David Robinson #50, Center for the San Antonio Spurs prepares to shoot a free throw during the NBA Pacific Division basketball game against the Portland Trail Blazers on 2nd December 1994 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon, United States. The Portland Trail Blazers won the game 104 - 92. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Allsport/Getty Images) | Getty Images
David Robinson was never supposed to be a star. A high school nerd, Robinson was one of the last great sleepers. His college coach, Paul Evans, recruited him to Navy because he was 6-6 and had big feet.
Seriously. He thought Robinson’s feet suggested that he was going to grow some more, and at the time, Navy had a height limit. Getting a taller player in would have been a real coup.
He never expected to get a 7-1 Hall of Famer, but that’s what Robinson turned into.
He soon emerged as a surprise talent at Navy, and in 1986, only Duke kept the Middies from the Final Four, knocking Navy out in the Elite Eight.
In the NBA, he went toe-to-toe with players like Patrick Ewing, Shaquille O’Neal, and Hakeem Olajuwon. Ultimately, he also played on the Dream Team and won two NBA championships before having his #50 retired by the San Antonio Spurs.
Later, his son Justin became a preferred walk-on at Duke, where he was a fan favorite and was emerging as a critical player for the Blue Devils just as Covid hit.
It’s a question at the center of too many bad internet debates. “I bet you don’t even play ball.”
Does that matter?
Where is the line? Is the worth of an opinion weighed by the level of basketball? A D1 rec league player is allowed to comment on the NBA, but D3 is out?
It’s an ad hominem. The opinion is independent of the opinion holder. Still, we plebeians ought to remember that we don’t always know. There’s something strange, optically, about a high school social studies teacher publicly declaring that an NBA head coach ought to have one more season to prove his worth. Yet, here goes:
Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka should only have one more season to prove his worth.
Rockets’ Ime Udoka has been a strong coach
It won’t be an unpopular opinion in these quarters!
You guys really, really don’t like Udoka. Opinions vary, yes, but the consensus leans heavily in one direction.
Perhaps my eyes don’t work so well. I’m not as low on Udoka. I think he’s, at a minimum, a top-15 coach in the NBA:
But creeping into the upper half isn’t a sound approach to job security as an NBA head coach.
We should all agree that Udoka is a strong defensive coach. There’s been some dispute over the extent to which he relies on lineups to bolster that defense. It’s been argued that if he can’t scheme around Alperen Sengun and Reed Sheppard, his defensive success is less about acumen and more about putting good defenders on the floor.
It could also be argued that God his -or-her self could not design a scheme that protects Sengun and Sheppard at the same time. Udoka has proven his ability to maximize Sengun on that end of the floor. His inability to draw blood from a stone should not discredit his ability to smelt iron from one.
It’s Udoka’s offensive know-how that’s rightly questioned; however, the numbers do not support that line of questioning. In Udoka’s two seasons at the helm, the Rockets ranked twelfth (114.9) and eighth (117.5) in Offensive Rating.
So, on paper, the question becomes “What are we even talking about?” Udoka has hovered around a top-ten offense in two consecutive seasons, and a top-five defense in each (sixth in 2024-25, fifth in 2025-26). If that’s enough to get his seat hot, almost every coach in the NBA should be developing back problems from constantly standing.
So what are we doing?
Rockets’ Ime Udoka’s seat should be getting hot
For Udoka critics, it’s less about the offensive results and more about the process.
Last year’s 36.3% Offensive Rebounding % was the highest in the NBA by a country mile. The gap between Houston and the second-place Portland Trail Blazers (33.2%) was roughly the same as the gap between the Blazers and the eighth-ranked Charlotte Hornets (30.8%).
In 2024-25, the recipe was rebounding and turnover repression – in the vernacular of the youth, “possession maxxing”. Last year, Fred VanVleet was out, but Kevin Durant replaced Jalen Green offensively, so the recipe was tweaked – more turnovers, but better shots, and the same offensive rebounding dominance.
In theory, 2026-27 could combine the best of both worlds. The Rockets will be formidable:
But if they don’t escape the first round, it’s a moot point.
That’s the real reality of Udoka’s situation. If a coach is eliminated in the first round in three straight seasons, the “why” is less relevant than the “what” – you fire them.
