recent conversations about the triangle offense with N.B.A. luminaries including Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. He spoke of his improved conditioning, his belief in his teammates and the long journey before them. With the Knicks set to begin training camp Tuesday at West Point, Anthony sounded as if he had just returned from an ashram. “I have a lot of clarity,” he said. "A lot of understanding."

Roderick Boone of Newsday: Derek Jeter's farewell tour touched the Nets' Kevin Garnett, who at 38 is weeks away from tipping off his 20th season in the NBA. "Watching Jeter and his whole thing has been inspiring," Garnett said Monday, "and what I took fromit is to enjoy this because you never know when it's going to be your last." Garnett has been heeding that mind-set in his first three days of training camp. He's still the same exuberant trash talker whose voice sometimes reverberates around the gym. He runs a few plays in a halfcourt set before coming out and standing on the baseline. He talks with assistant coach Joe Wolf for a few moments. Seconds later, as Bojan Bogdanovic starts getting into position on a play, Garnett tells the newcomer where to go. Like a kid who can't sit still, Garnett wraps Mirza Teletovic's torso with a playful bear hug. He bounces over to pick up Deron Williams after a spill, but others beat him to it. He walks to a different part of the court, watching as coach Lionel Hollins puts players through another halfcourt drill. Mindful of his elite company -- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Robert Parish and Kevin Willis are the only others in NBA history to play 20 or more seasons -- Garnett isn't taking what may be his final year for granted. He's backing up his comment to the man who drafted him No. 5 overall in 1995 for the Timberwolves.

J. Michael of CSN Washington: Paul Pierce has been here less than two weeks, and already he's exercising control of the Wizards as they were wrapping up Media Day at Verizon Center on Monday. "Last question," he kept shouting to a sizable media horde around Wall. "Let's go." And like that, it ended. Pierce had to do a photo shoot with him. Pierce spoke for the first time since joining the Wizards as a free agent this offseason. His teammates are getting to know him. And even though he's 37 and won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics, this still is John Wall's and Bradley Beal's team. Even Pierce admitted that much. So what have Wall and Beal learned from him in this short time? Beal: "I'm going to take his cockiness, his arrogance, his trash-talking implement it all into my game and try to be like him. ... For us to be able to have him on this team, it's a great look for us. It just shows what we're capable of doing. This is a young team on the rise and he wanted to be a part of it. "This is John's and (my) team. It starts with us. We have to lead by example and be vocal leaders as well. The ship doesn't move unless we both move. For Paul to say that, it's a little bit of pressure but it's expectations we've already put on ourselves."

Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe: Evan Turner will get a third opportunity to prove worthy of being the second overall pick in the 2010 NBA Draft, and he fully understands the perception that he has been a bust through the first four years of his career. While he flourished at times with the 76ers, he never became the expected cornerstone. And the Pacers’ acquiring him last February as perhaps the missing piece for a title run failed miserably as he spent most of the playoffs on the bench. So he is now with the Celtics, having officially signed a two-year contract for just under $7 million to compete for minutes at both guard positions and small forward. When at his best, Turner is a versatile scorer with a formidable post game, but his career has been marred by inconsistency and he’s had solid, but not stellar, numbers. “I just think the bigger thing, whatever is with the numbers and stuff, I think sometimes I get misunderstood,” he said Monday at media day.

Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune: The Wolves have until October’s end to sign Ricky Rubio to a contract extension. If they don’t, he’ll become a restricted free agent next July. “I want to respect that, and I don’t want to talk to the media about my contract situation,” Rubio said. “My agent’s dealing with that.”

Candace Buckner of The Indianapolis Star: It wasn't as dramatic as man's first steps on the moon, but as Paul George walked gingerly Monday afternoon, it was a giant leap for Indiana Pacers' fans. George, who severely broke his leg nearly two months ago and is expected to miss the 2014-15 season, walked without the assistance of a boot on to the Bankers Life Fieldhouse court to pose for photographs during the team's media day session. Though George was likely sans boot only for the photos, these latest steps show the progress he has made since the injury. On Aug. 1 during a USA Basketball exhibition game in Las Vegas, George suffered a fracture so gruesome that bone pierced through his skin. However, George has recently been seen moving without a crutch. Last Thursday, George participated in the team's annual golf outing and walked around a putting green on his own power. Now, George has another milestone, as Monday marked the first time he has walked without the protective boot over his lower right leg.

Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel: Ask Larry Sanders if this is a redemption year or he is undertaking a personal rebuilding plan, and the Milwaukee Bucks center is not inclined to agree. The 25-year-old Sanders has a different philosophy on how he can react to a disappointing 2013-'14 performance that stemmed from injuries he suffered on and off the court. "I wouldn't say rebuild," Sanders said during the Bucks media day held Monday at the Cousins Center. "I'd just say pushing through and learning from things that have happened. You learn from situations on the court and off the court, and it's all about growth. "Nothing grows without pain; nothing grows without struggle. You just have to pick apart the lessons within the struggle." The Bucks clearly missed his defensive presence as they struggled to a league-worst 15 victories last season.

Drew Sharp of the Detroit Free Press: Why should he seriously consider moving? The building is paid for. He's the owner. Why become a tenant? "Congratulations to the Ilitches," Tom Gores, the Pistons' owner, said during the team's media day Monday. "I have a lot of respect for them. They have a great legacy in Detroit." But Gores quickly added: "We already have a home. And it's a great home." ... Dan Gilbert said last summer that the Pistons should move downtown. New Pistons president and coach Stan Van Gundy didn't hesitate telling Gilbert, the Cleveland Cavaliers' owner, that he should worry about his own team. "I think Stan said it right," Gores added Monday. "Maybe Dan should run his own team. I've been real nice to Dan. But Stan took on that fight and I appreciate it. We've got a great venue. This is our home today. Anybody building a new home, that's great. But that's another three or four years away.

Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times: Jimmy Butler and the Bulls have until the end of October to work out a contract extension to keep the shooting guard from becoming a restricted free agent. Both sides seem willing to get that deal done. According to general manager Gar Forman, the two sides are talking, but he wouldn’t elaborate. “We value Jimmy," Forman said. “And Jimmy is an important player to us. We’ve had conversations, and we’ll continue to have conversations. The deadline still is the end of October. Obviously, we don’t talk about specifics of negotiations. But it is something we’re talking about now."

Nick Groke of The Denver Post: He wasn't marking days off a calendar with big, red X's. But Danilo Gallinari can tell you the exact day he disappeared. "Last game I played was April 4, 2013 — so you make the count," said Gallinari, the high-scoring forward who hasn't worn a Nuggets uniform since this was George Karl's team. That's the night Gallinari tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. It was like a death announcement for the Nuggets' hopes that postseason. Without Gallinari's 16.2 points and 5.2 rebounds, the No. 3 seeded Nuggets got bounced by Golden State in the first round of the playoffs. And Karl got fired. And never mind last season. Gallinari underwent three surgeries — including a failed experimental procedure that he now regrets agreeing to — and missed the entire season. The Nuggets tanked, going 36-46 in Brian Shaw's first season as coach. And the Nuggets missed the postseason for the first time in 11 years. "I'm very, very excited about returning," he said Monday at the Nuggets' Pepsi Center practice court during media day. Gallinari, after 18 months away, will finally return Tuesday when the Nuggets open training camp. And he'll need to catch up to Shaw's system.

Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic: Marcus and Markieff Morris opened negotiations for contract extensions with the Suns on Friday and signed two days later after an unprecedented negotiation. Because the twins' lives are so intertwined to the point of basketball unity, Suns President of Basketball Operations Lon Babby first negotiated a cumulative figure of $52 million over four years for the Morris twins with their agent, Leon Rose. ... "It didn't matter if it was me getting $5 million and Mook (Marcus) getting $8 million," Markieff said. "We told them it didn't matter. If they just put $13 (million) a year for the Morris twins, that would've been great. They wouldn't even have to say our names. We're $52 million players."

Joel Odom of The Oregonian: Call it a no-brainer, but the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday exercised their team option to extend All-Star point guard Damian Lillard's rookie contract to a fourth year. The extension locks in Lillard with the Blazers through the 2015-16 season, when he will make about $4.2 million as part of his rookie-scale contract. Blazers general manager Neil Olshey announced the extension to reporters at Blazers media day at the Moda Center. Olshey also said that decisions on the Blazers' other three players with extension options — Thomas Robinson, Meyers Leonard and CJ McCollum — won't be made until late October.