2023-24 NCAA Football (Week 13)

Games I watched (some of):

(2) Ohio State 24-30 (3) Michigan

Tough game, back and forth action, Michigan was better but not wildly so. Both teams had moments of moving the ball but both had a lot more moments of rugged defense that locked everything in place for long stretches of time. As evenly matched as I've probably ever seen these two teams, would've gone with the Buckeyes at home but the Wolverines were the better team on this day.

Kentucky 38-31 (10) Louisville

Kentucky kept making the big plays and even when they gave up a hideous interception (ohhhhhhhhhh, bad interception) right after taking the lead in the 4th quarter, they came back and won anyway! I can't tell you how many times in my life I've watched UK give away a game, but I can count on one hand the number of times they've come back to win in spite of themselves! UK was okay this season, got destroyed by Georgia and Alabama (yeah, that happens), stung by a better-than-usual Missouri squad (shoot, really thought UK was ready to win that one), came up short to Tennessee (pretty normal) and a bad L to South Carolina (yeah, that one sucked); but beating Florida and Louisville is always nice, there's a bowl awaiting and our coach got some buzz at bigger schools, so pretty good season actually. As for Louisville, well, this knocks them out of the playoff but they weren't going anyway, so....just a wakeup call before the ACC title game, really. 

Top 25 

Handed their business

(3) Michigan, (5) Florida State, (6) Oregon, (7) Texas, (9) Missouri, (11) Penn State, (12) Mississippi, (13) Oklahoma, (14) Louisiana State, (15) Arizona, (16) Notre Dame, (20) Oklahoma State, (21) Tennessee, (22) North Carolina State, (23) Tulane, (24) Clemson, (25) Liberty

Won but did not impress

(1) Georgia

Dang, man, GA Tech is pretty sorry this year. Half effort is not the way to play at this time of year, Bulldogs. 

(4) Washington

You, too, Huskies. I get that your in-state rival is so lame you can't even get up for the game, but those are the most dangerous ones!

(8) Alabama

Crappiest Auburn team you've seen in decades....is no reason to let off the gas going into Championship week! Just because everyone got away with it is not confirmation that hard work isn't necessary. 

(17) Iowa

I kept trying to make the case that Iowa is actually pretty good this year (got stomped by Penn State, no shame in that and got ripped off by the refs against Minnesota--otherwise a pretty clean season), but then came this putrid performance against a Nebraska team that is no good at all. Sweet Ginger! This offense is awful! If the Hawkeyes beat Michigan, it will be one of the biggest upsets of my lifetime. 

Bad beat

(2) Ohio State

Hey, man, nobody wins at Michigan these days. 

(16) Oregon State

Hey, man, Oregon is rolling right now. Nobody wants to play them.

Not so good

(10) Louisville

Gotta beat the Wildcats to stay in the playoff chase (jk, you guys weren't in the playoff chase). 

(19) Kansas State

Smoked in the 2nd half by Iowa State? At home? What happened to the Wildcats?

My top 12

(1) Georgia (the best all season long)

(2) Washington (their big win was earlier than Michigan's and I think the Pac-12 was generally better than the Big 10)

(3) Oregon (playing their best right now--UW better watch out!)

(4) Michigan (two good w's (Penn State, Ohio State) and nothing else, why do they need to be higher than #3? (which will happen after Washington-Oregon play each other))

(5) Ohio State (tough L, still a shot at getting into the top 4)

(6) Alabama (their QB play has gotten better each week, still in the hunt)

(7) Florida State (never particularly impressive but they won all their games)

(8) Texas (nice team but outside of a good W in Tuscaloosa, what did they do?)