Those process-focused critics will argue that Udoka’s approach is not playoff-viable. The data is on their side, although the causation is unclear. It could easily be argued that other variables have hurt the Rockets’ playoff success.
In 2024-25, it made sense for an aging dynasty to beat an unproven upstart. The Rockets ran into the Warriors, triggering PTSD for every Rockets fan who was not born roughly yesterday.
Last year was both simpler and more complicated. Durant played one game. That’s worth noting, but injuries to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves mitigate that excuse. Getting beat by Luke Kennard and Marcus Smart was a bad look. At least Smart is a Rocket now:
So prepare yourself for his shooting regression.
What if everyone had been healthy? Could Houston have exploited Reaves defensively to such an extent as to offset his offensive ability? Would Doncic have carried the day, or would Durant overcome him down the stretch? We don’t know; we can’t know; we won’t know.
Here’s what we do know: Udoka has one more season. It doesn’t matter where you land on him. It doesn’t matter if his offensive approach has playoff viability.
Frankly, his iso-heavy approach, paired with an insistence that his team outworks the other team, feels more playoff-friendly than some kind of elaborate system anyway, but if it doesn’t yield playoff results, it doesn’t matter. When you lose in the first round for three consecutive seasons, you lose your job:
The Golden State Warriors enter the 2026-27 season as an afterthought to some but are one of the more profound sleeper teams in the league. Golden State returns with practically the same roster from last season, only adding their 2026 draft picks and a couple free agent signings.
The Warriors battled extensive injuries throughout the previous season and managed to sneak into the NBA Play-In Tournament, but failed to make the playoffs, losing in an elimination game for the No. 8-seed to the Phoenix Suns. It was just the second time since their 2022 championship that they missed the postseason which brought questions whether it was the last dance.
With an eerily similar roster, Golden State are putting emphasis on team-chemistry but they remain one of the deadlier threats on one contingency – maintaining health. Jimmy Butler missed 44 games with a torn ACL injury last season, while Moses Moody is recovering from a patellar tendon tear in his left knee that caused him to miss the final 22 games. Curry was out 27 games last year with jumper's knee. They answered questions at center by acquiring versatile big man Kristaps Porzingis in a deal with the Atlanta Hawks, but he played on minute-restrictions as he recovered from earlier injuries and illness. Still, his natural fit, and the need to fill the position, was every reason for the Warriors to sign him to an extension this offseason.
Golden State has perennial "what-if" potential and there's belief within the organization that – if healthy – there is a path to a championship.
Here's a breakdown of the Golden State Warriors' offseason moves and what to expect from them heading into the 2026-27 NBA season:
C Quinten Post (free agent, Warriors decline offer)
F Pat Spencer (free agent)
Biggest question entering training camp
Can the Warriors remain healthy enough to compete?
The Warriors have a variety of questions to answer: will rookie Yaxel Lendeborg have an immediate impact? will Brandin Podziemski get a new contract? how will new additions fit-in? how consistent can this supporting cast be? However none of those questions the Golden States faces are larger than the question of their health. Last year, despite all the setbacks, they managed to squeak into the Play-In tournament. The likelihood of aging superstars being 100% by April takes some luck, simply put. If the Warriors are healthy, you can place them on the court with anyone and there's belief they have a chance to win.
Projected starting lineup and rotation
Starters
G Stephen Curry
G Jimmy Butler (ACL) - Expected by early 2027
F Yaxel Lendborg
F Draymond Green
C Kristaps Porzingis
Rotation players
G Brandon Williams
G Brandin Podziemski
G Gary Payton II
G De'Anthony Melton
F Gui Santos
F Georges Niang
C Charles Bassey
C Al Horford
What to expect in 2026-27 season
The Warriors have potential to be in the mix for a Western Conference postseason berth on the strength of returning players and building on team chemistry. But first they have to get there through enduring a grueling 82-game season that's already starting without key guys, Butler and Moody. It expected that Curry will do what he's capable of doing, even still at 38. The Warriors will only go as far as Curry can take them but their focus will be on everyone else. How guys acclimate to Kerr's system, where else offensive production comes from and the little details defensively is how success will appear in the Bay Area. In the meantime, getting – and staying – healthy is the Warriors' No. 1 priority.
