Ah, playoff baseball. There really is nothing like it. No other sport’s postseason is distinctly embodied in a time of year, but baseball commonly associates the chill of autumn and the month of October with their own march towards a championship.

Today, the Yankees’ journey begins, one that could end as soon as Wednesday night or could last deep into October. It’s an unforgiving sport and playoff format, especially for non-division winners. You play two bad games and you’re done. You get hot? You can go all the way. There’s more variance, hence why some call it a crapshoot.

As we wait for 8 pm, I couldn’t help but think about the last New York team to win a title. A few months ago, that would have been the 2011 New York Giants, but now? It’s the Knicks, baby. They’ll begin their title defense in a few weeks, but for now, the focus of the city is on Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.

There’s something about the journey of the 2o25-26 Knicks that makes you think. If you followed them as religiously as I did, you might remember the ups and downs of that season and maybe, if you squint just enough, you can start to see the distinct similarities between them and the Yankees, who will look to bring a second parade to the Canyon of Heroes in the calendar year.

I’m not saying they will, but there are more similarities between the hopeful Yankees and the triumphant Knicks than you might think:

Regular Season Underperformance

Both the Yankees and Knicks entered the season as the favorites in their respective conferences. Both had primary competitors that would turn out to massively underachieve in the Blue Jays and Cavaliers, but outside of them, they were both considered to be the class of their respective conferences.

The Yankees were good but not great, finishing with 93 wins in a season that saw them play at a pretty consistent level, save for a few rough weeks, despite some incredibly rough injury luck. While it was a near-identical record to the two prior seasons, the relative consensus was one of disappointment at not taking better advantage of a bad American League.

Speaking of seemingly underwhelming conferences, the Eastern Conference in 2025-26 was considered one of the weakest in recent NBA history, with the injuries to Tyrese Haliburton and Jayson Tatum seemingly taking two teams out of contention. Despite this, the Knicks only won 53 games and settled into the No. 3 seed, struggling to ever look like the juggernaut some hoped for with a wide-open conference.

Midseason Inexplicable Swoon

Perhaps the clearest comparison: the Knicks completely disproved any theory of a champion needing to be dominant from start to finish. After winning the NBA Cup in December, the team suffered from fatigue, minor injuries affecting key players, and the overall slog of the season, going an inexplicable 2-9 from December 31 to January 19, culminating in a blowout loss to a terrible and depleted Mavericks team at home on Martin Luther King Jr. Day

As we know all too well, this is also a tendency for the Yankees, but this year’s summer swoon was significantly shorter than in years past. This year, it was an isolated 4-14 nosedive from June 20 to July 8, one in which the team reached a figurative “rock bottom” with a rare series loss to a mediocre Twins team at home on Fourth of July weekend.

The similarities don’t just stop with the simple fact of three terrible weeks in the middle of the season. The Knicks dealt with small ailments to Josh Hart and Landry Shamet, while also losing Jalen Brunson for two games due to an ankle injury. For the Yankees, this skid happened during the several-month absence by their own captain, Aaron Judge, but also during shorter stints on the injured list by Max Fried and Trent Grisham, with the latter coming off his hottest stretch of the season before going down in mid-June.

Those swoons also saw both fanbases’ vitriol hit all-time highs. You don’t need to go far to find what Yankees fans say every summer about how the manager needs to be held accountable for allowing the team to repeatedly have extended stretches of poor play every summer while demanding wholesale change, both in the front office and even shipping out underperforming players.

For the Knicks fans here, does that sound familiar to the sentiment after MLK Day? In the year after Tom Thibodeau was fired, Mike Brown had to earn the trust of Knicks fans, something that he very much wasn’t doing while the team was unraveling. Somehow, a first-year head coach’s seat was smolderingly hot. With the slump coinciding with the lead-up to the trade deadline, scores of impatient fans were also calling for the head of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, two underperforming veterans who were part of the team’s seemingly failing all-in push. It’s super hard to believe after these guys achieved immortality this summer, but it’s true.

Disappointing Supporting Cast

Speaking of Bridges and Towns, they have a bunch of similarities with several Yankees in terms of their regular season performance. It wasn’t just that slump that fans were complaining about. Bridges, who was acquired for five first-round picks, was a definitive fourth option who often went weeks without threatening 20 points. Towns, the team’s highest-paid player, endured a major regression in scoring and shooting while continuing to be a defensive liability.

