LDylan Larkin refused to play for Detroit, and the Red Wings suspended him without pay.
MSuspended without pay? This thing has been brewing since June.
LESPN on X broke it. Larkin asked for a trade in June and still showed up to camp.
MThen they stripped the C off his chest. That was the warning sign.
LHe kept playing anyway. Ten games, two goals, four assists.
MThat's not exactly forcing their hand with your play.
LHis agent says Larkin "had enough." He felt he'd done right by the team.
MHe's got an eight-point-seven million dollar cap hit. You don't walk away from that.
LWalking away costs him about forty thousand dollars a day now. He knows.
MSorry, you signed the contract. Play the games.
LHe's been professional since June. Detroit slow-walked the trade request.
MDetroit says they'll move him if a deal makes sense for them. That's their job.
LAnd that's exactly why players force the issue. Teams can drag it out forever.
MOh, come on—Larkin is the face of that franchise. He owed them more than "I'm done."
LThey took the captaincy, left him in limbo, and now they're shocked?
MInterim GM Shawn Horcoff said the team was disappointed by "his decision, particularly given his obligations to the organization and his teammates."
LOf course he said that. That's the company line.
MLiam, you played. You just stop showing up?
LI'm not saying it's pretty. I'm saying Detroit helped build this mess.
MThey weren't holding him hostage. They were trying to win games.
LMinnesota's been aggressive, per ESPN. Larkin reportedly has a ten-team list and wants nothing to do with Canadian clubs.
MSo there's a market. Make the best deal and move on.
LThat's exactly what he's forcing.
MAnd now he's suspended, losing money by the day, and the locker room loses its leader.
LMaybe the locker room already knew he was checked out.
MThen sit him with pay until a trade. Suspending him is cold.
LYou just said he owed them. Now you're mad they're hitting back?
MI can think he's wrong and still think the suspension makes it uglier.
LThis is hockey, not HR. Tell a team you won't play, they hit the wallet.
MFine. When he's traded, someone's getting a motivated Larkin with something to prove.
LFor two goals and four assists, they'd better.
MExactly. Now show me a point guard who talks bigger than that.
LSpeaking of believing your own press—Bleacher Report on X has Ben Simmons saying the league has never seen a player like him.
MHe actually told them he's "more than capable" of playing in the NBA?
LWord for word: the league has never seen a player like him before, and he's "more than capable."
MThe league has seen him. From the bench, in street clothes.
LHe's not wrong that nobody has seen a player like him. Usually point guards shoot the ball.
MI'll give him the size and the vision. When he actually plays.
LThe talent was real. It just disappeared for long stretches.
MAt this point, "more than capable" is doing a lot of heavy lifting.
LHe's able enough to sell a comeback, that's for sure.
MComeback from what? He's barely been available for years.
LYou're being generous.
MLook, I hope he plays. But saying the league has never seen a player like you after all these lost seasons? That's delusion, not confidence.
LI think he's trying to convince a front office to take a flyer.
MSome GM will. They always talk themselves into the size and the passing.
LIf he's actually healthy, he can help somebody as a point forward.
MBig if. He's the classic "available in theory."
LThe theory guy. I like that.
MAlright, pivot to tonight. The NBA on X has Portland at 3-0 and Memphis at 4-0.
LYoung teams, real pace. That is the late game to watch.
MThat matchup is becoming a sneaky little rivalry.
LGrizzlies defense against that Blazers backcourt? I'm taking Memphis.
MNo, no—Portland's depth has been better. They don't rely on one guy.
LMemphis is deeper. Plus Ja Morant is playing with something to prove.
MYou always pick the team with the better point guard.
LBecause point guards win in the NBA.
MThe Blazers have guards too. And they're not backing down.
LTen o'clock eastern, we'll see who's still unbeaten.
MThat's the kind of pregame I'm here for.