We're a little over a month into the 2024-25 NBA season and we're already past the halfway point of the NBA Cup group phase with teams facing knockout round clinching scenarios this week. Some teams are dominating in group play,

Those big wins have impressed some writers around the NBA, as the Mavs saw a consistent rise in recent power rankings. READ MORE: Nets Reportedly Change Asking Price for Mavericks

Teams are competing and not blatantly exercising organizational priorities, and in a culture where we’re waiting for the next “trades we want to see” piece to drop, I like that NBA Cup games take place just after the glorified feel-out games that mark the opening weeks of the season and wrap up just before all of those new contracts become tradeable.

After a rocky start to the season it is a few new faces and the leadership of one of their stars that has them correcting course.

The Portland Trail Blazers are off to a much of a solid start by their standards.  The Blazers have looked quite good thus far, but they don't have enough power