(9) Missouri (good team, not good enough)

(10) Penn State (good team, not good enough)

(11) Mississippi (good team, not good enough)

(12) Arizona (took a while but playing as well as anyone right now)

Championship week matches

(CUSA) (56.5) 

New Mexico St. @ (25) Liberty (-11) 

I don't know either of these teams but I'm intrigued that New Mexico State won 31-10 at Auburn; yes, Auburn sucked this year but that's still a great W for a CUSA squad. Is that good enough to keep them close to Liberty? I have no idea, but I will say Yes, anyway. I'll take Liberty 34-28 (New Mexico State and the over)

(Pac 12) (65.5) 

(6) Oregon (-9.5) @ (4) Washington

Game of the year (til the next day). Washington already beat Oregon this year but that is old news and Oregon is playing as well as anyone in the country right now. But UW ain't bad and I don't see why they'd be a virtual double digit dog on a neutral field (and I would consider Las Vegas "neutral"). I think this is gonna be a great game, I like Oregon to win but I don't see a blowout coming. The Huskies will have to bring their offense to keep up but I think they'll make for a spicy 4th quarter. I'll say Oregon 38-31 (Washington and the over). 

(Big 12)  (54.5) 

(20) Oklahoma State @ (7) Texas (-15.5)

Oklahoma State has a coupla puzzling losses (stomped at Central Florida and stomped at home by South Alabama) and Texas has arguably the best W of the season (a convincing victory @ Alabama), but otherwise their resumes are virtually identical. Yeah, Texas at Tuscaloosa--not trying to take that away from them--but Alabama's QB is light years better than that now, so if you're trying to tell me that Texas is some all-world championship squad because of that, well, I'm a little dubious. So outside of the fact that the Cowboys are clearly capable of mailing it in, what's the real difference between Texas and Oklahoma State? Texas is better and has been more consistent but I don't see them as 16 points better than OSU, who should at least keep the game close. I'll say Texas 30-24 (Oklahoma State and the over).

(SEC) (54.5) 

(1) Georgia (-6) @ (8) Alabama

Game of the year (hot on the heels of the UW-Oregon game of the year from the night before). UGA has been destroying everyone for a coupla years now, clearly we've all forgotten that shortly before this dominance it was Alabama that destroyed everyone for years at a time. Alabama's shameful #5 finish last year was a real wake-up call to all right-thinking Americans and their early season QB play was shocking! But our long national nightmare is over, Bama has righted its offensive ship and looks pretty damn good on the other side of the ball, too. Can they hang with Georgia? I believe they can. As opposed to the Pac-12 championship, which should be an offensive buffet, this looks like a defensive grudge match, I don't see either team moving the ball effectively and I don't see a lot of points coming. I'll take Georgia 17-14 (Alabama and the under). 

(AAC) (47.5) 

Southern Methodist @ (23) Tulane (-3.5)

Don't know either team, kinda forgot that SMU even played football any more. Tulane has bugged me most of the season but I think they know who they are and they should be way better than SMU, so I think they mush SMU. I'll say Tulane 31-10 (Tulane and the under). 

(Big 10) (34.5) 

(3) Michigan (-22) @ (17) Iowa

I'm puzzled by the line on this game: Michigan can score 35 by themselves and do you really think 3 TD's will be hard for them to win by? Iowa has a really good defense and they will play hard in  this game, but their offense is abysmal and its only a matter of time before the Wolverines break through: either Michigan runs up the score right away and mails in the 2nd half or its a grudge match field position game til the Iowa defense eventually gives out, either way the Wolverines are going to score and win this game easily. If Michigan loses this, it'll be the biggest shock of my college football watching life. I'll say Michigan 35-6 (Michigan and the over--OMG, bet the OVER!). 

(ACC) (47.5) 

(10) Louisville @ (5) Florida State (-2.5)

This line,  too, has me mystified. I like Louisville as much as the next guy and they will be bringing a for-real offense to this match; but Florida State is better at everything, has played a tougher schedule--and done better!--and this is the game they've been waiting for all season. And you're telling me FSU is only a FG better than UL? Why are you saying that? I think they're way better than Louisville and while I expect Louisville to score (though probably less than they've scored all year), I don't see them topping Florida State or even keeping particularly close. I'll say Florida State 31-21 (Florida State and the over). 

That should leave us with: (1) Georgia, (2) Michigan, (3) Oregon, (4) Florida State, (5) Texas, (6) Washington, (7) Ohio State, (8) Alabama, right? Undefeated Big 12 champ left out for a 1-loss Pac-12 Champ....yeah, that looks right to me. 

