The 10-man rotation, starring whether or not to max out DeMarcus Cousins

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. With reports circulating that the Sacramento Kings are beginning to discuss a contract extension with DeMarcus Cousins, it's worth wondering just how much the talented but flawed and hot-headed big man might stand to command. Could DMC merit a max contract offer? Despite his warts, Rob Mahoney thinks the answer is an emphatic yes.

PF: Silver Screen and Roll. Could Jordan Farmar wind up being the Los Angeles Lakers' best point guard this season? After digging into the numbers and the tape, Drew Garrison thinks he just might, which seems crazy, but would sure make his minimum-salary signing a pretty strong value.

SF: HoopChalk. Ian Levy looks at what kinds of offensive adjustments and variations new Atlanta Hawks head coach Mike Budenholzer might be able to swipe from his days as an assistant with the San Antonio Spurs to inject life into the Hawks' often-stagnant pick-and-roll game.

SG: The Diss. Kevin Draper on how Jason Collins, Tim Hardaway and Kenny Anderson, among others, show that "slowly, slowly, it seems the mountain between basketball players and social issues is crumbling."

PG: Salt City Hoops. Scott Stevens (no relation, I presume) does important work here in charting the development of Utah Jazz swingman Gordon Hayward's facial hair. Thought-provoking stuff, especially when Stevens turns his attention to projecting Hayward's future growth.

6th: Ultimate Rockets. One year ago, Marcus Camby made zero sense for a Houston Rockets team intent on getting younger, identifying potential foundation pieces and building for the future. Now, as Jonathan Feigen writes, he makes perfect sense for a Rockets team that's done its building work and just needs some of that Vaunted Veteran Leadership at the end of the bench.

7th: RealGM. With LeBron James reportedly bowing out of the USA Basketball fold, Chris Paul going back and forth as to whether he wants to suit up in 2016 and other integral pieces of the last several iterations of Team USA yet to commit to wearing the red, white and blue in Rio, a changing of the guard appears to be in the offing for the U.S. men's national hoops team. Jonathan Tjarks considers some of the players likely to make up Team USA's next generation, and how "getting to know one another" events like last week's mini-camp and showcase could set the stage for major NBA shifts in the future.

8th: Sports on Earth. A somewhat different take on the regeneration of Team USA from Colin McGowan: "The product USA Basketball and the NBA have worked together to create is slick and entertaining, but sometimes feels like a competition among collections of carefully maintained personal brands."

9th: Mavs Moneyball. Dallas Mavericks space opera fan-fiction, duh.

10th: Pounding the Rock. Rafael Montalvo weighs in on why the 2013-14 season could be one of the best and most competitive in quite a while, which seems like a sunny way to bid farewell to this Monday.

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