{"id":2065311,"date":"2026-07-28T10:12:42","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T07:12:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2065311"},"modified":"2026-07-28T10:12:42","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T07:12:42","slug":"how-many-beasts-in-nbas-east-plus-trouble-in-belichicks-unc-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2065311","title":{"rendered":"How many beasts in NBA\u2019s East? Plus: Trouble in Belichick\u2019s UNC program"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"Article_ContentContainer__jBNW3 article-content-container bodytext1\">\n<p><strong><span>The Pulse Newsletter <\/span><\/strong>\ud83d\udce3<span> | This is <em>The Athletic\u2019<\/em>s daily sports newsletter. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/newsletters\/the-pulse\/\"><span>Sign up here<\/span><\/a><span> to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p>Good morning! Alex here, filling in again as Chris takes a break. Inside:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\ud83d\udcc8 A\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7468299\/2026\/07\/24\/lebron-james-76ers-nba-free-agency-eastern-conference\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rejuvenated<\/a>\u00a0conference<\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\ude2c UNC football GM\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7472479\/2026\/07\/27\/michael-lombardi-north-carolina-bill-belichick-gm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">on leave<\/a><\/li>\n<li>\ud83d\udc94 A\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7472694\/2026\/07\/27\/chiefs-eric-bieniemy-wife-shot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">tragic story<\/a>\u00a0in the NFL<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<h3><strong>Geography: Just how back is the NBA\u2019s East?<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>Not even two months ago, it was a common opinion that the \u201creal\u201d NBA Finals were the Western Conference finals between the Thunder and Spurs. They had been the league\u2019s two best teams all season. The West seemed primed to claim a ninth title in the 13 years since the LeBron James-era Heat won their second in 2013. The balance of NBA power was in the West, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama set to keep it there for a while.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid1\" data-position=\"mid1\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Now? Not so fast, my friends. The Knicks becoming the center of the hoops universe was one thing, but Fred Katz\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7468299\/2026\/07\/24\/lebron-james-76ers-nba-free-agency-eastern-conference\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">made a compelling case<\/a>\u00a0after James agreed to a deal with the 76ers last week:\u00a0<strong>The Eastern Conference is back, for the first time in a long time.<\/strong>\u00a0Once upon a time, it was James\u2019 birthright, renewed each year, to take either the Cavaliers or Heat to the finals. The conference lacked juice outside of his teams. Things feel different now:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The\u00a0<strong>Knicks\u00a0<\/strong>are champions of the world and have most<em>\u00a0<\/em>of their key contributors back.<\/li>\n<li>Yeah, the\u00a0<strong>Sixers\u00a0<\/strong>will be really good, with LeBron, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown and VJ Edgecombe.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7468109\/2026\/07\/24\/lebron-james-76ers-maxey-embiid-brown-contenders\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">They are a clear title contender<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>The\u00a0<strong>Celtics\u00a0<\/strong>are still the Celtics, with a healthy Jayson Tatum, a likely better-shooting version of Derrick White and Mitchell Robinson coming over from the Knicks.<\/li>\n<li>The\u00a0<strong>Pistons\u00a0<\/strong>are\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7459784\/2026\/07\/23\/jalen-duren-pistons-nba-free-agency-contract-negotiations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">one likely Jalen Duren re-signing away<\/a>\u00a0from having the key supporting cast around Cade Cunningham back in the fold. They just won 60 games.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>You may or may not like any of those teams in a vacuum against the Spurs or Thunder, as you scribble it out on paper in July. But the East has both quality and quantity up top this year.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Are we getting carried away, though? Just how\u00a0<\/strong><strong><em>back\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><strong>is the conference?\u00a0<\/strong>Let\u2019s tag in Zach Harper, author of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/tag\/the-bounce\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the excellent Bounce newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Zach, hello! When was the last time the East controlled the balance of power?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcac \u201cProbably the last years of Michael Jordan in Chicago. The late \u201990s had a lot of good teams in the West, but it felt like Jordan and the Bulls (or whoever beat them) would win it all.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"top-league-content-root\"><\/div>\n<p>    {&#8220;endpoint&#8221;:&#8221;https:\/\/api-prd-nyt.theathletic.com\/graphql&#8221;}<\/p>\n<p><strong>Do you think that\u2019s happening again now, finally?