2023-24 NFL (Week 12)

Games I watched (some of):

Packers 29-22 Lions

Wondered if the Lions were ever going to wake up and get going. (Answer: No) QB Love looked pretty good for the Packers, suddenly I'm not sure if the Packers are underachieving or overachieving. The Lions have been good but they can let it slip away, would you be shocked if the Lions didn't make the playoffs? (Answer: uh...., a little) The Packers are getting better, not sure what the Lions are getting.  

Commanders 10-45 Cowboys

Snooze! Every Cowboys game ends up being 45-10, the Cowboys win some, they lose some, but the score never changes. This accounts for why the Cowboys are so hard to watch, they either win or lose in such decisive fashion that there isn't much to see. As for the Commanders they're just not any good at anything--indeed, they are the dreaded "mediocre": not awful enough to to just bottom out, not good enough to actually get anywhere. The Commanders are in the worst place to be in all of sports. 

Niners 31-13 Seahawks

Lost interest in this one by halftime. Thought the Seahawks might bring some spice to a prime time home division game but not so much. The Niners sucked the life out of them pretty early. The Niners are arguably the deepest team in the league, still haven't figured out what the Seahawks are. 

Dolphins 34-13 Jets

The Jets are just awful. The Dolphins are good (but I suspect not as great as we assume). 

Steelers 16-10 Bengals

How do the Steelers keep winning games? Well, in this case it was that the Bengals had no QB, but even still, the Steelers offense is so uninspiring.

Bills 34-37 (OT) Eagles

Fun game! The Bills blew another one, the Eagles escape late again. Look, we keep wanting to bury the Bills and I get it, they sure do pile up L's. But all these losses are their own fault and at some point you have to see that they are still better than all these teams they keep losing to. The Bills have been letting opportunities go by, if they ever start grabbing those opportunities, I still think they can win the Super Bowl (but I won't be thinking that for too much longer). The Eagle are blithely better than everyone else but they are playing a dangerous game: but waiting til the last second to get going each week, they will eventually dig themselves a hole they can't dig out of. 

The rest of the slate

Saints 15-24 Falcons

The Saints just don't seem to have a complete game in them. The Falcons are loaded with talent but need a real QB. I haven't changed my opinion of either team in weeks.

Panthers 10-17 Titans

Ugh! A terrible team against a not-any-good team. 

Bucs 20-27 Colts

Two mystery teams: occasionally pretty good, occasionally truly awful. This was probably a pretty fun game.

Pats 7-10 Giants

Glad I missed this one. 

Jags 24-21 Texans

Texans doinked the FG at the buzzer that would've tied it, these two squads are closer than you think. The Jags have been getting W's, but I'm still not sure about them. I'm actually much more confident in the Texans (though it is troubling that QB Stroud has added interceptions to his diet lately). Two pretty good teams that could get upsets in the post-season (don't be shocked: the AFC is mostly jello).

Browns 12-29 Broncos

This game was actually kinda close, bad turnover late by the Browns ballooned the margin of victory. I still believe (sorta) in the Browns, though obviously QB play needs to get more consistent, and still skeptical of the Broncos, though clearly they are playing much better on both sides. 

Rams 37-14 Cards

The Cards have had moments this season but this game doesn't look like one of them. The Rams are kinda not bad when they feel like showing up.

Chiefs 31-17 Raiders

Raiders started frisky, ended down by 2 TD's. Yeah....

Ravens 20-10 Chargers

I keep telling ya: the Ravens have feasted on bad performances by their opponents, feels like this was another one.

Bears 12-10 Vikings

Caught the 4th quarter, glad I didn't catch more. Still haven't given up on QB Fields, with two top-5 picks the Bears might could have something next year. Will the Vikings draft a QB or are they cool with Dobbs and/or rehabbing Cousins? Curious to see.

2023-24 NBA Bric-a-Brac (Week 5)

Signings

Ibou Badji (Blazers) signed to 2-way contract

Don't know him, guessing he's a nice guy. 

