Around the NBA.

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[h=1]Can you trust Durant in fantasy hoops?NBA

[/h]The NBA season tips off Tuesday, and there's still plenty of time to get in the fantasy basketball action. Kevin Durant is a first-round pick coming off an injury-plagued season. Would you take a risk on him?

 

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Avery Bradley on his backcourt partner: “Marcus [Smart] is going to continue to get better and he’s going to be one of the best guards in the NBA.”

 

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Boston Celtics coach Brad Stevens said he’s leaning towards starting the lineup we saw often this preseason — Marcus Smart, Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, David Lee, and Tyler Zeller — but won’t commit just yet. That quintet was in green starter shirts at the end of Monday's practice. Stevens did remind media: “They’re all going to play a lot of minutes, they're all going to play a big role. Whether you start the game or not, it’s kind of inconsequential in a lot of ways.”

 

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Pistons waived Danny Granger, eating his $2.1M salary. Detroit spending $9.3M this season on players not on roster (Josh Smith gets $5.4M)

 

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[h=1]#NBArank: It's CP3 time at No. 6

[/h]Clippers point guard Chris Paul dropped from the No. 2 spot last year, but is still arguably the most knowledgeable PG in the league. LA led the league in offensive efficiency with Paul on the floor.

 

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[h=1]#NBARank: Westbrook takes No. 7NBA

[/h]The Thunder guard is a few spots back from last year's No. 4, but he remains near the top. Last season he emerged as a triple-double machine in teammate Kevin Durant's absence, while using 38.6 percent of OKC's plays

 

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In the limited amount of practice that's been open to media, the player I've seen Billy Donovan talking 1-on-1 to the most: Dion Waiters.

 

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Lakers announce that they’ve waived Jabari Brown, meaning Metta World Peace has made their regular-season roster, which now stands at 15.

 

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[h=1]#NBArank: Leonard checks in at No. 8NBA

[/h]Take time to welcome Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard to the top 10 in #NBArank. The 2014 NBA Finals MVP moves from No. 24 last year to the No. 8 spot.

 

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#NBARANK: Griffin slips to 9



ESPN's #NBArank gets grittier as Clippers lob machine Blake Griffin slides from No. 5 to No. 9. He has added a three-point jumper and more long-range shots.

 

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Though LeBron James and Co. absorbed some bumps and bruises during the preseason, Marc Stein's first weekly assessment of each NBA team has the Cavaliers well positioned

 

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Kristaps Porzingis sees his height as an advantage on and off the court. "Some girls are intimidated by my height but a lot of girls do like it, so that's cool," he tells DuJour Media. In the interview, DuJour also asks Porzingis who sings "Born in the USA." "Miley Cyrus?" he answers. Give the kid a break. He's 20 years old.

 

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Not many are predicting playoffs for the Knicks, but Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson think they have a shot. "If (Carmelo) is healthy and really good, and Porzingis develops, I think they could be in the hunt in the last month for the 8th spot," Van Gundy says. Adds Jackson: "This is a team that I don't think is a long-shot to make the playoffs."

 

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Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy are bullish on Kristaps Porzingis. "I like his whole attitude after getting drafted," Van Gundy says. "I liked his assertiveness in the minutes I've seen him play." Jackson adds: "You can see what (the Knicks) liked coming into the draft, and I think he's going to be a very good basketball player for a long time to come."

 

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Carmelo Anthony sees some similarity between the New York Mets' rebuild and what the Knicks are trying to do. "I don't want to say similar but you can see some similarities," Anthony said of the Mets, who will face the Kansas City Royals in the World Series. "The way that they kind of broke everything down and started building piece by piece and all of that came together at the right time. I don't want to say we're in a similar situation but we are. We've put pieces together and we've got to go out and build that." The Knicks are coming off of a franchise-worst 17-win season. Surely, the fan base would love it if they took a Mets-like leap in the near future. The Knicks haven't been to an NBA Finals since 1999 and last won in 1973.

 

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Still unclear how much playing time Rose will get tonight. Guess is somewhere between 20-25 minutes.

 

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Hoiberg says Bulls will be "a little bit careful" with Derrick Rose tonight -- but he'll be in the starting lineup. Rose joins Butler,Snell, Mirotic and Gasol to start. Hoiberg excited that President Obama will be in attendance.
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[h=1]#NBArank: Stephen Curry is No. 4NBA
[/h]A revamped Warriors offense gave Curry more opportunities to score, and he took advantage -- to the tune of last season's MVP award.

 

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Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says long-projected starting 5 of Goran Dragic, Dwyane Wade, Luol Deng, Chris Bosh and Hassan Whiteside remains work in progress entering Wednesday opener against Hornets.
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Celtics newcomer David Lee asked if he’ll watch Golden State’s banner ceremony tonight: “Of course. … It’s something that I really would have liked to go to, I’ll just be honest with you guys. It bothered me a little bit this morning. I would have liked to have gone to that. But even if I had chartered back, I would have gotten in at 3 in the morning and that’s not fair to the current team I’m with. And I really want to have a great opening night and get us a victory.”