WTLC Daily Loud Links: Monday, January 13, 2014

The big news over the weekend was of course the NFL's divisional playoff rounds. I hear somebody won.  As such, there isn't much going on today, so let's scrape the landscape.

Update: Could Kevin Durant be out against the Grizzlies on Tuesday?

Kevin Durant did not practice today. Scott Brooks says "we'll see tomorrow" on whether Durant will be available against Memphis.

— Josh Kopelman (@Josh_Kopelman) January 13, 2014

Yelp.

Mayberry wrote his post-game nuggets, and I liked this part the most about Jeremy Lamb:

When the Bucks battled back from 12 down to take a 54-52 lead, Lamb ignited an 11-2 run by scoring eight straight points. He started his rally with a blocked shot on Brandon Knight. He then hit a 3, and then made a layup, and then hit another 3.

Lamb: "They played a little zone, and for shooters a zone is a great thing. And my teammates found me. Even though I had some terrible games (lately), my teammates still trusted me, coaches still trusted me, and I was able to knock some down."

You know what happens when you've proven yourself in training? You earn the right to fail. Think about it.

Slater at The Oklahoman takes on the Thunder bench, which has gone from being an advantage to a disadvantage. There has begun to be some clamor for Derek Fisher (FISHER!) should move to the starting line-up in order to give struggling Reggie Jackson a break from his mounting anxieties.

Suns' PG Eric Bledsoe, the surprise difference maker for a surprise team that is surprisingly contending for a playoff spot, just got a piece of his meniscus removed. Yikes. What did the point guards of the NBA do to offend Asclepius?

Joakim Noah opens up about losing his buddy Luol Deng to a recent trade. This is really powerful, really reflective stuff here. As a team and as a fan, this is the kind of player and person you hope to have:

"We just want to represent. We know this is a city that ... even when I come to the game, I see the guy selling the newspapers on the streets. [It's] cold outside -- when he sees me driving by, he's excited. You know what I mean? He's excited. He's like, 'All right. Let's go Bulls! Get it done tonight!' I feel like I play for that guy. Like when I look at the top of the arena, and I look up top and I see teams call timeout, and I see the guy who looks this big and he's up cheering up and down, jumping up and down, that's the guy I play for. To me, that's what this city represents. There's a lot of hardship in here, a lot of adversity in this city, and I feel like when I play basketball I want people to be proud of their team."

The Mavericks' Monta Ellis has experienced a resurgence in his career since joining Dallas.Looks like his kid is stepping up too.

Lastly, our buddy Ian Levy at Hickory High has put together another mix, this time featuring Kevin Durant. enjoy (and hit up his site for some amazing analysis).