NBA Season 2025-26

[Neurotic Guy]

Healthy Jays > Harden and Mitchell.

[Moranis]

Cleveland are the best team in the East.

G: Donovan Mitchell, D Schroder
G: J Harden, S Merrill, Keon Ellis
F: Jaylon Tyson, Max Strus
F: Evan Mobley
C: Jarrett Allen, Dean Wade

Harden can play SF defensively when Tyson rests. Let Merrill / Strus / Keon Ellis stay on SGs defensively. Harden has a nice big body for matching up against bigger SFs. He can do that better than any of those guys can.

That Cleveland backcourt no longer looks so small and easy to bully with Harden there instead of D Garland. That team looks nice.

I don't see them as that much better than before the trade.  Harden's healthier and  can really be a nightmare trying to defend him but I don't see him improving the D that much. 

Cleveland still has the issue of trying to get consistency out of Mobley.  A lot of talent that can't be depended on night to night

Mobley doesnt need to be as consistent as a clear 3rd option.  That was on3 of their bigger issues, Mobley isnt a 1 or 2 but with Garland hurt all the time, Mobley had to play up. Slot him in as the 3rd option and that is his sweet spot.

[Donoghus]

I just have to laugh

Shams Charania
@ShamsCharania
?
6m
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes has been suspended one game for pushing a Wizards mascot.

[Phantom255x]

I just have to laugh

Shams Charania
@ShamsCharania
?
6m
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes has been suspended one game for pushing a Wizards mascot.

I saw the video. Yeah it's fully deserved. Even Lakers fans are clowning him for it

(But yeah it's still hilarious)

[Neurotic Guy]

I just have to laugh

Shams Charania
@ShamsCharania
?
6m
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes has been suspended one game for pushing a Wizards mascot.

I saw the video. Yeah it's fully deserved. Even Lakers fans are clowning him for it

(But yeah it's still hilarious)

When will see the end of mascot abuse.

Mascots are people too!

[Phantom255x]

I just have to laugh

Shams Charania
@ShamsCharania
?
6m
Lakers center Jaxson Hayes has been suspended one game for pushing a Wizards mascot.

I saw the video. Yeah it's fully deserved. Even Lakers fans are clowning him for it

(But yeah it's still hilarious)

When will see the end of mascot abuse.

Mascots are people too!

Jaxson Hayes - OUT (Mascot Disrespect) 

[snively]

I think Harden is a big upgrade from Garland. Now they can match-up hunt with him and Mitchell. Lots of role players around them so the one ball situation isn't pronounced.  Tough for most teams to field two guards who can handle those two.

[Who]

Desmond Bane takes only 1/3rd of his shots from 3. That is strange for such a lethal 3 point shooter. Is that the Orlando offense?

Bane took 41% of his shots from 3 the year before (year 5). And he was at 46% the year before that (year 4). He actually averaged 46% of his shots from 3 in years 2-3-4. As a rookie, with less offensive load, he took 52% of his shots from 3.

You would expect Bane to be taking more 3s than that. Especially for an Orlando team that lacks 3 point shot making. He is taking only 5.0 three point attempts. He was at 8.6 three point attempts 2 seasons ago for Memphis. That is what you want to see from him. 7-9 threes per game. Not 5.

5 a game is solid volume but you want high volume when you are as lethal a shooter as Des Bane is. He has got to up that to 7-9 threes per game.

[Who]

Jenkins has been a regular rotation player for the Pistons this season while on a two-way contract.

After playing against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, the second-year guard has just three games of NBA eligibility remaining this season. If Jenkins exhausts that eligibility, he'll be unable to be active in NBA games for Detroit for the remainder of the regular season. In addition, two-way players aren't eligible to play in the postseason.

So DET are set to lose their backup PG for the rest of the season and the playoffs. I had not realized two-way players couldn't play in the playoffs.

Good news for Marcus Sasser though. I like Sasser. Good player.

[Roy H.]

Jenkins has been a regular rotation player for the Pistons this season while on a two-way contract.

After playing against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, the second-year guard has just three games of NBA eligibility remaining this season. If Jenkins exhausts that eligibility, he'll be unable to be active in NBA games for Detroit for the remainder of the regular season. In addition, two-way players aren't eligible to play in the postseason.

So DET are set to lose their backup PG for the rest of the season and the playoffs. I had not realized two-way players couldn't play in the playoffs.

Good news for Marcus Sasser though. I like Sasser. Good player.

Is their roster full?  Otherwise why not sign him to an NBA deal?

[Who]

Jenkins has been a regular rotation player for the Pistons this season while on a two-way contract.

After playing against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, the second-year guard has just three games of NBA eligibility remaining this season. If Jenkins exhausts that eligibility, he'll be unable to be active in NBA games for Detroit for the remainder of the regular season. In addition, two-way players aren't eligible to play in the postseason.

So DET are set to lose their backup PG for the rest of the season and the playoffs. I had not realized two-way players couldn't play in the playoffs.

Good news for Marcus Sasser though. I like Sasser. Good player.

Is their roster full?  Otherwise why not sign him to an NBA deal?

They offered him a minimum deal. He turned it down. He thinks he can make more money in the off-season.

Detroit have that bi-annual exception which they haven't offered him so far. I don't know whether that will be enough to make him sign or not.

[BudweiserCeltic]

Jenkins has been a regular rotation player for the Pistons this season while on a two-way contract.

After playing against the Golden State Warriors on Friday night, the second-year guard has just three games of NBA eligibility remaining this season. If Jenkins exhausts that eligibility, he'll be unable to be active in NBA games for Detroit for the remainder of the regular season. In addition, two-way players aren't eligible to play in the postseason.

So DET are set to lose their backup PG for the rest of the season and the playoffs. I had not realized two-way players couldn't play in the playoffs.

Good news for Marcus Sasser though. I like Sasser. Good player.

Is their roster full?  Otherwise why not sign him to an NBA deal?

They offered him a minimum deal. He turned it down. He thinks he can make more money in the off-season.

Detroit have that bi-annual exception which they haven't offered him so far. I don't know whether that will be enough to make him sign or not.

To clarify, they offered a two-year minimum deal. So in that regard, probably the main issue is that second year at minimum. I'm sure they'll figure something out for this specific year.

[Who]

The Mitchell-Darius Garland pairing faced persistent questions despite public support from both players. Only three NBA champions have featured two guards standing 6-foot-3 or shorter. League sources indicated both guards harbored private doubts about winning together, though Garland's representatives approved the Los Angeles Clippers trade.

"Both were leery of the possibilities," one source said of Mitchell and Garland.

Garland struggled adapting his playing style to accommodate Mitchell following the latter's arrival in 2022.

[Donovan] Mitchell specifically requested Harden, sources said. The 11-time All-Star's size, durability, and willingness to operate as a primary playmaker appealed to Cleveland's star guard.

Interesting that Mitchell specifically wanted Harden + interesting that he wanted a ball handler / playmaker alongside him to allow him to concentrate more on scoring. The size factor makes sense given the concerns with Garland & D Mitchell together.

[Moranis]

Rich Paul also told Garland and Koby Altman last summer that this would be Garland's final season in Cleveland for a host of reasons.  The local Cleveland media have surmised the 2 main ones are the Cavs being unlikely to offer a max extension and the other being Lebron's likely return to the Cavs this summer for his retirement tour year. 

There are also rumors that Garland may be done for the year.