Sport Thoughts

As the holiday season approaches, it is time to analyze the current state of the NBA. While there are several teams finding surprising success including the Cleveland Cavaliers, Houston Rockets and Memphis Grizzlies; there are many underachieving teams in a state of flux. One could make the argument that these underperforming teams are readying to press the panic button. These disappointing teams include the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns and Sacremento Kings. These four Western Conference teams began the 2024-2025 season with championship expectations. Each team’s struggles have led to poor positioning in the Western Conference standing, falling below 6th place. The underachievement of these teams have also led to several trade rumors. These teams will be forced to buy prior to the NBA trade deadline. Selling is not an option as these teams look to take a leap in the Western Conference standings. A trade could be minimal or drastic depending on the player ...

The NBA Cup Championship game has concluded and the Milwaukee Bucks are crowned a champions. It was one year ago when the Lakers won the inaugural NBA Cup Championship. To some fans and the media, the NBA Cup was first looked at as a marketing gimmick during its inaugural season. The Cup games were made in order to increase early season television ratings and limit load management among All Star players. The NBA Cup does not compare to the NBA Finals championship but it does embrace the vibe and emotion of winning the NCAA champion game. The Cup has its own meaning to NBA players and has its own legacy behind the throphys value. Players on the Milwaukee Bucks held the NBA Cup trophy high with pride, knowing that a championship is a championship no matter what the format is. A Superstar player like Damian Lillard can call himself a champion whether the media or the fans like it or not. The Cup allows teams who may not be built to win the NBA Finals championship a seperate opportunity fo...

As the NBA trade deadline approaches in two months, it is time to analyze and examine the trade market. There will be several sellers during the February deadline. Teams open for business will include the Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets, Washington Wizards, Portland Trailblazers, Utah Jazz and New Orleans Pelicans. There will be several star caliber players and high-end role players on the move between December and February. Star caliber players potentially on the move will include Zach Lavine, Nicola Vucevic, Cam Thomas, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Cj Mccolum Mccollum and Zion Williamson. High-end role players, include Lonzo Ball, Dorian Finney-Smith, Cam Johnson, Malcolm Brogdan, Jonas Valanciunas, Jeremy Grant, Robert Williams, Anfernee Simons, John Collins, Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton. Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler could the wild card of the trade market. Butler remains on an expiring contract with no contract extention talks on the horrizon. All of these potential trade targets ...

Today begins the early stages of trade season in the NBA. Players who signed during the 2024 offseason are now eligable for trades. Several contendering NBA teams are now in the mix for trade upgrades to their playoff caliber rosters. The question becomes why would a team sell players with over 50 games remaining in the 2024-2025 season. The answer is simple: to tank. The NBA 2025 draft lottery is 5 months away but that wont stop many NBA general managers from selling high or low. Rebuilding NBA teams have a chance to impact their draft lottery odds by selling as soon as possible. Selling early often leads to impacting the number of game losses. For example, the Golden State Warriors traded multiple future second round picks and injured guard Deanthony Melton for Brooklyn Nets point guard Dennis Schroder. The Nets made this trade to impact their season’s tank, while gaining assets for the future. They are now essentialy waving the white flag and no longer foccusing on winning games. Ta...

A new NBA season often allows teams to pick a direction as the season begins. The directions are usually contention or rebuilding. The rebuilding direction often leads to many losses. The losses for rebuilding teams hurt in the standings but often boost draft lottery odds. The odds to win the NBA lottery also leads to league wide tanking. It is becoming more noticable who the lottery teams could potentially be after a 20 game sample size. As previously mentioned, the teams with the worst records are likely to draft high in the lottery. As of early December, the worst teams in the NBA include the Washington Wizards, New Orleans Pelicans, Utah Jazz, Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors. These five teams are at least 9 or more games under .500. There are also teams rumored to entee to the draft lottery sweepstakes. Teams such as the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, and Portland Trail Blazers are also expected to sell off players leading into the NBA trade deadline. Tanking could be a poten...