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcac \u201cPerspective matters. If Denver or Minnesota or the Lakers or even the Rockets were in the East, would we think they could win the conference? Yes. I think the East is no longer incompetent in the back half of the standings. There is depth for solid teams. But maybe only three East squads should be considered actual contenders.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>At the least, this upswing seems like it should be good for business. Is it?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcac \u201cIt should be great for business! We need more intrigue from the East than feeling like a team got to the NBA Finals by default. We need a tough path to winning the conference. We should have that this season.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"article-pickem\">\n<p>Like always, it\u2019s great to have Zach. You\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/tag\/the-bounce\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">can sign up here<\/a>\u00a0to read him all the time.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><b>News to Know<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><strong>UNC GM Lombardi on leave<br \/>\n<\/strong>North Carolina placed football general manager Michael Lombardi on paid leave, the school said yesterday. The move came after a human resources complaint,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7472479\/2026\/07\/27\/michael-lombardi-north-carolina-bill-belichick-gm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">three people told our reporters<\/a>. Carolina has billed Lombardi as a key partner to coach Bill Belichick in building up the Tar Heels\u2019 roster.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid2\" data-position=\"mid2\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Shortly after taking his job prior to last season, Lombardi said the Tar Heels\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7472760\/2026\/07\/27\/michael-lombardi-unc-timeline-bill-belichick\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">considered themselves the 33rd NFL team<\/a>\u00a0because of the pro backgrounds of so many people in their building. (UNC then went 4-8.) The team also fielded a recent approach from the College Sports Commission, the enforcement body that tries to police NIL agreements.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Wife of Chiefs coordinator shot; son arrested<br \/>\n<\/strong>Mia Bieniemy, the wife of Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, was shot at their home in Virginia on Sunday night,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7472694\/2026\/07\/27\/chiefs-eric-bieniemy-wife-shot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an NFL source confirmed with our reporter<\/a>. Afterward, police in Loudoun County, Va., arrested the couple\u2019s son, Elijah, and said they did so in connection with a shooting in which an adult female suffered \u201cmultiple gunshot wounds.\u201d Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Mia was in stable condition and that she was \u201ca saint, one of God\u2019s good blessings.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>More news<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>The Commanders\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7472643\/2026\/07\/27\/commanders-ben-steele-dwi-fired\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">fired<\/a> tight ends coach Ben Steele after he was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated.<\/li>\n<li>Quarterback\u00a0<strong>Daniel Jones\u00a0<\/strong>will be a \u201cfull go\u201d at Colts training camp\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7473248\/2026\/07\/27\/colts-training-camp-daniel-jones\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">after rehabbing from a right Achilles rupture<\/a>, he said. Wideout Alec Pierce\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7473172\/2026\/07\/27\/colts-alec-pierce-training-camp-pup\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">will start on the PUP list<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>ICE<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7474077\/2026\/07\/27\/ice-deports-colts-linebacker-daniel-adongo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">said it deported<\/a>\u00a0former Colts linebacker\u00a0<strong>Daniel Adongo<\/strong>, who allegedly overstayed a visa. A former rugby player from Kenya, he played for the Colts in 2013 and 2015.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Stanford football players\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7472097\/2026\/07\/27\/stanford-football-players-collective-bargaining-cfbpa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">moved to organize a bargaining unit<\/a>. It was not clear how many players had signed onto the union effort, who their counterparty would be or what various courts, boards and governments might do to stop them.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Outgoing Michigan AD Warde Manuel\u00a0<\/strong>will get $7.1 million and assorted perks from the university after he steps down at the end of the year.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7473227\/2026\/07\/27\/warde-manuel-michigan-settlement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Full backstory here<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>The ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7471181\/2026\/07\/27\/gianni-infantino-trump-fifa-congress\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wants to talk<\/a>\u00a0with\u00a0<strong>FIFA president Gianni Infantino\u00a0<\/strong>about his relationship with the Trump administration.