I can't believe it's happening but I think @woodleysean.bsky.social and the Raptors' post-All-Star defensive numbers are talking me into a Brandon Ingram team.

It's going to be a busy week at What's Alan Watching?, for both free and paid readers. ICYMI, here's the rundown, and I hope you'll consider subscribing:

It's bleak out there. But we're gonna do some good this week. How I'd Fix Atlanta has partnered with Undue Medical Debt to help a bunch of ATLiens this week, and we need your help. Give what you can. Tell everyone you know. unduemedicaldebt.org/campaign/whe...

ESPN demoted Doris Burke and in doing so, showed they will do anything but look in the mirror to try and find the right path. open.substack.com/pub/hardwood...

Wrote up an explainer on the Kawhi stuff to send to your casual non-hoops-obsessed friends when they ask what the deal is. fansided.com/nba/clippers...

Hardwood Paroxysm @HPbasketball I talked to Tim Hardaway Sr. for @ActionNetworkHQ and he talked about the Kawhi thing and... hearing of things for decades, and why the secret to avoiding injury is.... milk. www.actionnetwork.com/nba/tim-hard...

Always read Noh.

Jeremy Lin retired from basketball. Linsanity was a perfect stretch of time of basketball joy. You should read this great book on what this season was like for fans. www.amazon.com/Well-Always-...

The Kings are so confusing to me. open.substack.com/pub/hardwood...

With the AJC dropping its print edition, I feel compelled to share one of the greatest moments in print design history

On Portland's offseason, Dame coming home, and why I'm fine with the Simons trade. open.substack.com/pub/hardwood...

They asked me "Can you come up with some picks for Thursday night?" and I said it's day 1 of Week 1, baby, we are having ourselves a Spray The Board Thursday night www.cbssports.com/college-foot...

While the logic of the #quack2 fails regardless of the truth or falsity of the availability of the quick easy layup, it’s doubling maddening as a strategy because the quick easy layup is also a myth. And if you did have a “get an automatic layup” play, why save it til you’ve basically already lost?

Ranked the 25 best trades of the last 25 years. A very fun list to put together and some hard cuts had to be made. www.cbssports.com/nba/news/ran...

Good morning When this month started, I said I was doing the #2025NBAEpitomeGameSeries That hashtag... lol. Anyways. I enjoy covering all 30 *NBA* teams, and I have 116 minutes (on the dot) to show it, so please check it out now that it's all done yeah youtube.com/playlist?lis...

I had a surprising amount to say about the Suns, about team building, the simplicity of what Jalen Green needs, and why Matt Ishbia deserves a break. open.substack.com/pub/hardwood...

I COME TO SPREAD THE GOOD WORD ABOUT THE WIZARDS AND WHY THEY WILL WIN MORE GAMES THAN YOU THINK BUT ALSO ALMOST DEFINITELY LESS THAN 30 WINS. t.co/u2OIPUzelW

NEW: Payton Pritchard is a 1-on-1 basketball enthusiast. So, on Saturday, he hosted a 1-on-1 tournament in Roxbury. "It’s you and yourself – you can’t blame nobody else... if you lose, it’s on you. It’s not that your teammates were bad… it's only on you." www.celticsblog.com/boston-celti...

I had a surprising amount to say about the Suns, about team building, the simplicity of what Jalen Green needs, and why Matt Ishbia deserves a break. open.substack.com/pub/hardwood...

Bryan's work on international basketball is stuff you should engage with. If you're like me and get lost in this stuff, it's a great way to catch up.

On Locked on NBA, I made the case that the Wolves have the best wing rotation, why the Warriors don't have to be in a hurry, and why I think Kobe's fadeaway is better than LeBron's chasedown www.youtube.com/watch?v=7TxO...

On the Magic, who are in an offensive maze but now have a lot more ways out. Plus, why I think Carmelo Anthony's career was a letdown, even as he goes into the Hall. open.substack.com/pub/hardwood...

Subscribe on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@doubledribb... And hit us with those 5-star reviews... Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/7u4RUZk... iTunes: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...

On yesterday's Locked on NBA, we talked who's closer to the Cavs, the Hawks or Magic, I said Davion Mitchell is the most important player on the Heat this season, and I tried desperately to get Shaq's drop-step over Dirk's one-legged fadeaway www.youtube.com/watch?v=jFsv...

The Knicks added some good players. I have... plumbing concerns. open.substack.com/pub/hardwood...

