NBA 101

The Chase Down Podcast joins for a Cavs conversation + WNBA Playoff Preview

Subscribe to The Dunker Spot

Apple Podcasts | Spotify | YouTube

We have a jam-packed episode of The Dunker Spot coming your way!

First, Nekias Duncan and Steve Jones are joined by Justin Rowan and Carter Rodriguez (The Chase Down Podcast) for a wide-ranging conversation about the Cleveland Cavaliers. They talk about the team’s perception, what’s needed to make the James Harden/Donovan Mitchell partnership work, next steps for Evan Mobley, the addition of Peyton Watson and much more!

On the WNBA side, the guys preview the first round of the 2026 playoffs! They discuss the matchups, key battlegrounds, potential X-Factors and schematic twists that could determine the winner of each series.

If you ever have NBA or WNBA questions, email us at dunkerspot@yahoo.com

0:47 — Justin & Carter join the show!

56:58 — Aces/Fever

01:12:36 — Lynx/Liberty

01:22:30 — Dream/Mystics

01:30:40 — Valkyries/Wings

Jason Miller

🖥️ Watch this full episode on the Yahoo Sports NBA YouTube channel

Check out all episodes of The Dunker Spot and the rest of the Yahoo Sports podcast family at https://apple.co/3zEuTQj or at yahoosports.tv

Cavs announce training camp roster

We are just two weeks away from the Cleveland Cavaliers’ first preseason game. But first, they’ll be conducting training camp in Spain. The Cavs announced their roster for camp today.

The standard roster, headlined by stars like James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley, will, of course, be there. Newcomer Peyton Watson, as well.

In total, 21 players will be in Spain. This includes the full standard roster, as well as three two-way players and a handful of training camp invites.

📝 Our Training Camp roster is here! @ClevelandClinic | #LetEmKnowpic.twitter.com/pgeVvcM0tk

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) September 24, 2026

Tristan Enaruna, Riley Minix, and Ernest Udeh Jr. make up the two-way spots. Minix and Enaruna have been with the organization since last year, while Udeh is their newest two-way player.

Rashaun Agee, Zack Austin, Curtis Jones and Kadary Richmond are the camp invitees.

Training camp is an opportunity to set the tone for the upcoming season. The building blocks of who this team will become should be laid during their trip to Spain. This not only allows them to learn the systems but also to form a closer bond as teammates.

Cleveland reached the Eastern Conference Finals last season after winning 52 games. The Cavs hope to replicate that success and go even further this year.

A full offseason of integrating Harden should help them. The 17-year veteran hardly had time to unpack his bags before the playoff run began. This season allows him more time to adapt and learn his role. That should help everyone around him.

Trading for Watson was Cleveland’s biggest move of the summer. The franchise is excited about the potential for Watson to help them in the immediate short term and in the future. Training camp will give them their first glimpse of how he fits with the roster.

As for the others, younger prospects such as Meleek Thomas and Tyrese Proctor have a chance to prove they belong. Training camp and preseason will be their time to step up. Nae’Qwan Tomlin, as well.

The Cavs are hosting media day for Koby Altman and Kenny Atkinson on Friday afternoon. The players will have their own media day on Monday. After that, it’s off to Spain for Training Camp.

Cleveland’s first preseason game is October 8th.

Julian Reese, Pelicans Sign Two-Way Deal

Julian Reese and the New Orleans Pelicans have signed a Two-Way contract. Reese was acquired by the Denver Nuggets’ G League affiliate in August and subsequently waived.

Reese appeared in 13 games last season with the Washington Wizards, averaging 11.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.4 steals in 30.9 minutes.

Reese also appeared in 42 G League games, averaging 8.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 18.0 minutes.

Reese went undrafted out of Maryland in 2025.

Falcons vs. Packers on ‘Thursday Night Football’: Atlanta’s QB situation, explained

Maybe you looked at the Falcons 0-2 record heading into Thursday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers and wondered who the hell decided subjecting us to the Atlanta Falcons in primetime repeatedly was a great idea.

And you’re not wrong.

