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: The Cauldron. Jared Dubin sees DeAndre Jordan, distracted or otherwise, getting a max contract offer this summer, and he thinks the Los Angeles Clippers center might actually wind up being worth one, too.
PF: SLC Dunk. Looking under the hood of the Utah Jazz's offensive profile by play type and effectiveness to see how Quin Snyder's gone about changing the way the team tries to score, and how well they're doing so far.
SF: Chicago Tribune. K.C. Johnson with an interesting look at the Chicago Bulls' recent struggles and the differences betwen this year's club and the last few squads Tom Thibodeau has coached. Many of us expected those differences to have a positive influence, but as Johnson writes, they've come with some challenges, too.
SG: Pacers.com. A good read about why Indiana Pacers power forward David West, professional leader and grown-ass man, makes a point of "butting in" to the lives of at-risk young people by visiting juvenile corrections facilities and trying to connect with them: "I don't have to come out here, but I feel like it's worth it, just to let them know not everybody has written them off. Just because you made a mistake as a 14-year-old, you don't have to be confined here for the rest of your life.”
PG: The Triangle. Kirk Goldsberry chats with Damian Lillard about, among other things, the approach that's resulted in so many chalked-out opponents late in games this season: "I have a yellow-tape mentality. Finish hard. Kill ’em off."
6th: The Washington Post. Michael Lee catches up with the San Antonio Spurs, who are chugging along at 27-16, but find themselves closer to being out of the playoffs than to topping the West again, and have found that precious little comes easy in attempted repeat bids.
7th: The Hook. Tom Ziller looks at how the Philadelphia 76ers-led push to vote down last offseason's draft lottery reform proposal has impacted the likely lottery odds, and who stands to benefit most from the denial. We'll give you three guesses as to which no-voter makes out best, and the first two don't count.
8th: Charlotte Observer. Rick Bonnell on how picking up the pace helped the Charlotte Hornets weather Al Jefferson's nine-game injury absence and get back on the good foot, winning seven of their last 10 to draw within a half-game of the No. 8 seed in the East.
9th: Washington Post. Jorge Castillo on David Adkins, whom the Washington Wizards swear they hired as a new player development assistant this offseason because he's a good coach, and not at all because he used to coach a certain reigning league MVP who's set for free agency next summer.
10th: MinnPost. Britt Robson's thorough and thoughtful consideration of whether the Minnesota Timberwolves are tanking and/or whether they should includes this pretty depressing note on their missing Montenegrin mountain: "There are rumors he may even play tonight against Dallas. But it seems as if neither [Nikola Pekovic] nor the Wolves sure if he will ever be able to play in regular rotation again." Let's hope for a significantly better outcome than that for the bruising big man.
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
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