The 10-man rotation, starring Luol Deng, man of the people
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: Bleacher Report. Ethan Skolnick talks to Luol Deng about the leadership role he’s taken in the NBA’s efforts in Africa and how it’s helping the Miami Heat forward prepare for what will come next: “I really believe that my involvement in this world, or in this life, is yet to come […]I just believe that my purpose in life is to really make it a better world.”
PF: Posting and Toasting. While many New York Knicks fans have lamented the organization’s obtuse and opaque decision-making processes throughout the James Dolan era, Seth Rosenthal wonders whether Phil Jackson’s as-advertised transparency — particularly as manifested in Charley Rosen’s “The Phil Files” series, in which Jackson has offered many unvarnished opinions about former, current and hoped-for Knicks players — is ultimately a good thing.
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SF: Eye on Basketball and Knickerblogger. Sam Vecenie on Maurice Ndour’s journey from Senegal to Japan to junior college to the MAC to the NBA, and Bryan Gibberman on why the New York Knicks may have made a mistake in not locking up Ndour when they had the chance, allowing the Dallas Mavericks to swoop in and pick him up.
SG: SB Nation. Ricky O’Donnell traces Cliff Alexander’s fall from top prep prospect and highly touted Kansas recruit to undrafted free agent hoping to catch on with the Portland Trail Blazers.
PG: Detroit Free Press. Vincent Ellis on the time Stan Van Gundy told Reggie Jackson to go be with his father, the relationships that have been built between the point guard, the coach and Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores, and the personal connections that resulted in this summer’s five-year, $80 million contract.
6th: Pounding the Rock. A good read from Jesus Gomez on how the addition and effective integration of LaMarcus Aldridge could help Tony Parker have his best season in years.
7th: The Players’ Tribune. Ten years after the open heart surgery that nearly ended his career, the great Ronny Turiaf reflects on how he “learned to tap into the darkness that came with it to live my life fully.”
8th: New York Times. Nida Najar reports from Ballo Ke, the “sleepy Punjabi village” in which Satnam Singh was born and raised, on how the first Indian-born player ever selected in the NBA draft triggered “a celebration — not of an individual achievement, but of a collective one.”
9th: RealGM. Jonathan Tjarks on the importance of the Phoenix Suns finding playing time and opportunities for T.J. Warren, whose scoring touch could be just what Jeff Hornacek’s crew needs to help vault Phoenix back into the Western playoff picture.
10th: Los Angeles Times. Doc Rivers did sound work in adding cost-effective pieces to the Los Angeles Clippers this summer, but more depth could also result in some new problems for the coach and president of basketball operations to solve this season.
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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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