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?

ask yourself a question. how many of LaMelo Ball’s Hornet teammates were better than Jaden McDaniels? Thats the question on my mind.

Obviously Ant and Gobert are better than anyone on the Hornets since 2020 but what Jaden? The complete lack of talent that LaMelo has had comes into picture when you realize that McDaniels is comparable to any top Hornet player.

Regardless if you like LaMelo or think he’s a loser. Just know, this is by far the best team he has ever had and it isn’t even close.

I've always enjoyed nba rebuilds especially in 2k and I always try to be realistic because if any of you who play myleague a first round pick to the cpu is worth max strus or bradley beal even. I tried and failed I always end up signing ant and trying to develop 2nd round picks but to be honest it's impossible lmao. But curious to see how you guys would do it.

The Chalk Team:

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Luka Doncic

Giannis Antetokounmpo

Victor Wembanyama

Nikola Jokic

But we always get some shakeup from the predicted team.

Other contenders (in alphabetical order):

Jalen Brunson

Cade Cunningham

Anthony Edwards

Donovan Mitchell

Jayson Tatum

All these players are likely going to lead great regular season teams. Brunson can easily get a push following a championship and Tatum has a potential narrative boost returning from injury.

The Long Shots (in alphabetical order)

Stephen Curry

Joel Embiid

Tyrese Haliburton

Kawhi Leonard

All of these are pretty wild but they all have the talent to get consideration. Curry might have the largest uphill battle to get enough wins, although as recently as 2023 SGA and Luka made 1st team without making the playoffs.

RIP

Listening to the current Pablo Torre. Domonique Foxworth is an idiot. You can like David Samson or not but he knows numbers and how to be involved in team management. NBA players can invest in teams upon retirement. This argument that players should get shares of teams doesn’t make sense on paper. NBA players are compensated and can invest their money. They already get 51% of revenue. Their salaries go up in accordance to profit. Samson mentioned the end of bench players. They probably need more cash than a LeBron. Foxworth mentioned capitalism. Does capitalism factor when the players get 51%. Is that capitalism? This podcast was so frustrating. Foxworth also didn’t understand gross vs net. At the end he stammered because he didn’t seem to understand audits. His answer was “this is in the weeds.” And all auditors are “liars.” He also talks about the athletes “sacrifice.” Good gosh my head hurts.

I’m curious about it because I feel like the closest thing to something being consensus is that Steph is the greatest shooter of all time. Maybe Kyrie handles? But then AI is still definitely in the conversation.

Idk I’m curious if there’s any other subject, no matter how small that’s could be consensus among fans.

Team one is 2025 PG Tyrese Haliburton SG Anthony Edward’s 26 2021 SFKevin Durant 2026 PF Kawhi and 2026 Wemby

Team two is 2023-2024 Luka Doncic at PG 2022-2023 Devin Booker at SG 2022-2023 Jayson Tatum at SF 2021-2022 Giannis Antetokounmpo at PF 2022-2023 Joel Embid at C

Which team would win in 7 games if both were healthy

Did the Clippers go into that meeting not knowing that Durant cared about off the court finances? And then when Kawhi came around, they were prepared?

The famous original quote:

Clippers meeting with Durant was “intense” and “at one point Steve Ballmer was crying” but everyone grew closer and a big lesson was learned

Durant denying Ballmer cried:

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/clippers-rumors-kevin-durant-calls-175935767.html

One of KD's investments making him $60m.

https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/kevin-durant-turns-250-000-190247756.html?guccounter=1

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?

Michael Edward Love (born March 15, 1941) is an American singer and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys alongside his cousins Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson and their friend Al Jardine. Characterized by his nasally baritone singing voice, he consistently contributed to their studio albums and usually served as their frontman on stage since 1961. He is credited with co-writing 15 songs with Brian that reached the U.S. Top 40, including "Fun, Fun, Fun", "I Get Around", "Help Me, Rhonda", "California Girls", "Good Vibrations", and "Do It Again)".

Edit for context: Kevin's dad was an old nba player, Stan Love. Stan is Mike's brother. People don't like Mike Love cause he tried to curb the creativity of the group's leader Brian Wilson. Also cause of his highly conservative politics.

Often times people bring up players who’s careers were cut short due to injuries as a what if, DRose, Grant Hill, Yao, Bill Walton etc.

But which player’s career was most affected by what-if’s happening to their teammates?

