Advertisement

The 10-man rotation, starring Kevin Garnett making an on-court impact

The 10-man rotation, starring Kevin Garnett making an on-court impact

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: 1500ESPN.com. Steve McPherson breaks down the defensive impact that Kevin Garnett has had on the Minnesota Timberwolves since returning at the trade deadline, showcasing some of the subtle things that the future Hall of Famer can still do defensively at elite levels, even at 38 years of age.

PF: Bucksketball. The Milwaukee Bucks have lost five of their last seven games and looked particularly dismal offensively since swapping Brandon Knight for Michael Carter-Williams. What exactly has been going on in Wisconsin since the All-Star break? Jeremy Schmidt takes a deep breath, holds his nose and dives in.

SF: The National Post. Good stuff from Eric Koreen on Greivis Vasquez's struggles to find solid ground amid shifting role responsibilities, which help offer some visibility into the Toronto Raptors' inconsistent play over the past couple of months despite an offseason aimed at staying steady: "[It's] a good reminder that as much as you try to preserve chemistry and promote continuity, things inevitably change."

SG: Sports Illustrated. More phenomenal work from Rob Mahoney on the development of Dante Exum, the 19-year-old Australian point guard who's still a ways away from becoming a consistently positive offensive performer on the NBA level, but whose defensive acumen has helped Utah become the league's top defense over the last five weeks.

PG: Basketball Insiders. Mo Williams, on something of a surge since coming to the Charlotte Hornets from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a trade last month, tells Jessica Camerato that he didn't do a good enough job of appreciating just how special it was to be part of those dominant LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers teams in the late aughts: "When you never think it’s coming to an end, you forget about yesterday.”

6th: Eye on Basketball. We've seen pieces on this topic before, but there's nothing wrong with revisiting Kyle Korver's finely tuned pre-game shooting routine, as Zach Harper does here.

7th: Nylon Calculus. Seth Partnow takes a look at the relationship between teams' offensive efficiency marks and how quickly they tend to get shots up.

8th: Denver Post. In the aftermath of the Denver Nuggets' decision to can Brian Shaw, Mark Kiszla wonders why other candidates would seriously consider the Nuggets' head coaching vacancy. (Especially considering, as many have suggested, Denver's ownership isn't exactly looking to back up the Brinks truck for new hires.)

9th: Sports Illustrated. Chris Mannix on the nomadic NBA lifestyle of 2012 lottery pick Thomas Robinson, now on his fifth team in three NBA seasons after being claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia 76ers. Quoth Sixers head coach Brett Brown: "He’s not going to have a better environment to have a legitimate chance to be a legitimate NBA player.”

10th: CoachUp. Now you, too, can make post moves like Nerlens Noel!

- - - - - - -

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!

Stay connected with Ball Don't Lie on Twitter @YahooBDL, "Like" BDL on Facebook and follow BDL's Tumblr for year-round NBA talk, jokes and more.