The Links: Are the Tigers pursuing Ardolis Chapman and Michigan football is still being investigated
blog.mlive.com 10/27/2009 — Your morning look at what's going on around the Internets. E-mail tips to patrickhayes13@gmail.com.

The Eastern Conference by Tiers
queencityhoops.com 10/27/2009 — Why the Bobcats could be better (or worse) than each team in the East (excluding the top tier - Orlando, Cleveland, and Boston - there's not enough kool-aid in CLT to convince someone to make that case). The playoff locks, the contenders, and the lotto-bound grouped together for easy consumption.

Laker Linkage - 10/27/09
lakersoffire.com 10/27/2009 — The Story: Neither Pau Gasol nor Kobe Bryant were able to practice on Monday . The Fire Says: Pau is likely to miss today’s season opener with a sore hammy but Kobe’s sore foot isn’t believed to be serious enough to prevent him from playing. Frankly, I am all for Kobe ...

Fanball Network Pacific Division Preview
lakersoffire.com 10/27/2009 — Opening tip on the 2009-2010 NBA regular season is just a few hours away. Before the games actually get going, let’s take a quick trip through the Pacific Division courtesy of our Fanball Blog Network partners: 1. Lakers - Predicted Record: 66-16 Why the Lakers Will Win 66 Games: ...

Faildeo: Kobe Bryant Leaves Phil Jackson Hangin’
sportsbybrooks.com 10/27/2009 — We’ve all been there. (Except maybe Deion .) Video after the jump. (more…) Share This

Kobe Bryant remains uniquely driven to excel — Celtics & NBA - BostonHerald.com 10/27/2009
LOS ANGELES - Kobe Bryant's world is again lit up by the most brilliant of suns, the gold ball that sits atop the championship trophy the Lakers won again last June....

Pivot Points: The Lakers Will Animate Your Fears, So Pick Your Poison — Bleacher Report - NBA 10/27/2009
"Adagio" and "allegro" are two French words that are used to describe rhythm and tempo, and for 29 other NBA teams, they may be the words that sound a death bell on their seasons. One is a quickening of tempo, and the other means to slow it down, ...

Rosen breaks down the Lakers' competition — FOXSports.com News for NBA 10/27/2009
Kobe Bryant wouldn't mind being the NBA's leading man again. But several teams are in the champs' way. Charley Rosen breaks it down.

Best Players In The NBA: Dwyane Wade and Lebron James, Sorry Kobe! — Bleacher Report - NBA 10/28/2009
When you ask an NBA fan who is the best player in the NBA, there are three generally accepted answers. The first is, of course, Kobe Bryant, but also coming in on the list are Lebron James and Dwyane Wade. At this point in time, there's an argument ...

Lakers beat Clippers 99-92 in season opener — SFGate: Top Sports Stories 10/28/2009
There was no championship hangover for these Lakers. Kobe Bryant scored 33 points and Andrew Bynum added 26 on his 22nd birthday as the reigning NBA champions opened defense of their title Tuesday night with a 99-92 victory over the Clippers, their ...