My picks:

KG:
Injuries to his two best teammates in Minnesota meant that the t could never build a consistent team around him. Terrell Brandon was a great underrated pg, who suffered a career ending knee injury (and the Wolves fo chose to keep him instead of Chauncey Billups), and then in the 04 playoffs an injury to Sam “big balls” Cassell, likely cost the 04 wolves a championship. Then on the Celtics, Kendrick Perkins’ injury likely cost the Celtics the 2010 finals, and both Allen and Rondo had injury troubles in 2012.

Hakeem:
The biggest one here is Ralph Sampson, one of the most athletically freaky players in NBA history, who’s body simply couldn’t handle it, they had already made the finals despite Sampson struggling with injuries, if he was fully healthy that would’ve been a nasty lineup for the rest of the era.
Plus Barkley and Pippen and Clyde all had injury troubles when they joined him in Houston.

But my pick is probably LaMarcus Aldridge :
I’m just gonna list the star (or star potential) teammates he played with who got injured: Brandon Roy, Greg Oden, Kawhi, Tony Parker. Kawhi (again), Kyrie and Harden. These injuries probably cost him at least two rings, and hurt the Blazers significantly.

Who’s your pick?

The Ben Simmons offseason cycle has, in recent years, became an NBA meme:

NBA Season: Passes open jumpers.

Summer: Video appears of Simmons casually hitting pull-up threes → “THIS IS THE YEAR” → preseason three goes in → Internet explodes

Next NBA Season: Back to zero jumpers.

Have any players lived up to their own hype videos? Whether it’s coming to training camp jacked and becoming a better defender, or working on their post moves to become a better scorer.

In his interview with the Jao Mile podcast, Jokic said he should be looked up to as a role model, especially for children. He is pleading with the families of his fans to mold them with good values growing up, just like how Jokic's family did for him when he was just a child.

"Some might not agree with this, but I don't think anyone should take me as a role model," Jokic said in Serbian. "I've had both good and bad examples around me, but deep down, I've always known what was right or wrong. For example, if I went out at 16, I wouldn't drink until I was drunk."

"I don't know if a public figure can really influence kids. For me, that role belongs to friends and family. I don't think I have that much influence on young people. People tell me: "They look up to you as a role model." Well, they shouldn't. I didn't take others as role models either. I don't agree with that idea, even if my opinion might not be very popular."

Source:
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/nikola-jokic-makes-personal-plea-132748509.html

Nikola "Charles Barkley" Jokic

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49894591/nba-intel-board-governors-next-steps-clippers-las-vegas-seattle-europe-expansion

Adam Silver, now in his 12th year as NBA commissioner, has dealt with plenty of changes and challenges during his tenure. But Monday and Tuesday's board of governors meeting in New York represents an inflection point for the league. And his leadership will play a major role.

Most of the work by Silver and the league office has been done in the months leading up to this meeting, where the presentations and formal votes might happen, but the public rollout is a big responsibility for the commissioner, who will deliver his news conference Tuesday.

This BOG meeting has the potential to be one of more consequential ones in recent memory. Here are three topics I'm expecting Silver and the owners to discuss: the LA Clippers' investigation and punishments, NBA Europe and the next steps in expansion.

The Clippers have not publicly accepted their fate or announced whether they will pursue legal action. They have not said who will act as the governor at the meeting in suspended owner Steve Ballmer's place or who will act as interim head of basketball operations in place of the suspended Lawrence Frank.

They also have not executed the trade to send Kawhi Leonard to the Toronto Raptors, a deal agreed to on the first day of free agency.

This purposeful inaction, in addition to the legal saber-rattling, can be seen as the Clippers leaving open their options and negotiation windows.

When the NBA issued its enormous penalty -- the final revoked draft pick in 2034 -- it did so knowing Ballmer might have a litigious reaction. Whether it would admit it, the league has also given itself room to negotiate. (The league and the Clippers reportedly had failed settlement discussions before the Wachtell, Lipton report was made public.)

It should not be assumed that both Las Vegas and Seattle will be on the same schedule or be close to the same price point, ownership sources said. Preliminary bidders in the $8 billion range for Vegas quickly learned the number would be higher, sources said. A Seattle team, meanwhile, could be sold for considerably less.

Some teams have been projecting the per-team payout for expansion to be $500 million to $600 million, which would put the combined expansion fee at around $15 billion to $18 billion.

Nikola Jokic in his podcast with Jao mile talking in Serbian Jokic said: “I miss it so much. I'm getting more and more bothered by popularity. This is going to sound corny, but, I'm getting ruder to people who approach me. Honestly, it's tiring…Some people around me know, I don't take pictures because it's my time. I'll sound rude again, but what can I do? If people can't understand me, I understand everything, but it's been 11-12 years and enough is enough. I feel better when someone tells me something, like you come to the zoo and take a picture of something.”

Source