The Boston Celtics finished 56-26 last season, securing the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference and their 12th straight playoff appearance, currently the longest active streak in the NBA.
Joe Mazzulla, the youngest coach in the league, was named 2025-2026 Coach of the Year.
However, the success was short-lived, as the Celtics lost 3-1 to the Philadelphia 76ers in the First Round of the NBA playoffs.
65 days later, the Celtics traded Jaylen Brown, the 2024 Eastern Conference Final and Finals MVP, to the 76ers in exchange for six-time All-Star F Paul George, two first-round picks (2028 and 2031), and two second-round picks.
Boston also acquired Mitchell Robinson in the offseason, fresh off his championship run with the New York Knicks. Robinson was second in the league in offensive rebounds per game (4.2).
Tatum, who returned to the lineup in March after missing the first 64 games of the regular season recovering from an Achilles tear, returns as a cornerstone of the franchise.
“Last year was very tough for me,” Tatum said. “I kind of remember these days of training camp, and I would just be in the weight room the whole time, watching the team practice, and it was just tough to digest and go through it. So now being on this side and knowing what it felt like to have to watch the whole time, it’s just a different level of appreciation of just getting to be a part of everything and the game that I love with my teammates.”
The Pistons finished with 60 wins for the first time in 20 years, claiming the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference. They went on to earn their first playoff series victory since 2008, defeating the Orlando Magic in seven games, before falling to Cleveland in the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Detroit now looks to build on that success with J.B. Bickerstaff, the runner-up to Mazzulla in last season's Coach of the Year voting, at the helm.
After a lengthy offseason of negotiations, Detroit re-signed C Jalen Duren on a 5-year, $200 million deal on October 2. Duren is coming off of the best regular season of his career, where he was named an All-Star and to the All-NBA 3rd Team for the first time.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs San Antonio Spurs - 9:30 PM ET on NBC and Peacock
How to watch 2026-27 NBA games on NBC and Peacock?
The NBA is back on NBC and Peacock for the 2026-27 season with 100 regular-season games across its three marquee nights of the week: Peacock NBA Monday, beginning Oct. 26; Coast 2 Coast Tuesday, beginning Oct. 27; and Sunday Night Basketball, beginning Jan. 24, 2027.
All NBA games presented by NBC Sports will stream live on Peacock and all Peacock-exclusive games on Monday nights will also be presented on NBCSN. Telemundo, NBCUniversal’s Spanish-language broadcast network, will present 10 Sunday Night Basketballgames as well as the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 21, 2027.
What is the full 2026-27 NBA on NBC and Peacock schedule?
You can see the full schedule of 2026-27 NBA games airing on NBC, Peacock, NBCSN, and Telemundo here.
How do I sign up for Peacock to watch NBA games?
Peacock is available across a variety of devices. To get started, find or download the Peacock application on your device or head directly to PeacockTV.com to create a Peacock account. Then, you’re ready to watch!
Peacock offers one of the most comprehensive live sports streaming lineups available today, bringing together the NFL, NBA, MLB, WNBA, Premier League, NCAA football, NCAA basketball, golf, motorsports, and major global sporting events in a single service.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 07: Jason Adam #40 of the San Diego Padres delivers the pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers during the sixth inning in game four of the National League Division Series at Petco Park on October 07, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Tampa Bay Rays punched their ticket to the 2026 World Series to take on the Milwaukee Brewers with a win over the Cleveland Guardians in Tampa Bay on Monday night. At best, there are seven games left in the MLB season so Lincoln Zdunich of Gaslamp Ball thought it was a good time to look back at the season for the San Diego Padres — more specifically, he takes a look at the individual players and gives them a grade for their performance.
Zdunich started with reliever Jason Adam who suffered a quadriceps injury that cut his 2025 season short and he spent significant time on the injured list this season as well. It is unfortunate timing for the right-hander as he is set to be a free agent at the conclusion of the World Series. The injuries and the concerns that will surely be discussed about further injuries will dampen his earnings on the open market, but he has shown that he can be dominant when healthy.
The question facing the Padres and their fans is, “Should Adam be re-signed?” That question may not be able to be answered until the San Diego executives determine if they are going to try to re-sign Adrian Morejon or if Yuki Matsui is going to exercise his player option and opt-out of his current contract. Left-handed relievers are commonly more highly sought after than right-handers. If Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller wants to commit to re-signing Morejon that could impact an offer to Adam. If Matsui opts-out and Preller does not try to re-sign him that could unlock additional money to offer Adam.
The thing Preller and his staff have to figure out is will Adam stay healthy and if he does, will he return to the 2024 pitcher who served as part of a dominant backend trio for San Diego with Tanner Scott and Robert Suarez. Preller could stick to his oft-used tactics of signing Adam to a “prove-it deal.” Adam would have the opportunity to show he can stay healthy and perform and he could also have options from the player and team side that would give him some security and flexibility.
At the end of it all, Adam is a good major league pitcher. More than that, he seems to be a good human who is genuinely loved and appreciated by his teammates. That being said, it all comes down to numbers. Adam played 2026 on a one-year, $6.675 million deal. It would be hard to go much beyond that given his recent injuries but if he would consider a similar one year deal or a multi-year deal that has a similar cost per year he could be back in the Padres bullpen in 2027.
Do you, the Friar Faithful, think Adam should be re-signed?
The path to the World Series was right there for the Yankees.
In a weak American League and with one of the best starting rotations in baseball, the Yanks had a chance to make it back to the Fall Classic and vie for their first championship since 2009. But another team bested them in the postseason.
For the second straight season, an AL East rival defeated the Yankees in the ALDS. This time, the Rays swept the Yankees, leaving GM Brian Cashman,Aaron Boone and the rest of the organization searching for answers. What will it take to get this core group of players led by Aaron Judge over the hump? What pieces are needed to fill in the holes to mitigate mistakes and come out on top against teams that, on paper, the Yankees are better than?
There are no easy fixes in baseball, especially with a looming lockout and a new CBA, and -- at the time of this writing -- since Cashman and the powers that be have yet to speak to the media following the ALDS loss, it's unclear what the Yankees plan to do this offseason to rebuild a roster that was formidable on paper and expensive -- third-highest in baseball. A team that had the second-best record in the league, but just couldn't defeat a team whose salary ranked 26th in baseball.
Wins in the regular season are great, but it doesn't mean much if the results in the postseason aren't there. As Judge said after the ouster by the Rays: "We're the Yankees. I feel like [the front office] should go all-in and do what they need to do. If we've got holes, if it's finding certain players or personnel, whatever we need, you got to go out there and get it. That's why I signed back here to play with the Yankees is to fight for a championship every single year and go all-in."
Well, if we had the keys to the Yankees machine, here's a step-by-step process of what we'd do to fix the roster for 2027...
Rebuild bullpen by bringing back core
Every offseason, the bullpen needs rebuilding, and this one is no different.
