Some things go together perfectly. You know, peanut butter and chocolate, bread and butter, Brad Miller and camoflauge shorts — you get the gist. These combinations are so natural and so ideal that it's hard to imagine them without each other.

On the other side of the "things that go well together" spectrum — Ron Artest and mental health. He made a name for himself by being completely unhinged in every way, shape and form. Furthermore, in the past when it's been recommended that he be on mood-controlling medication, Artest would "throw it in the garbage."

But things have changed for Ron-Ron. The first sign was him giving his psychiatrist a shoutout in his amazing post game speech. The latest is the community work he'll be doing in Montebello, CA, next week. From Daniel Tedford of the San Gabriel Valley Tribune:

OK, maybe you need like a time and place, oh and the reason world champion Los Angeles Laker and game 7 hero Ron Artest is going to be in Montebello tomorrow.

Apparently, he has teamed up with Congresswoman Grace Napolitano (no, really, I'm serious) to raise awareness about mental health stigma's and advocate for the Mental Health in Schools Act, a.k.a. HR 2531.

That's right — Ron Artest is going to be speaking to kids in school about mental health. When you read that sentence, you realize how much has the world has changed without you even realizing it. It's amazing that a guy who went in to a crowd of people with fists flying during a professional basketball game is now a spokesperson for seeking out mental health assistance.

That being said, I'm with Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk who thinks this is a "pretty good fit." There aren't a lot of famous people who have shown such positive effects from getting help with their mental health problems. Because, seriously, Ron Artest has gone from being a crazy person who fights fans to a guy who made the most important shot in the biggest game of his life then thanked his psychiatrist for giving him the confidence to be a champion. Heck, they can just show that whole sequence in schools and Artest wouldn't even have to talk to be an effective spokesman.

However, I'm guessing he's going to have a few things to say about the matter. That's awesome for him, that's great for the kids and it's going to be great for us to find out what he has to say about getting his mind right. Very cool.

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: Bucksketball. Is it time to start worrying about Andrew Bogut's return?PF: HP. Breaking down positions by shot locations.SF: iLTHY. Boston gets its own Delonte West donuts shirt.SG: Julia Segel. Hey, Magic Johnson suits are pretty cheap. (via ShareBros)PG: Celtics Hub. Doc Rivers hopes the Celtics' Game 7 loss hurts for a long, long time.6th: Complex. All the NBA Twitter mess-ups you could ever hope to remember. 7th: PBT. Speaking of Twitter silliness, DaSean Butler Tweeted a very weird children's story.8th: Sportress of Blogitude. Nice Sears action, LeBron James.9th: Daily Thunder. Even Radhouane Slimane couldn't block every one of Russell Westbrook's dunks.10th: Salt City Hoops. Hard to believe, but Jazz fans aren't excited about the possibility they might sign Francisco Elson.

Got a link or tip for Ball Don't Lie? Holler at me at trey.kerby (at) yahoo.com, or follow me on Twitter.

The Internet has certainly had its fun at the expense of Minnesota Timberwolves president of basketball operations David Kahn. Between constantly acquiring point guards, then doing the same with small forwards, then giving Darko Milicic a $20 million contract, and then talking crazy any time he's in front of a camera, he's made it pretty easy. But maybe we should give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe we should let things play out for the Timberwolves. After all, none of us are actually there with Kahn, trying to understand his process. We base our opinions off reports and actions, but maybe if we were around the team, Kahn's plan would make more sense.

Or maybe not. Because according to Kevin Love, the plan is pretty unclear even if you're a part of the Timberwolves. From Sports Illustrated's Paul Forrester:

SI.com: What's the Timberwolves' plan for improvement?

Love: I hope we have a plan. I don't know what it is at this point. We obviously made a lot of moves, but I'm out there playing and thinking between the lines, not making decisions. I'm just trying to hope for the best and that we keep getting better as a team.

