Disagree. My condition was that he have all/most of his available pieces around him before sending him back out. They were pretty much full strength today. If he gets hurt when you’re actually in a game you can win, that’s football. Although they didn’t play much football today.

As demoralizing an afternoon for the Commanders as you can have. There will have to be a lot of hard conversations about everything this offseason - personnel, scheme, coaching - because you’re getting worked by a 4-8 team, you’ve lost eight straight, and your franchise QB can’t stay healthy.

Cutting Chris Paul late at night wasn’t cool, but great players rarely go out on their own While it would be nice for great players to remain with one team their whole careers, the reality is often far different at the end.

The optics of the Clippers firing Chris Paul, one of the greatest players in team history, suddenly and late into the night Tuesday were bad. But the actual decision is how almost all greats in sports go out - never on their own terms. In @theathletic.com:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/685...

The NBA fines the 76ers $100K:

How an NBA player turned referee created a new HBCU basketball tournament After playing then officiating in the NBA for more than 20 seasons, Workman kept his mind on hoops but turned his focus to helping HBCUs.

Haywoode Workman achieved a rare NBA double-double: he played in the league in the 1990s, then became a NBA referee for 13 years. He’s again forging a new path, creating the inaugural HBCU Hoops Invitational this weekend in Orlando. In
@theathletic.com:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/684...

The top of the ‘26 NBA draft is gonna be bananas. To me, there are six, maybe seven players with franchise-level potential.
And if OKC winds up with one of them, which is quite possible…Jesus.

The Commanders went for the win and lost, but it reminded them of who they were, and could be again

Of course the Commanders should have gone for two, and the win, in OT Sunday. They didn’t convert, but the process of being aggressive was the right move, serving as a good reminder of who they were last year, and would like to be again. In
@theathletic.com:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/685...

CJ McCollum isn't the Wizards' future, but he gave them a glimpse of it

CJ McCollum got on an epic heater (46 points) Tuesday, leading the Wizards past Atlanta, for their first Cup win. It was a reminder of what Washington could look like with a lead frontman that brings out the best in the rest of the band. In
@theathletic.com:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/683...

Wizards break their 14-game losing streak, and win for the first time in 10 tries in NBA Cup play over the past two-plus seasons, with a 132-113 win over the Hawks at Capital One Arena. C.J. McCollum goes for 46 points, on 10 of 13 shooting from 3. Alex Sarr adds 27 and 11.

Siri, when will the Wiz win a Cup game?

Many NBA stars are getting injured. Will the league and its partners dive deep for answers?

The NBA’s first month has featured great performances from expected (OKC) & unexpected (Daniss Jenkins!!) sources. But it’s also seen injuries to many of the game’s superstars. What can the league & its key stakeholders do about it? In
@theathletic.com:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/683...

Blake Butera’s age may be a sticking point — but, really, what do the Nationals have to lose? There is certainly no guarantee that Butera is the man for the job. But at least the Nationals are all pointing in the same direction now.

The Nationals are certainly taking a risk in hiring 33-year-old Blake Butera, who’s never been on a Major League bench, as their next manager. But after the last six seasons of error-filled, awful baseball, what do they really have to lose? In @theathletic.com:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/681...

Larry “The Big Man” Melman approves:

What’s today’s temperature on Earth II?

Nico Harrison got fired for trading Luka Dončić, but he didn't make that call by himself

Mavericks fans were never going to forgive Nico Harrison for trading Luka Dončić. They got their wish; the Mavs fired the GM Tuesday. But Harrison didn’t operate in a vacuum. Will Dallas’ owners, who approved the deal, face similar public wrath? In @theathletic.com:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/679...

A new stadium named after President Trump? The Commanders have better options Naming their next stadium after Trump, or any other modern pol, would be a cosmically bad decision for Josh Harris and his ownership group.