David Bednar, Paul Blackburn, Ryan Yarbrough and Tim Hill are the notable names heading to free agency, and will be tough to replace. That's why our first order of business is to bring back the core.
Bednar was essential to the success the 2026 Yankees had. Cashman doesn't usually give out big contracts to closers, but a qualifying offer for one season would help if he accepts. If Bednar doesn't, then Cashman needs to buck the trend and lock down the right-hander to a multi-year deal to ensure the Yanks have the closer they can trust and know can handle the big city.
If a deal cannot be made, the New York needs to pursue other options like Raisel Iglesias.
Of the other free agent relievers, Blackburn would be my choice to bring back. Whatever the Yankees did to revive his career as a reliever, they can hopefully duplicate. A reunion is something that both sides should want, and a one or two-year deal (with an option) could bring back their setup man.
Yarbrough and Hill, while good, don't necessarily have roles in the bullpen anymore. Yarbrough was used only in long-relief situations when games were already out of hand, and Hill's effectiveness as a left-hander dipped this past season. After pitching to a 3.09 ERA in 2025, Hill's ERA ballooned to 4.60 in 2026. Brent Headrick is now the left-handed specialist, and the Yankees can use any one of their former starters (Clarke Schmidt, Luis Gil, Will Warren) in the Yarbrough role.
Those former starters can also fill the spots used by journeymen Michael Fulmer and John Schreiber, who are also free agents. Schreiber was actually pretty solid for the Yankees when they acquired him later in the season (1.64 ERA, 1.09 WHIP in 11 games), so bringing him back for cheap isn't a bad option, either.
Jul 19, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees relief pitcher David Bednar (53) follows through on a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the ninth inning at Yankee Stadium. / Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Get a right-handed hitting catcher
The biggest need for the Bombers in 2026 was a catcher who can hit from the right side. They started the season with lefties Austin Wells and J.C. Escarra, but that hamstrung Boone's options off the bench and made the bottom of the lineup a black hole.
It wasn't much better once Ali Sanchez was called up to be that right-handed bat, as he slashed .244/.275/.302 with an OPS of .577 in 51 games.
There are a few intriguing upgrades in the free agent market, with Ryan Jeffers the top catching free agent available. While he would fit what the Yankees need, he could cost them too much, which they wouldn't want to do in a platoon or bench capacity. I believe the Yankees trust Wells not only in his defense and how he handles the pitching staff, but also that the offense he was once touted for is still in there.
Over his final 10 regular season games, Wells increased his batting average from .177 to .186 while smashing four home runs. That carried over into the postseason, where he had an OPS of .761.
Perhaps Tyler Stephenson, a former first-round pick, could fit the bill of a bench catcher. While his numbers don't match what Jeffers brings, the 30-year-old would be an upgrade over Sanchez and not cost what Jeffers would get on the market -- or a draft pick if the Twins extend the qualifying offer to him.
The end of the line for Stanton
Giancarlo Stanton has one more year on his contract before the Yankees have a chance to exercise a club option on the slugger.
Stanton is owed $25 million for 2027, but the Marlins are on the hook for $10 million, which means if the Yanks move on from Stanton, they'd only be taking on $15 million of dead money. The Yankees have done this before. Most recently, with DJ LeMahieu, DFA'ing the All-Star infielder and taking on his $22 million when they released him back in 2025.
Aaron Hicks had about $27 million left on his deal when the Yanks cut him in 2023.
It's time for the Yankees and Stanton to part ways.
Oct 3, 2026; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton (27) looks on after striking out in the ninth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays in game one of the ALDS for the 2026 MLB Playoffs at Tropicana Field. / Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
The Yankees would likely be comfortable with Stanton on the roster if he could stay healthy and there wasn't a logjam in the DH spot.
Ben Rice, the Yankees' young All-Star, was relegated to the everyday DH spot after they acquired Luis Garcia Jr. at the trade deadline. And while Rice could play first base, his defense isn't up to par with Garcia's. And against a right-handed pitcher, you'd want both Rice and Garcia -- who has one more year of arbitration -- in the lineup.
Judge will also need some games at DH, further complicating the roster construction.
With a trade partner highly unlikely, the easiest solution is to cut Stanton and open up the spot for another bench hitter who can play the field. It's a tough decision involving a clubhouse leader, but it needs to be done.
Let the kids play
George Lombard Jr. and Spencer Jones were forced into big league roles in 2026 thanks to ineffective play and injuries. And the Yankees are probably better off for it.
Lombard feels like the everyday shortstop moving forward after Anthony Volpe was demoted and returned as a second baseman, and Jones more than held his own at the plate and defensively, filling in when Judge and Trent Grisham were injured.
Now that Grisham is almost certainly not returning, an outfield of Cody Bellinger, Jones, and Judge -- with Heliot Ramos as the fourth outfielder -- feels like the natural progression for the Yankees outfield.
And while not necessarily a kid, Volpe should get every chance to win the everyday second base job in the event Jazz Chisholm Jr. signs elsewhere. Volpe and Jose Caballero can be the versatile infielders the team needs. And they both can give Ryan McMahon a spell at third base. Heck, perhaps the Yankees can work with Garcia to be a second base option -- which he has 480 starts in his MLB career -- to give more lineup flexibility.
And then we have Carlos Lagrange. The flamethrower should be ready to make an impact in the rotation or bullpen.
Leaning on the kids to start the season would give the Yankees more athleticism, versatility, and keep costs down.
Use surplus of pitching to explore trades
The Yankees have plenty of arms and while it helped them navigate numerous injuries in 2026, they are better served dealing one or two young arms to bolster the roster.
When healthy, the rotation will be Cam Schlittler, Gerrit Cole, Max Fried, Carlos Rodon and Warren/Weathers.
Warren and Weathers are young, controllable arms who could be dealt to help rebuild the bullpen or even make a bigger splash. Could the Rockies' Hunter Goodman be pulled away from the team to give the Yankees the right-handed catcher they crave? Perhaps CJ Abrams could be the Chisholm replacement at second base.
Even if it's to replenish the farm system, being smart and creative from a position of strength should be one of the priorities this season.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 07: Paul Blackburn #58 of the New York Yankees pitches against the Tampa Bay Rays during the seventh inning in game three of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 07, 2026 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If there’s one thing that you can trust the Yankees to do, it’s find a guy you don’t know from Adam and turn him into one of the five or so best relievers in baseball. They did such a good job with Clay Holmes that he’s now a starter, Luke Weaver carried the ball for the 2024 squad until he essentially could not stand, and others make up a full cohort of previously-anonymous stone cold hurlers.
The 2026 version of this was Paul Blackburn, who prior to now had spent parts of 10 seasons bouncing around the major and minor league rosters of the Athletics and Mets before finding himself the setup man for the New York Yankees, locking down the 8th inning and more.
