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

Brian Schmitz, Orlando Sentinel: "As if the loss to a reigning lottery team wasn't bad enough, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard(notes) said it appeared his team 'quit' during the dreary proceedings. 'We haven't had a game like this in a long time. We'd miss shots and guys would hang their heads,' Howard said. 'I don't think we should quit in a game. Seems like, as a team, we shouldn't quit.' [...] The Magic's lack of firepower finally caught up with them because they didn't have a stomach for defensive dirty work. [Stan] Van Gundy even went as far as to call his club 'a white-collar team right now.' [...] 'We are more predicated on shooting, we have no defensive toughness and right now we aren't a very good team,' Van Gundy fumed. 'The Thunder are much better than us right now. They would have beat us if we had everybody. They would have beat us here or in our place.'"

Jimmy Smith, The Times Picayune: "New Orleans Hornets Coach Byron Scott made one lineup change before Sunday night's 104-88 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, inserting Devin Brown(notes) as the No. 1 shooting guard. He'll make another Monday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. Peja Stojakovic(notes) will return as the starting small forward against the Clippers, sending third-year pro Julian Wright(notes) to the bench as Scott struggles to find a starting unit that can win a game as the Hornets have started 2-5. 'I don't know if it's creative or out of the norm,' Scott said, 'the players were talking after the game, and I told them to bring it in and I made another change. I don't know if it's out of the norm or out of necessity. But I've got to start Peja and put him in there with C.P. and David [West].'"

Phil Jasner, Philadelphia Daily News: "The Sixers are perfectly aware of the degree of difficulty in trying to move Dalembert. The source said that, to this point, president/general manager Ed Stefanski has, over time, gone 0-for-29 around the league. Two huge reasons: Even if Dalembert is playing well and is attractive to a team performance-wise, there's the matter of his contract. He is owed $12 million-plus this season and $13 million-plus next season. And ... a team acquiring him must pay a 15 percent trade kicker, with the money due within 30 days. That's a lot for a team to swallow, particularly in tough economic times. Sounds to me as if Dalembert — and he has been 'Happy Sam' through the first five games of the season — is staying."

Marc Berman, New York Post: "[Donnie] Walsh and [Mike] D'Antoni had flown to Treviso, Italy, for a draft camp to investigate selecting [Brandon] Jennings, who never showed. Walsh felt he didn't have enough information to make Jennings the eighth pick. Not good. And now they're stuck with [Chris] Duhon for the year — without a point guard of the present or future. D'Antoni wanted Ramon Sessions(notes). Walsh balked. Yes, rookie Toney Douglas(notes) is impressing D'Antoni lately, but he's not a bona fide starter. 'I do like what I'm seeing out of Toney, he's getting better all the time,' D'Antoni said. Duhon tried to be a leader nine days ago when he told MSG Network in Charlotte players were 'joking around' too much on the layup line. But the remarks ticked off some players, including Al Harrington(notes). D'Antoni wished he said it to the guys and not MSG's post-game show."

Alex Kennedy, HOOPSWORLD: "Antonio Daniels worked out for the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday and could reach an agreement with the team in coming days, a source close to the situation tells HOOPSWORLD. Cleveland has shown interest in Daniels since he was waived by the Minnesota Timberwolves several weeks ago. Daniels' top choice remains the Cavaliers and he's awaiting an offer from the team before working out for other suitors. Cleveland has also asked Daniels' camp not to speak with other teams suggesting that an agreement between the two sides could come shortly. At first, Daniels was hesitant to workout for individual teams but he's itching to play again and wants to speed along the free agency process. He has significant interest from two other teams, including one other contender, but will only consider those options if the talks with Cleveland break down."

Lisa Dillman, L.A. Times: "Eric Gordon is injured. The second-year guard is suffering from a sore left groin, making him doubtful for tonight's game against Paul and the New Orleans Hornets at Staples Center. Gordon didn't suffer a specific acute injury but experienced discomfort and soreness during the fourth quarter of Saturday night's victory over Memphis. [...] He is considered day to day, but day-to-day injuries have a way of turning into week-to-week when it comes to the Clippers, and naturally they are hoping this is an exception. [...] Should Gordon start acting like a soccer player and start flopping? 'He needs to be one of those squeaky wheels,' [Mike] Dunleavy said. 'Part of it is that he's a great kid. He doesn't say 'boo.' But he gets zero calls. Not that he should get calls that aren't fouls. He should get the calls that are fouls.'"

Tom Knott, The Washington Times: "The Wizards already are immersed in self-doubt. They are out of sync and out of sorts, found wanting in purpose and cohesiveness. They are not a pretty sight, whether it is Caron Butler(notes) missing three shots at the rim or Randy Foye(notes), inexplicably, making an ill-advised move to the basket before halftime that allowed the Suns enough time to sink a 3-pointer. The latter prompted assistant coach Sam Cassell(notes) to give Foye a quickie lesson in time management as the players made their way to the locker room. That snapshot is emblematic of a team that is exhibiting a low basketball IQ and lacks a sense of urgency."