There are some comparisons here. Jazz Chisholm Jr. was expected to potentially be the Yankees’ second-most valuable player, but slumped to finish a crucial contract year as about league-average offensively, falling well short of his own lofty goals. Trent Grisham was an incredible story in 2025, going from a throw-in in the Juan Soto trade to a weapon at the top of the order, but regressed in a big way on both sides of the ball as he struggled with hamstring injuries and several swing/process changes.

Both teams’ underperformance is predicated on unexpected regression. Now, as we know, Bridges and Towns turned that regression into some of the best basketball of their careers come playoff time. With how small-sample nonsense can create legends in the playoffs (ahem, Ernie Clement), could Chisholm or Grisham (if healthy) rewrite the stories of their 2025 in the same fashion?

Position In The Standings

The way the two teams finished the regular season has already been discussed, but there are similarities between the teams that finished around them in the standings. Both were passed by a young and unexpected team that blitzed the entire league and stunned everyone to get to the top overall seed, while they were also both heavily annoyed by the surprising resurgence of a team from Boston.

For the Knicks, they had to watch as the same plucky Pistons bunch that they eliminated the season prior surged to 60 wins in an improbable rise that saw their gritty defensive tenacity translate into regular season wins in an old-school fashion. Does that sound familiar to a certain division rival from Tampa?

I’m stretching things a bit by comparing the Celtics and Red Sox, but both teams were significantly better than expected at certain points. The Celtics were projected to be a play-in team as they dealt with life without Tatum, but rose to 56 wins by riding a formula that is conducive to stacking wins in the regular season. The Red Sox entered 2026 with high expectations, but those were gone when they fell to 32-46 and seemed out of it after firing Alex Cora. Their tremendous 32-5 stretch got them back in it, and for a moment, it seemed like they’d pass the Yankees during the summer as the Celtics did.

Core Of Guys Believed To Be Incapable Of Winning It All

While there are plenty of good comparisons in here, what ultimately binds these two teams together is the fact that neither enters the postseason with many believers, albeit for different reasons.

The Knicks entered the playoffs fourth in their own conference in betting odds, with the overwhelming belief among fans and the media that their core was just not able to go all the way. As much talent as they had, they didn’t have a 1A dude, dealt with their two star players being defensive liabilities, and lacked the impact depth to make up for any starting lineup underperformance. As we soon found out, none of that mattered, and the Knicks proved to be significantly tougher than anyone would’ve thought.

The 2026 Yankees are considered the co-favorite to represent the AL in the World Series, so the skepticism is more on the fanbase’s part. They don’t believe this team has the fortitude to do it. They see the flaws and believe that, when push comes to shove, they will wilt when the moment is brightest. Many believe Aaron Boone, like some believed with Mike Brown, is not a championship-caliber coach. After years of coming up short, it’s a fanbase that has relatively low energy for a playoff run, something that wasn’t quite experienced on the other side, but both shared a distinct similarity.

Sometimes, when vibes are low, crazy things can happen. It was hard to find a Knicks fan who fully believed in the team’s ability to do what they did back in April. Perhaps most jarring is that there might be more belief in the Yankees’ ability to go on a deep run than the most beloved team in recent New York history in Manhattan. If anything, that shows that there’s reason to believe this year can be different, because the Knicks showed that sometimes, for no rhyme or reason, it can be.

J.R. Smith was arrested for assault in Texas on Tuesday. The former NBA veteran played five seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers and contributed to their 2016 championship.

TMZ reports that Smith was arrested by Hunt County police for family violence. He was booked on a charge of assault involving family bodily injury.

No bond has been set as of reporting on Tuesday.

Smith, 41, played 16 years in the NBA. He won the league’s Sixth Man of the Year Award in 2013 and officially retired in 2020, following the Los Angeles Lakers’ championship run in the bubble.

After basketball, Smith completed his education at North Caroline A&T University. He graduated in May of 2026.

This story will be updated as more information is reported.

Two-time retired NBA champion J.R. Smith was arrested in Hunt County (Texas) on a family violence charge, according to booking records.