Blackburn will be one of the more interesting free agent cases for the Yankees. The team has steered clear of long-term investments in relief pitchers for a couple of years now, but were happy to sign Weaver to a two-year, $20 million deal a couple years ago, and that turned out to be a solid decision. A similar contract would work for Blackburn, except he’s been a little volatile in his year and a half in the Bronx.
Acquired from the Mets in 2025, Blackburn was underwhelming in his first season, with an ERA above five. His xERA, which puts more emphasis on contact quality, was 2.92, and his numbers were slightly skewed by an abnormally high home run rate. In short, we didn’t really get a complete picture of Paul Blackburn, and we never really can in just 15.1 innings.
We got a more complete picture this year, with 85 innings of work being a little more indicative of Blackburn’s talent. He got his home runs back under control, but in line with a bullpen corps that didn’t strike out many men — literally the median rate in MLB — he sat down just 20.5 percent of men he faced, while walking 9.8 percent. A two-to-one strikeout to walk ratio is really pretty pedestrian among modern MLB relievers, but a 54 percent groundball rate and 51 percent medium contact rate helped engineer that run prevention.
The medium contact rate is what really stands out to me. Hard groundballs are often outs, but if they’re up the middle or a first baseman is holding the runner on, those balls will find the outfield. Soft groundballs are often outs, but sometimes they’re hit too slow to make the play on. Medium contact is exactly what an infielder wants — slow enough to get to, hard enough that you can get your feet set and get a good throw off without needing to rush.
That contact is the key to Blackburn’s talent going forward, that and his ability to go more than three outs. In 32 of his 62 appearances Blackburn threw more than one inning, an attribute that I think only grows more and more valuable as starters throw fewer and fewer innings. The question of whether you bring Blackburn back for 2027 largely hinges on how repeatable those two qualities are.
He was used as a swingman in 2025, starting four games and going more than three outs 2/3 of the time. He started fulltime two years ago, so I think it’s safe to say that he can be used in that longer-stretch role again next year, he’s built for it. The contact stuff is trickier — he’d never posted something as strong as a 54 percent groundball rate before, but he did it in a very Matt Blake way, with hard sinkers to righties and stepping up his changeup to lefties.
Blackburn was good enough, and there’s enough substance behind his improvements, that I’d be willing to put a bet on him for 2027. Contact quality and relying on batted balls rather than whiffs invites a little more volatility than a guy who just strikes out a third of batters faced, but that will be baked into the cost of whatever contract he eventually agrees to. One of the stars of the league’s second-best bullpen, Blackburn has earned another shot to star in the eighth inning.
See more of the Yankees Roster Report Card series here.
Boston, MA - August 22: Boston Red Sox right fielder Wilyer Abreu is mobbed after hitting a walk-off single. The Boston Red Sox played the San Francisco Giants at Fenway Park on August 22, 2026. (Photo by Barry Chin/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images
I didn’t know it when I was sitting in the bleachers at Fenway during that Saturday night in August, but the Red Sox’s wild 3-2 walk-off victory against the Giants on August 22 might’ve been the fork in the road for the 2026 season.
Maybe it’s arbitrary to say that one game out of 162 was the moment where this iteration of the club crossed the Rubicon, where the magic of the preceding summer weeks continued but the base line for what was to come was laid out without us even knowing it at the time. But with the benefit of hindsight, I think that’s what game 129 was for us.
The TL;DR recap of the game: Patrick Sandoval wasn’t good enough on the bump as Boston’s starter, but he was somehow able to limit the damage to just two runs. After sleepwalking for most of the game, the Red Sox bats eventually woke up and clawed back to tie the game in the ninth. With the bases then loaded, Wilyer Abreu hit a hard grounder to first. The throw home took the Giants’ catcher off the plate, Eli White slid in head first, and the Sox stormed the field in jubilation. The review from the umps then proceeded to go on for what felt like an hour, but the call—and in turn Boston’s victory—was confirmed.
What a night to be at the ballpark, man. I remember my head hurting from screaming so much following the walk-off, but I didn’t care. What a win in a summer filled with excellent wins. It’s been said before many-a-times at this point, but it’s worth repeating: I’m glad the Sox gave us our summer back after a horrid spring, even if they couldn’t give us much of a fall. That’s a win I’ll remember for a while.
I’ll especially remember it thanks to the bizarre ending as well. That review process, where we weren’t sure how the decision was going to pan out (or if it ever was going to be made, my goodness it took forever) was unlike something I had seen in person at Fenway. The walk-off celebration, followed by the prolonged review, followed by another walk-off celebration once the call was confirmed; that’s just a funny (well, at least for us Sox fans that night) and unique order of events. Just when you think you’ve seen everything at a baseball game…
And yet, that Saturday night in August ended up being one of the last times we were truly galvanized by the 2026 Boston Red Sox, no?
That win against San Francisco was the second victory en route to a sweep, and the Sox then immediately took the first two games in Miami, but the following weekend was where we dropped three games out of four in New York towards the end of August. After the walk-off to get the team up to 11 games over .500, the Sox finished the regular season on a 17-16 run (and we just established that three of those wins game before the Yankees series, so things really ended on a whimper).
It was the latest chapter of the magical run that was Summer 2K26 at Fenway, but it was one of the first examples of what would eventually be one of the major factors as to why there was no Fall 2K26 at Fenway: the offensive struggles. As our fearless leader Dan mentioned in his game summary for the win, Boston get just one guy into scoring position prior to the 8th inning. The lack of output at the dish wasn’t the only reason we got bounced from the playoffs a few weeks ago, but I think it was obviously the biggest reason. The woes with the bats did not come out of nowhere; that was a concerning trend for basically all of September. Pitching was able to keep the boys in a lot of games—much like it did during this game—but that alone would not be enough in the end.
I guess you could make the argument that this win sort of encapsulated the Red Sox’s entire post-Colorado-road-trip story. If you had to pick one game to be the microcosm of this club’s second half, I’d say this was the one. It featured the magic that got them back into the hunt and the Achilles heel that knocked them right back out of it.
The walk-off on August 22 was sensational, but summer effectively ended once Eli White slid across the plate. We just didn’t know it at the time.
The Knicks see the same thing everyone else sees when they look at the new Sixers — extraordinary talent and plenty still to figure out.
Philadelphia will unveil LeBron James, Jaylen Brown and its new starting five Tuesday night against a defending champion returning nearly its entire rotation.
From the Knicks’ perspective, that contrast between star power and continuity could shape the season opener after their championship banner reaches the Madison Square Garden rafters.
WHAT THE KNICKS ARE SAYING
Josh Hart anticipated this matchup as soon as James joined an Eastern Conference team.
“Wherever LeBron went in the East, I figured that’d probably be our opening night,” Hart told the New York Post.
Hart knows the Sixers’ talent will attract plenty of attention. He also expects their newness to show at times.
