Can Danny! - 11/10 - 10 Games In

Back in the day, I had a blog Can Danny! saying that the Celtics needed to fire Danny Ainge, which obviously turned out to be silly but, hey, I was annoyed that Danny traded my guy Antoine Walker for Wally Szczerbiak. But since everything is a cycle, we’re back with the Can Danny! sentiment as his reign over the Utah Jazz has been pretty abysmal. I’m not going to bring back to full Can Danny blog but I will use it as a category for the overall blog for when I want to talk hoops.

Here are some quick thoughts about the start of the 2026-27 season.

EAST

About 10 games in and the East might be worse than ever. Only 5 teams are over .500. Yes, there have been a lot of injuries but the Timberwolves lost Anthony Edwards and they are still 8 - 3.

SIXERS ARE THE EAST’S TEAM TO BEAT
I was surprised that so many “experts” were down on Philly to start the season. It’s not a perfect group, in terms of fit, but I feel like everybody can put their ego aside for at least a year. The fast start is just what Philly needed as they can eventually start load managing Embiid and LeBron (and probably Jaylen as well.)

BOSTON STILL CHOKES AWAY LEADS
Paul George has been much better than expected which is going to make his inevitable injury all the more upsetting. Payton Pritchard and Huge Gonzalez have been disappointing. But the Celtics still are a team that can’t put away their opponent. Now 20 point comebacks are not as rare as they used to be - I still maintain that few things in sports are less important than the first half of an NBA game - but it’s disconcerting to see that the Celtics haven’t seemed to have done anything to fix their issues. What I’d love to see is for them to turn off the three-for-all offense when they are up 20 and focus on getting the ball to the paint. It seems like a lot of their blown leads stem from going cold from 3 and they just keep chucking.

DETROIT IS STILL FUGAZI
I just don’t buy this team as a true contender. Jalen Duren is a third star, at best. Ausar Thompson is a beast on defense but he and Duren mean that you now have two guys with limited perimeter shooting. I used to ride for John Collins but those days are LONG gone as he just isn’t dependable, which is saying a lot when the guy he is replacing is Tobias Harris. This team needs to make a trade for a true second star to help out Cade.

PEAK HAWKS
The problem for Atlanta is that, historically, the Hawks’ peak is a team that is probably out in the second round but maybe, if everything goes right, could land in the Conference Finals but with little hope of winning. Everything about this team is good not great.

KNICKS ARE FINE
People forget that the Knicks were the #3 seed last year. This slow start isn’t ideal but I don’t see it as a huge cause for concern. It’s hard to get excited for the regular season after you’ve won it all.

AS GOES KAWHI…
Kawhi and Scottie Barnes have been banged up so it’s hard to get a gauge on this Raptors squad just yet. But, then again, Kawhi being banged up could be the norm. This is yet another team in the East that is a trade away from truly contending.

HAVES AND THE CAVS NOT
The Cavs are surprisingly 5 - 6 but they really only have one bad loss - Charlotte - and the other game they probably could have won, against ATL, was a three point loss on the road. And they have a good win against Philly. But I’m still skeptical of this squad, mostly because I don’t have faith in James Harden. And, to be completely open, I have zero interest in watching this team play. At best, they will be in my third multiview box.

THE HEAT IS OFF
I never liked the Bam and Giannis duo and it’s proving to have a lot not to like. Relying on Andrew Wiggins has never been a safe bet. Klay is less washed than I thought but he’s still washed. Davion Mitchell has stepped up his game, at least. It’s hard to see a path where this team is hosting a first round playoff series.

