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: Adidas Originals on YouTube. Sure, the endgame of this animated short is to get you excited about buying Dikembe Mutombo's recently retro-ed signature sneaker, but the delivery vehicle for the message is quite a bit of fun even if you don't like sales pitches. Also, I believe it to be a public service to share nearly three minutes of Dikembe Mutombo talking. I guess what I'm trying to say is, "You're welcome."
PF: TrueHoop. In a two-party interview with ESPN's Ethan Sherwood Strauss, former head coach Stan Van Gundy shares his skepticism about whether players who play fewer minutes are less likely to suffer injuries than those with heavier workloads: "[...] If you want to show me that playing 30 minutes a game will prolong someone's career over playing 36 minutes a game, well, show me that." We're on our way to the sort of research SVG's looking for — there have been some advancements made in connecting fatigue with the likelihood of an ACL injury, and more teams are trying to use biometric monitoring devices to measure the physical stress placed on players' bodies during practices and games — but we're not there yet.
SF: Bullets Forever. Coming off a promising rookie season for an injury-submarined Washington Wizards squad, can sweet-shooting guard Bradley Beal become the sort of All-Star-level complement to newly maxed-out main man John Wall that the Wiz will need to become real contenders? Satchel Price examines.
SG: Salt City Hoops. "'Celtic Pride:' The Best Jazz Movie." I think my soul just died a little bit from that being true, but hey, it's August, so why not take a closer look at this best-forgotten piece of NBA Hollywood history?
PG: Truth About It. The stalwart staff of the wonderful Wizards blog breaks down "the summer of #KevinSeraphinLife," which has been a summer chock full of fairly remarkable Instagramming and (the writers hope) possibly some actual skill development.
6th: ProBasketballTalk. Apparently, people in Wisconsin aren't the only ones who have trouble saying the name of Milwaukee Bucks rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo — it ain't so easy for folks in Giannis' native Greece, either.
7th: Red94. On one hand, you'd expect the Houston Rockets to be finished wheeling and dealing this offseason after adding top free agent Dwight Howard, making several smaller moves to bolster their bench. On the other, the Rockets' roster is presently well above the 15-player limit and, lest we forget, they made last year's biggest transaction only days before the start of the regular season. With the Rockets looking to contend for a title this year, could general manager Daryl Morey have another late-offseason swap up his sleeve?
8th: The A.V. Club. You know how you've always wanted to watch a music video that pairs sweet, jangly, piano-propelled indie-pop with footage from Game 5 of the 2011 Eastern Conference semifinals between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics — long, languorous shots of the likes of LeBron James, Paul Pierce, Doc Rivers, Joel Anthony and breakout star Glen "Big Baby" Davis? Well, finally, the Portland-based group Wild Ones has answered your prayers. Ask and you shall recieve receive.
9th: NBA.com. John Schuhmann shares the results of this year's NBA.com Rookie Survey, which saw the 2013-14 freshman class split as to which lottery-pick guard — Victor Oladipo of the Orlando Magic or C.J. McCollum of the Portland Trail Blazers — is most likely to take Rookie of the Year honors this season.
10th: Hang Time. New Phoenix Suns small forward Caron Butler — who overcame a lot of static as a younger man to establish himself as a reliable, professional NBA veteran — says he'd welcome the opportunity to try to help talented-but-troubled teammate Michael Beasley: "Somebody needs to be around him, talking to him and telling him the right things and building him up and keeping nothing but positive energy around him and moving him forward instead of pulling him back."
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