All that stuff I said earlier about giving Kahn a chance because we're not privvy to the ins and outs of his thought process? Nevermind. If one of the biggest pieces of the team doesn't even know if there is a plan for the future, that's probably a bad sign.

What's worse is that a big part of Kahn's mythical plan hinges on Ricky Rubio coming to the Timberwolves some time. No one is really sure when, but the T-Wolves are really planning on that happening. However, even if he does and even if he's really good, that doesn't mean Minnesota's roster will make any more sense. I mean, adding another point guard to a team full of point guards doesn't make the team have less point guards. Quite the opposite, actually.

Who knows, though? Maybe in the next two years Kahn finds trading partners for all of his duplicate pieces and is able to use Minnesota's cap space to add a decent free agent, then Rubio comes over and the Timberwolves are an actual team that makes sense from a position standpoint. However, if David Kahn's been at the helm this long and one of his best players is willing to admit he doesn't know if there's a plan in place, don't count on it. In the dismissive words of Chris Webber, "Good luck."

Just Wednesday we regaled you with tales of Tunisia's resident rebel, Radhouane Slimane. If you were smart, you watched "Jack Rebel Slims" ply his trade against Team USA. If not, you're lucky the Internet exists and you get to watch his highlight tape from Thursday's game.

After a rough first half, Slimane put together what may be the finest minute in Tunisian basketball history. Have a looksy.

Unfortunately this isn't from the ESPN broadast, or else you'd have heard Fran Frischilla dub our man "My High School Chemistry Teacher," which would be a perfect nickname if Jack Rebel Slims hadn't already been coined. Nonetheless, you still get to witness everything you need to know about Radhouane Slimane — a turnover, a chasedown block because he hustled and a made 3-pointer when he had a defender very near him. That's JRS in a nutshell.

Unfortunately, Thursday's loss eliminated Tunisia from the tournament, and we won't get to see Slimane again. It was good while it lasted.

Just waiting, biding his time. Looking forward to winning, maybe, 78 games. Just two more months to sit through, and then it's all games, games, games.

Kind of like us. Though we have other things to look forward to. The World Championships. Team picture day. The duke that is September. So, let's chat about it.

Click the jump, after 3 p.m., Eastern, and let's get to it.

(Note: If your comment doesn't appear right away, rest assured, it shouldn't. Comments are moderated, but because we like you and don't want to limit contributions to a level that other large sites do, we'll try to get to it. It might be a few minutes. It might be 20 minutes. Chill out. Eat some papaya.)

Not everyone is a fan of Kevin Love's freshly shorn face. I'm of the opinion that no beard is better than a line-beard, but some people disagree, including Hamed Haddadi. Easy for him to laugh — he can grow a full beard in about six hours. Lucky guy. Best caption wins a Remington facial-hair trimmer. Good luck.

Previously, some joker goes to an Iran game.

Winner, fastfoodemployer: Although the fans wear jester hats, the joke is on the Iranian basketball team.

Runner-up, jrob: "Wait, this isn't the Italian team."

Second runner-up, Kayz: He was smiling until someone stole his sleeves.

That's Eddy Curry. We haven't heard from him in a while. He, like yesterday's Hump Day Chat!, sort of disappeared.

So, we'll try to chat again, to make up for it. 3 p.m., Eastern, on this site. See you then.

And if you see Eddy? Say hello.

There has been a whole lot of player movement this offseason, obviously. Big names, small names, some as big as your head — players be switchin' teams. So many changes were made that it's kind of hard to keep track of where everybody ended up. For instance, Ramon Sessions is on the Cavaliers now, which totally slips my mind every time I think about how bad Cleveland is going to be next season.

It's easy to assume that the players themselves can keep up with all the changes. As we've learned this summer, all of these guys are best friends, so it only makes sense that they'd remember where their friends are playing. Or, for that matter, where they're playing. However, Amar'e Stoudemire seems to be having a little trouble keeping everything straight. From the Arizona Republic's Paul Coro:

Wednesday was like any early September day at US Airways Center the past eight years.