The Hunt County Sherriff’s Office arrested Smith Tuesday, Sept. 29 and brought a charge of assault causing bodily injury, with no bond set. Smith, 41, remains in custody at the Hunt County Detention Center as of early Tuesday afternoon.

No other details were provided.

Hunt County is located just northeast of Dallas.

Smith played 16 seasons in the NBA from 2004-20 for the New Orleans Hornets, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks, Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers. The 2012-13 Sixth Man of the Year, Smith averaged 12.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.1 assists throughout his career.

Here’s the second Bulletin covering Media Day with everything else that I couldn’t find yesterday.

Apologies in advance for any repeated quotes, but hey, y’all can’t have it all.

Here’s the latest before training camp gets going today, with the first preseason game less than a week away.

Jalen Brunson

On playing through his left wrist injury during the playoffs:

“It was painful. I played through it. I did what I had to do to make sure I was right. I didn’t think I needed surgery. If I had known, I maybe would have got it done sooner.”

On not being satisfied after winning the championship:

“Not being satisfied, I think, is the biggest takeaway moving forward. You still want to figure out how you can grow as a person and as a player. So I will use that experience. As a group, we figured out that we need each other to win, obviously. We need each other to be all on the same page.”

On his confidence in his teammates, with a joke about Josh Hart:

“I have all the confidence in the world in my teammates. Not so sure about Josh Hart; we’ll see how he acts.”

On the confidence and danger that come with being defending champions:

“I think we have the confidence knowing that we did do it. That’s going to help us, but that can also hurt us. So it’s all about how we go into training camp and how we go into these first few weeks to see where we are as a team, and then we’ll be able to adjust or continue to grow.”

On the opening weeks revealing the new Knicks’ identity:

“The first couple of weeks or whatever of the season is going to show us who we are and where we are.”

Karl-Anthony Towns

On wanting to sign an extension with the Knicks:

“I made it known I want to play here. I’ve been a fan since I was young. I would like to get one done, of course. Obviously I would like to get it done so I can feel as comfortable as possible.”

On what it will take for the Knicks to repeat as champions:

“To repeat is gonna take an even higher sense of discipline and execution. And we’re gonna have to be even better than what we showed in the playoffs. All of us are aware that we’re gonna have to bring a whole other level to the table if we expect to have a chance to repeat.”

Josh Hart

On the lack of progress on a contract extension and wanting to remain a Knick:

“Are things going to get done? There hasn’t really been much movement or conversation with that, so I don’t think it will get done. But I would love for it to get done. Once the season starts, I’ll probably have that mentality of ‘I don’t really wanna deal with this, I want to try and focus on playing the season.’ I’m sure there will probably be a little extra weight to the jersey. You don’t know the certainty of your situation and obviously it affects home life. There are certain things that you might want to do, but you’re like ‘I can’t, because I have no idea what the situation will be in two months, three months, four months, in a year, if I’m gonna be here or not.’ You don’t know. But hopefully, like I said, I’m a Knick, I’d love to be a Knick and I love the city.”

On the human impact of unresolved contract situations:

“I would hope that that stuff gets done. At the end of the day, we’re humans and I think what sometimes gets lost is that we are people, that we all have lives and things that we have to deal with and fix. I wish I could sit there and say it wouldn’t have any weight or any bearing, but you never know. Some people can handle it great and some people can really struggle with it and that can kill their performance. I hope it gets done, but we’ll see.”

On Jalen Brunson’s “Saturday Night Live” performance:

“I think his performance was fine. I don’t think he has a future in acting.”

On whether Brunson’s $113 million pay cut is still available:

“Is that money still up for grabs?”

On returning to work after the championship summer:

“The weight of the jersey was extremely light this summer. This morning, it was a bit heavier. I think we’re all excited for the opportunity to do it again. We’re not satisfied to just get one.”

On the Knicks’ shot at breaking the no-back-to-back champion trend in the NBA:

“We write our own history.”

On the significance of the CBA and second apron in the league’s lack of repeat champions:

“Obviously, it probably shows the significance of the [collective bargaining agreement], the second apron, all those kinds of things. At the end of the day, that’s the past. It has no precedent on what the future is going to hold. For us, we’re not really worried about it. We’re worried about etching our own stories and our own legacies.”