“I’m sure they’re gonna have some bumpy times in the beginning of the year because they gotta get used to playing with each other,” Hart said.
The Knicks do not have that concern. Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns are back after starting throughout New York’s championship run.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown acknowledged that the attention surrounding James and Philadelphia’s revamped roster makes the opener feel bigger than an ordinary October game. Brown, who coached James for five seasons in Cleveland, said everything involving him tends to become “larger than life.”
Brown also believes the teams have the ingredients to develop a rivalry. They are separated by less than 100 miles, will meet four times on national television and already share recent playoff history.
Brunson has also been complimentary of Philadelphia. During an August appearance on NBC’s “Today,” the reigning Finals MVP said the Sixers had “reloaded” and would present a difficult opening test.
New York’s immediate priority, however, is moving past its championship celebration.
Landry Shamet was more direct about what happens after the rings are distributed and the banner is raised.
“After the ceremony’s over, it’s 0-0,” Shamet said.
Anunoby is the only current Knick who had previously participated in an NBA ring ceremony. He received his first championship ring with the Raptors before their 2019 opener.
“You celebrate with the ring, take pictures, then the game started. It was kind of weird,” Anunoby told the New York Post.
Anunoby said the unusual feeling faded as that game progressed. The Knicks will try to make the same transition Tuesday.
MATCHUP TO WATCH
Andre Drummond spent last season backing up Joel Embiid. He now fills that role behind Towns after Mitchell Robinson left New York for Boston.
Drummond averaged 8.4 rebounds in 19.5 minutes per game for the Sixers. His greatest opportunity Tuesday could come when Embiid leaves the floor.
The Sixers enter the opener with questions behind their starting center. Ariel Hukporti, who backed up Towns and Robinson over the past two seasons, is out for the season with a ruptured Achilles, while Adem Bona and Dean Wade were listed as questionable on the initial injury report.
Brown said the Knicks are not asking Drummond to duplicate Robinson.
The Sixers’ ability to keep Drummond from controlling the glass during Embiid’s rest could quietly become one of the game’s most important variables.
WHAT VEGAS THINKS
The betting market is siding with New York’s continuity and home court.
The Knicks were favored by approximately 4.5 points as of midday Tuesday, with the total set around 231.5. Some sportsbooks had moved the line to New York by 5.5.
Philadelphia did win both of its regular-season games at Madison Square Garden last season. New York responded by sweeping the Sixers out of the playoffs.
The Sixers now return to the Garden with a considerably different team and an opportunity to make a much better first impression.
The opener tips off at 7 p.m. on NBC10 and Peacock.
CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - OCTOBER 06: Egor Demin #8 of the Brooklyn Nets plays against the Charlotte Hornets during their preseason game at Spectrum Center on October 06, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. 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. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) | Getty Images
There will be competition this season for the proverbial “face of the franchise in Brooklyn, N.Y. There’s the most accomplished player on the roster: Julius Randle, he of the three All-Star appearances and two All-NBA selections; Mikel Brown Jr., the top draft pick since the team moved from Newark to Brooklyn; and when he’s not stirring controversy on Curious Mike, the prodigal Michael Porter Jr.
All that said, there’s a strong argument to be made for Egor Demin, the 6’9” point guard/point forward Egor Demin. Still only 20, Demin may most easily reprsent the franchise, carrying all the requsite responsibilities: the high character player of promise who can articulate where the team is in three languages: his native Russian, Spanish and English. He may not have all the accolades Randle posseses, may not be the shiny new object like Brown Jr. or have the big numbers MPJ put up last year. He is, however, the player whose combination of talent, leadership and confidence brings it all together.
And he knows what is expected of him and accepts it.
“I said it to the coaches the other day in the player development meeting; I want to win and I want to learn how to affect the game, whatever it takes for me to be able to win,” Demin told the media after Monday’s practice.
“As I always say, I want to be everywhere I can help. Whether it’s me on the ball, off the ball, whatever it is. I want to learn everything,” Demin added. “For me, I don’t put any expectations on myself because I know where I’m at and I know what I’m going to be trying to do. Obviously, I have my own goals and that’s what I’m trying to focus on if it’s not about the team. If we’re talking about me personally, I’m just trying to be better every single day.”
The eighth pick in the 2o25 Draft played well enough last season, averaging 10.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game while shooting 39.9% overall and 38.5% from beyond the arc. He also set an NBA rookie record for most consecutive games with a 3-pointer at 34 and was the second fastest NBA player to reach 100 3-pointers behind only Kon Knueppel of the Hornets (who won’t play in Wednesday’s opener at Barclays.)
And just as he proved to critics that he not only can shoot but at a high level, he showed in Summer League and preseason that he is not just a 3-point shooter. He surprised many by adding strength and a willingness to rush the lane and finish. He knew what he needed to do in the off-season and did it. averaging 21.3 points and 3.8 assists per game while shooting 47.3% from the floor.
Demin’s new found strength is hard to quantify, as his head coach quipped at practice Monday.
“Maybe ask the performance team about his weight and how much bigger his biceps is. Maybe that’s a way to quantify,” Fernández said. “I’m very happy with the way he’s played. …He sees the floor very well, and he’s done a great job getting into the [paint].”
Demin agreed.
“That’s true. There was a growth, a significant growth, in what dumbbells I’m picking up on the arm day, yeah,” Dëmin laughed.
While part of his growth is natural for someone going from age 19 to 2o, But the added strength is also part of a development process with improvement all around his game.
“Yeah, play off two feet and look for the spray or keep your options open. But don’t go in there without a plan,” Fernández said. “He’s done a great job. He’s worked at it, and shown he’s way more comfortable now getting there.
“When you’re 18, 19, the game goes so fast. Now it slows down, because you’re more confident, you’re stronger. We’ve seen it in preseason — he’s just got to continue to do it in the regular season.”
What will we see from the young man starting Wednesday night. He doesn’t talk numbers milestones, but certainly he has goals, starting with showing everyone that strength and its implications wasn’t just a summer fling.
“I haven’t done that for a while, getting to the rim like that actively, and sometimes when I get there it’s hard to believe, where I’m like, ‘I’m actually here,’ and I almost expect something to happen,” Dëmin admitted. “So for me, realize that I’m actually a big body, so… it’s harder to defend for people, especially now. So just having a state of mind that nobody can stop me, and just having that idea of getting there aggressively and finishing with quality and not just to show that I got to the paint.”
There are, of course, issues as there are with any young player. He missed 30 games last year and didn’t play after an early March bout with plantar fasciitis but he and the team say that’s in in the past. Bottom line though is he wants to be great and that matters.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ - SEPTEMBER 30: Jacob Johnson #27 of the Texas Rangers poses for a photo during the 2026 Arizona Fall League media day at Scottsdale Stadium on Wednesday, September 30, 2026 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning.
Shawn McFarland checks out the options for the Texas Rangers when it comes to addressing their pitching staff in free agency where, notably, they’ll have to nearly completely remake their bullpen again for a third consecutive winter.