Always an early-summer arrival, Amar'e Stoudemire was working out in the training room, playing informal games with some Suns and leaving last after a rigorous individual session.

Even though he wore Suns shorts, he was just visiting an old home now that he's a member of the New York Knicks. It is a common open-door policy for NBA players to work out in opposing arenas, but Stoudemire did not expect to find a game to join, and he needed to borrow shorts.

Whoops, wrong team. It's easy to confuse the Suns and the Knicks, what with the orange and the Mike D'Antoni and all, but someone should remind Amar'e Stoudemire he plays in New York now. Otherwise, this is going to get awkward really fast. And can we get him some shorts, too? The man needs some shorts.

Just kidding, guys. Amar'e Stoudemire totally knows who he plays for and was just back for a nice visit with his former team, which is pretty common if not a little weird. After publicly stating he wanted to remain with the team, it's kind of surprising that Stoudemire would be welcomed back with arms wide open, under the Suns-light. But according to Amar'e, his departure from Phoenix was amicable.

Again, from Paul Coro:

Three months after signing a five-year, $99.7 million deal with New York, Stoudemire, who played eight years with Phoenix, said he is not used to his new life. But he has no hard feelings about his departure.

Managing Partner Robert Sarver offered him a five-year, $96.6 million contract with $56 million guaranteed and the rest kicking in if Stoudemire logged significant minutes in the third and fourth years.

"It was fair from Robert's standpoint," Stoudemire said. "I understand his concerns, which were injuries and health. There are no hard feelings at all. From a security standpoint for myself and with as much work as I put in on the court, I was after a greater goal. It was a fair offer from his standpoint. We still talk and have a good friendship.

"The greater goal was to have a sense of security. I didn't want a football deal (with some or all of the money non-guaranteed). I want a NBA deal. That's what I ended up getting."

Makes sense to me. Amar'e is a guy who's suffered injuries in the past, and if a team is going to offer him more money — all of which is guaranteed — then he'd be silly to not take it. And despite his clothing and name punctuation choices, Amar'e's not silly.

But he's also not a Sun, which is what makes this so funny. Someone please get him to New York so he can get used to playing with point guards who don't pass him the ball exactly where he wants it every time he's open. And seriously, someone get him some shorts.

On paper and via electrons on the Internet, the Chicago Bulls should be a good team this upcoming season. Take a team that's won exactly half of its games the past two years, add three members of the perpetually good Utah Jazz, and you're left with a team that should be among the top tier of the Eastern Conference.

But when you consider that the Bulls haven't won a playoff series since 2007, the Miami Heat added two of the top 15 players in the NBA over the summer, the Boston Celtics are coming off an appearance in the NBA Finals and the Orlando Magic still have quality players from top to bottom, one would think being in the top tier in their conference is about as high as the Bulls can reach. And really, that's nothing to sneeze at.

Carlos Boozer, though, he has some different thoughts about how the Bulls season should end. From ESPN's Nick Friedell:

Chicago Bulls power forward Carlos Boozer has lofty expectations for his new team this season.

"A championship," he told ESPNChicago.com on Wednesday night after a Nike House of Hoops event. "I think a realistic goal for us is a championship. I think anything shorter than that we're setting ourselves up to be shorter than what we can reach. I think [we have] potential to be a championship-level team."

Never let it be said that Carlos Boozer suffers from a lack of confidence or body hair. He's certainly not mincing words or beating around the bush when it comes to setting goals. He'd be a great life coach. "Shoot for the moon, even if you miss you'll land among the stars" is probably his favorite motivational saying that he repeats in the mirror every morning.

Of course, Carlos Boozer has to think the Bulls are going to win the NBA title. What else is he going to say? "Oh, I think we'll win about 54 games, and then depending on matchups we'll advance to the second or third round of the playoffs, and if we're lucky we'll score an upset before losing to the Lakers in the Finals." Doubtful. If athletes want to reach the top of their sport, they have to believe they're going to get there.