Jaylen Nowell (Grizzlies), Shaq Harrison (Grizzlies) both signed to 10-day contracts

The Grizz picked up an injured player exception for losing Steven Adams and so they had room to fill at the end of their roster.  Well, it is now filled. Will either of these guys get any run? Probably not, these moves aren't about bringing in talent but just paperworking the rules and regs around the roster itself. I presume these are just clerical moves.  

Waivings

Jamaree Bouyea (Blazers), Filip Petrusev (Kings), Duane Washington Jr (Knicks)

I wondered what would happen to Petrusev, and though it took a coupla weeks longer than I thought it would, we have our answer. He is apparently back to Europe and free and clear as an NBA free agent.

Bouyea and Washington....don't know them, it's just that time of year when rosters need to be shuffled.  

2023-24 NBA Bric-a-Brac (Week 4)

Waivings

Pacers bought out the contract of Daniel Theis

Personally I always liked Theis, works hard, gets no respect from refs, doesn't need the ball, definitely the kind of role player that every team could use. Well....except for the Pacers, apparently. 

Signings

Clippers sign Josh Primo and Daniel Theis to rest of season contract, Xavier Moon to 2-way contract

Clippers got busy filling out their short-sheeted roster. Primo needs to chill in silence for a while so that people can forget how he pissed everyone off. And for now the Clippers have more ball handling playmakers than they even need, so the Clippers is probably the perfect place for the troubled young man to get his game (and his act) together. I like Theis, I think he fits the Clippers. Moon has been bouncing around, keep getting dem checks!

Light week on transactions, would be a great time to start looking into, say, Most Improved. But, I'm hungover and I got family stuff going on, so the Most Improved deep dive will probably be closer to Xmas. Happy holidays!

2023-24 NFL (Week 11)

Games I watched (some of)

Bengals 20-34 Ravens

I found it curious that while Joe Burrow was grabbing his wrist and jumping around like he was on fire, no one bothered to mention that his throwing hand was swollen up like a T-giving turkey! Dude, he looked like he had a cartoon hand! And they're saying, "Hmmm....looks like he's in pain...." You think so? Looks like he should hooked to an IV right now! Anyway, another Ravens thumping where--come on, man--the other team's QB looked like he'd just been bit by a viper. I know the Ravens have a good record, I'm not saying they suck, I'm just saying their opponents lose more games than the Ravens win. Maybe they can keep that magic going, but I don't see how they go deep in the playoffs just waiting for everyone else to self-destruct--that ain't gonna work on the Chiefs. Oh, and if QB Burrow is done, then the Bengals are done. 

Steelers 10-13 Browns

How was that opening drive not a safety? QB Pickett had both feet on the goal line when he was tackled. And on the very next play the RB was clearly still in the end zone. I guess it didn't matter because the Browns defense more or less crushed the Steelers all day and the Browns' 3rd string QB, I thought, soldiered nicely through a tough Steeler D and a pack of teammates that refused to catch passes that hit them in the hands (dude, TE Njoku was making plays last week against the Ravens, this week it was like the ball had a curse on it or something, he refused to make a catch!). The Browns are now without QB Watson for the rest of the season but (unlike the Bengals), I don't think the Browns are finished. They've got a hell of a D-line, a pretty good running game and have already gotten more good backup QB play than any team can expect, so I think they'll hang around for a while as the Bengals fade and the Steelers prove that they're truly not any good. 

Jets 6-32 Bills

See? When Buffalo doesn't commit an unending series of dumb penalties, dumb mistakes and dumb turnovers, they're still actually a pretty good team. The talk of burying the Bills was premature simply because all their losses so far are self-inflicted and not the result of actually being up against a better team. As for the Jets, I dunno, man, they've been way more successful than I thought they'd be--and I was factoring them having Aaron Rodgers at QB! I just don't see how they get any more W's, they're worse than the Steelers at every phase of the game (I don't understand how they win either). If the Bills quite making the dumb mistakes, they'll be fine, in fact it seems plain to me they will be in the mix with the Chiefs and Ravens (and Texans?) well into January. 