I’ve been on the Falcons’ beat for 14 years now, and while a rocky start to the season is nothing new for Atlanta, the national narrative around this team is missing some important context. So here’s a breakdown of the saga that has been the Falcons’ quarterback depth chart in 2026 and why it’s a huge deal that starter Michael Penix is finally able to actually start in Week 3 against the Packers.

Why was Michael Penix Jr. out?

The Falcons drafted Penix with the eighth overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Washington. They expected him to grow into the franchise quarterback role the team has struggled to fill since their attempted trade for Deshaun Watson didn’t work out and essentially forced the team to trade now-Falcons president Matt Ryan to the Colts and start all over.

And the Falcons thought they’d have time to let Penix develop and adjust to the pro game before he had to take over as the starter. The Falcons signed the top free agent QB on the market that year, a post-Achilles tear Kirk Cousins, expecting to roll with the veteran as a starter. Cousins was not as healthy as the team thought, and it showed on the field. Penix started five games in his rookie season as a result, and he won the starting job in 2025, handing it back over to Cousins when Penix suffered the season-ending ACL tear that required complete reconstructive surgery. It was Penix’s third ACL tear and surgical repair.

Penix was medically cleared prior to the final preseason game, but Penix told the media in Week 2 that he had yet to hit some of the physical benchmarks (he declined to elaborate on those benchmarks) the medical team wanted him to hit to feel comfortable taking full-speed contact, so he was unable to start either Week 1 or Week 2. Penix was named the starting quarterback for Week 3 against the Packers on Thursday Night Football on Monday afternoon.

What was the Falcons’ plan at QB this season?

I promise that the Falcons DID have a plan for the quarterback position this season, even though there was always a question as to what Penix’s recovery timetable would be. The team signed Tua Tagovailoa as an experienced veteran backup and stopgap starter, with Trevor Siemian waiting in the wings given both Penix’s and Tagovailoa’s injury histories. Then the very first day of training camp rolled around, and all bets were off.

Penix still wasn’t medically cleared to participate fully. Tagovailoa was having back spasms and was unable to practice. And Siemian was waived with an injury settlement that very morning, leaving Atlanta with one healthy quarterback on the first day of practice: Undrafted free agent rookie Jack Strand out of Minnesota-Moorhead. The Falcons brought in Cooper Rush for a workout early that morning and signed him just before that first training camp practice began.

Tagovailoa, Rush, and Strand all got plenty of reps in training camp and the preseason with Penix sidelined. Penix wasn’t ready to start Week 1, so Tagovailoa got the nod — and then he hurt his oblique, forcing the Falcons to pass the baton to Rush. And then, because the football gods apparently hate the Atlanta Falcons, Rush hurt his back during the team’s final walk-through of the week.

Rush started in Week 1 against the Steelers anyway out of pure necessity, and he looked abysmal, finishing 12 of 22 for 143 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions. In Week 2 against the Panthers, Rush went 10 of 17 for 86 yards, two picks, and no touchdowns. Rush split starters’ reps in practice with Penix as the team held out hope that he might be ready to start against Carolina, and that probably didn’t help. Rush was benched in favor of Strand, who had zero practice reps with the starters in advance of that game, and that probably didn’t help either.

Which brings us to Week 3, Thursday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers.

What to expect from Michael Penix vs. the Packers

This is the question on everyone’s mind heading into Thursday night — including mine.

During training camp, the Falcons got creative about getting Penix prepared for the pass rush without risking his health, using an exercise ball rolled toward him at the snap to simulate pressure. Penix will have gotten starter reps throughout this lighter week of practice. He’s medically cleared and the reconstructive process on his knee is supposed to reinforce it so he shouldn’t have to worry about a FOURTH ACL tear — but also, how could he not worry about that?

The Packers have seven sacks on the season over the first two games, which ties them for second in the league, and they’ve been effective at pressuring the opposing quarterback and they rank first in the NFL heading into Week 3 for forcing negative-yardage plays. The Falcons offensive line is still finding its way after longtime right tackle Kaleb McGary retired. Jawaan Taylor was signed this offseason to fill that role, but his ability to integrate with that unit was delayed by injury. Taylor is expected to play on Thursday after leaving Sunday’s loss to the Panthers with a rib injury, but will he be 100%? He’ll need to be against this Packers pass rush.

