NBA Season 2025-26

[Birdman]

LeBron comes back will hurt the Lakers, they better off without him

[Who]

Grizzlies coach (Tuomas Iisalo) getting some criticism for his offense. People are wondering why JJJ's shot attempts and scoring are down. Blaming Iisalo for not getting him the ball enough. Ja Morant blames a lack of spacing in the offense for JJJ's decline in shot attempts.

Grizzlies have 3 wins 6 losses. They rank 23rd in def eff and 26th in off eff.

Neither KCP or Jaylen Wells are providing enough shooting to space the floor for their stars Morant & JJJ to do their thing. No Z Edey or B Clarke yet so Jock Londale is starting. A reluctant shooter. Morant is a poor shooter himself. So JJJ is the only trustyworthy shooter in their starting lineup at this point.

Iisalo may face a mutiny in the near future. With both of their stars performing poorly, results are bad, and Iisalo also criticizing inconsistent effort. Plus Iisalo has a direct style of communication which may be wearing thin.

[Who]

Associated Press
Tony Allen arrested, faces 2 charges of drug possession

   

Now that?s truly depressing.  Sorry to hear it.

2000s Celtics have had quite the run with the law.   Tony, Telfair, Big Baby, Delonte, Rondo, Pierce...

Some details

"During the contact, a deputy detected a strong odor of marijuana coming from inside the vehicle, leading him to direct both individuals to exit the car," the report said.

Deputies searched Allen and found a package of marijuana on him. The officers also found various drug paraphernalia containing marijuana, which Hatton confessed was his.

A search of the vehicle revealed a cigarette box in Allen's passenger seat with a white powdery substance that later tested positive for cocaine.

Allen and Hatton are both charged with possession of meth or cocaine less than 2 grams and possession of marijuana less than 4 ounces.

Hatton faces additional charges of possession of drug paraphernalia and improper lane change.

This is not the first time Allen has been on the wrong side of the law. In 2023, a judge sentenced him to community service and supervised probation after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud.

He was one of 18 NBA players charged in the case.

I saw a report there the other day that Bassy (Sebastian Telfair) is in the same prison as Puff Daddy. Apparently, they are friends. A prison reunion.

[Who]

TA released a statement.

Said the drugs were not his. Never done cocaine or meth. They were the driver's drugs. Not his.

He does admit to using marijuana. Which he uses to help him deal with social anxiety.

"On November 5, I was scheduled to participate in an interview. My transportation was provided by the organization I was set to interview with. While being driven to the interview, the vehicle in which I was a passenger was stopped for a traffic violation. During the stop, law enforcement detected the odor of marijuana, which led to a search of the vehicle. The driver and I were both arrested for possession of illegal substances.

I want to be very clear: I was not in possession of, nor was I aware of, the illegal drugs found in the vehicle that belonged to the driver. I have never used cocaine or methamphetamine, and these substances do not reflect who I am or my values.

I understand the optics of this situation are not favorable. However, I have worked diligently throughout my career to honor my commitments; particularly to the youth I mentor and the community I serve. This incident does not diminish my dedication to that work, and I remain committed to being a positive force and leader.

I am cooperating fully with the legal process and am confident the facts will speak for themselves. I ask for patience and understanding as this matter is resolved.

Thank you,
Tony Allen

[Donoghus]

More troubles for Delonte. 

https://x.com/TMZ/status/1986777802889113705

[Neurotic Guy]

More troubles for Delonte. 

https://x.com/TMZ/status/1986777802889113705

I hate hearing about Delontes troubles. Really sad.  And this follows his draft mate TA and his legal issue. 

[Donoghus]

Jake Fischer
@JakeLFischer
?
25m
Sources: Victor Oladipo has signed into the G League player pool. The former two-time NBA All-Star was most recently playing for the Guangzhou Loong Lions of the Chinese Basketball Association, appearing in NBA preseason games this October.

[Donoghus]

Shams Charania
@ShamsCharania
?
49m
San Antonio Spurs star De'Aaron Fox plans to make his season debut against the New Orleans Pelicans at home on Saturday, sources tell ESPN. Fox rehabbed from an offseason hamstring injury and ramped up this week for his weekend debut.

[Who]

Dallas have switched Cooper Flagg back to forward for the last 2 games. Last night was a blowout loss to Memphis. The night before a loss to a New Orleans team without Zion (or J Poole or Y Missi). Not good.

The Mavs are hurting with injuries at the moment. Both AD and D Lively are out injured. Kyrie of course is still out. Also, they have benched Klay Thompson. Initially to put D-Lo into the starting lineup instead of Klay but now Max Christie is also starting ahead of Klay.

G: D Russell, Brandon Williams, R Nembhard
G: Max Christie, K Thompson
F: C Flagg, Naji Marshall
F: PJ Washington, Caleb Martin
C: D Gafford, D Powell

The big man rotation is light without AD & Lively.

Cooper Flagg's impact has continued to be light. I think Lively is clearly the Mavs 3rd most important player at the moment for how he impacts their defense & rebounding. It isn't clear to me that Flagg is any more important to Dallas than PJ Washington or even Naji Marshall. I think those 3 guys are the next 3 most important players on the roster (4th-7th). Then Gafford. Then either Klay and Max Christie.

I would have liked to have seen Flagg show more now that he has been switched back to his proper position at forward. Especially with AD out. No go-to guy for the Mavs. Good opportunity for Flagg. He had a good game against New Orleans but dropped off again against Memphis.

AD is day to day. So once he comes back and gets all his mid-to-high post isos it will be more difficult for Flagg to get offensive opportunities. Especially if Dallas continues the double big configuration. Even more so if they continue to start PJ Washington alongside C Flagg on the wing which is what I expect them to do.

Flagg is struggling to find his place right now. Not showing the level of talent he actually has.

Dallas struggling too. Now 2 wins 7 losses.

[Who]

Knueppel with 3 big games in a row

* 24pts 6reb 5ast
* 20pts 12reb
* 30pts 8reb

On the season, 2/3rds of his shots come form 3. He is shooting 40.5% from three. 44% FG overall. His TS% is 60.2%. 16.4ppg and 6.0rpg 2.3apg. 31.6mpg.

[keevsnick]

So Tatum and Haliburton are both going to be ineligible for All-NBA due to games missed. It looks like Jalen Willims and Lebron James are both unlikely to hit 65 games as well.

That's notable, because A) It leaves 4 wide open All-NBA spots. Wembanyama  will take 1, but still there are spots open for Jaylen Brown if he continues his strong start.

Its also of note because if Jalen Willimas missed all NBA his next contract will be 25% of the cap, rather than 30%, which greatly helps the Thunder's cap outlook. They already have Chet locked in at 25% as well. basically, well timed injuries to both Jalen and Chet mean they'll get their 2nd and 3rd stars at 50% of the cap, rather than 60%.

The Thunder as of now also project to have THREE firsts, including the right to swap with the Clippers who are just 3-5 right now. That team is just so insanely set up to dominate for the next decade.

[Who]

Cade vs LaMelo

MPG = 35.8 vs 33.3
PPG = 25.6 vs 23.3
RPG = 4.8 vs 7.8
APG = 9.7 vs 9.8
Turnovers = 3.7 vs 3.7
Stocks = 1.8 vs 1.9

FG = 46.6% vs 43.0%
FGA = 19.8 vs 19.0
3PT = 31% vs 33.3%
3PTA = 6.4 vs 10.0
FT = 78% vs 81.5%
FTA = 6.6 vs 4.5
TS = 56.4% vs 55.6%

Fairly equal numbers.