Pop quiz: What do you get on a Monday morning in August, when sloths outpace the NBA offseason and the sports media are keyed on how Tim Tebow looked in a preseason game? Answer: No NBA news. Case o' the Monday's links:
- In a recent interview with The Washington Post, Kevin Durant expressed frustration with the repeated suggestion that he wait his turn while the LeBron's and Kobe's of the NBA got theirs before assuming his rightful place atop the NBA hierarchy. Matt Moore writes that Durant has every reason to be impatient, and offers several teams, the 2007 Wizards among them, as examples of squads which at one point seemed destined for greatness to only fizzle out unexpectedly. [ProBasketballTalk]
- Durant is looking forward to facing a reloaded Lakers team that many feel leapfrogged the Thunder in the Western Conference with the acquisition of Dwight Howard. [Yahoo! Sports]
- Do you like a spoonful of pure speculation with your Monday morning coffee? This piece on the Magicpotentially targeting Durant in free agency four years from now should do the trick. [Orlando Sentinel]
- Speaking of free agents, it's never too early to take a look at next year's crop. Tom Ziller starts his week-long look at the top 50 free agents of the 2013 class by ranking Nos. 41-50. [SB Nation]
- In case you missed it, be sure to check out Mike's introduction to our week-long series looking back at Michael Jordan's tumultuous three-year tenure as executive and player with the Washington Wizards.
- Dirk Nowitzki told fans during a Twitter Q&A yesterday that he would like to play two more seasons. More importantly, he revealed that his two favorite bands are the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. He could stand to reverse the order of those two, but let this serve as further evidence that Nowitzki is awesome. [Dallas Morning News | SB Nation]
- Former NBA star and current Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson has put the fate of the Kings on the franchise's owners. [Marin Independent Journal]
- I wish I could have Kendall Marshall follow me around and dispense common-sense advice whenever I need it, which is all the time. [SB Nation]
- Fab Melo says (and looks like) he has lost weight since he was last seen playing in college. His chair at the NBA's annual rookie photoshoot disagrees. [Ball Don't Lie]