Inglewood, CA - February 14: Jaxson Hayes of the Los Angeles Lakers during the Slam Dunk competition during NBA All-Star Saturday at Intuit Dome in Inglewood on Saturday, February 14, 2026. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images) | MediaNews Group via Getty Images
The 2026 NBA Slam Dunk contest wasn’t just bad — it was pathetic. The decline of the dunk contest has been well documented, but Saturday night was the competition’s rock bottom. Serving as proof the NBA needs to cancel the event and replace it with something else, rather than watch it fade into irrelevancy like Chris Paul.
Every single facet of the event sucked. Keshad Johnson of the Miami Heat won with a dunk that barely would have made it out of the first round a decade ago. Even the NBA’s hype tweet felt sad and forced.
Still, this was somehow the best dunk of the night. The only other remotely impressive thing was Johnson jumping over rapper E-40 — which was fine, but not mind-blowing. E-40 is 6’1, and this is a competition where dunkers have jumped over Shaq, a car, and hell, Aaron Gordon went over the Magic mascot and under both legs, while the mascot stood on a hoverboard.
While Johnson was the best of a horrible group, he should have been disqualified for his dancing. Before every dunk, during every dunk, after every dunk, there was this pathetic, manufactured dancing that Johnson did that seemed to be less about any genuine enthusiasm about the event, and more because someone told him it would be good for his brand if he became the “dancing guy” during the dunk contest.
We also had Jase Richardson almost knock himself out.
The only thing worse than the dunks was the judging. The NBA used a panel of notable dunkers: Dominique Wilkins, Dwight Howard, Corey Maggette, and Brent Barry — a good group, except they were given an absolutely nonsensical rubric that nobody could score less than a 40, out of 50. It was clearly only put in place to make sure nobody’s feelings were hurt, because getting to say “I scored 42 out of 50” sounds a lot better than “2 out of 10.”
If the scoring format wasn’t bad enough we had Dwight Howard handing out 50s like candy for the crappiest dunks imaginable. Don’t believe me? This was a 50 in Howard’s book.
A windmill jam from barely past the dotted line that Johnson couldn’t even manage to dribble for. At least he did his dancing afterwards.
There’s a simple reality that basketball has changed. In the 90s and 00s kids would practice dunks like Michael Jordan or Vince Carter on Nerf hoops attached to their bedroom doors — now they’re trying to shoot from deep like Steph. Interior defense is more refined, giving less obvious lanes to the rim for in-game dunks. Euro steps, step-throughs, and floaters are now the in-lane currency of the NBA, rather than trying to power through everyone with dunks. There’s ample reason why dunking isn’t as flashy as it once was, but there is no excuse for the absence of creativity. There have never been more resources to imagine new dunks or learn from the greats of the past to push the limits of athleticism. Instead, we’ve seen unbelievable regression as players struggle to do anything past the most rudimentary of dunks. There’s no pride, no desire to put on a show — and the NBA is shielding feelings by making sure nobody can score lower than a 40. The stars of the past would never.
There’s an entire generation of basketball fans who are too young to remember how great the NBA Slam Dunk Contest was. Relegated to watching retrospectives on YouTube, they’ll never understand the excitement that led up to seeing some of the biggest stars in basketball show off their athleticism, creativity, and pride in being known as the best dunker in the NBA. There was palpable excitement as we wondered how players could go bigger and better. That’s gone now.
Nobody wanted Old Yeller to die. He was a beloved member of the family until that old dog got rabies and was destined to descent to madness. The NBA Slam Dunk Contest is past that point, and we need to save its legacy from itself by killing the contest all together and inventing something else — because this is too sad to continue in its current form.
A 34-point game and some kind words from the head coach are enough to be optimistic about Thomas’ immediate future with the Bucks, right? Probably — a change of scenery and a track record as a high-volume scorer certainly helps. How much Thomas plays on a nightly basis could be tricky, however, given that Kevin Porter Jr. and Ryan Rollins are commanding fairly big minutes in the starting backcourt. He’ll have to make the most of his opportunities off the bench, which he did against the recent back-to-back against the Magic. Otherwise, there could be some unspectacular final stat lines. The upside may be worth the risk, though.
Kris Dunn — PG/SG, Clippers
With James Harden departed and two more big-name guards, Darius Garland and Bennedict Mathurin, added, the minutes allocation suddenly felt concerning for Dunn, who’s spent the majority of his tenure with the Clippers as a starter, logging heavy minutes. Those concerns still remain, but with Garland yet to debut, Dunn has essentially functioned as the team’s point guard of late. As a result, he’s tallied at least five assists in each of L.A.’s last six games, while making his usual impact as a defender. He also made four three-pointers in the most recent win over the Rockets after producing four steals the game prior. It’s rare that everything clicks for Dunn on the same night from a statistical standpoint, but he’s been productive and could be considered a useful streaming option while the Clippers wait on Garland, perhaps even after.
Jarrett Allen — C, Cavaliers
We can all make an educated guess that Allen is enjoying the James Harden experience thus far. In three games, he’s scored over 20 points in each and been the beneficiary of several of Harden’s passes from downhill attacks. Others have also gotten him involved, and Allen has done a nice job of cleaning up the offensive glass for second-chance points. Yet, he’s having one of his most productive stretches of the season, all coming shortly after a recent 40-point game before Cleveland’s big trade. His stock is most certainly up, and could realistically keep improving as reps build with Harden.
This designation is by no means a reflection of what Markkanen has done or will continue to do when on the court — he’s having one of the best statistical seasons of his career. Rather, this has to do with his usage going forward. Is he healthy? How much will he play each night? The Jazz were recently fined for the “management of their roster,” with Markkanen among multiple players who were notably not playing in fourth quarters over consecutive games despite the games being competitive. Whether the reasons are valid or not, he’s played fewer than 30 minutes in Utah’s last five games, and that should be a concern for fantasy managers, despite Markkanen’s production in his limited time. It’ll be interesting to see what his playing time looks like after the All-Star break.
Ivica Zubac — C, Pacers
Zubac was traded from Los Angeles to Indiana on the day of the trade deadline, but has yet to suit up for the Pacers. Apparently, he played through an ankle injury with the Clippers and may not see the floor for a while with his new team. His potential return this season will be to a Pacers team lacking the table-setting that James Harden provided in L.A. — in the two games prior to the trade that Harden missed, Zubac combined for 8 total shot attempts. He’s still a difference maker on defense and will be great on the boards, but I wouldn’t expect his fantasy production to improve, or even remain the same, until playing alongside Tyrese Haliburton next season. I’d love to be wrong, though!
