Links: Washington Wizards finish preseason with loss to the San Antonio Spurs

Lunchtime links:

• Great first half by the Wizards last night against the Spurs, and then the second half happened. Sure, the Wiz lost 100-85, but the most important thing about last night's game was that it ended the team's preseason. Hallelujah! [Us | Pounding The Rock | Highlights & box score]
• Now Randy Wittman has the unhappy task of deciding which players to trim from his roster. [Washington Post]
• Mike and Amin preview the Wizards' season in this Google Hangout, a new feature we plan to hold on the regular (about once a week) during the season.
• In reviewing the Wizards' offseason, Mike thinks the team might have gone a bit overboard with the whole "culture change" thing.
• Chris Mannix isn't a big fan of the Wizards' offseason either, and thinks the best they can hope for this season is contention for the eight seed. [SI]
• Last year at this time, everyone thought (and wanted) the Wizards to follow the Thunder-model of team building, but it seems the Wiz realized at some point that it's hard to luck into three elite talents like OKC did and have since focused on accumulating assets and forging a scrappy, defensive identity. Tom Ziller thinks the Wizards' strategy looks a lot like what the Bulls did in Derrick Rose's third season, but with one big difference. [SB Nation]
• I think most would agree the Wizards have improved since the start of last season, but the eternal question remains whether they can sneak into the playoffs this season. [Wiz of Awes]
• The WizKids either need to get some white, button-down shirts or better ears. [Truth About It]
• Well, except for Emeka Okafor, of course. [Ball Don't Lie]
• Ted is proud to have Okafor as a member of the Wizards. [Ted's Take]
• Is 17-18 points per game a realistic expectation for Bradley Beal? This guy thinks so. [Sir Charles In Charge]
• Beal has agreed to a shoe deal with Nike, setting up a potential #SneakerWar with his Reebok-endorsed teammate. [Wizards Insider]
• Lots of fun rookies to keep tabs on this year, Beal included. [Yahoo! Sports]
• Want an idea of how truly awful things have been for Wizards fans the in recent years? No. 10 on #WizardsRank...Antonio Daniels. Ugh. [Truth About It]
• So the Wizards finished the preseason 3-5, but the Heat went 4-4 and the Lakers (the LAKERS!!) went 0-8. Relevant! [SB Nation]
• A recap of yesterday's preseason action. [SB Nation]
• Anthony Davis made a good impression last night, finishing with 24 points and 11 rebounds in a 96-89 win over the Heat. [Heat Index]
• A quick preseason guide to the 2012-13 NBA season. [SI]
• Hurricane Sandy could end up affecting some regular season NBA games. Where's Riggo when you need him to remind the weather to 'loosen up, Sandy baby?' [SB Nation]
• Jake breaks down the divergent careers of the Grant brothers (Horace and Harvey, that is) for SB Nation's series on Iconic NBA Families. [Us]
• That LeBron James, always setting his sights so low. [AP]
• A Bill Simmons column on LeBron = Must read. [Grantland]
• The Knicks aren't sure when Amar'e Stoudemire will be back. Sounds promising. [New York Post]
• Sounds like the Thunder want James Harden to accept less than a max contract. Hmm... [SB Nation]
• Nice to hear the last year has been 'hell' for Dwight Howard, too. [Ball Don't Lie]
• Hold up, could Greenbelt native Delonte West still suit up for the Mavericks this season? [Dallas Morning News]
• It's early, but who are the top 2013 draft prospects entering the college basketball season? [SI]
• Tracy McGrady has sneakers with his picture on them, presumably so that you don't forget he's dunking on you when his feet are at your eye level. Of course, these kicks would have come in more handy eight years ago when T-Mac didn't have glass knees. [Ball Don't Lie]