Weekend Hot Reads....

The N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE's Sam Anderson profiles Phil Jackson, who discusses ways the NBA could change the game for the better. Jackson said that the court "should be lengthened and widened to accommodate the athleticism of today's players." Timeouts and commercial breaks "need to be cut back to restore the sport's natural flow."

The ARIZONA REPUBLIC's Dan Bickley writes under the header, "Owner Jerry Colangelo's Drive, Ingenuity Keyed Phoenix Suns' Sustained Success." 

The PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE's Mark Dent writes multiyear athletic scholarships at D-I schools are "rare, not publicized by universities and largely unknown by the athletes." 

Elsewhere:

• The NBA Draft Lottery has long provided entertainment and controversy.
• Rutgers' Eddie Jordan is a rare minority hire in men's college basketball.
• Traditionalists chagrined by Topps changing its card-numbering system.
• Floyd Mayweather Jr. finds business success elusive outside the ring.
• Is MLS Red Bulls F Thierry Henry truly worth his handsome $4.35M salary?
• Michael Andretti is loving life as the owner of his resurgent IndyCar team.
• Kansas State Univ. is winning titles with one of the Big 12’s smallest budgets.