Paolo Banchero — PF, C, Magic
It’s been an interesting season for the Magic, who are currently the No. 7 seed out East. Banchero, the team’s franchise player, has been a bit more inconsistent as a scorer this season, especially of late. The former first-overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft has shot sub-40-percent from the field in four of the six game’s appeared in during February and has failed to tally 20 points in all but two games during that same period. Add on top of the shooting struggles his lower production on the glass and continued lack of stocks on the defensive end, and you get a player who’s having a down season as far as fantasy basketball impact is concerned.
The second month of the calendar year started with a couple of convincing wins over the Clippers and Warriors for the Sixers in the midst of a West Coast swing. Since that Warriors win on Feb. 3, Philadelphia has won one game. It got blown out by Portland and New York in its final two games before the All-Star break and the team’s trade deadline certainly left fans scratching their heads to say the least.
However, as the team prepares to resume its season, there’s reason to believe it can start racking up some wins again. Three of the Sixers’ first four games out of the break are against sub-.500 teams with Atlanta, New Orleans and Indiana on the horizon. The first week of March also features a home game against Utah and another Atlanta game as well. While the last couple of weeks have been rough, it’s important to keep things in perspective as Philly prepares to resume the season with a record of 30-24.
The Sixers’ preseason win total was 42.5 at most sportsbooks entering 2025-26. Barring a cataclysmic final two months of the regular season, they’re going to go over that number. Should they finish in the neighborhood of 44-46 wins, that would likely be enough to avoid the play-in tournament as one of the top six seeds in the Eastern Conference. Who in their right mind would complain about that?
Perhaps the last couple weeks have given Sixers fans a sobering reality check that it’s the same old Sixers team that’s going to disappoint you the moment you allow yourself to get sucked back into believing they could make a deep playoff run. Frankly, for as much as the franchise has been made fun of for its countless exits in the second round of the playoffs within the last decade, just making it to the second round this spring would be an overachievement.
Whether you cared or not about the All-Star weekend festivities, the Rising Stars challenge was another nice moment in the spotlight for VJ Edgecombe who continues to look like one of the NBA’s best rookies in 2025-26. Games like Atlanta, New Orleans and Indiana offer Edgecombe and the rest of Philly’s younger players who have been seeing a lot of minutes a chance to prove they belong in the NBA. In Edgecombe’s case, these upcoming games are a chance for him to show he can thrive in the NBA.
If you check the secondary market prices for these games, you’ll notice they aren’t expensive, and why would they be? The Sixers are a slightly better than average team in the East with an exhausted fanbase that has largely tuned them out and these upcoming opponents are certainly not generating any buzz. But racking up wins against some of the NBA’s bottom feeders should at least rebuild the team’s confidence after getting whitewashed by Portland and New York prior to the All-Star break.
A lot of this probably sounds like patting a high school team on the back for beating a team that barely has enough players to even play the game should the Sixers start the second half hot. But this is the lens that we must continue to view 2025-26 through. Philadelphia is never going to be considered one of the NBA’s upper echelon title contenders. But it should still be good enough to dispose of the majority of the lottery teams on its schedule. Expectations go away by the time the playoffs come around this spring because they never were that high to begin with for this season. That’s actually kind of refreshing, and so yes, it’ll be nice to see the Sixers pick up a few wins out of the break, regardless of who the opponent is.
AMES, Iowa – Sixth-ranked Iowa State made plays big and small, though always critical, to turn a 10-point second-half deficit into a 70-67 victory — a beautiful, wonderful and incredible victory — over No. 2 Houston on Feb. 17.
“Stepping up and having the courage to make the plays that need to be made,” future Hall of Famer and Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said, “they did tonight, and we didn’t.”
The moment that will always lead any discussion about this instant classic will, undoubtedly, be Nate Heise’s go-ahead 3-pointer with 77 ticks of the clock remaining.
Earlier in the half, Heise briefly lost vision in his right eye after being poked, but, luckily enough, Heise has a third eye.
“It was funny — with about a minute and a half left, I went up to (teammate Jamarion Batemon),” Heise said, “and I told him either him or I are going to have a 3 in the corner, and it’s going to win us the game.”
Which is exactly what happened.
Trailing by two, Iowa State saw its possession break down, looking destined to fail as Joshua Jefferson had the ball at the top of the key without much chance of making a play himself with the shot clock barreling toward zero. The virtuoso passing big man, though, made the perfect skip pass to the corner, where Heise caught it and seemingly released it in the same motion.
Splash.
“(The Cougars) take away a lot of things, but sometimes that backside skip is open,” Heise said of how he came to the prediction he shared with Batemon.
Still, he had to make the dang thing.
“It was one of the easier mindset things because you really have no other choice,” Heise said. “You’re not going to be able to pass the ball — there's not enough time. When you’ve got no other choice, it’s muscle memory.”
Heise’s triple will be the moment that lasts from this game, but it arrived only because of so many that led up to it.
Like Batemon's own 3 in the corner on the previous possession, one that sort of arrived by chance. Iowa State coach T.J. Otzelberger was trying to get Batemon out of the game for Milan Momcilovic, but the 51% 3-point shooter didn’t get to the scorer’s table early. Then Houston’s Milos Uzan missed the front-end of a one-and-one, so in Batemon stayed.
Then he buried a triple, and Momcilovic headed back to the bench to watch his teammate and fellow Milwaukee metro native finish the game.
“(Momcilovic looked at me and he said, ‘You want me to go back to the bench?’” Otzelberger said. “Almost like he was halfway up already saying, let him go, he’s looking good.’
“That speaks to what a great leader and teammate Milan is.”
If we’re talking about great leaders and teammates, though, Tamin Lipsey gets top billing.
The Ames native and Iowa State senior made the type of plays only he can time and again for the Cyclones, giving the type of boost you wouldn't have even thought possible.
“There’s no script when Tamin’s out there,” Otzelberger said. “He just finds a way to make plays nobody else has seen a guy make.”
The most important of which came with four seconds remaining.
Blake Buchanan, a 44% free-throw shooter, stepped to the line to try to improve upon Iowa State’ two-point lead. But, as 44% free-throw shooters often do, Buchanan missed the front-end.
Cue the "Mighty Mouse" music, though, because here Lipsey comes to save the day, swooping in to steal the rebound and the win.
Which, crazily enough, was the third time Iowa State got an offensive rebound on a free throw.
And if that’s not zany enough for you, how about the Cyclones playing the last 18 minutes of the game without a turnover against a Houston team that ranks among the nation’s best at creating turnovers.
The Cyclones needed it all against a truly terrific Houston team that matched the Cyclones punch for punch for almost the entire evening. Both teams are no-doubt Final Four contenders.
But when Heise's 3 found the net, and Hilton Coliseum got as loud as I’ve heard it since the 21-point second-half comeback against Oklahoma in 2015, the Cyclones proved themselves just a little bit better on their homecourt.
“That’s how you win,” Sampson said.
Play after play after play.
Then, when that final one comes, you make that one, too, and collect all the glory, memories and possibilities that come along with it.
