Hardwood Knocks: An NBA Podcast

RANKINGS TIME. Major shoutout to Charles (@charles_swann_) for asking DMing us a question that inspired an entire podcast. And so, Adam and Dan will be ranking the NBA's top 10 players under 25 by career outlook...with a small twist. First, however, we'll begin by talking about Kevin Durant's sprained MCL, and how that impacts the Brooklyn Nets (4:11). After that, it's all kiddies (11:05)! Please...

MAIL TIME. But first: A TRADE. Adam and Dan break down every angle of the Atlanta Hawks sending Cam Reddish to the New York Knicks. After that, they belly flop into a mailbag that covers the Memphis Grizzlies' ascent and playoff stock; the NBA's best defensive communicators; ideal trade targets for the Phoenix Suns; potential first-time All-Stars; RJ Barrett's recent hot streak; and MUCH more. TIM...

STIZZATZ TIME. As we near the midway point of the 2021-22 NBA season, Adam and Dan have cobbled together one stat for each Western Conference team that they find interesting. If you missed the Eastern Conference editions of this podcast, check it out here! TIMESTAMPS⬇️ 🔘 0:19 - Intro 🔘 3:34 - Dallas Mavericks 🔘 8:18 - Denver Nuggets 🔘 14:21 - Golden State Warriors 🔘 18:38 - Houston Rockets 🔘...

MAIL TIME. Our latest dive into listener questions covers the MVP race, a potential Portland Trail Blazers fire sale, trade targets for the Utah Jazz, LaMelo Ball's All-Star case, Stephen Curry vs. Nikola Jokic, a James Harden-Russell Westbrook what-if scenario, rookies who need more minutes, team-building philosophies, harmful high-volume players, RJ Barrett's role with the New York Knicks and mu...

Andrew Claudio (@AndrewJClaudio_) from Knicks Film School is back for a deep dive into—you guessed it—the 2021-22 New York Knicks! He joins Dan to discuss Julius Randle’s struggles, RJ Barrett’s development, Obi Toppin’s improvement, Kemba Walker’s comeback(?), potential trade targets, Tom Thibodeau’s rotations, whether New York can salvage this season without a big move and much more! (NOTE: This...

With NBA rosters still in flux on a daily basis, Adam and Dan take the opportunity to unearth one stat they find telltale, intriguing, hyper-important, etc. for every team in the Eastern Conference. TIMESTAMPS⬇️ 🔘 0:30 - Intro 🔘 2:07 - Atlanta Hawks 🔘 6:45 - Boston Celtics 🔘 10:12 - Brooklyn Nets 🔘 16:27 - Charlotte Hornets 🔘 21:14 - Chicago Bulls 🔘 23:35 - Cleveland Cavaliers 🔘 27:32 - De...

MAIL TIME! You asked. Hardwood Knocks answered. And this time, your questions left us talking about every NBA team's most underrated player; Charlotte Hornets trades; MVP hypotheticals for LaMelo Ball, Donovan Mitchell and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander; the Memphis Grizzlies without Ja Morant; Los Angeles Lakers trade targets; De'Aaron Fox's fit with Tyrese Haliburton; the Jayson Tatum-Jaylen Brown part...

It's officially NBA trade season, so Hardwood Knocks naturally has targets for every single team in the NBA. We already tackled the Eastern Conference here. Next up: Trade targets for every Western Conference team! TIMESTAMPS⬇️ 🔘 0:30 - Intro 🔘 2:00 - The NBA's COVID-19 situation 🔘 8:18 - Dallas Mavericks 🔘 13:19 - Denver Nuggets 🔘 18:20 - Golden State Warriors 🔘 29:53 - Houston Rockets 🔘 3...

The Indiana Pacers have been making maaaany headlines over the past two weeks, so Hardwood Knocks did the only thing it could: turn to the one, the only, the legendary Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) from Indy Cornrows to break it all down. She discusses the fallout from the report that Indiana is open to tearing it down, Myles Turner's request for a bigger role or better "role clarity," Domantas Sabo...

Dan is joined by the ever awesome Tara Bowen-Biggs (@tcbbiggs) from the We Have A Take podcast to discuss everything in the world of the Portland Trail Blazers. Together, they cover the front office transition from Neil Olshey to Joe Cronin, Damian Lillard's future, CJ McCollum's health and play, Jusuf Nurkic's struggles, Nassir Little's breakout, defensive problems, lineup changes, Ben Simmons, p...

With the unofficial starts of NBA trade season just around the corner, Adam and Dan are coming up with a handful of potential targets for every team. First up: All 15 Eastern Conference squads. TIMESTAMPS⬇️ 🔘 0:28 - Intro/Target Criteria 🔘 10:52 - Atlanta Hawks 🔘 16:44 - Boston Celtics 🔘 22:59 - Brooklyn Nets 🔘 28:40 - Charlotte Hornets 🔘 35:51 - Chicago Bulls 🔘 38:57 - Cleveland Cavaliers...

Dan is joined by T.J. McBridge (@TJMcBrideNBA) from Mile High Sports to break down the short- and long-term outlook of the Denver Nuggets. They discuss Michael Porter Jr.'s potential season-ending injury, the Nuggets' shorthanded rotation, Nikola Jokic's MVP case, possible trade targets, Denver's defense, the team's future beyond this season and much more. TIMESTAMPS⬇️ 🔘 0:32 - Intro 🔘 3:14 - St...

