The 10-man rotation, starring an ‘aggressive’ plea for a broader NBA vocabulary
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: Slate. Mark Peters on the word he’s most sick of hearing in the NBA, which somehow isn’t “flopping,” “tanking,” “lockout” or “Sterling.”
PF: Talking Points. Tim Kawakami gets his arms around the Golden State Warriors’ decision-making in maxing Klay Thompson out earlier than they absolutely had to, and looks at what the emerging star shooting guard’s extension might mean in the weeks and months to come: “The Warriors might already be thinking about how to move either David Lee’s, Andre Iguodala’s or both deals in the near future, because if they don’t get rid of some of this long-term money, it’s going to make it very tough to re-sign Draymond Green next summer when he’s a restricted free agent and definitely make it almost impossible to add another key player after that.” (Golden State of Mind has a good read on what comes next for the Dubs, too.)
SF: A Wolf Among Wolves. Zach Harper hears your concerns about giving Ricky Rubio $55 million despite his struggles with finishing around the basket and all-time-bad shooting numbers, but thinks the rest of his game has serious value for the Minnesota Timberwolves, especially in this NBA economy: “The new TV deal almost makes this contract of Rubio’s idiot-proof.”
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SG: Jazz Fanatical. The best breakdown of how Alec Burks’ negotiations with the Utah Jazz on a four-year contract extension unfolded that you’re ever going to see.
PG: The Hook. Tom Ziller on why we should and shouldn’t buy into the Sacramento Kings, whose 2-1 mark — with impressive wins over the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers — has made them one of the league’s more surprising early success stories.
6th: The Morning Tip. David Aldridge goes long on Steve Ballmer, the injury-plagued Oklahoma City Thunder and how Dirk Nowitzki’s feeling as his new-look Dallas Mavericks recommence lighting up scoreboards.
7th: Grizzly Bear Blues, twice. A pair of good reads from SB Nation’s Memphis Grizzlies’ blog, with Andrew Ford breaking down Marc Gasol’s jumper to figure out if he could ever be a viable 3-point shooter, and Joe Mullinax on Tony Allen, chaos, confounding passion, unconditional love and what might be the key to determining the 2014-15 NBA championship.
8th: Bleacher Report. Howard Beck on the unique and impossible nature of the ghost of Michael Jordan: “Only in the NBA do we turn one player into a deity, and then insist that every great young player live up to the standard.”
9th: The New York Times. Andrew Keh profiles one of the Brooklyn Nets’ “most visible fans,” a former graffiti artist of some NYC renown and professional gambler who’s done time at Rikers Island, has a prosthetic leg and believes wholeheartedly in the scientific power of neon. An interesting read.
10th: Eye on Basketball. Kyle Korver talks with James Herbert about everything that goes into shooting, something the Atlanta Hawks sniper does better than just about anybody else in the NBA.
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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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