SACRAMENTO, CA - 1992: Kevin Johnson #7 of the Phoenix Suns looks on against the Sacramento Kings circa 1992 at Arco Arena in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1992 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
The journey keeps rolling as we build out the Phoenix Suns All-time Pyramid, a thought exercise that tries to give shape to a long, complicated, and deeply personal history. So many players. So few spots.
We have three tiers left to navigate on this Phoenix Suns All-Time Pyramid and only six players left to place, which is where the air starts to thin and every decision feels heavier. Tier 3 is where things really crystallize. This is the Franchise Pillars tier. Three players whose effort, style, and basketball identity did not merely contribute to Suns history, but actively shaped it.
I genuinely feel good about this group, and that is not something I have said lightly throughout this process. I like where I landed.
One of them owns one of the purest jump shots you will ever see. Another embodies the grit and edge of the Valley itself, a player who maximized every inch of his frame and turned effort into identity. The third was the Swiss Army knife, the guy who did everything, filled every gap, and quietly held things together in ways that did not always show up in headlines, but absolutely showed up in wins. Take any one of them away, and the franchise looks materially different.
Tier 3? Revealed.
Now, if you saw all three of these guys play, your voice carries real weight here. That perspective matters. For me, I only had the privilege of watching two of them live, but those two live near the very top of my personal favorite Suns list, and that says something. That is memory. That is emotional gravity. That is bias, sure, but it is also built on longevity, production, consistency, and moments that stuck.
These are not fleeting stars. These are pillars. Players who helped define what this franchise was, and in many ways, still is.
Tier 3: The Franchise Pillars
When I sat down to construct Tier 3, there was one decision staring back at me that I knew would come down to bias, preference, and how you personally experienced that era. The Amar’e Stoudemire versus Shawn Marion conversation.
Everyone loved Steve Nash. That part was universal. Where things splintered was who you believed the second most important Sun on those teams actually was. That answer said more about you than it did about them. Did you value raw power at the rim, the force and violence Amar’e brought to the basket? Or did you value the guy who did the junkyard work, the one who filled every gap, guarded everyone, ran the floor, rebounded in traffic, and never stopped moving?
If you read the Tier 4 chapter, you already know where I landed. Amar’e Stoudemire sits in Tier 4, not because he lacked greatness, but because this came down to preference. For me, Shawn Marion did more. And the season that cemented that belief was 2005-06, the year Amar’e missed almost entirely. That was the year the question got answered on the court.
Marion stepped up in a way that felt expansive. He did not fill in. He took over. He averaged 21.8 points and 11.8 rebounds, carried the load nightly, and posted the most defensive rebounds ever recorded by a Phoenix Sun in a single season. That was dominance.
The numbers only deepen the case. Marion is number one all-time in franchise history in value over replacement, win shares, and defensive rebounds. He is second in total minutes played and the only player to appear in the top ten for minutes per game more than once. He did it three times, including an absurd 41.6 minutes per game in the 2002-03 season. He ranks second in total steals, second in total rebounds, third in blocks, fifth in total points, and seventh in games played.
I will always believe that Shawn Marion never got, and still does not get, his proper flowers for what he did on a basketball court. He played during a brutal stretch for forwards, right as the league was shifting away from being center driven or guard driven and settling into an era ruled by wings and combo forwards. This was the time of Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony. It was a murderers’ row of stars who soaked up attention, accolades, and oxygen.
What Marion did lived on the margins, and that is part of why it was so easy to miss if you were not paying close attention. He was electric in ways that did not always headline highlights. He guarded everyone. He rebounded out of his area. He ran the floor relentlessly. He filled gaps before you even realized there was a hole. And in several of those peak years, he was the third best player on his own team, which meant the spotlight rarely found him the way it should have.
As a result, the recognition never quite matched the impact.
He finished his career with only two All-NBA selections, and that number still feels wrong every time I say it out loud. He easily could have had two more, maybe even more than that, if the league had been better at valuing what he actually brought to winning. Shawn Marion did not fit neatly into a box, and because of that, history has been a little slow to fully appreciate just how important he really was.
Eight and a half seasons. A walking double-double. And when you read through that résumé, it becomes clear that Shawn Marion did not do one thing well. He did everything well.
Yes, Amar’e was the exclamation point on the Nash pick-and-roll, the punctuation that rattled the rim and shook the building. But Shawn Marion was everything in between. That is why he was The Matrix, because he was doing things that made you blink twice. The second pogo step. The quick bounce back up before defenders even realized the play was still alive. The shot looked strange, sure, but it went in, and it kept going in. He flew around the floor, covered ground nobody else could, and as a fan, I fell hard for his game during his rookie season.
And that is where the preference and bias live. Because I loved Amar’e too. Let’s be clear about what we are actually debating here. Two players who both sit near the very top of the Phoenix Suns All-Time Pyramid. There is no disrespect in this conversation, none at all. It simply comes down to taste. Which flavor speaks to you?
For me, it has always been the guys who defend, who work the margins, who make a team better in ways that do not always scream at you from the box score. The players you truly appreciate when you watch night after night, possession after possession, and slowly realize how much harder everything would be without them.
That was Shawn Marion.
Kevin Johnson was my first love as a Suns fan. He arrived in Phoenix right as I started watching basketball, around six years old, and from that moment on he had my attention.
KJ was electric in a way that felt impossible, the smallest guy on the floor doing things that made no sense to a kid trying to understand gravity, speed, and fearlessness all at once. If you were a young fan in the late 80s or early 90s, you gravitated toward Kevin Johnson naturally. Because he looked like someone who should not be able to do what he was doing, and then he did it anyway.
As time went on, we learned the cost of that style. You cannot play that fast, that violently, and that relentlessly without paying for it. Injuries became part of the story, especially as the team transitioned into the Barkley era.
Still, when you step back and look at what he did over 12 seasons and 683 games in Phoenix, the résumé is staggering. He averaged 18.7 points and 9.5 assists per game, numbers that hold up in any era. His 1988–89 season remains a landmark, when he dished out 12.2 assists per game and set the franchise record with 991 total assists in a single season. That same year, he also set the single-season turnover record with 322, which honestly tracks when you understand how much of the offense lived in his hands.
Reading through his career numbers, you start to appreciate how much he packed into that frame. He is second all-time in franchise win shares, second in assists per game, second in total assists, and second in triple-doubles. He ranks fourth in total points, fourth in total steals, fifth in total minutes played, and sixth in games played.
What stands out most to me is that he is first all-time in free throw attempts in Suns history. Longevity plays a role there, sure, but the number itself tells you exactly who Kevin Johnson was. He was an attacker. A guard who lived at the rim, who sought contact, who created chaos by forcing defenses to react to him over and over again.
It is hard not to imagine what he would look like in today’s NBA. He was Russell Westbrook before Russell Westbrook existed, minus the rebounding totals, but with that same sense of urgency and that same refusal to slow down. Watching him was an experience, not an exercise in efficiency, but a constant surge of pressure.
