NBA Power Stinkings (Western Conference - November 2026)

Wow, this season's first Power Stinkings!  In the name of having mercy on myself and getting these posts out on time, I decided, instead of doing every team in one shot, to instead divide them by conference, starting with the West, as they currently have the worst team in the league.

15. SACRAMENTO KINGS (0-5)

Acuff Jr. may not be a revelation, but one thing he should get credit for is being NBA ready.  It ain’t like they handed him the keys and he crashed the car.  You can already tell, so long as his body holds up, that he has a career in front of him.  His game appears to be relatively cerebral compared to most PGs these days.

From the looks of things, there’s now been two exceptional rookie classes in a row which, I can’t say I readily remember happening before.  So I’m looking for some type of explanation or theory for this phenomenon.

The one I’m currently working on is that now, one-and-done has more or less become the norm.  So soon, half of the NBA is going be like college aged or some shit, thus meaning rookies will be playing largely against their own age group(?).

That said, let’s not forget why the Kings are topping this list because they still suck.  So now, I’m advocating dudes just biting the bullet and buying LaVine out.

No, I’m not trying to scapegoat him.  If dude got injured right now, I’m pretty sure this team will be even less competitive than they already are.  But it’s like, at least show some progress.

Drafting a PG who isn’t a disappoint is no reason for Sacramento fans to get excited.  The braintrust, in essence, has replaced DeAaron Fox with Acuff Jr., and there’s no guarantee the latter will ever be as good as the former.

DEANDRE HUNTER

Looking reinvigorated(?)

14. UTAH JAZZ (1-5)

In the NBA we have what you may term as precedent or team culture or however you want it put - history.  There’s some rosters that, if you show it to someone while taking the organization’s name off the top, they’d be like ‘hey, this is pretty good team’.  But then when you reveal the name of the organization, it’s like ‘oh wait, it’s the Jazz’.

Jackson Jr. is hurt, surprise-surprise.  With Kessler gone and with Jaren’s injury history, the braintrust had to know in advance that sometimes they’d be going smaller.  And yes, they do, in theory, have enough quality Gs and wings to do so.

The Western Conference, as it currently stands, is looking stronger than the East.  So I’m not trying to say that Utah’s competition isn’t fierce.  This is a young team that has to learn how to win.  And by that I mean the players themselves, like self-education type shit, with minimal input from what appears to be a nonprogressive, arguably even backwards, braintrust.

13. LA CLIPPERS (1-5)

I wasn’t expecting the Clippers to be good but at the same time not to come out looking this hopeless either.  Even if your name is Duncan or Shaq, it’s never a good thing when an organization puts too much hope in a rookie.  So the way everyone was talking about this dude Wagler before the season, in hindsight, I now see that was a warning sign.

If a no.5 pick on a veteran team needs to represent in order for them to win, that isn’t a good thing.  And he’s been putting up pretty good stats, barring a woeful FG%, which makes me think maybe the media shouldn’t have put so much attention on him to begin with(?).

What they’re saying is that Brandon “Poor Man’s Durant” Ingram will eventually make this team better.  Okay, maybe, though I’m not sure if he’s ever actually made a team better per se.  But again, who knows.  Maybe he and Garland will form a combination like Kyrie + Flagg.  But if dudes dig themselves too deep into a hole beforehand, they’ll be less incentive to bring him back from injury to begin with.

12. PHOENIX SUNS (1-3)

The Suns are one of those kinds of teams that, okay, I don’t know if tanking is still a viable option.  But it’s almost like, why even try to win?  The roster isn’t good enough, period.  I know that’s also true for teams like the Clippers.  But oing back to the organizational history type shit, no one is expecting LAC to win.  But as for Phoenix, like their graphic designs alone gives fans a false sense of hope.

I read recently that the braintrust is insisting on starting Jalen Green at point, even though he’s wascally AF and instead of letting Gillepsie, a jump-shooting whiteboy, takeover the 1.  That decision, literally, shows how dumb this braintrust has become.  Remember, this is the same organization that, a few years back, broke up a (healthy) contender to bring in KD and Bradley Beal, and in the process formed arguably the worst superteam of all time.

So I’m strongly advocating a Booker trade these days.  If he’s comfortable in Phoenix and receiving his superduper max or whatever, then so be it.  But it’s a shame to see that type of talent stuck on a team like this, that’s only a contender like once every 20 years.

11. NEW ORLEANS PELICANS (2-4)

One thing about the Pelicans, that you have to give them credit for, is that at least they have the talent.  They may be trying to make the pieces fit into time immemorial, but it isn’t like their roster doesn’t have a few discernible potential allstars.

