NBA.COM: The NBA has done away with the center position on the All-Star ballot in an effort to get more of the league’s best players involved in the game. Instead of voting for two forwards and a center like you have in the past, you may now select three “frontcourt” players from any of the forward/center positions. Personally, I haven’t cared about All-Star balloting since ‘Toine’s retirement, but it’ll be interesting to watch LeBron James try to guard Dwight Howard when the East sends three small forwards.
ESPN.COM: Observe/read about some really cool and expensive NBA-related “street art.” All of the featured images are paintings, but the article mentions pocket squares as well as furniture made out of the 2011 All-Star floor. Just knowing that stuff like that exists should make you feel happy.
Pro Basketball Talk: An MRI on Austin Rivers’ ankle has revealed no structural damage. You may recall that Rivers took a nasty fall to the floor a few days ago, leaving him in a great deal of pain. Fortunately, this was a false alarm.
SI.COM: There are thousands of reasons to watch the NBA this season, but here are 67. A comparison of Josh Smith’s shot selection to the “marshmallow test” basically makes this article worth your time.
Youtube: Gerald Green is going to win Poster of the Day, but props to Jimmy Butler for stuffing this putback jam on top of Kendrick Perkins, illustrating just how unathletic Perk truly is (notice that they gather at nearly the same time, yet Butler is basically dunking the ball as Kendrick’s feet leave the floor. No, I will never stop being overly-critical of Kendrick Perkins, so stop asking).
True Hoop: The Houston Rockets had six players on the floor during the final seconds of overtime of game seven of the 1993 Western Conference Finals… and nobody noticed until yesterday.
DIME: I see your ’93/94 Pacers nesting dolls and raise you one Desmond Mason rubber duck.
Youtube: Presumable Rookie of the Year candidate Damian Lillard has a Youtube series entitled “License To Lillard,” which reminds me of Pastor Troy’s “License To Kill,” which is as good a reason as any to not only mention it, but to assume that it’s awesome, and possibly full of references to box Chevys.
Eye On Basketball: Sadly, Eddy Curry will not be playing for the San Antonio Spurs this season. Neither will Derrick Brown, which actually kind of surprises me. He was a Bobcat last season, and I’m sure that’s not helping his cause, but he’s pretty legit. I expect to see both of these players back in the NBA at some point.
Ball Don’t Lie: If the Dallas Mavericks were a “sex manual,” Rick Carlisle believes it’d be a best-seller. Thankfully, the Dallas Mavericks are still an NBA basketball team, not a sex manual.