He also sits firmly in the category of great Suns’ “what ifs”. If he could have stayed healthy through the heart of the Barkley years, things might look very different in the history books.
Everyone remembers the 1992–93 season as a turning point for the franchise, and it was. For KJ, it was also a year defined by frustration. He played only 49 games that season, constantly in and out of the lineup, never quite able to find rhythm.
He had moments, like that unforgettable triple overtime win in Chicago in the NBA Finals, where he scored 25, but his lone Finals appearance ended up feeling underwhelming relative to what we knew he could be. He averaged 17.2 points and 6.5 assists during that run, solid numbers, though not the peak version of KJ.
Even so, he remains third all-time in Suns postseason history in assists per game at 8.9. No has logged more postseason games (105, number two is Thunder Dam at 83), postseason minutes (3,879), or assists (935) in a Suns uniform than KJ.
For me, though, the numbers only tell part of it. Kevin Johnson is the foundation of my Suns fandom. He is the player who made me care, who made me believe basketball could feel like that, and whose imprint on this franchise goes far beyond any single season or playoff run.
If there were a pyramid for best nicknames in Phoenix Suns history, Walter Davis would be sitting comfortably near the top, and honestly I think I may have talked myself into another entire series while writing this. Damn it.
The Greyhound. Sweet D. The Candyman. The Man with the Velvet Touch. You do not collect nicknames like that by accident. You earn them by playing the game in a way that feels smooth, controlled, and almost effortless.
Walter Davis had one of the most fundamentally sound and beautiful jump shots this franchise has ever seen. When you are talking about someone who Michael Jordan called his favorite player growing up, you are operating in rare air.
Davis was selected fifth overall in the 1977 NBA Draft out of North Carolina and made an immediate impact in Phoenix. His rookie season remains his offensive peak, and it was loud. He averaged 24.2 points per game, won Rookie of the Year, earned All-NBA Second Team honors, finished fifth in MVP voting, and made his first All Star appearance. That was the first of six, which is tied for the most All Star selections by any player in Suns history.
Statistically, his imprint is everywhere. He is first all time in field goals made, second all time in games played, and second all time in total points. He held the franchise scoring record for 28 years, finally being passed in 2025 by Devin Booker. He ranks third in total steals, fifth in total assists, and sixth in win shares. That kind of consistency over that kind of span is not accidental.
Davis spent 11 seasons in Phoenix, and while those years were not defined by deep playoff runs or sustained team success, that does not diminish what he was as an individual player. From 1977 to 1988, the team record sat at 517-467, solid but unspectacular. He excelled regardless. Night after night, season after season, he delivered.
If you are building a Phoenix Suns All-Time Pyramid, Walter Davis has to be on it. Where, however, is highly subjective.
He might be the most complicated placement in Tier 3, not because of on court production, which clearly belongs here, but because history asks you to acknowledge the full picture. The 1987 Suns cocaine scandal remains one of the darkest chapters in franchise history, and it will always be tied to his name. That cannot be ignored.
And that opens up a bigger question. How much do the things that happen off the court bleed into how we remember what happened on it? At what point does context reshape legacy?
Walter Davis sits right in the middle of that tension. His on court résumé is undeniable, but the full story is heavier, more complicated, and harder to compartmentalize. That is what makes him such a difficult evaluation, and why this tier, and his place in it, carries more weight than most.
Still, when you isolate the basketball, the production, the longevity, and the impact, it becomes very difficult to find many players who performed at his level for as long as he did in Phoenix. Walter Davis was a pillar of this franchise, and his place on this pyramid is earned.
What re your thoughts on Tier 3? Are these the right guys? Who should be higher? Lower? Let us know in the comments below.
SEATTLE - JUNE 14: Gary Payton #20 of the Seattle SuperSonics posts up against Michael Jordan #23 of the Chicago Bulls in Game Five of the 1996 NBA Finals at Key Arena on June 14, 1996 in Seattle, Washington. The Sonics won 89-78. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1996 NBAE (Photo by Barry Gossage/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Gary Payton built a Hall of Fame NBA career from 1990-2007. A 6-4 native of Oakland, California, Payton went to Oregon State, where he built a tremendous reputation as a defender and all-around point guard.
He was the second pick in the 1990 draft, taken by Seattle behind Derrick Coleman and ahead of Chris Jackson, now known as Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf.
It took Payton a couple of years to truly establish himself as a top-tier point guard, but he did and then some.
Known as “the Glove,” Payton was mostly celebrated for two things: his superb defense – he was the first point guard to win the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year – and his relentless trash talking. Most people regard Larry Bird as the greatest trash talker in NBA history, but Payton is almost certainly a close second.
The bulk of his career was spent with the SuperSonics, but he played for four other teams, including the Milwaukee Bucks, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Boston Celtics. In 2006, he helped the Miami Heat win the NBA Championship.
This video mostly focuses on Payton’s offensive talents, and some of these plays are spectacular. Incidentally, look for one against the Chicago Bulls where he takes the time to do something most people tried very hard not to do: he woofs at Michael Jordan immediately after scoring.
Connecticut is in and Houston is out on the No. 1 line of the USA TODAY Sports latest bracketology after the Cougars fell 70-67 at Iowa State on Monday night.
The Huskies regained their grip on a No. 1 seed after rebounding from a road loss to St. John’s with Big East wins against Butler and Georgetown. UConn joins Michigan, Arizona and Duke. This foursome has separated itself from the pack thanks to a combined 35-6 record in Quad 1 games.
It’s a big week coming up for Michigan, which travels to Purdue on Tuesday night and then plays Duke in Washington, D.C., this weekend.
Iowa State takes over as the top-rated No. 2 seed after notching a second high-profile Big 12 win in a row, following this past Saturday’s 74-56 victory against Kansas.
Houston’s drop is one of several in the updated bracket involving some of the biggest names in the Power Five.
The Jayhawks slip to a No. 3 seed after the Iowa State loss erases some of the good vibes stemming from a torrid eight-game run that included wins against the Cyclones, Brigham Young, Texas Tech and Arizona.
Three losses in four games sent Michigan State to the No. 4 line. While two of those setbacks came against the Wolverines and Wisconsin, the Spartans’ résumé is dinged by an ugly road loss to Minnesota. The Gophers are 4-10 in Big Ten play and are 86th in the NET rankings.
March Madness last four in
Georgia, UCLA, Ohio State, TCU.
March Madness first four out
New Mexico, California, Missouri, Santa Clara.
NCAA tournament bids conference breakdown
Multi-bid leagues: Big Ten (11), SEC (10), ACC (8) Big 12 (8), Big East (3), West Coast (2), Mountain West (2).