Starting Jeremiah Fears may just be the answer they were looking for.  But there’s still a few things the coaching staff needs to work on.  For instance, unless it’s due to injury concerns, I don’t quite understand why they’d have Fears attacking the rim more than Williamson, while the latter is spending most of his time parked at the perimeter, if that's the case.  The NBA is a strange beast sometimes.

Also, shoutout to Dejounte Murray who, at this point, I think it’s more or less safe to say that he’s a victim of the Ewing effect.  Whether compatibility or injury issues, dude has never been the same since leaving San Antonio.  I can’t remember if he was traded or left on his own, but either way, yeah.  So ideally, I’m envisioning that NOP will be able to fashion him into at least a formidable sixth man.

10. DENVER NUGGETS (3-2)

Sorry, but I’m just tired of the Nuggets, which is why I stinked them this high, despite their record not being too bad.  If they manage to draft a young, promising player - like say Hyland or Watson - rest assured they won’t hold onto him for long.  So it’s like the same ol’ same ol’, hoping they’ll reclaim some magic from yesteryear.

They were recently saying something like Jokic’s ppg are down, and it’s like yeah, what do you expect.  Like how do you expect dude to stay inspired?  That’s like some racism shit, thinking every player from overseas is stupid, you know, like he’s so dumb he’s going to give his all to a losing cause.

He knows, in essence, that this braintrust hasn’t really done jackshit - in years.   DeRozan was a quality pickup.  But rest assured, just like with Westbrook, the coaching staff will fail to use him rightly.

CHRISTIAN BRAUN

Playing better than I expected

9. GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS (4-3)

Last week, when I made my season predictions, I forgot to put down Lendeborg as my pick for ROY.  Now I’m glad I didn’t as, if things remain as are, Boozer is gonna win it.

But still, he’s exactly what the doctor ordered, in a way.  If a team with championship aspirations - as the Warriors remain, realistically are not - are forced to start a rookie, then you’d want someone who absolutely does not give AF.  And going after Luka, who may finally average 40ppg this season?  That’s as ballsy as it gets, besides Yexel having the offensive game to back it up(?).

But who it all falls back to, of course, is Steph.  He’s a polarizing superstar, at least to me.  Like if Curry really wanted his team to win it all, he’d voluntarily take a paycut.

But you know, whatever.  People are always telling us to believe in ourselves, which is 90% bullshit.  No matter how confident you are, you need to possess the skills, resources or blessings to excel at an endeavor.  And as far as basketball is concerned, Steph appears to have all of the above.  So again, if you have to believe in any player in the NBA, that you can even surround with a Nets-like roster and still win, then you already know. 

8. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (4-3)

Out of every team in the conference, the one that has most surprised me, in a good way, has been Minnesota.  Ball + Edwards instantly clicked, which is something I would have never imagined.  And whereas it sucks that they forced Ant-Man into surgery, I agree that, all things considered, it’s better to be proactive than reactive.

Injury issues have gotten so bad in the NBA that now dudes have to be load managed into the hospital.  At this rate, the children of this current generation will be playing 50-game seasons, just to prevent dudes from like passing out on court.

7. OKC THUNDER (4-2)

Last week, when I predicted OKC to win it all this season, I made sure to include a disclaimer, knowing that opinion could change, especially if for instance Jalen Williams didn’t regain form, which obviously he hasn’t.  What I didn’t expect though is for things to go south this fast, including Holmgren going down, which I also now feel in hindsight I shoulda foresaw, considering that “White Wemby” has an injury history arguably more alarming than Williams (yet has also been maxxed out by OKC).

Arguably or hypothetically or however you want to put it, the only reason the Thunder won in 2024 was because Haliburton got hurt.  Last season, with Williams hobbled, they were unable to get back to the Finals.  Over the course of the summer, they lost three rotation players, besides current injuries to Jalen and Chet and Alex and Ajay and by this point perhaps even the mascot slipping on a puddle of beer or some shit.

6. HOUSTON ROCKETS (6-1)

If you notice, most of the older superstars these days - KD, Lebron, AD, Kyrie and even the Beard and Kawhi in a way are now playing on younger teams.  They’re no longer demanding on superteaming with each other and getting embarrassed accordingly.  This is a movement I’ve been long advocating and would like to believe I incepted.

Also, I’m done with my recent wave of Durant bashing.  Yes, the Rockets had a formidable foundation even before he arrived.  But his presence has brought what feels like a heightened degree of stability.  Like you just know he can score, more consistently than anyone else in the league, in a way.  And that’s a strong sense of security to have from like your oldest rotation player.

