Here is our regular look around the NBA — links to stories worth reading and notes to check out (stuff that did not get its own post here at PBT) — done in bullet point form. Because bloggers love bullet points.
• This is a few months old, but did you know Thunder reserve Jeremy Lamb was a jeans model in his youth?
• Dwyane Wade owns more than 400 pairs of socks.
• Five NBA teams that should have an improved defense this year.
• Danny Ferry thinks his Hawks team is still in the thick of it in the East. If by “in the thick of it” you mean “could possibly get playoff seed 6-8 if things break right” then yes, he’s correct.
• Andrew Bogut and Stephen Curry both say they are completely healthy heading into the playoffs.
• Curry will wear a flavored mouthpiece this season as part of an endorsement deal.
• Nerlens Noel is not expected on the court until December, but he will travel with the Sixers starting from Day 1.
• Kelly Olynyk has battled plantar fasciitis this offseason, but Celtics GM Danny Ainge said the rookie should be 100 percent by the start of camp.
• Not hoops related, but this is a fascinating story about the declining student attendance in college football.
• Minnesota signed their 2012 second-round pick Robbie Hummel, who has a camp invite now. If healthy he might make the team, but that’s a long shot now.
• Former Knicks first-round pick Renaldo Balkman — who looked good for Puerto Rico at FIBA Americas — will attend Mavericks training camp.
• Joe Alexander, the former Bucks first round pick, got a training camp from the Warriors.
• D.J. White has an invite to the Bulls training camp.
• The Lakers are bringing Darius Johnson-Odom and Eric Boateng to training camp.