While the confidence is admirable and necessary, it's probably a little overblown. Not only are the Bulls a team that hasn't played together, they also have a new coach and a bunch of young guys who are growing as players. That's a good combination for the future, but not necessarily for the coming season. Not to mention, there are quite a few teams who are good in the East — your Celtics, your Magic, your Heat, your Hawks (kind of). I'd love it, but I'm not expecting a Bulls title any time soon.

However, if Carlos Boozer ends up leading the Bulls to an NBA championship, every Bulls fan should have to grow very dark, very well-manicured facial hair. Yes, even women. It would be an amazing sign of respect, I think.

Delonte West in Boston isn't your typical reclamation project. I still think it's one worth rooting for, though.

That's despite any actual rooting interest in the Boston Celtics, to take the minor end of things, and despite the ridiculously poor judgment shown by West off the court on the major end. He's no role model. Beset by legal woes, the NBA has already come down with a double-figure suspension for the former Cavaliers guard, and he won't even be able to play until Nov. 17 as a result.

But while the last thing West needs right now is to be thinking about basketball, he needs basketball, badly. He needs a paycheck and steady dose of income and a reliable support system if he's going to try and overcome the mental issues that have plagued him throughout his career. A long time away from the court may have been the best thing for West's state of mind, but he'll need an employer with a plan. He can't work through this on his own.

Hell, he needs a real team (and LeBron's Cavaliers, as we saw in two consecutive playoff flops, were hardly the heartiest sorts) around him just to get his act together as a grown-up, because a solid chunk of West's behavior can be chalked up to mere churlishness, and can't be excused by his issues with depression.

And on the basketball end? Picking up Delonte West, even if it's for half a season, is always going to be a smart move.

Because he can play. And he won't put the Celtics over the top, and there may have been other teams that were crying out for his hybrid-guard skills more than Boston, but Boston can really use him, and West can ably sop up minutes at either guard slot. He defends point guards better than he does shooting guards, but he's quite capable of playing either position offensively, and the Cavs were a better defensive team with him on the court last year than they were with West on the pine.

But one would hope that Boston's plans run more toward the ranks of the magnanimous more than they do the "let's win another before KG completely falls apart."

The hope is that Boston GM Danny Ainge, who originally drafted West back in 2004, is looking more to be the guy in charge when Delonte West gets it all together, than just being the guy who hired Delonte West to play for his team while in his prime. This would mean time off, if needed, whether mandated by the NBA or just as a quick response to something gone a little batty. A different set of locker-room rules, as West finds his balance in public.

These things tend to get in the way of team chemistry, especially on a win-now sort of veteran team that will be featuring all sorts of players working through painful physical (and not mental) afflictions. No person, much less player or teammate, can understand what Delonte is going through. And this can cause resentment. Delonte's no dummy, either, when it comes to the locker room. So that resentment -- whether real or perceived -- could add to his guilt, his frustrations and his depression. Ainge, and Celtics coach Doc Rivers, have to be ready for all of this.

There's no point in telling them what to do, of course, what with my zero credits logged in pre-med. And, really, Ainge and Rivers can bone up and listen to dozens of voices telling them the usual way to try and help West through his more painful days, but they just won't know how to deal with his ups and downs until they're face to face with them. The fact that he's only 27 allows for hope that West can get it all together. The fact that he's already 27 tells you that Delonte West has some deep-seated issues that will take a long time to work out.

So even with the nonguaranteed contract, you would hope that the Celtics are in it for the long haul, and not for some guy to take a chance on because Tony Allen followed the money to Memphis (and how many times do we get a chance to say that?). Because this really could be the first season of the rest of Delonte's life, in 2009-10, as their supportive environment and steady work could be the best possible thing for West as he tries to move forward.

