Welcome back to Basketball Home, your ultimate shortcut to being the most informed fan in the arena.

It is November twenty fourth, and well, if you thought the season usually slows down before the holiday rush, you were dead wrong.

All completely wrong.

The basketball world is spinning faster than ever.

It really is.

We're spanning everything from career announcements in the NBA to these revolutionary cash fuel tournaments that are defining the NCAA landscape.

That's absolutely right.

We are hitting a really critical inflection point right now in college hoops.

The major multi team tournaments, the mtes, they're kicking off right most notably that Massive Players Era Festival in Vegas, which we'll get into.

And for those who don't know, mtes are basically these early season events, you know, round robin, are bracketed to give teams high major exposure before conference play.

And meanwhile, in the NBA you've got cornerstone players announcing the end of their careers, major injury returns about to shift the power balance, and that front office trade machine is already running hot.

It is hot.

So our mission today is to break down every critical nugget of information from a Legend's final bow to why a team like the Celtics, needs a simple, non shooting center to really unlock their offense.

Yeah, we're covering career defining announcements.

Will analyze the collect performances and surprising upsets from the weekend and really get into the strategic and financial implications driving both leagues.

It's the intersection of legacy strategy and just pure chaos and some pretty serious off court news we need to address too.

We're here to sort it all out for you.

So let's start with a necessary moment of respect for one of the greatest point guards of all time and his final timeline.

Yeah, we have to.

We have the stunning, though maybe anticipated news confirming Chris Paul's retirement timeline.

This isn't a rumor, Nope.

The point god currently with the Clippers has announced he plans to hang him up after the twenty twenty five to twenty six season.

That will be his twenty first year in the league.

I mean that is twenty one years.

That truly puts him in the rairest of air.

You're ranking alongside Dirk Novinsky, Vince Carter.

That kind of longevity and commitment at in a late.

Level, the word legend, you know, it gets thrown around too easily, but for Chris Paul, it absolutely fits all for sure.

We're talking about a player whose strategic vision fundamentally changed the geometry of the game for multiple franchises.

He wasn't just a stats accumulator.

He was a culture setter, right.

Remember he was the two thousand and five six Rookie of the Year and since then twelve All Star selections spanning what the Hornets, Clippers, Rockets, thunder Suns, Warrior, Spurs.

He elevated every single team he played for, and.

His impact was felt on both ends of the floor too.

He wasn't just this offensive maestro dictating pace.

He made the All Defensive team nine times nion times.

That consistent two way play is what separates him from so many other elite playmakers.

And if you look at the all times statistical context, this is where you really grasped his historical position.

I mean, especially when you consider the style of back basketball he played.

Paul, at forty years old, ranked second in NBA history in both steals and assists.

Wow.

To be second only to John Stockton, a player whose career totals seemed untouchable for decades is just astonishing.

It really is.

Six times he led the NBO in steals, five times he led in assists.

The statistical reliability is insane.

We're talking sixteen point nine points, nine point two assists, four rebounds, and two steals across more than thirteen hundred games.

And beyond the numbers, his signature was that mid range jumper and the ability to just slow the game down, Yes, forcing the defense to play on his terms.

That patient, calculated style is becoming so much rarer in today's three point focused NBA.

It's a lost start.

I always appreciate hearing the reactions from his contemporaries, and Lebron James, who has battled Paul for two decades, had a really emotional take on this, calling this here his last hurrah.

It sounds like Lebron really understands the way of this.

He absolutely does, especially since Lebron himself is setting new standards for age and performance.

Lebron emphasized that he just hopes Paul finds complete joy in this final chapter.

He stressed that he shouldn't look back and regret not taking advantage of every single moment.

He noted that Paul is happy being back in Los Angeles, which clearly weighed heavily on his decision, and Lebron concluded by saying, Paul has nothing to hang his head about and has done pretty much everything this league has to offer.

That's just a huge acknowledgment of their intertwined careers and that mutual respect, especially given their history as part of the Banana.

Boat crew exactly.

And speaking of that rivalry, here's a piece of trivia that always surprises people.

I like this.

Despite Lebron's overall dominance in the regular season, Chris Paul actually leads the head to head record against James eighteen seventeen.

It's so close, but it just shows how competitive those matchups were, and their only playoff.

Series matchup I remember it well twenty twenty one.

Twenty twenty one, the Phoenix Suns, led by Paul, beat Lebron's Lakers four two.

That's a testament to see Three's fierce competitiveness even in the twilight of his career.

You can anticipate some incredibly intense basketball in the final four scheduled meetings between those two LA rivals this season.

Every one of those battles will carry historic weight.

Now definitely, okay, moving from a career drawing to a close to a crucial return.

The Miami Heat are about to get a major shot of adrenaline right as they are hitting their stride.

The Heat are already rolling.

