Is "Baller" Trademarked Yet?

This is my list of the top 100 players this NBA season.  My predictions are based on how I think each player will play, how much playing they will get, and contribute to winning.  I included 3 additional players depending on if Kyrie Irving (unvaccinated in required market), Ben Simmons (odd holdout situation), and Klay Thompson (injury) play. Kevin Durant, BRK, F Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL, F LeBron James, LAL, F Luka Doncic, DAL, G Joel Embiid, PHI, C Nikola Jokic, DEN, C Damian Lillard, POR, G Steph Curry, GSW, G James Harden, BRK, G Jayson Tatum, BOS, F Paul George, LAC, F Bradley Beal, WAS, G Donovan Mitchell, UTA, G Devin Booker, PHO, G Rudy Gobert, UTA, C Anthony Davis, LAL, F/C Chris Paul, PHO, G Trae Young, ATL, G Zion Williamson, NOP, F Bam Adebayo, MIA, C/F Jaylen Brown, BOS, F/G Jimmy Butler, MIA, F/G Ja Morant, MEM, G Domantas Sabonis, IND, F Zach LaVine, CHI, G Kyrie Irving, BRK, G (if he plays) Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN, C Khris Middleton, MIL, F/G Deandre Ayton...

Every year, I play fantasy basketball and, since I typically do well, I decided last year to share my team prior to drafting.  I opted to do the same again this year. Last year, I ended up finishing 3 rd (the first time I didn’t finish in the top 2 of my league).   I had a few riskier picks that didn’t work as well as I hoped (most notably Kelly Oubre in the 5 th round), but most notably ran into trouble when Anthony Davis, my first-round pick, missed substantial time due to injury. This year, my draft felt safer than mine in other years, but I think it is overall a solid draft.   Here is my current team.   1 st round (8 th pick):   Damian Lillard, POR, PG This was a no-brainer for me.   Lillard is an elite scorer who is a strong shooter and is a solid distributor.   He is also rarely injured, which makes it even more perfect.   The only players I would have taken before him (in no particular order) are Nikola Jokic, Giannis Antetoko...

Each offseason, 1 st round picks drafted 3 years prior are eligible for a rookie extension on their rookie deal.  This year, there are 23 players eligible from the 2018 Draft, and the deadline for them to sign an extension is October 18 th .  In this post, I discuss the odds each player signs an extension (and note the ones that have signed one so far) in order by where they were drafted in 2018.   Deandre Ayton, PHO, 1 st pick, C I expect Ayton will be extended.   The reason he hasn’t been so far is because Phoenix doesn’t want to give him the max despite an excellent playoffs, but I think they will come to an agreement so they don’t have to pay him more next offseason.   He has emerged as a strong player in the paint and a good defender, which I think will continue to be valuable for the team.   The big question is whether the amount makes this impossible.   Marvin Bagley, SAC, 2 nd pick, PF/C Bagley won’t be extended.   He has st...

The WNBA Finals start today (10/10) between the Phoenix Mercury and the Chicago Sky.  I love the WNBA Playoffs and want to give some love to the league ahead of the series because I don’t write as much as I would like to about it (the reason is because I’m more knowledgeable with the NBA and I don’t think it would be fair to make the WNBA look like second class citizens, though I hope to reach the point where I could talk close to equally extensively about both).  That said, I have a post regarding why you should be excited for and watch the WNBA Finals (not saying you have to watch all of it, especially since I won’t be able to, but definitely try to give it a look).   Two of the greatest players of all time are playing in this series. In this series, you have Diana Taurasi and Candace Parker facing off against each other.   Taurasi is one of the most dominant offensive players in the game and is lethal due to her shooting ability, ability to make space, finis...

While I will eventually have specific rankings for the NBA teams, I have grouped the teams into different tiers based on how they might finish.  In these tiers, I have grouped them by championship contenders (2), best in the West (3), playoff locks (7), competitive non-lock teams (10), uncertain (3), delusional teams (1), and not competing (4).  It is entirely possible that teams slide into different categories based on injuries, trades, and performances, but these are how I see them at this time.  I also ranked the teams in each tier by alphabetical order by location.   Championship Contenders These two teams are the most likely to win the Championship at this time and should be highly competitive.   Brooklyn Nets On paper, the Nets seem to be a no brainer to win the championship given their big three of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving.   That said, injuries and recent concerns related to Irving’s vaccination status bring some doub...