There was a lot of "hopes" in this column. Here's hoping just some of them come true.

Each weekday morning, BDL serves up a handful of NBA-related stories to digest with your Snickers Marathon bar.

Gary Washburn, Boston Globe: Celtics president Danny Ainge has spent his summer vacation plucking unwanted players from other teams, bolstering his lineup on a shoestring budget, bringing a series of big names with formerly big games to Boston. His latest move might become his most scrutinized if the acquisition of Delonte West does not turn out to be beneficial. A free agent looking for a team to take a chance, West agreed to a nonguaranteed deal yesterday with the Celtics, his second go-round with the team. The deal means West can be released before Jan. 10 without the Celtics being responsible for the remainder of his contract. West received $500,000 as a buyout from the Timberwolves when he was waived Aug. 3. Ainge has always admired West's talents, and the swingman played his best basketball while in Boston. But his salary and Wally Szczerbiak's, plus the draft rights to Jeff Green, were required for Ainge to obtain Ray Allen from Seattle in July 2007. After Seattle sent West to Cleveland a few months later, he enjoyed a solid 2008-09 season with the Cavaliers, who lost to Orlando in the Eastern Conference finals. But the trouble that had plagued West's career returned with a weapons charge in September 2009. Riding a three-wheeled motorcycle, West was stopped in suburban Washington, D.C., carrying three guns and a knife. He pleaded guilty to weapons charges and was sentenced to home confinement, but a Maryland judge ruled that he could travel with his next NBA team. The league assessed West a 10-game suspension for pleading guilty and he won't be eligible to play for Boston until a Nov. 17 home game against the Wizards. Despite his well-chronicled troubles - including rumors of an icy relationship with LeBron James in Cleveland - West never left the good graces of Ainge, who has been seeking a swingman since the departure of Tony Allen to Memphis. "Delonte has been one of my favorite players that I enjoyed watching in my time here with the Celtics,'' said Ainge. "He is a competitor and we're all aware and we've done a lot of checks and had a lot of conversation with Delonte and his people and we obviously have a long history with Delonte also and we think he can help us win.''

Marc Berman, New York Post: [Toney] Douglas, the Knicks' most tenacious defender, said one of the reasons he has worked so hard is he wants to be a leader this season. There were none during last season's 29-53 campaign. "I had an OK rookie year, but this year I want to be more vocal and be one of the leaders on the court," Douglas said. "At the same time, you can't be a leader if you don't hold up your end of the bargain. If people are slacking, I'll tell them. If I'm slacking, I want them to tell me." Douglas is now working out with Danilo Gallinari, who spent almost all of the offseason in Italy, Wilson Chandler, Amar'e Stoudemire, Anthony Randolph and Rony Turiaf. According to Douglas, newcomer Kelanna Azubuike is not yet working at Westchester and still is doing offcourt rehab after missing most of last season with a torn tendon in his left knee. It's looking more doubtful the shooting guard will be 100 percent when training camp opens on Sept. 25. After Labor Day, Douglas said he expects to be joined by more teammates so they can begin scrimmaging. "We're just building relationships now," Douglas said. "It's almost a totally new team. I've been working on the pick and roll with Amar'e. So there'll be a better bond when training camp starts."

Jeff McDonald, San Antonio Express-News: Spurs holdovers and hopefuls were back at it Tuesday morning in the team's practice facility. Those working out included familiar faces (Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, George Hill), young players hoping to solidify a roster spot (Garrett Temple, Curtis Jerrells) and free agents auditioning for an offer (Jawad Williams, Darius Miles). One player unable to participate in said activities: First-round draft pick James Anderson. Anderson was up at the practice facility Tuesday, lifting weights and working on conditioning with the team's strength staff. In the final stages of recovering from a hamstring strain that has plagued him since before draft day, Anderson has yet to join his new teammates for any sort of on-court basketball activities. "I think I'm getting back to 100 percent," Anderson said Tuesday. "I'm about 95 percent right now. Just working my way back up."