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MAY 12: Dallas Mavericks have officially won the in NBA Draft Lottery with 1.8% pre-lottery chance to win the pick in Chicago, Illinois, United States on May 12, 2025. San Antonio Spurs got the second pick, Philadelphia 76ers got 3rd and Charlotte Hornets got the 4th pick in the lottery. (Photo by Jacek Boczarski/Anadolu via Getty Images) | Anadolu via Getty Images
It’s that time of year again. It’s tanking season. And it’s bigger and better than ever. There are seemingly more teams tanking than ever before, and they are doing it earlier and bolder and in more innovative ways. Everybody is talking about it, so why not Fear The Sword? There have been lots of crazy proposals to fix tanking thrown around. Even odds. Rookie free agency. The Wheel.
Here’s one more: Let’s try just forcing teams to win games.
I know this sounds crazy, but I believe basketball is the most fun to watch when teams are trying to win. And I also believe that the answer to what is wrong with basketball is usually more basketball.
Here’s the proposal:
You hold an eight-team tournament before the playoffs to determine draft order.
Lowest seeds gain entry, with the exception that every playoff team and play-in teams that reached the second round from last year are not eligible. No gap years. If one of those teams is at the bottom, take the next lowest seed.
Just like the player awards season, if you don’t play, you can’t play. Let’s set a low bar and focus on the stretch run. If you haven’t played > 1,230 minutes (15 minutes per game all year) or > 15 mpg post-All-Star break, you’re out (this can be fine-tuned for role players, but you can see the point). No miraculous recoveries for the draft tournament allowed.
Draft tournament winner gets the number one pick. Trades be damned.
That’s it. That’s the whole idea. Play basketball. Win. Get rewarded.
Why is this a good idea? Let’s break it down.
The Draft Lottery is the worst. There is no fixing it. We have this many teams tanking and piling picks because the draft is unreliable. Every time a San Antonio or a Philly gets lucky in the lottery, every time an Indiana takes a gap year, a team that has been tanking for years signs up for yet another year of tanking. The lottery is why we have so many teams tanking at once. It makes the draft unreliable. That’s bad. Not good.
The goal of a draft should not be to create middle-class citizens. It should not be to let the Chicago Bulls hang around near .500 forever. That isn’t parity. The goal should be to create contenders. The draft needs to help teams on the outside-looking-in become truly competitive. You can grow to Play-In status with picks five through 10 and shrewd acquisitions. It’s the leap that requires a top-four pick.
Even if teams figure out how to game the system and gain entry in nefarious ways, it’s largely a one-and-done scenario. They’ll do well, they’ll get a good pick, and they will graduate to a competitive level. That’s the goal. No tanking for half a decade or more.
The top-two picks landing in the worst situations is also the worst. What are our favorite stories? It’s rookie Kobe playing with Shaq. It’s rookie Tim Duncan playing with David Robinson. It’s Wemby being competitive *right now*. It is not Kevin Garnett dragging Sprewell to the Western Conference Finals or LeBron dragging Larry Hughes to the Finals before they inevitably leave the team that drafted them because they were too good for the team to build around them. The best-case scenario is that you get your second or third-best player, and then you get your generational talent. Not the other way around.
A draft tournament is still high variance. In a single-elimination format, anything can happen. You get that excitement. Whether your team is awful or your pre-season expectations are falling apart, you get that hope. And as a fan, you get to hope your team wins important ball games rather than hope they lose 75 meaningless ones.
It incentivizes teams to try to win. Think about what a draft tournament does to a rebuild cycle. Right now, when a team thinks they are close, they worry that if they get too good, too soon, then they might never get good enough. The entire young core could be wasted. They worry they should tank for one more high pick. With a draft tournament, you can go for it. You can try. You can bring in vets. Maybe you’re right, and you’re in the playoffs. Maybe you’re wrong, and you’re in the draft tournament with the best chance of winning it. Either way, the current core has a future.
It revitalizes the NBA middle class. No more player purgatory. No more players that are too good to tank with and not good enough to win with. These players instantly have value because even if they can’t help you win the NBA championship, they can help you win the draft tournament. Shout out to Georges Niang. Pay the Miini-van.
So that’s it. That’s the pitch. Structure everything so that in order to accomplish your goals, you have to win basketball games. Always.
And if you like that, just let me know. Because we can keep going with this concept. More tournaments, all with critical team-construction rewards. The rewards are the key. If the tournament helps a team build and helps a player get paid, everybody cares. Teams, GMs, players, fans. That adds value. That drives interest. That drives revenue. And that, ultimately, is the only way we ever get to shorten the regular season, which is what the sport truly needs. But that’s a story for another day.
Nikola Vučević has played three games with Boston and, so far, he’s been exactly as advertised.
The Montenegrin big man is averaging 13.7 points and 9.7 rebounds while shooting 48.5% from the floor and better than 41% from three. As a proven veteran, you generally know what you’re getting from Vučević — steady scoring, strong rebounding, and a polished offensive game.
Growing up, my two favorite NBA players were Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan — Garnett for his defense and intensity, and Duncan for his fundamentals and beautiful post game. What I admire most about Vučević is that same kind of polished presence on the block. It’s something that the Celtics have lacked over the years. Al Horford, in his early years with Boston, was a reliable post option, but as he got older, he drifted behind the arc more to help space the floor.
Now, Boston has a player who is both a legitimate post threat and a capable outside shooter. On any given night, Vučević can easily be the team’s second-leading scorer, which gives Boston’s offense more balance — and that’s already been the case through his first three games.
In his first game in green, Vučević was clearly a bit passive. It looked like he didn’t want to step on anyone’s toes as he adjusted to a new team and system. He’s not going to be a great defender, and there will be moments when quicker players beat him. But having him come off the bench alongside Payton Pritchard creates a dynamic one-two, inside-outside punch that can keep the scoring flowing when Jaylen Brown and/or Derrick White are off the floor. Over time, Vučević will get more comfortable with the defensive rotations and team schemes. I expect him to look sharper on that end as he settles in.
Against his former team, Vučević showed the Boston Celtics faithful at TD Garden exactly what he’s capable of. The big man finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in the win over the Bulls. What impressed me most was his 4-of-5 shooting from three. If Vučević can consistently knock down the three-ball, he adds a dimension this team was missing prior to the deadline.
Another key element Vučević brings to this Celtics team is elite rebounding. Before joining Boston, he averaged nine rebounds per game, and so far, he’s posted rebound totals of 11, 6, and 12. In his debut alone, he grabbed six offensive boards — a huge boost for second-chance opportunities. That presence will pair well when Neemias Queta heads to the bench. Having at least one strong rebounder on the floor at all times — and the ability to consistently attack the offensive glass — will be pivotal for Boston, especially in tight playoff-style games.
Three games in, it’s hard not to like the fit. Vučević gives Boston a different look offensively — a true interior scorer who can also step out and stretch the floor, something Boston has missed since getting rid of both Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis. He stabilizes bench units, adds rebounding toughness, and brings veteran poise to a team with championship aspirations.
