Ben Simmons tonight he looks like he's returning to form

15 points

8 rebounds

7 assists

5/10 FG

He's back

Him succeeding this year would be the most public positive case of a working professional taking an exteeended mental health break to the benefit of everyone

Is it safe to say to that Klay Thompson is just having a cold start or should the Heat lower their expectations on Klay Thompson shooting this season? Although he did performed good on defense on some possessions I’ve seen. What’s your thoughts?

LeBron James in the loss vs the Celtics | 25 MIN | 8 PTS | 8 REB | 7 AST | 4/9 FG | 0/2 3FG | 0/3 FTs | 4 TOV | 38.8% TS

https://www.espn.com/nba/game/_/gameId/401898407/celtics-76ers

This is not a joke. This team has no chemistry, has horrible coaching, has no direction, and looks completely lost out there. This team genuinely may not even reach 15 wins this year and they still won’t get a good draft pick. This is going to be a crazy year for them.

The Charlotte Hornets are waiving veteran Pat Connaughton, sources tell ESPN.

https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/e9a01510ee1ec

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7696385/2026/10/16/portland-trail-blazers-relocate-moda-center-nba-dundon/?unlocked_article_code=1.JFE.kMo0.Zeo4LDcMUvUk&source=user_shared_article&smid=ta-ios-share

As the Portland Trail Blazers and local government officials negotiate the terms of a new lease agreement to refurbish the Moda Center, the prospect of relocation has hung over the city. It is, ultimately, the largest bargaining chip the Blazers and owner Tom Dundon have and what Portland must fear most if the two sides cannot agree to terms.

Negotiations on a remodel and a new lease have been rocky, but the relationship between the franchise and the city seems to have rebounded since it hit a nadir this summer. Dundon even met with city officials this week at a Blazers preseason game, as first reported by The Oregonian and confirmed by The Athletic.

With a looming deadline to make a deal by the end of the year, the Blazers owner told The Athletic that keeping the franchise where it has been for 56 years remains his goal.
“We are working to keep the team in Portland,” Dundon said by text message. “That is the priority.”

That threat of relocation has gone unsaid, at least publicly, in discussions between the Blazers and the city. But Dundon has floated the prospect of relocation in private talks with league officials and other owners, sources with knowledge of the situation told The Athletic. Those sources spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the conversations.

The discussions with NBA officials were not an official request, sources said. Dundon was met with resistance during those conversations, and the league told him to focus on trying to make the Blazers work in Portland, sources said.

Dundon denied any such discussions occurred. “That is not accurate,” he said.

In his AMA discussion on the Lakers' subreddit, Dan Woike of The Athletic revealed what has been truly wrong and the key problem for the 25-year-old behind his shortcomings.

"The biggest issue with Dalton Knecht hasn't been shooting and hasn't been defensive effort. It's been processing," the Lakers insider and reporter claimed. "The way one scout put it to me that's stuck with me - Knecht's on-court IQ isn't strong enough for him to just think the game and he's not instinctual enough to just go play freely.

"Obviously, he's been in a tough spot with the org. since the Mark Williams deal, and almost everyone agrees that if it's going to happen for him, it'll need to be somewhere else."

Source: https://basketnews.com/news-257440-lakers-reporter-drops-major-dalton-knecht-revelations-ahead-of-looming-exit.html

(you can check the AMA on the Lakers sub)

From Lil Baby's podcast today:

"I think one of my highest moments in just winning a championship. I didn't play to win no award, when they gave me the MVP, they gave me 2 MVPs by the way, just for those, you know what I mean. But when I won, I was never expecting that. I didn't care nothing about that... It mattered way more to some people than it ever mattered to me. So when I won, you could see in my face that I was shocked. Cause it didn't change no reaction if anybody else would have won. But that don't always be the case when the shoe was on the other foot."

