The NBA Podcast

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) make their picks for every Eastern Conference team's over/under. Which teams did Las Vegas miss the mark on? Are the Boston Celtics headed for 60-plus wins? Will the Milwaukee Bucks or Indiana Pacers be legitimate contenders in the East? Can the Philadelphia 76ers top 55 wins? Check out the episode to hear Mo...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) make their picks for every Western Conference team's over/under. Which teams did Las Vegas miss the mark on? Are the Los Angeles Lakers headed for 50-plus wins? Why are expectations so low for the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs? Check out the episode to hear Morten and Bryan discuss all of that...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) go through the highlights and lowlights of the 2018-19 NBA opening week and Christmas Day schedules. Which opening-week games should already have you excited? How did we rank each of the Christmas Day matchups? Which teams should have been featured that weren't? Check out the episode to hear Morten and Bryan...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss all of the latest free-agent signings, including Clint Capela re-signing with the Rockets, Kevin Love's new extension and much more. How much of a steal is Capela's deal for the Rockets? Why did the Cavaliers sign Love to such a huge extension? How will Carmelo Anthony fit in Houston? Did the Celtics...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the winners and losers from the recent Kawhi Leonard and Carmelo Anthony trades. Did the San Antonio Spurs get enough for Leonard? How will DeMar DeRozan fit in San Antonio? Are the Raptors now the favorites in the East with Kawhi? How will Dennis Schroder fare with the Oklahoma City Thunder? Why were...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) are joined by former Charlotte Hornets general manager Rich Cho (@bigtimebites) for a behind-the-scenes look at how NBA teams prepare for the offseason. How early do NBA teams begin homing in on particular draft prospects? How much do off-court factors such as work ethic and attitude matter? How do teams bala...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek)  discuss which first- and second-year players stood out at Las Vegas Summer League. Are Jaren Jackson Jr. and Wendell Carter Jr. the two best big men from the 2018 draft class? Did the New York Knicks hit a home run with Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson? Is De'Anthony Melton the steal of this year's draft? Ho...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek)  discuss the Chicago Bulls' decision to sign Jabari Parker to a two-year, $40 million deal, including whether they overpaid for him and how he'll fit with their young core. Seeing as the Milwaukee Bucks were hard-capped, why did the Bulls offer Parker so much money annually? Could they have spent their cap sp...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the latest free-agent happenings, including Isaiah Thomas signing with the Nuggets and the Brooklyn Nets' savvy salary dumps. Is Thomas a front-runner for Sixth Man of the Year in Denver? Why did the Hawks trade for Jeremy Lin rather than take on Kenneth Faried and Darrell Arthur from the Nuggets? Did...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the biggest winners and losers from the first week of 2018 NBA free agency. Is there a glass-half-full way to look at the San Antonio Spurs' offseason so far? Are the Indiana Pacers low-key winning the summer? Should the Houston Rockets still be considered the 1B to Golden State's 1A after losing Trev...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the Chicago Bulls' decision to match the Sacramento Kings' four-year, $78 million offer sheet for Zach LaVine. Why did the Bulls match LaVine's offer sheet? Was it just about optics, or is there any way he actually lives up to that contract? Why did the Kings offer him that much in the first place? Wh...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss DeMarcus Cousins joining the Golden State Warriors, Rajon Rondo heading to the Los Angeles Lakers and more of Monday's notable free-agent signings. Should the NBA step in to prevent Cousins from joining the Wizards? Why would the Lakers be interested in adding another non-shooter in Rondo? Should the...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss what LeBron James' decision to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers means for the NBA moving forward. Are the Lakers championship contenders as currently assembled? What other moves might they make this summer? Should we pencil the Celtics in as Eastern Conference champions? Does this reduce the Spurs' le...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) give their thoughts on the contracts doled out during the first night of 2018 free agency, including Paul George, Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan. Was it a surprise to see George sign a 3+1 deal with the Thunder? Will the Rockets grow to regret giving Paul a four-year max? Which of the signings from the first n...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) make their predictions for where the top names in the 2018 NBA free-agent class will wind up. Will LeBron James go to the Lakers if they can't get Paul George or Kawhi Leonard? Are the Rockets going to give Chris Paul his full five-year max? How much will the Pelicans spend to retain DeMarcus Cousins? Is DeAn...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) break down the pros and cons of each of LeBron James' likely free-agent landing spots this summer. If the Lakers sign LeBron, what other moves would they need to make to become championship contenders next season? Should the Sixers go all-out and trade for Kawhi Leonard to attract LeBron? Is it worth the risk...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) break down which teams should be thrilled with their draft-night hauls and which teams should be feeling remorseful. Did the Atlanta Hawks get enough in return for Luka Doncic? Was Michael Porter Jr. worth the risk for the Denver Nuggets at No. 14? Did the Los Angeles Clippers reach too far on Jerome Robinson...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) are joined by Ricky O'Donnell (@SBN_Ricky) of SB Nation to discuss the top prospects in the 2018 NBA draft class. Would the Phoenix Suns be making a mistake if they take Deandre Ayton at No. 1? How far is Luka Doncic going to fall? Will Trae Young's offensive upside make up for his defensive limitations? Are...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss possible Kawhi Leonard trade destinations in the wake of the report about him wanting out of San Antonio. If Leonard isn't willing to re-sign anywhere but L.A., how much should other teams be willing to offer for him? Is he destined to go to the Lakers? Would a superteam with Leonard, LeBron James and...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the biggest offseason questions for the Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics. If LeBron James leaves Cleveland, should the Cavaliers begin a fire sale? How should the Warriors round out their supporting cast? What would it take for the Rockets to land LeBron o...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) are joined by longtime NBA editor Spencer Lund (@spencertyrel) to discuss the 2018 NBA Finals, give an update on the Bryan Colangelo saga and ponder why Luka Doncic's draft stock may be dropping. Do the Cavaliers have any prayer of winning Games 3 and/or 4 against the Warriors? What adjustments can they make?...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) are joined by Jake Kelfer (@jakekelfer), the founder of the Pro Basketball Combine (@probballcombine), to discuss how this year's event went. How did the PBC come into existence? Who were some of the notable standouts from the first year of the event in 2017? Who caught the attention of scouts this year? How...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss the report about Sixers team president Bryan Colangelo allegedly using burner Twitter accounts to trash players, coaches and executives around the league. If the Sixers discover Colangelo is behind the accounts, is there any way he keeps his job? What if he isn't the one responsible for the accounts,...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) preview the 2018 NBA Finals and predict whether the Golden State Warriors or Cleveland Cavaliers will win. Who can the Cavaliers use to slow down Kevin Durant? How much will they miss Kevin Love if he remains sidelined by a concussion? Would Andre Iguodala's continued absence open the door for an upset? Who o...

In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) predict who will win Game 7 in the Cavaliers-Celtics and Warriors-Rockets conference finals. Is there a silver lining to Kevin Love missing Game 7 for the Cavaliers? Should the Celtics move Aron Baynes out of their starting lineup with Love sidelined? If Chris Paul can't play, can the Rockets stave off the Wa...