The 10-man rotation, starring how the Thunder reloaded for the present and future
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: NBA.com and CBSSports.com. David Aldridge and Ken Berger go inside the Oklahoma City Thunder’s thought process on the Reggie Jackson trade, with a particular emphasis on Sam Presti’s willingness to trade future draft picks that are likely to come in the bottom third of the first round for recent draftees with top-five talent whose first NBA go-round might not have worked out so well.
PF: Sports Illustrated. Chris Ballard with a characteristically fantastic feature on how the Golden State Warriors went from perennial laughingstock to championship favorite in just a few short years.
SF: The Portland Tribune and Blazersedge. Kerry Eggers and Dane Carbaugh offer their memories of the late Jerome Kersey, “an armored car with a Ferrari engine” who “exemplified the way that Oregonians want to think of themselves, culturally and in athletic competition.”
SG: New York Times. Beckley Mason takes a stats-based look at how the Cleveland Cavaliers’ offense has taken off over the past five weeks, going from just outside the top 10 in points scored per possession on Jan. 13 to by far the league’s most potent offense since.
PG: The Players Tribune. Dallas Mavericks center Tyson Chandler offers an informative breakdown of the different things that make some of the league’s best big men so tough to guard.
6th: The Cauldron. Jacob Eisenberg looks at a couple of strategic shifts that the Atlanta Hawks have implemented across the roster en route to dominating the Eastern Conference and entrenching themselves in the ranks of legitimate title contenders.
7th: TrueHoop. Kevin Arnovitz on how the Hawks got their read-and-react defense — yes, you read that right — back on track in Sunday’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks.
8th: The Oregonian. Jason Quick takes a look at the Portland Trail Blazers’ recent late-game struggles, including their 3-for-19 finish to Sunday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, with whom they’re battling for playoff position in the Western Conference.
9th: The Hook. Tom Ziller celebrates the players who wear No. 0 and the ongoing relevance of Gilbert Arenas.
10th: Triangle Offense. A silly and fun look at how different teams and players perform when Rihanna shows up to watch them play.
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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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