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Tag: Kemba Walker (Page 1 of 2)

Jason Gallagher: “Right Now, The Pieces Don’t Fit” for Mavericks

Luka Doncic presently stands as one of a few MVP frontrunners, but will his supporting cast be able to provide more help (@DallasMavs/Instagram)?


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On the heels of a 2022 Western Conference finals berth, the 9-10 Dallas Mavericks are mired in mediocrity despite receiving historically brilliant contributions from superstar point guard Luka Doncic. Emmy Award-winning director Jason Gallagher, now head of production at The Old Man and the Three, triumphantly returns to shed light on what exactly isn’t computing.

4:38-5:14: “I believe that the shooting will improve, but I believe that the Kemba [Walker] move is a result of not having a second playmaker. Spencer is just not that. He is about as good as an X-Factor could possibly be, and that’s what you want. That’s where he thrived last year. But as a reliable sort of playmaking second option, I think that we’re coming to find that he’s just not the decision-maker that Jalen Brunson was. He didn’t have the steadying sort of temperament that Jalen Brunson had.”

12:23-14:02: “You kind of come to this conclusion of ‘Why does this feel more frustrating than before? Why does this feel like a weird stretch?’ Tim Cato tweeted that this is as about as down as he’s seen Mavs twitter in a while, and I think the reason is obviously making the Western Conference finals increases your expectations, but I also think that there’s a level of, you have a generational superstar and, as importantly, you have a core that you’ve invested a lot of time and a lot of resources to developing that still feels like a work in progress. … And I think that that is why fans probably feel frustrated. Continue reading

Jared Weiss: The Nets “Have a Giant Frickin’ Laser Beam”

For Jared Weiss, KD and the Brooklyn Nets will have to get by Giannis’ Bucks first. Still, he places them just narrowly behind in terms of their potential to wreak havoc this season (Globalite/Creative Commons).

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Just in time for the start of the season, The Athletic’s Jared Weiss broke down the most striking storylines around the Eastern Conference with an emphasis on the Boston Celtics, whom he covers so closely. Among a slew of timely topics, Jared discusses his favorites to emerge out of the East, Jayson Tatum’s next expected leap, how good the Heat actually are and the new-and-improved Atlanta Hawks who seek to get back into the playoffs after a three-season absence.

*Due to dynamic advertising, time stamps may vary:

5:14-5:40: “I think it was Ryan Ruocco. I’ll give him credit for putting them as…they’re basically like the Death Star. And the Death Star very famously had a major vulnerability that allowed you to blow it up. And so if somebody can nestle right in there between Kyrie (Irving) and KD (Kevin Durant) and make the chemistry fall apart, this team can really, really fall apart . But they’ve got a giant frickin’ laser beam basically when it comes to KD and Kyrie.”

15:57-17:30: “And then in the playoffs, he (Jimmy Butler) flipped the switch. So I do think he’s gonna start performing like a top-10 player in the NBA or even top-five player, like he was last year, when we get to the playoffs. And Bam Adebayo will be better. He’ll hopefully be healthy for the entirety of the run, but Bam Adebayo, as great as he was last year, there’s still a lot of improvement for him to make. He still isn’t even a threat outside of 10 feet. Continue reading

Jake Fischer: Top-Tier Free Agents May Need to Wait for Kawhi Leonard’s Decision

Guest Jake Fischer believes Kawhi Leonard’s decision will come down to the reigning champion Raptors and the Los Angeles Clippers (Chensiyuan/Creative Commons).

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Jake Fischer joins the show on the doorstep of the official beginning to the 2019 NBA free agency period. The Sports Illustrated reporter takes us through the likeliest scenarios involving superstars Kawhi Leonard, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. He also explores the Los Angeles Clippers’ chances of finally landing a max free agent after years of coming away empty-handed and how their arena-mates plan to build around Anthony Davis and LeBron James. Jake’s thoughts on the 76ers’ approach to the offseason and the Rockets’ rumored interest in Jimmy Butler are featured as well, among other salient NBA storylines. Some highlights of an action-packed episode (Particular time stamps may vary due to dynamic advertising.):

