Open Floor: SI's NBA Show

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina pick up the pieces after a chaotic opening week by trying to spot trends. Are the Nets on track for the Finals or set to come back to earth? Are the Warriors dead on arrival or poised for a bounce back? How does Kevin Durant's decision to leave the Warriors look 18 months later? Is Ja Morant making the leap in front of our eyes? From there, Ben and Michael shift t...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina wrap up the opening week of NBA action with takes on 10 different teams. Did the NBA handle the latest James Harden controversy properly? What did it feel like inside the Staples Center for the Lakers' opening night? Does Philly have enough talent to climb in the East standings? Was Jayson Tatum's banked three-pointer the greatest moment of Michael's life?...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina gear up for opening week with a breakdown of the new extensions given to Rudy Gobert and Kyle Kuzma. From there, they shift into a conversation about NBA coaches on the hot seat? What does Mike Budenholzer need to do to keep his job in Milwaukee? Are Lloyd Pierce and Ryan Saunders facing new pressure? Can Washington's Scott Brooks earn a new contract in his lame d...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open with a big announcement: SI has formed a slack channel for all Open Floor Globe members to use during the upcoming NBA season. Ben and Michael will be popping in there from time to time, so check out  http://www.si.com/openfloorglobe . From there, Ben and Michael dig into Giannis Antetokounmpo's supermax extension. Did Giannis settle? Do the Bucks have a titl...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open Monday's episode with big breaking news about Michael's exciting new career move. Then, the guys shift into a discussion of the playoff bubble races in both conferences. Who does Michael predict will be the last three teams to make the playoffs in both conferences? Who will be the first three teams to miss the playoffs? In the West, What's Golden Stat...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open by surveying the latest drama surrounding James Harden and the Houston Rockets. What are the Rockets' options as they enter the season? Can they realistically try to patch things up? Should teams be scared off by Harden's recent antics? What will happen to Harden's trade value if they wait to move him? From there, they shift gears to react to the brea...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina preview the upcoming season with an annual staple: Ben's 2021 Entertainment Value Rankings. Which teams will be must-see TV and which ones will be totally unwatchable? Michael lists off his biggest beefs with Ben's list, prompting arguments over the Mavericks, Warriors, Bucks, Pelicans, Hawks, Rockets and more. Is Luka Doncic getting too much hype? Are people...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina explore all angles of the Russell Westbrook for John Wall trade between the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards. Who won the deal? Do Wall and James Harden fit, or will Harden be traded next? Will Washington make the playoffs? How will Westbrook impact Washington's desire to keep Bradley Beal? From there, the guys shift gears to discussing the Lakers' abili...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina ramp up the hype for Kevin Durant's long-awaited comeback with the Brooklyn Nets. What's KD's best-case scenario this year? How does he stack up against the best players in the East? Do the new-look Nets have the best projected starting lineup and roster depth on paper? Which factors might prevent Brooklyn from becoming a certified title contender? From th...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina celebrate the holiday weekend by opening the mailbag to the Open Floor Globe. What's up with the Clippers, is Serge Ibaka really the answer, and do they still need a point guard? How should the Wizards respond to John Wall's desire to leave Washington? Will Gordon Hayward emerge as a future trade chip for the Hornets? Could Thunder GM Sam Presti ever bundle al...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina sort through the winners and losers from the opening weekend of the NBA free agency period. Did the Lakers tighten their hold on the 2021 title chase? How will Giannis Antetokounmpo respond to the Bucks' missteps? Why did Michael Jordan give $120 million to Gordon Hayward? Has Rich Paul established himself as one of the league's ultimate power-brokers? Can the...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina run through the winners and losers of the 2020 NBA Draft. How crushing of a blow is Klay Thompson's Achilles injury to the Warriors? Did LaMelo Ball find a good home in Charlotte? What about Killian Hayes in Detroit? Could the Minnesota Timberwolves have done better? Did Daryl Morey ace his first test in Philadelphia? What was Phoenix doing? Are the new Knicks the...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open by breaking down the Suns' splashy move for Chris Paul. Why did Phoenix decide to pull the trigger, and could this move backfire? Why is OKC so aggressively tearing things down after an awesome season? From there, the guys shift gears to discuss the bubbling James Harden trade rumors. How good would the Nets be if they landed Harden? What motivation does Hous...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina gobble up the latest round of rumors before the upcoming NBA Draft and free agency period and try to find the best landing spots for the biggest names. Is LaMelo Ball worth the No. 1 pick and which team should draft him? Does he fit at all in Minnesota? What type of teams can afford to trade for Russell Westbrook and his massive contract? Does Westbrook need to reloca...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina round up NBA player reaction to the presidential election. Did the players' More Than a Vote campaign make a difference in key battleground states? What lessons should the players take from their voting advocacy experience? Then, Ben and Michael shift to a discussion of the schedule agreement between the owners and players that will launch next season on Dec. 22....

