AROUND the NBA:

[HoosierDaddyKid]

LeBron James will make more money from his Polymarket partnership than from playing for the 76ers, Front Office Sports has learned. The prediction-market platform is paying James $15 million a year under the recently announced partnership, sources tell FOS. James is not an investor in Polymarket, just an endorser, one source says. The length of his agreement with Polymarket was not clear, although one source says it’s an “ongoing engagement” with multiple “deliverables,” such as social media posts and other content. Under the deal, James will focus on promoting football, not basketball.

Front Office Sports

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Sad news here. Former Knicks first round pick Michael Sweetney has died, according to Yeshiva University’s basketball coach (Sweetney previously worked as an assistant coach at the school)

x.com

[SkenfromLMF]

Sort of weird, I am still confused by Kidd as I was when he was hired.   I did not like the hire.   I thought early on he proved me wrong.   His team played hard.  He seemed to treat the players like professionals and never embarrassed them.   He gave the players freedom.   Players seemed to like him.  But then, we had years were he really seemed disengaged.    When extreme measures had to be taken, he almost seemed like it was not his responsibility.    Then when players left Dallas it always felt cold and impersonal.   You will always have hurt feelings when you move on but it felt particularly cold by Dallas.   

Then after the Luka trade you had all these weird or hidden comments by him.  It was just exhausting.    

Whether he is/was a good coach is debatable.   What is not debatable is how bad things would have gotten if Kidd weaseled his way into a front office position.

THIS...
The one thing I missed from Rick was OOB and timeout sets. Rick is the master technician in those scenarios.
Kidd brought something else that I underestimated, and that was his ability to get early offense in transition.
However, once the game became half-court against an opponent capable of stopping secondary breaks into pick and roll offense Kidd's team struggled offensively.
You have to think Kidd saw an opportunity when the Luka trade happened/was brought to his attention. He had to know Nico wasn't going to survive the fallout, but he also had to stay diplomatic regarding Dumont's role in the process.

I am not sure I take the LeBron comments seriously at all. If I heard those comments from my star player, I let them go, fain agreement, and then talk about how certain star players have lost touch with reality - or at least the ability to be objective regarding their own reality.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

The Golden State Warriors will honor Hall of Fame head coach Don Nelson with “Nellie Night” when the team hosts the Los Angeles Lakers at Chase Center on October 6 in the Warriors’ first home preseason game of the 2026-27 season. The game is scheduled to tip off at 7 p.m. The evening will celebrate Nelson’s legacy with former Warriors players and members of Nelson’s family in attendance, special in-game tributes and in-arena offerings, including: All fans in attendance will receive a commemorative “Nellie” pin upon entry. Souvenir “Nellie Night” beer koozies for 24-ounce cans, featuring logos from Warriors teams coached by Nelson, will be available for purchase at select locations in limited quantities. In a nod to Nelson’s 1,335 career coaching victories, select eateries at Chase Center will offer the “Nellie Ball Three-Pointer” for $13.35, featuring three Italian-style beef meatballs with roasted tomato sauce, whipped ricotta, Parmesan, garlic breadcrumbs and warm garlic bread. As previously announced, the Warriors will wear a “Nellie” memorial band on the team’s uniforms during “Nellie Night” and throughout the 2026-27 season. Nelson, who spent 11 seasons as head coach of the Warriors, passed away on August 9 at the age of 86.

NBA.com

[david75090]

A nice sentiment, but in the American tradition, a way to monetize Nellie's death.

[Chicagojk]

tough luck for him. He still had another year left in college. Would have probably made a good amount of money. He fell in the draft out of the first round and his agent tried to get him to a certain team. I believe he signed an NBA contract, but now will spend the year re-habbing.


JUST IN: Atlanta Hawks rookie center Henri Veesaar suffered a torn right ACL. Veesaar will undergo surgery and is expected to miss the 2026-27 season.

[DallasMaverick]

A nice sentiment, but in the American tradition, a way to monetize Nellie's death.

That’s kinda how commerce works.

A buyer pays for something that has value to him, and the seller provides it at a price that’s acceptable to him.

[david75090]

That’s kinda how commerce works.

A buyer pays for something that has value to him, and the seller provides it at a price that’s acceptable to him.

One person's death is another person's money making opportunity.

[DallasMaverick]

One person's death is another person's money making opportunity.

Just look at the funeral industry!

[HoosierDaddyKid]

NBA legend Elgin Baylor's family is fighting over his estate, years after his death ... and it's getting nasty. According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Elgin's daughter, Alison Clayton, filed a petition claiming her stepmom, Elaine Baylor, is withholding information about her inheritance. Elgin died on March 22, 2021, at 86 ... and Alison said her stepmom, who was with Elgin at the time, didn't let Alison or her brother know their dad had died, and has since refused to reveal any information about the estate.

