The NBA Dribbled Out

Some Wednesday links, so you know I haven’t forgotten about you, dear reader.

-Even though the trifecta of David Aldridge columns landed this past Monday, you should really go check them out. He goes through the off-season moves of all 30 teams and assigns them into three groups of ten: the Top 10, Middle 10 and Bottom 10. Go read them, and you won’t feel so left out on all the moves this off-season.

-Spain beat France in the Olympic quarterfinals today, but that wasn’t the biggest story from the game. Nicolas Batum of France (who recently signed a massive extension with the Trail Blazers) punched Juan-Carlos Navarro in his groin. Navarro, briefly a member of the Memphis Grizzlies and former winner of the Spanish League’s MVP award with Barcelona, is still receiving treatment, and Batum doesn’t appear very contrite. This is the second incident of testicle violence this week, with the first coming Monday in the USA-Argentina game. No matter how mad you are about something that’s happened on a basketball court, don’t hit people in their genitels. It’s wrong (take note CP3).

-Michael Pina spotlights the shaky ankles of both Deron Williams and James Harden.

-Amin Elhassan was on True Hoop TV with Henry Abbott to discuss everybody’s favorite Canadian basketball MVP, Steve Nash. 

-Ken Berger of CBS Sports wrote an article about Carmelo Anthony yesterday called: Time for Melo to do more than talk success, which I’m pretty sure I’ve already written (twice!) or read somewhere else. That doesn’t mean the piece doesn’t have merit—it’s always important to reiterate how much pressure ‘Melo is gonna be under this year with the Knicks team he’s always wanted—but I’ll understand if you don’t want to read another rehash of the ‘Melo syndrome.

-Kobe Bryant made six straight 3-pointers in the second half and LeBron James had a triple-double as the USA advanced to the semifinals by beating Australia 116-89 today.

-Oh yeah, Dwyane Wade is touring London now too, but he’s also rehabbing his knee.

-If it weren’t for Ethan Sherwood Strauss, Bethlehem Shoals, Holly MacKenzie and a few others, I’d summarily dismiss any Bleacher Report article; especially after being privy to this exhaustively wasteful piece about the 7 biggest threats to LeBron James’ attempt to repeat as MVP in 2013. Please give me that time back, and check out #1 on their list. Steve Nash is turning 39 when I turn 30* in February. Not exactly his prime. 

[Snoop Dogg Lion with Celtics: KG and Rondo (the latter of which is wearing a t-shirt Snoop can appreciate) comes via; NBA players as kids via—and I looked exactly like Dirk at that age]

*That’s not old, just mature :)