<\/li>\n<li><strong>The Trail Blazers and Portland\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7473883\/2026\/07\/27\/trail-blazers-portland-arena-lease-negotiations\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">continued to clash over the team\u2019s arena<\/a>, leaving the franchise\u2019s future in Oregon uncertain.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<h3><b>Watch Guide<\/b><\/h3>\n<p>\ud83d\udcfa\u00a0<strong>MLB: Cubs at Cardinals<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>7:45 p.m. ET on TBS<br \/>\n<\/strong>Big October ramifications, as the Cubs try to solidify a postseason spot and the Cardinals look to hang in there amid a glut of teams for the third NL wild-card position.<\/p>\n<p>\ud83d\udcfa\u00a0<strong>WNBA: Fever at Storm<br \/>\n<\/strong><strong>9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN<br \/>\n<\/strong>Seattle took a league-worst 6-23 record into the All-Star break. For Indiana,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7453646\/2026\/07\/17\/caitlin-clark-fever-scoring-record-storm\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a healthy-looking Caitlin Clark<\/a>\u00a0is back in the mix with Kelsey Mitchell and Aliyah Boston.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<h3><strong>Pulse Picks<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7468717\/2026\/07\/27\/pittsburgh-steelers-mike-mccarthy-homecoming\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A terrific story by Mike DeFabo<\/a>\u00a0on the Steelers\u2019 new coach:\u00a0<strong>\u201cMike McCarthy<\/strong>\u00a0came home to Pittsburgh, his family and the\u00a0<strong>grief he can\u2019t escape.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Tim Britton\u2019s effort to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7463940\/2026\/07\/23\/mlb-trade-deadline-predictons-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">turn\u00a0<strong>MLB trade deadline returns<\/strong>\u00a0into an actual science<\/a>. What would the Tigers get for Tarik Skubal? We may know soon, but Tim offers a good idea.<\/p>\n<p>WNBA commissioner\u00a0<strong>Cathy Engelbert\u00a0<\/strong>may be unpopular with the league\u2019s players, Candace Buckner writes,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7471684\/2026\/07\/27\/wnba-commissioner-cathy-engelbert-popularity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">but she\u2019s not paid to be their friend<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Where could the U.S. find more\u00a0<strong>rugby players<\/strong>? Well, in basketball,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7458414\/2026\/07\/27\/usa-rugby-basketball-players\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">reports Daniel Gallan<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-container\">\n<div class=\"ad-wrapper article-treatment\">\n<div class=\"ad-slug-container\">\n<p class=\"ad-slug\">Advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"mid3\" data-position=\"mid3\" class=\"ad place-ad\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The going\u00a0<strong>rates for a men\u2019s college basketball roster,<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7468035\/2026\/07\/26\/college-basketball-rosters-nil-coaches-climbing\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">explained by Brendan Marks and CJ Moore<\/a>. Your price of admission to be competitive this year? $10 million.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Most-clicked in yesterday\u2019s newsletter:\u00a0<\/strong>Once again, Kerry Wood\u2019s\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Josh_Frydman\/status\/2081155472397074534?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">behind-the-back pitch<\/a>\u00a0for the Savannah Bananas.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Most-read on the website yesterday:\u00a0<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/7472694\/2026\/07\/27\/chiefs-eric-bieniemy-wife-shot\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The news report about Mia Bieniemy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><span>\ud83d\udceb That\u2019s all for now! Say hello at <\/span><a href=\"mailto:thepulse@theathletic.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\"><span>thepulse@theathletic.com<\/span><\/a><span>, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/5803046\/2025\/12\/31\/the-athletic-newsletters-sign-up\/\"><span>check out our other newsletters<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox. Good morning! Alex here, filling in again as Chris takes a break. Inside: \ud83d\udcc8 A\u00a0rejuvenated\u00a0conference \ud83d\ude2c UNC football GM\u00a0on leave \ud83d\udc94 A\u00a0tragic story\u00a0in the NFL Geography: Just how back is the NBA\u2019s [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,241],"class_list":["post-2065311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-nytimes-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2065311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2065311"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2065311\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2065311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2065311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2065311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}