They're sitting at eleven to six, riding a strong four game win streak.

But the real news is the imminent return of Tyler Harrow.

Sources are telling us he is expected to make his twenty twenty five twenty six season debut this Monday night against Dallas Mavericks, pending any last minute setbacks.

And Hero has been out since late September had that ankle surgery.

The team's been fantastic without him, already averaging nearly on hundred and twenty five points per game.

So here's my challenge for you.

The Heater are already keeik efficient, leading the league in scoring.

What risk is there in adding a high usage player back into an already humming offense and why does Harrow uniquely accelerate them further?

That is a critical question, and it speaks directly to Eric Spolstra's philosophy.

The risk is disruption, but the reward is immense versatility and relief.

The Heat are averaging one hundred and twenty four point nine points shooting forty eight point two percent.

Haro doesn't just fill a gap, he provides an elite shot creator who can handle defensive pressure when Jimmy Butler or bam Adebayo are resting or facing double teams.

So he's not just the score, he's a pressure valve exactly.

You recall his twenty twenty four to twenty four to twenty five All Star season averages twenty three point nine points, five point two rebounds, five point five assists, all while maintaining a stellar fifty six point three effective field bual percentage.

That's efficient.

When Harrow returns, he takes significant ball handling and playmaking duties away from the secondary guards, allowing them to just focus on defense and spot up shooting.

It means the Heat can generate high quality offense with their second unit, which is crucial in a long playoff run.

So his return signals that Miami is moving from good start mode to contender lock in mode even before the All Star break.

That's it, okay.

Speaking of missing star power, let's pivot to a Western Conference surprise the Houston Rockets, the ten to four Rockets, who are performing shockingly.

Well way above expectation.

Yes, just one game shy of the West's second seed.

They are dealing with a short term loss of Kevin Durant.

Yeah, Durant's gonna miss two absolutely key upcoming games to attend to a family matter, which is certainly understandable, of course, but strategically the timing is rough.

Monday they face his former team, the Phoenix Suns, and Wednesday they face this other former team, the Golden State Warriors.

Durant's impact in Houston this season has been immediate and transformative.

He's averaging twenty four point six points, four point eight rebounds, three point three assess He provides that veteran shock creation and stability that was really the last piece of the puzzle for this talented but very young core.

So losing twenty five points of isolations scoring for two games against playoff cal her opponents is brutal.

Who steps up to fill that void?

I mean, especially given that Durant offers a level of scoring gravity no one else on that roster can match.

Well.

The offensive load falls squarely onto the shoulders of Alpur and seng Gun, but he has to carry it differently.

Durant provides pure bucket getting seng Gun provides creation through the post and passing.

Seng Gun is having an incredible season, averaging twenty two point seven points, ten boards, and seven point three assists.

His playmaking from the high or low post will be the Rocket's primary offensive engine.

Now, and who do you think takes Durant's starting.

Spot in terms of replacing him in the lineup, The most likely candidate is Reed Shepherd, the young guard from Kentucky who has just been fantastic off the bench.

He's a perimeter specialist.

Jeffer's the perfect candidate to shift the team's attack slightly right, yeah, offering that floor spacing exactly.

He's coming off a career high twenty seven points against the Nuggets.

Recently, he's averaging thirteen point six points and three point one assists in less than twenty four minutes a game, and he's an elite perimeter shooter hitting forty eight point eight pet from three Wow.

So without Durant, the team doesn't try to find another isoscorer.

They just maximize the gravity of seng Gun in the post and surround him with shooters.

So, if that's the strategic approach, the predicted starting lineup without Durant is probably Shepherd at point, Emon Thompson at shooting guard, Jabari Smith Junior at small forward, Seng Gun at power forward, and maybe Steven Adams at center.

That lineup prioritizes floor spacing and rebounding.

It aims to run the offense through the flow generated by seng Gun.

Jabari Smith Junior is also shooting well from deep, and even Sengun is highly efficient from outside.

This will be a great early test for coach Emai Udoka's young core to show Durant that they can stabilize the team and find ways to win in his absence.

Well.

The Lakers also survived a major scare and an injury in their weekend action.

They beat the Utah Jazz one o eight, one oh six.

That's their second win over the Jazz this week, moving them to an impressive twelve to four overall.

It was far from a convincing victory, though, and we saw some physiologne trauma.

Luka Doncic led the team with thirty three points, eleven rebounds in eight assists, nearly hitting that triple double, but he admitted after the game that his legs felt tired after a four day break.

Really yeah, it led to a rough ten for twenty four shooting night.

He specifically noted he was taking a lot of short shots, which indicates his lift and explosiveness were just blacking.

That seems so counterintuitive in theory, four days off should revitalize a star, especially this early in the season.

Why would that lead to fatigue.

It's a classic case of disrupted rhythm.

