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.
• Former NBA player Keon Clark has been sentenced to 8 years in prison, as reported by the News Gazette out of Illinois. Clark “faced 10 weapons, drugs and driving-related charges stemming from one 2012 case and four 2013 cases” according to the report. He is going to spend that time in a Department of Corrections-run drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility near Chicago as part of his effort to kick his additions. Clark was the No. 13 pick out of UNLV and played six seasons in the NBA with Denver, Toronto, Sacramento and Utah.
• Ric Bucher of Bleacher Report wrote about Derrick Rose and said “the surgeon was able to preserve “100 percent” of the torn meniscus in his right knee.”
• If you’re a team that is only going to pay the luxury tax for a couple of seasons when you can make a run at a ring, when do you pull that trigger?
• An appreciation of Jeff Teague’s game. He is having his best season as a pro by far.
• Are the Trail Blazers for real? (This is behind ESPN’s pay wall.)
• Carmelo Anthony’s high school coach talks about his former star.
• Updated odds on the NBA championship from bovada.lv showed a few interesting things. The Indiana Pacers were 9-1 before the season but are 4-1 now and the second choice on the board. The Thunder are third at 6-1 and the Spurs have gone from 14-1 before the season to 7-1 now. On the other end of the spectrum, the Clippers were 9-1 to win it all before the season and they are 14-1 now. The thing that didn’t change is Miami is now and remains at 2-1 and the favorite to win it all.
• The Bulls let Mike James play on a sprained knee, which is kind of a trend with the Bulls team doctors. And you wonder why Derrick Rose took his time getting back.
• The Bulls have sent Marcus Teague to the D-League for seasoning.
• Will Forte has a really gross Clippers superstition.
• When asked about George Karl’s comments that he was doing some bush league things during the playoffs last year, Jackson took the high road.
• One of my favorite tweets of the season from Tuesday night:
• The Hawks have sent rookie point guard Dennis Schroder to the D-League. I think Schroder could be something special, but he needs time on the court and he can get that in the D-League.
• Former Suns point guard Kendall Marshall is now a member of the Delaware 87ers of the D-League draft.
• Finally, Grant Hill talks about the potential of Duke freshman phenom Jabari Parker.