[Mick]

Last night, the Spurs roasted the Mavericks, 125-92. It was only the second time in NBA history that the #1 draft pick (Cooper Flagg) and the #2 draft pick (Dylan Harper, son of 5x NBA champ Ron Harper) faced off against each other in the season opener. And not incidentally, each team had former Stanford players, Harrison Ingram on the Spurs (4 mis, 1/1 FG, 3 pts, +4, 1 reb) and Dwight Powell on the Mavericks (8 mins., 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover, two fouls, -5).

Flagg is 18, 6'9" and can play all five positions. Went 4/13, 1/5 from 3 pt. range, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, -23 in 32 minutes.

Harper is 19, 6'5", shooting guard, 7/14, 1/2 from 3pt. range, 0-2 FTs, 4 rebs., 4 turnovers, 5 fouls, +5 in 23 minutes.

[Mick]

Last night, the Spurs roasted the Mavericks, 125-92. It was only the second time in NBA history that the #1 draft pick (Cooper Flagg) and the #2 draft pick (Dylan Harper, son of 5x NBA champ Ron Harper) faced off against each other in the season opener. And not incidentally, each team had former Stanford players, Harrison Ingram on the Spurs (4 mis, 1/1 FG, 3 pts, +4, 1 reb) and Dwight Powell on the Mavericks (8 mins., 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 turnover, two fouls, -5).

Flagg is 18, 6'9" and can play all five positions. Went 4/13, 1/5 from 3 pt. range, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 turnover, -23 in 32 minutes.

Harper is 19, 6'5", shooting guard, 7/14, 1/2 from 3pt. range, 0-2 FTs, 4 rebs., 4 turnovers, 5 fouls, +5 in 23 minutes.

[bl82]

And, of course, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson, at 38, is the third youngest head coaches in the league.

[bl82]

And, of course, Spurs head coach Mitch Johnson, at 38, is the third youngest head coaches in the league.

[newguy]

Portland head coach Chauncey Billups has just been arrested by federal agents.
allegations relate to poker games and the mafia.
https://www.cnn.com/sport/live-news/nba-...e-10-23-25

[newguy]

Portland head coach Chauncey Billups has just been arrested by federal agents.
allegations relate to poker games and the mafia.
https://www.cnn.com/sport/live-news/nba-...e-10-23-25

[Mick]

Portland head coach Chauncey Billups has just been arrested by federal agents.
allegations relate to poker games and the mafia.
https://www.cnn.com/sport/live-news/nba-...e-10-23-25

Nightmare scenario for NBA. 13 co-defendants from Gambino, Genovese and Bonnano crime families.

[Mick]

Portland head coach Chauncey Billups has just been arrested by federal agents.
allegations relate to poker games and the mafia.
https://www.cnn.com/sport/live-news/nba-...e-10-23-25

Nightmare scenario for NBA. 13 co-defendants from Gambino, Genovese and Bonnano crime families.

[Giants]

Portland head coach Chauncey Billups has just been arrested by federal agents.
allegations relate to poker games and the mafia.
https://www.cnn.com/sport/live-news/nba-...e-10-23-25

Nightmare scenario for NBA. 13 co-defendants from Gambino, Genovese and Bonnano crime families.

Even worse, the Heat’s Terry Rozier has been arrested for point manipulation.

Prop bets are basketball’s Achilles heel.  No matter how much technology they put into place, the bad guys are always a step ahead.

[Giants]

Portland head coach Chauncey Billups has just been arrested by federal agents.
allegations relate to poker games and the mafia.
https://www.cnn.com/sport/live-news/nba-...e-10-23-25

Nightmare scenario for NBA. 13 co-defendants from Gambino, Genovese and Bonnano crime families.

Even worse, the Heat’s Terry Rozier has been arrested for point manipulation.

Prop bets are basketball’s Achilles heel.  No matter how much technology they put into place, the bad guys are always a step ahead.

[BostonCard]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/co...858859007/

But I’m sure when gambling is invited to college athletics things will turn out differently.

BC

[BostonCard]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/co...858859007/

But I’m sure when gambling is invited to college athletics things will turn out differently.

BC

[Giants]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/co...858859007/

But I’m sure when gambling is invited to college athletics things will turn out differently.