4:28-5:13: “While Durant might make his decision where he wants to go before Leonard, there might be teams that say, ‘We have to wait to hear what Kawhi says first.’ If I had to guess right now, I would still expect Kyrie and Kevin Durant to go to Brooklyn together. I’m not saying that’s gonna happen; that’s my guess at the moment. I just think with those two guys’ interests in playing together, the Nets’ aggressive moves to create two max cap spots, and their ability to afford patience with [Durant’s] recovery…they both end up in Brooklyn.” Continue reading

Charlotte Gets Its All-Star Game, Joe Harris Wins 3-Point

Our Joshua Fischman spoke with Nets guard Joe Harris one day before he took down Stephen Curry, Seth Curry, Devin Booker and the rest of the 3-point shooting field in Charlotte (Tdorante10/Creative Commons).

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Two years ago, the NBA moved the All-Star game away from Charlotte due to the passage of North Carolina’s discriminatory House Bill 2. Within months, HB2 was repealed, and although many in the LGBTQ community are presently unsatisfied with the status quo, the league opted to allow Charlotte to host this season’s festivities. Joshua Fischman interviewed Reggie Bullock, Stefanie Dolson, Jason Collins and others about that. He also got the chance to question Nets shooting guard Joe Harris, one day before the big event where he stunned the oddsmakers by taking down the Curry brothers, Devin Booker and the rest of the field. Right here, Josh shares the most interesting takeaways from his Charlotte experience.
Continue reading

“It’s a Terrible (Eastern) Conference” With Kelly Dwyer

Kelly Dwyer of The Second Arrangement does not shy away from offering his honest opinion about the Eastern Conference this season.


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In the wake of LeBron James’ departure, Kelly Dwyer discusses his Eastern favorites and why the conference is overall so bad. The online basketball writing pioneer who wrote for Yahoo!‘s Ball Don’t Lie blog for nearly a decade, among multiple notable gigs, is currently shining for The Second Arrangement, a project to which you can subscribe for as low as $5 per month.

Timing will vary due to dynamic advertising, but here are the approximate time stamps of some of our favorite clips (so many good ones to choose from):

7:29-7:39 on the Boston Celtics’ immense depth: “There’s so many arms on this monster that this could be something that lasts for a while, that really eases Kyrie [Irving] into his drop-off years.” Continue reading

Defense Propels 76ers Nine Spots (Power Rankings: Jan. 20, 2017 Edition)

Coach Brett Brown and his Sixers are finally starting to see results, with wins in seven of their last nine games (TastyPoutine/Creative Commons).

With every team at or beyond the midpoint of its regular-season schedule, it could not be a better time to assess how each squad measures up. Some teams will be celebrating All-Star starter selections just named, while many others are confronting serious injuries. Amid this crazy time, the 76ers jumped nine slots, leaving the league’s cellar thanks to a mighty strong start to 2017. Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets, Sacramento Kings and Orlando Magic have experienced the league’s steepest declines in recent weeks.

Biggest Jumps: Philadelphia 76ers (+9), Washington Wizards (+4), Detroit Pistons (+4), Denver Nuggets (+4)

Biggest Falls: Sacramento Kings (-8), Charlotte Hornets (-8), Orlando Magic (-7)
Continue reading

Pelicans Fly High, Knicks Knocked Down (Power Rankings: Jan. 6, 2017 Edition)

Former King Isaiah Thomas is excelling in his second season in Beantown, scoring an efficient 27.8 points per game as his Leprechauns rise up the rankings (Chrishmt0423/Creative Commons).

Life is not easy atop our power rankings. After all, the Spurs and Cavaliers each dropped a spot from the previous edition, and both look as dominant as ever. Blame the 3-point-launching Rockets, who have continued their ascent to the top of the league and now rank second. The Pelicans also impressed the panel, moving up seven spots from our previous list. On the other hand, the Knicks disappointed, falling six positions, one for each loss of their current skid.

Biggest Jumps: New Orleans Pelicans (+7), Atlanta Hawks (+4), Boston Celtics (+3), Charlotte Hornets (+3), Chicago Bulls (+3)

Biggest Falls: New York Knicks (-6), Denver Nuggets (-4), Washington Wizards (-4), Memphis Grizzlies (-4), Los Angeles Clippers (-4) Continue reading

Nick Denning: Coach “Steve Clifford Perfect for (Hornets), Knows How to Maximize Their Talent”

This season, Kemba Walker appears poised to make the first All-Star appearance of his career (Keith Allison/Creative Commons).