On the Knicks’ hunger to repeat:

“I think we’re all excited for the opportunity to do it again. I think you guys will see that with how we conduct ourselves, with how we play, that we’re not satisfied with getting one and that hungriness that we’re gonna have.”

OG Anunoby

On the Knicks’ title defense:

“We’ll be hunted, but we’re going to be hunting other teams as well.”

Victor Wembanyama

On struggling to sleep after losing the NBA Finals to the Knicks:

“I’ve had a few sleepless nights. It’s been hard to fall asleep sometimes. Hard emotions. But there is a point where you accept that you have to go through it. You have to feel all of it. We don’t want to hide from anything.”

LeBron James

On envisioning finishing his career at Madison Square Garden till the Knicks win it all:

“I had visions of playing in [Madison Square] Garden and finishing my career in the Garden. One of the best places I’ve ever played.

“I was like, ‘Hey, I can’t.’ I couldn’t do it.”

On the Knicks and Jalen Brunson:

“Much respect to the Knicks, obviously. An unbelievable team, unbelievable players. Shout out Jalen Brunson. I love that guy, he’s unbelievable.”

The Cleveland Cavaliers have long searched for a true backup center to complement Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Tristan Thompson and Robin Lopez were given chances in the past. Neither adequately filled that role. Thomas Bryant has been the latest person to try to do so.

Bryant was far from a consistent presence. While he provided energy on the floor, he also looked as erratic as prior holders of the backup center role at times. Bryant impacted games the most when his threes were falling. When they weren’t, he would just create poor spacing alongside Allen and Mobley.

As the Cavaliers decided to bring back Bryant for a second run, it felt like a cost measure and a locker room move rather than one based entirely on his play on the court. Bryant posted 6.2 points and 3.4 rebounds per game for the Cavs last season. The three-point shot would come and go from game to game, but it never felt as impactful as one would have hoped.

If you are looking for reasons for optimism, you can look at the games in which Bryant saw more consistent playing time. Bryant played over 20 minutes in the regular season five times, in which he put up a respectable 12.6 points and 6.6 rebounds. While these are not stats that would have you clamoring for more, Bryant can still be serviceable when called on.

With Larry Nance Jr. off the roster and Khalifa Diop getting his legs under him, the roadmap is there for Bryant to get more run this season. Bryant had shown previously, especially in his postseason run with the Indiana Pacers in 2024-25, that he can provide impactful minutes. Obviously, that was two years ago. However, Bryant is not some washed-up veteran; at 29, it is more than fair to expect that he can get back to an impactful role.

With another year in Cleveland’s system, the coaching staff might have better ideas on how to utilize Bryant without creating spacing issues for the accompanying big going forward. For now, it appears that the realistic expectation is that Bryant will replicate the same production as last season. While not the most exciting option in the world, the Cavaliers have seen far less capable bigs assume the backup center role.

A new era of Wizards basketball is upon us. And there’s a new way to follow along with your favorite team.

I’m launching a Substack called Wizards Central to cover the Wizards on-site and full-time.

You can visit the site using this link: https://wizardscentral.com

Subscribers will get access to coverage of all 82 games, including in-person coverage of all 41 home contests and at least half of the team’s road games.

Coverage will include:

• In-person coverage of all 41 home games and at least half of the team’s road games. Every game will be covered, whether on site (majority of games) or remote
• Game threads with notes from Brian Keefe’s pregame availability, injury updates and more
• Game stories from the arena immediately following the final buzzer
• The next morning: Additional game stories with quotes from Keefe, Trae Young, AJ Dybantsa and other Wizards players based on that night’s events
• Practice coverage — quotes from post-practice media sessions, shootaround observations and more
• Breaking news coverage — Injury updates, trades, signings
• Feature stories — long-form articles about all of your favorite Wizards players
• Access to every episode of The Wizards Podcast
• And so much more

Ever wondered what the Wizards’ salary cap sheet looks like? Confused about which picks the Wizards own and the complicated protections that follow?

The “Front Office” tab answers all those questions with easy-to-understand graphics and descriptions of Washington’s roster, cap sheet and future draft picks.

