Category: Podcast (Page 16 of 20)

Steve McPherson: Timberwolves “Very Concerned About Developing Their Young Talent”

April 7, 2016 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

After winning Rookie of the Year last season, Andrew Wiggins is still making great improvements to his game to try to reach his sky high ceiling. (Erik Drost/Flickr)

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On the heels of Minnesota’s exhilarating, nationally televised upset of the mighty Warriors, Steve McPherson (Rolling Stone, Hardwood Paroxysm and A Wolf Among Wolves, among other outlets) drops by to talk about the young Timberwolves and why their future is so bright. The conversation spans from Karl-Anthony Towns’ many talents to Flip Saunders’ grand legacy and virtually everywhere in between. Some of the show’s highlights can be found below:

3:45 – 4:05 on Karl-Anthony Towns’ many skills:

“You see how difficult of a matchup Towns is going to be for years. You see him both stepping out to defend Steph Curry and shutting him down on a possession, which is amazing for a guy who is 7 feet tall, and then also being a threat on the other end, both shooting and closer to the basket.”

9:45 – 10:35 on Andrew Wiggins’ development in Minnesota:

“They are still trying to figure out what Wiggins can do…The Wolves are very conscientiously showing him different things to see what he can do on the court…They want to give him the ball in a way that he gets to see the court a bunch of times a game and then makes decisions, and then they can see how he deals with that and what he has to work on.”

Devin Kharpertian: Nets Will Have to “Strike Gold” in Offseason

March 31, 2016 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Devin Kharpertian reporting from the Barclays Center for The YES Network

Devin Kharpertian reporting from the Barclays Center for YES

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The Brooklyn Nets and new GM Sean Marks certainly have a difficult road ahead, as they attempt to transform a struggling team without having control of any of their own first- or second-round draft picks over the next three years. Devin Kharpertian, managing editor and founding partner of The Brooklyn Game on the YES Network, joins us to explain exactly how the Nets got themselves into this situation, the current state of the team and why there might be glimmers of optimism after an overhaul of the front office this season. Exciting excerpts below:

1:55-2:40 on what new GM Sean Marks must do going forward:

“The thing that they have to do is wield some of their power in free agency this year. Now the problem with that is 25 of 30 teams are able to sign somebody to a max deal… It’s a really tough avenue for (the Nets), because the only thing they can do is something that almost every other team can do and almost every other team is in a better position to do, because the Nets just don’t have the talent to compete. It’s going to take some magic from Sean Marks.”

3:58-4:11 on whether any Nets player is off limits:

“Brook (Lopez) and Thad (Young) are the centerpieces right now, and Rondae (Hollis-Jefferson) is a piece of that as well. But, I think for the right deal. They’re 21-52 at this point; nobody on that team is untouchable.”

Frank Madden: Bucks’ Jabari Parker Is a “Savant Offensively”

March 30, 2016 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

After missing most of his rookie season with a foot injury, Jabari Parker is establishing himself in his second season as a core part of Milwaukee's future. (Keith Allison/Flickr)

After missing much of his rookie season with a foot injury, Jabari Parker is establishing himself in his second season as a core part of Milwaukee’s future. (Keith Allison/Flickr)

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Although the Milwaukee Bucks fell well short of expectations this season, Frank Madden, founder and managing editor of SB Nation’s Brew Hoop, explains why the team essentially got what it was looking for with the development of young bucks/Bucks Jabari Parker and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Frank provides more insight into the Greek Freak’s “weird athleticism,” Parker’s post-All-Star-break emergence and Greg Monroe’s tenuous fit on the roster. Head coach Jason Kidd’s second season at the helm is also discussed, among other topics. Highlights can be found below:

4:27-4:57 on Antetokounmpo’s recent dominance:

“In spite of the fact that the last month in many ways has been one of his worst shooting months, it hasn’t mattered. He’s playing at a (high) level and with so much confidence in his ability to get to the rim and make plays for other people and get out in transition and use his size and length and weird athleticism. It’s just so overwhelming to most NBA defenders that it doesn’t matter if you play off him a little bit.”

12:55-13:22 on his overall assessment of the season:

“With the turnaround of Jabari and Giannis,you probably have gotten more or less what you wanted from a development standpoint, which I would argue is the most important thing from this season. But with the expectations coming from last year, there was a lot of hope that this team could certainly at least be a playoff team and maybe be better than that. And obviously for a lot of reasons – I think a lot of it dating to youth and maybe some of the pieces not fitting as well as you’d like.”
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PG’s Pacers, Wes Matthews’ Down Year and More on Tanking

March 27, 2016 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

As Dirk Nowitzki’s career winds down, do the Mavericks owe it to him to go for it every season? (Danny Bollinger/Flickr)

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Following OTNB’s two most recent team interviews, Aaron and Loren riff on the state of the Pacers and Mavericks. Each team features a key player returning from serious injury and is fighting to earn a spot in this year’s playoffs. Such postseason pursuit is discussed, as well as the philosophy of tanking. The conversation also expands to the future of the Chandler Parsons-Wesley Matthews pairing in Dallas.