Vikings 20-21 Broncos

Another week, another bizarre W for the Broncos. They play great on both sides, the other team plays terrible and the Broncos get lucky late to steal a W. Okay, keep riding that formula as long as you can, but if I was the Broncos, I'd rather just bottom out and draft a new QB. Okay, we've seen that the Broncos are not as bad as they looked early on but are they good enough to make the post-season and be scary? (Come on, man....) As for the Vikings, well, another week, another weird result. Last year they were the one of the most overachieving teams I've ever seen, this year they are the most unpredictable. Some weeks they look pretty good, some weeks they just get lucky, some weeks they just get unlucky. They're not as good as the Lions, but I suppose they should still be better than the Packers, so maybe they've got wild card potential. I dunno.

The rest of the slate

Bears 26-31 Lions

The Lions waited til the last minute to get it done against the Bears, not a good sign. Yes, division games are always wonky but a beat up mutt like the Lions ought to be savoring every opportunity to drop a beatdown and while they delivered some heartbreak to Bears fans momentarily high on the delusion of possibly winning a game, that doesn't help the punters that had the Lions -10.5! Come on, Lions, be the tough guy from the R-rated movie we all want you to be and quit f'n around!

Chargers 20-23 Packers

I think Chargers HC Staley is the worst coach in all of sports. If the Chargers went to a back alley in Calcutta and found a withered old lady that forsooth with chicken bones, they couldn't do worse than this guy. A coin flip would be right more often than this guy. The Packers got a nice W at home, you know their season isn't over, they can still get hot, I would not be so shocked. 

Raiders 13-20 Dolphins

Everyone keeps thinking of the Dolphins are that team that dropped 70 on the Broncos and I don't think they are that team. They're good but they're not great. The Raiders are definitely much better since they made staff changes and their rookie QB (McConnell) certainly has had moments so far, perhaps they've got something there. 

Giants 31-19 Commanders

Both of these teams are sorry and I hate myself for even knowing that they played each other. 

Cowboys 33-10 Panthers

The Panthers are the worst team in the league. Fortunately, they already have the QB of the future because they've already traded away next year's draft pick--which could be the #1 pick. Ooof! The Cowboys didn't even try hard in this game and they are the kings of pummeling bad teams. 

Titans 14-34 Jags

The Titans look pretty much done and their rookie QB looks like a rookie QB. The Jags are one of those teams that is more impressive to everyone else than they are to themselves, I think. When they stop talking themselves out of games, they'll win more like this. 

Cards 16-21 Texans

The Texans keep piling up W's and though one would like to see them smack around a second-reate squad like the Cards, a W is a W. And the Cards with Kyler Murray aren't great but they are kinda scary (which is why talk of trading Murray makes no sense, right?).

Bucs 14-27 Niners

The Bucs play hard on the road but they're not as good as the Niners. The Niners seem to be over their injuries (for now) and rolling again. 

Seahawks 16-17 Rams

Those NFC West teams never do what you think they're going to do head-to-head, right? Felt like the Seahawks were the better team but not on this day. What does this portend for these two squads moving forward? No idea.  

Eagles 21-17 Chiefs

Yeah, I'm backwards: I think the Eagles are clearly the best team in the NFL right now and the Chiefs are merely 'in the mix' in the AFC, where virtually every team is still in it. So this score doesn't surprise me. This is cold comfort for the Eagles, I'm guessing they would've rather won the Super Bowl, but, hey, you're out there to win every game you can and this must be something like revenge. I think the Eagles will face stiff competition from the Niners but otherwise I have no second thoughts about them winning the NFC again. As for the Chiefs, I dunno, man, Mahomes is still awesome but I'm not sure there's anything else awesome going on in KC right now; they may be better than everyone else in the AFC but they may not.

2023-24 NCAA Football (Week 12)

Games I saw (some of)

(1) Georgia 38-10 (18) Tennessee

I watched the 1st quarter. was instantly convinced that (as I figured) UGA came ready to play and was probably going to pummel the Vols and then I halfheartedly checked back in periodically. The Vols have reached the yawn-level portion of their season, I was never convinced by them this year but the schedule necessitated that they get some time in the top 25 sunlight. UGA is rolling, they'll be ready for Bama in the conference final. 