MAIL TIME. Our latest trip down You Asked, We Answered Lane covers potential John Wall trades, the Denver Nuggets' future following the Michael Porter Jr. injury, the New York Knicks' decision to bench Kemba Walker, Monte Morris' efficiency, Draymond Green's defensive value, Alperen Sengun's rookie year, early-season trends we're buying, a list of the most underrated players, a Mario Hezonja updat...

Dan is joined by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes (@gt_hughes) to tackle the biggest questions they each have as the NBA nears the quarter-mark of the 2021-22 season. Their maze of inquiries covers playoff predictions for the Eastern Conference, the Sacramento Kings' future following Luke Walton's exit, the Toronto Raptors' direction, the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets, the Orlando Magic's...

In the second part of a super-duper-mega mailbag, Adam and Dan discuss Jonas Valanciunas' impact on the New Orleans Pelicans; the news about the Sacramento Kings being displeased with Luke Walton; their favorite guilty-pleasure league pass watches; DeMar DeRozan's MVP case; how the new foul rules could impact team-building in the future; the way analytics are presented to fans; and much more. TIME...

MAIL TIME! In Part One of our TWO-PART SUPER-DUPER-MEGA MAILBAG, your questions have us covering Karl-Anthony Towns' future with the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Atlanta Hawks' recent struggles, trade targets for the Charlotte Hornets' center rotation, impressions of the San Antonio Spurs, the Los Angeles Clippers' offense, Ben Simmons news, Will Barton's leap, the Denver Nuggets' title stock and m...

Adam and Dan build their NBA awards ladders now that every team has played around 10 games for the season. Please note these are not meant to be predictions, but more of a snapshot of where the awards races stands if the 2021-22 campaign ended today. We have top five candidates for the MVP race, plus a top-three ladder for Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, Mo...

Hardwood Knocks reacts to the explosive report from ESPN that alleges Phoenix Suns managing partner Robert Sarver has created a racist and misogynistic work environment over the course of his 17-year tenure. After that, Dan relays one stat—but really more—for every NBA team he finds interesting or will be watching for the rest of the season. TIMESTAMPS⬇️ 0:15 - Intro 2:52 - Robert Sarver allegatio...

MAIL TIME! This week's dive into listener questions will cover the New York Knicks' hot start (loss to the Toronto Raptors not withstanding), Scottie Barnes, Evan Mobley, Jimmy Butler, Nikola Jokic, Michael Porter Jr., the Denver Nuggets' depth, the NBA's worst benches, Miles Bridges, Dalano Banton, RJ Barrett, the Most Improved Player, Dejounte Murray and muuuuch more! TIMESTAMPS ⬇️ 🔘 0:27 - Int...

It's time for our second annual NBA 'Truth or Trash?!?' Sure, it's basically rebranded 'Fact or Fiction," but who cares? Dan is joined by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes (@gt_hughes) to discuss a bunch of surprising early-season trends and whether they should be viewed as new normals (truth!) or fleeting blips on the radar (trash!). Their discussion covers the Atlanta Hawks, Cleveland Cavaliers, Ch...

MAIL TIME IS BACK! In our first mailbag of the 2021-22 NBA season, Hardwood Knocks covers the Ben Simmons saga FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE, talks about Tyler Herro's development, the Chicago Bulls' hot start, Zion Williamson and Ja Morant, mid-range jumpers and muuuuuch more! TIMESTAMPS⬇️ 🔘 Ben Simmons...but not what you think (3:27) 🔘 Ja Morant vs. Zion Williamson (14:40) 🔘 Are we sleeping on the N...

Adam is back, which means the band is back, which means he and Dan have over/under win predictions for every NBA team ahead of the 2021-22 season. Buckle up for safety. The takes are about to fly. TIMESTAMPS⬇️ 🔘 0:00 - Intro 🔘 3:12 - Approach 🔘 8:44 - Atlanta Hawks 🔘 11:34 - Boston Celtics 🔘 15:19 - Brooklyn Nets 🔘 19:19 - Charlotte Hornets 🔘 24:13 - Chicago Bulls 🔘 30:59 - Cleveland Caval...

Dan is joined by Allana Tachauer (@AllanaTachauer) of the Feel The Heat podcast over at 5 Reasons Sports to discuss all things Miami Heat ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season. Their discussion covers Kyle Lowry's arrival and impact, the next step for Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler's jumper, Tyler Herro's development, Victor Oladipo's timeline for return and potential value, the bench rotation, lineup possib...

Dan is joined by Jason Patt (@Bulls_Jay) from the Cash Considerations podcast for a mega-ultra-super-deep dive into the Chicago Bulls ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season. Their conversation covers a reaction to the Bulls' offseason, Zach LaVine's superstardom, the fit between he, DeMar DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball's impact on offense, the importance of Alex Caruso and Patrick Williams, the d...

Dan is joined by Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) from The NBA Front Office Show and Spotrac for a deeeeeep dive into the Orlando Magic ahead of the 2021-22 NBA season. Their conversation covers the Wendell Carter Jr. extension, rookie-year expectations for Jalen Suggs, trade candidates, the health of Jonathan Isaac and Markelle Fultz, the 10-man rotation, Mo Bamba, lineup possibilities, RJ Hampton's...