Pro Basketball Talk On Nbc Sports Podcast

James Harden or LeBron James for MVP? Is Ben Simmons the runaway Rookie of the Year, or has Donovan Mitchell made a good enough case to take the award? Is anyone the frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year? With the NBA reaching the midway of the season, Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports break down their end-of-season awards ballots to this point. That includes all the big awards, plus who would make the All-NBA team if we had to decide today.

The Toronto Raptors have the fourth best record in the NBA and the third best net rating — the best point per possession rating in the Eastern Conference. But are they are they for real? DeMar DeRozan is having his best season, Toronto is moving the ball and passing more, they are shooting more threes, and they are defending the best they have in years. The question is can they continue that into the playoffs, when they face Cleveland or Boston? Kurt Helin of NBC Sports and Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun break all that down, discuss the crazy depth of the Raptors, what ownership is thinking, and if team president Masai Ujiri will get fined again for cussing at a playoff game rally.

For the start of the podcast, Frank Ntilikina joins NBC's Kurt Helin to talk about his adjustment to the NBA, how Jarrett Jack and Jeff Hornacek help him out, and how he's getting used to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches in the locker room (Ntilikina is helping The Boys & Girls Clubs of America because every time anyone uses #PBJLikeAPro on social media, Jif and Smuckers will donate $1 to the Club). After that, Dan Feldman from NBC Sports joins Kurt to break down the Christmas Day games — Joel Embiid vs. Kristaps Porzingis to open the day (if they can get healthy), then Cavaliers at Warriors, and on through the day until the Timberwolves face the Lakers at the end of the night.

The trade deadline is less than two months away, and DeAndre Jordan could well be on the move from the Clippers (and Lou Williams, too). But what is Memphis going to do about Mark Gasol? New Orleans with DeMarcus Cousins? Oklahoma City with Paul George? And if any of those guys are available, who is a buyer? Cleveland? Milwaukee? Portland? Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports break down the high end of the trade market, plus talk about other guys who could be on the move — maybe Nikola Mirotic from Chicago or Michael Kidd-Gilchrist from Charlotte — before Feb. 8 gets here. The last couple of trade deadlines have been interesting, but will we see a move that changes the landscape of the NBA playoffs in a meaningful way?

The "Free Jahlil Okafor" crowd got their wish — the former No. 3 pick has been traded to the Brooklyn Nets, where he will get the chance to prove he can impact the NBA (and the Sixers do well in the trade getting Trevor Booker back).Kurt Helin of NBC Sports brings in the well-connected Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders to break down that trade. Then the two get into a discussion of what is real and what isn't at the start of the NBA season: Are the Boston Celtics really the best team in the East? Is James Harden the MVP frontrunner? Is Oklahoma City this bad? Is Detroit this good? The pair cover all of that and much more.

Momentum is building to end the one-and-done rule that nobody likes — not NBA teams, college coaches, universities, or fans — but there is concern about what replaces it. Will that really be better for the players, or do we need a more radical system change? Kurt Helin and Rob Dauster of NBC Sports discuss that, then get into the 2018 draft. How far does Michael Porter Jr. fall? Is or Luca Doncic or Marvin Bagley III the No. 1 pick? What about Deandre Ayton? They cover all that and more in an early draft preview.

Markelle Fultz has barely seen the court. Lonzo Ball has had a couple triple-doubles but his shot is a train wreck (and he can't finish around the rim). Right now, Danny Ainge looks like the smartest guy in the room trading down and walking away with Jayson Tatum. Some of the best players out of this draft early — Kyle Kuzma, Donovan Mitchell — were drafted well down the board. It's been a draft class with wild highs, some ugly lows, some polarizing figures — and Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports break it down. They go through all the lottery picks individually, plus talk about players down the board who have impressed.

Boston is the best team in the NBA — 14 wins in a row, including coming from 17 down to beat the Golden State Warriors. Kurt Helin welcomes in A. Sherrod Blakely of NBC Sports Boston to talk about what this win means to the Celtics, why their defense is so good, how Kyrie Irving is fitting in, how young stars such as Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are rising up, and what is the deal with Marcus Smart. Also there is a lot of Brad Stevens love.

Eric Bledsoe finally has been traded from the Phoenix Suns, landing in Milwaukee for Greg Monroe and an oddly protected first-round pick. Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman from NBC Sports break down why this is a good gamble for the Bucks, and why it's about as well as the Suns could do considering the situation. There is also some Jahlil Okafor trade talk thrown in.

Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers are off to a rough start this season, but the future is still very bright and the process is still working. Jessica Camerato of NBC Sports Philadelphia joins Kurt Helin to talk Markelle Fultz's shoulder issues and shot, the tough schedule for the Sixers the first couple months of the season, and a team adjusting to having expectations. Also, there is some Suns/Eric Bledsoe talk.

Gordon Hayward's gruesome ankle injury is a brutal way for the Celtics to start the season. But the big questions now are what is next in Boston, both short term (more small ball) and long term. Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports break down what this means for the Celtics. They also get into Cleveland's opening night win over Boston, Houston upsetting Golden State, the LaMarcus Aldridge contract extension, and whether Joel Embiid should be pissed he has a minutes restriction.

With the NBA season about to tip off, we start to wonder who could win the MVP this season? Rookie of the Year? Sixth Man of the Year? All those races are far more interesting than the NBA title chase this coming season. Sean Deveney of The Sporting News joins Kurt Helin of NBC Sports to make predictions on who will win all the awards — there is a lot of love for LeBron James for MVP — plus discuss the leading candidates heading into the season. They also get into if anyone has a chance at the Warriors.

All-Star Game changes and then a discussion of the deep Northwest division are the topics Kurt Helin and Dane Carbaugh of NBC Sports tackle in this episode. Can the Thunder's big three make the sacrifices needed to win? Just how good are the Timberwolves going to be? Can Portland take a step forward? We get into all of it.

An FBI led bribery and corruption scandal has hit college basketball, but its tentacles reach from AAU to the NBA. Kurt Helin and Rob Dauster of NBC Sports talk about the scandal, what changes it could mean (not many), and a little about the upcoming draft class. #NBA

LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are the class of the East and the class of the Central division. However, the Bucks will be good, the Pistons interesting, plus the Pacers and Bulls are looking to the draft (mostly). Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBCSports.com break the NBA's Central Division down.

The Golden State Warriors are the NBA's juggernaut. The Lakers with Lonzo Ball are a must watch team. Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News joins NBC's Kurt Helin to talk Warriors, Lakers, plus the rest of the Pacific — Clippers, Suns, and Kings.

In a quick hitter podcast (just 15 minutes), Lonzo Ball stops by to talk about the "Ball in the Family" reality series, his father, teammates reaction to his father, and getting ready for the NBA season with Kurt Helin of NBC Sports.

Is this going to keep LeBron in Cleveland? Are the Celtics now contenders? NBC's Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman break down the surprising late summer trade sending Kyrie Irving to Boston for Isaiah Thomas and more.

Trades have rocked the NBA — Chris Paul to Houston, Paul George to Oklahoma City — and now big free agents are on the move, Paul Millsap to Denver. The theme? Everyone is headed West. Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports break down the first 48 hours of NBA free agency.