Good morning. Let's basketball.
BACK TO L.A.: The Lakers have a coach, and it's Byron Scott. L.A. is all about those former Cavs coaches, so David Blatt can at the very least look forward to that. I wrote that Scott is a good choice, but the Lakers' problems run much, much deeper.
THAT'S A WRAP: All coaching vacancies have now been filled. Kevin Zimmerman presents one challenge each new head coach faces going into the season.
NO LOVE FOR USA: Kevin Love won't be playing in the FIBA World Cup. Paul Millsap is now in the mix. Meanwhile, Coach K talked to Marc Spears about the U.S. program.
[WHISTLES TUNE]: Nate Silver on the Harlem Globetrotters and Washington Generals, a piece which includes this sentence: "If they entered the NCAA tournament, the Globetrotters would deserve to be slotted in as something like a No. 4 or 5 seed."
JAVALE! JaVale McGee stars as Wiz Khalifa dressed as Leonardo in the Funny Or Die parody of the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme video. Right.
WELL THAT'S GOOD: Eric Bledsoe seems to understand that the Suns are using restricted free agency to destroy his chances of getting a max deal, and that it's not personal.
JOAKIM NOAH IS REALLY GREAT: Here's a story on Noah and Chicago.
COOL STORY, LEBRO: LeBron will wear No. 23 in Cleveland. Just in case there is a single kid who didn't burn his jersey in 2010 ...
MUDIAY AND HUESTIS IN CONTEXT: My buddy Andy Hutchins on what the Emmanuel Mudiay and Josh Huestis developments mean for the NCAA.
MORE UNION DRAMA: The NBA players' union should have a new executive director this week, but Kevin Johnson has pulled out of the process in another skirmish and who knows? Who knows?
JAMES HARDEN IS RIGHT ABOUT CHANDLER PARSONS.
SOUNDS ABOUT RIGHT: Mark Cuban trash-talked Fat Joe during a heated sneaker auction.
WEE: Big WSJ trend piece on craft beer.
POUND IT: Fist bumps are less germy than handshakes, study says. Bro hugs not mentioned.
Happy Monday. See you next time.