BC

Things have already gone very badly.  The harassment of players who don’t hit the number in prop bets is out of control.  Of the 39 states that allow sports betting, 17 currently prohibit prop betting on college games and another 8 prohibit prop bets on games involving in-state schools.  

That leaves 14 states where betting is still in the “Wild West” stage. Thankfully, California isn’t one of them….

[Giants]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/co...858859007/

But I’m sure when gambling is invited to college athletics things will turn out differently.

BC

Things have already gone very badly.  The harassment of players who don’t hit the number in prop bets is out of control.  Of the 39 states that allow sports betting, 17 currently prohibit prop betting on college games and another 8 prohibit prop bets on games involving in-state schools.  

That leaves 14 states where betting is still in the “Wild West” stage. Thankfully, California isn’t one of them….

[Nobadeer]

Meanwhile, Spencer Jones getting some minutes for the Nuggets in their season opener vs. the Warriors at the Chase Center.

[Nobadeer]

Meanwhile, Spencer Jones getting some minutes for the Nuggets in their season opener vs. the Warriors at the Chase Center.

[TrumpCard]

Meanwhile, Spencer Jones getting some minutes for the Nuggets in their season opener vs. the Warriors at the Chase Center.

Is Julian Strawther injured? I was surprised to see Jones get minutes over him.

[TrumpCard]

Meanwhile, Spencer Jones getting some minutes for the Nuggets in their season opener vs. the Warriors at the Chase Center.

Is Julian Strawther injured? I was surprised to see Jones get minutes over him.

[Nobadeer]

Jones didn't play in the second half. Strawther didn't get in at all.

Meanwhile, lucky Mitch Johnson - he gets to coach Wemby. That season opener performance was out of this world. He reminds me a bit of Durant, only half a foot (?) taller.

[Nobadeer]

Jones didn't play in the second half. Strawther didn't get in at all.

Meanwhile, lucky Mitch Johnson - he gets to coach Wemby. That season opener performance was out of this world. He reminds me a bit of Durant, only half a foot (?) taller.

[BostonCard]

This scandal is a canary in the coal mine.  The money is why nobody (leagues, teams, media outlets) wants to get out of the sports betting carousel.  But the money is also why it’s all going to blow up spectacularly.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/4669...-not-cheap

The fact that players and coaches on multimillion-dollar contracts could be susceptible -- Rozier was playing on a four-year, $96.2-million contract -- just adds to the concern. Good luck to college sports, where the NCAA is investigating 13 men's basketball players at six schools in a betting scheme.

Now on Wednesday, the NCAA allowed all of its athletes to legally wager on professional sports.

Hey, what bad could happen?

The NCAA should watch out.  Not so much to protect the players, who, as jacketree notes are adults and entitled to make stupid decisions (though we intervene all the time to protect adults from dumb decisions), but to protect itself.

BC

[BostonCard]

This scandal is a canary in the coal mine.  The money is why nobody (leagues, teams, media outlets) wants to get out of the sports betting carousel.  But the money is also why it’s all going to blow up spectacularly.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/4669...-not-cheap

The fact that players and coaches on multimillion-dollar contracts could be susceptible -- Rozier was playing on a four-year, $96.2-million contract -- just adds to the concern. Good luck to college sports, where the NCAA is investigating 13 men's basketball players at six schools in a betting scheme.

Now on Wednesday, the NCAA allowed all of its athletes to legally wager on professional sports.

Hey, what bad could happen?

The NCAA should watch out.  Not so much to protect the players, who, as jacketree notes are adults and entitled to make stupid decisions (though we intervene all the time to protect adults from dumb decisions), but to protect itself.

BC

[burger]

Maxime Raynaud made his NBA debut on Wednesday for the Kings.  In 11 minutes he grabbed 4 rebounds and had 2 assists.  He missed his only shot.

I'm assuming he's only in the rotation because Sabonis is hurt.  But it's nice to see Maxime reach the highest level.

[burger]

Maxime Raynaud made his NBA debut on Wednesday for the Kings.  In 11 minutes he grabbed 4 rebounds and had 2 assists.  He missed his only shot.

I'm assuming he's only in the rotation because Sabonis is hurt.  But it's nice to see Maxime reach the highest level.

[magnus]

Meanwhile, Spencer Jones getting some minutes for the Nuggets in their season opener vs. the Warriors at the Chase Center.