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How will LaMelo Ball and Jonathan Kuminga reshape Minnesota’s offense?
In the past three seasons, the Timberwolves have reached the conference finals twice. Last year, they failed to get out of the second round. Each time, the opposing team did the same thing: they threw extra bodies and double teams at Anthony Edwards, forcing him to be more of a facilitator than a pure scorer. Minnesota’s other players, however, could never generate enough offense to propel the Timberwolves through. Now, Edwards will have other outlets who can create offense, most notably LaMelo Ball, who should take over ball-handling duties. Ball can also create his own shot, though he was a high-volume option in Charlotte. Here, he’ll need to be more selective, and free agent addition Jonathan Kuminga is another threat who can slash to the rim. Both players are defensive liabilities, though the Timberwolves have enough in Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels to mask those deficiencies. The big question, however, lies on offense, and whether Ball and Kuminga (and guard Ayo Dosunmu, who shined in the playoffs) can take enough pressure off of Edwards.
Projected starting lineup and rotation
Starters
G LaMelo Ball
G Anthony Edwards
F Jonathan Kuminga
F Jaden McDaniels
C Rudy Gobert
Rotation players
G Ayo Dosunmu
G Terrence Shannon Jr.
F Joan Beringer
G Donte DiVincenzo (injured)
G Isaiah Evans
G Bones Hyland
F Cody Williams
F Enrique Freeman
C Rocco Zikarsky
F Jaylen Clark
What to expect in 2026-27 season
A team taking chances to break through. Look for Minnesota to scheme up ways for LaMelo Ball, Jonathan Kuminga, Jaden McDaniels and Ayo Dosunmu to get easy offense. In theory, that should allow Anthony Edwards to both conserve energy and pick his spots. Furthermore, if teams continue to double Edwards, that should give him plenty of viable options to knock down shots. Minnesota’s defense may take a bit of a step back, but an increase in shooting productivity makes the Timberwolves an interesting team to watch. But with the Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Denver Nuggets and other teams looming in the West, the path won’t be easy. The Timberwolves do deserve some credit, however, for understanding they needed to make tweaks to stay competitive, especially if they were unwilling to pay Julius Randle. One role that remains up for grabs is sixth man, where Naz Reid had shined. Could that become a spot for Dosunmu? Or, perhaps Kuminga, if he becomes a reserve? Either way, the Timberwolves will need a spark off the bench.
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After making the playoffs eight of the last nine seasons — but failing to get past the second round in each of those trips — the Sixers overhauled their front office and roster to seriously contend for an NBA championship.
Will this superteam gel, and is it built to win a title?
If there was one team that went all-in this offseason, it was the 76ers, who made massive splashes with their trade for five-time All-Star Jaylen Brown and their signing of NBA icon LeBron James. And with that, suddenly, the Sixers have the best starting lineup in the Eastern Conference, from top to bottom. The issue with superteams is that players are forced to sacrifice and alter their traditional styles of play. That might mean Brown taking on a far smaller usage share, or James limiting his jumpshot attempts in favor of play-making. The reality is that there may be a learning curve and period of assimilation. To be clear: this is a good problem for coach Nick Nurse and the Sixers to have. But expectations — both internal and external — will be sky-high, as these moves were clearly made to deliver a championship, which would be Philadelphia’s first in 44 years. The other question lingering within this larger question is whether star center and former MVP Joel Embiid, who has played just 96 of a possible 246 games (39%) across the last three seasons, can stay healthy.
Projected starting lineup and rotation
Starters
G Tyrese Maxey
G VJ Edgecombe
F Jaylen Brown
F LeBron James
C Joel Embiid
Rotation players
F Dean Wade
G Anfernee Simons
G Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
G Labaron Philon Jr.
C Adem Bona
C Ariel Hukporti
F Dominick Barlow
F Justin Edwards
What to expect in 2026-27 season
A team that is making a push for a championship. The 76ers are all-in and will have to incorporate new star players Jaylen Brown and LeBron James. It will also be interesting to see how Tyrese Maxey’s role changes with all this; in the games Embiid missed last season, Maxey took on a massive offensive responsibility. As long as the Sixers embrace movement and sharing the ball, the offense should prove to be incredibly difficult to defend. The issue for Philadelphia will be on the other side of the court; the 76ers may struggle to defend opposing offenses. Another thing the 76ers should do is limit the regular-season workloads of James and Embiid, the latter of whom seemingly has worked to get in excellent shape this offseason. Philadelphia may very well end up with the top seed in the East. The real test will be what the Sixers do in the postseason.