MARCUS SMART

Has fit in perfectly

5. LOS ANGELES LAKERS (5-2)

I was expecting the Lakers’ record to outperform their talent, and here we are.  But again, give credit where credit is due.

It’s possible that this roster arrangement is in fact better suited for Luka's skillset than what the Mavs put together, which is something I didn’t foresee.  But I think it’s more about him coming in as the undisputed alpha as opposed to having to establish himself, as he did in Dallas.

The baby elephant in the room is Bronny, who I don’t even think has gotten burn thus far.  But he’s a grown young man, and I’m sure both him and daddy knew the risks of forcing dude into the NBA.  It’s just a strange situation though, not that he got into the league but rather has found a permanent place(?) in it.  If dude was on OKC, he'd prolly get a rookie max or some shit.

4. SAN ANTONIO (4-2)

Unlike the Eastern Conference champs, their Western Conference counterparts have shook off their rust fast.  But I’m still leery because, it’s hard to have faith in a contender that relies so heavily on one player.  There needs to be someone besides Wemby who can consistently hold down the middle.  

I say that with a grain of salt because remember, last (regular) season the Spurs were winning, including beating OKC, without him.  And that’s one of the things pundits always imply but never state outright, that if you take Victor out of the equation, this is still one of the better, if not best smallball team.  That’s sound braintrusting though again, despite having one of the tallest dudes in league history, they could use some size insurance.

3. PORTLAND TRAILBLAZERS (4-1)

I knew the Blazers were going to be formidable but wasn’t expecting them to come out this hot, like no adjustment period or none of that shit.  But really, this is the same overachieving team from last year, though with the addition of Morant and now Dame being playable.  That’s a helluva combination, confidence-wise, right there.

Ja is currently hurt, which was more or less to be expected eventually.  It’s cool, because it shouldn’t be situation where, after making notable progress last season, Scoot once again gets lost in the sauce.

2. DALLAS MAVERICKS (4-2)

When you talk about older superstars being committed to younger, unproven teams, as it currently stands Kyrie tops the list, because I don’t think anyone was really expecting the Mavs, as they are, to be formidable.  Meanwhile, they beat both the Thunder and Rockets, in consecutive games, just last week. If nothing else, that’s definitely a statement.

As for these older superstars yes, they may now be down to play on younger teams, albeit ones that are clearly contenders.  That is all of them, except Kyrie.  And it’s funny how perfectly him remaining committed has worked out, how this may unexpectedly be the type of roster makeup he needs to win a championship without Lebron.  I’m not saying that I believe something like that will happen this season.  But they’re definitely, by the looks of things, on the right path.

COOPER FLAGG

Finally making me a believer

1. MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES (6-0)

I would’ve never thought, in a million years, that this current iteration of the Grizz would ever be at the bottom of the Power Stinkings.  Their schedule thus far may not have been as challenging as some other teams, but once again, give credit where credit is due.

They even won a game without Ty Jerome - yes, against the Kings, but still.  Winning can be just as contagious as losing.  So if these dudes actually establish a winning culture, like if they really start believing they can beat the best of the best, then sky’s the limit, I guess.

CARLOS BOOZER

ROY thus far, obviously

ISIAH STEWART

Looks more energized than he did in Detroit

The Thunder Maxxed Jalen Williams Out... Oops!

THE VICTOR OLADIPO EXAMPLE

A few years back, I was a member of this NBA Disqus group which I really enjoyed, as guru sharpeneth guru.  During the 2018 postseason the Pacers, led by Victor Oladipo, were facing the Cavs, led by Lebron James.  And with the series tied 2-2, during the final seconds of the pivotal, hotly-contested Game 5, long story short there was this controversial play where, basically, the refs unjustly favored LBJ over Oladipo, thus giving Cleveland the series more or less.

So everyone in that Disqus group agreed that yeah, shit was rigged.  But as for Oladipo, better luck next year.  He was making a name for himself, pushing Lebron to his limits, so it was only a matter of time, like every dog has his day.

But I was like nah, fuk that, because you can’t take shit for granted.  And what I was most specifically alluding to is how tender NBA players have become.

If somehow you put together a contender, there’s less guarantee than ever that the roster will remain healthy from one postseason to the next.  Just look at the Thunder for instance.

And sure enough, that next season was when Oladipo’s body really starting giving up on him, in the NBA sense.  And less than two years after that gypping, he went from being the next big thing, the young dude who may potentially take down the King, to getting assigned to the G-league.

We seen Oladipo, just this past summer, unsuccessfully try to get himself back into the NBA.  So clearly, even after being out of the game for a couple of years (and it honestly feeling much longer than that), he's not content with how his career ended.

