Compiled by Chris Bernucca

• Joakim Noah has always been an emotional player, but in Portland on Monday night, it got the better of him. I watched a fair amount of this game, and when Noah lost it, he seemed mad at himself rather than the call that produced his reaction. 
• At the beginning of the season, Jim O'Brien told PBN's Tony Mejia about his plan to start second-year players Roy Hibbert and Brandon Rush. That plan appears over. 

• Knicks Blog has the story of former Knick Dean Meminger being rescued from a fire. Two quickies on Meminger: 1. He was the among the torches lit up when "Pistol Pete" Maravich went for 68 on the Knicks, and 2. While a Knick, Meminger once just showed up out of nowhere and started shooting hoops with us at Columbia Park near the Brooklyn piers. 

• The addition of the Bucks-Thunder game to ESPN's Friday doubleheader is significant because neither team got much love in the original TV schedule. 

• When I was a kid, my father often played up how physical the NBA was, noting that oversized, muscular men were "playing in their underwear." Which Ron Artest took to heart on Jimmy Kimmel.  

• Dream Shake jumps in again as the annual Tracy McGrady to the Knicks rumors resurface. 

• An interesting exercise: What if the NBA blogosphere had its current impact years ago? 

• The potential impact of Mike Miller's absence on a Wizards team already loaded with issues. 

• Steve Nash weighs in on the France-Ireland World Cup qualifier controversy. 

• Pounding the Rock has a highly visual look at Spurs history. 

• Bobcats Baseline is getting ready for Black Friday. 

• Golden State of Mind has pics of the Warriors' classic jerseys for this season. 

• A significant photo at the bottom of this Evil Cowtown post. 

• At today's media briefing, Charlie Weis did his Allen Iverson imitation. (Video in the box on the right; after the ad, go to the 6:15 mark, listen for about a minute)

• Peninsula is Mightier with some wishful thinking? 

• SLC Dunk has Hot Spots for the Jazz - or in the case of Krylyo Fesenko, a Hot Spot. 

• Not to be outdone, Jazzbots has a convo with Wesley Matthews, who already is better than his father. 

• Raptors Republic is selling a T-shirt inciting class warfare at the Air Canada Centre. 

• Portland's pounding of Chicago was mitigated by the Clippers' inability to pull away from the woeful Wolves but nevertheless allowed the bankroll to climb to 615 twardziks. Tonight, we bet with on head and not our heart and take the Wizards giving 3 to our beloved Sixers. Ten units. 

• The Song of the Day is an anthem from The Loft.

MORNING NEWS LINKS

• BLAZERS: "For a night, at least, order was restored within the Trail Blazers. Brandon Roy was back at shooting guard and controlling the pace and precision of the offense. Andre Miller, steadfastly saying he is accepting the reins of the second unit, played perhaps as hard and determined as he has all season. And the inside combination of Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge was dominant like never before. The Blazers didn't just beat Chicago on Monday, they overpowered them." Jason Quick in the Oregonian 

• BLAZERS: Maurice Lucas, a Trail Blazers legend and current assistant coach, has been in a local hospital for weeks after learning that cancer has returned to his body less than seven months after he underwent surgery to remove bladder cancer. Lucas, 57, helped coach the team in October, but has not been at practice or games since the regular season started. Earlier this month coach Nate McMillan said Lucas was battling “fatigue.” Jason Quick in the Oregonian 

• ROCKETS: "McGrady, however, said that while there is work to do on his game to make up for the time off the court, he is ready to play whenever the team allows. He said he does expect to make his season-debut 'soon,' either this week or on the four-game road trip Nov. 29 through Dec. 5. Rockets orthopedist Dr. Walter Lowe said the MRI showed no change since September and that McGrady will be monitored 'over the coming weeks,' indicating his return is not imminent. 'I feel I can play, but the coach and the GM obviously feel different,' McGrady said. 'They run this team and until they feel I’m ready to play, then I guess I’ll be watching.' Jonathan Feigen in the Houston Chronicle

• WIZARDS: "I spoke with Caron Butler shortly after I wrote about how Gilbert Arenas said that 14 of the 15 players on the team get along and two of the three captains -- Arenas and Antawn Jamison -- would help the team heal the rifts in the locker room. Butler, one of the team's three captains, was shocked to hear about Arenas's comments and refused to say anything in retaliation. He told me that he has no problems with anyone on the team and understood that guys start pointing fingers when things go poorly." Michael Lee in the Washington Post 

• GRIZZLIES: If Monday's game was the latest referendum on rookie center Hasheem Thabeet, whom the Grizzlies selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, well ... he picked up four fouls in 13 minutes. The Kings took Evans at No. 4 and he has thrived, ranking second among NBA rookies in scoring (19 points per game) and leading them in minutes played (35.3 per game). 'He was right up there,' Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins said. 'We talked a lot about Tyreke. At the end of the day, we chose to improve our team with size and shot blocking. I'm still confident that Thabeet will pan out.'" Scott Cacciola in the Memphis Commercial Appeal 

• CLIPPERS: "Telfair, who joined the Clippers in a trade with Minnesota last summer (along with Craig Smith), had no turnovers, shooting six for 12 from the field, including two three-point baskets. Mindful that his former team matched its worst start (1-13), Telfair said, 'It means a lot. I was traded for them to go get some new guards. I wanted to show them I could play. I don't want to say anybody made a mistake . . . those guys are great players. I'm confident enough to know I'm just as good as those guys.'" Lisa Dillman in the Los Angeles Times 

• SPURS: "Bonner's sharpshooting opened up the floor for Duncan, and vice versa. Milwaukee started with a plan to front Duncan and discourage an entry pass. 'The problem was when they brought Bonner in,' Bucks coach Scott Skiles said. 'We went to playing behind Tim at that point, because we were trying to stay with Bonner on the perimeter. We ended up not doing a very good job on either one.'" Jeff McDonald in the San Antonio Express-News 

• WOLVES: "With the Wolves losers of 13 consecutive games after Monday's loss to the Clippers, how does he keep his players from feeling they've been asked to walk the plank this season until help theoretically arrives next summer with potentially multiple first-round picks and abundant cap space? 'They're not,' Kahn said. 'We should be really clear about that.'" Jerry Zgoda in the Minneapolis Star Tribune 

• WARRIORS: Warriors coach Don Nelson is sick. Pneumonia, they say. Nothing funny about that. Nothing too surprising, either. Nellie is 69, and his latest health scare will keep him from coaching the Warriors for at least the next two games. How about forever? Retiring now would make for an understandable and graceful exit. No deceit needed. No lawsuits. No more sighs at a roster that gets younger while he gets ornerier. Retiring would be for Nelson's own good, as well as the Warriors' after experiencing lots of lows and occasional highs during his two tenures as coach. One problem: Nelson likely does not to want to quit. Cam Inman in the San Jose Mercury News

• NETS: "Good news and bad news from Nets practice Monday: One injured player returned to the court, while a healthy player hobbled into the trainer’s room. First, the bad: Starting center Brook Lopez sprained his right ankle early Monday while contesting a shot. He spent the rest of practice receiving treatment and did not require an X-ray. 'Trust me,' said Lopez, who averages 17.3 points and 8.8 rebounds a game this year, 'watching film hurt a lot more.'" Andy McCullough in the Newark Star-Ledger