The Doc Rivers-Mark Cuban feud veers dangerously close to its inevitable BOFA moment

Good morning. Let’s basketball.

LET’S HEAR IT FOR WORLD PEACE: Metta World Peace is back, having signed an unguaranteed 1-year deal with the Lakers to serve as a mentor of some fashion after a season in China.

BEST NBA FEUD: So Doc Rivers and Mark Cuban are still throwing shots at each other. Our friend netw3rk deems Cuban-Doc the league’s best feud going. I was skeptical until I read the piece. SHADE CITY. I’m in.

SPEAKING OF THE CLIPPERS ... Doc said he’s likely to start Wes Johnson at the three. This is a horrific idea. Please stop. Please tell me he’s trolling the Lakers. No.

AND FINALLY ... Woj talked to Doc about communication and the summer saga and everything.

LEE JENKINS ALERT: Lee Jenkins talks to Chris Bosh about the terrifying midseason surgery to clear blood clots out of the Heat star’s lungs.

TRISTAN THOMPSON UPDATE: There is no update, really. A certain ESPN reporter with a propensity of being either late or wrong to most stories was (surprise) wrong on the Cavaliers agreeing to a Thompson counter-offer. Someday, we’ll all learn not to trust said reporter.

LEVEL UP: Paul George was officially named the starting power forward of the Pacers on Thursday. He doesn’t sound totally sold on the idea. He sounds open to it, but concerned about the toll it will have on his body coming off of a season in which he played just six games. That’s not a great start to the experiment, but it could still work if PG finds early success.

MEET THE MAN WHO MAKES THE MASCOTS.

EAST BAY FUNK: Some respect for Jason Richardson’s dunking prowess.

ONLY YOU CAN SAVE US, POPE FRANCIS: Dan Barry begs the Pope, who will be offering mass at Madison Square Garden on Friday night, to fix the Knicks.

HAPPY NBA 2K WEEK! NBA 2K16 came out at midnight. Let this trailer help you decide whether to invest money and hours upon hours to it.

HEXAGON OF POWER: Seth Rosenthal on Settlers of Catan masters. Must-read.

A KICKSTARTER FOR ALL THE COOL DADS OUT THERE: “N----s in Paris” reimagined as a picture book called “Friends in Paris.”

Hey, happy Friday. We’ll see you next time.