Can't Kevin Durant afford his own nachos?

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

OFFICIALLY OUT: Kevin Arnovitz’s profile of Billy Kennedy, the NBA official who came out last year, is beyond tremendous. From the details on how Kennedy hid in plain sight for 15 years to the tick-tock of that night in Mexico City when Rajon Rondo stepped over the line, everything is just perfect. Plus: photos of a 12-year-old Billy Kennedy reffing a game!

PERFECT: I argue that Vivek Ranadive is in fact the perfect owner for the Sacramento Kings. Deadspin talked to Geoff Petrie, the longtime former Kings GM whom Vivek recently derided. Petrie, who is a quite tall former NBA forward, calls Vivek "a very arrogant and dismissive little chap." Typical MIT vs. Princeton rivalry stuff!

MORE LIKE ARCHIE GREATWIN: Archie Goodwin with a game-winning dunk.

PREVIEW PARTY: Flanns and I struggle to make heads or tails of the Atlanta Hawks’ offseason. We also trade expectations for the James Harden-Mike D’Antoni partnership in Houston. We have a Hawks preview from Peachtree Hoops.

THE STARTERS ARE BACK: Everyone’s favorite madcap NBA analysts, The Starters, have begun their season preview. You can find it on NBA TV, of course, and also on YouTube. Here’s Part 1.

SILVER’S POWER AND BURDEN: A compelling argument from Beejoli Shah that Adam Silver has the same sort of discretionary power as Roger Goodell, and could face a very tricky decision around Derrick Rose’s actions.

SPEAKING OF WHICH ... A judge declined calling a mistrial. Here’s the latest from the Times.

WELPVILLE, LOUISIANA: Anthony Davis sprained his ankle in the Pelicans’ final preseason game in China. He could miss opening night. Chris Mannix writes that injury is the biggest threat to The Brow’s greatness.

QUIET PROTEST: The anthem singer at a recent Kings preseason game kneeled at the end of the song.

AWESOME ANNUAL COLUMN ALERT: Zach Lowe’s usually prescient preseason prediction column is here.

QUELLE SURPRISE: LeBron James and Tom Brady had very different responses to questions about a certain politician’s so-called locker room comments.

BIG: Mike Monroe on the Spurs’ dedication to playing big despite the current vogue. It’s worth noting that San Antonio has been booted out of the past two offseasons by teams who play rather big or at least are traditionally positional.

LAST TO LEAVE: Very good piece by Michael Chang on Dirk Nowitzki being the last legend of his generation to stick around as Kobe, Duncan, and Garnett retire.

HUH: Andrew Bogut says the Warriors believed Kevin Durant was coming all along, and Bogey and Andre Iguodala knew it meant one of them would be traded.

AND FINALLY: Kevin Durant needs to learn the Californian custom that nachos are almost literally "not yours." But this fan seems happy to share nonetheless.

Be excellent to each other.