Music: “Who Likes to Party?” by Kevin MacLeod

Tim Cato: Mavericks “Just Can’t Tank With Dirk”

March 23, 2016 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Tim Cato interviewing Dallas Mavericks Point Guard Devin Harris

Tim Cato (second from left) and others interviewing Mavericks point guard Devin Harris

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After dropping seven of their last 10 games, the Dallas Mavericks are in jeopardy of missing the playoffs. Tim Cato of SB Nation and Mavs Moneyball joins us to dissect the team’s recent struggles, the impact of Chandler Parsons’ injury and legend Dirk Nowitzki’s future. He also examines head coach Rick Carlisle’s unorthodox coaching strategies, finds hope in Wesley Matthews’ long road to recovery and explains why the team did not opt to rebuild after whiffing on DeAndre Jordan and other prized free agents in the offseason. Juicy excerpts below:

2:19-3:28 On the team-wide effect of Chandler Parsons’ knee injury:

“It’s definitely a concern. The Mavericks rely on his shot-making and his playmaking. The past month or two, he’s really gotten into a good groove, where he’s been making plays and finding his rhythm in the offense. (He is) definitely worthy of being a max player coming up… As the Mavericks have moved to a small-ball offense, he was really thriving. It’s definitely a loss on both the offensive and defensive ends… (They) also don’t have a clear backup to replace him.”

Jared Wade: Pacers’ Frank Vogel Is a “Defensive Genius”

March 17, 2016 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Over a year after a gruesome injury that sidelined him for nearly the entirety of the 2014-2015 season, Paul George seems to have returned to form as one of the NBA’s elite (joshuak8/Flickr).

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As we enter the stretch run, the Eastern Conference playoff picture is wide open, with ample room for jockeying. Jared Wade of Fansided’s 8 Points 9 Seconds stops by to illuminate the Indiana Pacers’ postseason prospects. The team boasts a healthy Paul George, as well as brand new contributors Monta Ellis and Myles Turner and a “defensive genius” in Frank Vogel. If you ask Wade, the rest of the East, outside of Cleveland and Toronto, better watch out! Choice cuts below:

2:05-4:05 on the difference between last season and this for the Pacers: “Obviously Paul George… It’s changed the whole team him being there. Monta Ellis has been a big lift… The defense is still strong. Even with the lack of Roy Hibbert and David West, they’ve changed to a more turnover-forcing defense and they get a lot of points in transition… Myles Turner has proved that he deserves to be in the starting lineup and he’s been a force.”

5:10-6:43 on how Paul George has recovered from his devastating injury: “I think he’s as good as he was. In some ways, he’s improved… He was arguably the second best player in basketball through December 1st.”

Jonathan Abrams Discusses New Book, “Boys Among Men,” on the Lasting Impact of the Prep-to-Pro Players

March 16, 2016 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Abrams' first book showcases the good, the bad and the ugly of the Prep-to-Pro Generation and hints at where the NBA may be headed with regard to draft eligibility rules.

Abrams’ first book, which debuted March 15, 2016, showcases the good, the bad and the ugly of the prep-to-pro generation and hints at where the NBA may be headed with regard to draft eligibility rules.

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The wait is over. Jonathan Abrams’ highly anticipated book, “Boys Among Men: How the Prep-to-Pro Generation Redefined the NBA and Sparked a Basketball Revolution,” is finally out! In it, he expertly chronicles the impact of the players who came to the NBA directly from high school before the rule was changed after the 2005 draft. Aaron spoke with the author in detail about the book and some of its most fascinating takeaways. To get you in the mood, we’ve transcribed some sexy clips:

9:37-10:07; Abrams on how he set out to humanize larger-than-life NBA players: “I don’t think there’s that much of a challenge if you just look at these people as human beings, which they are. They all have stories and origin tales of where they began. And I try to look at each story almost like, ‘OK, how did this guy become who he is today? What influenced him and what made him become that person?’ You just start from there and try to unravel the tape and figure it all out.”

13:55-14:48 on the challenge of structuring the narrative: “It was difficult. That was one of the things that I struggled with for a little while. The first thing I did was try to do as much as reporting on the subject as I could. Try to talk to as many coaches and players and agents as possible. And then I tried to construct how the book was gonna flow. And yeah, it was difficult at first. I didn’t want the same story over and over again in different chapters, and I didn’t want the chapters to seem all disconnected. And I think the one thing that did make sense was to try to connect it through kind of how the NBA grew up and matured, because back when Kobe and KG were entering the league, Michael Jordan was still king and NBA salaries weren’t anywhere near where it is today. So you can almost say that the NBA grew up during this time with these players as well.” Continue reading

SVG’s Moves, Melo’s Mounting Frustration and the Balanced Blazers

March 6, 2016 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Will tension between Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks grow if the franchise continues its losing ways? (Keith Allison/Flickr)

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After three straight team interviews, all of which you can find at On the NBA Beat’s Team Interview Central, your hosts are back with some banter as they delve more deeply into specific topics surrounding each of those teams. For the Pistons, they check in on the early returns from the Tobias Harris acquisition and also try to make sense of the situation surrounding the voided Donatas Motiejunas trade. On the Knicks, the discussion focuses on Carmelo Anthony and his increasing frustration with the Knicks’ losing tendencies. Finally, the Blazers talk focuses on how the team might be able to find success in the playoffs and also Damian Lillard’s emergent superstardom.

