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Ball Don't Lie on the Wizards

  • The 10-man rotation, starring dissections and defenses of Frank Vogel’s decision

    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 Point Forward, 8 Points, 9 Seconds and SB Nation. Rob Mahoney, Brett Koremenos and Mike Prada all come to the defense of Indiana Pacers coach Frank Vogel — or, at least, explain the reasoning for his decision-making for removing Roy Hibbert for the Miami Heat's last two offensive possessions of Game 1, including LeBron James' game-winner.

    PF: TrueHoop. Kevin Arnovitz considers several other options Vogel had that would have kept Hibbert on the floor for those fateful final 2.2 seconds.

    SF: Miami Herald and SB Nation. Amid all the parsing, picking and probing of the Pacers coach and his choice, Dan LeBatard and Paul Flannery would like us to stop second-guessing for a second and just appreciate how remarkable and ridiculous LeBron's game-winning finish really was.

    SG: The Oklahoman. After donating $1 million to tornado relief and recovery efforts, Kevin Durant also donated his time, visiting with storm victims in Moore, Okla. Darnell Mayberry went with him. The result is stirring.

    PG: The Brooklyn Game. Four-and-a-half minutes of Deron Williams crossing dudes up this season? Don't mind if I do. (Also, the clip's split into pre- and post-platelet-rich-plasma therapy on the Brooklyn Nets point guard's balky ankles. He seems to have more fluidity and bounce in the latter half to me, but that might just be my mind playing tricks on me — what do you think?)

    6th: Truth About It. On one hand, the Washington Wizards scored a big win when they moved up to the No. 3 pick in Tuesday's 2013 NBA draft lottery, seemingly improving their chances of getting another difference-maker to add to the extremely exciting backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal. On the other hand, they're the Wizards, which means they're a pretty good bet to make a draft pick that is #SoWizards. Kyle Weidie identifies the five most #SoWizards choices possible, giving Wizards fans outcomes to begin dreading well in advance of next month's draft.

    7th: Red94. Patrick Beverley went from being about as anonymous as an NBA player gets to a household name in the time it took for the test results on Russell Westbrook's meniscus to come back. But strip away that lone play and all the drama that surrounded it, and what kind of season did the Houston Rockets' 24-year-old rookie guard have, and has Daryl Morey unearthed another hidden-value gem for the future? Michael Pina grades Beverley's maiden NBA voyage.

    8th: New York Post. Not only did Carmelo Anthony reportedly play with a partially torn labrum in his left shoulder during the playoffs, but running buddy J.R. Smith had some weird fluid buildup in his left knee. Now we just need to find out that Jason Kidd was legally deceased for the entire postseason, and we'll have a complete array of "yeah, but ..." postscripts!

    9th: The Steven Lebron Podcast. Alex Wong chops it up with former NBA center Todd MacCulloch for about an hour, discussing stuff ranging from growing up in Winnipeg to Rip Hamilton nightmares, the perfection of NBA socks, playing against Shaq and with Iverson, that amazing SLAM cover and much more. Todd seems like a very chill bro.

    10th: Salt City Hoops. I dug this nitty-gritty look by Andy Larsen at how DeMarre Carroll — a player whose basic statistical profile won't wow you, who rarely leaps off the screen at you while watching film, and who doesn't seem to have a particularly elite NBA skill — has developed into a demonstrably valuable piece for the Utah Jazz by valuing existing possessions and creating new ones.

    Got a link or tip for Ball Don't Lie? Give me a shout at devine (at) yahoo-inc.com, or follow me on Twitter.

  • The Cleveland Cavaliers win the 2013 NBA Draft Lottery, get top pick for second time in three years

    It seems like Nick Gilbert brings a lot of luck to the NBA Draft Lottery for the Cleveland Cavaliers. For the second time in three seasons as the franchise's lottery representative, the teenage son of Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has brought home the top pick in the draft. The Cavs, who finished the 2012-13 season with a 24-58 record, entered the lottery with the third-best chances of snagging the first selection at 15.6 percent.

    The Orlando Magic, the league's worst team at 20-62, were forced to settle for the second pick. However, the biggest losers of the lottery were the Charlotte Bobcats (soon to be the Hornets), who dropped to the fourth spot after posting a 21-62 record, just one game better than the Magic. They were supplanted in the top three by the Washington Wizards, who entered the process with a 30 percent chance of jumping from the eighth pick into the trio of lottery spots.

    While the Wizards will benefit the biggest boost of any team in the lottery, the Cavaliers are the clear winners of the event. In 2011, they won the top pick and selected Duke point guard Kyrie Irving, who earned his first All-Star selection this February in his second season. This June, Cleveland will have the chance to choose between Kentucky shot-blocker Nerlens Noel (currently rehabbing a torn ACL) and Kansas shooting guard Ben McLemore. Given the presence of 2012 first-round pick Dion Waiters, the Cavs will likely opt for Noel, although that is merely an educated guess with the draft more than a month away.

    While sitting at a desk festooned with a team logo is not typically considered a skill, Nick Gilbert has a strong argument for being the most effective lottery representative in NBA history. He's now been present for two lottery wins in three seasons, a record matched only by the time I won a Sega Genesis and Game Gear in consecutive raffles as a young child. Through it all, Gilbert has been extremely charismatic and likable. What's most impressive is that he has expressed that positivity despite being born with neurofibromatosis (NF), a nerve disorder that causes tumors to grow throughout the body at random. Gilbert has dealt with several rounds of chemotherapy, lost vision in one of his eyes, and lived through pain most of us will never have to experience. Yet, in 2011, his father referred to him as "the happiest and most optimistic person I know."

    The Cavs sought out some extra good luck this year after Dan Gilbert organized a contest designed to find their luckiest fan. The winner, Roy Tate Moore, traveled with the Gilberts and the rest of the sizable Cavs entourage to the lottery and will partake in whatever festivities they have planned in the wake of this victory.

    The rest of the lottery participants, apart from the very pleased Wizards, must now consider the true worth of their supposed good luck charms and ponder the cruelty of any organization that lets the fortunes of its members rest on the random bounces of a few ping-pong balls. Fans of those ill-fated teams can check the full 2013 draft order here.

    Related coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
    • Spurs fan enters Internet lore forever
    • Michael Jordan announces the Charlotte Bobcats will become the Hornets
    • East finals preview: Can the Pacers knock off the Heat?
    • Clippers not retaining Vinny Del Negro as coach

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