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…
Tagged Eric Bledsoe
Predicting NBA’s Defensive Hierarchy in 2019-20
Offense will always be king of the NBA. It creates superstars, packs arenas and boosts television ratings. There’s something captivating about how the sport’s top-scoring wizards make plays and create shots. Thus, it’s exceptionally difficult to play defense at a high-level thanks to the abundance of offensive talent and game rules that cater to scorers.…
How to Fix NBA All-Defensive Team Voting
Every year, a select group of media members, broadcasters, and analysts are handed the responsibility of voting for individual and team awards. It’s no small thing. These votes can enhance or limit earning potential, affect Hall-of-Fame resumes, and rob players of bragging rights. (Okay, maybe the last one isn’t super important, but you get my…
The Milwaukee Bucks Must Make These Adjustments
The Milwaukee Bucks were strolling to a series victory over the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Finals. Upon the NBA’s best regular season team taking a 2-0 series lead, ESPN wrote about how “strong” the Bucks were and previewed the type of challenge they’d present to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.…
PODCAST: Updated Eastern Conference Finals Prediction, Lakers Drama Before Free Agency
In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the Bucks-Raptors series ahead of Game 5 and bid farewell to the Portland Trail Blazers. Can the Raptors’ role players and bench keep lifting up a hobbled Kawhi Leonard? Should the Bucks bench Eric Bledsoe in favor of George Hill?…
Pending FA Khris Middleton is Worth Way More Than You Think
We (collectively) have talked a ton about this summer’s free agency class, and for good reason. Not only is this summer’s class filled with studs, their decisions may be swayed heavily by what happens in this round. Kevin Durant could be changing teams. Kawhi Leonard might not be long for Toronto. Kyrie Irving and Jimmy…
Game 2 Adjustments for Milwaukee Bucks
A Game 1 loss isn’t fatal by any means, but the Milwaukee Bucks have some things to think about. The Boston Celtics didn’t just steal home court on Sunday, they did so in convincing fashion. They slowed the Bucks down to a crawl and bludgeoned them in a half-court fest. High-level shotmaking from Kyrie Irving…
Clues on How to Guard James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo
The Milwaukee Bucks were able to complete the season sweep of the Houston Rockets on Tuesday night, defeating them 108-94. The Bucks’ defense threw the Rockets out of sync (more on that shortly). That, combined with an ice-cold shooting performance (16-of-52 from three) led to a low scoring affair. It was just the 12th time…
Collin Sexton Makes Strides, Gets Buckets
Everyone’s already forgotten Collin Sexton’s great game before it’s even over. The speedy Cleveland Cavaliers guard finishes with a game-high 28 points on March 11 while also dropping five dimes and grabbing four boards in a wild 126-101 win over conference power Toronto. All anyone remembers (by the end of the game) is when the…
Give Malcolm Brogdon Props for Milwaukee Bucks’ Success
The Milwaukee Bucks are absolutely terrifying. Not only do they have the East’s second-best record (30-12), they’re the only team in the league that’s top-three in offensive and defensive rating. You can primarily thank the alien-like ability of Giannis Antetokounmpo for Milwaukee’s leap, though their success isn’t all on him. New head coach Mike Budenholzer…