Music: “Who Likes to Party?” by Kevin MacLeod

Dan Feldman Gives Pistons a “Coin-Flip Chance” to Make Playoffs

March 2, 2016 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

At only 22, Andre Drummond has become a dominant force in the NBA. (Keith Allison/Flickr)

At only 22, Andre Drummond has already become a dominant force in the NBA (Keith Allison/Flickr).

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Hovering just around .500, the Detroit Pistons are probably the streakiest team in the NBA this season, amassing long winning and losing streaks alike. However, for all the team’s inconsistency, Detroit remains in the thick of the playoff race. Dan Feldman of NBC Sports’ Pro Basketball Talk joins the show to dissect Andre Drummond’s historic dominance, Detroit’s team-building strategy under Stan Van Gundy, Reggie Jackson’s continual growth and so much more. Choice excerpts are below:

4:25-6:00 On Andre Drummond’s free-throw shooting and where he fits in the modern NBA:

“I think a lot of fans get worked up on, ‘How could you give a max contract to a guy who makes 40 percent of his free throws?’ I just think it’s just nitpicking one thing because it’s so easy to diagnose… It’s so much harder to assess the other things he does well that I think the free-throw shooting has taken an outsized part of assessing his game… But it’s so helpful to have one guy you can run the pick and roll with, who can finish at the rim, who can defend the rim. He really fits as this modern center if you have the pieces around him. He’s definitely someone you can build around.”

7:15-8:05 On the short- and long-term effects of acquiring Tobias Harris at the trade deadline:

“It’ll take some adjustments to make him an ideal fit in this system. He’s going to have to become a better 3-point shooter, and I think he can. He’s been somebody who’s been streaky. But I think once there’s a comfort level… in the long run, this could really work… It was probably the biggest steal of the trade deadline week.”
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Seth Rosenthal: Despite Knicks’ Struggles, Porzingis Has “Made Everything Worthwhile”

February 28, 2016 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

No. 4 overall pick Kristaps Porzingis has adeptly handled his rookie season thus far (Keith Allison/Creative Commons).

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Following a brutal season the New York Knicks would much rather you forgot, the team jumped out to a solid 22-22 start this campaign. Unfortunately, the team subsequently experienced a bitter downturn in which it fired its second-year head coach Derek Fisher. And the struggles continue. On both sides of the ball, however, No. 4 overall pick Kristaps Porzingis has shown early signs of brilliance at a mere 20 years old. Plus, there are other promising developments, such as the continued improvement of Lance Thomas. To discuss these complex Knicks, Seth Rosenthal, SB Nation editor as well as the editor for SBN’s Knicks site Posting and Toasting, stopped by. Seth didn’t sugarcoat things, providing the good, the bad and the ugly. The highlights can be found below:

1:48 – 1:53 on the Knicks’ season:

“The worst thing that happened to them is that they started the year that strong, ’cause now they look so terrible in comparison.”

3:47 – 4:24 on Kristaps Porzingis:

“A lot of people assumed he would be a big, weak shooting big man kind of stiff, not a great defender…he’s been a very versatile scorer. If anything, his outside catch-and-shoot game is the weakest part of his scoring repertoire. He’s been a really solid defender…if he continues to grow…if he stays healthy, he’s going to have an extremely well-rounded game.”

6:23 – 7:14 on the precipitous decline of the Knicks after a promising start:

“On the court, it was palpable that the team wasn’t quite responding to (Fisher) the way they were before…The offense you have to play as a team, running the triangle, depends more so than other teams’ schemes do on brute effort. If the Knicks aren’t cutting…dribbling over screens, using their screens, and attacking the glass, that hampers them more than teams that are more open in their structure and more athletically gifted…Guys were starting to flag a little bit…Increasingly, within the team, (this) became attributed to Fisher.” Continue reading

Category: Podcast (Page 16 of 20)

Steve McPherson: Timberwolves “Very Concerned About Developing Their Young Talent”

Devin Kharpertian: Nets Will Have to “Strike Gold” in Offseason

Frank Madden: Bucks’ Jabari Parker Is a “Savant Offensively”

PG’s Pacers, Wes Matthews’ Down Year and More on Tanking

Tim Cato: Mavericks “Just Can’t Tank With Dirk”

Jared Wade: Pacers’ Frank Vogel Is a “Defensive Genius”

Jonathan Abrams Discusses New Book, “Boys Among Men,” on the Lasting Impact of the Prep-to-Pro Players

SVG’s Moves, Melo’s Mounting Frustration and the Balanced Blazers

Dan Feldman Gives Pistons a “Coin-Flip Chance” to Make Playoffs

Seth Rosenthal: Despite Knicks’ Struggles, Porzingis Has “Made Everything Worthwhile”

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