The NBA Podcast

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) and special guest Dan Favale (@danfavale) of the Hardwood Knocks podcast make their picks for every first-round series in the 2022 NBA playoffs. Do the Chicago Bulls stand any chance of knocking off the Milwaukee Bucks? Are the Minnesota Timberwolves a bad matchup for the Memphis Grizzlies? Can the Dallas Mavericks beat the Utah Jazz wi...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) make their final awards picks for the 2021-22 NBA season. Who should win MVP between Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo? Who will emerge from the wide-open Defensive Player of the Year race? Should Scottie Barnes win Rookie of the Year over Evan Mobley? Does Ja Morant even belong in the Most...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) and special guest Anthony Irwin (@AnthonyIrwinLA) of Silver, Screen & Roll discuss the biggest offseason questions for the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder. How will the Lakers look to get out of Russell Westbrook's contract this summer? Can the Blazers build a conte...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) and special guest Mark Schindler (@MSchindlerNBA) discuss the biggest offseason questions for the Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic and Detroit Pistons. Should the Pacers look to trade some of their veterans this season, or will they aim to retool rather than rebuild? Will Bradley Beal sign his five-year...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) is joined by special guest Ryan Blackburn (@NBABlackburn) of Denver Stiffs and the Pickaxe & Roll podcast to discuss the MVP race and the Denver Nuggets' playoff outlook. What has caused the MVP race to swing in Nikola Jokic's favor as of late? What are the biggest arguments in favor of Jokic, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo? Is t...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) is joined by special guest Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) of Spotrac and Celtics Blog to discuss how Robert Williams' injury and the returns of Paul George and Anthony Davis could shake up the playoffs. How did the Celtics turn their season around after such a mediocre start? How much will Williams' injury impact their title chances? Coul...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss which playoff teams have the biggest concerns heading into April. How much should we read into the Miami Heat's recent struggles? Are the Utah Jazz too predictable offensively? Which injuries could have the biggest impact on the playoffs? Could DeAndre Jordan sink the Philadelphia 76ers? Check out the...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) make their picks for their All-Rookie teams for the 2021-22 NBA season. Who should join Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley and Scottie Barnes on the All-Rookie first team? Is Franz Wagner a first-team lock? Could Ayo Dosunmu or Herb Jones make it onto the All-Rookie first team? Do Alperen Sengun and Jonathan Kuming...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss Stephen Curry's latest injury, Patrick Williams' imminent return and LeBron James' GOAT case. What should Chicago Bulls fans expect out of Williams? How will Steph's injury impact the Western Conference playoff race? What does James Wiseman's latest setback mean for the Golden State Warriors? Is it re...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss which teams in the play-in tournament could go on a deep playoff run. Are the Brooklyn Nets still a legitimate threat to make it to the NBA Finals? How would they match up with the Cleveland Cavaliers or Toronto Raptors in the play-in game? Will the Atlanta Hawks even make the playoffs? Could the Minn...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the biggest names who could return from injuries and swing the 2022 NBA playoffs. How much will Brook Lopez's return help the Milwaukee Bucks? Are we sleeping on a fully healthy Chicago Bulls team? Will Draymond Green's return push the Golden State Warriors over the Phoenix Suns? What happens if Kawhi...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) make their updated picks for every major award with one month left in the 2021-22 NBA season. Who should be the MVP, Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid or Giannis Antetokounmpo? Who's the favorite in a wide-open Defensive Player of the Year race? Can anyone stop Evan Mobley or Tyler Herro from winning Rookie of the Ye...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss which teams should be considered legitimate dark-horse title contenders. Are the Utah Jazz destined to fall apart in the playoffs again? How seriously should we take the Boston Celtics? Can the Denver Nuggets and Chicago Bulls overcome their injury issues? Why aren't the Memphis Grizzlies getting more...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) is joined by special guest TrillBroDude (@TrillBroDude) of the You Know Ball podcast to discuss their early impressions of James Harden and the new-look Philadelphia 76ers. Were the fit concerns about Harden and Joel Embiid overblown? Why has Tyrese Maxey been so effective in an off-ball role? Has Doc Rivers actually learned how to stag...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) and special guest Mason Ginsberg (@MasonGinsberg) of the In the NO podcast discuss the latest drama between Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans. What should we make of JJ Redick's recent comments about Zion? Will Zion play at any point this season? How should the Pelicans handle his upcoming extension negotiations? What should...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) and special guest Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) of Silver Screen and Roll discuss LeBron James' future with the Los Angeles Lakers after his comments at All-Star Weekend. How did the Lakers get to this point with LeBron? Who's to blame for their disappointing season? Should they have made a big move at the trade deadline? How can they fix...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) and special guest Mark Schindler (@mschindlerNBA) of Basketball News and Indy Cornrows discuss what they're most excited to watch after the All-Star break. What should we expect out of Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers? How will Chris Paul's injury shake up the title race? How will James Harden and Ben Simmons change the Eastern Conferen...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) try to make sense of the Eastern Conference after the explosive 2022 NBA trade deadline. Are the Milwaukee Bucks still the favorites to come out of the East? Which teams are lurking as their biggest threats? Which teams are most in danger of a first-round upset? Can anyone pull off a surprise deep playoff run...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the biggest winners and losers from the 2022 NBA trade deadline. Does the upside of James Harden justify the risk for the Philadelphia 76ers? Are the Brooklyn Nets now better off with Ben Simmons, Seth Curry and Andre Drummond? Can Kristaps Porzingis be the co-star that Bradley Beal needs? Which teams...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the Domantas Sabonis-Tyrese Haliburton blockbuster along with the CJ McCollum and Caris LeVert trades and give their final trade deadline predictions. Did the Sacramento Kings get enough back for Haliburton? Are the Indiana Pacers the clear winners of that trade? How much will McCollum help the New Or...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the latest James Harden trade rumors, dissect the Clippers-Blazers trade and break down which teams might be buyers at the trade deadline. Why would the Nets trade Harden before the deadline? Where should the Sixers draw the line in terms of what they're sending back? What does the Blazers' deal with...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss which teams should considering selling ahead of the 2022 NBA trade deadline. Should the Washington Wizards be shopping Bradley Beal? Would Domantas Sabonis or Jerami Grant make sense in Washington? Should the Houston Rockets be ready to take the best offers for Christian Wood and Jerami Grant? Which t...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) and special guest Dan Favale (@danfavale) of the Hardwood Knocks podcast (@HardwoodKnocks) and Bleacher Report discuss All-Star starter surprises and snubs, the buzz about James Harden and the Sixers, and the New York Knicks' descent back into mediocrity. Is it an outrage that Andrew Wiggins is an All-Star starter? Should the NBA abolis...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss who they'd pick for every major award at the midway point of the 2021-22 NBA season. Has someone else usurped Stephen Curry as the front-runner for MVP? How will Draymond Green's injury impact the Defensive Player of the Year race? Is Evan Mobley the clear favorite for Rookie of the Year? Who deserves...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss Frank Vogel being on the hot seat, what to make of the Sacramento Kings/Ben Simmons rumors and the trade market for Jerami Grant and Myles Turner. Does Frank Vogel deserve to be on the hot seat? Should the Kings have any players off-limits in trade talks? Why are the Sixers so opposed to trading for D...