Subscriptions start at $6.99/month or $69.99/year. At an estimated 40 articles per month, each article will cost monthly subscribers just 17 cents.

Monthly and yearly subscriptions are available at this link: https://wizardscentral.com/subscribe  

While I’ll dedicate much of my time to in-depth Wizards coverage on my Substack, I’m staying with BulletsForever to provide the same rigorous coverage of this team.

A huge thank you to Albert Lee for supporting my work and allowing me to stay on with BF to continue providing Wizards coverage to a dedicated and passionate reader base.

I’ve spent the past four years diligently covering everything there was to know about the Wizards, the rebuild, arena renovations, trades and so much more. I hope you’ll join me for what could be the most exciting Wizards season in nearly a decade.

And now we get to the player takeaways from Media Day. If you didn’t catch my first article detailing the responses from Wes Edens, Jon Horst, and Taylor Jenkins, go check that out. Now, obviously it’s not practical to cover every player on the team, but I did my best to cover the most notable players, quotes, and tidbits, so here they are!

Myles Turner

Myles Turner was the first player to front the media. Turner’s opening question was about why he decided to organise a team minicamp in his home state of Texas.

“With having so many new players, I wanted to get everybody together and wanted everybody to have some fun,” Turner said. “A lot of guys had never been to Austin before. I’m Texas through and through; I just wanted to show off the city a bit.

“The camaraderie was great, and everybody showed up, so that’s one thing that I was really proud of. It just gave us a little extra time to get to know each other.”

Changing the topic, Turner was then asked how he defines himself as a leader on this young team. The 11-year vet emphasised that he understands the position he’s in and wants to set the right example for the younger players.

Regarding media expectations, Turner wasn’t interested in outside narratives, saying, “The only expectations are the ones we put on ourselves.”

“Just like everybody else, we want to win. But it’s one thing to want to win; it’s another thing to do the things that are required to win, and I think that’s more where our attention goes this year.”

Tyler Herro

Understandably, Herro had the longest presser out of all the players, but he answered each question with a lot of respect and grace, I thought. His first question centred around what’s changed about Milwaukee for him since he was drafted.

“When I grew up here, I spent a lot of time in the suburbs, not really downtown, and so I’ve obviously seen how much the city has grown since I’ve been gone for the last eight or nine years,” Herro said. “It’s a beautiful city; I love being here, and I’m excited to start a new era of basketball. The organisation is amazing… Just how they’ve welcomed me with open arms—I couldn’t have asked for anything more.”

Herro was asked whether the Heat players getting traded for Giannis meant they viewed themselves as “replacing” him, a notion he flatly dismissed.

Herro on what he feels his role will be on a new team, and whether there’s any trepidation:

“I feel like we’re all new. Taylor’s new; he’s got a brand-new coaching staff. The guys who came in the trade with me are new. We’ve got two or three rookies. Everybody’s here, and we’re all doing it together. It doesn’t really feel like I’m coming into somewhere where they’re not welcoming me with open arms… It feels like this is where I’m supposed to be”

One answer I really enjoyed was how Herro responded to a question about his goals for the season: “I don’t have any individual goals.”

“I feel like everything is around the group. When people try to write everyone off, especially after the trade we made, people feel like we’re not going to win games… That’s the opposite of what we’re thinking… We’re trying to win; we’re trying to compete. That’s my main goal: to help lead this team to as many wins as possible.”

Jaime Jaquez Jr.

There weren’t too many interesting notes from Jaquez’s presser, but his answer to a question about how he approaches the prospect of getting a rookie-scale extension done before the season begins was noteworthy:

“I approach it the same way I approach every day: just try to be as professional as I can be. I’m here to work. My contract is the one going into next year; that’s the only one I can really worry about… whatever happens will happen.”

Like Turner and Herro, Jaquez wasn’t fazed that the media doesn’t rate the Bucks very highly.

“I feel like I can keep my expectations pretty consistent no matter where I’m at,” Jaquez said. “The goal is always the same: you want to win as many games as you can and compete for a championship. The media says what they want to say, but what really matters is what the core group of guys believe.”

Brayden Burries and Nate Ament

As you can imagine, interviewing 19- and 20-year-olds never yields the deepest responses, but I thought Burries’ and Ament’s answers to 1) what the vets have taught them so far, and 2) what coach Jenkins has told them will help them get minutes, were both notable.