On one hand you feel sorry for him.  But on the other it’s like, nobody has time for that shit.  There’s only so much logic that can be applied to employing an injured great over any healthy rotation-level player.  So that 2018 First Round exit, when he almost kinda prevailed against James and may have been cheated out of a history-altering upset, has proven to be arguably the biggest story of his career, besides making allstar once or twice.

THE JALEN WILLIAMS DILEMMA

What all of this leading me to, in a contemporary context, is once again OKC and more specifically the Jalen Williams’ dilemma.  Last year, they signed him to a rookie extension max of $240mil/5-years.

I do remember cautioning the braintrust not to be so hasty to max dude out.  But now seeing that the contract was signed in July 2025, I can't remember if that warning came before or after the fact.

He didn't begin displaying serious injury issues until the beginning of last season, which again was after the contract was signed.  Oh, wait a minute.  He did have wrist surgery right after the 2025 Finals, which was concurrent with the signing.  So yes, it is arguable, especially in hindsight, that the Thunder’s braintrust did haste, but Williams’ agents definitely did not.

Williams’ most recent injury, the one that happened just last week, had dudes on the court crying and shit.  You would think after something like that it’s like, he’ll never be the same player again.

So there’s a part deep down inside of me - perhaps inside of all of us - that may argue, you know, hang up the cleats type shit.  Those types of injuries that are so offputting that you have to like shield the victim from the cameras are not what you would expect in basketball, which is supposed to like a noncontact sport.  At least, you know, let an opponent tackle you or some shit.  Like how “awkwardly” can a 'healthy' athlete land from a jump, without making contact with anyone else, to the point of it having onlookers in tears?

THE PAUL GEORGE EXAMPLE

But let’s not forget something similar happened to PG13 a few years back.  And despite the lingering, realistic fear of re-injury, he's promptly regained allstar-ish form afterwards.

Let’s also not forget how Steph was undervalued early in his career, when the Warriors’ overestimated his injury issues, to the point that they’re still re-compensating him to this day.  So giving these dudes massive contracts are like a gamble nonetheless.  You never really know who’ll rightfully return from injury and who won’t.

But that said, oh sh*t, Williams is on the verge of basically missing two seasons in a row.  And going back to Oladipo, that’s the reality of the NBA for many young stars.

You come into the league fresh and hungry, but your body isn’t going to maintain that level of competitiveness into lebronish perpetuity.  So many dudes - Brandon Roy, Grant Hill, Tracy McGrady, Kristaps Porzingis(?), as well as others who time has since forgotten, came in with all the promise in the world, but whereas the spirit was willing, the flesh wasn't.

They say the average NBA career is only what, like five years?  So another way of looking at it, for many of these dudes, is that they only have that amount of time to potentially contribute to a championship at an allstar level.  That reality doesn't bode well, as the highest draft picks tend to go to the worst teams.  But as for Jalen Williams, whether or not he ever takes the court in a meaningful way again, at least he got his ring, as arguably the best player on his team during that Finals.

CONCLUSION

But in the meantime, his contract just kicked in, so he’s getting $40mil this season, with that rate successively rising into 2030.  That’s money that OKC could, you know, rather be spending on someone(s) who can actually play.  Combining that amount with the fact that dude is like on crutches and shit, like his trade value is nil.  And in hindsight, OKC parting ways will all those wings this past offseason now feels another mistake or haste.

So this is yet another of those legacy vs. potential contract scenarios.  Maxxing Wiliams out was more of a no-brainer, considering that he had already proven himself an allstar and champion.  Indeed, he appears to be such an important cog in this iteration of the Thunder that they may not even get close to winning another championship, considering that he can’t play yet is consuming so much cap space, besides all of the players they recently gave up and also besides the other injuries they have to deal.

Every Team's X-Factor (Southwest Division)

I’ve now had the benefit of watching a few highlights from regular season games, though there’s a couple of teams on this list I still haven’t gotten a look at.  Anyhow, this is the final edition of “Every Team’s X-Factor” and the only entry of the series to be written after the start of the season.  But the goal remains the same, to identify the player who, even if you never heard of dude before or even if he’s a third-stringer, needs to step up to push the squad to another level.  Or another way of looking at it is finding where a depth deficiency in the roster occurs and then figuring out which NBAer on the team can fill that slot.

DALLAS MAVERICKS: ZACCHARIE RISACHER

Kyrie + Flagg = the best 1 + 3 forward combination in the league?  Nico Harrison wasn’t a dumbass after all?