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The Detroit Pistons were an overwhelming success last season, finishing with the best record in the Eastern Conference. But a discouraging playoff exit in the conference semifinals and an unnerving offseason have tempered expectations heading into the 2026-27 NBA season.
There are lingering questions after the Pistons couldn't replicate their regular-season performance in the playoffs as to whether the roster is good enough to match or even approach what they did a season ago, reaching 60 wins for the first time in 20 years. Duren's status looms large for the franchise's trajectory, but Detroit should remain a dangerous threat in the Eastern Conference as long as Cunningham is healthy.
Here's a breakdown of the Detroit Pistons' offseason moves and what to expect from them heading into the 2026-27 NBA season:
Can the Pistons find common ground with Jalen Duren?
Jalen Duren's playoff performance last year failed to match his breakthrough 2025-26 regular season and that dynamic has complicated contract extension negotiations with the Pistons. Duren is a restricted free agent who, as of Sept. 17, had yet to even sign a qualifying offer from Detroit, with reports indicating mutual interest with the Sacramento Kings. The Pistons are taking an understandable approach with Duren given his limitations, but their ceiling this season and beyond is considerably lower without their All-Star center.
Projected starting lineup and rotation
Starters
G Cade Cunningham
G Isaiah Joe
G Ausar Thompson
F John Collins
C Jalen Duren
Rotation players
G Daniss Jenkins
G Duncan Robinson
G/F Kevin Huerter
F Ron Holland III
F Taurean Prince
C Paul Reed
What to expect in 2026-27 season
The Pistons have the fifth-best NBA title odds among Eastern Conference teams entering the preseason, but there remain doubts about whether their offseason moves improved the team enough. Cunningham's emergence as one of the league's best players gives this team a high floor and should keep Detroit among the top six in the East. Advancing past the conference semifinals this year will depend on how the front office sorts out its differences with Duren and whether Joe or Collins emerges as a viable third option.
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Paolo Banchero hit an overtime game-winner in Brooklyn in January. Three months later he dropped 38 points on 14-for-25 shooting in a Game 7, and the Orlando Magic still lost by 22.
That gap, between what Banchero can do alone and what happens when nobody else shows up, cost coach Jamahl Mosley his job.
Orlando let Mosley go in May and hired Sean Sweeney, who arrived with a defensive reputation and a mandate to fix an offense that has finished 19th or worse in efficiency three consecutive years. Then the Magic did essentially nothing else. President of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said in the spring that the summer would be quiet, and it was. Nikola Vucevic came back on a minimum deal. Jonathan Isaac and Jevon Carter re-signed on minimums. Moritz Wagner left. That's the offseason.
Weltman's position is that Orlando was a top-five defensive and top-10 offensive team when healthy, and that the roster already contains everything it needs.
Here's a breakdown of the Orlando Magic's offseason moves and what to expect from them heading into the 2026-27 NBA season:
Orlando shot 39.7% from the field across seven playoff games against the Pistons and scored 97.7 points per game in that series. Five players in the rotation were top-eight draft picks, and Banchero's 53% career effective field goal percentage is lower than every top-five pick taken since 2018 except Cooper Flagg. Sweeney inherits the best young defensive personnel in the East and a shot diet that has never once worked in a playoff game. He has one summer of tape and no new players to blame.
Projected starting lineup and rotation
Starters
G Jalen Suggs
G Desmond Bane
F Franz Wagner
F Paolo Banchero
C Wendell Carter Jr.
Rotation players
G Anthony Black
G Jase Richardson
F Tristan da Silva
F Noah Penda
C Goga Bitadze
C Nikola Vucevic
What to expect in 2026-27 season
Health is the bet. Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs have each missed significant time in back-to-back seasons, and Suggs has admitted his playing style is part of why. The Suggs-Bane-Wagner-Banchero-Carter group was a plus-13.5 in 272 minutes last season, including the postseason, which is both encouraging and a reminder of how rarely they were all upright at once.
