Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin died today, the team announced. He was 85.

It's a true loss for Washington, D.C. and the NBA family.

Rest in peace, Abe.

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: Complex. A collection of humiliating, in-your-face jams that should be worth more than two points.
PF: Pounding The Rock. This Spurs post is a thing of beauty. Read it. Consume it.
SF: Cleveland Frowns. On LeBron's latest off-court travails: the mural, and the missing memorabilia.
SG: Hoop Heads North. Even Dwight Howard(notes) boos Vince Carter(notes).
PG: SRI. Rick Carlisle thinks Dirk Nowitzki's(notes) improved play is because he didn't ball with the Germans.
6th: Depressed Fan. In the words of Kenny "The Jet" Smith, the 76ers lack an identity right now.
7th: The Hoop Doctors. It's never too early to rank some of the NBA's leading candidates for MVP, right?
8th: Thoughts From The Jock Strap. I would love to watch Jerry Sloan guard Phil Jackson.
9th: New York Times, via FH. The Nets have cleared the last major legal hurdle blocking Brooklyn Arena.
10th: The Good Point. Brandon Jennings(notes), potentially filled with snakes.

Got a tip or link for Ball Don't Lie? Hit me up at jeskeets [at] yahoo.ca or follow me on Twitter.

NBA Twitter Top 10 is the new NBA Power Rankings. (Or something like that.) Combining advanced algorithms with your comments, BDL's NBA Twitter Top 10 cuts through the fat (see: lottery teams) to determine the best of the best on a weekly basis. Want to get involved? Follow the yellow brick road.

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Trey Kerby of The Blowtorch searches high and low across the Internet for NBA-related goods you never knew you needed. You know, phenomenal swag. Email Ball Don't Lie any relevant products you find here.

Darryl Smits: "Hey, let's design a Phoenix Suns shirt."

Rick Dagilio: "Really? That seems kind of two years ago. Maybe even four."

DS: "No, it's cool. I've got a really good idea."

RD: "Alright, hit me."

DS: "Phoenix Guns. Boom! 30 bucks."

RD: "Phoenix Guns?"

DS: "Yeah. Boom!"

RD: "That's your really good idea?"

DS: "Boom!"

RD: "You're joking right? Because that's not really a good idea. It kind of sends the wrong message, and it's kind of dumb on top of that."

DS: "But 'guns' rhymes with 'suns.'"

RD: "I guess you're right."

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Monday to Friday, The Basketball Jones look at the big games and story lines from the night before with a mix of in-depth analysis and irreverent humor. As always, questions and comments are appreciated.

On today's show, Skeets and Tas get to the bottom of the T-Mac saga in Houston. Is he actually ready to play? Is Morey looking to make a trade? Are the Rockets better off without him? All that, plus Michael Redd(notes) returns in Milwaukee, "The Red Rocket" lights it up in San Ant and The Jones are red faced over past mistakes.

The tape never lies!

Subscribe to the video show on iTunes | Download the .m4v directly
Subscribe to the audio show on iTunes | Download the .mp3 directly

Listen up. File this away. Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett(notes) is tired of answering questions about his lingering knee issues ... so fall back like you lost your balance, bloggers and reporters.

"They're getting old," Garnett told Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald when a question about his pregame knee treatment was raised in the media scrum.

"OK? Y'all know what I'm dealing with here. I said (Sunday) that no one in this league at this point ... is 100 percent. Hell, I get worked on even when I didn't have surgery. It's just rituals and stuff like that. I always get treatment before games. If you see Paul [Pierce] and [Rajon] Rondo, I think they get massages before games. My ritual is no different from that."

You got that? Good. And while you're at it, stop asking about his pregame meal. It's a lion. Big deal.

NBA Off-Season 2009 asks: "Our generation's Bird, Parrish, and McHale?" The answer: Yes. Give it time. Best caption/imaginary conversation wins some tea and crumpets. Good luck.

After the jump, Durant takes a seat.

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I love the scream at the end.

So, Lakers forward Ron Artest(notes) was a guest on ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" program Monday night. In his underwear. With Kimmel's name shaved into the back of his head. In his underw— wait, I already said that. "Shout out to David Stern!" I feel like I'm taking crazy pills! Revel in the madness, people.

In part two of the interview, Artest tells a story about Kobe, a shower and steam. Seriously.

Cheers, Ziller.

Each weekday morning, BDL serves up a handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your yin yang yolk.

Mike Bresnahan, L.A. Times: "Andrew Bynum, forgotten man? Amid all the attention heaped upon the return of Pau Gasol, the Lakers' 22-year-old center served notice that, um, he's still playing too. Bynum had 25 points on nine-for-11 shooting in the Lakers' 101-85 victory Sunday over the Oklahoma City Thunder. He also had nine rebounds and made all seven of his free throws in almost 29 minutes. Toronto forward-center Chris Bosh is the only player in the league averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds a game, though Bynum is close to being there too. He is now averaging 19.9 points and 11.2 rebounds. Are the All-Star voters paying attention? 'I hope to make it,' Bynum said. 'That's really a goal I had coming into this season. I think I'm playing at the level I need to be playing. All I can do is get votes now. I've got to keep it up.'"

RealGM: "Things have gone from bad to worse in Washington after Gilbert Arenas pointed the finger at Caron Butler for the team's struggles. Arenas said on Saturday that many of the team's players have 'hidden agendas.' The star guard continued his critical comments on Monday, singling out Butler. 'For the most part, we all get along,' Arenas said. 'There are, what, 15 players on the team? Fourteen do. ... At the end of the day, if 15 players don't want to go and it's only 14, you've seen 'Remember the Titans.' It's the same thing. We've just got to play.' When asked who was responsible for ending the in-fighting, Arenas said, 'Me and Antawn [Jamison]. That's our jobs [as captains].' He conveniently left Butler, the third co-captain, out. Butler wasn't as direct as Arenas and said that a few wins might cure everything in Washington."

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