Duke Sizemore here, and the NBA just dropped a HAMMER on the Los Angeles Clippers: five first-round picks, thirty MILLION dollars, and a one-year suspension for owner Steve Ballmer! Here’s what we’ve got today: the Clippers sanctions, a Washington team staring up from number thirty, and an offseason market that did not budge.
Okay okay okay, start in L.A. The supplied league report says the NBA found salary-cap circumvention violations tied to Kawhi Leonard. The penalty? FIVE first-round draft picks. A thirty-million-dollar fine. Steve Ballmer suspended for one year. Those are enormous consequences, and I mean THAT. The investigation has generated fallout around the league, but here’s an important distinction: COURT VISION’s power market has not reacted enough to produce a qualifying day-over-day mover versus September 14. Huge news does not automatically mean a measurable model move.
Now THIS is the number that jumps off the page: Washington enters preseason ranked dead last, number thirty, with a 1312.5 preseason Elo and a 17-and-65 record carried in from last season. Look at how that season ended: six straight listed losses, including 129-98 against Chicago and 152-136 against Miami. Across that closing stretch, the spotlight data shows a negative 43.5-point Elo swing. That is a rough runway into a new year.
And health matters here. Bilal Coulibaly is out with a heel issue through at least early October. Alex Sarr underwent surgery to repair a fractured right foot, although the supplied ESPN report says he is not expected to miss the regular season. Washington needs that recovery, because there is not much baseline cushion at number thirty.
Elsewhere on the wire, Phoenix’s Mark Williams is listed injured with a left-shoulder issue and an estimated March 28 return, while Boston’s Devin Carter is noted as set to be waived.
And no manufactured drama today: the title-race data is stale, Summer League has no new games, and there are no qualifying offseason power movers. When the numbers move, we’ll MOVE with ’em.
That’s your COURT VISION Daily Brief. Five picks, thirty million bucks, and one gigantic Clippers story. Duke Sizemore signing off, and I’ll catch you tomorrow!