Forbes has released its yearly calculations of NBA franchise values by total valuation. The most valuable franchise is now the Los Angeles Lakers, which Forbes values at $900 million. The Lakers switched places with the Knicks, who took the top spot last year. The Bulls round out the top three.

Lakers Top List of Most Valuable NBA Teams | Forbes

According to the story, the combination of the new CBA and huge local television deals have pushed the average NBA franchise value up to $393 million, an increase of 6.5% year-over-year. Despite the cancellation of 240 games due to the lockout,

The deal is more favorable to owners compared to the prior agreement. It cuts the percentage of total league revenues that players receive from 57% to a range of 49% to 51%, which is more in line with what NFL and MLB players get. It will save owners $250 million annually at the start of the agreement.

You can find the franchise value ranking from last year at THIS LINK.

Here is a snapshot of all the teams' valuations, ranked from most valuable to the least:

Source: Forbes.com

I have highlighted the teams that have lost money this past season.

A few additional comments after the jump:

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Nope, because the Golden State Warriors are still terrible. After the departure of the "We Believe" era players, management made a few power plays, locking up certain players to long term contracts, thinking that the players would develop and spur them to greatness.

It didn't. In fact, about the only thing that's gone right for the Warriors in the past year or so has been an ownership change, from the stingy Chris Cohan to the winning-committed Joe Lacob and Peter Guber. They've made some radical moves so far, like bringing in TV Analyst Mark Jackson as their new head coach, effectively ending the Don Nelson era in Golden State.

But don't let any of the information above sway you into thinking that this is an easy game. Despite their flaws, the Warriors have some serious wins under their belt, having defeated the Bulls, Heat, and Trail Blazers this season.

What's up with that? Why have the Warriors fared well against some good opponents, but hit the dirt against others?

There's several possible explanations. One might chalk it up to the Warriors horrible play at center, as position that is currently anchored down by the shells of Andris Biedrins and Kwame Brown. While the Warriors have been dominated by Howard and Monroe down low, they've also held guys like Roy Hibbert, Joakim Noah, and Marc Gasol to below their averages.

Could it be their fast-break style? Not really, because Mark Jackson doesn't play the fast break game anymore. The Warriors still rank high in threes attempted and steals, but that's only because their play centers around their guards.

In truth, I think the reason is maddening inconsistency. The Warriors are prone to totally collapse during certain points of the game. Since their style of play relies so much on long range shooting, some nights can be really good for them, but others can be really, really bad. They also rely on different players every night, with 5 guys averaging over 10 points yet still capable of scoring in the single digits.

If the Thunder want to win this game, they'll have to wait for the slump. And when it comes, they need to take advantage, because the Warriors will recover within a few minutes of play and likely re-equalize the game. The Thunder will also have to be careful to keep their offense rolling in the final minutes, as they don't want a repeat of the last time they played the Warriors.

But I'm predicting the Thunder to lose here. The Thunder don't have a legitimate threat at center, and the Thunder have a legitimate Turnover problem, something that the Warriors will eat up right away. Additionally, Serge Ibaka is prone to give up a lot of offensive boards, something that David Lee will eat right up. Lastly, Ellis and Curry have had no problem scoring against the Thunder in the past, and I don't think today will be any different. Oh, and Nate Robinson will be looking for revenge after all of that bench time we put him through.

Prediction: Golden State 107, Oklahoma City 105

Tonight the Thunder travel to Golden State to take on the struggling yet dangerous Warriors. While the Warriors are still plagued with a lot of the issues they've had in the past, despite new coach Mark Jackson's defensive focus, the fact remains that they have beaten the Bulls, Heat, and Trail Blazers this season. It will be a tough road game for the Thunder.

Thunder Hits the Road | NewsOK

The Thunder have been a very good road team this year, sporting a 7-2 record away from the 'Peake.

Would KD Restructure His Contract? | Daily Thunder

Even if KD wanted to do it, he couldn’t do it. But would he if he could?

Draft Extension Winners and Losers | CBS Sports

Russell Westbrook receives his fair share of criticism, but Golliver imagines a world where he went to Miami or Memphis, and OKC wound up with D.J. Augustin. Now how do you feel about Russ?

Which Teams Did Best IN Terms of Extensions | Wages of Wins

WoW evaluates how the teams, rather than the players, made out with their extension announcements this past week.

Kevin Garnett: Passionate, Competitive, Insane | CBS Sports

If ever you need to help somebody understand the idea of Kevin Garnett, just show them this interview. Wooo. I forgot I was writing a post. Go ahead.

HoopSpeak Live #34: The Clips | HoopSpeak

Heck out the HS guys' latest live chat, as they invite SB Nation's own Mike Prada into their virtual studio to rap about life in DC-land.

