Div B

* everyone on both teams

SGA is the best player in the world right now. (Said the same this summer.) It isn't a committee of 3, it isn't him + Jokic. It's him. He has no weaknesses and multiple insane strengths. And we can rail against the occasional foul baiting, but it shouldn't distract from his one-of-one status.

Time for one of my favorite stories of the year, my top 100 defenders rankings. Good defense deserves much more recognition! Here's my top 10: www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/... And 11-100 on the list, the guys who should get more praise: www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/...

The Brandon Miller deal is fine. If he develops at the rim and on defense, he's a bargain whether it's $200M or $215M. If he doesn't develop in those areas, it's a big overpay either way.

This is the most "not betting on myself" extension I've ever seen a player sign

I can't remember the last time I was this bummed about an injury. This absolutely sucks.

It's insane that Ben Simmons - drafted 10 years ago - has only played in 383 career regular season games. Hope he finally gets an extended period of good health.

It wasn't perfect, but Reed Sheppard took massive jumps last season. In Year Three, he'll have to do more to prove himself as the #Rockets point guard of the future. Latest in the @HoustonChron player previews, free to read: www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/rocke...

God I love this so much. When you have a superstar, Go. For. It. Every year. And if you don't succeed, switch things up around him and go for it again. (From @jonkrawczynski.bsky.social ) t.co/8cruFaPDZV

I appreciate that Hurts always keeps it real

New: “He already got the record. He don't care to score anymore.” Last night, LeBron James did not focus on scoring at all. Instead, he set out to stamp himself as the Sixers’ quarterback. All it took was a split second of eye contact with VJ Edgecombe: www.phillyvoice.com/sixers-news-...

1. Edgecombe is gonna EAT with LeBron if he moves off-ball smartly 2. LeBron is 550 assists behind his good friend CP3 for second on the all-time assist list. I'll bet he secretly wants that, and if he gets to 65 games, he'll nail it

The only person in the NBA who *actually* put on 10 lbs of muscle this offseason

From Kareem's "Giant Steps," KAJ writes about his complicated relationship w/Wilt:

Happy NBA Media Day to all who celebrate

Yeah, @jadubin5.bsky.social nails the Hornets' offensive predicament. They're going to take a ton of 3's - I mean a TON - and hoover up offensive rebs. But are they going to link enough good passes together to build a sustainable offense? Not sure tbh www.lastnightinbasketball.com/three-things...

Happy NBA Media Day to all who celebrate

Theo Ratliff's 2003-04 season was wild: - played 85 games (traded midseason from the Hawks to the Blazers) - 307 blocks - 300 personal fouls - 100 dunks - but also 200+ mid-range fga, and he shot 32% on those

NBA execs spent a year wondering whether Adam Silver had gone soft. Now, with the Clippers’ historic punishment, they have their answer. “This should put everyone on notice.” Latest from me, at The Ringer:

Bennedict Mathurin

Don't even think about it, Jonathan Kuminga

All things considered, Kawhi is gonna have the weirdest, most complicated legacy of any modern superstar

Upgrade @pablo.show to Pulitzer Premium

I'm still a Cody Williams believer! Came into the league with outlier-bad strength + had a horrid rookie yr. In his 2nd yr, he improved from 39% on 2's to 56%, thanks to doubling his rim attempts. Add in a 7'1" wingspan and good passing instincts, and there's the outline of a real wing there.

Per @instreetclothes.bsky.social , Russell Westbrook missed only 105 games over 18 seasons due to injury. Simply amazing while playing such an athletic, fearless style. (and esp when PatBev is diving at your knees)

Watch how beloved Russ is going to become (or stay) as the yrs pass. His legacy doesn't depend on perfection - he never was that. But he was ferocious + "can''t take your eyes off him" + defiant + jaw-droppingly athletic + smart + adored by his teammates and by OKC. We ain't forgetting any of that.

Days with the Lakers: DeAndre Ayton: 366 Mark Walter: 301

Law firm: sir, can we close this investigation? Adam Silver: yeah let's d- [new @pablo.show episode drops] Adam Silver:

What happens when everyone starts chasing the same thing? What happens when the means start becoming less relevant? What happens when everyone, everywhere, is working in shades of Anthropic orange? In today's PMR: what it means to build a post-match report (this isn't about post-match reports).

“Tarik Skubal has been traded”

This is exceptional from @teamziller.bsky.social. When it comes to labor battles, NBA owners - and billionaires in general - do not give a crap about winning the press conference, or being right. They can constantly demand more, and history tells us they'll probably win. t.co/HfnqqHZfat

This is exceptional from @teamziller.bsky.social. When it comes to labor battles, NBA owners - and billionaires in general - do not give a crap about winning the press conference, or being right. They can constantly demand more, and history tells us they'll probably win. t.co/HfnqqHZfat

NBA execs and coaches were stunned when LeBron chose Philly. (So was I.) After 23 years, they shouldn’t have been. (And yeah, I shouldn't have been either.) Latest from me, at The Ringer:

I understand what they're trying to say, but man this is the most depressing NBA headline imaginable

One thing that's been definitively proven by both the Warriors and the Cavs: In the second apron era, Two Timelines is a fairy tale. If you're close to a title, go for it now, and worry about later later.

Bonus Hollander POTD Rick Fox. UNC SF drafted 24th by BOS in 91. Steadily developed into starter quality player. Put up peak of 15.4 ppg in 96-97 then signed w/LAL & was key player for Kobe/Shaq titles. Retired in 04 at age 34. Bio disses his college major for no reason.

People who are extremely bummed right now: Steph + Dray Dan Gilbert Daryl Morey

LeBron is going to make $279K more than Labaron

LeBron: 12 conference finals appearances Embiid: 0 conference finals appearances Irresistible force vs immovable object

So in other words the DeAndre Jordan contract

Rockets have swap rights!

Assuming the Kawhi trade eventually goes through, the Atlantic division has four insanely good teams On a related note, Nets about to lose 70 games

Brad gonna be the first dude ever to get his suit retired in both Philly and Boston, amazing accomplishment

Welp, change the Sixers' grade on the Jaylen trade to an A+++

Explored LeBron's fit with the Sixers in pretty significant depth here: