Page 20 of 21

Kobe and Garnett: Passing the Torch to Russell, Towns in Different Ways

December 12, 2015 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Kevin Garnett's veteran leadership has helped the Timberwolves to a surprising start this season. (Keith Allison/Creative Commons)

Kevin Garnett and the Timberwolves are off to a surprising start this season (Keith Allison/Creative Commons).

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On the heels of the Lakers-focused interview with Rey Moralde, the guys delve further into how Los Angeles can best develop its highly touted young players and how important it will be for the Lakers to re-sign Jordan Clarkson. In the final segment, the A-A-Ron Block, the Minnesota Timberwolves are used as a prime example of a team that has fairly seamlessly integrated young talent, an area where Byron Scott has struggled thus far. Aging veterans, such as Kevin Garnett and Tayshaun Prince, have taken on a diminished but important role both on the off the court, whereas Kobe Bryant’s shot-happy ways appear to be stunting the growth of promising players like D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle. In recent games, Scott has started to give Russell more freedom to make mistakes and grow…and your hosts certainly hope that continues.

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

Rey Moralde: Kobe Will “Retire Firing” in a “Chuckers’ Heaven”

December 9, 2015 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Rey Moralde (bottom left) interviewing Lakers rookie DeAngelo Russell (Credit: Lakers.com)

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This season’s Los Angeles Lakers are being talked about for mostly unfortunate reasons. One of the best players of all time, Kobe Bean Bryant, will retire upon season’s end and is undoubtedly playing the worst individual basketball of his career. The team is just as bad, beginning with a 3-18 record that includes a loss to the now 1-21 76ers in Bryant’s underwhelming homecoming. But while there’s certainly ample room for doom and gloom on the episode, Rey-Rey is Fundamental‘s Rey Moralde talks about some of the more positive aspects of the current Lakers, such as their exciting young core, led by Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle and potentially D’Angelo Russell. Rey speaks glowingly about those guys, as well as less glowingly on the disappointing close to Bryant’s career and how poor of a job he believes Byron Scott is doing with this unit. Here are some highlights:

5:20-5:30: “It’s hard to watch, but for Kobe, he’ll just retire firing basically, like he’s just done his entire career.”

13:50-14:20: On the framework already in place and projecting the franchise’s future: “As much as there’s doom and gloom with the Lakers, they do have a few players that have potential in Russell, Randle and possibly Clarkson, if he stays, because I don’t know if someone else will scoop him up. But if they have those three, they add another one from the draft and they can Byron…if they get a young coach…and have him grow along with those four potential players, I think they could have something there.”

Waxing Warrior, Media Negativity and Locker Room Reporting

December 5, 2015 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Kevin Durant had some pointed comments about the media’s treatment of Kobe Bryant this season (Keith Allison/Flickr).

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The podcast warriors wax Warrior, as they delve into why Splash Brother Klay Thompson has not been splashing as much, Festus Ezeli’s promising development and coach Luke Walton’s reluctance to rest his stars. The trio also takes sides on a couple of juicy player battles with the media: Kevin Durant vs. the media on their treatment of Kobe Bryant and Draymond Green and Andrew Bogut’s beef with Utah Jazz writer Ben Dowsett on locker room reporting.

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

Andy Liu: The Warriors Are “Cocky as Hell”

December 2, 2015 / Joshua Fischman / 0 Comments

Harrison Barnes has been a huge part of the Warriors’ success this season. (nikk_la/Flickr)

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As Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors continue to make history, Andy Liu of SB Nation’s Golden State of Mind comes by to drop some knowledge. He opines on the team’s dominant 19-0 start, Stephen Curry’s MVP play, the Warriors’ biggest weakness (huh? they have one?), their underrated front-office selflessness and so much more.

Here are some juicy bites:

6:30-6:55 Curry’s core strength: “He’s bigger now than he was before, but really the way he’s moving his body is allowing him to stay more grounded and less flimsy when he’s running around. And I think that’s really helped in terms of allowing him to drive aggressively without getting hurt, without getting scared of getting hurt.”

14:30–14:50 The Harrison Barnes enigma: I think he’s overrated in terms of the potential he has…but he’s also underrated in that some people on the other side of the spectrum think he’s not very good…and he only makes open shots and he does what he has to do because it’s easy.”

16:30-16:55 Draymond Green’s importance to the dominant, small-ball lineup: “The ‘death lineup’ doesn’t happen without him. And he’s also the most vocal guy on the team, easily. They call him the heartbeat…he’s the guy that brings the fire out.”

Stephen Anderson “Likes [the Spurs’] Chances Against Golden State”

November 25, 2015 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Stephen Anderson, second from left, interviewing Manu Ginobili

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While the Warriors are grabbing all the headlines, thanks to a perfect 16-0 start, the reliable San Antonio Spurs are quietly succeeding at a high level on both ends of the court. They are led by 24-year-old phenom and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Kawhi Leonard, but as with all Gregg Popovich-led Spurs teams over the years, individual accolades are not what it’s about. Stephen Anderson of Project Spurs graciously came on the show to discuss the Spurs’ scalding start, Leonard’s two-way dominance, the addition of LaMarcus Aldridge and plenty more.

Additional highlights include:

11:15-11:35 From an offensive standpoint, Stephen believes that integrating Aldridge will be a process. However, he’s already very impressed with his understanding of the team’s defensive principles: “His defense is a seamless transition for him. We’ve seen him defend. We’ve seen him and Tim Duncan in the paint together, which gives me flashbacks of David Robinson. LaMarcus Aldridge is not like David Robinson in that way, but defense-wise he really is proving to be a very good asset.”

16:30-16:45 On how Tim Duncan would approach his final season, which may or may not be 2015-16: “I don’t see Tim Duncan having a farewell tour. All of us journalists, all of us writers, have a running joke that if the Spurs win the championship, in his presser, post-game, he’ll say, ‘Alright guys, I’m done,’ and that’s the last time you’ll see him.”

The Still Undefeated Warriors and the Aesthetically Pleasing Hawks

November 21, 2015 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Reigning MVP Stephen Curry has managed to add 9.8 PPG to last season’s scoring average as his team sits pretty at 14-0 (Noah Salzman/Wikimedia Commons).

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Despite Aaron’s absence, Joshua and Loren revisit the Hawks conversation that began with Lang Whitaker earlier in the week. We touch upon Atlanta’s mounting injuries and how those might impact such a well-balanced Hawks squad even more than a typical star-centric team. Although new acquisition Tiago Splitter might not be garnering too many minutes in the early season, we talk about the types of contributions he can make come playoff time.

In the second segment, we reflect on the Warriors’ exhilarating comeback Thursday night against the Clippers. The Dubs’ small lineup of Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala, Harrison Barnes and Draymond Green has been killing teams in their limited minutes together so far. Should that unit be utilized more? And how integral is the team’s second MVP, Draymond Green? Finally, despite the embarrassing national TV loss, Joshua details what encouraged him about the Clippers’ performance Thursday.

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

Lang Whitaker: Schroder’s “Got a Lot of Swag”

November 18, 2015 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Lang Whitaker, left, repping the “A” with fellow hoops writer Rembert Browne (@rembert/Instagram)

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After Jeff Teague’s ankle injury, the Atlanta Hawks have been on a bit of a slide, dropping three straight to the Nets, Jazz and Timberwolves. However, they did begin the season winning eight of 10. This week, devout ATLien Lang Whitaker, who writes and podcasts at NBA.com, joins us on our show to talk about the Hawks, who are seeking an encore performance to their memorable 60-win season from a year ago despite being overlooked coming into the season.

Notable sections include:

6:30-8:15: On Millsap’s sometimes understated impact on the team: “I thought last year, he was the most important player on the Hawks’ team. That shoulder injury he had right at the end of the regular season, he just never looked right to me in the postseason, and I thought that had as much of an effect as anything else did with the Hawks not doing well against Cleveland in the Eastern Conference Finals.”

9:25-10:30: Lang waxes poetic about Dennis Schroder’s potential and how he’s evolving: “He does a lot of stuff that I think he doesn’t know he’s not supposed to be able to do. He has a confidence that makes him a problem for other teams. Athletically there’s nothing he can’t do… He’s too young to know any better, and that’s what makes it fun to watch ‘cuz you never know what he’s gonna do. He’s got a lot of swag. He’s only 22. He’s going to be really good for a really long time in the NBA.”

Down Goes Durant, the Combustible Kings and Kawhi Wait for Superstardom

November 14, 2015 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

This season, Kawhi Leonard has shouldered much of the Spurs’ scoring load in addition to playing tenacious defense (Mark Runyon/BasketballSchedule.net).

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In this action-packed episode, the guys reflect on the state of the Oklahoma City Thunder, particularly given Kevin Durant’s hamstring strain. Later, the trio celebrates the emergence of 24-year-old Kawhi Leonard as a bona fide offensive star and explores what in the hell is going on in Sacramento these days. Should George Karl lose his job this early in the season? Can the damage be undone? The OTNB boys are on the case.

Music: “Who Likes To Party” by Kevin MacLeod

Chuck Chaney: Thanks to Billy Donovan, the Thunder’s Best Player Is Russell Westbrook

November 11, 2015 / Aaron Fischman / 0 Comments

Chuck Chaney, left, with Tulsa Shock head coach Fred Williams

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Following Tuesday’s win over the Wizards, we caught up with Chuck Chaney of ThunderObsessed.com to discuss the current state of the Oklahoma City Thunder. Chuck is encouraged by the increased space new coach Billy Donovan’s system has afforded the offense, but he’s wary of the Thunder’s lack of defensive intensity. It’s still “extended training camp” for this team and coach, Chuck asserts, but they won’t be a championship contender if they can’t find a way to defend.

Some notable sections include:

5:30-6:00: Interviewing Scott Brooks “was like talking to a wall, and the paint’s drying,” given that he was fond of using “Thunder speak.” Conversely, Billy Donovan is a “refreshing” personality, at least from a media perspective.

6:30-6:55: “Donovan really emphasizes that extra pass,” allowing Westbrook and company to flourish. “He (Westbrook) is the best player on this team because of Billy Donovan right now.”

Best Rookies, Portland’s Surprise Start and the Enigmatic Derrick Rose

November 7, 2015 / Loren Chen / 0 Comments

Andre Drummond’s improvement has been key to the surprising Pistons (Erik Drost/Creative Commons)

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On today’s episode, the A-A-Ron Block is devoted to continued discussion of the Chicago Bulls. This intriguing-yet-perplexing team has defeated the Cavaliers and Thunder, while also surrendering 130 points to the Hornets. Its starting point guard is an enigma, too, going three straight games with single-digit scoring before erupting for 29 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds against the Thunder Thursday. Following Derrick Rose’s strong individual performance, the guys debate the validity of the latest trade rumors swirling around him. They also touch on frontcourt rotations, the pros and cons of starting Doug McDermott and more.

Later, LLC Incorporated breaks down the best rookies so far — Karl-Anthony Towns is the twins’ consensus pick — and the league’s most pleasant surprises and early disappointments. While the Blazers and Pistons have impressed Aaron so far, Joshua is particularly irked by the Grizzlies’ sluggish start. Finally, who’s currently the worst team in the league? The guys disagree.

Music: “Who Likes To Party” by Kevin MacLeod

On The NBA Beat

Page 20 of 21

Kobe and Garnett: Passing the Torch to Russell, Towns in Different Ways

Rey Moralde: Kobe Will “Retire Firing” in a “Chuckers’ Heaven”

Waxing Warrior, Media Negativity and Locker Room Reporting

Andy Liu: The Warriors Are “Cocky as Hell”

Stephen Anderson “Likes [the Spurs’] Chances Against Golden State”

The Still Undefeated Warriors and the Aesthetically Pleasing Hawks

Lang Whitaker: Schroder’s “Got a Lot of Swag”

Down Goes Durant, the Combustible Kings and Kawhi Wait for Superstardom

Chuck Chaney: Thanks to Billy Donovan, the Thunder’s Best Player Is Russell Westbrook

Best Rookies, Portland’s Surprise Start and the Enigmatic Derrick Rose

On The NBA Beat

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