Even since last week’s Part 1 of our end-of-season grades, there have been rumblings that a second bubble will take place (in Chicago) for the NBA’s worst eight teams. With details yet to emerge, it only seems appropriate to continue reviewing the performance of those franchises. Sure, not even receiving an invite to Orlando…
COVID-19 unexpectedly forced the NBA season to a screeching halt. Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive, and the league and other sports leagues immediately shut down to protect players, coaches, employees and their fans’ health. The coronavirus’ specter continues its spread nationally and abroad, stressing hospitals, economies and communities to the brink. Without basketball,…
In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the top offseason questions for the Milwaukee Bucks, Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons. If the 2019-20 season does not resume, will that hurt or help the Bucks’ chances of signing Giannis Antetokounmpo to a supermax this…
In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss which teams should be sellers ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Who should lottery-bound franchises like the Cleveland Cavaliers (3:27) and New York Knicks (12:47) be looking to part with? What should the Washington Wizards do with Davis Bertans?…
The 2019-20 season is almost here, so it’s time to be bold about what we think will actually happen. For some, these predictions may not seem incredibly bold while they may be preposterous to others. But basketball is back, and that in itself is worth celebrating: 1. Ben Simmons makes 11 three-pointers Let’s dive right…
We’re doing it again… Seriously. As a collective, the entire basketball universe is overlooking the brilliance of Blake Griffin. Over the last two seasons, he is shooting 35.5 percent from three and 50.6 percent from inside the line. The knock-on Griffin several years ago was his lack of outside game, but now he’s a plus…
In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba), Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) and special guest Duncan Smith (@duncansmithnba) of Forbes preview the Central Division ahead of the 2019-20 season. How will the Chicago Bulls’ point guard rotation shake out? Are Cleveland Cavaliers guards Collin Sexton and Darius Garland compatible? Will this be Andre Drummond’s…
The 2019-20 NBA season is just around the corner. After an offseason chock-full of player movement, the title race appears as wide-open as it has been in years. Over the coming weeks, we will examine one big question hanging over each team heading into the season. We’ll continue today with the Central Division, where the…
The Detroit Pistons had an understated but important summer in their quest to build upon last year’s playoffs appearance. Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond will still lead the line, at least for now, with the remaining role players filling in around them. It’s relatively rare in the modern NBA that a team’s two best players…
In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) do deep dives into the three most competitive first-round series so far before touching on the remaining five matchups. Which version of Russell Westbrook should the Oklahoma City Thunder expect moving forward? Should Jared Dudley or Jimmy Butler face additional discipline…
