NBA Essentials: Jeff Bower on a Stick!

NBA Essentials ranks our six favorite stories of the day.

1. Celtics.com, via TrueHoop. Ever wonder how the NBA schedule gets made? It sounds ... complicated.

2. Hornets 24/7. I appreciate Hornets 24/7 giving love to underappreciated general manager Jeff Bower, but I strongly disagree with the implication that dude isn't sexy. See him here with Julian Wright? BASKETBALL ROCKSTAR. Forget Peja, they need to start giving out Bower-on-a-Stick.

3. Ball Don't Lie. Requiem for Darius Miles.

4. Yahoo! The Bobcats are losing money, but Robert Johnson insists he won't sell.

5. Free Darko. It's February in the Every Game Preview. (Also, I have broken the binding on Free Darko's book. It's amazing.)

6. Straight Bangin'. A Knicks fan embraces the ability to laugh with his coach instead of at his coach.