MLB Trade Rumors’ Anthony Franco writes about the roster bind the Rangers find themselves in with expensive veterans and an owner itching to go cheap.
Kennedi Landry writes that, among Rangers farmhands, famed prospect Sebastian Walcott and pitcher Jacob Johnson have been standouts at the Arizona Fall League.
And, after vanquishing Nathaniel Lowe and Austin Hedges’ Cleveland Guardians, the Jon Daniels and Nick Martinez Tampa Bay Rays will attempt to earn their first World Series championship against the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2026 Fall Classic.
MILWAUKEE, WI - APRIL 01: Jacob Misiorowski #32 of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches during the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Wednesday, April 1, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Kylie Bridenhagen/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Pretty much the title.
The current matchup is a matchup of the two teams with the best records in their respective leagues. This hasn’t been a recent rarity: 2024, 2020 I guess, and 2013 have all featured the same. (Also 1999, 1995, and 1992, all featuring the Braves.)
It’s also a matchup that guarantees a first-time title-holder.
For two teams that were relatively power-less (bottom six in ISO for both) in the regular season, both have gotten to the final round via outhomering the opposition (duh), but I guess it could be interesting to see what happens when they face off. (The Rays-Guardians series was kind of a preview of this already.)
By the way, the last time these two teams met was in the second series of the year. The Rays won the first game, 3-2, in Milwaukee, and then the Brewers smacked them around in the next two games, outscoring them 14-4.
PHILADELPHIA - OCTOBER 21: Chase Utley of the Philadelphia Phillies congratulates Raul Ibanez after Ibanez scored during Game Five of the National League Championship Series (NLCS) against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 21, 2009. The Phillies defeated the Dodgers 10-4. (Photo by Rich Pilling/MLB via Getty Images) | MLB via Getty Images
Ibañez has been named as a candidate in multiple manager searches across baseball the last few years, and it feels like it’s only a matter of time until he finally steps back onto the field and out of the Dodgers front office where he is currently employed. To this point Ibañez has declined all overtures, but the aforementioned report from the Athletic’s Jayson Stark mentioned that he at least considered the Phillies coaching job for a few days before deciding to decline.
Utley on the other hand sounds as though it was something straight out of the mouth of a WIP caller. The report says that he quickly declined the opportunity and even includes quotes from Utley where he expresses that now is not the time for him to consider managing. Perhaps this was just a courtesy from the Phillies organization to get their former star’s name involved in the managerial carousel for future hiring cycles. Or maybe it was a way to placate the types of fans that call in to radio stations to suggest this type of thing.
Speaking of, let’s all let that part of us run wild for a second. Who’s your all Phillies alumni coaching staff? Here’s mine for example:
Desert heat: Caleb Bonemer brought his own firepower to Arizona, launching his first two AFL homers. | (Jill Weisleder/Getty Images)
The Arizona Fall League is underway, and Chicago has eight prospects in the Grand Canyon State, headlined by Caleb Bonemer, 3B/SS/OF (No. 2/MLB No. 27). Rounding out the crew are Mathias LaCombe, RHP (No. 17); Colby Shelton, INF (No. 23); Nick Altermatt, RHP; Jonathan Clark, RHP; Grant Magill, C; Tommy Vail, LHP and Garrett Wright, RHP.
The team added Vail after Pierce George, RHP (No. 18), suffered an olecranon fracture in his pitching elbow. While it sounds like an awful injury, he is expected to participate in 2027 Spring Training. Anthony DePino, INF (No. 21), was also originally on the Dogs roster, but instead underwent shoulder surgery. He should also be ready for spring.
The White Sox prospects are suiting up for the Glendale Desert Dogs, sharing the dugout with hopefuls from the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, and Pittsburgh Pirates.
Chicago ties Los Angeles for sending the most Top 30 prospects (five) to the AFL.
Salt River Rafters 6, Glendale Desert Dogs 5 (10/13/26 — 10 innings) The Dogs brought some early pop, but the Rafters had the last bark. Bonemer smacked his first AFL homer in the bottom of the first, sending a two-out, two-run shot 388 feet to left-center to give Glendale an early lead. It was his only hit of the contest, but he made it count.
Shelton joined the first-homer club in the fifth, leading off the frame with a solo shot to knot the game at 3-3. Magill also saw action behind the plate but went 0-for-4. The teams were tied at 5-5 after nine, but Salt River pushed its ghost runner across in the 10th to hand the Dogs the loss.
Glendale Desert Dogs 3, Scottsdale Scorpions 1 (10/16/26) The Dogs finally picked up their second win, and Bonemer made sure they started with a bang. His first-inning solo shot traveled 431 feet to left at 111.9 mph off the bat, giving Glendale a 1-0 lead it never surrendered.
Bonemer finished 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout while patrolling center field. Shelton had a quieter day at the plate, going 0-for-3 with a free pass and a K.
Surprise Saguaros 10, Glendale Desert Dogs 0 (10/17/26 — 7 innings) The Dogs managed just two hits as Surprise rolled to a shutout win. Bonemer supplied one of those knocks, a two-out double in the bottom of the first, and finished 1-for-3. Magill handled catching duties but went 0-for-2 with a pair of punchouts.
On the mound, LaCombe tossed a scoreless fifth before things got messy for his fellow Sox prospects. Wright inherited a bases-loaded jam in the sixth, allowing just one runner to score on a sac fly before ending the threat with a strikeout. The seventh was a different story, as a pair of errors by the shortstop helped saddle the righty with three unearned runs. Altermatt entered with runners on the corners, and the inning kept unraveling with a wild pitch, a single and a walk. Another unearned run crossed before he finally ended the frame, and the game, with a ground out.
Salt River Rafters 7, Desert Dogs 1 (10/19/26) The Dogs’ bats were quiet again, mustering only four hits in another offensive struggle. Shelton supplied half of them, including a two-out RBI base hit in the fourth that plated Glendale’s only run. The 23-year-old finished 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and a walk, while Bonemer went 0-for-4 with a K.
Clark made quick work of the Rafters in the bottom of the eighth, needing just eight pitches to complete a scoreless, hitless frame.
BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - SEPTEMBER 23: Leody Taveras #30 of the Baltimore Orioles warms up before game one of a baseball doubleheader against the Toronto Blue Jays at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on September 23, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) | Getty Images
One of the real hallmarks of the 2026 Orioles is how many things happened where, if you were told in March that they were going to happen, you would know that meant the season went poorly. Not all of these things were bad. “Brandon Young is the team’s starting pitcher ERA leader” would have seemed apocalyptic, for example. That was good! Most that would have sounded bad in March did in fact turn out to be bad for a successful Orioles team, including this one: Leody Taveras led Orioles outfielders in innings played this season.