Ira Winderman, South Florida Sun Sentinel: With the start of training camp less than four weeks away, the Miami Heat might find themselves shorthanded at point guard for those opening drills, despite a roster than now includes 18 players fighting for 15 regular-season spots. Carlos Arroyo, who finished last season as the team's starting point guard, remains sidelined at the World Championships in Turkey due to a deep bruise in his left quadriceps. Mario Chalmers, the third-year guard expected to challenge for the starting role this season, is listed as "questionable" by the Heat for the Sept. 28 start of training camp, after suffering a high ankle sprain during July workouts. The only other point guards on the roster are summer-league prospects Patrick Beverley and Kenny Hasbrouck, with each yet to appear in an NBA regular-season game, and veteran combo guard Eddie House, the free agent signed away from the New York Knicks who is considered more of a scorer than playmaker.

Kevin Ding, Orange County Register: Lakers rookie Derrick Caracter has thought better of reminding everyone besides himself he dropped all the way to the No. 58 overall pick in the NBA draft. Caracter is planning to wear No. 45 with the Lakers instead of the No. 58 he previously chose. Caracter will have to make the team to make it matter, but he and fellow rookie Devin Ebanks had good summer-league time under new full-time Lakers assistant Chuck Person - whose No. 45 jersey hangs from the rafters at his alma mater, Auburn, and served him well in his NBA career.

Nesha Starcevic, AP: Top-ranked Argentina won its fourth straight game at the basketball world championship by defeating winless Jordan 88-79. Luis Scola scored 30 points, his third straight game with 30 or more, and had 13 rebounds. Carlos Delfino added 18 points. Rasheim Wright had 22 for Jordan and Ayman Idais scored 20.

AP: Jonas Maciulis had 19 points and Linas Kleiza(notes) added 15 points as Lithuania beat France 69-55 Wednesday to clinch top spot in Group D at the basketball world championship. "It's a big step," Lithuanian coach Kestutis Kemzura said. "But all the interesting things are just starting." Lithuania (4-0) handed France (3-1) its first defeat and, after playing Lebanon (1-3) on Thursday, will face the fourth seed of Group C - likely Greece, Russia, China or Puerto Rico - in Istanbul on Tuesday.

Selcan Hacaoglu, AP: Host Turkey maintained its perfect record at the basketball world championship by narrowly beating Puerto Rico 79-77 Wednesday, despite trailing its rival in the first three quarters. Hidayet Turkoglu of Phoenix Suns led Turkey (4-0) with 16 points and Ersan Ilyasova of the Milwaukee Bucks had double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds as the host team pulled away in the last quarter. Puerto Rico (1-3), which desperately needed a win to guarantee a spot in the second round, squandered a three-quarter lead over Turkey. "We won when the Puerto Ricans began to get tired physically," said Turkey's assistant coach Orhun Ene. "If we can eliminate our mistakes than we can be more successful in the upcoming rounds. We will play China next. We want to win every match."

Mike McGraw, Daily Herald: The Bulls are getting closer to hiring an assistant coach. It looks like the candidates are former Bucks and Suns head coach Terry Porter, along with former Bulls forward Adrian Griffin. Griffin retired as a player a couple years ago and joined Scott Skiles' coaching staff in Milwaukee. One issue the Bulls may be dealing with is whether or not the Bucks are willing to let Griffin leave. Porter has been out of the league since being fired by Phoenix during the 2008-09 season and appears ready to get back into coaching. Milwaukee assistant Kelvin Sampson, rumored to be a candidate, was never in the mix with the Bulls, according to multiple sources. Another rumored Bulls' target, former Kings and Warriors head coach Eric Musselman, has ties with Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. Musselman's father, Bill, first brought Thibodeau to the NBA with the expansion Minnesota Timberwolves. But with the Bulls moving Pete Myers off the bench, this hire is clearly targeting a former NBA player and Musselman does not qualify.