It’s a bit of an adjustment for the offensive line in particular to adjust to Penix, a lefty, after protecting righties Rush and Strand the first two weeks of the season. It changes the direction of each play, so it’ll be interesting to see if Atlanta’s offense has a smooth transition with that. If Penix is unable to finish the game, Tagovailoa is expected to be active and available tonight, so the rest of the offense wouldn’t have to adjust back to a right-handed quarterback — unless catastrophe strikes, which let’s be real, could absolutely happen because it’s the Falcons.

The only slight competitive advantages Atlanta may have here are that Penix is fully rested despite this being a short week, and there’s zero film of Penix operating in this Tommy Rees offense. He’s got a bigger arm than Rush, so I’m hoping we’ll see Atlanta pushing the ball down the field more, taking advantage of the size and speed of guys like Drake London and Kyle Pitts, and that this will create more opportunities for Bijan Robinson to make plays.

Will Penix be better than Rush has been over the first two games of the season? I have a hard time believing he could be worse.

I am concerned that Penix won’t be prepared for the speed of the game because he hasn’t seen any game action since November 2025. I’m not worried about him re-injuring the repaired knee, but I am concerned he may be a step slow, rusty, and could put himself at risk for new injuries.

But the band-aid’s got to come off at some point, and if Penix can prevent the Falcons from slipping to 0-3 on Thursday, it’ll be worth it for Atlanta.

Gaby Lopez embraces the team element of WTGL

There is nothing like team golf.

We are in the middle of the fall which means it is happening all over the place. Europe won the Solheim Cup, time will tell hos this weekend’s Presidents Cup unfolds, and the college golf season is already rocking and rolling.

Golf is an individual game, but team inclusion makes the stakes different. We say this all of the time as fans, but players talk about it themselves.

Consider Gaby Lopez, one of the new members of Los Angeles Golf Club in the WTGL, and what she had to say about starting a new venture with team golf happening all of the time by way of WTGL. She caught up with us earlier this week and raved about how excited she is and how the energy of her new team is so much fun.

WTGL kicks off on November 8th and Gaby’s team will be taking on New York Golf Club in the first match. Fellow friends of SB Nation Linn Grant and Rose Zhang will also be a part of the fun, for what it’s worth.

Gaby noted how, unlike Grant and Zhang, she doesn’t have an opportunity to compete in the Solheim Cup as it is a team of Europeans and she hails from Mexico. WTGL is offering her a chance at team golf for the first time since her days in college at Arkansas, and you can tell in speaking with her how much she is looking forward to it.

That is part of what is so exciting about WTGL in an overall sort of sense. It is offering something new and exciting to players who have not had this sort of opportunity. It serves as the latest example of women’s sports doing what it can to capitalize on the proverbial moment.

If Gaby has anything to say about it, WTGL is going to be a huge success and the team element of it is going to be fully on display.

I wouldn’t be against Los Angeles under her watch.

Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks Unlikely To Sign Extension Before Start Of Camp

Karl-Anthony Towns and the New York Knicks have “stagnated” on their contract extension discussions and a deal before the start of training camp is considered unlikely. Despite the lack of progress, the talks have been described as “cordial.”

Towns has been eligible for a contract extension during the offseason that could reach $276 million over four seasons.

“This is a cloud going into training camp,” said Shams Charania.

Towns has a $61 million player option for the 2027-28 season and could become a free agent in 2027.

There is no deadline for an extension between Towns and the Knicks. Towns will turn 31 in November.

James Dolan has been clear that he wants to avoid the Knicks going into the second apron.

Natalie Nakase deserves WNBA Coach of the Year — again

Coach of the Year is one of the most peculiar awards in sports. The award is typically given to a coach who exceeded external expectations, and due to the media’s limited inside-access to teams and locker rooms, it’s sometimes difficult to discern exactly who to credit and who to blame for a team’s performance.

Still, it’s our job to try.