When athletes are in peak game shape, a sudden long break can actually tighten the muscles and affect the neural pathways that dictate explosiveness.

Ah Doncich has such a high usage rate that his body is used to operating under constant stress.

Four days of relative rest can sometimes lead to stiffness when they jump back into competitive action.

He thought the time off would make things easier, but instead, he said it felt harder.

An old team struggled right, just forty four percent from the field and a dismal twenty six percent from three.

Yeah, they relied heavily on Luca's output.

And what about the other legend on that Lakers roster Lebron James.

He's setting an unprecedented standard just by being on the court for his twenty third season, Lebron.

At age forty, played thirty four minutes in that contest, and he was brutally honest afterward.

He said that this past week specifically was kind of like my training camp for me to be honest.

Wow.

He missed the first fourteen regular season games while rehabbing sciatica, so he never got the benefit of training camp or a preseason ramp up.

Calling the middle of November his training camp is a remarkable admission.

What does that tell you about how the Lakers are managing his workload moving forward?

It's just two things.

First, he is operating under less than ideal physical circumstances, which means Reddick has to be strategic about maximizing his limited availability.

Second, the Lakers likely view this entire first quarter of the season as his gradual wrap up.

The team knows they need him healthy and June, so even if they struggle slightly now, those thirty two to thirty four minutes he's playing are building the necessary physical foundation that he missed in October.

And he's been remarkably efficient despite the lack of base conditioning.

Incredibly dishing out twenty total assists against just three turnovers in his two appearances.

Since returning.

But the major concern from that win against Utah, however, is the injury suffered by their center DeAndre Ayton.

That's a potentially significant front court blow.

Right before they play the Clippers, Ayton suffered a right knee contusion in the first half after colliding with Ace Bailey, and that forced him out for the second half.

Coach JJ Reddick didn't speculate on the severity, but he delivered the classic next man up message.

Aiden's having a really underappreciated start to his Lakers tenure, isn't he If he has ruled out for any significant time, who steps into that center rotation and how does that change the team's defensive structure.

He is incredibly underappreciated.

Ayton, who signed that two year, sixteen million dollar deal this offseat and is averaging fifteen point five points and eight point four rebounds.

He's already put up four twenty to ten games, matching his total from all of last year.

His health is crucial, so who's next up.

If he's out?

Reddick feels confident in his options, mainly Jackson Hayes and Maxi Kleeber, and this is where the strategic choice comes in, Right Hayes is purely a rim runner, preferring the dunker spot providing verticality, which might work well with Donjic's passing.

Kleeber offers floor spacing with his three point shooting, which pulls the opposing center out of the paint, benefiting Lebron and Doncic's driving lanes.

So the choice between them really dictates whether the Lakers prioritize rem protection with Hayes or floor spacing with Kleeber exactly.

Okay, Let's quickly wrap up a couple of other key NBA weekend results, starting with the Phoenix Suns.

Phoenix secured their third straight victory, beating the San Antonio Spurs one eleven, one oh two.

What's noteworthy here is that Phoenix overcame an eleven point deficit in the second quarter by absolutely locking down defensively and unleashing a dot dominent thirty seven to twenty four to third quarter run.

And Devin Booker just took over in that third quarter.

He did with eleven points in that period alone.

And Dylan Brooks, an offseason acquisition, is really stepping up as a key secondary scorer too.

Brooks led Phoenix with twenty five points.

Bookers outed twenty four and they needed every one of those points because the Spurs were severely undermanned.

Victor wm Banyama is still out with that left calf strain, expected to miss at least another week.

They were also without starting forward Steffan Castle and the rookie second overall pick Dylan Harper, also due to a left calf strain.

So even though the Sons were missing key players themselves Jalen Green, Grace and Allen and Ryan Dunn, they managed to rally and win.

That shows their improved mental toughness under Frank Vogel it does.

Over the Northwest, the Oklahoma City Thunder continued their absolute dominance.

They delivered a decisive statement blowing out the Portland Trailblazers one two ninety five, and this win served as sweet revenge for the Thunder as Portland was responsible for their only lost the season back on November fifth.

So now Okase is seventeen to one, best record in the NBA.

And they're doing it with consistency raining.

MVP Shy Gilgess Alexander was just unstoppable, But what was the key difference in his approach?

This time?

He set the tone early, he focused heavily on attacking the paint, not settling for jumpers.

Eight of his ten first half field goals came inside the arc, and he finished with thirty seven points in just thirty minutes.

Wow.

The Thunder absolutely owned the paint, racking up fifty eight points there.

Conversely, the Blazer struggled terribly, shooting a season worse thirty six point three percent overall and twelve for forty seven from three.

Jeremy Grant led Portland with twenty one, but the lack of perimeter threat just allowed the Thunder to clog the paint and force tough shots.

