The NBA Podcast

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss Kobe Bryant in the wake of his tragic death and make their picks for 2020 All-Star Game reserves. Why has Kobe's death hit the NBA community so hard? How will we remember him? What can the league do to honor him? And who should be selected as an All-Star reserve? Check out the episode to hear Morten a...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the Willie Cauley-Stein trade, Zion Williamson's regular-season debut and behind-the-scenes drama with the Los Angeles Clippers. How much will Cauley-Stein help the Mavericks in the wake of Dwight Powell's injury? How concerned should Clippers fans be about the behind-the-scenes tension going on? Shou...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the latest Derrick Rose trade rumors, how Dwight Powell's Achilles injury will affect the Dallas Mavericks, and make their All-Star starter selections. Would Rose make much sense for the Los Angeles Lakers or Philadelphia 76ers? How will Powell's injury affect the Mavericks' trade-deadline plans? Who...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the Jeff Teague-Allen Crabbe trade, Kyrie Irving's leadership and the latest trade rumors involving Robert Covington, Andre Drummond and D'Angelo Russell. Who won the Crabbe-Teague trade? Was Kyrie right about the Nets needing more pieces to contend for a title? Which teams should be in pursuit of Cov...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) make their midseason picks for every major award. Who is the front-runner for MVP: James Harden, Luka Doncic or Giannis Antetokounmpo? Can anyone catch Ja Morant for Rookie of the Year? Who's leading the wide-open Defensive Player of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year races? Who deserves Most Improved Player?...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) is joined by Sean Deveney (@seandeveney) to talk about the NBA Trade Deadline and which deals could be made in the NBA over the next couple of weeks. Check out the episode to hear Morten and Sean discuss potential moves that include Andre Drummond, Kevin Love, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Kyle Kuzma and plenty more names. Follow us on Twitter: @The...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Tom West (@TomWestNBA) talk about the impact the late David Stern had on the NBA, through a European lens. Check out the episode to hear Morten and Tom discuss how it was growing up with the NBA from across the pond. Follow us on Twitter: @TheNBAPod

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) re-draft the first 14 picks of the 2017 NBA draft. Which player goes No. 1 overall? (2:48) Who goes first, Bam Adebayo or Jayson Tatum? (12:18) How much does John Collins rise? (25:11) Where does Kyle Kuzma land? (42:47) How far does Markelle Fultz fall? (57:23) Does Lonzo Ball go in the lottery at all? (1:01...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss which teams should be sellers ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Who should lottery-bound teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers (3:27) and New York Knicks (12:47) be looking to sell? What should the Washington Wizards do with Davis Bertans? (16:02) Should the Detroit Pistons be shopping Blake Griffin an...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss which teams should be buyers ahead of the Feb. 6 trade deadline. Do the Milwaukee Bucks need to add more help for Giannis Antetokounmpo? Should the Portland Trail Blazers trade for Kevin Love? Do the Houston Rockets have the requisite assets to make a big move? Should the Boston Celtics trade for a ce...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss recent criticism about Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic not wanting to dominate enough and delve into what's gone wrong for the New Orleans Pelicans. Why isn't Embiid having as much fun this year as he has in years past (2:08)? Was Thursday's performance against Boston a sign of things to come (12:35)? Wh...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the New York Knicks' decision to fire head coach David Fizdale and try to find Kevin Love a new home. Will firing Fizdale fix the Knicks, or does their dysfunction stem from higher up? How concerned should the Cleveland Cavaliers be about players reportedly tuning out head coach John Beilein? Which te...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss which teams look like legitimate title contenders at the quarter-season mark of the 2019-20 NBA season. Are the Houston Rockets or Dallas Mavericks legitimate threats to either of the L.A. teams? Can Nikola Jokic shake off his slow start to make the Denver Nuggets contenders? Should the Philadelphia 7...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss Carmelo Anthony winning Player of the Week, dive into the Los Angeles Lakers' upcoming stretch and discuss whether it's time to be worried about the Utah Jazz or San Antonio Spurs. Was Melo's Player of the Week award undeserved? Are the Lakers being propped up by a soft early-season schedule? Why have...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss whether the NBA needs to make drastic changes to the regular season. How can the NBA get players and fans to buy into an in-season tournament? Is the proposed play-in tournament for playoff spots a good idea? Should the league re-seed the conference finalists? What role does the media play in how the...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the early front-runners for every NBA award through the first month of the 2019-20 NBA season. Can Luka Doncic legitimately challenge Giannis Antetokounmpo for MVP? Who's emerging as a candidate for Most Improved Player? Does Ja Morant have any competition for Rookie of the Year? Which coaches deserve...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss Carmelo Anthony signing with the Portland Trail Blazers, Ben Simmons hitting a three-pointer (!) and what Nikola Vucevic's ankle injury means for the Orlando Magic. Can Carmelo help the Blazers turn their disappointing season around? If Simmons begins to regularly take threes, will he fix the Sixers'...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss who's to blame for the New York Knicks' miserable start and the impact of injuries to Gordon Hayward, Khris Middleton and De'Aaron Fox. Is head coach David Fizdale the primary culprit for the Knicks' 2-8 start? How much blame do general manager Scott Perry and team president Steve Mills deserve? Can t...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss which early-season surprises will last and which will regress to the mean. Are the Phoenix Suns... good? Can Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis keep the Dallas Mavericks in the playoff race? Did Ryan Saunders fix Andrew Wiggins? Who's fueling the stunningly competent Charlotte Hornets? Check out the e...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss which teams should be concerned about their slow start to the 2019-20 NBA season. Should the Portland Trail Blazers be worried about their frontcourt in the wake of Zach Collins' shoulder injury? How concerned should the Sacramento Kings be? What's plaguing the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls? Check o...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the fight between Karl-Anthony Towns and Joel Embiid, Stephen Curry's broken hand and Kendrick Nunn's hot start. What led to the fight between Towns and Embiid? Should Philadelphia 76ers fans be concerned about Embiid's immaturity? Should the Golden State Warriors tank in the wake of Curry's hand inju...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the biggest surprises and disappointments from Week 1 of the 2019-20 NBA season. Is the Minnesota Timberwolves' hot start sustainable? Are the Phoenix Suns genuinely not as bad as expected? Can the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings turn their respective seasons around? What's going on with the...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba), Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) and special guest Chris Herring (@Herring_NBA) of FiveThirtyEight discuss their biggest takeaways from the first few days of the 2019-20 NBA season. Can anyone stop the Los Angeles Clippers? How did James Harden and Russell Westbrook look in their first game together? What concerns have emerged for the Los Angel...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the top storylines they're excited to watch during the 2019-20 NBA season. How will Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis fare alongside one another? Can the Lakers stumble upon the correct starting lineup? What will Pascal Siakam look like as a No. 1 option? Can Michael Porter Jr. be the Nuggets' X-fact...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) make their picks for all of the NBA's major awards ahead of the 2019-20 season. Will Giannis Antetokounmpo repeat as MVP? Can anyone dethrone Rudy Gobert as Defensive Player of the Year? Is Zion Williamson a lock to win Rookie of the Year? Will Lou Williams become the first four-time Sixth Man of the Year? Wh...