(3) Michigan 31-24 Maryland

I kept waiting for Michigan to take control of this game and they never did. Maryland was never particularly impressive and yet made enough plays to hang around and make the Wolverines sweat it out. The Terps finally fell so far behind in the field position game that their chances of winning in the end were farcical. Michigan did what they needed to do, I guess, but more than anything they were able to goad the Terps into blowing their best opportunities (meh, I don't that will work against good teams). 

(10) Louisville 38-31 Miami

Good back and forth game, I felt throughout that Louisville was the better team but it still felt like they could blow it. In the end, the Hurricanes had a series of dumb penalties (two 15-yard anger management offenses) that just killed whatever chance they had a comeback (seriously, this is the kind of late game antics that coaches will be showing players as an abject lesson for years to come). I like the Cards and the Seminoles may have lost their QB, so I guess I'd give them a puncher's chance against Florida State in the ACC final, but I'm not overly sold on Louisville or anything. 

Top 25

Handled their business

(1) Georgia, (2) Ohio State, (4) Florida State, (5) Washington, (6) Oregon, (7) Texas, (8) Alabama, (10) Louisville, (12) Penn State, (13) Mississippi, (15) Louisiana State, (17) Arizona, (19) Notre Dame. (21) Kansas State. (23) Oklahoma State, (24) Tulane

Won but did not impress

(3) Michigan

Their coach wasn't on the sideline and Maryland is kinda plucky, so perhaps I'm overreacting, but I was never impressed with the Wolverines the way I'd like to be this late in the season.

(9) Missouri

I've been really impressed with Missouri this season, so to see them struggle against a left-for-dead Florida team was kinda shocking. They rallied and sealed the W, shouldn't complain, but they're better than Florida and I would've liked to see them show that fact off a little more. 

(14) Oklahoma

I'm kinda done with Oklahoma. They had a nice W over Texas but otherwise they've been kinda overrated all season long. And BYU isn't exactly a world beater this year and the Sooners had to scramble to beat a team that isn't as good as them. The Sooners are on the comeback, this has been a nice season for them (any W over Texas is a good season, I guess) but the glory days of penciling them into the Final Four every year is still a ways off. 

(16) Iowa

They got jobbed against Minnesota, so what happened here? Scrambling to shoo away an Illinois team that inspires no fear at all? Poor showing, Hawkeyes, I expected more from the Big 10 Runner-up (too soon?). 

Bad beat

(11) Oregon State

The Beavers are ranked as high as they are solely because they still had their shot to beat Washington and sneak into the PAC 12 title game. Well, they gave a game effort but came up short, so that ranking can officially be expunged now.

(18) Tennessee

I've been done with the Vols for a while, they never had any shot against Georgia. 

(22) Utah

I gave Utah a shot at holding off the charging Arizona side, but it did not happen and the Utes got charged all over in Arizona. Good W for the Wildcats, disappointing end of season for Utah.

Not so good

(20) North Carolina

I knew they weren't going to beat Clemson. The only reason anyone cared is because the Tar Heels are still ranked, though that should've gone away weeks ago.

(25) Kansas

I struggled with whether losing at home to a conference (in-state) foe was maybe a bad beat considering that their QB got snapped in half last week--and, if they'd lost 42-10, I would've been more sympathetic. But the fact that they were up late in the 4th and couldn't hold the lead makes me less sympathetic to them and makes me think this is a game they could've/should've won.

My top 12

1) Georgia (they've been the best all season and they still are)

2) (winner) Ohio State-Michigan (yeah, the winner would be undefeated with a coupla top notch W's, worthy of #2 overall)

3) Washington (still in on the Huskies and on QB Pennix in particular, I think they're going to beat Oregon (again) and will give the (Buckeyes/Wolverines) a run for their money)

4) Florida State (lost their QB and though I've been a little skeptical, they have taken all comers and have only Louisville remaining, whom they should beat)

5) (loser) Ohio State-Michigan (1-loss Big 10 also ran is still gonna be better than most everyone else)

6) Oregon (I hope you have the PAC 12 championship circled on your calendar because it is going to be a good one)

7) Alabama (they're gearing up for the SEC showdown with Georgia and I say they've got a better shot than anyone else has had all year)

8) Texas (I'm still skeptical of the Longhorns but they are the last ones standing in the Big 12, so here they are)

9) Penn State (the idea that the Nittany fanbase is contemplating firing the coach--are you people insane? You prefer, what, Jimbo Fischer? Knute Rockne ain't walkin' through that door, folks!)