And finally, we saw a tight battle in the Southeast Division between the Hawks and the Hornets that required some clutch heroics.

The Atlanta Hawks just edged out a short handed Charlotte Hornets team one thirteen, one ten thanks to a huge night from Nikyle Alexander Walker.

He scored twenty three points, but his clutch performance was what sealed it.

Right.

He hit the game winning layup with under two minutes left.

Made it one eleven, one ten, and then he stripped rookie Con Mupple of the ball with only six seconds remaining to preserve the victory.

That's just pure defensive execution in a high pressure moment.

It's a great individual effort.

But the sustained story here for the Hawks might be the continued descent of Jalen Johnson.

Oh Absolutely, Johnson had twenty eight points, eleven assists, and eight rebounds, which is truly remarkable, especially for a player who was once viewed primarily as just a rebounder.

And that performance means he has now tallied fifteen plus points, five plus rebounds, and five plus assists in eight consecutive games.

Eight straight, and that breaks a franchise record said way back in nineteen sixty five by the late Lenny Wilkins.

The fact that he's surpassing a record held by a Hall of Famer like Wilkins speaks to his immersions as a true point forward in the modern NBA.

And the Hornets, despite missing six key plays including Lavella Ball and Brandon Miller, still pushed Atlanta to the absolute limit.

They did thanks largely to rookie Kuhn Muppele, who had a standout night for them, scoring twenty eight points, including seven three pointers.

He even had a four point play late to give Charlotte, a temporary.

Lead, a gutsy effort from a depleted squad, but ultimately Alexander Walker's veteran defense just shut the door.

It did.

Okay, let's unpack this shift in the league.

We've seen the games.

Now, let's talk strategy and the intricate financial maneuvers that define championship contention.

The trade rumors are starting to heat up.

They always do around this time, especially.

For contending teams looking to solidify one position, like the Boston Celtics at center.

The Celtics have managed their center rotation through you know, effort and committee.

Amias Quetta, Luca Garza, Chris Buscher and Xavier Tillman are giving them dependable minutes, but the rotation still feels like a strong bench unit rather than a true starting anchor.

More importantly, with Jason Tatum returning from that Achilles surgery, the Celtics needs specific stability at the five to manage Tatum's minutes and maximize his impact when he is on the floor.

So the Celtics are looking for stability and clarity at the five, and the name coming up repeatedly is Daniel Gafford of the Mavericks.

Why is he such a clean fit for Boston's system, which often requires floor spacing.

Well, Gofford is a fit precisely because of what he doesn't do oh interesting.

He doesn't demand the ball, and he doesn't compromise the structure built around Tatum and Jalen Brown.

Boston's identity is defined by guard play, spacing, movement, and defense.

They do not need a high usage big man who steps outside.

The arc, so he just brings clarity.

Gafferd is the definition of clarity.

He protects the rim, runs hard in transition screens effectively, and that's crucial, setting solid screens to free up Brown and White, and he finishes lobs at an elite rate.

He keeps the game simple for them, allowing their primary creators to operate without traffic.

And we know he has playoff experience average twelve point four points in six point three rebounds in twenty two minutes last season, even started twenty two playoff games during Dallas's twenty twenty four.

Finals run exactly.

He is reliable.

A potential starting five of Peyton, Pritchard, White, Brown, Tatum, and Gafford is simple, balanced and predictable.

Gaffer doesn't need plays run for him.

He just provides the stability necessary for Joe Mizula to maintain defensive structure and for the guards to operate.

He's the classic high IQ, low maintenance big man.

Okay, now let's tackle the financial side, because this is where the sophistication of the trade comes in.

The proposed three team deal involving Dallas and Brooklyn addresses Boston's tricky financial situation near the salary apron.

Can you explain the salary apron and why this trade is so clever and navigating it so?

The salary apron is the hard cap threshold set significantly above the luxury tax line.

Once a team crosses the apron, they lose access to several critical roster building tools like the mid level exception and the ability to take back more salary in trades.

Celtics are right up against that.

They're operating very close to that limit.

The financial centerpiece for Boston to shed is on Frenny Simons.

He's a talented, productive player on a valuable expiring contract, but the Celtics financial reality makes it almost impossible to retain him long term without blowing past the apron and handcuffing their future flexibility.

So they use Simons, whom they can't afford to keep, to acquire Gafford, whom they can keep long term on a manageable contract.

Plus they gain something massive in the process.

Precisely in the proposed framework, Boston sends Simons to Dallas, receives Gafford, and they are left with a massive twenty seven point seven million dollar trade exception derived from Simon's.

Salary, which is basically a coupon.

It's a coup on the team can use later to acquire players via trade without having to send matching salary back.

It's a future spending power they banks today by offloading Simon's contract.

That's a classic contender move, prioritizing the right kind of solution for this stage of the window.

