2026 NBA Season

[Vaculin]

They should now play AD and Trae now, its been a long time, but heard that young will but AD being shutdown for the season, if they will trade him in my opinion AD has to go no matter what is the result of them playing together there are still 20+ games for them and will not make it to the playoffs, giving up AD will give them a chance to have a young player, that can glue with the team, not injury prone like Davis since they are in the east it will be sure that next season they will be in the playoffs.

I think will try them first AD before they will think to trade him since they agree to this trade for the reason of utilizing AD in case he will have a good health.

They should avoid AD at the first place and go straight for young players on their recent trade.

Maybe next year AD might be traded again if he is proven worthless. I’m still amazed how many team still risk on acquiring AD. He doesn’t even complete any regular season so far.

AD still has value, that’s why teams are willing to gamble on him. It’s the same thing the Lakers did when they went all in on him after the Kobe era. A lot of people questioned it because of the injury history, but they ended up winning a championship, and that pretty much proved how impactful he really is when healthy.

Yes, he’s injury prone, no one can deny that. But winning a title showed that if he’s managed properly and surrounded with the right system, he can be a major difference-maker.

Look at Zion. He used to be constantly injured and people were already calling him a bust, but now he’s balling again and looks dominant when he’s on the court. So I still have hope for Davis. If his body holds up and the team handles him right, he can still be that guy.

[Stavri]

I would consider Denver over the Rockets for me. Right now, the Rockets are kind of dysfunctional because they always find the weakest in terms of defense and that's Sengun, and if you will watch some of their games, he really is awful on defense that's why teams always find him. The Rockets might be 3rd in standings, but when it comes to playoffs, everything matters, and even though Udoka is more of a defensive type of coach, it will be useless if some of your key players can't defend. Just look at the Lakers now where Luka and Lebron are liabilities on defense.

i agree. Especially in the playoffs you need to tailor the tactics to the team, rather than forcing the team into a specific tactic. in my opinion this is the fundamental problem with Udoka’s coaching.
Other shortcomings can be addressed by assistant coaches but Udoka fails to highlight his players best traits. He tries to fit them into his own rigid molds which leads to serious issues on the court.

[OgNasty]

Zion Williamson is said to be returning from injury tonight to face the Los Angeles Lakers at home. This is another game the Lakers should win, but it’s always fun seeing LeBron and Zion matchup on the court.

The Suns and Kings are playing tonight too. I used to enjoy that rivalry but now it’s just sad.

[el kaka22]

SGA getting 71 million will be huge, but ALWAYS remember that these guys are not paid that much and also gets paid more from outside stuff if they are stars in real terms (not just mvp, jokic is a great player but not marketable for example). So in the end, if you pay someone 71 million a year, you get less than 50% of that. Meaning, between 37% federal tax, and state tax for every game they play in that state, agent fee, 401k (which is theirs but not now) agent, and the players association etc, they end up getting a lot less than you might think.

So if someone makes 71 million a year, that is not 71 million in their pocket, that's more like 30 million at best case. This is why they are looking further into endorsement deals, shoe deals, tv commercials and other stuff.

[xzone]

Giannis returned from injury tonight to have a bad game and take a loss against the Boston Celtics. This is a train wreck situation for the Bucks. A shame that the NBA salary rules and trade deadline are going to force this unhappy marriage to stay together for another 4 months.

The Bucks played poorly, they couldn't do anything against the Boston Celtics. Their offense was very weak, and they had a serious problem scoring. It was like a European game; we saw very few points. Actually, Giannis wasn't that bad; his statistics weren't bad at all. But sometimes players on a team just aren't having a good day, and this was one of those games.
It was an easy win for the Celtics; their scoring distribution was excellent. Everyone contributed to the team by scoring points

[Questat]

Giannis returned from injury tonight to have a bad game and take a loss against the Boston Celtics. This is a train wreck situation for the Bucks. A shame that the NBA salary rules and trade deadline are going to force this unhappy marriage to stay together for another 4 months.

The Bucks played poorly, they couldn't do anything against the Boston Celtics. Their offense was very weak, and they had a serious problem scoring. It was like a European game; we saw very few points. Actually, Giannis wasn't that bad; his statistics weren't bad at all. But sometimes players on a team just aren't having a good day, and this was one of those games.
It was an easy win for the Celtics; their scoring distribution was excellent. Everyone contributed to the team by scoring points

That’s because this team is too reliant on Giannis. Without him they look exposed, like they don’t really know where the offense is coming from. It’s very different compared to teams like OKC or especially the Celtics. Even without their best player, Jayson Tatum, they still look dominant.

