Mayor David Stern. Mayor. David. Stern.

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

THE VICTOR THE MAGIC NEED: Satchel Price on what Victor Oladipo needs to become to transform Orlando into a playoff team: “Already a strong perimeter defender thanks to his elite athleticism, prototypical size (6’4, 210 pounds) and motor, Oladipo’s upside has always been tied to his offensive skills. Can he shoot? Can he run the pick-and-roll? Those are the doubts that Oladipo has needed to overcome.”

LOVELY: Our friend Ezekiel Kweku (aka @theshrillest) has curated a pretty great collection of basketball-related art on a Tumblr. Really cool to just scroll on through.

JAMMING ON OUT? There are some Jamal Crawford trade rumors that seem like they might have credence.

WE’LL SEE: Joakim Noah a) swears he’s healthy and b) is entering a contract year. The Bulls really need the former to be true and the latter to be a big factor.

MAYOR STERN? Friends are urging David Stern to run for mayor of New York City in 2017. Mayor Stern. Mayor. Stern. Via PBT.

CONFIRMED: Stephen Curry played golf with POTUS and confirms he is a massive trash talker.

DANGER: Shots taken deep in the shot clock have a much lower chance of going in than you’d predict looking at distance and distance of the defender. This is really interesting data.

THE SECRET SOCIETY: Ian Levy points out that despite the high-profile cases, there are relatively few first-time head coaches hired each year, meaning Becky Hammon and Nancy Lieberman may still have a long wait to get the first shot.

THE MILWAUKEE PROBLEM: Andrew Sharp on idealism vs. realism in the stadium subsidy debate. This is good, nuanced stuff.

WHITE CHOCOLATE NEVER DIES MELTS: “The year is 2083, and Jason Williams throws a no-look bounce pass off of the chin of a Cthulu overseer lording over center court ...”

IGGY AZALEA IS RIGHT: She says her fiancé Nick Young was trash last season. Now I hope Swaggy P admits Iggy’s last album was garbage. Let’s get this marriage started off on the right foot!

HERO: This is Anthony Davis, savior of the world, teaching a late-night host the Whip.

Happy Thursday. See you next time.