The 10-man rotation, starring Kawhi Leonard, in full bloom
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.
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C: Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Mark Travis on Kawhi Leonard’s rise as a defense-first star with a style of play that’s “like Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas rolled into one,” and may herald “a philosophical shift in the way we view and value NBA stars.”
PF: 48 Minutes of Hell. In his breakdown of Leonard’s eye-popping play, Matthew Tynan offered some well-deserved praise of the roll Kawhi’s on offensively: “Kawhi has figured something out recently: He’s just bigger than almost anyone who tries to guard him. His drives to the basket no longer appear cautious; he doesn’t pause or hesitate anymore when confronted with additional defenders; he’s got crazy, crazy confidence in his mid-range game right now (shooting 52.4 percent in that area over his last 20 games); and he’s scoring at a 75-percent clip around the rim.”
SF: Feltbot. A very good look at the multiple issues that the San Antonio Spurs raised for the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, with a consideration of how much or how little they might actually mean for Steve Kerr should the Spurs and Dubs meet up in the playoffs.
SG: The Guardian. Les Carpenter on how Sim Bhullar got here.
PG: SLC Dunk. Longtime friend of BDL Amar offers an interesting and noteworthy alternative perspective on the positioning of Bhullar’s call-up to the Sacramento Kings: “India didn’t do anything for Sim. But the NBA, Vivek Ranadive, and the powers that be want to use him to sell him to India.”
6th: The Brooklyn Game. Devin Kharpertian comes through with a great deep dive into how the Brooklyn Nets have come back from the brink over the past couple of months, led at long last by maxed-out bookends Brook Lopez and Deron Williams.
7th: Nylon Calculus. Really good stuff from Adam Mares on how different NBA offenses us ball movement and player movement in the half-court, and the multiple ways to skin the cat of an NBA defense.
8th: The Hook. Tom Ziller considers how the voted-down attempt to reform the NBA’s draft lottery system might have reduced the impact of the current form of tanking while giving rise to another.
9th: The Boston Globe. Gary Washburn on how Brad Stevens has joined the ranks of the NBA’s premier late-game play-callers, with a closer look at the set that helped the Boston Celtics snatch victory from the jaws of defeat at the hands of the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night, which was apparently several months (and lineups) in the making.
10th: ESPN.com. Stephania Bell offers some hope for fans concerned that Kevin Durant’s foot surgeries mean he’s doomed to suffer repeated reinjuries to his wheels: “Despite the failure of his foot to cooperate with the initial plan following his original injury, medical evidence suggests that Durant’s chances for a successful return next season are very high.”
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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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