The Commanders, along with the decisions they have to make amidst a lost season, have to pick a name for their new stadium. It should not be named after President Trump, as he reportedly wants, for obvious, financial & historical reasons. In
@theathletic.com:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/679...

Commanders owners anticipate possible stadium name discussion Sunday with President Trump No formal request has been made about naming the new development after him.

Commanders ownership is expected to discuss the impending new RFK Stadium deal, and its potential name, with President Trump during Sunday’s game with the Lions. Our @nickijhabvala.bsky.social and I with details, in @theathletic.com:
www.nytimes.com/athletic/678...

Jayden Daniels’ gruesome elbow injury wasn’t bad luck — it was a preventable mistake After Washington's franchise quarterback was injured in garbage time Sunday night, it's more than fair to ask why he was even in the game.

There was no reason for Jayden Daniels to still be on the field Sunday night, after the Seahawks had dominated the Commanders for three-plus quarters. It led to catastrophe. And Washington has to do better building around its franchise QB.
In @theathletic.com:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/677...

Commanders in the ‘80s unis tonight. Very, very cool.

I was pulling for Toronto because they haven’t won it all in so long, but am more glad I won’t be up until 3 am until the end - even with Falling Back tonight.

Tanking is a blight upon the NBA, until you get VJ Edgecombe by … tanking Teams tank because it still works. Or, at least, it works enough.

Everyone hates tanking, and says it’s a scourge. Except …it still, often, works, as is the case with the 76ers, who went paws up to end last season and got gifted a huge talent in V.J. Edgecombe, who’s brought some hope back to the Illadelph. In @theathletic.com:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/676...

The NBA integrated 75 years ago with the debuts of three Black players The stories and legacies of Earl Lloyd, Chuck Cooper and Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton have been woven into the fabric of the NBA.

Wonderful work from @curlyfro.bsky.social and James Jackson on NBA pioneers Earl Lloyd, Chuck Cooper and Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, who broke the league's color barrier in the '50s, & are being honored during the NBA's 75th anniversary season. In
@theathletic.com:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/676...

Savages, reconsidered:

5) Augusta
4) Beast
3) Trey Ye
2) Fred
1) The One and Only:

a man in a suit and tie is making a funny face while sitting in front of a microphone . ALT: a man in a suit and tie is making a funny face while sitting in front of a microphone .

Annnd … they’re going to the 18th in Chavez Ravine:

Wizards (really!) have some promising young talent, but they still need some lottery luck

Wizards fans have heard this over & over the last 50 years: be patient. But, this time, it’s true: the Wiz have rising young players to build around. If Washington gets a top-3 pick next year in a loaded draft, it could be ready to move. In @theathletic.com:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/675...

There’s something wrong with my line… :-)

I still expect the Wiz to have a long season, but they may have two real pieces to build around going forward in Kyshawn George and Tre Johnson. George with a career-high 34 points, including seven 3s, with 11 boards; Johnson with 17 on 7 of 13 (three 3) in a rather convincing win at Dallas.

Outlaw tanking. Abolish the draft. Solve the NBA’s crisis

Thursday's indictments announced by the FBI, involving alleged gambling schemes involving NBA players and Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, again exposed the imminent and future danger the league has by not dealing, finally, with tanking. In @theathletic.com:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/674...

Will OKC repeat? Is Luka an MVP candidate? 24 questions for the 2025-26 season

The NBA is back, and that means it’s time to fearlessly forecast what will happen this season in my annual 24 Questions column. Which means next year, I’ll remind you of the three predictions I got right, and ignore the 21 I got wrong! In @theathletic.com:

www.nytimes.com/athletic/670...

A Thunder repeat? Knicks in the Finals? NBA expert picks for the 2025-26 season

NBA champs? League MVP? Flagg and Wemby impact? The …NBA Cup winner? Cats and dogs, living together, mass hysteria: our NBA staff’s picks for everything under the sun this NBA season, in @theathletic.com :

www.nytimes.com/athletic/673...