Pro Basketball Talk On Nbc Sports Podcast

NBA free agency is the Wild West, and just about anything can happen. LeBron James is leaning toward Los Angeles, but can he get Paul George to jump with him? What about the Kawhi Leonard trade — is it going to happen with the Lakers? If it does, is LeBron to Los Angeles a lock? If LeBron and Leonard are in L.A., is George going to ditch his OKC plans and follow? Kurt Helin from NBC Sports and Sean Deveney of The Sporting News break all that down, plus talking Chris Paul, DeMarcus Cousins, DeAndre Jordan, J.J. Redick, the Indiana Pacers trying to pick players off (possibly restricted free agents), and everything else going on. Even Brook Lopez.

The Phoenix Suns didn't screw up the No. 1 pick landing Deandre Ayton, but they also made an interesting — maybe safe — move getting Mikal Bridges in a trade. The Atlanta Hawks got their man in Trae Young, but the Dallas Mavericks did better getting theirs in Luka Doncic after a trade. The Sacramento Kings got their man in Marvin Bagley. Michael Porter Jr. and Robert Williams fell down draft. Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports break down all of it, who were the winners and losers, who were the sleepers, and what it means heading into free agency this summer.

Luka Doncic? Marvin Bagley III? Jaren Jackson Jr.? If you were in the shoes of Vlade Divac and the Sacramento Kings, who would you draft No. 2? Kurt Helin and Rob Dauster of NBC Sports get into that topic as well as breaking down the rest of the draft such as the risers, the sleepers, and is Michael Porter Jr. worth the risk? Also, in the bigger picture, are we focused too much on the bigs at the top of this draft — the majority of guys who will go in the top six — when we just saw in the last two rounds of the NBA playoffs that a lot of bigs can't stay on the court in those situations? Which of these draftees can?

It was both expected and one of the strangest stories ever in the NBA: Bryan Colangelo is out as the GM of the Sixers because his wife — he contends without his knowledge — ran a series of Twitter burner accounts which defended him and savaged players on the team. Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports get into why Colangelo had to go, even if you believe he didn't know about the accounts, and who is most likely next in line to replace him. The pair also gets into the 3-0 NBA Finals, the vibe around the Cavaliers, and what this means for LeBron James going forward.

Golden State vs. Cleveland. Again. LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry.Or, more accurately, LeBron James vs. Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. Which is why when Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports starts breaking down the 2018 NBA Finals there's a lot of talk about what needs to go perfectly for Cleveland. They need Kevin Love back (and ideally Andre Iguodala to miss some time). They need to hit their threes. The role players have to step up. Their defense needs not to regress against a much better offense. The Cavaliers have no margin for error, the Warriors have a big one, and we break down why.Also, the first 10 minutes of the podcast is a discussion of the hot water Sixers GM Bryan Colangelo finds himself in after a story pointing to a lot of circumstantial evidence that he was running a series of secondary Turner Burner Twitter accounts that were critical of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, Masai Ujiri others. While it's led to a lot of jokes (and good ones),

Both NBA Conference Finals are tied 2-2 in both the East and West — and breaking that down is not even the best part of this podcast. That's because NBA champion Metta World Peace joins us to talk about his new book, "No Malice: My Life in Basketball or: How a Kid from Queensbridge Survived the Streets, the Brawls, and Himself to Become an NBA Champion." World Peace discusses the time he cracked Michael Jordan's ribs in a summer game, how he was nervous before Game 7 of the NBA Finals in 2010, and how he was a pioneer in NBA players talking about mental health (Metta's portion of the podcast starts at 30:17). Before that, Dan Feldman and Kurt Helin of NBC Sports discuss LeBron James bringing Cleveland back, but with the Celtics going home will the young players wearing green respond and change the momentum around again? And do the Warriors have another gear and the ability to win another game on the road in Houston?

