Here is our daily look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT) — done in bullet point form. Because bloggers love bullet points.
• LeBron James and Kobe Bryant made Forbe’s list of the World’s most powerful celebrities. Of course, they are no J-Lo.
• Steve Nash is dominating and craft in the business boardroom, too.
• Walter McCarty, the former Kentucky star who played and coach in the NBA, is now focused on his music.
• McCarty needs to hook up with Warriors’ vice president and general counsel David Kelly, better known as hip hop artist Cap D.
• Still bitter? Former Laker Jordan Farmar tweeted he would have made that last-second shot Steve Blake missed Wednesday night. So would Jamaal Wilkes, it matters about as much.
• Dallas coach Rick Carlisle says the goal this summer is to make Dirk Nowitzki Dallas’ second best player.
• Is Mike Budenholzer the best and most overlooked lead assistant in the league? A guy who should be getting more job interviews than he does? I agree with Ziller here — yes. If you’ve been Gregg Popovich’s right hand for years, you deserve a shot in the big chair.
• USA Basketball head honcho Jerry Colangelo reminds Mark Cuban and the rest of the NBA owners that Team USA in the Olympics has been a big part of the international growth of the league — meaning it’s put a lot of money in their pockets. So stop complaining.
• C.J. Watson just had surgery on both of his feet to relieve his plantar fasciitis. That man played through a lot of pain.
• Al Harrington had knee surgery this week.
• Andrei Kirilenko apparently hurt his ankle during the Russian League finals, we don’t think it’s severe but details from Russia are few.
• CSKA Moscow was upset in a dramatic EuroLeague final by Olympiacos Piraeus. In a classy move, the owners of CSKA sent a letter the next day to Olympiacos congratulating them. I’m guessing Micky Arison didn’t do that for Mark Cuban last year.