The 10-man rotation, starring the bounty of bigs in the 2015 draft
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: The Indianapolis Star. We’ve understandably been focused on Rookie of the Year favorites Karl-Anthony Towns and Kristaps Porzingis, but Candace Buckner thinks you should keep an eye on the emergence of Myles Turner, who’s been a revelation since his elevation into the Indiana Pacers’ starting lineup and who introduced himself to LeBron James with authority on Monday night (albeit in a losing effort).
PF: BSN Denver. After watching Nikola Jokic score a career-high 27 points with 14 rebounds and four assists in less than 30 minutes of work in the Denver Nuggets’ Monday night win over the Toronto Raptors, Nuggets head coach Mike Malone raved about the under-the-radar work being done by his 6-foot-11 20-year-old rookie: “I mean, you can talk about some of these very young bigs who are very talented, the kid in New York, Minnesota, Philly. I don’t know any of their names. I know this kid’s name though. I know Nikola Jokic and I wouldn’t trade him for anybody in the world.”
SF: Between the Lines. Yago Colas makes a spirited case for why he hates the Golden State Warriors — or, rather, “all the other things I can’t help but notice are in play when the Warriors take the floor” — in a long piece that offers plenty of food for thought, whichever side you wind up calling your own.
SG: SB Nation. After spending a week with the Warriors, Paul Flannery came away feeling like “from here on out, their toughest opponent appears to be themselves.”
PG: ESPN.com. Zach Lowe makes the case for not giving up on the Oklahoma City Thunder’s chances of coming out of the West, no matter how good the Warriors and San Antonio Spurs look.
6th: Sports Illustrated. Ben Golliver takes stock of where the Phoenix Suns find themselves after firing head coach Jeff Hornacek: “Phoenix’s best plan at this point is to pray.”
7th: Pattern of Basketball. The lone bright spot for the Suns, as Jonathan Tjarks sees it? That rookie Devin Booker already looks like the truth.
8th: Nylon Calculus. Seth Partnow takes a crack at bridging the gap between a team’s “pace factor” (the number of offensive possessions they average per 48 minutes of play) and the actual tempo at which a team plays on the offensive end by using SportVU data to create a new statistic: “half-court pace.” Very interesting stuff.
9th: Bleacher Report. The great Mike Monroe on LaMarcus Aldridge, still adjusting and still an All-Star: “If he’s good enough for Western Conference coaches to vote him an All-Star, then his decision to come to San Antonio and be a role player rather than a franchise figure is validated.”
10th: ESPN.com. A cool read by Arash Markazi on the couple behind the forthcoming Staples Center statue of Shaquille O’Neal dunking, who have become the sculptors of choice for some of the sporting world’s most notable figures.
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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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