FanHouse's Tom Ziller argues his ranking of the top 50 players in the NBA.

Even on a team lacking tangible bright spots, Danny Granger has gotten a bit lost in translation from the outside perspective. You rarely hear his name mentioned with the Iguodalas and Smiths and Dengs ... but he's certainly in the same class. He's due a contract extension this summer, but there have been only minor rumblings, and it could very well be that the Pacers will let him get to restricted free agency next summer.

That's a mad gambit, because Granger's a tremendous player who is only getting better.

FanHouse's Tom Ziller argues his ranking of the top 50 players in the NBA.

The level of bidding T.J. Ford sparked this summer seems a bit of a sham. Obviously, concerns about his spine should be a factor in considering his services; proper prudence on matters of possibly dire health is key. Thirty missed games two years after a real serious neck injury -- that's unnerving enough for me, too. But Ford has come back from each injury sparkling, and the concept of "injury histories" are mostly overblown. (See: Marcus Camby, Antonio McDyess, Steve Nash.)

This is to say that when Ford is on the court (often), he is simply spectacular. For a small (demerit) guard who can't shoot (demerit) or defend (demerit), you'd be hard pressed to find a more able lead for your backcourt. Despite playing in an offense ill-suited to his unique skills, Ford tallied a PER above 20 last season ... no small feat. Toronto under Sam Mitchell runs a slow offense, predicated on a surprising amount of isolation, draw-and-kick and high pick-and-roll play. Despite the presence of Bryan Colangelo and his Nash-style point (Ford), this was no Phoenix North.

So, if under Mitchell Ford could be an excellent offensive player, how will things go in Indiana? Well, Jim O'Brien likes to play fast -- transition offense, defensive gambling, early threes encouraged. Ford loves to gamble and is at his best in the open court (so long as Al Horford's not around). By all indications, Ford is as good a fit for Indiana's up-tempo affair as anyone. I can imagine a team that guns and slips to the rim every time down, with T.J. running the show like a Broadway choreographer.

NBA Essentials ranks our six favorite stories of the day.

1. Ball Don't Lie. The episode synopses for Gilbert Arenas' television show have leaked on the internet.

2. Indy Cornrows. The NBA won't let the Pacers use a red, white and blue ball in a sort-of ABA preseason throwback night. Stop this injustice!

3. Hardwood Paroxysm. A discussion on rooting for small market teams in the NBA.

4. Can't Stop the Bleeding. Jason Kidd's weird friendship with a Vegas mogul's wife results in loss of gold medal.

5. Blog-a-Bull. Bulls fan who desperately wants Bulls to re-sign Ben Gordon insists J.R. Smith's contract has nothing to do with anything.

6. Hoops Addict. Finals of the Floor Burn Tournament set.

NBA Essentials ranks our six favorite stories of the day.

1. Basketbawful: What's it like to attend a BBQ at Larry Bird's house? Related: how good is Jamaal Tinsley's potato salad?

2. Dustin Canallin/undrcrwn: The definitive Obama hoops design.

3. Deadspin: Coach K will not be accused of showboating by the likes of you.

4. The Sporting Blog: Axl Rose is a front-runner.

5. The Blowtorch: A guide to wearing headbands.

6. D.C. Sports Bog: Four of 26 Chinese NBA magazines feature Gilbert Arenas on the cover. The rest show Kobe.

While summer's an uncertain time for just about any old NBA player, some folks on the lower rungs of the league find themselves on land less stable than T.J. Ford's neck. Two of those fellows this year: Shawne Williams and Marcus Williams.

Shawne, already on Larry Bird's DO NOT WANT list, met trouble one more time over the weekend. Williams was stopped by police for illegally tinted windows and not wearing his belt. His passenger, though, got pinched for marijuana possession. This is not the first time Williams has been with a buddy who ended up in cuffs (and Shawne himself has been in a bit of a tight situation before).

In New Jersey, the fuzz hasn't lead to Marcus Williams' eminent dismissal -- Keyon Dooling has. The Nets landed Dooling in a sign-and-trade this morning. Orlando will receive a $3.3 million trade exception. Williams will receive lots of ink on HoopsHype over the next few days (or weeks). With Devin Harris installed as default starter and Dooling as a plus-sub, there's just no room for the alleged thief steal of the 2006 draft.

Hey, it's the first day. It's the Summer League. It was one game. The first game. Of the Summer League. It's a long week, a long season, a long career. And I'm going to doubt any of that makes Chicago fans that were paying attention to the first day of the NBA's Orlando Summer League feel better, or Miami fans feel worse about today's little exhibition.

Michael Beasley was, in a word, brilliant. 28 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block in 22 minutes. He could have been playing against D-Leaguers, the Harlem Globetrotters, or Mrs. Wormtail's second grade class, those are some slick numbers. That he did it against No.1 overall pick Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls, in the midst of a 94-70 whupping made it all the more emphatic. The Heat dominated this game, even as Chicago started Rose, Joakim Noah, and Tyrus Thomas, who you may recognize as starters and heavy rotation guys. Not exactly a pretty start, even if its easy to brush off, given the absurd context of the Magic's practice facility in a meaningless exhibition in which D-League MVP Kasib Powell scored 15 and Keith Langford and Demetris Nichols led the Bulls. Beasley's game was in full effect today, as he worked his mid-range, long-range, post-work, and driving abilities. In a league that's meant to be used as a scrimmage clinic, Beasley put on one.

