Each weekday morning, BDL serves up a handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your porridge.

Larry Welborn, OC Register: "Prospective juror Kobe Bryant was excused from jury duty this afternoon after sitting in a third floor courtroom in the Central Justice Center in Santa Ana listening to the selection process for hours. He was called up and quizzed for potential service on a misdemeanor case where two defendants are charged with 10 counts of vehicle tampering in the city of Orange. But attorneys agreed on a 12-person jury plus one alternate before his turn in the jury box came up. Acting Superior Court Judge Clarence Haynes got some laughs when he looked at the basketball superstar — one of the most recognizable athletes on the planet — and asked 'Bryant?' Kobe told attorneys that he thought he had good common sense and that he thought he could be fair. 'I’m a good listener,' he added."

Paul Coro, The Arizona Republic: "Phoenix Suns guard Leandro Barbosa went out of Wednesday night's game with 26.3 seconds to go in the first quarter as Philadelphia's Louis Williams made a 3-pointer. Barbosa was slowing by himself when his left leg planted and his knee hyperextended inward. He went to the floor clutching his left knee and was helped to the training room. An X-ray was negative but Barbosa will undergo a MRI test Thursday morning. There was no immediate swelling in the knee."

Rick Bonnell, Charlotte Observer: "Don’t engage Gerald Wallace in a leaping contest or a medical debate. Here were two of Charlotte’s premier orthopedists, coaxing Charlotte Bobcats forward Gerald Wallace to the hospital. There was Wallace flat-out refusing, telling them he’s seen all the tie-in-the-back smocks he can tolerate this season. 'I think I kind of forced them' to let him play, Wallace said after coming back from a sprained left knee to push the Bobcats to a 104-88 victory over the Sacramento Kings. 'They wanted me to go to the hospital. I’m sick of hospitals. The only time I want to go there is to say hi to the doctors.' Thursday he’ll give in to a magnetic resonance imaging of the knee, which he sprained with about three minutes left in the first half. Wallace slipped, rolled and clutched his knee, leaving coaches and teammates gasping at the potential ramifications."

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun Sentinel: "A day after stressing a goal of playing in all 82 games this season, Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade missed Wednesday night's game against the Boston Celtics at TD Banknorth Garden. Wade was held out due to the strained right hip he sustained earlier in the season that flared up during last week's victory over the Celtics at AmericanAirlines Arena. 'Me, as a player, I want to play all the time,' he said shortly before tipoff. 'I can't describe how tough this is.' The decision was made 45 minutes before the 7 p.m. tipoff. 'At this time of the year, there are more important games than certain games,' he said, with a showdown looming Sunday against the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Wade said he remains unable to pinpoint when he first sustained the injury, other than to say, 'a long time ago.'"

Toronto Star: "Centre Sean Williams was suspended for two games by the New Jersey Nets yesterday for conduct detrimental to the team. Williams was arrested Monday at a cellphone store in a mall in suburban Denver. Police said he got into an argument with a clerk and threw a computer monitor. He was arrested on suspicion of disorderly conduct and felony criminal mischief. 'Sean feels horrible,' New Jersey coach Lawrence Frank said. 'He feels horrible first for letting down the team, letting down his teammates, feels horrible for making a poor decision and he's sincerely heartbroken. He feels very, very bad.'"

Al Iannazzone, North Jersey: "The Nets may suspend Sean Williams following his arrest Monday afternoon after an altercation in a Denver mall. Williams, who pleaded not guilty at his hearing Tuesday, was in jail when the Nets were playing the Nuggets. 'We’re in the process of gathering all the information we can get and we’ll make a decision from there,' Thorn said. The Nets probably will dock Williams one game’s salary and fine him. They also may waive him at some point. There are conduct clauses in Williams’ contract. If he violated them, the Nets may be able to cut him and not have to worry about his salary next season."

AP/SI: "The Phoenix Suns will play an exhibition game outdoors on Oct. 10 against the Golden State Warriors. The Suns faced the Denver Nuggets at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden last October and lost 77-72 before a sellout crowd of 16,000. 'It was an amazing experience to play an NBA game outdoors,' Phoenix guard Steve Nash said. 'We all grew up playing basketball outdoors and we don't get to do it very often any more. It's a lot of fun for all of us.' When the Suns played a year ago in this desert resort area, wind had a big impact on shooting, with the teams combining to go 3-of-27 from three-point range."

George M. Thomas, Akron Beacon Journal: "... fans have every reason to be optimistic that the Cavs will be able to win the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time in franchise history. The Cavs took care of business Tuesday night, beating the Orlando Magic, and got help from the Chicago Bulls, who beat the Boston Celtics. Even Magic coach Stan Van Gundy thinks it might be too little too late for his team. Ten of the Cavs' last 15 games will be at Quicken Loans Arena, where they are 30-1. 'I think it will be very difficult with 15 [games] to go,' Van Gundy said. 'They've got a lot of them here at home and they've obviously been great here at home. I think we learned a lot about why.'"

K.C. Johnson, Chicago Tribune: "Coach Vinny Del Negro said he would welcome Luol Deng back at any point, even if the small stress fracture in Deng's right tibia takes longer than three weeks of rest to feel better. 'He'll fit in whenever,' Del Negro said. 'He knows the system and what we expect. Whenever you can get a talented body back with Lu's versatility, you want that in your lineup. We'll be smart about it. Since he hasn't played in a while, he's not going to be in the best game condition. Hopefully, that's something we have to deal with in a few weeks.'"

Clips Nation: "I'm just all mixed up after that game. Am I happy about the Clippers outscoring the Wizards 67 to 44 in the second half? Or livid that they allowed 64 points in the first half and fell behind by 14 to a pathetic team? And it's more complicated that that — if only they had played the entire game like they did in the first half, surely we could be getting past the Dunleavy era once and for all. But I want them to pull it together sooner rather than later. If they can do that under Dunleavy, I'm fine with that. Not that I think it's going to happen, but I hope it does. I think. [...] As for [Steve] Novak, there have probably been players who were hotter from deep over a four game stretch — but I sure haven't ever seen one. He's made 21 out of 34 threes in the last four games — 62%. And it's not like he's getting a lot of wide open looks. Defenses know they've got to stay close to him, but if they're even a half step late, he burns them. He even cut to the basket tonight after a Baron Davis offensive rebound and caught the pass for a layup and an old-fashioned three point play. I told you guys he could do more than just shoot threes!"

Bucks Diary: "A reader asked why I'm so harsh on Charlie Villanueva. Why do I want him out of town so badly?  After all, he does some things well. That's true, but he's a disease, and he and his ilk need to be removed from the Bucks organization root and branch. I tried to pull for Villanueva at the beginning of the year when it appeared that he was trying to play defense. But it was all just an act. You notice now that the Bucks have to play him — and he knows they have to play him — you notice he's stopped trying on defense, or even appearing to try, and instead he just went back to playing the same old Charlie the Loafer ball he's played since he got to town? Did you notice that? I did. I noticed that Charlie V "played" us all. As soon as circumstances cost the Bucks coaching staff the leverage they had, the leverage of 'playing time,' Villanueva reverted to his old ways. Like a kid who knows you can't turn the car around. That, my friends, is the sign of a world class chump."

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