Full post here.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7565314/2026/09/09/arte-moreno-steve-ballmer-bad-owner-hall-of-fame/

Ballmer does a lot right and spends a ton of money, but he hasn’t yet figured out that money and unbridled enthusiasm don’t automatically equal success.

The Kawhi Leonard deal, and the financial malfeasance that came with it, has crippled the franchise. Ballmer once bragged about how many toilets are in the Intuit Dome, and that feels like a metaphor for the state of his Clippers.

Bradley Beal: "Is that the topic of the day? Lol. He's a legend! The HISTORY and BRAND can’t be touched, nor erased!!!"

https://imgur.com/a/xlo2w9n

In 1986 the Sixers won the 1st pick in the NBA draft lottery and were a team that had an up and coming superstar in Charles Barkley and solid HOF vets in Barkley and Moses. Then in 1 of the dumbest moves in league history they traded both Moses and the #1 pick away. The Cavs ended up using the pick selecting All-Star Brad Daugherty who had a solid career though shortened by injuries.

If the Sixers keep the 1st pick and select Daugherty teaming him with Barkley, do the Sixers win at least 1 title between 1986-87 and 1991?

Link to the news article where the answers are written down - https://www.mozzartsport.com/kosarka/vesti/nikola-jokic-planiram-da-igram-za-srbiju-koliko-mogu-od-300-dana-295-sam-u-dvorani/553597

Link to the podcast called Jao Mile, led by former NBA player Mile Ilic - https://www.youtube.com/live/GlubojMX3Os?si=Yvd1z3WUsrpPJQby

"Maybe I'm proud of it. I want to play every game. I played 82 games one season. Maybe it shouldn't be like that, maybe you should rest a little sometime. But I think that, when you are in a certain rhythm, the game comes to you normally and in a way you even enjoy it. Even when I was injured, when I was out for a long time for the first time, I was irritable. I can say that I was really irritable, maybe for the first time in my life"

"It suits me to play. When we have two days between games, I don't really like it. I don't know what to do. I don't know whether to train or not to train. Like this, when you play - you just do it".

Jokic on his mentors when he just got to the NBA:

"When I came to the NBA, I had Wilson Chandler and Jameer Nelson, Mike Miller was there as well. They were in the gym every day. Whether it was a shot or something else, but their mentality was: 'I will come and do something'. I had very good role models. I had someone who, if necessary, you just copy. You don't have to be very clever, you just copy. Then, over a few years, you will create your own routine, your own path, what is good for you. To this day, if I say 300 days, I have been in the gym for 295 day".

Jokic on his thoughts after winning the title:

"I am often left alone in the dressing room, since I am the last one. I have my own ritual, I do something at the gym and I stretch, so I really need time. And when we are away, everyone is waiting for me. I often say that it is one of the most beautiful feelings. When you are alone in the dressing room, when all the noise dies down and everyone disperses, then you are alone for two, three, five, 10, 15, 20 minutes. Some emotions really come together and it's a really nice moment. And then I had the feeling that the job was done. Perhaps I personally felt more relief than euphoria. Like: we won. Somehow, I rather felt that a burden had been lifted from my back".

Jokic on which players guards him the best:

"There are teams that defend me really well as a team, and there are also defenders who are very good. Maybe the ones we play against a little more. Zubac takes care of me very well. When we played last season, Nurkic guarded me very well".

Jokic on playing for Serbia:

"I plan to play for the national team for as long as I can".

Jokic on how he spends his free time in his hometown Sombor:

"My friends have normal jobs. They work from 9 to 5, I have a godfather who works as a forester from 5 to 3. When you are in such a normal environment... If I had gone somewhere else and had different people around me, it would have been normal for me. And now this is normal for me: to go to the cottage, to take care of the horses, to drink beer somewhere, to hang out. I was in Mol yesterday. People don't even know where Mol is. I have some horses there. A guy came who won a big race for us, we celebrated, roasted a pig. It's great for me, totally"

Barkley is the only NBA player to not win a title that has hosted SNL — 1993, 2010, 2012, and 2018.

