Basketball Links From Around the Web

• The Bleacher Report Pick of the Week: Why Lester Hudson Is the Steal of the Draft for the Boston Celtics by Leroy Watson
• Mainstream Article of the Week: Red-hot rivalries burn down the house by ESPN's Pat Forde
• I know it's a little late, and I know this isn't exactly small-time (suggestions are welcomed, by the way), but here's The Small-Time Article of the Week: Five Things I Might Know About The Draft by FreeDarko's John Krolik
• This week's Video of the Week is meant to honor a great man who will soon be receiving the Jimmy V Award for Perseverence at the upcoming ESPYs: Winning On and Off the Court by ESPN (and brought to you by the X's and O's of Basketball)
• The Slam Contribution of the Week is going to a writer who has not yet graduated high school, yet he finds himself in a rare situation: The Dwight Powell Diary
• It has been debated as to whether or not Danny Ainge is a good general manager. Some (or at least one) think he is a genius, while others aren't too hot on his decisions for the Celtics.
• The Dime Magazine Rumor Mill is at it again. This morning, they are saying the Blazers are after David Lee, the Bulls are trying to snag Jannero Pargo out of Europe, the Jazz don't want T-Mac for Kirilenko, and more.
• Next week the LeBron James Skills Academy will be taking place in Ohio. However, four camps have served as a precursor to what will take place in a few days. The top point guards, most notably Brandon Knight, Austin Rivers, and Marquis Teague, were putting in work at the Deron Williams Skills Academy. The country's best big men, including Fabricio Melo and Perry Jones, attended a camp hosted by Amare Stoudemire. Vince Carter's and Paul Pierce's Skills Academies were home to some of the nation's best wings and shooting guards, such as Harrison Barnes, Andre Dawkins, and Dwayne Polee.
• Finally, the top freshmen will soon be arriving at college campuses, prepared to contribute quite a bit to their team, whether it be a conference doormat (Cincinnati) or national power (North Carolina). Do you know where they are headed? The Bleacher Report's Jameson Fleming breaks it down.

To contact this writer, email him at marchmadness14@gmail.com. If you would like to read more from him and other great writers, visit InformativeSports.

Summer Still Means Basketball

• I just wrote an article on Bleacher Report that breaks down the best undersized point guards of all time. Give it a look if you have the chance.



• The Bleacher Report Pick of the Week: Kobe Is Kobe, LeBron Is LeBron, Jordan Is Jordan, and That's That by Teddy Mitrosilis



• Mainstream Article of the Week: Satisfaction by Sports Illustrated's Chris Ballard



• Small-Time Article of the Week: Prep school is not for all top recruits by The News & Observer's Ken Tysiac



• YouTube Videos of the Week: Alan Stein Speeches, NBPA Top 100 Camp and University of Maryland Elite Camp



• The Ricky Rubio Mystery: Much has been made as to whether he will be a star in the League or a bust from day one.


• I've also been contributing to NBA roundtable discussions on InformativeSports.com, most recently No. 7 (which talks about Tyler Hansbrough, the Magic PG situation, and David Lee).


• The SLAM Contribution of the Week: The New Top 50

Around My World in 90 Seconds

Quick thought: Does anyone else think it would be funny to see the NBA's "Dream Finals" of Kobe vs. LeBron not happen? I could have sworn basketball was played with eight other guys on the court. (But don't tell ESPN and Nike that.)

All I want to see are the two best teams going at it. But I digress. Anyway, it has been a very long time since my last post, but here's where I've been:

Bleacher Report: No Cinderella, No Problem

Informative Sports: NBA Roundtables One, Three, and Four

I know it's not a lot, but I've been busy.

Either way, summer is upon us, and I plan on posting weekly (with more substance than this one) throughout the summer months. Each week, I will also give my picks for Mainstream Article of the Week (i.e. ESPN, SI), Small-Time Article of the Week, and Video of the Week.

Mainstream Article of the Week: Air Standards Seem Out Of Reach, by ESPN's Chris Broussard

Small-Time Article of the Week: A Trail Of Tears: Memphis the Next School Hurt by Calipari Departure, by The Bleacher Report's David Sanchirico

Video of the Week: The John Gilchrist Journey Parts One and Two, by GanonBakerBasketball

To contact this writer, you can email him at marchmadness14@gmail.com. To read more of his works, or to just read more great sports articles, visit Informative Sports.