10) Louisville (beat Florida State and show us you're better than #10 (although if/when you lose to Florida State, you might still be #10 on my list))

11) (pick 2) Missouri/Mississippi/Louisiana State (I dunno, these last two spots don't matter anyway and I can't quite take Arizona over any of these SEC squads, just drop your least favorite of these three and we'll call it 12)

Next week's intriguing matches (a lot of upset potential games, but not many that are that impactful or interesting; kinda the worst possible week: meaningless to standings and rankings and a stay away for gamblers)

(11) Oregon State @ (6) Oregon (could be fun but I'm guessing the Ducks go hard on the Beavers)

(2) Ohio State @ (3) Michigan (this is the game; I think the Buckeyes are better but I'm not sure, we'll find out)

Colorado @ (22) Utah (can the Prime Buffaloes steal back some glory as their up-and-down season winds down? A double-edged sword kinda game: winning at Utah is a nice way to close the season but with Utah down the last few weeks, a Colorado victory might seem kinda hollow)

2023-24 NBA Bric-a-Brac (Week 3)

Trade

Kings get Filip Petrusev, cash; Clippers gets rights to Luka Mitrovic

Do the Kings really want Petrusev? Well, almost a week has gone by, they haven't waived him, nor have they sent him to the G League or made any public arrangements to send him back to Europe to marinate. Right now he is 15th on the depth chart, I'd say, and he can be waived or stuffed in a trade deal without much effort, so I don't see much chance of Petrusev playing for the Kings. But they did trade for him and they've got him, so maybe they really want him.

As for the Clippers, well, now there's talk that they have to make furious moves soon to shore up the lack of bodies on their roster....so why did they trade away Petrusev? I dunno, but they need somebody on their books and apparently they've got someone better in mind. 

Signings

Kevin Knox signed with Pistons for rest of the year

I though Knox coming out of Kentucky was built to be a filler-upper in the NBA. But he was never out of Coach Thibadeault's doghouse and spent the last few years bouncing around the league. Does that mean he's not any good? No, but it does mean he hasn't had much real development time. The Pistons are a youth movement, but they're also the 2nd chance team, so maybe he can find some playing time here. (By the way, I've never understood what was so great about Coach Thibs and the fact that he never liked Knox means nothing to me)

Gui Santos signed with Warriors to multi-year contract

I don't know who this is, but we've all learned one thing in recent years: stay out of the reach of Draymond's flying fists. 

Jamaree Bouyea signed 2-way contract with Blazers

Okay. The name is vaguely familiar, the Blazers needs bodies, maybe he'll actually play. 

Skylar Mays re-signed 1 year deal with Blazers

I liked Skylar Mays coming out of LSU, not surprised he's still around. 

DPOY update

Three weeks in but I'll go ahead and say your Defensive Player of the Year is going to be from this group of 22 (the current leaders in Steals + Blocks): 

Anthony Davis (Lakers), Ausar Thompson (Pistons), Victor Wembanyama (Spurs), Scottie Barnes (Raptors), Chet Holmgren (Thunder), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Thunder), Rudy Gobert (Wolves), Brook Lopez (Bucks), Herb Jones (Pelicans), Joel Embiid (Sixers), Bam Adebayo (Heat), Lu Dort (Thunder), Jalen Suggs (Magic), Evan Mobley (Cavs), Desmond Bane (Grizzlies), Marcus Smart (Grizzlies), Deandre Ayton (Blazers), Myles Turner (Pacers), Aaron Gordon (Nuggets), Paul George (Clippers), Daniel Gafford (Wizards), Donovan Mitchel (Cavs)