Vucevic gives Sweeney a backup center who can shoot, which Orlando badly needed and got for the minimum.
Nothing else about this team changed. The Magic are running back a 45-win roster with a rookie head coach in a conference that added two former NBA Finals MVPs during the summer.
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The core is filled with compelling young pieces, with Boozer joined by recent first-round picks Cedric Coward and Zach Edey. Jerami Grant, who arrived via the Morant trade, as well as returning guard Ty Jerome give Memphis some experience and should help avoid finishing in the Western Conference cellar.
Though this team isn't expected to be a contender, there's intrigue that this rebuild could come together quicker than expected.
Here's a breakdown of the Memphis Grizzlies' offseason moves and what to expect from them heading into the 2026-27 NBA season:
The Grizzlies’ 2024 first-round pick has been an effective anchor in the paint when healthy, and Memphis drafted Boozer, in part, because of his potential long-term fit alongside the 7-foot-3 Edey. But the 24-year old from Purdue played in just 11 games due to a lingering foot injury that required a second surgery in March. How quickly the Grizzlies’ rebuilding plans take shape depends on Edey’s availability and whether the double-double he averaged last year is sustainable over an entire season.
Projected starting lineup and rotation
Starters
G Ty Jerome
G Cedric Coward
F Jerami Grant
F Cameron Boozer
C Zach Edey
Rotation players
G Scotty Pippen Jr.
G/F Jaylen Wells
F Karim Lopez
F/C Quinten Post
C Isaiah Stewart
What to expect in 2026-27 season
The Memphis Grizzlies are a candidate to exceed expectations and challenge for a postseason berth in the West if their young core can come together quickly this season. The full-time return of Jerome, as well as the consistent presence of Edey and the health of guard Scotty Pippen Jr., are crucial for the team's chances of approaching a .500 record. The bet here is the Memphis front office's strong draft track record pays off again, and this group is battling for one of the final play-in spots by the end of this season.
Aaron Judge speaks to Yankees Manager, Aaron Boone, during batting practice at the stadium, Wednesday, October 2, 2019. Yankees Practice | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Co
ESPN | Jorge Castillo: From the man himself! Aaron Judge spoke on the record with ESPN ahead of last night’s game and said he intends to be in the lineup for next week’s Wild Card Series, and in the postgame, he sounded displeased with manager Aaron Boone describing his calf strain as “moderate.” For whatever it’s worth, Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network said on the telecast last night that this actually wasn’t all that dissimilar from what Judge was saying over the weekend in Arizona; the difference is that this came after Boone’s comments on Tuesday, when he said he wasn’t expecting Judge to return by then.
The Yankee captain is eligible to come off the IL in the season finale on Sunday versus Baltimore, but after the team spent most of the early part of the week downplaying expectations of him appearing in the first round of the postseason…both sides can’t be right.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: The Yankees have a little under a week to round out how they want to approach the Wild Card Series, and the first two questions pertain to the roles of Anthony Volpe and Ryan McMahon seem to be getting slightly clearer. Volpe was taking grounders at third ahead of Wednesday’s game with the Rays, and Mac has gradually placed himself in the near-unplayable category (big night at the plate last night notwithstanding). Volpe’s never been at third before as a pro, and it’s fair to question whether he has the arm strength, but he’s hit better than McMahon since returning and the Yankees need runs.
Also in this article: Giancarlo Stanton hasn’t given up on contributing to the 2026 playoff run just yet. He and Trent Grisham were working out on the field at Double-A Somerset. Grisham’s eyeing the Wild Card Series to get back from his hamstring injury, but Stanton is at least trying to make himself a pinch-hit option.
New York Post | Matt Ehalt: Garrett Crochet has dominated the Yankees since coming over to Boston, but the lefty hasn’t appeared in an MLB game since April 25th of this year. The rehabbing southpaw is hitting 96 in bullpens though, and while he likely won’t start for the Red Sox in the Wild Card round, it’s entirely possible Boston has one of the more overpowering arms in baseball ready to go in the bullpen.
FanGraphs | Michael Baumann: The Yankees spent more of the year without Aaron Judge than with him, and will play at least the first round of the postseason without him as well. Losing the game’s best hitter would hurt any team but New York especially seems to struggle in a Judge-less offense, scoring a full run less per game when he’s IL’d against when he’s in the lineup. Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger now face outsized pressure next week, as often the only two representative hitters on the club should Judge not actually return.
