A month has gone by since opening night. We’re almost at the 20% mark of the season. And in
the Western Conference
Youth Deion Jones Jersey , some 14 of the 15 teams are still in position to chase a playoff spot.This isn’t really an exaggeration, either: the No. 14
Timberwolves are 2.5 games out of No. 8 and just 3.5 games out of No. 4. The No.
13 Mavericks are a half-game better and just beat the Jazz -- a 2018 playoff
team -- by 50. Four teams are tied at 7-7 at the No. 9 spot. Can you imagine if
12 Western Conference teams finished the season at .500 or better, with four of
them missing the playoffs? (Because you’re wondering: the East has seven teams
at .500 or better, and four teams essentially out of the playoff chase. If the
current pace held, the East would advance one team below .500 to the playoffs
while the West would send four teams at .500 or better to the lottery.)Who is
going to drop out of this Western pack? Most would point to the Mavericks (who
were approaching calls for tankdom a week ago but rebounded) and Kings (who keep
defying gravity). The Timberwolves would be a stronger candidate for a crash if
they hadn’t won both games since the Jimmy Butler trade with Karl-Anthony Towns
playing like an All-NBA center. The Clippers and Grizzlies have been the best
versions of themselves despite offseason doubts. The Spurs survived, and the
Pelicans are getting enough from the players around Anthony Davis.Injuries could
totally knock a couple teams out of the race and give us a smaller pool to work
from. So could unstoppable regression to the mean. But until that happens, this
is a pretty wild and deep race for the playoffs among the entire Western
Conference except for the Suns. ScoresWarriors 86, Rockets 107Hawks 93, Nuggets
138Spurs 111, Clippers 116ScheduleOn Friday:Raptors at Celtics, 7 p.m. ET,
ESPNJazz at Sixers, 7 p.m. ET, League PassKings at Grizzlies, 8 p.m. ET, League
PassBlazers at Timberwolves, 8 p.m. ET
Youth Grady Jarrett Jersey , League PassBulls at Bucks, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPNOn Saturday:Nuggets at Pelicans, 7 p.m. ET, League PassJazz at Celtics, 7:30
p.m. ET, NBA TVKings at Rockets, 8 p.m. ET, League PassOn Sunday:Grizzlies at
Timberwolves, 3:30 p.m. ET, League PassWarriors at Spurs, 7 p.m. ET, NBA TVFull
schedule here.LinksMike Prada with a deep dive video breakdown of Nikola Jokic,
the unicorn with the dad bod.The Rockets acknowledged on Thursday that they are
parting ways with Carmelo Anthony. Houston’s front office is trying to put Melo
in the best light possible, and it looks like they may try to work out a trade
that Melo agrees to instead of putting him on waivers for anyone to think
briefly about picking up before letting it pass. Draymond Green made a statement
and refused to answer questions on Thursday; Paul Flannery reads between the
lines of Green’s most pertinent quotes. Why the Warriors really suspended
Draymond: he cut too deep on the free agency issue. What’s Draymond’s trade
value? How the drama shows Stephen Curry’s cultural importance to the Warriors.
Nathaniel Friedman on how emotions work in sports. Brian Windhorst calls Durant
the most powerful man in basketball.Zito Madu on the simple beauty of teams
blowing huge leads.Kelly Dwyer on Jimmy Butler’s fit on the Sixers. If you love
basketball, you should really subscribe to KD’s The Second Arrangement, such a
pleasant email each day.Joe Vardon spent a day at LeBron’s I Promise School and
writes about James’ true legacy.Zion Williamson’s Duke dunks
Womens Matt Bryant Jersey , ranked.Part of the Magic’s decent start has been all about Terrence Ross’s triumphant return.Some awesome Kings fans are
raising money for Camp Fire victims. Help out, if you can.Rob Mahoney on Victor
Oladipo. Click.How the Spurs can fix their post-up problem.Imani McGee-Stafford
of the Atlanta Dream on how hard it is to play basketball in China.Unionized
athletes keep crossing picket lines.Be excellent to each other.Falcons cuts
tracker: The 2018 road to a 53 man roster The Atlanta Falcons could cut 37
players (or more) anytime between now and 4 p.m. on Saturday. When they do,
we’ll be there to share the news with you and break down what the cuts mean,
especially any surprises. This is always a sad time of year, because these guys
aren’t just names and jersey numbers, but players with hopes and dreams and
(hopefully) bright futures. The Falcons had a lot of interesting talents this
summer who probably won’t hang on to one of the better rosters in the NFL at the
moment, but they may join the practice squad or latch on with another team. I
wish all of them well, without even knowing who they are.Reports below, but
here’s are all the cuts we’ve seen so far.RB Malik Williams (Injury settlement)
WR Christian Blake C/G Jamil DouglasG Sean HarlowG Salesi UhatafeT Austin
PasztorDE Anthony Winbush DE J’Terius Jones CB Leon McFadden (Injury settlement)
S Ron Parker Falcons 2018 roster cuts trackerThe Falcons cut down to a 52 man
rosterIt’s official. 2017 preseason standout J’Terius Jones cutJones was one of
the most impressive players in camp last season for the Falcons, but he had a
much quieter preseason in 2018. He’s got the talent to latch on somewhere, so
we’ll see where he lands. Austin Pasztor, Salesi Uhatafe releasedAustin Pasztor
is gone, possibly leaving just Ty Sambrailo and Matt Gono on the final roster.
Defensive end Anthony Winbush, who had a sack against the Dolphins, is also
gone. Guard Salesi Uhatafe, who struggled throughout preseason, also got the
axe. Finally
Womens att Bosher Jersey , Leon McFadden reached an injury settlement with the Falcons. The team still has a ton of cornerbacks to sift through before 4
p.m. Saturday. Jamil Douglas released, Malik Williams headed for an injury
settlement?The Falcons will only be keeping eight or nine linemen, and with
Harlow and Jamil Douglas gone, an extra lineman won’t be the guy you expect.
Malik Williams, who was impressive last night, may wind up getting an injury
settlement, leaving Justin Crawford unchallenged for a practice squad spot or
the final spot on the 53 man roster. Sean Harlow set to be cutHarlow was the
team’s fourth round pick just a year ago, but he’s already apparently out of
Atlanta, per D. Orlando Ledbetter at the AJC. There’s still a chance he’ll
return to the practice squad. Team cuts Ron Parker, keep roster at 90Ron Parker
announced on his Twitter account that he’s been cut by the Falcons, leaving
Jordan Richards as the team’s fourth safety. Parker wasn’t going to get a lot of
playing time on defense and offers less on special teams than Richards, and that
plus his poor preseason play appears to have doomed him. Falcons trade for
Jordan RichardsNo cuts yet, but the Falcons made a trade for safety Jordan
Richards official. They’ll give up a conditional seventh rounder for the former
second round pick, who is expected to back up Keanu Neal and play special teams.
Richards is not an asset in coverage, and thus will be limited to early down
work unless injury strikes.
