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: Ball in Europe. Emmet Ryan looks at the bad vibes surrounding David Blatt with the Cleveland Cavaliers right now and offers a European basketball-watcher's perspective, one that suggests the highly decorated international coach has faced more daunting tasks in the past and not only survived them, but thrived in the process.
PF: Sports Illustrated. Rob Mahoney's terrific "The Craft" series turns its attention to the development of Andre Drummond, whose prototype size and explosive athleticism give him the tools to be great on both ends of the court, and who's now going about the difficult and tedious work of developing the skills to make that greatness happen.
SF: Vantage Sports. Cameron Purn on how the injury to offensive centerpiece Al Jefferson actually helped the Charlotte Hornets get (somewhat) back on track, thanks to more minutes for stalwart interior defender and screen-setter Bismack Biyombo.
SG: Grizzly Bear Blues. Andrew Ford with a fun breakdown of Mike Conley's floater, a shot that's become a real weapon for him over the past two seasons, and one that the Memphis Grizzlies' southpaw point guard shoots almost exclusively with his right hand.
PG: ESPN.com. Ramona Shelburne on Damian Lillard's vision — the on-court variety that allows him to read and knife through defenses on his way to the basket, and the big-picture flavor that helped him, and the Portland Trail Blazers, see what kind of team they could be.
6th: ESPN.com and The Triangle. Royce Young on the problem the Oklahoma City Thunder have with Reggie Jackson, and Andrew Sharp on the problem Jackson has with the Thunder.
7th: HOOP Magazine. Enjoyed Holly MacKenzie's profile on how Kyle Lowry found himself and a home north of the border with the Toronto Raptors.
8th: Hang Time. The great John Schuhmann on how, breathless league-wide pursuit of Spursian ball movement aside, a Kevin Durant isolation could well be the most efficient offensive play in the game.
9th: SB Nation. Jesus Gomez with more on something I wrote a bit about last night: the Orlando Magic's recent commitment to pushing the pace, how it's working for them, and whether their recent run of form might be sustainable.
10th: Crossing Broad. An interesting question: Now that the New York Knicks seem to be doing their level best to bottom out as a means of hopefully salvaging a lost season, where's all that "tanking is evil and its practitioners are shameful" vitriol that's been lobbed at the Philadelphia 76ers for the past two years?
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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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