Basketball’s imminent return has brought focus onto the 22 franchises entering the Disney bubble. But for the eight who do not travel to Orlando, the formal debriefing can already begin. As they both peek back and gaze forward, attention gets paid to wholistic changes, themes and foundational building blocks. Young players with the ability to…
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 fourth episode of Basketball by Association podcast, Arky Shea and Joel C. Cordes are joined by TBW’s Adam Spinella to process everything that’s changed in basketball, sports and the U.S. in just one week’s time. Framed around Adam’s incredible article “NBA Did the Right Thing by Suspending its Season”, the guys weigh just…
The last time Team USA played in an international tournament was an embarrassment. The inaugural FIBA World Cup took place in China this past summer and, after taking home the gold in the previous five events, the Americans finished seventh. They lost back-to-back games against France and Serbia to close out the tournament. It was…
After the NBA community saw one of its idols fall victim to a terrible tragedy this January—one still shaking the foundations of the league—it got me to thinking. Instead of an outpouring of grief or sadness from Kobe Bryant’s passing, it sparked me to use this time as an opportunity to show appreciation for those…
In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) react to the wild 2020 NBA trade deadline and break down the biggest deals from the week. Did the Golden State Warriors get the better end of the D’Angelo Russell / Andrew Wiggins trade? Why did the Detroit Pistons flip Andre…
It felt as if the Cleveland Cavaliers’ championship team fell apart as quickly as it formed, what with LeBron James’ return lasting just four seasons. As injuries piled on, off-court troubles came to fruition and tremendous cap sheets exhausted Dan Gilbert’s spending limits. Star point guard Kyrie Irving requested a trade, and it all went…
You probably knew this already, but doesn’t it kind of blow your mind that the highest-trafficked portions of the NBA season are Free Agency, Trade Deadline and the Draft? That’s no joke. The hypothetical season indeed outweighs the concrete stuff like Opening Day, the Playoffs and even the NBA Finals by a pretty significant margin.…
Having lost 18 of their past 20 games, the Atlanta Hawks appear to be nearing rock bottom. “Frustration in the locker room has been building for some time as teammates have complained to each other about selfishness, not putting in the necessary work to turn things around and players not being held accountable,” Chris Haynes…