Stability and flexibility over retain a productive player they couldn't afford anyway.

It's stability over upside swings.

Gafford stabilizes the middle without compromising the ceiling, and that massive trade exception provides insurance and flexibility for the next year or two, allowing them to acquire another piece if needed without breaking the bank.

Okay, shifting to another high profile Eastern Conference team searching for an immediate upgrade the New York Knicks.

They are reportedly eyeing a massive franchise altering trade target and Anthony Davis of the Mavericks.

The Knicks, sitting at nine to six, have looked ordinary.

They've struggled with consistency.

They are eighteenth in the league in defensive rating at one fourteen point eight.

This is a team that wants to win a title this season, according to reports, and they view a move for an established superstar as necessary to close the gap on Boston and Milwaukee.

Davis, when he's healthy, provides immediate two way dominance and is a championship caliber anchor.

Before his injury this season, he was averaging twenty point eight points, ten point two rebounds, one point six steals, and one point two blocks on fifty two percent shooting.

He radically transforms the knicks defensive ceiling, which is exactly what they need.

What's fascinating here is the report that Dallas is rumored to be considering a foundational shift, perhaps even a rebuilder on Kyrie Irving and young talent like Cooper Flag, which would make Davis potentially available at what is termed a below market cost.

If Dallas is even thinking about offering Davis.

The Knicks have to pick up the moment immediately.

Okay, So there are two potential trade packages being floated.

The first is a straight up high salary swap that might be the cleanest path financially.

That's the Anthony Davis for Karl Anthony town swap Davis at fifty four point one million dollars per Towns at fifty three point one million dollars.

They're massive contracts, basically offset, making it clean under the salary cap.

The Knicks would likely view this as a chance to offload Towns, especially considering his defensive shortcomings and Thibodeau's system for a more reliable, championship experienced anchor in Davis.

And for Dallas it provides a different kind of offensive centerpiece if they decide to move on from davis injury history.

The second proposal, however, is the rebuild package, designed to align with Dallas's potential long term goals, and it would cost the Knicks dearly in terms of their depth.

This package is og and Unobie, Mitchell, Robinson, Tyler Colek and a twenty twenty six top eight protected first round pick in exchange for Davis.

This one favors Dallas significantly.

It offers an Unabe for wing depth.

Robinson is a solid defensive big colek as a backup point guard and a future first round pick, high quality depth and a future asset.

But for the Knicks this is a major dilemma.

They value Annunabe and Robinson highly for their current defensive identity, and Davis's persistent injury history makes paying that premium price for him controversial even if he delivers a title.

It does so.

How does a move for ad shift the perception of the Knick's competitive window against the Celtics and Bucks.

It accelerates it immensely, but introduces high variants.

Trading a Nunerbe and Robinson gives up the defensive DNA of the current roster.

If Davis stays healthy, the Knicks immediately become a true title threat, capable of beating anyone in a seven game series thanks to his defensive presence alongside Jalen Brunson.

But if he gets injured, they've sacrificed their depth and defense for nothing.

This raises a huge question for New York how much future depth and defense are you willing to sacrifice for the high risk, high reward proposition of a Starlek Davis who has proven he can win but is often unavailable.

It's a move that defines championship ambition versus roster stability.

That's the defining strategic choice facing their front office right now.

It is speaking of roster stability.

Let's look at the Detroit Pistons.

They are dealing with their own trade rumors centered around Tobias Harris, but for very different reasons, they seem to be prioritizing chemistry over asset management.

Tobias Harris is the Piston's second highest paid player, and his contract is expiring this season.

Standard league practice dictates that expiring contracts are highly valuable for salary matching in any blockbuster trade to acquire a star, So mock trades assume Harris must be.

Moved right otherwise the Pistons lose a massive asset for nothing in free agency exactly.

But the Pistons' front office seems hesitant despite the ability to potentially acquire star without losing Harris for nothing.

So what's the counterpoint?

Why is that internal chemistry so valuable right now?

The counterpoint is chemistry, continuity, and internal trust especially for a young team that is experiencing early success.

Harris was brought in specifically to be a reliable veteran presence.

He's a guy who can get a bucket and play solid defense.

But crucially, he has the ear of the young core Cunningham, Thompson, Duran, and Ivy without acting like.

A drill sergeant or taking away their opportunities for growth.

Yes, he offers consistent professionalism, so Trajan Langdon, the front office leader, values the structure and stability.

Harris provides more than the theoretical star they could acquire.

Absolutely, they believe the team is humming right now, playing well and developing cohesion, and they don't want to disrupt that internal rhythm just to chase a big name.

The priority is seeing how far the current core can grow internally.

The best case scenario is that one of those young guys Thompson, Duran or Ivy develops into the secondary star they need, avoiding the cost of a trade, and.