Burries: “The team that’s the most together is going to win a lot, but also the physicality… It’s a physical league, so just getting my mind and body ready for that.”

Ament: “Yeah, the NBA game is much different from the college game, but also just teaching me about the league… Things you should and shouldn’t do, requirements in your contract, and how to be a professional.”

Burries: “Impact winning outside of scoring. Rebounding, defending, being a great teammate, and being coachable. Even if you’re not playing, still having a positive mindset, and then once you get an opportunity, make the best of it.”

Ament: “Effort plays. We’re the youngest on the team, so giving energy every day, running the floor hard, playing defence—all those types of things.”  

Kasparas Jakucionis

“It means a lot”: Jakucionis on what the fresh start means to him.

“I played for the University of Illinois not too long ago, so I’m familiar with the weather here,” the young Lithuanian said to some chuckles around the room. “I’m just excited to be here.”

Jakucionis also opened up on his turbulent offseason, saying that being traded was hard at first, but he soon realised he couldn’t control it, so he put his head down and focused on what he could.

Kel’el Ware

Ware was pretty short (but respectful) in most of his answers. However, I thought his response to a question about how he and his Heat teammates have transitioned to Milwaukee was notable. Ware said he thinks it’s gone smoothly for all four of them, but “the most smoothly” for him, as the Cream City reminded him of his hometown in Arkansas: “It wasn’t like a big change for me.”

Ware was also bullish on how he and Myles Turner could complement each other:

“We’re both bigs who can shoot, play down low, defend, and rebound. So if you have two bigs that are able to do that, that’s what you need.”

Kyle Kuzma

Fittingly, Kuz rounded out the day with a bunch of thoughtful responses, but I thought his best was his answer to how his myriad NBA experiences will help him lead this group.

“This is my 10th year in the NBA, and it’s such a blessing… doing it for a decade, you get to learn a lot about yourself through trials and tribulations… We have some people on this team who have only played for one team in their life, and now they just got traded to a brand-new team—I know how that feels. I know guys who have played a role in a certain system that may be asked to do something else—I’ve done that a lot of different times.

Hilariously, Myles Turner dropped in to ask Kuzma about his skincare routine.

Washing your face, exfoliating, moisturising, and using serums were the four keys, according to Kuz. And on that note, we’re out.

What’s up, Brew Hoop family. After the longest offseason for Bucks fans in a while, the new season is finally upon us! I’m here with the first article from media day, plucking out the most newsworthy content from Bucks co-owner and governor Wes Edens’ solo presser, as well as Jon Horst and Taylor Jenkins’ joint presser. The second article includes the best player quotes. Enjoy!

Wes Edens

Wes Edens opened by saying the Bucks brass is “extremely excited” about the season ahead, but also thanked Giannis and his family for giving 13 years to the Bucks and the city of Milwaukee.

“It’s been a minute since we haven’t had [Giannis] in the building,” Edens said. “It’s good to acknowledge that, but it’s also a great time to change and move on.”

Moving to the coaching change, Edens drew on his experience as Aston Villa’s co-owner to discuss how coaching can impact a team and why choosing the right coach is crucial to success. Edens said he sees the qualities he was seeking in Taylor Jenkins, saying Jenkins may be “the biggest addition in the NBA offseason.”

When later asked what specifically he and the Bucks were looking for in their coaching search, he answered, “somebody who was going to be a builder.”

“Taylor is the right person at the right time,” Edens said. “He’s a known quantity… We know exactly what we are getting with him, and we feel really blessed he was available. He is a tremendous teacher… Look at some of the guys in Memphis and the impact he had on them; we think he can have a similar impact on some of our players”

Regarding Giannis, Edens was quizzed about what went into the decision not to trade him last offseason.

“We won more games from 2018 to 2023 than any other team in the league. We had massive amounts of success. It was the right decision in all of our ownership’s view to try to give that the best chance of having the next year of it. We did a bunch of very aggressive things. They were all with the intention of trying to give ourselves another chance to win a championship.

“But now you look around here, there’s no Giannis, there’s no Khris Middleton, there’s no Brook Lopez, no Jrue Holiday… but we have the next crop of these young folks here that have every right to believe they can be the next group that kind of builds towards that.”