CBS Sports | Todd Feurer: A melancholy happy trails to Don Cooper, best known for spending 33 seasons as a coach with the White Sox organization including 18 as the MLB pitching coach, up through 2020. Cooper also spent part of the 1985 campaign on the mound for the Yankees, and took home a World Series ring on the South Side in 2005. Don Cooper was 70 years old.
Star Brisbane midfielder Lachie Neale has been cleared to play in the AFL grand final after overturning his one-game suspension at the appeals board.
The dual Brownlow medal winner will feature in the premiership decider against Fremantle – his former club – at the MCG on Saturday after having a striking charge on Hawthorn’s Jack Ginnivan downgraded.
OAKLAND – As summer ends with the Warriors responding to a forgettable season with marginal moves, forming twin clouds of disappointment and despair above Dub Nation. The outlook for next season would seem to be gloomy.
But the brightest star in Golden State’s solar system remains cool and analytical. Stephen Curry, observing the franchise from views both panoramic and microscopic, straddles encouragement with anticipation.
Which is partly why Curry’s contract extension – he has been eligible for almost four weeks – remains on hold not because of complications but by choice.
“This is a very unique situation,” Curry said late Wednesday afternoon after visiting a school in east Oakland. “I’ve been pretty straightforward and honest about it: I’m not going anywhere. There are just dynamics of where we’ve been the last four years, where we’re trying to go, and things that are related to my contract that can determine a lot of different things.”
The abiding sense is that Curry longs for reasons to believe with his entire soul that the Warriors are headed up rather than staying relatively flat. He’s not entirely there yet. He is, for now, leaning on hope.
Curry joined the rest of his teammates earlier this week for a sort of conclave arranged by Jimmy Butler III in San Diego. It’s the same way the Warriors closed last summer, the group gathering to spend time together, equal parts re-bonding and sharpening focus as training camp begins next week.
“We just had a great little minicamp as a team and got together for the whole team for the first time,” Curry said. “It was great to see everybody and get prepared for the year, which is where my mind is at really.”
Curry, 38, wants to play with a quality roster, one capable of crashing the postseason party and playing well beyond April. He absolutely wants it to be in Golden State, partly out of loyalty and partly out of stability. He has spent 80 percent of his adult life living and playing in the Bay Area, enjoying the highs and enduring the lows while remaining steadfast to the belief there will be more highs.
How can Steph know? He can’t.
The Warriors are drifting toward a season steeped in trepidation. Last season went south after Butler and Curry went down 11 days apart. Butler, the starting small forward, is expected to miss at least three months. The status of starting center Kristaps Porziņģis is questionable until confirmed otherwise. Al Horford, who missed 37 games last season, returns as a 40-year-old backup to Porziņģis. Draymond Green, 36, is being asked to adjust his role in the offense. Coach Steve Kerr took a month off before deciding to return.
And the youngsters, while showing shades of promise last season, ultimately proved not ready to shine without the veterans.
So, please understand if Curry is in no hurry to sign an extension. He is studying Golden State’s landscape before pinning himself – or the franchise – into an inflexible position.
“I’m pretty sure . . . just know the dynamics of our team, where we’re at, and all that,” Curry said. “It’s not really an obvious type of ‘Let’s just do this and keep it moving’ type situation. This is one of the rare ones in my career (where) you’re trying to make sure you have peace of mind with it all. I don’t know if there’s any more new information. It’s just the conviction of I’m doing the right thing for me, for the team, for now, for the future, like all those things.
“And it’s obvious I don’t have that many more bats at the plate. So just want to make sure I’m doing right by me and by the team.”
Curry never has been a free agent. Never wanted to be. His goal is to retire with the same franchise that brought him into the NBA. To represent one franchise, like Kobe Bryant with the Lakers and Tim Duncan with the Spurs and Dirk Nowitzki with the Mavericks.
That desire, while admirable, has given Golden State’s shot-callers enough comfort to feel less urgency than they otherwise might. The longshot pursuit of LeBron James deep into July was, in a sense, a desperate attempt to upgrade the roster. A belated effort to assuage Curry’s aspirations.