The Orioles signed Taveras very early on last offseason, inking him to a one-year contract worth about $2 million for the 2026 campaign. That was less than fourth outfielder money for a guy who is kind of a classic fourth outfielder, in that he’s hit badly but not so badly as to be unplayable, he’s decent enough as a defender that he should be able to play any of the outfield positions, and he’s modestly fast, such that you could even maybe deploy him as a pinch runner sometimes.
There was nothing exciting at all about that signing. That was especially true since Taveras was coming off of a 2025 season where he had been horrible, getting dumped by the Rangers – where Taveras was once a top 50 prospect who debuted for his age 21 season – after just a month and then getting dropped by the Mariners, who claimed him off waivers, after about six weeks. He ended up batting .205/.226/.304 for 58 games of the 2025 season; that’s why the Orioles could sign him for the price they did. Taveras was hitting badly enough to be unplayable in 2025. It wasn’t a bad cheap bet to guess he’d be better than that this year. Overall, he was better than that.
The path to more regular playing time for Taveras opened up a couple of weeks into the season, when Tyler O’Neill fell ill and ultimately landed on the concussion injured list due to passing out during an off day at home and hitting his head on the way down. The Orioles shifted Colton Cowser out of center field to a corner spot and had Taveras as their every day guy while O’Neill was out.
Taveras seized the opportunity. By the end of April, he was batting .288/.397/.455. Of the younger players who we might have expected to play over Taveras, Cowser had a .489 OPS and Dylan Beavers was better but still not good at a .645 OPS. The Orioles responded to who was actually playing well and this meant more playing time for Taveras. He played most games in center field through early June. The main problem is he stopped hitting; he had a .630 OPS from the end of April until he relinquished the every day center field job back to Cowser.
The chaos kept on continuing for Orioles outfielders. Beavers suffered an oblique strain. Cowser batted like a guy who needs to never take an at-bat against a lefty starting pitcher. Taylor Ward was traded at the deadline. O’Neill got hurt again toward the end of the season.
What all of this meant was that Taveras stayed in the lineup even after he started hitting more like the guy who was ditched by two teams in 2025; he posted a .591 OPS from May 1 to the end of the season. That is unplayable, except if you’re on the 2026 Orioles and the other outfielders either keep getting hurt, or keep proving to be terrible defenders, or can’t hit a changeup, or whatever other problems were going on.
Taveras is the only reason the Orioles didn’t start turning to Christian Franklin- or Rece Hinds-level players earlier than they did. Never mind that Taveras himself probably would have been shuffled out of any semi-functional team’s outfield mix. That’s just not what the Orioles were in 2026.
Even so, Taveras ended the season at exactly 0.0 bWAR, so he was the definition of a replacement-level player. There is a whole lot of blue on the Statcast page. Blue is bad. There were, unfortunately, multiple below-replacement Orioles outfielders as the season went along, including Beavers. I think if you had gone back a year ago and told Mike Elias that his fourth outfielder signing was going to start 115 games, he would have probably signed a better guy than Taveras.
Or at least, I hope he would have. I don’t know. Elias is a weird guy who galaxy brains himself into stupid decisions sometimes. This wouldn’t be the first time and if that’s what it was, it won’t be the last either. He might have still thought he nailed it with signing Taveras, believing he had the secret to get Taveras to hit like it was 2023 (.733 OPS in a 2.9 bWAR season) again. This did not turn out to be the case. His defense was worse than past years as well, at least as measured by Statcast’s Outs Above Average. Taveras was a 34th percentile range defender.
It’s not exactly Taveras’s fault that every other part of Mike Elias’s outfield plan went haywire. You can’t expect a guy to be something that he’s not. Though in baseball, sometimes for a month or two, a guy can be something that he’s not, which Taveras managed to pull off in April.
There is no contractual obligation to the Orioles for Taveras next year. The deal was for one season and at the end of the World Series, that season is done. Something is going to have to be done about the outfield situation that was a complete disaster for the 2026 O’s. Hopefully, part of that is signing a better bench outfielder than Taveras, so that even if he is needed as much as Taveras was, that won’t be as much of a downgrade for the Orioles.
Monday morning, the Dallas Mavericks announced they were waiving veteran center Dwight Powell. It was a strange, emotional moment for Mavericks fans: with nearly 12 full seasons in Dallas, the Canadian big man was the team’s longest-tenured player, a stabilizing force that was present for the end of Dirk Nowitzki’s reign, the entirety of the Luka Dončić era, and the beginning of Cooper Flagg’s emergence.
Powell ends his time in Dallas averaging 7/4 in 17 minutes, and with no shortage of franchise accolades—top 10 in rebounds, top 5 in bench scoring, and even top 5 in games played. His departure, though, represents much more than the loss of a steady on-court contributor. It also means the loss of one of the NBA’s only known poets.
“Poetry and self-expression through the written word for me was around before the ball,” Powell said in a 2024 interview with WFAA. “It’s a great place for me to speak to myself and to learn about myself, and although I may be writing about different things, and exploring different ideas, and talking about different experiences—at the end of the day, it all comes back to me… it’s a place where I can find peace.”
Literature and the arts have seen renewed interest in the NBA in recent years. In 2022, Shareef O’Neal told The Ringer that Scoot Henderson “reads all the time.” Three years later, Victor Wembanyama and Harrison Barnes made headlines with their science-fiction book club.
But Powell’s love of poetry is a bit more personal. More than just a hobby or passing interest, the Canadian big man has identified an important link between the words he writes and the points he scores.
“Poetry, art, basketball—I honestly don’t see any separation,” said Powell in 2024. “Any time you have love for something, and you’re passionate about something, you’ll find a way to express yourself through it, and you’ll find yourself in it. So, through the written word, through poetry, and through my expression of myself through basketball—they’re all different translations of the same message. To me, they’re one and the same.”
Powell’s love of literature and the arts has previously informed his philanthropy and outreach in the Dallas area. In 2022, the veteran big man hosted the Mavs Reading Challenge at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School, reading from Barbara Barber’s Allie’s Basketball Dream.
“One of the coolest parts about reading for me is that you can teleport yourself to a different place, to be a different person and view the world in a different way,” Powell said at the event. “You can go on all sorts of adventures without ever leaving your house. So as a child, that was a way for me to really explore with my mind. With every turn of the page, I knew something super exciting awaited.”
Now, poetry may light the way as Powell’s time with the Mavericks comes to a close. At a 2024 Poetry in the Square event hosted by the Thanks-Giving Foundation, the veteran big man reminded listeners that artistic expression is proof that “you can be literally anything—you can be all things.”
“No matter what your profession is, no matter what circumstances you’re in… the routine of life can kind of get you out of rhythm at times,” said Powell, before reading his work on the virtue of wisdom. “For me to be able to sit down and write, I step away from some of the responsibilities, and step away from some of the stress. I’m able to check in with myself, which I think is super important.”
