Monday And-1 Links: Should the Rockets send Jeremy Lin to the bench?

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.

• Should the Houston rockets bring Jeremy Lin off the bench? What has been clear so far this season is that when both he and James Harden are on the floor together both play worse, and Rob Mahoney at Sports Illustrated breaks all that down. He also suggests the benching of Lin. Bringing Lin off the bench is a short term fix, but at some point the Rockets need to figure out how to get the clicking together or make a move.

• Emeka Okafor, who played four years at UConn and still has a great fondness for the state, talks about the tragic shooting at Newtown and how he feels for those families. We all do.

• Jonathan Abrams with a brilliant profile of Chauncey Billups at Grantland.

• The Dallas Maverick’s streak of making a three pointer in a game ended at 1,108. Yes, that’s a record.

• George Karl is not going to miss any games as the coach of the Nuggets, but the cancer-survivor is thinking about taking steps to easy some of the travel grind the team goes through.

• A Q+A with Nikola Vucevic from SLAM.

• David West thinks the Pacers can make a run at it all in the East once they get Danny Granger back. We’ll see, if Paul George can keep playing at this level.

• As I said on the PBT podcast, I really didn’t have a big issue with the fans voting on the All-Star starters so far. I do have one complaint — four guys got votes without ever stepping on the court: Andrew Bynum, Sixers (68,596), Amar’e Stoudemire, Knicks (64,266), Dirk Nowitzki, Mavericks (63,056), and Ricky Rubio, Timberwolves (54,744). All those votes were cast before Rubio’s return over the weekend. I get the fans can and should vote for the players they want to see, it’s an exhibition. But shouldn’t the guy have played one game this season? Who is voting for these guys and why?

• Heat coach Erik Spoelstra talks about how well Carmelo Anthony is playing this season and how the Heat are not.

• A case for trying the underhand free throw. Which there is no chance Dwight Howard would do.

• Watch Eddy Curry drain a clutch three in China. You know you’re going to click that.

• Li-Ning, the Chinese shoe company that just landed Dwyane Wade as an endorser, now has a deal with the Miami Heat.

• After the Clippers played the Bobcats, Chris Paul threw a party at a Charlotte area club. A fight broke out and things got ugly. Among those arrested was Jamie Patrice Thomas, 26, who is the wife of Bobcats forward Tyrus Thomas. She faces charges of driving while impaired and assault with a deadly weapon, according to the Charlotte Observer. Also arrested was Ben Gordon’s fiance.