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 Triangle. The great Brian Phillips on Kobe Bryant, who "is showing us what happens when an alpha dog dies ungracefully, the way alpha dogs are supposed to die."
PF: San Jose Mercury-News. Marcus Thompson III with a strong column/profile on Draymond Green, who might not be popular enough to get an All-Star berth, but who has put in the work to become one of the most valuable players on the best team in basketball, and who's about to reap his reward in restricted free agency this summer: "'If [the Golden State Warriors are] expecting a discount, they’re crazy,' a close friend of Green said."
SF: Bleacher Report. Sean Highkin on how Nikola Mirotic's ability to slide down from power forward to small forward has given the rolling Chicago Bulls a boost, and could help coach Tom Thibodeau solve some rotation issues on the wing moving forward.
SG: ESPN.com. A tremendous read from J.A. Adande on John Wall, the leading All-Star Game vote-getter among Eastern Conference guards and leader of the playoff-bound Washington Wizards: "The story of Wall's success is the story of his overcoming obstacles not once but twice."
PG: Liberty Ballers. Jake Pavorsky sits down with Shawn Chapman-McDaniels, the mother of Philadelphia 76ers rookie K.J. McDaniels, to discuss tweeting it real, irrepressible exuberance and being a "team mom."
6th: Pattern of Basketball. Jonathan Tjarks on why the talent and versatility of the Atlanta Hawks' big men has fueled their rise to the top of the East, could be the determining factor in their championship chances, and may well tell us an awful lot about the next step in the evolution of NBA basketball. (And if you've got 10 minutes to spare, I'll tell you the story of my life , go check out this great BBallBreakdown of the Hawks' multifaceted offense, featuring commentary from head coach Mike Budenholzer and vaunted sniper Kyle Korver.)
7th: San Antonio Express-News and Eye on Basketball. Jeff McDonald and Zach Harper on how crunch-time failures in execution have caused both the San Antonio Spurs and Los Angeles Clippers to stumble, and whether these late-game hiccups should give Gregg Popovich and Doc Rivers cause for concern as their teams fight for Western Conference playoff positioning.
8th: Deadspin and The Reversal. So, as it turns out, that Andrew Wiggins is actually pretty good, and getting better as the season goes along!
9th: ProBasketballTalk. Dan Feldman on one particular way in which J.R. Smith's shot-jacking might properly be viewed as altruism rather than selfishness.
10th: Austin Clemens. Young Mr. Clemens' new shot chart app is awful pretty, and allows you to look up not only individual players' shot charts going back to the 1997-98 season, but also whole teams' charts. You can also filter by quarter, by field-goal percentage or points-per-shot, and all other sorts of goodies. Very neat.
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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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