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 08: Former New York Knicks player Walt Frazier poses prior to Game Three between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on June 08, 2026 in New York City. 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. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
If you were to look up the words cool, stylish, flair, and all-time great in the dictionary, you would find four distinct definitions, each describing a quality that few individuals can truly embody.
Cool: Very fashionable, impressive, or appealing in a way that is universally admired.
Stylish: Possessing a high degree of quality in appearance, design, or behavior.
Flair: A natural talent or ability to do things in an original, stylish, and captivating manner.
All-Time Great: An individual regarded among the very best to ever perform in a particular field, sport, or profession.
What’s missing alongside each of these definitions in the dictionary is a picture of Walt “Clyde” Frazier. Throughout the storied history of the NBA, countless legends have left their mark on the game, but few, if any, have embodied all four qualities quite like Frazier. From his legendary playing days with the New York Knicks in the 1970s to his continued presence as one of the most recognizable personalities in basketball more than five decades later, Frazier remains in a class of his own, both on and off the court.
A man whose legendary style extends far beyond his flamboyant wardrobe, Frazier helped define an era of New York basketball, captivating fans with his effortless cool, unparalleled court vision, tenacious defense, and undeniable flair.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest players in New York Knicks franchise history, Frazier’s place among basketball royalty is unquestionable. A two-time NBA champion, seven-time NBA All-Star, and member of both the NBA’s 50th and 75th Anniversary Teams, his legacy is as timeless as the city he helped bring to basketball prominence.
Simply put, there has never been another Walt “Clyde” Frazier. And chances are, there never will be.
Let’s start with his style. Clyde’s style was unlike anybody else’s in the NBA during the ‘70s, and to this day, there still hasn’t been a close second. As a young man in his twenties, Frazier became just as recognizable for driving around New York City in his custom Rolls-Royce while sporting a full-length mink coat and fedora as he was for his play on the court. Today, his fashion sense remains as distinctive as ever. Throughout a broadcasting career spanning nearly 40 years, including almost 30 as a television commentator for MSG and the Knicks, his wardrobe has remained unmistakable, from tiger-print suits to custom blazers reminiscent of Joseph’s Technicolor Dreamcoat. There arguably hasn’t been a more fashionable icon in the NBA’s nearly 80-year history.
(Original Caption) NEW YORK: Apparently determined to match his flashy drives on the basketball court with some equally flashy driving, New York Knicks' star guard Walt Frazier gets set for a spin in his sleek Rolls Royce. For the fourth straight year, Frazier was named Jan. 9 as a starter on the East team in the NBA all-star game to be played in Chicago Jan. 23.
Frazier was a trendsetter, one of the first NBA players to truly express his personality through his wardrobe, at a time when players were largely known for what they did on the court rather than what they wore off it. His style became a part of his identity, both during his playing days and throughout his broadcasting career, setting him apart from his contemporaries and the generations of NBA stars who followed.
So, just how did Walt Frazier become Clyde?
“Coming to the Mecca. New York City. Fashion, passion,” Frazier explains. “When we played, we wore suits and ties to the game. We were always trying to outdress each other. Our idols were The Temptations, The Four Tops. So we emulated the way these guys performed.”
As Frazier recalls, the influence of Motown played a significant role in shaping his style, much like hip-hop has influenced today’s NBA players.
“Today you see the guys dressed like the rappers… our style was created from Motown. And I took it to another level with the Clyde. One day I bought this wide-brimmed hat and I wore it to the game and everybody go, hey, look at Clyde. And I used to steal the ball on the court.”
But the nickname would eventually become much more than just a reflection of his wardrobe.
“Then I was blessed enough to be the first guy to endorse a sneaker, the Puma Clyde in 1973. So that was the evolution of the mink coat, the Rolls Royce. So it was just my being around New York and observing people watching the Clyde persona personified.”
On the court, Clyde helped lead the Knicks to their first two NBA championships in 1970 and 1973, with the greatest performance of his career coming in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals. With the championship on the line, Frazier delivered one of the most memorable performances in NBA Finals history, scoring 36 points, dishing out a Game 7-record 19 assists, grabbing seven rebounds, and sinking all 12 of his free throws to help secure the Knicks’ first NBA title.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 04, 1970: Walt Frazier #10 of the New York Knicks drives against Jerry West #44 of the Los Angeles Lakers during Game Five of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden on May 04, 1970 in New York, New York. (Photo by James Drake/Getty Images) | Getty Images
While Clyde’s performance in Game 7 ultimately helped lead the Knicks to their first-ever NBA championship, Clyde and his teammates also received some unexpected motivation from their captain, Willis Reed, who, despite battling a severe leg injury, famously limped onto the court just before tipoff.
“People thought it was premeditated, but we did not know he was coming. So when we came on the court, we were just as flabbergasted as everybody else when we saw him.”
Frazier recalls how Reed’s unexpected appearance immediately changed the team’s confidence.
“By seeing him, it gave us so much confidence. And obviously, he started the game. He made his first two shots. And I thought the Lakers were psyched out from that point, and I would have the game of my life.”
With two NBA championships, seven All-Star appearances, four All-NBA First Team selections, and numerous other accolades to his name, Frazier was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1987. His No. 10 jersey also hangs in the rafters of Madison Square Garden, making him one of just eight Knicks players to have their numbers retired by the franchise.
But while Frazier’s playing days eventually came to an end, his connection to the Knicks and Madison Square Garden was far from over. In 1987, Clyde began a new chapter with the organization, trading his sneakers for a microphone as he transitioned into broadcasting, where his unmistakable personality and signature style would once again make him a fixture in New York basketball.
Clyde became famous for his iconic on-air rhymes, including “razzlin’ and dazzlin’” and “posting and toasting,” the latter of which inspired the name of our very own website. Frazier explained that his signature rhymes developed naturally as he gained experience in broadcasting and began to understand the nuances of being a color commentator.
“The play-by-play guy does most of the talking on radio. So in order to get into sometimes what I had to say, I had to use rhymes and, you know, that’s how I started doing it.”
With our website’s name paying tribute to one of Clyde’s most recognizable catchphrases, it was only fitting to ask him what he thought about Posting and Toasting.
“Yeah, I read you all the time. I enjoy it, man. It’s very good.”
With the Knicks winning their first championship since 1973, when Clyde hoisted his second trophy, Frazier reflected on the similarities between his championship teams and the current roster.
“It’s an uncanny comparison, man. We personify a team. You can’t mention Frazier without Bradley, without Reed, without Barnett. Same thing with this team. You can’t mention Brunson without Hart, without Bridges, without KAT, without OG. So they personify a team. They’re very unselfish. They like each other. And it’s manifested in the way they play the game.”
And when asked which player from the Knicks’ 2026 championship roster would have fit in best alongside his former teammates, Clyde didn’t hesitate to name the Heart of the City, Josh Hart, pointing to his versatility and physical style of play.