Kurt Helin of Pro Basketball Talk was joined by Rob Dauster, the host of College Basketball Talk, to put together a mock draft podcast. On Part 1, here on the CBT feed, you can find a breakdown of the first seven picks in the draft, with Rob providing player breakdowns and Kurt bringing the knowledge on team needs and player fit. Part 2 of the podcast, which includes picks 8-30, can be found right here on the Pro Basketball Talk feed.The Rundown:Open: 8. Cleveland Cavaliers8:30: 9. New York Knicks11:00: 10. Philadelphia 76ers12:25: 11. Charlotte Hornets16:05: 12. and 13. Los Angeles Clippers25:05: 14. Denver Nuggets26:20: 15. Washington Wizards31:10: 16. Phoenix Suns33:40: 17. Milwaukee Bucks37:10: 18. San Antonio Spurs38:25: 19. Atlanta Hawks41:00: 20. Minnesota Timberwolves42:45: 21. Utah Jazz45:25: 22. Chicago Bulls46:45: 23. Indiana Pacers49:30: 24. Portland Trailblazers52:35: 25. Los Angeles Lakers54:55: 26. Philadelphia 76ers57:05: 27. Boston Celtics58:25: 28. Golden State Warriors1:00:25: 29. Brooklyn

Most of the NBA Draft focus right now is on the handful of guys at the top of the draft. However, at any given time up to 20 percent of the guys in the league were undrafted (Robert Covington, Jeremy Lin, Seth Curry, Aron Baynes, Wes Mathews, and Kent Bazemore, to name a few). How do those guys get the attention of scouts and GMs and get their chance? Jake Kelfer with the Professional Basketball Combine joins Kurt Helin of NBC Sports to talk about that event — a May event where teams can watch players not at the NBA Combine — and how those players can get a foot in the door. This year, that includes LiAngelo Ball, who will be at the PBC trying to show to scouts exactly what he can do.

Houston vs. Golden State is the showdown we've been waiting for since before the season began. LeBron James has just one more team between him and an eighth straight trip to the NBA Finals, but the Boston Celtics with Al Horford and a smart defense are going to present challenges the Toronto Raptors did not last series. Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports get into each series and look at the details. How will Boston handle Kyle Korver and Kevin Love while trying to not let LeBron go off. Can James Harden get isolations and go right at Stephen Curry, and will that work? The pair also get into the discussion of coaches in Toronto and Philadelphia, where there are segments of both fan bases that want to fire the head man.

It was embarrassing, and left both fans and players of the Trail Blazers angry and frustrated — Portland was swept out of the playoffs by the New Orleans Pelicans. Now what happens in Portland? Is Terry Stotts in danger as the coach? What about GM Neil Olshey? Would they consider trading C.J. McCollum? Is there anyway to offload the contract of Evan Turner? Kurt Helin and the Northeast's own Dane Carbaugh of NBC Sports break it all down in this latest podcast. The pair also touch on other series around the league, like do the Pelicans have a shot against the Warriors? And, as required by NBA law, they touch on the Sixers run.

LeBron James' team looks to be in a battle royal in the first round — and they could lose. Miami is challenging the Sixers and shaking the faith of all those that just jumped on the bandwagon. Utah stole a game in Oklahoma City showing great grit and resolve, not to mention a lot of Donovan Mitchell. Anthony Davis has done everything but walk on water for the Pelicans. The first round of the NBA playoffs has been fascinating — and we are just two games into each series. Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports break down all eight first round series in this podcast, starting in the East and the tight races there, then move into the West. There's even some "who wants to pay Jabari Parker this summer?" talk.

Golden State seemed like the anointed one, the team destined to return to the NBA Finals and claim another crown before (and through much of) the season. Not any more. With Stephen Curry out until at least the second round, with other injuries to role players, and with some sloppy defense down the stretch (and some disinterested play), the Warriors look like they could be beaten. How vulnerable are they? Kurt Helin of NBC Sports brings in Mark Medina, Warriors beat writer for the San Jose Mercury News and Bay Area News Group, to talk about whether the Warriors can just flip the switch, or do the Spurs — and other teams down the line — have a shot? The two also get into the rest of the West playoff matchups, as well as what is in store for Paul George.

