A look around the league and the web that covers it. It’s also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren’t always listed in order of importance. That’s for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: Bossip. Looks like Rashad’s sweet poetry worked on Kim Kardashian’s younger sister, Khloe.
PF: Garbage Time All-Stars. Sketching a replacement/reinforcement mascot for Golden State’s besieged Thunder.
SF: New Jersey Nets. Brook Lopez, Ryan Anderson and CDR want you to secure your Nets seats.
SG: Indy Cornrows. Danny Granger: loves Batman, hates bats.
PG: The Painted Area. An excellent collection of stories on two of the greatest centers to ever play.
6th: Dime. "NBA Rookies 4 Obama!"
7th: Another48Minutes. From Anthony Mason to Rashard Lewis: The evolution of the power foward.
8th: CelticsBlog.com. Steve Weinman wonders what season five will bring for big Al Jefferson.
9th: Lakers Blog, OC Register. Lamar Odom has planned a summer-ending bourre tournament for his NBA peers.
10th: Mouthpiece Blog. Chuck Klosterman, on who would win a game of one-on-one between Obama and Palin: "Obama has the size and the skills, but Palin would probably want it more. However, if it was a game of 2-on-2 and you had to pick a teammate from your own region, Obama would win easily. An Obama-Mark Aguire tickets destroys Palin and Carlos Boozer."

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A look around the league and the web that covers it. It’s also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren’t always listed in order of importance. That’s for you, dear reader, to figure out.

C: Bossip. Looks like Rashad’s sweet poetry worked on Kim Kardashian’s younger sister, Khloe.
PF: Garbage Time All-Stars. Sketching a replacement/reinforcement mascot for Golden State’s besieged Thunder.
SF: New Jersey Nets. Brook Lopez, Ryan Anderson and CDR want you to secure your Nets seats.
SG: Indy Cornrows. Danny Granger: loves Batman, hates bats.
PG: The Painted Area. An excellent collection of stories on two of the greatest centers to ever play.
6th: Dime. "NBA Rookies 4 Obama!"
7th: Another48Minutes. From Anthony Mason to Rashard Lewis: The evolution of the power foward.
8th: CelticsBlog.com. Steve Weinman wonders what season five will bring for big Al Jefferson.
9th: Lakers Blog, OC Register. Lamar Odom has planned a summer-ending bourre tournament for his NBA peers.
10th: Mouthpiece Blog. Chuck Klosterman, on who would win a game of one-on-one between Obama and Palin: "Obama has the size and the skills, but Palin would probably want it more. However, if it was a game of 2-on-2 and you had to pick a teammate from your own region, Obama would win easily. An Obama-Mark Aguire tickets destroys Palin and Carlos Boozer."

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Four random things you may or may have not known about Pacers small forward Stephen Graham. 1. He plays the trumpet like a young Miles Davis. 2. As a child, he thought it was "fun" to make his bed and fold socks. 3. He’s pretty good at table tennis, once taking two of three games against an Olympic ping-pong player. 4. He has a pilot’s license. The More You Know …

Thirsty for more? Then check out the Pacers YouTube channel for video profiles in which announcer Chris Denari goes one-on-one with Jeff Foster, Lil’ Dunleavy and others.

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Four random things you may or may have not known about Pacers small forward Stephen Graham. 1. He plays the trumpet like a young Miles Davis. 2. As a child, he thought it was "fun" to make his bed and fold socks. 3. He’s pretty good at table tennis, once taking two of three games against an Olympic ping-pong player. 4. He has a pilot’s license. The More You Know …

Thirsty for more? Then check out the Pacers YouTube channel for video profiles in which announcer Chris Denari goes one-on-one with Jeff Foster, Lil’ Dunleavy and others.

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My second day in Nancy was very eventful. From 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. I was busy doing all kinds of tests, meetings, and practices. The problem with all of that was the fact that I had only slept three hours the night before, bringing my 36 hour total to just three hours of sleep.

I was picked up from the hotel at 7:45 because I left my car at the Arena. Clearly I was not driving that bad boy yet. The day started with a blood test downtown. That was immediately followed by a leg strength test that was basically designed to weaken my legs just enough to have no athleticism (no sleep didn’t help either) at the 10 a.m. practice.

After practice, I was off to a doctor’s office for heart tests. The assistant coach threw me my car keys and said I could learn how to drive a stick on the way to the hospital. He gave me a quick tutorial in the ways of the stick and I started up the car. Using the clutch, I put the car in reverse and hit the gas lightly. I guess I THOUGHT it was lightly because the car took off. We might have been suddenly going 25mph and I kept pressing the clutch thinking it was the break pedal out of panic. Right before we barreled into another car parked behind us, the car stalled and shut off. I took the keys out and threw them at the coach. I told him my first lesson was complete.

After my passenger seated ride to the hospital, it was time to do my heart tests. The first test was a stress test where I was asked to ride a bike at a high resistance and RPM until they felt satisfied. While I was waiting to begin my stress test I started dozing off in the waiting room. I was awakened by a sterile pad hitting me in the face from a box that the doc was setting on a shelf that fell out. He told me it was time to do my test (not in English but through sign language) so I went in and did it. Afterwards he told me that it could be a few minutes before the heart pictures (the second portion of the exam) so I could lay down in the test room on the exam bed until my turn came up.

It was a little odd to lie down on the exam table, but my cracked red eyes told the doctor the story. I needed sleep badly. It wouldn’t hurt to let me chill for a few. TWO AND A HALF HOURS LATER a different doctor woke me up and said it was time. I couldn’t believe it. Not only did I really just fall asleep for that long, but they allowed it. Beyond that, how in the world was the EKG machine so backed up?

After another practice, a much better practice after my big nap, I was dropped back off at the hotel. Day two was over. I left my car in the Arena parking lot, because I was clearly not driving to the hotel, and I got ride from my teammate.

Rod Benson
is a Cal grad and former D-Leaguer who plays for SLUC Nancy, the reigning French league champion. When he’s
not busy taking tests, he blogs one or two times a
week on Ball Don’t Lie. Read his archive, pay a visit to TooMuchRodBenson.com and always support the Boom Tho movement.

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