* Woj writes the Warriors are the frontrunners to sign Kevin Durant should he decide to leave the Thunder. That would make free agency super exciting and the 2016-17 season a fairly uninteresting affair.
For the record: The Warriors are four wins ahead of the Spurs, who are four wins ahead of the Thunder, who are four wins ahead of the Clippers, who are 3.5 wins ahead of the Grizzlies. The pecking order is quite clear in the Western Conference with more than two months left in the regular season.
* New team in the mix for Dwight Howard? Yes, the Boston Celtics, according to the Daily News’ Frank Isola.
* The Clippers have a hole at the small forward position. Could Rudy Gay be an option for them? For what it’s worth, Gay is No. 2 in Sacramento (ahead of Rajon Rondo) in both Win Shares and PER.
* ESPN ranks the top NBA players of all time. LeBron James goes at No. 3 and Kobe Bryant at No. 11. May the rage begin.
* On a related note, Sam Mitchell absolutely hates Kobe Bryant’s guts, which makes sense considering Kobe has always destroyed Mitchell’s teams.
* Celtics guard Marcus Smart submits a strong entry for flop of the year.
* Perhaps Isiah Thomas was overrated, says Kevin Pelton. That’s not going to sit well with a lot of people.
* Willie Cauley-Stein for MVP?
* Sean Elliott is not a fan of Elfrid Payton’s hairdo. (Nobody is).
* Why isn’t Kevin Love an All-Star? Jeff Zillgitt and Kevin Spain of USA Today Sports discuss that in the latest NBA A to Z podcast.
* Chris Mullin, who knows a thing or two about shooting the ball, says Stephen Curry is hands down the best shooter of all time. Co-sign.
* If you have 15-20 minutes, spend them reading this Q&A with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He says Earl Manigault was overrated and Andrew Bynum forgot about him after signing his big contract. Also kind of dismisses Dirk Nowitzki as a one-trick pony. Oh well.
* Important: Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade explain the Player of the Week award to rookie Justise Winslow.
