Bryan Toporek

Pete Hegseth: NO MORE FAT TROOPS

The Texas National Guard:

I wrote about OKC and the specific type of depth they have. It's not just how many good players they have, it's how many skills they can replicate.

fansided.com/nba/okc-pres...

A way-too-early preview of the Sixers’ 2026-27 salary-cap outlook Now that Quentin Grimes accepted his qualifying offer, we can finally preview the Sixers’ financial outlook for 2026-27.

Now that Quentin Grimes signed his qualifying offer, I was finally able to preview the Sixers' 2026-27 salary-cap outlook at @libertyballers.bsky.social.

Spoiler: Get ready for more hardballing next summer!
www.libertyballers.com/76ers-analys...

Thunder ship star sixth man Harden to Rockets The Oklahoma City Thunder have traded Sixth Man of the Year James Harden to the Houston Rockets, breaking up the young core of the Western Conference champions.

And my favorite non-Sixers one:

What if OKC/Harden came to terms on a deal in 2012 and never traded him to Houston? (They split up because of a $4.5M difference, which is absolutely insane to think about in today's terms!)

www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

Some Sixers-specific ones:
- What if they took Porzingis at No. 3 instead of Okafor in 2015?
- What if they never usurped Hinkie with the Colangelos?
- What if they didn't swap picks with the Kings in 2017? Do they still trade up for Fultz?
- What if the basketball gods didn't hate Philadelphia?

I got excited in the preseason when they were talking about using Saquon more in the passing game this year. Welp!

Kevin Patullo will not see heaven

My favorite part is that they didn't actually offer it, but they decided to leak the terms of their laughable offer anyway?

Paul George for Giannis, who says no

Johnson, Smith try to reward Heat’s faith. And Antetokounmpo/Heat fallout Johnson, Smith try to reward Heat for their faith in them. And the Heat angle to ESPN’s Giannis Antetokounmpo report.

"If Antetokounmpo had asked out, the Heat was prepared to make an offer that did not include Bam Adebayo, according to a source. But it’s unlikely any such offer would have been seriously considered."

lmfao stay gold, Pat Riley
www.miamiherald.com/sports/nba/m...

"AI, in general, has not proven itself to be as good as human employees in most fields. But it doesn’t have to be. It only has to be good enough to convince the employers in these fields that its lack of quality is more than made up for by its potential to lower labor costs."

Ja'Marr Chase, Tee Higgins and Chase Brown fantasy managers rejoice.

RELEASE THE FOOTAGE YOU ALREADY SHOT

I NEED IT LIKE I NEED AIR

Livin' on the Edgecombe
Darkness on the Edgecombe of Town (too real)
VJ Got Us Fallin' In Love

NBA Sliding Doors: The What-Ifs That Changed Everything Forget Oden vs. Durant or ‘The Decision’—these five forgotten twists altered the course of the league forever

Every dynasty starts with a missed train. For the Ringer's quarter-century project, I explored some of the biggest sliding-doors moments of the 21st century. (h/t Gwyneth Paltrow)

I think refusing to negotiate with Quentin Grimes' agent for three months was Good, Actually

Your prices will go up forever, but here's a one-time $2K payment that will maybe cover some of it. Enjoy!!!

The irony is that there is a TON to talk about at this time of year, but national media completely forgot how to discuss anything NBA-related that isn't breathless trade speculation

DO THE SIXERS NEXT, GIANNIS

Is that how you feel about the Giannis/Knicks report this morning, too? 😂

It was a dumb Hennessy ad, but it got everyone freaking out for a day thinking he was announcing his retirement

'The Second Decision': LeBron's cryptic post drives Lakers ticket spike After LeBron's "Second Decision" tease, prices for the Lakers' home finale vs. Jazz soared, per Vivid Seats.

A bunch of people just got conned out of a ton of money to watch a (probably) meaningless late-season Jazz/Lakers game, though
www.espn.com/nba/story/_/...

My 4yo very much begs to differ.

Guess we need to enjoy these years while we still can 😭

Can't say this wasn't completely predictable

ProPublica! All of the same great journalism, and (hopefully) none of the AI slop

As the father of a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old who is responsible for the AM routine... I would like off this planet after seeing this post.

It feels like a middle finger from Shams to the Bucks media members who've been questioning his reporting/credibility all summer

Mark Sanchez's Alleged Victim Released From Hospital, Long Road to Recovery, Lawyer Says The alleged victim in the Mark Sanchez stabbing incident has been released from the hospital, according to his lawyers, but has a long road to recovery.

Oh, Sanchize is mega-cooked.
www.tmz.com/2025/10/07/m...