One of the most awkward moments of last night's draft not involving Brook Lopez being mic'd up and Darrell Arthur stuck in the green room was Larry Bird being interviewed. He was stiff as a board and absolutely refused to comment on the "Jermaine O'Neal for T.J. Ford" deal, writing it off as pure "speculation."

As I watched it, I couldn't figure out why Bird would continue to play things so close to the vest. I mean, everyone knows it's going to go down, right? What's the harm in confirming what everyone already knows? In hindsight, he wasn't allowed to comment, and was under strict orders from David Stern to keep quiet. Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star (via TrueHoop) explains:

The craziest thing, though, was that team president Larry Bird couldn't even talk about his moves because both the Toronto and Portland trades involved "base year compensation'' players, which means the deals can't be completed until July 9. The Pacers lobbied the league to tell its fans about the new players, but the NBA shot them down, threatening any mention of players in proposed deals with a fine.

Dumb, really dumb.

After telling the local media he couldn't talk about the moves, Bird shrugged and said, "I don't know what the hell you're gonna ask me.''

I'm sure there's a legitimate reason written in the fine print of the league's CBA with the players association that explains why Bird couldn't talk, but c'mon, this is ridiculous. Forcing Bird to play dumb insults everyone's intelligence, including his, and preventing him from providing a good sound bite to explain his moves and build goodwill among fans is just bad business.

ESPN is reporting that Indiana picked Jerryd Bayless at #11 not for themselves, but for the active active Blazers. Chad Ford says the trade is Bayless and Ike Diogu in exchange for Brandon Rush, picked 13th, and Jarrett Jack. Of course, it's a coup for Portland's Kevin Pritchard, who came into the draft needing a point guard and ended up with arguably the second best one available. And hey! Portland gets to save money in the deal, too.

The heartbreak of this one is that Indiana had no intent or need for Bayless before Portland came calling. The team after Indiana -- my Sacramento Kings -- have no point guard on the roster. Beno Udrih's agent has requested the full mid-level exception ... and the Clippers, who drafted a two-guard in Eric Gordon, are expected to offer as much.

Kings fans would have forgiven David Stern for his accused transgressions just to hear him call Jerryd's name at #12. Instead ... well, hi Jason Thompson. Pleased to meet your acquaintance, I suppose.

Portland is going to win 11 of the next 12 championships. Indiana picked Roy Hibbert with the #17, which comes over in the Jermaine O'Neal deal.

The rumors had been fluttering for the past 24 hours, and it's apparently a done deal.

Jermaine O'Neal is headed to Toronto, in exchange for TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, and the #17 pick.

For O'Neal, this is the fresh start he's been waiting years for. He's still a capable big man, and working in tandem with Chris Bosh means he doesn't have to shoulder the load under a body riddled with injuries.

For Ford, this settles the question of whether the Raptors wanted him or Jose Calderon. Ford has still proven he can be capable, and he goes to a team rebuilding, again, but with a lot of talent, again. The Pacers are very quietly building a considerably deep backcourt. Now they just have to do something with it. There's a lot of talk about how this is a win-win situation, but that's only if O'Neal stays healthy. If he does, though, the Raptors will have a frontcourt that could destroy small worlds. Likewise, TJ Ford has to prove his neck is up to go full speed. So many questions, and we're not even to draft night yet. Hang on to your hats, folks. This one's about to get rocky.

When Portland acquired the #27 pick, we knew something was about to get cracking. Kevin Pritchard isn't waiting until the last minute either, apparently lobbying New Jersey for its #10 pick so it can snatch away Texas point guard D.J. Augustin. Via The Oregonian, Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski places in the current talks Portland's #13 and #33 picks and Jarrett Jack, in exchange for New Jersey's #10 and Trenton Hassell. (Portland's recently acquired #27 pick, then, isn't in play. It does allow the Blazers to take a favored foreign player -- like Nicolas Batum? -- in that late spot, though.)

Wojnarowski focuses on what this means for Indiana, who had been thought to have settled on Augustin with #11. But with the T.J. Ford acquisition, how interested in Augustin -- another diminutive fellow, a possible defensive liability -- would the Pacers even be, especially considered the instant dearth of size the parting of Jermaine O'Neal leaves? But Sacramento at #12 -- one spot ahead of Portland currently -- would not have let Augustin remain on the board, especially given renewed concerns about the hardball tactics possible with free agent Beno Udrih.

Also of note: Wojnarowski cites a "Western Conference executive" who warns of Charlotte choosing Augustin at #9. Pardon me for reading too deeply into the bones, but ... might this source be Sacramento's Geoff Petrie, trying to fright Pritchard into backing up the #10 pick by suggesting it'd be a waste for Portland? If so or if not, the gamesmanship is most certainly on.