“(Hart) rebounds, he defends, he scores, he plays with reckless abandon. So he would be that type of guy that would fit in our era, which was more physical. You know, we could hand check, push guys around the court. So I think Hart would be perfect for that era.”
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 6: Josh Hart #3 and Jalen Brunson #11 of the New York Knicks congratulate Walt Frazier and Mike Breen on 25 years of broadcasting before the game against the Memphis Grizzlies on February 6, 2024 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. 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 2024 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
As the 2026-27 NBA season tips off on Tuesday, October 20, with the players receiving their championship rings and the Knicks raising their third championship banner to the Madison Square Garden rafters, Clyde is teaming up with Spike Lee and AT&T for a special celebration with Knicks fans. As part of AT&T’s Connectivity Partnership, the two New York icons will travel across Manhattan in a taxi, making surprise appearances and giving fans opportunities to win exclusive NBA merchandise, signed memorabilia, and tickets to opening night.
“I’m teaming up with Spike Lee, and we’re going to be going to different stores, giving out prizes for AT&T, commemorating the next championship season, and rewarding the fans as well. So I can’t believe that. It seems like we’re still in it, man. You know, everybody’s still excited about the team winning and perhaps maybe repeating, you know, running it back, which hasn’t been done in about eight years. We’ll be coming, celebrating this season throughout the season, the Knicks accomplishment. And after 53 years, the Knicks are finally back on top. Fans can walk in peace and celebrate a championship.”
And while the excitement surrounding the Knicks’ championship continues into the new season, perhaps no moment captured the city’s celebration quite like the championship parade itself. As the players celebrated atop their floats and Mitchell Robinson made his way through the streets in his truck, it was only fitting that Clyde, who helped bring New York its first two championships, would lead the celebration through the Canyon of Heroes.
But it wasn’t just Clyde’s presence that made the moment special. It was the car he was riding in.
Frazier led the parade in the very same 1952 Chrysler Imperial Parade Phaeton that carried the Apollo 11 astronauts through the streets of Manhattan following their historic moon landing in 1969. Now that’s cool!
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 18: Walt "Clyde" Frazier celebrates during the New York Knicks Championship ticker tape parade and victory rally celebrating winning the 2026 NBA Finals on June 18, 2026 in New York City. The New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in five games to win their first NBA Championship in 53 years. (Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
TARRYTOWN, NEW YORK - SEPTEMBER 28: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the New York Knicks speaks to the media during New York Knicks Media Day at the Knicks Training Facility on September 28, 2026 in Tarrytown, New York. 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. (Photo by Caleb Bowlin/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Covering the Knicks is difficult. MSG is a fortress with stingy gatekeepers who deny access to earnest bloggers. For a short period, a P&T staff writer used her legitimate newspaper credentials to access the media room and report back for us. When MSG learned of this, they barred her from future pressers.
My recent media day experience felt similar. In previous years, media day was live-streamed, and I blogged about it in real time. This year, a stream was unavailable. Hence, I scoured social media for updates and wrote a shameful amount of “Stef Bondy reports…” based on tweets that were already stiffening by the time I found them.
Making matters worse, everything—the clips from the mic and the interstitials in which the players answer trivia questions or name their top-5 whatever—seemed kind of . . . phony. Staged. The answers to questions about health, expectations, etcetera, all sounded as though read from cards.
This has sat funny with me. And when a friend asked about a recent news item, my opinion surprised him. Allow me to don my tin-foil hat and brace yourself: I believe KAT’s comments about not getting a contract extension, and the subsequent negotiating freeze, are all bogus.
With billions of dollars involved, nothing in the Knickerbocker world is random. Everything that comes out of MSG is managed. Shortly before my interviews with OG and Jose, which were arranged by PR firms and not the Knicks, I received a list of off-limit topics (religion, politics, injuries (his or anyone else’s), etc.). Similarly, most questions at team pressers seem obvious or prompted. Little is spoken into the mic without prior approval from the agent, front office, or coaching staff.
KAT is many things, including a terrible actor:
After the Knicks announced that contract negotiations would be suspended to focus on the impending season, Karl’s response smacked of mock-WWE surprise: “It was news to me. Very disappointed to say the least. Let’s state the obvious. It’s business, but there is business on the court for us to handle.”
Really? Caught completely off guard? Are we to believe that the front office is jerking around a blue-chip asset, the second (and occasionally first) most important player on a championship club? Leon’s crew, which attempts to orchestrate its machinations with shrewd precision, is surrendering to “Guess we’ll see what happens, champ?”
I suspect the freeze is a ruse. Decisions have been made already—contract extensions, trade partners have been engaged—but there’s reason to delay. Possibilities:
A trade partner must clear salary space or convince their owner.
NY expects better offers at the midseason deadline.
NY wants to see which young players take a leap for potential trade partners and loop them into the package.
NY needs time to convince us that a trade is good for the team despite just winning the championship.
Maybe that’s too much Ancient Aliens-type conspiracy conjecturing for you. Would you allow that there must be, at minimum, a document containing “If X, Then Y” scenarios? Those could be:
If KAT doesn’t piss off Jalen by December and plays well, offer more.
If KAT DOES piss off Jalen by December and plays well, execute Chicago trade.
If KAT gets injured, offer less.
If KAT underperforms, fake injury report and trade to Atlanta.
It can be true that James Dolan wants to avoid the second apron, and that crossing that dreaded threshold brings about punitive consequences to the team.
Also true? That it was STRANGE for the owner who famously lights money on fire (metaphorically, possibly literally) to go on talk radio RIGHT AFTER WINNING A CHAMPIONSHIP and declare the second apron to be an unbreachable line. And ODD for a front office that has worked hand in glove with King Dolan, and seems to have total impunity of decision-making, to be allegedly caught off guard by his statements. Flummoxed, even!
News to any of them? Probably not.
The league is ripe with phony-baloney antics. Scott Foster refs a Game Four and even the media calls him ‘The Extender.’ LeBron James dangles his talents from coast to coast for weeks before officially joining a team he’d surely chosen long before. Has the league ever formally apologized to the Kings for 2002? That Luka Dončić trade sure was weird, but at least the Mavs got Cooper Flagg. Beyond being shameful, the apparent fixes are so transparent that they’re embarrassing. There’s even some scuttlebutt about a frozen envelope. Can you imagine?
OK, you got me. Karl-Anthony did not know that negotiations would be suspended. Gotcha—Leon Rose has no idea what he will do with the champion All-Star, but his fingers are crossed that they can iron out a deal before KAT declines his player option and hops a Brinks truck to Atlanta. As with any conspiracy, once the endgame is revealed, we can say, “Yes, that was the plan all along. Knew it!” Really, we don’t know what will happen. We can’t. My hunch, though, is that the great reboundin’ Towns is bound out of town, and before his contract expires. The season is about to begin. I suggest savoring all the time you get with the man, fans.
Kurt Helin