Last year, Golden State Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase was the near-universal winner of the WNBA’s Coach of the Year award. Normally, that would mean she probably wouldn’t win it again, at least for a few years.

But after much consideration, I’m once again voting for Nakase, who has turned the Valkyries from a fringe playoff team in Year 1 to one of the most dominant teams in the WNBA.

The Valkyries have maximized their roster and have the second-best record in the WNBA at 31-12. They also have the best point differential in the league, outscoring opponents by an average of 7.2 points per game (which even outpaces the Minnesota Lynx’s +6.9 net rating).

A lot of their success has been powered by their defense — the Valkyries have by far the best defensive rating in the WNBA at 99.4. (For reference, the second-best defensive rating in the WNBA is the Mystics’ 103.8. It’s not close). The Valkyries hold opponents to 75.1 points per game; the next-lowest opponent points per game is the Mystics’ 82.5 average.

Natalie Nakase won Coach of the Year last year, too, and typically, voters don’t reward coaches in back-to-back seasons. But I’ve mulled this over quite a bit, and if A’ja Wilson can win MVP year after year, why can’t Nakase be rewarded for outdoing her exceptional Year 1 performance?

The Valkyries were awesome in their first year post-expansion. In the early days of the season, it seemed that the Portland Fire and Toronto Tempo might follow in their footsteps. But both teams now have bottom-three records, finishing their season vastly differently than the Valkyries did last year, when they secured the 8th seed with a 23-21 record.

Instead of remaining stagnant or even backsliding, Nakase and her staff ensured the team would take another massive step forward in Year 2, building upon an already-strong defensive identity to become an absolute powerhouse on that end of the floor. Now, the Valkyries are not just a playoff team — they’re a legitimate championship contender, despite not having a single player who averages 15 or more points per game.

Nakase has masterfully managed the minutes and loads of a deep Golden State roster. She’s helped instill confidence in backup point guard Kaitlyn Chen, who is having a career year. She’s continued to entrust Veronica Burton as a franchise player, and Burton has consequently been one of the most effective players in the games, based on numerous advanced analytics. She’s figured out how to get the most out of veterans like Tiffany Hayes and Kayla Thornton, who have seen more reduced on-court roles this season but continue to be absolutely critical components of the team’s success. And she’s helped turn Kiah Stokes into a legitimate Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

Are the Valkyries poised for postseason success, or are they just a regular-season juggernaut? Right now, it’s too soon to tell, though the next couple of weeks will provide those answers. Still, this is a regular-season award, and no one has done a better job of maximizing their roster than the second-year Valkyries head coach.

Other candidates I considered for WNBA Coach of the Year

While I ultimately went with Nakase, there were several other strong candidates for the award.

Minnesota Lynx head coach Cheryl Reeve deserves a ton of credit for how she manages to empower rookie point guard Olivia Miles, deal with Napheesa Collier’s extended absence, and help Natasha Howard achieve a career year. The Lynx were the best team in the league all season long, and had they finished the year far ahead of the Valkyries, Reeve’s case would have been particularly salient. Ultimately, Reeve was working with a far more talented roster than Nakase’s — Napheesa Collier, Olivia Miles, Natasha Howard, Kayla McBride, and Courtney Williams have all been All-Stars in the past two seasons — and the Lynx currently sit just a game ahead of the Valkyries in the standings.

Washington Mystics head coach Sydney Johnson also deserves consideration for this award. Few could have projected that the Mystics would be where they’re at right now, and it’s clear that Johnson has been the perfect fit for a young squad headlined by Shakira Austin, Sonia Citron, and Kiki Iriafen. The Mystics have had the second-best defense in the WNBA and have gotten the most out of role players like Michaela Onyenwere and Cotie McMahon.

And Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon is a perennial candidate for this award. The Aces are once again among the WNBA’s best teams (currently holding a 30-13 record), despite losing Chennedy Carter midseason and NaLyssa Smith to an ACL tear. But Las Vegas will be rewarded elsewhere on the ballot, and given that so much of this award historically centers around exceeding expectations, Hammon is in a tough spot considering she coaches two Team USA Olympic guards in Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray, and the best player in the game in A’ja Wilson.