The South Florida SUN-SENTINEL’s Ira Winderman reported the NBA will "have a centralized replay center for next season’s games," meaning this year's playoffs will be the "last games with on-site review” (TWITTER.com, 5/18). SI.com’s Ben Golliver noted the TV monitors available for reviews “aren’t that large, and there have also been questions as to whether the referees have every pertinent replay angle available to them on their feed” (SI.com, 5/18).
PLAYING THE LOTTERY: In Boston, Bexter Holmes notes calls for changes to the NBA Draft Lottery format "were never louder than during this past season." Celtics Assistant GM Mike Zarren's idea is to "eliminate the lottery and replace it with a revolving wheel that would give a specific first-round draft slot to each team over the next 30 years." But NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said that teams raised criticisms, "such as the possibility that a college prospect could stay in school until the team he wants to play for has a top pick" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/19).
THE KING'S COURT: In N.Y., William Rhoden writes Heat F LeBron James’ "influence is increasing," and his denunciation of banned Clippers Owner Donald Sterling's controversial comments should "challenge NBA owners to do all they can to oust him." James’ response was a "departure from an era when star players, most notably Michael Jordan, refused to become publicly involved in racial and political issues for fear of losing endorsements or alienating a fan base." James is "now the face of the NBA," and it is rare "for a star player to speak out against authority" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/19).
