Cardboard Brad Miller can brighten your life

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

PREVIEW CITY: The Bulls are my pick for the second-best team in the East, but Paul Flannery doesn’t agree with me. :-( Here’s the Blog a Bull preview. Our other Monday team was the Denver Nuggets, on whom Flanns and I also disagree, and I’m never sure we’ll be able to kindly talk basketball again. :-( :-( Here’s the optimistic Denver Stiffs preview.

SPEAKING OF THE BULLS ... Joakim Noah hosted an impromptu Chicago Big Man Convention with a visiting Omer Asik and a Cardboard Brad Miller. This suggests that Noah always has a Cardboard Brad Miller at the ready, and that should concern you and Brad Miller a great deal.

OTTOMATIC: Otto Porter nutmegs a guy. It’s Otto Porter’s time, y’all.

ARNIE KANDER BACK! The unretired former Pistons trainer is trying to solve the Timberwolves’ injury woes. Jerry Zgoda digs into the methods. This type of thing is fascinating.

THE DECISION III: Really fantastic piece by Ramona Shelburne on Kevin Durant’s next decision.

PEAK J.R. SMITH: This is J.R. Smith purchasing cotton candy from the bench during a preseason game.

IT COULD BE SO GREAT: Illuminating Rob Mahoney Q&A with Jrue Holiday on his expectations for his role on the Pelicans moving forward and more.

THIS IS A GOOD QUESTION: Why was coverage of the Thabo Sefolosha trial quieter than coverage of Deflategate? Friend of GMIB Dave Zirin has seven reasons the case was a big deal. I also enjoyed Jeff Zillgitt on why Thabo fought the charges despite being offered a plea deal that would have all but made it go away.

HMM: Larry Sanders is rumored to be considering an NBA comeback (so soon?) but he’s not meeting or talking with the Mavericks right now.

I DON’T UNDERSTAND ... why more people aren’t talking about Nick Young as a potential USC football head coach. He’s already in L.A., he bleeds Trojan carmine (vermilion? maroon?) and it’s not like he’ll be busy with anything else this season. #Swaggy4SC

MORNING TAPE: David Aldridge’s Morning Tip leads with a discussion of Knicks hope, that elusive thing.

A GOOD THING: Byron Scott is showing signs of joining the 21st century, which can only be good for the Lakers.

A DIALOGUE WITH ATLANTA HAWKS TICKET SALES REP RICH HOMIE QUAN ...

“Hi, Mr. Homie Quan.”

“Ooh ooh ooh oooooh.”

“I’m wondering what type of ticket plan you’d recommend for me?”

“FLEX.”

“Excellent, thank you. How much would that cost?”

“A hundred thousand.”

HEY. Happy Tuesday. Enjoy the world. See you next time.