- Lakers were 3rd in the West last year - The roster construct is WAY better - Luka is awesome. People are SLEEPING on the Lakers, I'm telling you. I wrote about it at Fansided. fansided.com/nba/why-the-...

Amir Coffey spent six seasons with the LA Clippers. Here is where his total minutes played ranked each regular season 2020: 17th 2021: 13th 2022: 5th 2023: 13th 2024: 8th 2025: 6th

"I don't hate the Lakers anymore than I hate your favorite team,find a new slant!"

I wish! (Received Medal of Freedom from Donald Trump)

On Locked on NBA yesterday I... - argued for Tim Duncan's bank shot over Magic's no-look - questioned the sky hook - made the case for Anthony Davis as the most overrated player in the league. I don't see any pattern. What are you talking about? www.youtube.com/watch?v=hblz...

New column: Fans keep asking the Celtics to make two critical mistakes this upcoming season www.bostonsportsjournal.com/2025/08/19/k...

Really appreciate this as someone at the nadir of his Pels’ fandom. Feels like it was already awful before dumars, weaver, and trading the pick. Got to the point that people discussing the team moving didn’t even draw my ire. This made me reconsider that some things are worth holding onto.

Been following you for a while since the other app. This is one of the best articles about the direction of the pelicans from a non pelicans beat writer or blogger I've seen Keep up the great work

Glad you understand how great NOLA games could be if they had a team worth showing up for. You are also very much correct on the constant cycle of terrible thing -> good thing -> terrible thing with a mix being self-inflicted and/or out of their control. REALLY appreciate the Chris Rose mention.

Really good piece on the Pelicans here by @hpbasketball.bsky.social, where he gives a breakdown of NOLA’s offseason, why Capitalism ruins our basketball plus a shout out to the homie @fearthebrown.bsky.social at the end. substack.com/@hardwoodpar...

Matt, from a long suffering Pels/Hornets fan and New Orleans resident, thank you for this. As good of a national perspective on the team as I've seen.

Really appreciate the nuanced look at NOLA basketball. It truly is frustrating since NO is consistently top 5-10 in viewership across all NBA games. I was at playoff games including Hornets Spurs in 08 and NO PHX in 22 and the fans were insane at both 15 years apart. Owners have let us down.

Great piece that puts into words what so many of us feel locally

I've been wrestling with the question of acting in realism and pragmatism vs. how meeting systems of greed as rational actors is a losing proposition. So I wrote about New Orleans basketball. open.substack.com/pub/hardwood...

A Kuminga-Giddey swap won't happen because of the BYC in the CBA. But to me, this is the perfect solution for all parties. fansided.com/nba/nba-cba-...

* The top 12 are now within a TD of each other * FARMAGEDDON: K-State by 4.8 * Let me tell you about a scrappy underdog named Bama... * Clemson: Returning production national champ * Ret prod nat'l avg: 77% in '21, 53% in '25 FINAL 2025 SP+ PROJECTIONS OF THE OFFSEASON: www.espn.com/college-foot...

We're doing an NBA Signature Moves bracket over on Locked on NBA. I wrote up my thoughts on some of the moves, including Harden's stepback, the Skyhook, and more. open.substack.com/pub/hardwood...

Situation on 14th St and W St. NW, with federal agents -- no specific agency identified -- pulling cars over for checks. They arrested a Black woman in this car. BIG crowd of people shouting at police. "Fuck you!" "What is wrong with you!" "You don't need to terrorize people like this!"

Thinning out now. DC police the only ones left, and they're packing up too. Locals mobilized quickly out here, with handwritten signs warning drivers to avoid this block, lined up ready to protest what's happening. People shouting down from apartments too. "You should be fucking ashamed!"

This is the best framing of the Giannis chatter that I've read.

I wrote on the Bucks' offseason, the good and the bad, why Dame and Giannis didn't fit. Plus, a reluctant defense of Shams Charania's Giannis trade pestering. open.substack.com/pub/hardwood...

LeBron Chasedown vs The Rondo Fake is some Legacy vs Culture level first round. (Also, Iverson’s crossover vs THE Shammgod? Oof.)

We're beginning discussion of our Locked on NBA Signature Moves tournament. You can vote on some of the matchups in the first round here: www.youtube.com/@LockedOnNBA...

On what Valanciunas brings to Denver, what the G-League Gold changes (hopefully) mean and Joker's season begins. open.substack.com/pub/thedenve...

On the Heat offseason, the good bit of business and why the young guys are a mini-crisis. open.substack.com/pub/hardwood...