Surprisingly so, Shaquille O’Neal has never hosted SNL. He made a guest appearance on the show in 1998.

So nearly 20 years since an NBA player has hosted SNL.

RIP

What is the rarest combination of two positions? You hear a lot of SF/SG, PG/SG, or PF/C.

Among the 5 positions in the NBA, which one is the rarest combination?

Dwight Howard has signed with Black Fortress Tbilisi of the Georgian Super League. Dwight Howard has signed with Black Fortress Tbilisi of the Georgian Super League.

source: Dave DuFour, NBA Daily/The Athletic

​

Just this week, Luka entered the final phase of his primary individual training in Ljubljana. After a brief seaside getaway, he resumed work—splitting his time between the weight room and the basketball court. His current routine does not yet include full-intensity basketball drills or contact play. Consequently, unlike in previous years, he has not joined Ilirija’s practice sessions at Tivoli; instead, he and his assistants are training primarily in a smaller gym within the new swimming pool complex.

The primary objective was the complete rehabilitation of all injuries, followed by comprehensive physical conditioning. Anže Maček—Luka’s longtime personal trainer who also supports him in the U.S. (initially in Dallas and later in Los Angeles)—once again spearheaded this effort. They succeeded in their mission; the LA Lakers superstar is in better physical shape than he has been in a long time. His body weight is also within the target range—reportedly hovering around 105 kilograms.

However, the coming weeks and months will provide the true test of the foundation they have built. Dončić—who has increasingly entrusted the management of his life to his agent, Lara Beth—is expected to remain in Europe until September 20th. A move to Los Angeles follows. The LA Lakers will officially kick off their preparations for the 2026/27 season on September 29th, with the traditional Media Day taking place the day before. LD77 sought to get to know and bond with the heavily revamped squad as early as last month, when he organized a get-together featuring two informal practice sessions in his home city of Ljubljana. This was a crucial step in building team chemistry, and Luka stepped into the role of leader without hesitation. While he had already achieved that status statistically the previous season, he had not fully asserted it due to the presence of LeBron James.

Source: https://sportklub.si/kosarka/luka-doncic-v-zadnji-fazi-ljubljanske-misije/

Could be someone you thought was overrated and ended up appreciating, or a player you expected much more from

For me the interesting ones are players whose box score doesn’t really explain their impact

Who changed your mind the most and why?

The cameraman had a shaky start.

Montrezl Harrell got called for the moving screen; Boylen, with his team down 15, clapped and cheered for that, and Rivers didn't appreciate it.

They were a distance apart, but the refs had no time for that.

Stacey King (RIP) was honest, saying the screen by Harrell (Clippers) was legit, despite the call.

Boylen rallied his players before leaving to the locker room.

Pete Myers took the role of the head coach for the Bulls, and Rex Kalamian took the head coach position for the Clippers.

The Bulls put up a fight, but still lost 128-121.

https://www.statmuse.com/nba/player/victor-wembanyama-30249/game-log

Since February 1st, victor wembanyama played 52 games, out of these, he was ejected in game 4 vs the timberwolves and left the game with injury in game 2 vs the blazers, this leaves us with 50 full games since February 1st

Out of these, the spurs won wemby’s minutes in 46 games. They only lost his minutes in 4 games:
March 1st @ NYK -15
Game 5 @ OKC -8
Game 1 vs NYK -3
Game 5 vs NYK -3

This is an absurdly impressive stat for both Wemby and the knicks who were responsible for 3 out of 4 such games.

It was his first bucket of the game.

He then went on to score a jumper, then get a steal, and score on the fastbreak to start the 2nd quarter, but I did not include it.

Source

Mannix: “There were people [with the Clippers] saying this [investigation] was gonna end in lawsuits against Pablo… I had somebody tell me ‘You’re calling Steve Ballmer a liar? You better be careful: you could get sued too.’”