Caught a Sportscenter radio news update tonight that mentioned "defensive specialist Spencer Jones" alongside Jokic's ridiculous game.  Pretty cool that Jones is carving out a role (and according to a Denver Post article, that I can't fully read, he's apparently coming off the bench to cover the opposing team's best player to try to get a stop... That can't be easy)

[magnus]

Meanwhile, Spencer Jones getting some minutes for the Nuggets in their season opener vs. the Warriors at the Chase Center.

Caught a Sportscenter radio news update tonight that mentioned "defensive specialist Spencer Jones" alongside Jokic's ridiculous game.  Pretty cool that Jones is carving out a role (and according to a Denver Post article, that I can't fully read, he's apparently coming off the bench to cover the opposing team's best player to try to get a stop... That can't be easy)

[TrumpCard]

I know injuries always have been part of the game, but it seems like they are becoming more frequent and more severe.  Have any of you seen studies or data that give a hint at the reason for the increase?  I've read opinions that it's happening more now because players are playing in so many back-to-back games.  However, I'm not sure why that would be the case now, and not in the past.  The season has been 82 games for as long as I can remember.  Did the start/end dates change?  Did the NBA Cup lead to changes in the schedule?  (I think it did this year, but I don't recall the format the past two years.)

I mention the frequency of injuries because I noted that there are 10(!) players on the injury report (5 per team) for the Warriors' upcoming game against the 76ers.  Those 10 don't even include Curry or Melton, both of whom are expected to return from injury for that game.

[TrumpCard]

I know injuries always have been part of the game, but it seems like they are becoming more frequent and more severe.  Have any of you seen studies or data that give a hint at the reason for the increase?  I've read opinions that it's happening more now because players are playing in so many back-to-back games.  However, I'm not sure why that would be the case now, and not in the past.  The season has been 82 games for as long as I can remember.  Did the start/end dates change?  Did the NBA Cup lead to changes in the schedule?  (I think it did this year, but I don't recall the format the past two years.)

I mention the frequency of injuries because I noted that there are 10(!) players on the injury report (5 per team) for the Warriors' upcoming game against the 76ers.  Those 10 don't even include Curry or Melton, both of whom are expected to return from injury for that game.

[BACardinal]

Tonight against the Rockets Raynaud put up 25pts, 6rbs, 3ast, and 1 blk in 32 minutes. He shot 10-15 with 2-2 behind the arc and 3-3 fts

[BACardinal]

Tonight against the Rockets Raynaud put up 25pts, 6rbs, 3ast, and 1 blk in 32 minutes. He shot 10-15 with 2-2 behind the arc and 3-3 fts

[Mick]

I know injuries always have been part of the game, but it seems like they are becoming more frequent and more severe.  Have any of you seen studies or data that give a hint at the reason for the increase?  I've read opinions that it's happening more now because players are playing in so many back-to-back games.  However, I'm not sure why that would be the case now, and not in the past.  The season has been 82 games for as long as I can remember.  Did the start/end dates change?  Did the NBA Cup lead to changes in the schedule?  (I think it did this year, but I don't recall the format the past two years.)

I mention the frequency of injuries because I noted that there are 10(!) players on the injury report (5 per team) for the Warriors' upcoming game against the 76ers.  Those 10 don't even include Curry or Melton, both of whom are expected to return from injury for that game.

You are correct. This is a two-week-old article in the Sporting News that gives the underlying reasons behind the surge of injuries in the 2025/2026 NBA season:

Why injuries are surging across the NBA: a full breakdown | Sporting News

Long story short: players are traveling farther during a game, at a higher average speed, with less rest, more practices and (crucially) more starts and stops, thanks to euro steps, pull-up threes, sudden deceleration, side steps and flops. Knees, calf muscles, ankles and Achilles tendons weren't built to take the stress, particularly over 82 games.

[Mick]

I know injuries always have been part of the game, but it seems like they are becoming more frequent and more severe.  Have any of you seen studies or data that give a hint at the reason for the increase?  I've read opinions that it's happening more now because players are playing in so many back-to-back games.  However, I'm not sure why that would be the case now, and not in the past.  The season has been 82 games for as long as I can remember.  Did the start/end dates change?  Did the NBA Cup lead to changes in the schedule?  (I think it did this year, but I don't recall the format the past two years.)