In fact sometimes they even look more balanced because the scoring is spread out instead of forcing everything through one guy. Right now they’re number 2 in the East and honestly they could still finish number 1 if things go their way.

That’s the difference when a team is built around depth instead of just one superstar.

[batang_bitcoin]

Zion Williamson is said to be returning from injury tonight to face the Los Angeles Lakers at home. This is another game the Lakers should win, but it’s always fun seeing LeBron and Zion matchup on the court.

Good for him and I hope that this match won't send him back to the injury bed. Watching Zion Williamson is a good one and he's already known for being an injury prone player. He needs to shed more weight so that he'll remain healthy and avoid those injuries when he's doing those flashy moves. That's the only way for him to stay.

So if someone makes 71 million a year, that is not 71 million in their pocket, that's more like 30 million at best case. This is why they are looking further into endorsement deals, shoe deals, tv commercials and other stuff.

That's true, that $71M is just the gross and I remember Bosh said that always look at the net and not the gross because of the after taxes and staff expenses, etc.

[cryptomaniac_xxx]

Giannis returned from injury tonight to have a bad game and take a loss against the Boston Celtics. This is a train wreck situation for the Bucks. A shame that the NBA salary rules and trade deadline are going to force this unhappy marriage to stay together for another 4 months.

The Bucks played poorly, they couldn't do anything against the Boston Celtics. Their offense was very weak, and they had a serious problem scoring. It was like a European game; we saw very few points. Actually, Giannis wasn't that bad; his statistics weren't bad at all. But sometimes players on a team just aren't having a good day, and this was one of those games.
It was an easy win for the Celtics; their scoring distribution was excellent. Everyone contributed to the team by scoring points

You can see that in the first quarter alone, Giannis was really attacking the basket and I thought that they're going to win this one. But he didn't get that much help from his team mates and so his frustrations start to build up again in his comeback game.

For SGA's, yes, everyone is correct that he won't get that net value. But he has a lot of endorsement outside, being the former MVP and maybe bring his team to the finals once more, make his value and stock grow bigger.

[EFS]

Alpi 32, KD 30, Amen 22, Reed 19 points. I wish they could play like this against serious opponents too, not just against tanking teams like the Wizards. Rockets don't seem willing to give up 3rd place. Timberwolves and Nuggets also want that spot. What happened during the All-Star break doesn't seem to have affected the team much. After the break they went 5-2. They keep winning at home and they still have many home games left in the remaining schedule. I think they'll finish the Western Conference in 3rd place. In that case, they will play against the Spurs to reach the Conference finals. Considering how Alpi locked down Wemby in regular season, their chances of reaching the Conference finals will be higher than finishing in 4th place.

[tech30338]

Giannis returned from injury tonight to have a bad game and take a loss against the Boston Celtics. This is a train wreck situation for the Bucks. A shame that the NBA salary rules and trade deadline are going to force this unhappy marriage to stay together for another 4 months.

The Bucks played poorly, they couldn't do anything against the Boston Celtics. Their offense was very weak, and they had a serious problem scoring. It was like a European game; we saw very few points. Actually, Giannis wasn't that bad; his statistics weren't bad at all. But sometimes players on a team just aren't having a good day, and this was one of those games.
It was an easy win for the Celtics; their scoring distribution was excellent. Everyone contributed to the team by scoring points

You can see that in the first quarter alone, Giannis was really attacking the basket and I thought that they're going to win this one. But he didn't get that much help from his team mates and so his frustrations start to build up again in his comeback game.

For SGA's, yes, everyone is correct that he won't get that net value. But he has a lot of endorsement outside, being the former MVP and maybe bring his team to the finals once more, make his value and stock grow bigger.

The bucks needed rebuild but they have limited resources, Giannis has options, and bucks can move players but i don't think they have a chance even making it in the play-ins would be hard, if its only giannis they will just wasting time, but who knows.
OKC will make it to the west although there will be hindrance or blockage along the way, its not like the last time, there will be threats but i think they have the fire power to make it in the finals, but its not gonna be easy.

[Webetcoins]

Giannis returned from injury tonight to have a bad game and take a loss against the Boston Celtics. This is a train wreck situation for the Bucks. A shame that the NBA salary rules and trade deadline are going to force this unhappy marriage to stay together for another 4 months.