They're looking at the defending champion Thunder as an example of that internal growth success.

Exactly.

There's a strong belief that Harris could finish the season and maybe even his career in Detroit provided the team continues its upward trajectory.

That's a profound contrast to the knicks desperation.

It really frames the different timelines teams operate on.

Okay, let's switch gears dramatically and move to the NCAA where the Player's Air Festival is completely reshaping the early season calendar and the economics of college basketball.

This is a revolutionary event in college basketball, and we really need to understand why it's expanding in twenty twenty five to feature eighteen men's teams and four women's teams taking place across the MGM Grand Garden Arena and the mikelob Olterre Arena in Lafe Veas.

This isn't just an MTE It's a financial powerhouse disguised as a tournament.

And beyond the competitive schedule, what makes this event truly revolutionary is the main image and likeness factor.

We need to be clear about how this nil money is structured.

It is entirely nil driven and it fundamentally changes recruiting.

The participating teams are guaranteed to receive at least a total of one million dollars worth of nil opportunities and activities.

This money is not paid to the coach or the school.

It goes directly to the players through collective activities, and.

The structure itself rewards performance.

It does.

Teams have finished two WIO after the first two days, qualified for the championship in third place games, and have opportunities for more money from an additional pool of about two million dollars.

So winning literally pays more for the athletes.

Yeah, how is this financial compensation structure?

What are these activities?

The activities are mainly filming, posting, and content creation for corporate brands and sponsors, both on site in Vegas and after the fact, similar to any professional influence contract, and the key mechanism here is the value dictated by the athlete's influence.

For example, Michigan's starting point guard Elliott Cadou has two hundred and fifty five thousand Instagram followers.

His guaranteed compensation from this event will be exponentially higher than a teammate like Yaxel Lendeborg, who might have a fraction of that reach.

So the popularity and influence of the athlete dictates the value of the compensation, much like how celebrities are paid for endorsements.

That's it.

This is effectively the financial opening of the college basketball season, integrated right into the competitive structure, and.

Michigan under coach Dusty May, is a huge example of a traditional institution buying into this new model right.

Yes, Michigan signed on after seeing the success of last year's event, which was won by Oregon, and crucially, Michigan's assistant coach noted that they factored this guaranteed nil payout into the total program offerings for their players before the season started.

So it's not a bonus, it's part of their standard compensation package.

For the season exactly.

This guaranteed pool of money makes it a highly attractive destination for top recruits.

Let's run down the men's schedule highlights starting today, Monday, November twenty fourth, Because this is an absolute gauntlet of top teams all aiming for that championship prize pool.

Today's games are crucial because they determine the bracket for Wednesday and Thursday.

We have Tennessee versus Wreckers at one pm, than Kansas versus Notre Dame at three point thirty later, Houston versus Syracuse at six pm, followed by a massive game Oregan versus Auburn at eight PM.

Which is a rematch of last year's thrilling Sweet sixteen it is.

The schedule goes late with Alabama versus Gonzaga at nine three D and Michigan versus San Diego State at ten thirty pm ET.

These are high stakes early season elimination games where only the two NO teams move on to the championship tier.

And Tuesday continues the stack matchups, giving us a clearer picture of who is contending for that championship game on Wednesday night.

Tuesday features Rutgers versus Notre Dame at one PM and a significant matchup at three thirty with Kansas versus Syracuse, and it's important to note Kansas will be without Darren Peterson for all three games due to lingering hamstring.

Issues, with Bryson Tiller continuing to fro.

At six pm, it's Houston versus Tennessee, a potential high level defensive battle, and later Michigan versus Auburn at eight thirty PM.

The championship game is Wednesday and nine to thirty pm ET on TNT.

We also need to highlight the Women's Players Era Festival, which is equally loaded with talent and immediately provides title clarity absolutely.

The women's bracket features three of the four teams from the twenty twenty four Women's Final Four, so the competition is fierce wow.

The semifinal matchups are set for Wednesday, November twenty sixth Texas versus UCLA at two pm and Duke versus South Carolina at four.

To three, and the winners move on to play for the title on Thanksgiving Day.

Correct The championship and third place games are set for Thursday, November twenty seventh.

These matchups are crucial for national seating and setting the tone for the entire women's season.

Okay, speaking of early season chaos, recap the dramatic college basketball action from the weekend, Starting with the triple overtime thriller.

From high stakes nil tournaments, we transitioned to sheer athletic endurance.

This was a grueling fifty five minute struggle.

The USC Trojans barely escaped the Troy Trojans, winning one oh seven, one oh six and triple overtime.

In USC, who were four elmed coming in after three consecutive twenty plus point victories, was stunned by the tenacity of Troy especially on the glass.

Yeah, the game was won by junior guard Jordan marsh on a contested last second three pointer.