Tomorrow morning at 9:30 a.m. ET you have your last chance to catch Tunisia's most Internet-famous basketball player playing in front of an international audience as Team USA takes on the FIBA Africa bronze medalists on ESPN.

That man — Radhouane Slimane, a.k.a. Jack Rebel Slims.

Think I'm just blowing smoke up your bumbleshoot? Wrongo, bud. This guy's legit. Allow me to prove to you his worth with just a few tasty nuggets from his official FIBA bio.

Radhouane Slimane is a rebel.

He left the National Team in 2007 following the FIBA Africa Championship after having played four continental championships in a row.

Ever since he started in 2001 at the FIBA Africa Championship in Casablanca, Morocco, he has brought his fighting spirit onto the court.

He came back to the Federation President to apologise for his misbehaviour and now is ready for camp and to try to get a place on the team. [...]

He is probably the best player with the best technical skills but his tough play does not always benefit his team.

That's right. This guy is "probably" Tunisia's best player, but sometimes he plays too rough for his own good. In fact, he's such a bad mammajamma that he left the Tunisian national team, only to apologize to the team's president years later because he wanted to get back on court and bust some skulls. That's dedication. He's the Tunisian Paul Millsap, basically, only with a severe case of male pattern baldness.

Oh, basketball-wise? Yeah, he's that dude. Jack Rebel Slims is third on Tunisia in scoring, no bigs. Sure, he's only shooting 26 percent from the field and 1-of-16 from three, but his 82 percent clip from the line proves his shot is fundamentally sound and it's just a matter of time before he gets on a hot streak. It's not like you want him passing anyways, as he's currently rocking a 1:2 assist to turnover ratio, which is kind of amazing. Furthermore, I'm sure you've already guessed it, but Slimane leads Tunisia in rebounding and is second in fouls. Like his bio says, "his tough play does not always benefit his team." So true.

You've got one chance to catch Radhouane Slimane in glorious HD before Tunisia is eliminated from the FIBA World Championship. Don't miss it. If that means you convince your boss that you're sick and need to stay home, so be it. This is a chance to be a part of something important.

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: PBT. Nice socks, Joakim Noah. Nice everything, really. (via Blog-a-Bull)PF: Nets Are Scorching. Would you trade Brook Lopez for Carmelo Anthony?SF: NBA Playbook. The most beautiful international intentional miss of the FIBA World Championship.SG: Vulture. Finally, Shaquille O'Neal is acting again.PG: HP. The Painted Area gets a much-deserved shoutout from Fran Fraschilla.6th: Magic Basketball. The world's freshest Marcin Gortat highlights. Soooooo fresh.7th: Ball in Europe. Look alive, Riky Rubio.8th: Brew Hoop. Ersan Ilyasova, ballin'.9th: Truth About It. Yi Jianlian, also ballin'.10th: Awful Announcing. Must-watch highlights from the now-famous mystery broadcaster during yesterday's Lithuania-Spain game.

Got a link or tip for Ball Don't Lie? Holler at me at trey.kerby (at) yahoo.com, or follow me on Twitter.

We've known for a while that Shaquille O'Neal and Justin Bieber were due to have a legendary confrontation. We knew that these two titans of their respective industries would clash, hoping to settle the title of Metaphorically Biggest Entertainment Star in the World. Tuesday night, finally, this very important matchup went down. The results were shocking, possibly uprooting everything we thought we knew about the universe.

Surely, every handicapper on Earth would give Bieber — a dancer by trade — the advantage in the freestyle dance portion of this now-legendary face-off. Think again.

Not only is it amazing that Shaquille O'Neal would topple the teen titan in a freestyle dance-off, it's just as unfathomable that O'Neal would debut new moves after decades of doing his "giant robot" shtick. The Michael Jackson legs are a welcome surprise. Well played, Mr. O'Neal.

