Filed under:After a lengthy investigation, the league suspended the Phoenix Suns governor for a year and fined him $10 million, but should have done much moreAlmost a full year after ESPN detailing an extensive history of racism, misogyny, and misconduct in the Phoenix Suns organization, the NBA released into those allegations that reads as incredibly generous to team governor Robert Sarver in its interpretations and yet still completely damning in all its accounts.The league’s long-awaited response—after interviewing hundreds of current and former Suns employees—was to suspend Sarver from...…Filed under:After a lengthy investigation, the league suspended the Phoenix Suns governor for a year and fined him $10 million, but should have done much moreAlmost a full year after ESPN detailing an extensive history of racism, misogyny, and misconduct in the Phoenix Suns organization, the NBA released into those allegations that reads as incredibly generous to team governor Robert Sarver in its interpretations and yet still completely damning in all its accounts.The league’s long-awaited response—after interviewing hundreds of current and former Suns employees—was to suspend Sarver from...WW…

Filed under:Justin and Rob are joined by The Athletic’s John Hollinger to discuss which teams are contendersto discuss which teams are contenders, kicking things off with the surging Utah Jazz (01:00). Later, they look at other top teams, including the Bucks, Clippers, and more (23:00).Subscribe: / / /RelatedPlus, Evan goes on a soda rant and Jack asks why Seahawks fans booed Russell WilsonMatt and Craig give out their own awards for the winner of the night, the biggest snub, and the best and worst moment of the night, and discuss who has the brightest future after Monday night’s...…Filed under:Justin and Rob are joined by The Athletic’s John Hollinger to discuss which teams are contendersto discuss which teams are contenders, kicking things off with the surging Utah Jazz (01:00). Later, they look at other top teams, including the Bucks, Clippers, and more (23:00).Subscribe: / / /RelatedPlus, Evan goes on a soda rant and Jack asks why Seahawks fans booed Russell WilsonMatt and Craig give out their own awards for the winner of the night, the biggest snub, and the best and worst moment of the night, and discuss who has the brightest future after Monday night’s...WW…

Filed under:Utah has the best record in the West and looks like a more dangerous version of last year’s playoff squad. But can the Jazz truly compete for a title? It’s within reach, if they meet this four-point checklist.Contending for a championship is a burden of proof. Any NBA player can say their team will be vying for the title this season, and an implausible number of them will. Reality is more selective; even in a boom year, only a handful of teams have a nontrivial chance of winning it all, leaving somewhere around three-quarters of the league to twist about in their shorted...…Filed under:Utah has the best record in the West and looks like a more dangerous version of last year’s playoff squad. But can the Jazz truly compete for a title? It’s within reach, if they meet this four-point checklist.Contending for a championship is a burden of proof. Any NBA player can say their team will be vying for the title this season, and an implausible number of them will. Reality is more selective; even in a boom year, only a handful of teams have a nontrivial chance of winning it all, leaving somewhere around three-quarters of the league to twist about in their shorted...WW…

The life of an NBA scout can lead down a winding, frozen road in small-town Lithuania, through the claustrophobic gym of a Rust Belt mid-major, or, on this particular occasion, to a pre-draft workout just a few miles from home. Chet Kammerer—a longtime talent evaluator with the Heat based in Southern California—barely had to leave his own backyard to satisfy his curiosity about Duncan Robinson. Over three years, he had alternated between hot and cold in his assessment of the Michigan forward, whose game had proved similarly inconstant. There were games when Robinson’s 3-point shooting from...…The life of an NBA scout can lead down a winding, frozen road in small-town Lithuania, through the claustrophobic gym of a Rust Belt mid-major, or, on this particular occasion, to a pre-draft workout just a few miles from home. Chet Kammerer—a longtime talent evaluator with the Heat based in Southern California—barely had to leave his own backyard to satisfy his curiosity about Duncan Robinson. Over three years, he had alternated between hot and cold in his assessment of the Michigan forward, whose game had proved similarly inconstant. There were games when Robinson’s 3-point shooting from...WW…

Every basketball team is slowly dissolving. Whatever it does best will eventually be unwound, bit by bit, by opponent after opponent. The most essential players on the team inch further from their prime, or toward the day they’ll eventually leave. Teams grow stale, or anxious, or agitated. The only real mystery is how long a team can last before it falls apart.The Rockets have gone to great lengths to stay ahead of that reveal. Over the course of five seasons, Houston organized a team around James Harden and Dwight Howard, streamlined its pick-and-roll by replacing Howard with Clint Capela,...…Every basketball team is slowly dissolving. Whatever it does best will eventually be unwound, bit by bit, by opponent after opponent. The most essential players on the team inch further from their prime, or toward the day they’ll eventually leave. Teams grow stale, or anxious, or agitated. The only real mystery is how long a team can last before it falls apart.The Rockets have gone to great lengths to stay ahead of that reveal. Over the course of five seasons, Houston organized a team around James Harden and Dwight Howard, streamlined its pick-and-roll by replacing Howard with Clint Capela,...WW…

Filed under:Teams are arriving in Orlando to begin the league’s restart. Here are the (mostly) basketball-related topics we’re pondering if play resumes as scheduled.The 2019-20 NBA season is a remnant of our former lives. Straightforward. Uncomplicated. The NBA’s restart in Orlando, however, is as surreal as our here and now. Throughout this week, teams will be flying down to Disney World to be quarantined, and announcing as they go if certain players won’t be making the trip after all. In a best-case scenario, seeding games will be held throughout the day in empty arenas, while players on...…Filed under:Teams are arriving in Orlando to begin the league’s restart. Here are the (mostly) basketball-related topics we’re pondering if play resumes as scheduled.The 2019-20 NBA season is a remnant of our former lives. Straightforward. Uncomplicated. The NBA’s restart in Orlando, however, is as surreal as our here and now. Throughout this week, teams will be flying down to Disney World to be quarantined, and announcing as they go if certain players won’t be making the trip after all. In a best-case scenario, seeding games will be held throughout the day in empty arenas, while players on...WW…

Filed under:Owners approved a 22-team restart plan, meaning basketball will be back in the midst of a pandemic and civil unrestAs it readies a return to play, the multibillion-dollar NBA has never felt smaller. Players are marching this week for George Floyd, a black man who was killed in the street by a Minneapolis police officer while three more watched, and against a system of racist, abusive policing that exposes this country’s foundational prejudice. They are marching, really, for the right of black Americans to remain alive. It is a matter of such obvious urgency that people of all...…Filed under:Owners approved a 22-team restart plan, meaning basketball will be back in the midst of a pandemic and civil unrestAs it readies a return to play, the multibillion-dollar NBA has never felt smaller. Players are marching this week for George Floyd, a black man who was killed in the street by a Minneapolis police officer while three more watched, and against a system of racist, abusive policing that exposes this country’s foundational prejudice. They are marching, really, for the right of black Americans to remain alive. It is a matter of such obvious urgency that people of all...WW…