Here is our regular 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 more than pundits love mock outrage over Miley Cyrus (you know, if you don’t like her act you can just tune out)....
• It really takes about three years to judge a draft properly, to look at the players after they developed and see who nailed it. Look back at the 2010 draft and it’s pretty clear the Indiana Pacers nailed it — Paul George and Lance Stephenson were their picks. Over at NBA.com Sekou Smith looked back at that draft and reconfigured it in the order the players would go now. Here is his top 10 (with their actual draft spot in parenthesis):
1. Paul George (10, with Indiana Pacers); 2. John Wall (1, with Washington Wizards); 3. DeMarcus Cousins (5, with Sacramento Kings); 4. Larry Sanders (15, with Milwaukee Bucks); 5. Greg Monroe (7, with Detroit Pistons); 6. Avery Bradley (19, with Boston Celtics); 7. Derrick Favors (3, with Utah Jazz); 8. Gordon Hayward (9, with Utah Jazz); 9. Eric Bledsoe (with Phoenix Suns); 10. Greivis Vasquez (28, with Sacramento Kings).
Who would have fallen? Evan Turner, the No. 2 pick of the Sixers; Wesley Johnson, the No. 4 pick now with the Lakers; and Ekpe Udoh who went No. 6 and is with the Bucks now (behind Sanders).
• Ted Leonsis, the owner of the Washington Wizards (and Capitals of the NHL) has thrown his support behind an effort to bring the 2024 Olympics to Washington D.C. He owns the Verizon Center, where you would imagine some major sports like basketball would take place.
“I think our community is ready for it,” Leonsis told CSNWashington.com. “We’re the largest, most powerful city in the world that’s never hosted an Olympic games.”
• Here is how often NBA players get mentioned in hip-hop lyrics, in a chart.
• Kobe Bryant met with a terminally ill veteran.
• This is a great in-depth look at the Pacific division, with look ins from a scout and more.
• Here is the latest on the NBA negotiating its next television deal — let’s hope Turner (TNT) still keeps its Thursday night
• Everything you wanted to know about the upcoming Portland Trail Blazers season but were afraid to ask.
• Lang Whitaker at the All Ball Blog wrote a fantastic appreciation of Allen Iverson.
• Jordan Hill believes the Lakers could be the third best team in the West. He also believes in unicorns.
• Here is a good Q&A with rookie Trey Burke of the Jazz.
• Rookie Solomon Hill looks “ready to contribute right away” for the Pacers according to coach Frank Vogel. Good luck cracking that rotation.
• The former head of the Arizona Board of Executive Clemency (parole board) became friends with Amar’e Stoudemire then coincidentally voted to parol STAT’s half-brother. Okay, not so coincidentally, apparently.