He really needs reliable and consistent teammates just like the ones when they won the Finals. Even if it’s not superstar level players, as long as they have good chemistry. Maybe the Bucks are still trying to salvage the situation, so they’re holding on to him for now. Until now there’s no confirmation whether he is going to sign the extension. If not, the Bucks will be forced to trade him instead of just losing him for nothing.

I wouldn't blame Giannis to have a bad game after a return like that, he was injured and the first game he came back to was against one of the top teams of east, so it's normal that he would not be playing great yet, he will find his foot under him eventually.

But I agree that Bucks can't really build a great team around him, the fact that they got a title is already mind boggling, no idea how they even did that. I think it's clear that Giannis should leave, he gave Bucks all he can, and now time to just chase around for a team that could have a better chance.

[OgNasty]

Anthony Edwards dropped 41 points tonight to help his team get the win against the Grizzlies, which was their seventh win in the last eight games. They are getting hot as the season winds down. I still think trading KAT was the wrong move, but maybe they’ll prove me wrong.

[AHOYBRAUSE]

Anthony Edwards dropped 41 points tonight to help his team get the win against the Grizzlies, which was their seventh win in the last eight games. They are getting hot as the season winds down. I still think trading KAT was the wrong move, but maybe they’ll prove me wrong.

Damn bro, you are living in the past, haha. That trade was like almost 2 full seasons ago now. I think it worked for both teams. Sure, on paper KAT looks a bit better and somehow he is of course also the person who is more fun to play with, just more chilled. But to be fair to Randle, he also had some strong performances.
About the Wolfes, I don't think they will go far. OKS, Denver and the Spurs are tough to overcome for them.

[Jostern]

Giannis returned from injury tonight to have a bad game and take a loss against the Boston Celtics. This is a train wreck situation for the Bucks. A shame that the NBA salary rules and trade deadline are going to force this unhappy marriage to stay together for another 4 months.

The Bucks played poorly, they couldn't do anything against the Boston Celtics. Their offense was very weak, and they had a serious problem scoring. It was like a European game; we saw very few points. Actually, Giannis wasn't that bad; his statistics weren't bad at all. But sometimes players on a team just aren't having a good day, and this was one of those games.
It was an easy win for the Celtics; their scoring distribution was excellent. Everyone contributed to the team by scoring points

You can see that in the first quarter alone, Giannis was really attacking the basket and I thought that they're going to win this one. But he didn't get that much help from his team mates and so his frustrations start to build up again in his comeback game.

For SGA's, yes, everyone is correct that he won't get that net value. But he has a lot of endorsement outside, being the former MVP and maybe bring his team to the finals once more, make his value and stock grow bigger.

The bucks needed rebuild but they have limited resources, Giannis has options, and bucks can move players but i don't think they have a chance even making it in the play-ins would be hard, if its only giannis they will just wasting time, but who knows.
OKC will make it to the west although there will be hindrance or blockage along the way, its not like the last time, there will be threats but i think they have the fire power to make it in the finals, but its not gonna be easy.

It was always going to be a bad game for Giannis considering that he is just coming back from injury, and he should be very careful how he is forcing himself because I believe he needs to be more careful with his playing style and performance, he just needs to settle with the injury and try to have more games time and fitness as well, this bucks team isn’t playing very well and that is because most of the players don’t have what it takes to play for the team I guess which is why Giannis needed a new challenge but the team haven’t been playing well enough and I think some changes are needed in the whole team entirely, the board need to have a talk and try to freshen things up in the team and with some new players as well would be good obviously a good move for them to make a difference, and it’s high time the team moves from Giannis.

[mirakal]

Damn bro, you are living in the past, haha. That trade was like almost 2 full seasons ago now. I think it worked for both teams. Sure, on paper KAT looks a bit better and somehow he is of course also the person who is more fun to play with, just more chilled. But to be fair to Randle, he also had some strong performances.
About the Wolfes, I don't think they will go far. OKS, Denver and the Spurs are tough to overcome for them.

The Knicks seem to benefit more from the situation, they’re actually getting better lately while the Wolves at times still struggle to find consistency. Good thing ANT has been very steady though. When he won the All-Star MVP that probably gave him extra motivation to push for more this season.

Winning the regular season MVP might be a bit unlikely, but what’s more realistic is making a deep playoff run and chasing a championship. That’s where it will really matter.

