Here are some odds and ends from around the NBA as we wind down on this Tuesday night:
- In HoopsWorld's daily NBA PM feature, Yannis Koutroupis writes that Jay-Z, between his relationships with the NBA's stars and the respect he gets amongst America's youth, could become a "serious force in quick fashion" as he enters the realm of the sports agency. Koutroupis also hits on the Pacers coping to life without Granger and the Knicks thriving with a healthy roster.
- ESPN's salary cap guru Larry Coon separates about half of the NBA's teams into four tiers in his latest Insiders only piece; big spenders, low-tax teams, just below the [luxury] tax line and teams with big cap room. It looks like the new CBA rules will harshy impact the Heat, Knicks and Lakers, while the Cavaliers, Pistons, Jazz and Hawks are in good shape to make an offseason splash.
- Moke Hamilton of Sheridan Hoops releases version 5.0 of his free agency rankings, within which Kenyon Martin and Andray Blatche have slid into the 11 and 15 spots respectively, and bumped Manu Ginobili and Andrew Bynum from the list.