Links: John Wall named to Team USA select team roster

I'm back after a one-day sabbatical, thanks to Mike for filling in. We've got a couple playoff stinkers and an important development in John Wall's young career to get to. Links:

• As you may have gleaned from the title of this post, Wall has been named to the Team USA select team, i.e. Team's USA's JV squad. [Wizards Insider]
• Mike weighs in on why Wizards fans should be really happy about Wall's selection.
• Ben Standig has some more thoughts on Wall's chances of making the 2016 Olympic team. [D.C. Sportalist]
• Speaking of Team USA, its makeup is changing by the minute. [SB Nation]
• In the first installment of our "Better Know A Free Agent" series, Mike takes a look at Hornets guard Eric Gordon, The Fightin' Gordon!
• The latest #QUOTESANITY matchups are underway, with "American Jan Vesely" taking on "No body will punk" and "How u" facing off against "Morris Almond Era." Remember, I got "American Jan Vesely" in my Final Four.
• Anything that quotes The Wire is worth reading. Anything. But you owe it to yourself to read in its entirety this lengthy Jonathan Tjarks piece on how basketball players are working together to seize control of an exploitative, lucrative industry. Excellent stuff. [SB Nation]
• Another recap of the Wizards 2011-2012 season. [Wizards Extreme]

• Everyone seems to agree Randy Wittman did a yeoman's job this season filling in as head coach after Flip Saunders was fired. Wittman held players accountable for dogging it on the court, and the team responded with better effort and defensive intensity, even more so after the Nene trade. Still, would it be better to go with a young, up-and-coming assistant next season? [Wiz of Awes]
• Frank Hanrahan sees Trevor Booker competing with Kevin Seraphin to be the starting power forward next season. [CSN Washington]
• Here's a recap of Vesely's season-ending interviews with various Czech outlets, as well as a reminder that, while he might not have produced as many expected from a No. 6 overall pick, Vesely may have actually turned out to be the best possible selection for the Wiz. [Truth About It]
• Read some more parting thoughts from Wizards players, courtesy of Carla Peay, here and here.
• It's goes without saying that tall people have an inherent advantage on the basketball court, but there's some pretty staggering (and frankly, unbelievable) data under discussion here regarding 7-footers and their NBA prospects. [Truth About It]
• There were a couple playoff games yesterday, and neither was close. The Heat and Thunder both rolled to 3-0 series leads, and I think it would shock people if both didn't end up sweeping their respective series against the Knicks and Mavericks. Here's a brief recap plus a bit about LeBron's dominating fourth-quarter performance. [Daily Dime]
• The Heat and Thunder were each led by their best player yesterday. [TrueHoop]
• Was the Heat-Knicks series decided back in July 2010, with LeBron's infamous "Decision?" [ESPN New York]
• Adrian Wojnarowski has a solution for the Knicks, and it's terrible. [Yahoo! Sports]
• The Mavericks look like their finished. Marc Stein noticed that, too. [ESPN]
• Sports talk radio hosts were blasting Chris Bosh all day for deciding to potentially miss a playoff game in order to be present for the birth of his child. Bosh didn't miss the game, but even if he did, shut up sports radio, it's worth it. [SB Nation]
• Have you noticed how many old guys are playing, and well, in these playoffs? Andrew Sharp has. [SB Nation]
• Excellent story here on Pacers center and Georgetown product Roy Hibbert. [Grantland]
• Have you ever taken a look at the Grizzlies' roster and asked yourself, "How are they the fourth seed in the West?" Tom Ziller has the answer. [SB Nation]
• Really, this is what it's all about. [SB Nation]
• I know this is a gag, and pro wrestlers know how to pull of this crap without paralyzing each other, but am I the only one who thinks this could have turned out really bad really easily? [SB Nation]
• Screw you, Celtics team store. [SB Nation]