Tuesday, 18 June 2013

The 10-man rotation, starring the Spurs, ‘a working example [...] of how the world should be’

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: ESPN.com. I'm a bit late to the party here, but this Kevin Arnovitz feature on the San Antonio Spurs — how the NBA couldn't figure out how to sell them, how the organization couldn't care less, and how the franchise's commitment to innovation, culture and process make them "the NBA's research and development division" — is the best thing I've ever read about the Spurs. And considering we could be 48 minutes away from them being crowned champions, now seems like a good time to get familiar with how they got here (and keep getting here).

PF: USA TODAY Sports. A nice read from Sam Amick on how Danny Green went from "the guy for whom a D-League owner didn't want to give up Patrick Ewing Jr." to the cusp of a potential NBA Finals MVP nod.

SF: The Onion. "'For all the chatter that’s surrounding tonight’s contest, when everything’s said and done, pens, John Cheever, and whether ferns require direct sunlight just aren’t going to come into play,' said NBA On ABC analyst Mike Breen."

SG: Salt Lake Tribune. As if the Utah Jazz didn't already scream "explosive high-definition entertainment," they're about to install massive LCD video screens above the court so that you can thrill to the mammoth exploits of Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks in crystal-clear HD.

PG: Pounding the Rock. A Spurs fan apologizes to Manu Ginobili for doubting him before Manu's epic Game 5. That's adorable.

6th: NBA.com. Eighteen early-entry candidates for the upcoming 2013 NBA draft withdrew their names from consideration on Tuesday, including highly regarded Croatian teen Dario Saric and attempted preps-to-pros prospect Norvel Pelle. Check out the full list of names you won't hear the Commish pronounce on June 27.

7th: Cowbell Kingdom. Now that he's been hired as the Sacramento Kings' new general manager, former Denver Nuggets vice president Pete D'Alessandro has a pretty big job ahead of him. The first step: building a whole new front office. Jonathan Santiago takes a look at how D'Alessandro might go about doing that.

8th: Knickerblogger. By NBA.com's numbers, the 2011-12 New York Knicks finished the season ranked fifth in the NBA points allowed per 100 possessions; the '12-'13 model, though, finished tied for 16th in defensive efficiency. How did the Knicks drop from the ranks of the defensive elite to below the middle of the pack? David Vertsberger takes a closer look.

9th: Bullets Forever. How does the trade that brought Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza to the Washington Wizards from the New Orleans Hornets look, one year later?

10th: Los Angeles Times. As part of the settlement in their lawsuit, Ben Boltch reports that Kobe Bryant and Goldin Auctions have agreed to give 50 percent of the proceeds from the auctioning of several pieces of the Los Angeles Lakers star's memorabilia to the anti-bullying social action campaign The Bully Project, which is pretty neat. Bidding's open, so dig in if you're feeling collect-y.

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