It failed, and now Curry is in observation mode. A contract extension is the least of his worries. He’s preparing to play basketball at an All-Star level while also inspecting potential organizational moves up close and from a distance.
Whether Steph or Stephen or Wardell, he is a skilled multitasker. Don’t doubt he can do that and still get buckets.
Two years on from landmark investment no one would describe Borthwick’s side as world-leading but the Prem is thriving
This month marks two years since the power brokers of the English game held court at Twickenham, sat in the kind of room where old money swills on Saturdays, and told us they were spending £264m to “reshape the rugby landscape”. The professional game partnership (PGP) between the Rugby Football Union and the Prem clubs was trumpeted as “historic” and would bring “world-leading English teams and thriving professional leagues”. Two years on and with a World Cup 12 months away, would anyone argue we are on the right path to achieving both aims?
Steve Borthwick was absent from Twickenham that day. It felt odd at the time because the most significant aspect of the PGP allows him to award 25 enhanced contracts and assume more control over the selected players. Precisely how much control is a question answered in shades of grey. At the time, an increase at all felt significant, a win for the head coach, but with hindsight, with the clubs still financially weakened by the pandemic, the RFU could have seized far more autonomy.
A familiar foe has returned to haunt Australia as a seemingly cruisy run chase was thrown into chaos by South Africa’s spin attack as the hosts claimed a 67-run victory in the first ODI in Durban.
Cam Schlittler is on his way to the AL Cy Young, but that has not yet guaranteed him the start in Game 1 of the AL wild-card series next week.
As of Wednesday, the Yankees were still working through their plans for the rotation in the first round of the playoffs, with Aaron Boone only willing to go as far as saying Schlittler would pitch in one of the first two games.
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Asked if the Yankees were lining up Schlittler, who is slated to start Thursday against the Rays, for Game 1 of the wild-card series, Boone said, “not necessarily,” reasoning that whoever starts Game 1 or 2 would still be able to pitch Games 2 and 5 of a potential ALDS.
“There’s like three or four different iterations of it, really, whether you go Cam or Max [Fried] Game 1 or 2, and then where you fit Carlos [Rodón] and Gerrit [Cole] in,” pitching coach Matt Blake said before the Yankees’ 9-2 blowout win over the Rays on Wednesday night at the Stadium. “There’s a bunch of different iterations of those four guys across three games that could make sense, depending on who you’re playing and what that means coming out of the rest here into potential rest in the next series. But obviously you got to win the wild card.”
Cam Schlittler, the AL Cy Young award favorite, may not end up starting Game 1 of the Yankees’ AL wild-card series. Noah K. Murray / New York Post
Schlittler, who owns a 1.94 ERA, would be pitching on his fifth day if he started Tuesday’s Game 1, likely against the Red Sox. Cole, who started Wednesday night, would be on his sixth day, while Fried and Rodón would be on their seventh day.
Blake acknowledged that “in a vacuum,” the Yankees would prefer their starter to be going on his sixth day, “but I don’t think that would necessarily dictate where they throw necessarily.”
“Whatever makes sense strategically we’ll probably go with because they’ll all have adequate rest,” Blake said. “Cam would be on the shortest for Game 1, but reasonable.”
Cole, who returned from Tommy John surgery in May, picked up the win Wednesday night to finish his season with a 10-9 record and a 3.61 ERA.
Fried has a 2.80 ERA and just got to his full clip of pitches Tuesday in his fifth start back from the IL, while Rodón dominated the Rays on Tuesday to lower his ERA to 2.67.
“Obviously you’re looking at the whole body of work, but the last month or so is pretty telling of where guys are at physically and what they’re capable of doing down the stretch,” Blake said. “But there’s also with Gerrit, it’s not just the month, it’s knowing who he is. Carlos is obviously throwing the ball really well, Gerrit’s an historically good pitcher, threw the ball well in Arizona.”
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - SEPTEMBER 23: Josh Naylor #12 of the Seattle Mariners is swarmed by his teammates after a hitting walk-off single in the 10th inning against the Houston Astros at T-Mobile Park on September 23, 2026 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jack Compton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2026 season refuses to die.