Sam Amick, Sacramento Bee: "It's not about redemption for Beno Udrih(notes). When the Kings point guard finds a seam in the lane for a runner or makes a jumper, he's not pondering the status of his reputation. When he feeds the cutter for an easy basket or spoonfeeds the open man on the perimeter, he's not thinking back to all the times people said he wasn't worthy of being a starter. It's about confidence — in himself, and in his coaches. Udrih was spilling of self-assurance in the Kings' 120-107 win over Golden State at Arco Arena on Sunday night. He continued his recent stretch of effective play while making onlookers wonder if this team could be entertaining and competitive even with the recent loss of Kevin Martin(notes). 'The staff is making it easy,' said Udrih, who had 20 points on 9-of-14 shooting, six assists and just two turnovers. 'This year I'm getting an opportunity to be a point guard, to be a leader, to get the guys in the right positions.'"

John Jackson, Chicago Sun-Times: "As crazy as it sounds, [Joakim] Noah quietly has become one of the top 12 or so true centers in the NBA. He's not a big-time scorer, but he does things that don't get noticed in the box score. He's stronger this season and is better able to hold his ground against big centers. That much was evident against Shaquille O'Neal(notes) of the Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday. Noah also is able to play strong post defense without fouling, which is no small factor because it keeps him on the court and keeps the Bulls from exceeding the foul limit early in quarters. With starting power forward Tyrus Thomas(notes) out for at least a month with a fractured left forearm, Noah assumes a larger role. He played more than 40 minutes against the Bobcats and, for at least one game, showed he's up to the challenge."

Julian Benbow, Boston Globe: "More than any other team in the Doc Rivers era, these Celtics lust for the 3-point shot. Only two teams have taken more shots from long range than the Celtics so far this season — the Magic, who live by the three, and the Knicks, who die by it. Through the first eight games, it's hard to say the Celtics (7-1) haven't thrived on it, particularly after seeing them drown Charlotte (11), Chicago (12), and Philadelphia (14) in a shower of treys. Their 40.3 percentage from behind the arc is sixth-best in the league, third in the East. But if there are two questions, they are: 'How many is too many?' and 'Which ones do you actually want to take?' After starting the season shredding the nets from long distance, the Celtics have gone 10 for 47 from 3-point range in the past three games."

Israel Gutierrez, Miami Herald: "Yes, it's probably true that both [LeBron] James and [Dwyane] Wade badly want to be the main man on their respective teams and be surrounded by complementary talent that wins them a championship. But it's also true that both James and Wade think big. They think about image. They think about legacy. They want to be great, and they want to be remembered for accomplishing great things. If they team up and start collecting championship rings like trading cards, dominating the league for a decade and winning more titles than Michael Jordan ever did and possibly even reaching Bill Russell numbers, wouldn't that be so much more memorable than winning a championship or two on their own? Think about the impact this would have. Together, they could go down as the most dominating force this league has seen. In the big picture, isn't that exactly what they play for?"

Chris Dempsey, The Denver Post: "[Danny] Granger's desire to be a leader is very much like Denver's Carmelo Anthony(notes), who has taken baby steps each of the past few seasons to be a leader in the Nuggets locker room. Anthony has established himself in that role this season. Granger is walking a similar path and is confident that his mental makeup will allow him to take control and adapt to a leadership role quickly. 'It kind of comes naturally, especially if it's in your personality,' Granger said. 'And it somewhat is in mine. I think it's also a learning process, because if you're going to lead you have to be doing a lot of things right yourself. When everybody is down you've got to be the one to pick everyone up. It's a hard job.' Right now, it's a job that requires patience. The Pacers are a relatively young basketball team, but more than that, they are an injured basketball team."

Matt Steimetz, NBA FanHouse: "It's not so much the Warriors' 1-4 start that's the problem. It's the teams they've lost to and the manner in which they've been defeated. Nobody expected the Warriors to be among the Western Conference elite. But they shouldn't be a team that can't compete with the L.A. Clippers and Sacramento Kings. But they can't. Not now. What a miserable weekend it was for the Warriors. And you could tell by taking one stroll through the locker room after their 120-107 loss to the Kings on Sunday that there's more to this tough start than just a tough start. 'No identity, that's it,' Corey Maggette(notes) said. 'There's no identity, there's no chemistry ... so we've got to figure it out. It's chaos.' For the second straight game, Warriors coach Don Nelson was in no mood to elaborate on his team's performance. He spoke to the media for fewer than two minutes after the loss to the Kings. On Friday after the Clippers' loss, he was on the dais for less than 60 seconds."

Jeff Eisenberg, Press-Enterprise: "Andrew Bynum said after Sunday's game that he hopes to return to practice Tuesday and play against Phoenix two days later, but the prognosis for Pau Gasol(notes) appears to be far less optimistic. Gasol said he's still experiencing pain in his strained right hamstring each time he tries to practice, acknowledging, 'It's just not there yet and it will take a little more time.' 'Every time I put a timetable in my mind, I get disappointed, so I can't afford that anymore,' Gasol said. 'It's a matter of time before it gets better. When, who knows? They cant tell me, I can't tell them.'"

Programming note: There will be no TBJ episode today.

Related: Shaquille O'Neal, Al Harrington, Beno Udrih, Ramon Sessions, Randy Foye, Toney Douglas, Julian Wright, Tyrus Thomas, Kevin Martin, Dwight Howard, Carmelo Anthony, Devin Brown, Caron Butler, Pau Gasol, Corey Maggette, Peja Stojakovic, Sam Cassell, Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, New Orleans Hornets, Orlando Magic, Sacramento Kings, Suicide lines