That kind of marathon game must have been defined by some unusual metrics.

Chaos was the metric.

There were nineteen lead changes and five players ended up selling out.

Despite USC winning, Troy utterly dominated the rebounding battle.

They out rebounded USC by twenty four and collected a staggering twenty five offensive rebounds.

Twenty five offensive boards.

That shows how tenacious Troy was using second and third chances to negate USC's talent advantage.

It does so who delivered the standout individual performances in that high pressure environment.

For USC, Graduate guard Chad Baker Mazzara scored a career high thirty four points along with nine rebounds in five blocks.

He's already set a new career scoring high twice in USC's first four games, so he's really.

Emerging in On Troy's side.

Cooper Campbell was phenomenal.

Dropped thirty two points, which included six three pointers and a contested fadeaway shot from beyond the arc that forced the first overtime period.

Incredible.

That resilience is what kept the game going for three extra periods.

Sure from the chaos of triple overtime, let's transition to the success story defined by sheer discipline and rebounding Butler.

Butler secured the de facto championship of the Greenbrier tip Off, defeating a strong Virginia team eighty seventy three.

Both teams moved to five to one on the season.

Butler jumped out early with a thirteen to three run, showing their offensive flow, but Virginia, known for their grinded out defense, fought back to tie it before Butler took a slim lead into the half.

Their key to victory involved beating Virginia at their own strength rebounding margin.

That is incredibly difficult to do against a top tier program like Virginia.

That's what's fascinating here.

Both Butler and Virginia entered the game ranked in the top ten nationally in rebounding margin, showing they prioritized the glass.

Yet Butler still managed to hold a forty three to thirty nine rebounding edge over Virginia.

And Butler has now out rebounded all six of their opponents this season.

Right that consistency proves they are a physical force.

Finley Bizjack led the scoring charge for them.

Bizjack put up twenty five points on nine for eighteen shooting, But the other star was graduate student Michael Ajai, who recorded his sixth consecutive double double to open the season.

He had seventeen points and fourteen rebounds plus three blocks.

Wow, and Virginia was led by Malik Thomas's twenty four points.

This win proves that Butler is a genuine threat early in the season, showcasing both offensive firepower and that relentless physicality.

Definitely.

We had another overtime affair in the Charleston Classic, ending in heartbreak for Boston College.

Bcfell ninety three nine in overtime to Tulane and the third place game, dropping them to three to four.

They had a late surge Boden Kapke hit a deep three pointer to force the extra period, showing great poise, but they just ran out of magic in overtime and before.

The game even started, there was some internal drama that added pressure to the team.

That was the situation surrounding Jason Asimota, who did not play due to an internal issue.

Koach el Grant refused to elaborate on the situation postgame only confirming it wasn't an injury and that a decision on Asimota's return would be made within a day or two.

That kind of off court distraction always impacts team focus.

Despite the loss, a couple of BC guards really stepped up in that game.

Donald Hann Junior led the team with twenty six points, but the true stand up performance came from transfer guard Chase Forte.

He had his best game as an Eagle with twenty two points on highly efficient seven for eleven shooting, including five for eight from deep.

He provided the necessary perimeter punch to keep them in the game, but unfortunately, in overtime, Kapke's final three point attempt to tie the game just rang out, sealing the loss.

Tough break.

Turning to women's basketball, we saw absolute dominance from a few major programs over the weekend, starting with the perennial powerhouse South Carolina.

The number two game, Cocks now six to zero, absolutely demolished Queen's one one forty nine.

This performance set a program record for the most point scored under coach Don Staley and was their third most points scored all time.

That kind of offensive explosion shows the depth of talent Staley has assembled, and.

This followed the return of a key player who had been absent, Maddie McDaniel.

Yes, Madame McDaniel returned after missing four games due to injury and suspension.

Gard Raven Johnson specifically noted that having McDaniel back brought another energy to the team.

You could feel her presence wasn't.

There when she was out, and the team fill hole.

Again, evidenced by every starter finishing in double figures.

Joyce Edwards led the charge with twenty five points and they are immediately tested as they head to Vegas for the Player's Era Festival to face Duke and the potentially Texas or UCLA.

We also saw impressive offensive explosions from Illinois.

Illinois delivered a statement win on the road, routing Florida State eighty six sixty three.

They were incredibly efficient, shooting fifty percent from the field and a blistering fifty three percent for three point range.

Gretchen Dolan was the offensive catalyst.

Exploded for twenty five points.

They also generated twenty two points off Florida State's fifteen turnovers, showcasing a thorough road domination that elevates their profile significantly.

And finally, the Oregon Ducks also remain unbeaten.

The note twenty five Ducks improved to six zero by dominating Utah State seventy thirty four.