If this is the baseline, then Boston may have found exactly what it needed. I truly believe Vučević is going to be a great addition to this roster. More than anything, I’m glad he gets the opportunity to play meaningful basketball on a legitimate contender. Veterans like him don’t always get that chance late in their careers, and if these first three games are any indication, he’s going to make an impact.
Feb 15, 2026; Inglewood, California, USA; Team USA Stripes forward Kawhi Leonard (2) of the LA Clippers reacts with Donovan Mitchell (45) of the Cleveland Cavaliers in game three during the 75th NBA All Star Game at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | William Liang-Imagn Images
Good morning, it’s Tuesday, February 17th. The Cleveland Cavaliers are 34-21 and don’t play again until Thursday.
I hope you enjoyed the All-Star break. From here on out, the playoffs are going to be on everyone’s mind. But before we do that, let’s take a moment to discuss the weekend we just had.
All-Star Recap
There has been a lot of discourse about All-Star Weekend this year. To be honest, there’s a lot of discourse about everything nowadays. Since there are no games on right now, I figured I’d add my two cents to the pile.
The problem is, I didn’t get to watch All-Star weekend this year.
I understand why the NBA decided to start the events early to avoid overlapping with the Winter Olympics. But, did you really expect me to catch a 5 pm start on Valentine’s Day? No chance.
I knew I wasn’t going to catch Friday’s events, which actually started during prime time at 8 pm Eastern — but I foolishly made plans for Sunday evening as I didn’t realize the big game would be over by 7:30. That’s partly my fault, but mainly, I blame the NBA for poor scheduling.
My problems aside, I was pleased to know that the All-Star Game was actually fun this season. At least, for a few moments.
The flashes of entertainment we received this weekend all came from one single fix: effort. No format change or fancy tournament will matter if the players don’t care. This has been the only important factor for the entire history of the event.
Long story short, we’ve all spent too much time problem-solving something that is out of our control. Either the players care, or they don’t. The events are only as fun as the players make them. This year, they delivered. Next year? We’ll have to wait and see.
LONDON (AP) — Real Madrid and Benfica will do it all over again on Tuesday after their epic Champions League showdown last month.
A 4-2 win for Benfica against Madrid in the last round of games in the league phase produced one of the most dramatic finishes in the competition's history.
A goal deep into added time by goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin secured Benfica's place in the playoffs. Defeat for Madrid, meanwhile, meant the record 15-time European champion missed out on automatic qualification for the round of 16.
The mastermind behind that win for Benfica was former Madrid coach José Mourinho.
Now he gets the chance to inflict more pain on his old team in the first leg of their playoff series at Benfica's Stadium of Light.
“I don’t think it takes a miracle for Benfica to eliminate Real Madrid,” Mourinho said, although he did acknowledge his team would have to be close to perfect to advance.
Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain is playing at Monaco in the playoffs on Tuesday. Galatasaray hosts Juventus and Borussia Dortmund is at home against Atalanta.
It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for Jeremy Sochan. After a year riding the pine for the San Antonio Spurs, he and his camp received permission to pursue a trade. The one trade that was publicly shared was the offer from the New York Knicks, which was rejected by the Spurs.
After a suitable trade did not materialize before the deadline, the Spurs graciously waived him, allowing Sochan flexibility to his future.
Jeremy signed with the New York Knicks, packed up, and took himself out East.
And now it has been revealed that Jeremy and his girlfriend Mya Mills are going to be parents.
Mills, a British model and social media influencer, made the announcement via Instagram. Looks like their baby girl is expected May 20th, one day after Mills turns twenty-five.
Sochan is currently twenty-two-years-old. The Knicks is his second NBA team after starting his career in 2022 being drafted by the Spurs.
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CHENNAI, India (AP) — Canada batter Yuvraj Samra’s exhilarating century proved in vain as New Zealand advanced to cricket's T20 World Cup Super 8s with an eight-wicket win on Tuesday.
New Zealand’s resounding victory knocked 2024 semifinalist Afghanistan out of the tournament, with the Black Caps joining England, South Africa, West Indies, India and Sri Lanka in the next round.
Australia will miss out for the first time since 2009 if Zimbabwe beats Ireland in their Group B tussle in Pallekele later on Tuesday.
On a perfect batting wicket, Glenn Phillips (76 not out) and Rachin Ravindra (59 not out) led New Zealand to 176-2 in 15.1 overs as the Black Caps claimed their third win in Group D.
Samra’s 110 off 65 balls, which included six sixes and 11 fours, had earlier guided Canada to 173-4 after captain Dilpreet Bajwa won the toss and elected to bat.
The 19-year-old Samra, who caught the eye last year when he smashed a 15-ball half century against Bahamas, became the first batter from an associate country to score a hundred at the T20 World Cup.
Bajwa made 36 off 39 balls and together with Samra put on 116 for the first wicket.
New Zealand struggled to stem the flow of runs and felt the absence of captain Mitchell Santner, who was ruled out of the game due to a “dodgy burger” on Monday night, and fast bowler Lockie Ferguson.
Ferguson is on paternity leave but is expected to re-join the team for the Super 8s.
Samra was dropped, but not before he had raised his century off 58 deliveries, when the ball burst through the hands of James Neesham at long-off.
His belligerent knock ended in the final over when Phillips caught him at deep backward square leg at the second attempt.
When it came to New Zealand's reply, Finn Allen and Tim Seifert fell inside four balls in the power play before Phillips and Ravindra shared an electrifying 146-run partnership in just 12 overs.
Nepal, which lost its first three Group C games, takes on Scotland in Mumbai later on Tuesday.
LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 15: Anthony Edwards #5 of the USA Stars Team poses for a portrait with the Kobe Bryant 2026 Kia NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player Trophy during the 75th NBA All-Star Game - Post Game Portraits as part of NBA All-Star Weekend on Sunday, February 15, 2026 at Intuit Dome in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Zach Barron/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
It was February of 2003. Kevin Garnett walked into the All-Star Game as the Timberwolves’ lone representative, our one-man franchise, and walked out with the MVP trophy after leading the Western Conference to a win. I remember sitting in my college apartment obsessively tracking every KG rebound and elbow jumper like it was Game 7 of the Finals. My roommates looked at me like I had lost my mind. “It’s the All-Star Game,” they said.
But they didn’t get it.
Back then, the Wolves were the NBA’s awkward cousin. Six straight first-round playoff exits. No playoff series wins. No lottery luck. No national respect. Kevin Garnett was all we had. So when KG was announced as All-Star MVP, it felt like Minnesota had finally been acknowledged. Not pitied. Not ignored. Acknowledged.
Fast forward 23 years.
