The 10-man rotation, starring the question of when, or whether, to max out Kawhi Leonard
A look around the league and the Web that covers it. It’s also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren’t always listed in order of importance. That’s for you, dear reader, to figure out.
C: USA TODAY. Questioning R.C. Buford, Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs has become borderline unthinkable at this stage, but Sam Amick isn’t sure the title-winning braintrust is making the right choice by waiting to max out Kawhi Leonard.
PF: 48 Minutes of Hell. Then again, as Matthew Tynan details, waiting until next summer to match any restricted free agent offer sheet that Leonard might sign with a prospective suitor could give San Antonio more financial flexibility to be able to reload should Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili actually hang ’em up after their contracts expire this summer.
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SF: SLAM. Ryan Jones, the guy who literally wrote the book on LeBron James, goes long (and pretty) on James’ highly anticipated homecoming.
SG: Slate. Jack Hamilton on how the opening-night ecstasy of Anthony Davis and agony of Julius Randle offered “a microcosm of NBA life,” and reminded us of the realities of the rigors of the sport: players might look superhuman, but they’re still made of frail flesh, blood and bone.
PG: The Hook. Tom Ziller wonders whether Scott Brooks missed an opportunity by giving Russell Westbrook too long a breather in the severely short-handed Oklahoma City Thunder’s season-opening loss to the hammer-wielding Portland Trail Blazers.
6th: Sports Illustrated. Along those lines, Ben Golliver writes that OKC’s problem during its Durant-less stretch “is not life with Westbrook as leader, but life without either of its franchise players on the court.”
7th: Nylon Calculus. A good read from Ian Levy on Byron Scott and Randy Wittman’s predilection toward long 2-point shots rather than 3-pointers, the underpinnings of that particular “analytics wonks vs. old-time basketball coaches” argument, and the importance of knowing both context and personnel when discussing shot selection.
8th: Esquire. New NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts on, among other things, the prospect of a work stoppage come the summer of 2017: “[…] we’re going to have a deal. If we’re stupid enough to allow that deal to be done only after a lockout, well, shame on us.”
9th: Grantland Channel. Bradley Beal seems like a pretty fun dude who’s willing to live in a Polish nightclub with Marcin Gortat.
10th: Sporcle. A fun quiz: Can you name the oldest player in the NBA in each season from 1980 through 2013?
More NBA coverage:
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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