Basketball Intelligence For 1/27/25

Las Vegas bets on a Jewell, are we still believing in Cleveland?, remembering Kobe, and more...

Jan 27, 2025

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*FEATURE OF THE DAY*
If the NBA is looking for a star to join the faces of its next generation, why not Darius Garland?
Ethan Sands, Cleveland.com

WNBA

PODCAST: EMERGENCY SHOW: Jewell Loyd traded to Vegas, Kelsey Plum to Los Angeles, Seattle gets No. 2 Pick
Andrew Haubner/Tyler Deluca/Chauny, No Cap Space WBB

BLOCKBUSTER DONE DEAL?
Jeff Brown, Storm Chasers WNBA Journal

Could the extra salary cap space allow them to go after a player like DeWanna Bonner, Tiffany Hayes, or even a reunion with Alysha Clark? Or maybe they go after another big like Brittney Griner, Emma Meesseman, Brionna Jones, Natasha Howard, or Elena Delle Donne (if EDD tries to play this season).
It’s certainly possible the team will try to build around their core from last season, minus Loyd. If Ogwumike and Gabby Williams return, the team’s starting lineup is potentially full already.

Five Out: To Rivalry or Not To Rivalry, WNBA Free Agency Fits and an Unrivaled Dilemma
Andrew Haubner, No Cap Space WBB

LEAGUE NEWS

Tom's Title Tiers: #16
Tom Haberstroh, The Finder With Tom Haberstroh

VIDEO: The Genius of Elite NBA Spacing
Thinking Basketball

Three Things I Noticed on League Pass: Backcourt Balling
Jared Dubin, Last Night, In Basketball

Cavaliers in crisis
Tom Ziller, Good Morning It’s Basketball

The Whiteboard: Are the Cavs and Thunder peaking too early?
Matt Moore, Fansided

This creates a problem for teams who get off to outrageously good starts. You want to keep the good times rolling but that might take a little more energy. And that energy costs you later.
You’re also probably in a high-outcome band of things like shooting variance and turnover luck. When those things start to fade, can you tighten up the rest of your performance?

NBA trade deadline: Best fits on NBA contenders for 10 key players
Kevin Pelton, ESPN

The 2024-25 NBA Midseason Awards
Micahel Pina, The Ringer

NBA Rewind: Predicting NBA All-Star reserves and remembering Kobe Bryant
Zach Harper, The Ahtletic

Kobe Bryant tributes: Basketball world remembers NBA star five years after his death
James H. Williams