Fresh off his dance victory, confidence sky-high, one would think that there would be no way that Shaq would lose a basketball game to the 16-year-old Canadian. This is a Hall of Fame big man we're talking about, and Bieber — charming as he is — is very small and very much not going to be inducted in to the basketball Hall of Fame. However, as you can probably deduce, on "Shaq Vs." the world is backwards.

Yes, my friends, we live in a world where Shaquille O'Neal is a better dancer than Justin Bieber, and Justin Bieber is a better basketball player than Shaquille O'Neal. Feel free to reconsider everything you've ever thought to be true. It's a crazy, crazy world out there.

I'm very unfamiliar with Iranian customs and traditions, so this might be a typical Iranian hat that this fan is wearing. However, if it isn't, then it must be said that this guy is the least jolly jester in the history of making jokes. Cheer up, jester! Best caption wins a very slow day at BDL. Good luck.

Previously, Mickael Gelabale feels a deep burn.

Winner, chaoz_golem: In preparation for their match against Serbia, the French team must practice lifting announcers tables. Just in case.

Runner-up, Cursor: Keep it up Mickael, the arena's bending. You're doing it! YOU'RE DOING IT!

Second runner-up, Robert B: Mike made chewing gum cool. Mickael made getting it off your shoe... legendary.

The Miami Heat may have dominated the offseason headlines, but the Boston Celtics are still the top dogs in the East.

USA and Stephen Curry beat Tunisia on Thursday. Italian small forward Danilo Gallinari could be Knick pick ISTANBUL - Eric Gordon scored 21 points and the United States pulled away after a sluggish first half to beat Tunisia 92-57 on Thursday in its final game of pool play at the world championship.

Canada's Jevohn Shepherd, left, drives to the basket as he is guarded by Spain's Fran Vazquez.

The day's five most interesting stories, rumors and notes in the NBA: 1. Blazers forward shines at Worlds: You figured Nicolas Batum would get his chance to put up decent numbers for France at the World Championships considering who is not playing for the French.

Orchards Children's Services officials were nearing the end of a brief ceremony thanking Rodney Stuckey for his efforts to help the Southfield-based foster-care agency, when he asked for the woman he calls his stepmother to come forth.

Jaka Lakovic scored 20 points, hitting consecutive 3-pointers to halt a furious Brazil comeback, and Slovenia blew nearly all of a 17-point lead before holding on for an 80-77 victory Wednesday.

Nenad Krstic returned from a three-game suspension for a brawl and had a double-double in Serbia's 94-79 victory over Australia at the basketball world championship on Wednesday.

Delonte West is returning to the Boston Celtics . The team announced Wednesday that it has signed the 6-foot-3 guard, who was suspended for the first 10 games of the 2010-11 season after pleading guilty to weapons charges in Maryland.

Tickets have gone on sale for the first regular-season NBA games in Europe. The New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors will play a pair of games at the O2 Arena in London on March 4-5. The NBA is planning a week of activities across Britain, including basketball clinics and 3-on-3 competitions.

The United States eased its way to a top seed in the knockout round of the world championship, beating Iran 88-51 Wednesday in the first meeting between the countries with a history of contentious relations.

A former colleague of ours, Scott Howard-Cooper , had an interesting article on nba.com about Magic Johnson possibly joining a new ownership group for the Detroit Pistons.

The last U.S. basketball team was so stacked that Dwyane Wade was the sixth man.

Talk about a tough task! Masai Ujiri will try to keep the Denver Nuggets in the playoffs and keep Carmelo Anthony in a powder blue uniform... but today, the former Bismarck State star met the media at his introductory press conference as the new Genral Manager of the Nuggets.

When it comes to discerning who belongs in a given Hall of Fame, I like to apply the Potter Stewart Test.

Lithuania rallied from an 18-point second-half deficit to beat Spain 76-73 Tuesday in a game between the two Group D favorites at the basketball world championship.