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open by discussing a recent report that New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday is on the trading block. Which types of teams should be interested in acquiring him and how much trade value does he really have given his age and contract? Then, Michael designs his three favorite fake trades involving Holiday and Ben grades them. The guys pivot to discuss which other pla...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open with the latest on the 2020-21 negotiations between the NBA owners and players. Can the two sides afford not to reach a deal given the massive projected losses? How would the public react if this dragged on, and what impact would that have on their long-term business? How is the latest coronavirus spike impacting the league's thinking? Then, Ben and Michael s...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina dive headfirst into Daryl Morey's expected hiring as president of the Philadelphia 76ers. Will Morey trade Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid? How will the new power dynamic work with ownership and Doc Rivers? Should Morey try to retool the roster during the rushed free agency period or evaluate the roster for a year? Will the Sixers climb back into the East's top tie...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina lay out the good, the bad and the ugly of the NBA's latest proposals for the 2020-21 season. Why is the league now eyeing a pre-Christmas start date? Why cut games out of the schedule? What do these proposed changes mean for plans to bring fans back into stands? Why does the NBA want to get its calendar back on track so badly? Will the players be ready after such...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina weigh all sides of the New Orleans Pelicans' decision to hire Stan Van Gundy as their new coach. Was this all about Zion Williamson? What's Van Gundy's top task as he takes over? From there, Ben and Michael discuss the Indiana Pacers' hiring of Nate Bjorkgren and whether it signals the start of a rebuild. The episode closes with questions from the Open...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina take an extended look back at Daryl Morey's 13-year run as Houston Rockets general manager. Where does Morey rank as an executive? Which criticisms of Morey were fair and which were off-base? What's his legacy in Houston and what's his ideal landing spot in the future? From there, Ben and Michael shift gears to discuss the Clippers' hiring of Tyronn Lu...

With the NBA bubble officially wrapped, Ben Golliver and Michael Pina settle into the offseason. They start by giving Lakers fans the opportunity to gloat after their title and then rank how the 2020 Lakers stack up against the last 10 NBA champions. From there, they try to set the early field of contenders for the 2021 title chase and debate who should be viewed as the best player in basketball h...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina discuss the end of the NBA bubble, which saw the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Miami Heat in six games to claim their 17th championship. Ben offers a behind-the-scenes look at LeBron James's title celebration and then they debate where this title ranks among James's four rings. From there, Ben and Michael look back on the Finals and the overall bubble experience...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina dig back into the NBA Finals, exploring the key Game 4 moments that helped the Los Angeles Lakers build a 3-1 series lead over the Miami Heat. Why was the Anthony Davis defensive adjustment on Jimmy Butler so effective? Why didn't the Bucks make a similar adjustment with Giannis Antetokounmpo? What are the guys' favorite Finals adjustments of all time? How doe...

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina react to Miami's Game 3 win in the NBA Finals by offering extended thoughts on Jimmy Butler. Ben and Michael both recount past experiences interviewing Butler and try to put his 40-point triple-double into historical context. Why does Butler get added motivation from his past playoff history with LeBron James? Where does Butler rank among the NBA's best wings?...