HOR-NOTS!
Kon Knueppel has been hurt so it’s hard to judge Charlotte. I still think the LaMelo Ball trade was the right move but, to be honest, I’m not sold on Brandon Miller either so why not just keep the entertaining engine that was LaMelo? This is a team stuck in NBA Purgatory - good enough to challenge for the play-in but not really good enough to make any noise in the playoffs. And I’m not sure how they go about getting someone at LaMelo Ball’s level to replace what they lost. They need to hope that the new lottery rules end up with Play-In teams winning the lotto. (I think they are eligible; I can’t remember what the heck the changes were.) Their upside seems like Peak Hawks, which for the Charlotte franchise would be sensational but it’s hard to get too fired up about that.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS
The more things change, the more they stay the same. Washington LOVES overpaying point guards and Trae Young seems like he’s going to be in the Gilbert Areans/John Wall group of albatross contracts. I’m a fan of Kyshawn George and think Tre Johnson has better days ahead of him and AJ Dybantsa looks like a two-way future star but this roster is just all over the place. Anthony Davis is the team’s MVP right now but Washington should still look to trade him as soon as they get a legit offer. I’d say. this team needs to make a trade but trading rarely goes well for this franchise.

ORLANDO MAGIC
I’m regretting my Over bet on these guys. Paolo is hurt and Freaky Franz Wagner is proving that he isn’t a lead dog. Some day this team will trade for an actual point guard, right? They should already be on the phone with New Orleans, trying to land Dejounte Murray.

INDIANA PACERS
Tyrese Haliburton is hurt again and that’s really all that needs to be said about Indiana.

BROOKLYN NETS
Will this franchise ever be good? Even their high point - the KD/Kyrie Era - was best known for controversy than winning.

CHICAGO BULLS
When your highest paid players are Josh Giddey, Nic Claxton, Norm Powell, and Patrick Wiliams, 1 - 8 should be expected. At least Caleb Wilson is fun! Although I have to say that I’m off the Matas Buzelis bandwagon; I’d look to trade him as I want nothing to do with his next contract.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS
Brayon Burries is good and Nate Ament looks like an NBA player. This team won’t lead the league in anything besides trade rumors.

WEST

LA LAKERS
Maybe Walker Kessler was worth that trade package. Probably not but he’s been good in LA and The White Shadows Luke and Austin Reaves are on fire. I don’t trust this team in the playoffs but things are looking good in LaLa Land.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS
They really need Tobias Harris to come back to give them a legitimate power forward but, given OKC’s injuries, I still think this is the team to beat in the West.

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES
Third place without Ant-Man is amazing although they have had one of the easiest schedules of late, playing the Bucks, Jazz, Pels, and Clipers. Still, Ayo Dosunmu - best known as the villain in the first Dr. Strange movie - has been unreal but that’s probably to be expected from anyone the Bulls trade away. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the Rudy Gobert trade (Minny still owes two picks and the big names Utah got from it were Walker Kessler and Keyonte George) but I’d probaly look to move him if I was Minny.

HOUSTON ROCKETS
Fred VanVleet MVP? Orlando should look at how well Houston is playing this year and figure out that having a competent PG really does make a difference.

GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
THE YAXEL ERA HAS BEGUN! I do wonder how things will shake out once Jimmy Butler comes back but this team is much better than I expected and they have Porzingis’s contract to use to try to deal for someone who could help them out. Steph Curry is one of the most entertaining players of all-time so it would be nice to see him go out on top but they’d need to make a whopper of a trade for that to happen. This team is better but still clearly a notch below the real contender in the West.

OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER
Hopefully people will start appreciating how good Shai is. The foul merchant narrative has really drowned out the fact that he is completely nasty. I feel for Jalen Williams and I kind of doubt he’ll ever be the same - this is probably Gordon Hayward PTSD - and he could be the contract that holds OKC from getting back to where they once were.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES
So apparently Ty Jerome was legit after all. Always good to see a journeyman break out. Cam Boozer is the real deal but I fear that Cedric Coward is one of those guys who just never figured out how to next the next step. He’s good but he’s a fourth or fifth starter who might not ever reach third star status.

PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS
It’s great to see Damian Lillard back and he’s been much better than I expected. Deni Avdija is still great but the rest of this lineup just doesn’t have that next gear. Scoot isn’t a complete washout but he’s still a bust based off of his draft hype. Donovan Clingan is good but not great. Poor Ja Morant can’t stay healthy and the fit with Dame is odd. Portland will probably be another team that has a better record without Ja. I’d say that this team should make trades but I’m not sure what they can even get. Anthony Davis?

DALLAS MAVERICKS
There’s talk of how they should have taken Yaxel over Morez Johnson but I’m not sure Yaxel is doing as well alongside Cooper and Kyrie while Morez feels like a better fit. I am biased because I caught the best game of his career but I like him in Dallas. It’s always tough to break up a winning team but if they get a good offer for Kyrie, they should pull the trigger. Irving has been great but Cooper is the future and Irving just isn’t on the same timeline.

DENVER NUGGETS
It’s a bummer to see Nikola Jokic stuck on a team that is a player away but that seems to be what we’re going to have for the rest of his career unless he changes gears and demands a trade from Denver. Jamal Murray is great but they need a third star and I’m not sure they have a way to get one. Trevon Brazile has been a pleasant surprise but I’m not sure if his play speaks more to how good he is or how lackluster Cameron Johnson and Christian Braun are.

PHOENIX SUNS
I’m hoping they’d bottom out and finally move Devin Booker and start over but with the new lottery rules being what they are and this year’s draft being devoid of superstars, it kind of makes sense for them to just keep trying to win. They won’t succeed much but this franchise is just stuck in the mud.

NEW ORLEANS PELICANS
For the love of god, BREAK THIS TEAM UP! Zion Williamson is tough to watch; his brand of bullyball is just ugly. Trey Murphy is struggling a bit this year but could absolutely help a team in need of a third star. Herb Jones has kind of disappeared. Dejoutnte Murray doesn’t seem fully engaged as Jeremiah Fears has become the main ballhandler. Derik Queen seems like someone to sell high on. Saddiq Bey just seems like the epitome of a good player on a bad team. Karlo Matkovich could help out a playoff team. Jordan Poole is just collecting checks at this point. Bennedict Mathurn should fire his agent for having him sign here. This team sucks and he still can’t get consistent minutes on it. I liked the Jamahl Mosley hiring but it is not going well.

LA CLIPPERS
This team is fucked. They should trade Garland and BI for anything and try to get back some first round picks or young talent. I have no ill will towards Kawhi but him signing and kind of forcing the PG13 trade is the worst move by any franchise since the owner of the Boston Celtics traded franchises with the owner of the Buffalo Braves. He made the trade because he wanted to move out west and knew he couldn’t move the Celtics. The Buffalo Braves would move and go on to become… the Clippers.

SACRAMENTO KINGS
Another mess of a franchise but what do you expect when your owner takes over the team and his innovation that will change the game is cherry picking aka having one guy stay on the offense end so you can throw the ball down the court for an easy layup. True story. That’s what Vivek thought would change the game. The Kings latest brilliant move was trading a first round pick to OKC to draft Nique Clifford and then two years later, trading Nique Clifford to OKC for two second round picks. Sacramento needs to see if they can get anything for Sabonis and LaVine and fully embrace the Darius Acuff era. I’m not sure how successful Acuff will be but he’s fun to watch.

UTAH JAZZ
And finally, we come to the Can Danny portion. Yes, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen have been hurt but when aren’t they hurt? Keyonte George has blossomed and Darryn Peterson is intriguing but then? Ace Bailey’s improved a bunch on defense but his offense is a huge problem. It’s only been 11 games but he’s shooting 25% from 3. Isiah Collier seems like another good player on a bad team. The rest of the roster is salvage projects. And the Grizzlies are the ones getting screwed because the new draft rules mean that Utah’s pick - which they got in the Jaren Jackson Jr. trade - can’t be Top 5 because Utah’s had a top 5 pick the last three years.