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The Charlotte Hornets’ reliable core is back this season and performing admirably despite some early-season streakiness. As usual, with a Steve Clifford-led team, the defense is generally stout and the offense is taking care of the ball. Nick Denning, editor for SB Nation’s At the Hive, rejoins the show to discuss Kemba Walker’s brilliance, Nicolas Batum’s multi-faceted game and more broadly why this fundamental, non-flashy team handles its business so well. All that and more on the show, but first some particularly buzz-worthy bites:

3:57-4:15: “100 percent convinced [Hornets head coach Steve Clifford is the right person for the job]. He’s perfect for this team. He’s created an identify for them and one thing that’s becoming pretty clear is that players like to play for him, and we’re not necessarily talking about stars, but a lot of good players like to go play for him just because he knows how to maximize their talent.”

5:01-5:30: “His [Kemba Walker’s] emergence has been really in the last couple of seasons. He’s just never really had the pieces around him to be effective because before it was like they had to rely on him; late shot clock, whatever it was, it’s like you gotta get the ball in his hands or else there’s no chance of scoring. Now, a few more pieces, they’re much better at moving the ball and whatnot, he’s able to do more of the things that he’s good at it, but he’s also improved himself a ton. He’s actually a better player than I thought he would be at this point.” Continue reading

How Hornets Bounce Back Against Heat, Featuring Josh Baumgard & Nick Denning

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Even though his game has seen better days, both guests believe Al Jefferson’s play will be critical for Charlotte (Keith Allison/Creative Commons).

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Coming off a Game 1 shellacking, the Charlotte Hornets could really use a Game 2 upset against the talented Miami Heat, who are clicking on all cylinders. Nick Denning, writer for SB Nation’s At the Hive and managing editor of The Lottery Mafia, discusses, from the Hornets’ perspective, what needs to be done to make it a competitive series. But first, Josh Baumgard of Slice Miami handles the Heat side of things.

Josh Baumgard (4:15-4:34): “I think they’re really gonna come at (Hassan) Whiteside. They know he has a tendency to let his temper flare. I think you’re gonna see next game Jefferson’s gonna pound him. They might even bring (Tyler) Hansbrough in for a little longer, just to kind of be that goon, because we all know he can get under players’ skin.”

JB (5:48-6:13): “I think the Heat are a better team. I think they’ve got more firepower in the playoffs. They’ve got multiple guys who create. And as long as these guys play together, which they have. As long as Dwyane Wade doesn’t try to be the man, which he’s an unselfish guy (who) buys into the team aspect. As long as he tries to not do too much hero ball and they’re moving the ball, that’s the key with them. When they’re moving the ball and they’re playing hard defense, they can pretty much hang with anybody, at least in the Eastern Conference.” Continue reading

The Buzz About Charlotte and Deadline Deals and Duds

Tobias Harris (right) and Kris Humphries (left) are two players who found themselves on new teams after last week's trade deadline. (Keith Allison/Flickr)

Tobias Harris (right) and Kris Humphries (left) are two players who found themselves on new teams after last week’s trade deadline (Keith Allison/Flickr).

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Following the interview with Doug Branson earlier in the week, Aaron and Loren continue the discussion about the surging Charlotte Hornets who have outperformed expectations and won nine of their last 12 games. They further discuss how the team has shown such a drastic increase in both 3-point attempts and percentage, but also look into the factors that have led to them having the largest disparity between home and road winning percentages among projected playoff teams.

In the second segment, the co-hosts look into some of the biggest deals that went down before last week’s trade deadline. All of the big names stayed put, but smaller moves like Channing Frye to Cleveland and Jeff Green to the Clippers could have an impact on how the rest of the season and the playoffs play out for those teams. (Editor’s note: we discuss a trade sending Donatas Motiejunas to the Detroit Pistons. Since recording, that trade has been voided because of the Motiejunas’ back issues mentioned in the episode.)

Music: “Who Likes to Party” by Kevin MacLeod

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