Anthony Edwards is now the second Timberwolf to win All-Star Game MVP. On the surface, it doesn’t hit the same way. The All-Star Game has spent the last decade drifting into irrelevance, with think pieces every February asking whether we should just cancel it altogether. The Timberwolves, meanwhile, aren’t the NBA’s afterthought anymore. They’ve been to back-to-back Western Conference Finals. They’re in the contender conversation. They don’t need validation in the same desperate way they did in 2003.
And yet, what we saw this weekend from Edwards may end up being even more significant than what Garnett did that night.
Because this wasn’t just about an exhibition trophy.
It was about the face of the league.
For the better part of three years now, I’ve been beating the same drum: Anthony Edwards should be the face of the modern NBA. Not just one of its stars. The guy. The centerpiece. The billboard. The post-LeBron answer.
The modern NBA features a buffet of talent. Luka Doncic slicing defenses. Nikola Jokic doing robot savant things. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, the reigning MVP and champion, playing with surgical precision. Victor Wembanyama looking like a basketball cheat code from a lab experiment.
But here’s the thing: there’s only one player on that stage who has the charisma, the relatability, and the sheer gravitational pull to capture both the American fan base and the global audience in the way Michael Jordan did in the ’90s, Kobe did in the 2000s, and LeBron did for the last two decades.
It’s Edwards.
Luka and Jokic are generational talents, but they don’t connect culturally with U.S. fans the way a homegrown, charismatic star does. Shai is brilliant, but he doesn’t command a room the way Ant does. Wembanyama is fascinating, but he’s a unicorn. Kids can’t replicate that body, that reach, that alien geometry. They can’t go into the driveway and pretend to be 7-foot-4 with an eight-foot wingspan.
They can pretend to be Anthony Edwards.
They can practice the step-back three. The downhill drive. The swagger. The grin. The playful trash talk. The confidence.
From the opening tip of the All-Star Game, Edwards stole the show. He went at Wembanyama with a wink and a challenge. He embraced the moment instead of sleepwalking through it. And when the final buzzer sounded and the cameras swarmed, he didn’t retreat into cliché answers or exhausted platitudes.
He leaned in.
The postgame press conference was almost more impressive than the on-court performance. After a long All-Star Weekend, it would have been easy to mail it in. Instead, he flashed that smile, cracked jokes, engaged with reporters, and turned a room full of microphones into his own late-night talk show set. He looked comfortable. Confident. Born for it.
This is exactly the kind of personality the league needs right now. The NBA is navigating a strange era. The talent level is absurdly high. The global footprint is enormous. But culturally? It feels fragmented. Polarized. Searching for its next unifying figure. After MJ came Kobe. After Kobe came LeBron. After LeBron… the answer has felt murkier.
The answer should be Anthony Edwards.
Now, here’s where it gets interesting for Wolves fans. For years, Minnesota has lived on the wrong side of the NBA’s gravitational pull. The superstar whistle? Rarely ours. The free-agent magnetism? Not exactly strong. The benefit-of-the-doubt calls in crunch time? Let’s just say we’ve seen them go elsewhere.
Edwards has yet to consistently get the “superstar whistle.” You can debate whether that whistle should exist at all, but anyone who watches the league knows it does. Ant drives to the rim, absorbs contact, throws his arms up with that signature “hey!” yell, and too often jogs back without a call. Some of that is self-inflicted, officials don’t love demonstrative reactions, but some of it is about status.
Status changes everything. As Edwards’ star continues its supernova trajectory, maybe the memo gets passed. Maybe some of those borderline no-calls start turning into trips to the free-throw line. Not because he’s flopping or hunting whistles, but because the league subconsciously understands: this is one of our tentpole guys now.
And if that happens, it doesn’t just elevate Edwards.
It elevates Minnesota.
For 36 years, the Wolves have fought uphill battles: officiating, market size, free agency perception, you name it. But if Edwards becomes the gravitational center of the league, that pull starts working in Minnesota’s favor. Suddenly, the Wolves aren’t just the scrappy small-market contender. They’re the home of the face of the NBA.
That matters.
It matters for calls. It matters for national TV slots. It matters for free agents who want to play with a megastar in his prime. It matters for legacy.
Because while Garnett’s 2003 All-Star MVP felt like validation for a franchise that had never won anything, Edwards’ 2026 All-Star MVP feels like confirmation of something bigger: confirmation that Minnesota might be housing the next global icon.
The NBA is full of brilliance right now. But there’s only one guy who feels like he was made for the camera, built for the moment, and wired to embrace the spotlight without flinching.
After MJ came Kobe. After Kobe came LeBron.
After LeBron?
It should be Anthony Edwards.
And if that’s true, Wolves fans may look back at this All-Star Weekend not as a fun midseason footnote, but as the night the rest of the basketball world finally caught up to what we’ve known for five seasons.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 14: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks during a press conference during 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend at Intuit Dome on February 14, 2026 in Inglewood, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the GettyImages License Agreement. (Photo by Ryan Sirius Sun/Getty Images) | Getty Images
With the unfair and unprecedented fines against the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers last week, there has been a tipping point of frustration for fans and media over how poorly things have gone for the NBA under the leadership of Adam Silver.
Adam Silver has done one thing right in his time as Commissioner: he has made money for the Owners, those with one of thirty memberships in the league.
In terms of the product on the floor, he’s done a terrible job. The actual on-court elements of the game have consistently gotten worse under his leadership.
Problems with the product
Tanking
Instead of focusing on the two-thirds of the league vying for playoffs, Silver has made it important to punish and terrorize the small markets of the league, doing everything they can to try to be competitive. Steph Curry, over had a great quote over All-Star weekend about the state of the league and the “tanking problem.”
Steph Curry was asked what he thinks the NBA should do to reduce tanking:
“Is it really that big of a problem? I’m asking. We feel like there’s obviously a lot of competition. It’s something I’m sure every year the NBA wants to address, why the Play-in Tournament exists. Things… pic.twitter.com/tMVMb1VaNK
Tanking, which has been done for forty years, is just now apparently ruining the “integrity of the league.” Teams that are focusing on having their young players play, knowing that they won’t win, are receiving threats from the commissioner to do things that aren’t in their best interest. You’d better play your vets, we’re monitoring your substitution patterns! Win meaningless games, so you miss out on the talent in the draft, or else! That’s the message from Adam Silver recently.
In Silver’s disastrous press conference over All-Star weekend, in which Silver had All-Star Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night during the day, he claimed that all things are on the table to punish teams for tanking, including losing draft picks. So, the one thing teams like the Utah Jazz have to bring top-tier talent on their team, the one thing that allows them to make trades to improve, Silver wants to remove.
Adam Silver: "What we're doing, what we're seeing right now, is not working…"
David Aldridge: "Is there any talk of taking draft picks away from teams… as opposed to fining them?"