Edens was also asked about the health of the fanbase after some low attendance numbers at Fiserv late last season:

“Wisconsin fans are fanatical sports fans,” Edens said. “Everything kind of goes through a cycle. Obviously when you’re winning 60 games a year, it’s not hard to fill up your stadium. When you win less than that, it’s a little more challenging. But we’ve made big investments not just to the arena and all the programming with it to create the best entertainment that we can.

“People spend a lot of money to come out on a Tuesday night in February; we want them to feel like they’ve had the best experience they can, not just on the court but off. I really believe that fans are very intelligent and are very authentic. If you’re authentic, they really respond to that, and you don’t have to win 75 games to have the arena full again. I feel like we’re going to have a really good year on the court and I think we’re going to have a good year off the court as well.”

Edens conceded that the new TV rights deal—which will have all 82 games broadcast for free over the air—would not be ideal for the organisation’s bottom line, but that it was the right move to make as this new era kicks off.

“We’re gonna be impacted negatively this year, but we made the decision to invest in the fan base and to reach a lot more people. People will get a great chance to see the product we put out there.”

Finally, Edens answered a direct question about whether he’s considered selling his stake in the team: “I haven’t.”

“I mean, circumstances change. You never know, but no, I have no plans to.”

Jon Horst and Taylor Jenkins

Jon Horst was asked the first question about his message to fans regarding the team’s direction as Milwaukee enters the post-Giannis era.

“We talked a lot about having a successful offseason, executing a successful draft, and hiring a great coach as the pillars of our focus when the season ended last year,” Horst said. “We sit here today feeling like we accomplished a number of those things.

“There’s a great level of energy and excitement, buy-in, collectively with the group, and that gives us a foundation to build from. Everything we’re going to do today and going forward is building a group and trying to do it together each and every day.”

Jenkins was then asked about what the word “culture” means to him and how he plans to implement it with the Bucks.

Of course, Horst was always going to be questioned on the elephant in the room: why he signed Gary Trent Jr. to a four-year, $64m deal.

“When you look at Gary Trent and what he’s done for us in the last two seasons… he’s an elite shooter… Only 27 years old. He was big for us in playoff moments, so there’s a big belief in Gary for what we think matters, and that’s elite shooting in the NBA; that’s hard to find. It’s something that Taylor values, and I think he’s even going to maximise more with us, so it was a great opportunity for us to do that, and we acted on it.”

Horst was tight-lipped when asked later about the NBA’s investigation into possible cap circumvention and how he justified Trent’s contract, responding, “We’re working with the league, and we can’t comment any further on that.” Both Wes Edens and Trent himself gave the same answer in their pressers.

Moving on, the players traded in from Miami were obviously a major topic of conversation, with Horst revealing that each of the four players being in the deal was pivotal to getting it across the line.

“We wouldn’t have done the trade without one of those players,” Horst said. “We went into this trying to get players who not only could help us compete now, but can also grow and develop as we go forward… They fit a culture and a style of play that we want to embody… They absolutely check the boxes we were trying to check if we were going to do a trade.”

“They’re the competitors we desire,” Jenkins added.

Another topic discussed was how the organisation plans to champion accountability after the mess that was last season. It sounded like Horst knew things had to change and was determined to make that happen.

“We’re here today talking about building a culture and identity of accountability,” Horst said. “We’ve got a group of guys that we think embody that and that are going to live that. Taylor is going to demand that each and every day, and quite frankly, if they don’t live by it, we’ll figure out the accountable actions and move forward from there.”

When asked what he wants the team’s identity to be, Jenkins cited the team’s new mantra: “Compete. Together. Get Better,” which multiple players later repeated in their pressers.

“It starts with our competitiveness. I’m not going to guarantee wins and losses; we just talked with the team about developing our winning standards and habits. It starts with ‘Compete. Together. Get Better.’”

Horst closed by echoing Edens’ thought on this not being a “rebuild.”

“There’s an urgency to compete today. We believe that building the next great era of Bucks basketball has to have a foundation of competitiveness, and we have to instill that out of the gate. There is a patience component to this… but there’s not a complacency component to this.”