Josh Naylor walked off the Astros 6-5 in the 10th inning on Wednesday to keep the Mariners longshot playoff hopes alive. The Mariners entered the bottom of the inning down a run, but drew three walks to force the Manfred Man across to make it 5-5. Naylor followed with a bloop single to secure the win.
The game was broadcast on national television because the series figured to have playoff implications way back when ESPN set their schedule. Technically, that wound up being true. The Mariners entered the day still in the race but facing elimination. They need to win out and for the Astros and Rangers to each lose out to force a three-way tie at 78-84, which somehow would give the division to the Mariners. What are the odds? Well, FanGraphs this morning said literally 0.0%, so certainly not high. Even with the win, they still need 12 consecutive results to go their way, in a season where absolutely nothing has gone their way. This made ESPN’s coverage feel less like a postseason preview and more like an autopsy of a living corpse, as their analysts interrogated every nook and cranny of failure that got the Mariners to this point.
George Kirby got the ball in his final start of the year. He imploded in the third, giving up four runs on a walk, a double, a single, a double, and a home run. It was the type of inning we’ve seen plenty from Kirby in 2026, where he’s cruising, showing great stuff, generating whiffs, then suddenly unravels at the first sign of trouble. It’s always on a weird play, too. The single in that sequence was a bizarre grounder down the line line that skipped over the bag and glanced off the umpires ankle and into left field for a run. I mean, if anything, this helped Randy Arozarena get to the ball quicker, so it was hardly a transgression. But flukey play you rarely see followed by extra bases and runs seems to how this year has gone.
It’s been a weird season for Kirby. Or “was” a weird season. It was surely his worst as a big leaguer. The “why” isn’t unclear. His repertoire hardly changed. His stuff hardly changed. I can’t find anything discernible in where he threw the ball. Batters just seemed to have him figured out, neither whiffing nor chasing, waiting to pounce on the occasional mistake left hanging over the plate. It’s surprising because he’d taken a notable step forward last year in the late summer after his return from the injured list. Like so many of his teammates, 2026 represents an inexplicable step back in an otherwise strong career. I guess we’ll see if he figures it out by next year, if he’s still in Seattle.
The Mariners, to their credit, got some runs back in the bottom of the third. Lazaro Montes led off with a walk, J.P. Crawford singled behind him, and Randy Arozarena walked to load the bases. Dominic Canzone followed with a 112-mph line drive single to right field to score a pair of runs. Julio picked up another run with a double to cut the lead to 4-3.
They tied the game in the fifth inning on a Randy single, a Randy steal, and a Canzone single. That duo has made up so much of the offense this year, and they were the main reason the Mariners were in this game at all.
The game sat tied for a while for a while form there. Jose Ferrer pitched a clean inning. So did Gabe Speier, Carlos Vargas, and Seranthony Domínguez. The Mariners bullpen was great in this one, racking up seven strikeouts over four scoreless innings in regulation.
Then it was the bottom of the ninth. Dan Wilson called on Taylor Ward to pinch hit for Montes to face Josh Hader. This wasn’t a popular decision because Ward has been terrible since joining the team at the trade deadline. But platoons are platoons are platoons. Ward nearly ended the game with a hard line drive that went just foul. He followed it up by dropping a bloop single into right, briefly getting him off the hook. But it was all for not, as Hader picked him off at first to end the threat.
Ward couldn’t find any place to hide after that. In the 10th inning, with the Manfred Man on second, Yainer Diaz roped line drive to right. Ward ranged over and gave it a diving effort but couldn’t quite get there, allowing the ball to roll the fence for an RBI triple to give the Astros a 5-4 lead.
That brought the Mariners back up in the 10th with the Manfred Man on second. The Astros left Hader in the game despite having already thrown 19 pitches in the ninth. He walked Arozarena on seven pitches. He walked Cal on six to load the bases. He dotted Julio up and down and all around, but Julio battled, fouling off pitches eventually taking a tough slider out of the zone for ball four. The walk forced in a run and tied the game at five. Hader’s next pitch (number 44 on the night) was a sinker way up and out of the zone to Naylor, whopoked it into center for the game winning run.
Again, the Mariners are still technically alive entering the final weekend of play. They face the Angels at home for a four game series. The Astros face the A’s in Sacramento. The Rangers have one more against the Mets then go to Minneapolis. The Mariners need all 12 results to go their way.