The Mavs have a deep, versatile roster, more or less built for the modern (pre-Wemby) NBA.  But one thing I did notice is they have a lot of Gs, but I haven’t heard of most of them.  So when Irving inevitably goes down, that may be an area of concern.

But in the meantime, I going to with Zaccharie Risacher.  Fun fact: there’s only three teams (I think) with two no.1 picks on their roster - Philly, Washington and… Dallas.  Honestly, I wasn’t expecting much of these dudes.  But beating the two of the top three teams in the West (OKC and Houston) in consecutive games this past week, any way you cut it, says a lot.

Anyhow, Zach is the x-factor because, first of all he’s coming off the bench, and secondly, he can, in theory, play the 2 through 4.  To note, Aldama - yet another tall, lanky, multi-positional dude - will return eventually, I guess, which would then minimize some of Risacher's x-factorness.  This team’s makeup is similar to the Rockets, very F heavy, designed apparently such that most of the scoring comes from the frontcourt.

HOUSTON ROCKETS: STEVEN ADAMS

Indeed, Houston has Thompson starting at the 2, though he’s more like a 3 or small 4.  But still, they have enough depth in the backcourt to weather injuries.

This roster isn’t lacking in any area per se.  But since I’m forced to pick an x-factor, I’m going with Steven Adams.  Why?  He’s the only like big-big on the team.  And the way Houston insists on keeping him around, past his prime, shows that they perceive the value of having someone his size, as wemby insurance presumably.

MEMPHIS GRIZZLIES: SCOTTIE PIPPEN JR.

So as it currently stands, this is the only undefeated team in the league.  Who would’ve thunk it?

I have yet to see these dudes play.  If Ty Jerome, a fukin C-lister, wasn’t playing out of his mind, it’d be easy to just come out and criticize Memphis's rotation.  Dude has made such a name for himself, in just a couple of weeks, that now when I read it, I’m no longer confusing him for a 1970s’ black guy.

If he’s able to sustain it, welcome to both MIP and allstar, Ty.  But as with other pundits, I don’t think that’s particularly likely.

So amongst their other Gs who don’t have much name recognition but need to represent, I’m going with Pippen Jr.  Well actually, he’s the son of an alltime great, which moves you up a grade or two on the celebrity chart by default.  But dude isn’t that popular and also is clearly more than just a nepo baby, having carved out a career for himself and regularly starting for, as it currently stands, the best team in the NBA.

No one saw this coming, but again, the season is a marathon, not a sprint.  But here’s to hoping dudes can maintain.  A formidable team led by a rookie is something the NBA hasn’t had in a long time.

NEW ORLEANS PELICANS: YVES MISSI

There are some teams, like the Sixers, who are overtalented in a good way.  While others, like the Pelicans, have compatibility issues.

I’m going with this dude Yves Missi, despite not even knowing how he looks, because there’s been headlines over the past couple of weeks pointing to how his injury throws the frontcourt’s balance off.  According to reports, NOP has another C, Derik Queen, who all-around better than Missi but doesn’t fit as well alongside Zion, the alpha.

The Pelicans are one of those teams that you just get tired of all their issues after awhile, because Missi starting, Queen starting, what fukin difference does it make anyway?  Does one or the other starting means they’re actually going to start winning games?  So at least give us a good show, braintrust.

SAN ANTONIO SPURS: JULIAN CHAMPAGNIE

The Spurs haven’t come out the gate red hot, as they're more or less running lineup experiments, as well as waiting to incorporate Harris.  I’m presuming that Tobias will be the starting 4 which, the more I think about it, may be a desired upgrade over Champagnie.

This team, in terms of their rotation players on average, isn’t really that tall.  They just drafted a couple of bigs, who at first I was speculating would get some run.  But considering this is very much a win-now squad, now that I think about it, they probably won’t.

Kornet can play the 4 but is better served in the middle.  So Julian remains the x-factor, as he was last season, if you could read in-between the lines.

Dude needs to learn how to play bigger than his size or his stretch preferences.  He needs to adopt that Malik Rose spirit, if he can, because once Harris goes to bench, or even likely with Harris is on the court, SA appears as if it’ll once again lack an imposing interior presence when Wemby is out on the perimeter.

CONCLUSION

I'm glad that I'm finally finished with this shit.  What's become obvious in pointing out every team's x-factor is that even though a player may fill a very-important need, in terms of being the last man standing at a position that has depth issues, that still doesn't mean he's actually gonna get run.  Coaches have players they trust and those they don't, and there's also injury issues that need to be taken into consideration.  But that said, I'm hoping to do an update to this series circa midseason, then based on having watched each team play out for a few months.