Here is our regular look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT) — done in bullet point form. Because bloggers love bullet points like Texans love barbecue.
• Who has the better Eurostep move, Dwyane Wade or Manu Ginobili?
• Sarah Mensah, Portland’s COO and a team employee for 19 years, has resigned, tweets Joe Freeman of the Oregonian. She had been an ally of former team president Larry Miller, who left the organization last summer to take a job with Nike. Both Miller and Mensah had been opposed to the hiring of Neil Olshey as the Trail Blazers GM after last season. So, guess who is winning the power struggle? Point is, however, that there are a lot of changes at the top of the organization, we’ll see if this leads to some stability of direction in team building and on the court.
• While we are talking front office changes, the Denver Nuggets announced they have promoted Pete D’Alessandro to Vice President of Basketball Operations and Mike Bratz to Director of Player Personnel.
• The Lakers will be without Steve Blake at least two more weeks due to his strained abdomen.
• Great breakdown of the slipped pick-and-roll the Pacers used to beat the Lakers on Tuesday night.
• Lots of Pau Gasol trade buzz, although you might want to have a seat and relax on that, it’s not happening soon if it does. Complicating matters Gasol has a trade kicker in his contract, but it’s not as big as some have reported — $1.3 million for this season and next total.
• The Celtics need to do a better job defending the three.
• Why we watch and cheer Steve Novak.
• Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle benched Darren Collison to start the game Tuesday night, but afterwards said Collison is still the team’s starter (because he doesn’t have any other good options)
• Doug Collins is praising Kwame Brown’s defense.
• The Lakers bench just got less interesting to watch — the team assigned backup center and cheering machine Robert Sacre to the D-League.
• More leaks out of Virginia Beach on how they are moving closer to a getting a new stadium approved, one where they will try to lure the Sacramento Kings to play in. Virginia Beach should totally use tax dollars to get in bed with the Maloofs, they are totally trustworthy — just ask Kings fans.