TMZ.com


This is such a shame this is happening to the legacy of one of the best SF's ever.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Clutch Points: Nicolas Batum has announced that he's retiring from basketball after 21 years.

x.com

[cow]

NBA legend Elgin Baylor's family is fighting over his estate, years after his death ... and it's getting nasty. According to court docs obtained by TMZ, Elgin's daughter, Alison Clayton, filed a petition claiming her stepmom, Elaine Baylor, is withholding information about her inheritance. Elgin died on March 22, 2021, at 86 ... and Alison said her stepmom, who was with Elgin at the time, didn't let Alison or her brother know their dad had died, and has since refused to reveal any information about the estate.

TMZ.com


This is such a shame this is happening to the legacy of one of the best SF's ever.

Going through something similar with my family at the moment.  I guess you really never know someone until money is involved.

[Chicagojk]

Things seem to work themselves out once games start, but it certainly feels like most fanbases and teams like their team now. It seems much more than there usually is. There are only a few teams heading into the season with little to no hope. It will be interesting what happens when reality hits some of these teams.

What players do you have your interest for mid year trades?

I think AD and Sabonis are two. Not sure where either wind up. This is a big year for AD. His last two years have been pretty meh. Can you help a young team look legit. That is what i want to see. It may certainly help his trade market too. Sabonis is probably cheaper. He has his holes in his game but is still a good player. I am having trouble finding a fit for him though.

What about KD? Could he be a secret trade guy if the Rockets get off to a slower start. The rockets are still toeing th line of being win now, plus win later. A slow start may make them reevaluate?

Who else do you see out there that could be moved?

[SkenfromLMF]

I think it is fair to assume that other teams/fans are looking at Dallas and contemplating a Kyrie trade, and as such would be one of the biggest names among guards that come available.
From my perspective I focus more on teams becoming desperate to make a move rather than a specific player (recency bias about being sellers of specific players hurts too much to even project that on someone else)
Garland and half of the Clippers might become part of a fire sale, and Portland has an obvious overload in the backcourt. Milwaukee will be interesting to watch in the east if they decide their situation makes more sense as a much reduced spender.

an even more interesting watch are the teams that are having to reduce rosters due to the number of guaranteed contracts. I could see a FO overreact to keeping the wrong player in a roster crunch and jettisoning the memory. Speaking of which does Nico come up among available front office personnel when those vacancies come up??

[Mavs2021]

I think it is fair to assume that other teams/fans are looking at Dallas and contemplating a Kyrie trade, and as such would be one of the biggest names among guards that come available.
From my perspective I focus more on teams becoming desperate to make a move rather than a specific player (recency bias about being sellers of specific players hurts too much to even project that on someone else)
Garland and half of the Clippers might become part of a fire sale, and Portland has an obvious overload in the backcourt. Milwaukee will be interesting to watch in the east if they decide their situation makes more sense as a much reduced spender.

an even more interesting watch are the teams that are having to reduce rosters due to the number of guaranteed contracts. I could see a FO overreact to keeping the wrong player in a roster crunch and jettisoning the memory. Speaking of which does Nico come up among available front office personnel when those vacancies come up??

I think they´ll more or less leave it up to Kyrie. They´ll try to compete via a Flagg leap and be cheap buyers for the expiring types like RJ Barrett/Herro /Lavine. If not, they´ll ask Kyrie whether he wants to wait till the summer to see whether the Mavs can do some business then or he wants to be traded immediately to a contender.

[F Gump]

I think it is fair to assume that other teams/fans are looking at Dallas and contemplating a Kyrie trade, and as such would be one of the biggest names among guards that come available.

I think Kyrie only gets traded if he wants out. His level of talent is too hard to acquire.

I also think Kyrie's willingness to be here will be tied to CF's play. If Flagg takes another big leap this year (as his history would suggest -- every time, he is a super-fast learner in mastering the next level of play), he will be all-star caliber and doing jaw dropping things, and I think Kyrie will want to stay to be part of it and help drive that to the top.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Brian Windhorst on Cooper Flagg: ”In all honesty, I feel like there's not enough hype around Cooper Flagg. I don't think people realized how breathtaking Cooper Flagg's performance was last season. He absolutely reminded me on an almost nightly basis of LeBron as a rookie. I really believe that he is going to enter the top 10 of best players in the league sooner rather than later. And that his trajectory is really right there alongside Victor Wembanyama's in terms of the future of the NBA"

x.com

[windjc]

Brian Windhorst on Cooper Flagg: ”In all honesty, I feel like there's not enough hype around Cooper Flagg. I don't think people realized how breathtaking Cooper Flagg's performance was last season. He absolutely reminded me on an almost nightly basis of LeBron as a rookie. I really believe that he is going to enter the top 10 of best players in the league sooner rather than later. And that his trajectory is really right there alongside Victor Wembanyama's in terms of the future of the NBA"

x.com

Brian must read this board. LeBron won a championship with a Kyrie who wasn’t as good as the one we have.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Brian must read this board. LeBron won a championship with a Kyrie who wasn’t as good as the one we have.

Disagree. Kyrie was much younger and at his peak.  We hear he's looking good since surgery, but he is on the wrong side of 30, and we truly don't know if he's lost a step until we see him play.

[Chicagojk]

Ouch

Kristaps Porzingis is out indefinitely to open training camp with a health issue, per Warriors. Another immediate blow to their depth.