James Harden or LeBron James for NBA MVP? Donovan Mitchell or Ben Simmons for NBA Rookie of the Year? Out of a crowded field who should be the NBA Coach of the Year? It's a fascinating field and debate, and while the NBA will not announce the official winners until late June, Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports give you their picks and get into all of the NBA's postseason awards in this podcast. The tough debates include who is on the second and third team All-NBA, as well as second team Rookie of the Year. Kurt and Dan get into them in detail.

This will be the last chance to watch Trae Young before the draft — just how good is he?Marvin Bagley and Wendell Carter Jr. are going to take Duke deep into this tournament (and maybe win it all), but how will their games translate to the NBA?Does Deandre Ayton look like he deserves the No. 1 pick?NBA scouts and GMs will be out at NCAA Tournament sites from San Diego to Pittsburgh this weekend to get one last look at potential draft picks playing in competitive college games. Kurt Helin brings in NBC's college basketball insider Rob Dauster to talk about a number of the potential top picks in this draft and what to look for from them during the NCAA Tournament. They cover the guys above, plus get into matchups to keep an eye on this first weekend of the tournament from an NBA perspective.

Are the Cleveland Cavaliers for real? And how are you going to define "for real?" Who is going to make the playoffs in the West? Is Utah going to get in?Is James Harden going to be MVP? Is it Ben Simmons or Donovan Mitchell for Rookie of the Year?Those are just some of the storylines as the NBA races down the stretch run of the season (most teams have around 25 games left). Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports break down all the things to watch from the end of the season, including if Detroit can climb up into the postseason, and how the top of the East is going to shake out.

Nobody saw this coming. The 2018 NBA trade deadline day turned into one of the most insane days in recent memory — and all because of the Cleveland Cavaliers. In an unprecedented couple of moves, the Cavaliers sent out six players they saw as part of the problem and brought in four players who are younger, more athletic, and might actually try on defense. Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports break down what happened with the Cavaliers, where they go from here. They also get into Tyreke Evans, DeAndre Jordan and the guys not moved, what this means for Utah and their playoff chase, what it means for the Lakers and their cap space, and all-things trade deadline.

Author Jonathan Abrams, who has written about the NBA for years, has a new book out, an oral history of the legendary HBO series "The Wire." Abrams joins Kurt Helin of NBC Sports to discuss how the book came about, what he learned about the show writing it, and the show's cultural impact now, many years after it shut down. The two also get into what is going on in Cleveland with LeBron James — Abrams previous book was about the "preps to pros" generation of the NBA — as well as whether the NBA should bring back high school players in the draft. There's even a little discussion of the tension between referees and players.

Blake Griffin is headed to Detroit. Nobody saw this coming (not even the teams a week before). Griffin had just inked a $175 million deal with the Clippers months before, when Los Angeles told him he would be a "Clipper for life." But there is no loyalty in the NBA — Griffin was traded Monday to the Pistons for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, a first and a second round pick. Why did Detroit go all-in on two big men? To win? To sell tickets? And for the Clippers how fast does the rebuild come and what should be their plans going forward. Kurt Helin in Los Angeles and Dan Feldman in Detroit, both of NBC Sports, break down the trade. They also discuss the John Wall injury and what that could mean in Washington and for the playoff race.

Our old friend Matt Moore of the Action Sports Network swings by to talk first about the firing of Jason Kidd in Milwaukee and what the Bucks do now. Then the topic shifts to the All-Star Game reserves, where Matt and Kurt Helin of NBC Sports conduct a mock draft of the All-Star starters and reserves, with Matt as LeBron James and Kurt as Stephen Curry. Unlike the real draft, we do ours in public.

The votes are in, and LeBron James and Stephen Curry are your All-Star captains — this year that means they are picking their own teams, playground style, first from the pool of starters, then the pool of reserves. Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports take on the roles of LeBron and Curry and pick their All-Star starters, from James Harden through Kyrie Irving. Then the pair gets into who should be the All-Star Game reserves — and choosing among the Western Conference guards is brutal. Do they leave out Damian Lillard? Lou Williams? Klay Thompson? And that's not even getting into Paul George being a bubble All-Star in a deep West. Kurt and Dan break it all down, plus talk some Kemba Walker trade scenarios.