Memphis Grizzlies Throwbacks Are...Interesting | SB Nation

I get that it was throwback night, but if I were the Grizzlies, who have no ABA ties at all that I know of, I think I would have just made up something. Anything better than this visual, which is now giving me a headache.

Tony Parker Says Popovich Calmer Because of Wine | Ball Don't Lie

That's as good a reason as any, I suppose.

Pacers Will Reimburse High School for Five Seconds of Awesome | 8 Points, 9 Seconds

Pacers mascot Boomer was loaned out to a local high school, where he was set to do some monster slams. Now we know that Boomer and Daryl Dawkins can be mentioned in the same sentence.

Pam McGee Angling for Assistant Coach Role | SB Nation

JaVale McGee's mom is delightful.

Kyrie Irving Entering Chris Paul Territory | NBA Playbook

Say what? Check it out and you be the judge.

In a special editorial, Brent asks the question of why the Thunder are looking so dominant right now. Have the Thunder improved that much, or are we being fooled by an easy stretch of schedule? How have they gotten so much better with the same basic roster as last year?

Play the Show [15:33 minutes]

Forbes Magazine has released its yearly tally of who in the NBA is earning the most. By calculating a player's total earnings via both their salary combined with their off-court endorsements, Forbes put together a list of the top 10 highest-earning players currently playing.

The Top-Earning NBA Players | Forbes

It is not surprising to see Kobe at the top of the list, as he currently owns the richest contract in the NBA. He is also second only to LeBron in using his notoriety to earn endorsement deals off the court. You can see with these two players that when it comes to the biggest endorsements, there is only room for one or two at the top. Kobe also demonstrated his ability to tap into the foreign markets as well, which further helps his name recognition as well as his bank account.

Over the summer, we examined Fortune Magazine's own player ranking, which you can find here. It looks like they may be using slightly different means to calculate the endorsement number, but by and large the order of the ranking looks similar. Also, some of the yearly salaries differ from other sources that we frequently use here (such as HoopsHype), but for consistency's sake we're only reporting Forbes' published numbers.

OKC's own Kevin Durant cracks the top 10 now that his new contract extension has kicked in this year.

*all data provided by Forbes.com

Kendrick Perkins summoned the spirit of Magic Johnson last night. After a James Harden block, Perkins grabbed the ball and then in a very un-Perkins-y way flung the outlet pass backwards over his head out to Harden to run the fast break. Harden led Kevin Durant perfectly for a phenomenal finish at the rim.

(jump to 1:26, or play #3)

With the Bulls losing last night, the Thunder now own the best record in the entire NBA. Before you start doing lasso tricks in celebration, keep in mind that the last time the Thunder had the best record, they promptly lost to the Wizards. Stay focused, Thunder-men.

Post-Game Nuggets | NewsOK

Mayberry notes that Serge Ibaka is really starting to come around offensively. I too have noticed that in the last few games the Thunder have definitely tried to get him more involved in the offense.

OKC Has to Work For Win | Daily Thunder

Scott Brooks finally let Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook play in the 4th quarter.

Lakers and Clippers Rivals Now | ESPN

Well, 'rivalry' probably isn't the best term here given that the Lakers have won 16 titles and the Clippers won...Chris Paul. I do love the way though that Paul is completely unimpressed by the purple and gold:

"I don't know what [Gasol's] intentions were and it doesn't matter. I don't know if he's got kids but I'm not one of them. I went back and I tried to treat him like little Chris."

If Twitter Existed Then... | Hardwood Paroxysm

A retrospective look on some big events that would have set Twitter ablaze. The Lenny Bias one still gets me, and another one I'd add to this list is Magic Johnson's retirement press conference.

J.J. Barea Returns to Dallas | SB Nation

This is awesome.

Dan Gilbert, Living the Dream | SB Nation

I wonder if Dan Gilbert has a press agent, personal assistant, or anyone at all to who could take away his tweeting privileges.

Did Kareem Lose Millions on "Tall People" Hotels? | Ball Don't Lie

I'm just going to assume this is true, right Roger Murdock?

Eric Gordon, Still Not Too Happy With Things | CBS Sports

Eric Gordon reportedly turned down a four year extension offer from the Hornets, which makes him a restricted free agent.

Nowitzki May Have a Future in Color Commentary | SB Nation

This clip further confirms the fact that Dirk Nowitzki is basically just your tall, goofy German buddy who is always fun to have along for any social occasion.

The Thunder were able to keep the Hornets at arms-length for most of the game, which allowed OKC to withstand the Hornets' last-quarter push. New Orleans is struggling to be sure, but they're still a tough team to play. Coach Monty Williams still adheres to sound basketball principles, and I think that when they finally get Eric Gordon healthy, they will be able to begin moving forward.