The game was relatively close at halftime, with Oregon only leading thirty two to twenty, but the Ducks went on a decisive sixteen to two run to start the third quarter, turning the contest into a route by outscoring Utah State twenty three to six in that period.

That third quarter push shows their ability to adjust and intensified defensive effort after the break.

Okay, moving away from the current court results, let's look ahead to future talent and some seria off court stories impacting the league.

Let's start with recruiting in the class of twenty twenty seven.

We're spotlighting four star wing Dylan Jones, ranked No.

No.

Of sixty five overall in the twenty twenty seven national class.

He recently completed an unofficial visit to Tennessee and he really values their defensive culture.

He's also seriously considering Alabama, Memphis, and Ole Miss.

It's interesting to see defensive identity being the key factor drawing a highly ranked wing player that reflects the priorities of the top programs and modern player development.

It does.

Jones noted that he values a coach who can push him defensively, which is precisely what Rick Barnes and the Tennessee staff are known for.

That reputation for defensive pride is clearly resonating with top young talent like Jones, who understands that two way capability is essential for the NBA level.

Okay, now for the very serious off court news impacting the NBA Portland Trailblazers.

Coach Chauncey Billups is facing charges related to fraud and money laundering conspiracy.

This is a complex case involving organ crime and high tech cheating.

This is a complex and highly serious criminal case that underscores the vulnerability of the entire professional sports ecosystem.

Billups, who is currently suspended by the Blazers, is due in Brooklyn Federal Court Monday to enter a plea.

He is one of thirty one defendants charged in this sweeping case.

What are the specific allegations against him and others, particularly regarding the high tech cheating.

Prosecutors alleged that Billips was involved in a scheme dating back to twenty nineteen that use the star power of pro athletes to lure victos into rigged, illicit poker games.

The conspiracy allegedly defrauded victims of at least seven million dollars using highly sophisticated high tech equipment.

And this wasn't simple card counting, not at all.

They utilize devices like X ray card tables which allowed cheaters to see the opponent's cards hidden beneath the surface, and altered shuffling machines to ensure favorable outcomes.

That level of sophistication suggests a major organized operation.

It does.

Former Cleveland Cavaliers guard Demon Jones was also charged in the poker scheme, alongside alleged members of New York's lacusin Ostro organized crime families, which really highlights the organized nature of the operation.

All of them have pleaded not guilty.

And this investigation led to a related and arguably more worrying case involving current NBA players.

Didn't it it did?

A related case charged Jones and current Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier with a separate scheme rigging bets on NBA games between twenty twenty two and twenty twenty four, using insider knowledge Wow.

While the specifics of their involvement are under wraps, the allegation is that they leveraged non public team or personal information to gain an advantage in betting.

Both Jones and Rosier have also pleaded not guilty in that case.

The combination of organized crime, high tech, financial fraud, and insider betting allegations creates a massive integrity crisis for the league regardless of the ultimate verdict.

Indeed, it introduces a challenging element of external scrutiny that affects players and coaches and reminds us of the high stakes environments rounding legal sports betting.

We will continue to monitor this closely as the legal proceedings move forward, because the implications for the league's integrity are immense.

As we wrap up this massive update, let's look at the immediate schedule at a week's us This week, we have the Player's Era Festival bracket finalizing over the next few days in Vegas and a stacked NBA slate Tonight and tomorrow.

Tonight, we see the Rockets without Kevin Durant trying to hold off the Phoenix Suns in a classic old team versus New team battle.

Tomorrow, the Miami Heat get Tyler Harrow back against the Dallas Mavericks, and we have the highest stakes Los Angeles rivalry Lakers versus Clippers.

The strategic outcomes of those games will determine the narrative for the rest of the week, for sure.

You know, looking at everything we've covered today, from Chris Paul's retirement confirming the close of one era, to Lebron James pushing his body through an unprecedented twenty third season and front offices wrestling with these huge trade strategies, it feels like the league is at a crossroads.

That's the central theme here.

We're seeing the intersection of the old legends and this new era defined by massive nil fueled college tournaments.

But the biggest decision to fining the league right now, however, is strategic.

How much is internal chemistry, continuity and veteran leadership, which the Pistons are valuing highly with Tobias Harrisworth, when balanced against the pursuit of a surefire, established star like Anthony Davis, who the Nicks are rumored to be considering at a premium cost.

That balance between internal growth and high risk immediate external acquisition is the central dilemma facing nearly every contending and aspirational team right now.

It dictates the future of their franchises, forcing them to bet either on the certainty of star power or the potential of cohesion.

It forces you to ask are the championships won solely by stars or are they won by the right combination of high level chemistry and defined roles.

And for you, the listener, how would you manage the risk of trading away future assets for a superstar with a known injury history if it meant an immediate shot at a title.

Absolutely thank you for joining us for this in depth look into all things basketball.

We'll catch you next time here on Basketball Home