But the question now is whether ANT can actually lead this current team to that level. He’s talented for sure, but the playoffs are a different story.
Do you think he can do it with the roster they have right now?

[ajanwalker]

Charlotte has started another great winning streak after two losses. Tonight they added Dallas to that streak, winning the game 117-90. This victory moved them up to 9th place in the Eastern Conference. There are still many games to go. If they continue in this form, they could finish even higher in the standings. They could even reach the Conference Finals.

Charlotte plays very good basketball as a team. They are a young team and their success deserves much praise.

[Dave1]

If they continue in this form, they could finish even higher in the standings. They could even reach the Conference Finals.

Nah, that's too much of a stretch, their first target should be to move for a playoff spot and then they can talk of maybe higher goals.

For Celtics fans,

Jayson Tatum is reportedly closing in on his return from last season's torn Achilles, according to NBA podcaster and insider Bill Simmons.

https://basketnews.com/news-242226-jayson-tatum-return-date-announced-update.html

So there are noises around that Jayson Tatum might return to the game in the next couple of games for the Celtics. It could be a good news for them, although Boston is really doing fine without him. And he could be the first NBA player to come back from a achilles injury in less than a year. Let's see how it goes, I don't think that it could be back either if Tatum returns and disrupt the chemistry. They needed another help and we all know that Tatum is their main man.

[Shinpako09]

If they continue in this form, they could finish even higher in the standings. They could even reach the Conference Finals.

Nah, that's too much of a stretch, their first target should be to move for a playoff spot and then they can talk of maybe higher goals.

Yeah, I don’t see the Hornets going that deep in the playoffs. They’re currently the 9th seed, and even if they win the play-in, they’d have to face the Pistons. I don’t think they can beat them in a best of 7 series. And if they somehow move up to 8th seed and win the play-in, they’d be up against the Celtics. I don’t see them beating the Celtics in a 7 game series either. Their last playoff appearance was in 2016, and since the franchise was founded, they’ve never made it to the Conference Finals. Against the Pistons, Celtics, Knicks, or Cavs, I just don’t think Charlotte stands a real chance in a playoff series.

[fullfitlarry]

If they continue in this form, they could finish even higher in the standings. They could even reach the Conference Finals.

Nah, that's too much of a stretch, their first target should be to move for a playoff spot and then they can talk of maybe higher goals.

Yeah, I don’t see the Hornets going that deep in the playoffs. They’re currently the 9th seed, and even if they win the play-in, they’d have to face the Pistons. I don’t think they can beat them in a best of 7 series. And if they somehow move up to 8th seed and win the play-in, they’d be up against the Celtics. I don’t see them beating the Celtics in a 7 game series either. Their last playoff appearance was in 2016, and since the franchise was founded, they’ve never made it to the Conference Finals. Against the Pistons, Celtics, Knicks, or Cavs, I just don’t think Charlotte stands a real chance in a playoff series.

It's very tough if you are somewhat fighting for a play-off or play-in spot as you are going to face the #1 seed and as you have said, it's going to be the Pistons for now. Although there are teams that beat the #8 seed, the chances are really slim specially in a best of 7 series.

But it could be a great learning experience for the Hornets to at least go in the play-in and then see how they are going to perform. Maybe this experience will give them more confidence in the next coming years assuming that their core is going to be intact or they can add another good player.

[Fredomago]

If they continue in this form, they could finish even higher in the standings. They could even reach the Conference Finals.

Nah, that's too much of a stretch, their first target should be to move for a playoff spot and then they can talk of maybe higher goals.

Yeah, I don’t see the Hornets going that deep in the playoffs. They’re currently the 9th seed, and even if they win the play-in, they’d have to face the Pistons. I don’t think they can beat them in a best of 7 series. And if they somehow move up to 8th seed and win the play-in, they’d be up against the Celtics. I don’t see them beating the Celtics in a 7 game series either. Their last playoff appearance was in 2016, and since the franchise was founded, they’ve never made it to the Conference Finals. Against the Pistons, Celtics, Knicks, or Cavs, I just don’t think Charlotte stands a real chance in a playoff series.

Not that much in terms of firepower to win against those playoffs teams in the East, even they are really showing good performance but with those known names who's waiting for them if they managed to reach the playoffs, I agree that the capability is not competitive yet, as we know how playoffs contender teams play their system to move forward, Piston, Boston together with the NYK those teams are really playing solid and very competitive to move forward for the next round.