I mention the frequency of injuries because I noted that there are 10(!) players on the injury report (5 per team) for the Warriors' upcoming game against the 76ers.  Those 10 don't even include Curry or Melton, both of whom are expected to return from injury for that game.

You are correct. This is a two-week-old article in the Sporting News that gives the underlying reasons behind the surge of injuries in the 2025/2026 NBA season:

Why injuries are surging across the NBA: a full breakdown | Sporting News

Long story short: players are traveling farther during a game, at a higher average speed, with less rest, more practices and (crucially) more starts and stops, thanks to euro steps, pull-up threes, sudden deceleration, side steps and flops. Knees, calf muscles, ankles and Achilles tendons weren't built to take the stress, particularly over 82 games.

[TrumpCard]

Thanks for the article.  For the same reasons, I think we're also going to see the league getting younger.  Older bodies can't take the toll as well as younger bodies can.  Look at how the Clippers and Warriors are struggling despite having seemingly strong rosters.  Even when they can play, the older guys aren't playing as well as you might expect based on what we saw in years past.  The Clippers' trade for Paul George is a cautionary tale.  I know a lot of teams are salivating over Giannis right now, but I wonder how many years of elite play he has left if current trends continue.

[TrumpCard]

Thanks for the article.  For the same reasons, I think we're also going to see the league getting younger.  Older bodies can't take the toll as well as younger bodies can.  Look at how the Clippers and Warriors are struggling despite having seemingly strong rosters.  Even when they can play, the older guys aren't playing as well as you might expect based on what we saw in years past.  The Clippers' trade for Paul George is a cautionary tale.  I know a lot of teams are salivating over Giannis right now, but I wonder how many years of elite play he has left if current trends continue.

[Mick]

Thanks for the article.  For the same reasons, I think we're also going to see the league getting younger.  Older bodies can't take the toll as well as younger bodies can.  Look at how the Clippers and Warriors are struggling despite having seemingly strong rosters.  Even when they can play, the older guys aren't playing as well as you might expect based on what we saw in years past.  The Clippers' trade for Paul George is a cautionary tale.  I know a lot of teams are salivating over Giannis right now, but I wonder how many years of elite play he has left if current trends continue.

Curry = Hurt
Butler = Hurt
Green = Hurt

Maybe the W's should stockpile picks instead of 30+ players...

[Mick]

Thanks for the article.  For the same reasons, I think we're also going to see the league getting younger.  Older bodies can't take the toll as well as younger bodies can.  Look at how the Clippers and Warriors are struggling despite having seemingly strong rosters.  Even when they can play, the older guys aren't playing as well as you might expect based on what we saw in years past.  The Clippers' trade for Paul George is a cautionary tale.  I know a lot of teams are salivating over Giannis right now, but I wonder how many years of elite play he has left if current trends continue.

Curry = Hurt
Butler = Hurt
Green = Hurt

Maybe the W's should stockpile picks instead of 30+ players...

[TrumpCard]

It's interesting that we still see trades in which a team gives 4 or more first round picks.  Bane, Bridges, etc.  Granted, I'm just reading musings of idiots online, but the proposals for Giannis are sky high.  The Bucks should try to get back the picks they gave to Portland in the ill-fated Lillard trade.  Otherwise, they can't even do a proper tank.

[TrumpCard]

It's interesting that we still see trades in which a team gives 4 or more first round picks.  Bane, Bridges, etc.  Granted, I'm just reading musings of idiots online, but the proposals for Giannis are sky high.  The Bucks should try to get back the picks they gave to Portland in the ill-fated Lillard trade.  Otherwise, they can't even do a proper tank.

[TrumpCard]

At this point, Kuminga's departure is just a matter of time.  After getting benched this year and last, his value is in the cellar, but maybe there's a team whose looking for an expiring contract and a pick.  I wonder whether the Warriors will be motivated to give up a pick and whether they will able to get a decent player in that trade.

[TrumpCard]

At this point, Kuminga's departure is just a matter of time.  After getting benched this year and last, his value is in the cellar, but maybe there's a team whose looking for an expiring contract and a pick.  I wonder whether the Warriors will be motivated to give up a pick and whether they will able to get a decent player in that trade.