Video Link: https://streamable.com/v1hcxh

- Parl@y bets involving the under on the same player's statistics
- "First of" market; examples: winner of opening tip, an individual's specific shot, rebound, assist, steal
- "Under" bets on players expected to play less than 12 minutes a game

The NBA has held active communication with major gaming companies on tightening wagers in the aftermath of recent betting scandals.

The new list of prohibited bets join restrictions from prior seasons -- including bets on 10-day or two-way contract players, player props on turnovers, bets related to fouls, and bets related to missed free throws.

https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/27d0d76bf9c09

NBA commissioner Adam Silver appears to be upping the ante on the leverage game involving the possible future of the Seattle SuperSonics, multiple ownership sources told ESPN.

We say "possible" with care because Silver left owners with the impression that a Seattle expansion team was no longer a lock at last month's board of governors meeting. Silver even reintroduced the idea of Mexico City as a possible destination.

At the meeting, owners were told about at least one Mexico City-based group that has approached NBA expansion partner PJT Partners with a plan about launching a team and developing a new arena district there that apparently has caught the league's attention, several sources said.

Even though the league has announced it is focused on expanding in Las Vegas and Seattle, Silver hasn't guaranteed anything over the past year. Additionally, he has made it clear there is no assurance the league will add two teams at the same time, as it did with expansions in 1988 (Charlotte Hornets and Miami Heat), 1989 (Minnesota Timberwolves and Orlando Magic) and 1995 (Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies). There could be a separate timeline for the teams or, possibly, no second team at all.

As of now, two things appear to be hard facts:

• Silver is a full-go on expansion to Las Vegas.
• The league does not seem to be happy with the bids from Seattle -- yet.

A decision on a winning bid for Las Vegas is near, perhaps weeks away if not sooner. ESPN's Ramona Shelburne and Shams Charania have reported extensively on the three bidding groups and massive prices being floated around for the expansion fee and arena development.

As for Seattle, there are two known bidders, but the group led by Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena owner Samantha Holloway has long been considered the leader. The offers, sources said, are substantially lower than what the bidding war for the Vegas franchise is driving, which could exceed $10 billion. It is Silver's job to raise that price. It could be argued that Silver's No. 1 job on a day-to-day basis is to increase the value of teams. He has shown to be excellent at it, and naturally this is what he's working on diligently.

Breaking away Vegas expansion to get "losing" bidders to look at Seattle, saber-rattling that the league might not add two teams and trying to create leverage by considering other expansion cities such as Mexico City are firmly within this motive.

Let's stop short of the concept that the league could leave Seattle open as a leverage point for other teams trying to get arena deals -- the Portland Trail Blazers being at the top of that list -- because Silver is on the record saying relocation is currently not on the table. But it exists as a plausible, if private, reason the league wouldn't expand to Seattle now.

But it all comes back to the same base mission: Get the bid up.

Going back to Seattle, where the SuperSonics played from 1967 to 2008 before relocating to Oklahoma City, has long been a league wish. Doing a round of expansion and not accessing a desirable market with an established fanbase and arena goes against common sense.

Additionally, the league staying at 31 teams has a few prickly issues. Yes, the NBA was at an odd number of teams between 1980-81 and 2003-04, so there is a precedent for unbalanced conferences. But back then, there was no NBA Cup; a 31-team tournament would require a format overhaul. And despite the proposals from deep-pocketed bidders in Mexico City who might exist, putting a team there is the opposite of "ready-made." That concept's best current use is as a stalking horse.

One more thing ownership sources have pointed out over the past week is the expected $500 million to 600 million expansion fee windfall each team is projected to receive. One team ESPN spoke to is working off a number of $533 million, for example. Forget about that actual number but understand how closely this is being monitored and budgeted. Teams have been making plans for this money for a while, whether it's to pay for their rosters, to upgrade their arenas or to pay down debt. A no on Seattle expansion means hundreds of millions less.

Nothing as big as adding a new team comes without twists and turns -- and we're in one now. The bottom line: Lean toward an eventual return of the Sonics but leave the champagne on ice for now.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/50190888/preseason-intel-expansion-seattle-towns-extensions