There are so many things he says that show an absolute misunderstanding of fans. First, Silver mentions that fans don’t want tanking. Maybe for the casual fan, but for the diehards, the ones paying for league pass and going to games in losing seasons, that’s just not the case. Silver is treating fans like a tech company treats users of its apps, they’re data points. Fans may not like tanking, nobody does, but they understand the necessity of it. I see that in our site’s numbers and in my own YouTube and social media. Fans view the draft as hope, and tanking as the means of restoring it. They know that you can’t get anywhere in the NBA other than drafting top-tier players on draft night. And for small market teams, tanking is the only way they’ll get their own superstar. Silver throwing around threats about losing draft picks is the worst possible type of leadership. It’s a tyrannical leader, unchecked, threatening the smaller markets to bend the knee to his beloved larger markets like LA and New York, as well as his beloved gambling companies (more on that later).
Yes, there are season ticket holders who would like to see their teams win. And at some point, you have to make sure that NBA owners are actually making a profit, but the NBA taking draft picks away from a team like the Jazz would only hurt the fans, the ones that Silver claims he is worried about.
Season Length
For far too long, the NBA season has been too long. Players are still playing back-to-backs and three games in four nights that is leading to a wide variety of issues. Load management has been a problem that has plagued the league for all of Silver’s tenure. We don’t hear as much about it now because the commissioner wants you to think it’s been solved. To his credit, Silver did add the rule that players must reach 65 games to be eligible for awards and all-star consideration, and that appears to have curbed some problems. But this rule alone should tell you about the need for a shortened season.
Imagine the NBA reduced games to something in the 70-72 range. Teams would actually be able to practice (what a novel thought). It would literally improve the product on the floor with teams being prepared for each game. It would also make each game matter more, in a way that has given the NFL an advantage. Each NFL game matters more because every game counts towards the playoff picture. If the NBA had a shorter season, spread out, there would be less tanking in general because, when it would happen, it would be late in the season when people wouldn’t care anyway. The playoff picture would hinge on every game that much more. As it currently stands, the season is more or less decided by February and March. Teams like the Utah Jazz have to make decisions for what’s best for them earlier because the season is so long.
In addition to improvements to the games themselves, we’re seeing players sustain more and more injuries. The game is faster, harder, and requires more skill than ever before. Players have to be at an elite level, and they’re pushing themselves to the absolute limit, and we’re seeing more injuries, which is costing stars to play. And if there’s one thing the NBA likes to boast about, it’s its stars. It is not good to boast about those stars if they’re always out with calf injuries, or worse.
How to fire Adam Silver
The decision to single out the Utah Jazz specifically was not for the integrity of the league, the lie that Adam Silver told. It was to protect the thing that he is most worried about, the revenue of the league. But not in the way you would think, with attendance or viewership, he is most worried about the integration of gambling. There are a lot of legacies that Adam Silver will leave whenever he stops being the commissioner (player injuries, bad officiating, a ruined all-star experience, a poor league-pass experience, tournaments no one asked for, the list could go on), but the one he will be most known for is the invasive implementation of gambling in every aspect of the game. Gambling companies need reliable information for games to remove issues with their lines. For the Utah Jazz to rest players puts those lines at risk and could cause bookkeepers to lose reliable data. That’s the worry for Adam Silver.
One of the most telling stories about Silver’s interest in the gambling aspect of the league comes from this Ringer article on pitch-counting scandals and their relationship to prop bets. Something that sounds very familiar to things we’ve seen with Terry Rozier and Jontay Porter. But what’s interesting from that article is what it revealed from Adam Silver talking to Rob Manfred, commissioner of the MLB.
With parlays, the house almost always wins. With prop bets, the house almost always wins except when it’s set up to lose by a duplicitous, unscrupulous player. In 2021, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred divulged that NBA commissioner Adam Silver had advised him not to dwell on baseball’s deliberate pace because all that time between its hundreds of thousands of pitches per season made the sport perfect for micro-betting—an in-game, real-time form of prop bet along the lines of the kind Clase is accused of abusing, which wasn’t even feasible in sports betting’s bookie-based era, before smartphones and apps. Micro-bets are made for problem gamblers—both the kind that can’t lose and the kind that can’t win.
This bit of information is everything you need to know about what Adam Silver’s focus is. It’s not what’s best for the game and the fans, it’s not the integrity of the game, it’s how much money he can squeeze from every opportunity he can. It’s why every change for the league always entails some addition/change that doesn’t actually improve the actual product, it’s just to manipulate things in a way that keeps revenue while also manufacturing interest. The integrity of the game is the last thing he’s worried about.
In the NBA’s constitution, Article 13 talks about the ways that an owner can lose their membership in the NBA. One of those (Article 13, section g) is for a team, or a member of a team, who willfully manipulates scores, but for bets/wagers. There is nothing there regarding losing games for draft purposes. But for a removal of a member of the NBA, it would take the member breaking one of the rules of the league and having a 3/4 vote by the Board of Governors consisting of a representative of all 30 NBA teams.
The problem? Adam Silver is the commissioner, he is not a member of the association. He recently received a contract extension through 2030. It’s clear that if the NBA Board of Governors wanted to remove Adam Silver, it would take a special meeting, and then a vote would have to be taken. That vote would require a 3/4 majority. With 30 NBA teams, 23 teams would have to vote for it.
The cynical part of me makes me think that this is very unlikely. There may be a lot of team owners that are perfectly fine with the direction that Adam Silver is running things. But the small market teams have to pay attention to what is happening. Adam Silver appears to be using this situation as an opportunity to make drastic changes to the draft, the only way a team like the Utah Jazz or the Indiana Pacers can actually build toward a title. Recently, the idea of abolishing the draft has been bandied about online. Apparently, Adam Silver is actually considering it.
Adam Silver and his advisors would “seriously consider” abolishing the rookie draft and turning rookies in free agents if it is the only way to stop tanking, per @joevardon
If there is anything that small markets should avoid at all costs, it is this. If you are putting the choice for rookies to choose between going to LA, Miami, New York, and a smaller market? You’re never going to see the small markets be competitive again. Even if the player might want to go to a better situation, the agents are going to steer their client to the place they think will generate more deals and earning power. And what’s obvious from Adam Silver lately is that he couldn’t care less about the fans from Utah or Indiana. What he’s interested in is the data points that tell him he needs to always give the advantage to larger markets while coming up with new ways to squeeze more from the fans.
The NBA Draft needs to return to the old lottery odds that favor the worst teams with the best odds of getting the top pick. Silver’s decision to flatten odds has created this “tanking problem” he’s talking about.
And that’s the reason that a change needs to happen. There needs to be a commissioner committed to improving the product, one who understands what’s actually best for the league. THAT is where the integrity of the game is on the line. The person who has “undermined the foundation of NBA competition” is Adam Silver, who puts gambling companies’ interests over those of the fans at every point. His leadership has hurt the “integrity of the league,” and it’s time for a change to happen.
Raphielle Johnson
