Pro Basketball Talk On Nbc Sports Podcast

Now things get crazy. Anthony Davis' agent has informed the Pelicans he will not re-sign with the team and wants to be traded. It has opened up a floodgate of rumors and led to a lot of questions: What are the Pelicans looking for in a trade? Who has the hammer and gets to make the call on the trade? Do the Pelicans feel pressure to act fast or do they have the patience to wait until this summer, when Boston can get in the mix and there may be more options. Or, will a contender come in over the top now thinking of this season? Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports try to look at all the possibilities as one of the world's top five players goes on the trade market officially.

LeBron James and Giannis Antetokounmpo are the captains — they were voted in by the fans and they will be picking their teams for next month's All-Star Game in Charlotte. Nobody should have a problem with those two as starters, but the fans didn't everyone they wanted in the 10 to open the game — Derrick Rose was out and James Harden was in, and Luka Doncic was out Paul George was in. Kurt Helin of NBC Sports welcomes in Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports to break down the All-Star Game starters and make their picks for who should round out the rosters. There are some gimmies there — Anthony Davis or Bradley Beal — but should Jimmy Butler make the team after blowing up Minnesota to start the season? Khris Middleton? LaMarcus Aldridge? They break it all down, plus have a little Victor Oladipo and Pacers' talk.

The NBA has no chill — we were talking MVP race the first week of the season. Which is way too early. However, now teams are more than halfway through the season and we have seen enough games, we have enough data to start discussing who is the frontrunner for the NBA's end-of-season awards. Is it James Harden or Giannis Antetokounmpo for MVP? Can anyone challenge Luka Doncic for Rookie of the Year? It's a deep field for Coach of the Year, but is Mike Budenholzer the front runner and can Doc Rivers, Dave Joerger or someone else catch him? Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports talk about their picks at this point of the season and who is in the running long term.

Blockbusters? Probably not. But the NBA trade deadline is coming Feb. 7 and there will be some deals — salary will get moved around and a few players who could help teams will change cities and jerseys. Put more directly, Anthony Davis and John Wall aren't getting traded, but Jeremy Lin, Terrence Ross and a few others may be. Sean Deveney of The Sporting News joins Kurt Helin of NBC Sports to talk about why this will be a slow trade deadline, what guys could get moved and why, and how everything points to a massive summer of player movement and spending around the NBA.

We know the big moves: LeBron James went Hollywood, Kawhi Leonard went north. Very north. But while the NBA World has been focused on those, now that we are a couple months into the season, what were some of the best — and worst — pick-ups of the NBA summer that went under the radar at the time. Danny Green as a throw-in when Leonard was traded to Toronto? Brook Lopez in Milwaukee? And what were some of the worst moves of the summer — has Michael Carter-Williams been worse for Houston than Carmelo Anthony? Matt Moore, NBA Twitter superstar and NBA writer for The Action Network, joins Kurt Helin of NBC Sports to talk about the moves we did not talk about enough last summer but are shaping the NBA landscape now.

Zion Williamson is a force of nature, an athletic freak that has become must-watch television and silenced the doubters about his game. Before the season, scouts questioned his shot and fit, but his play for Duke so far has moved him past teammate R.J. Barrett on everybody's draft board. Actually, Cam Reddish may be the second Blue Devil taken in next June's draft. Rob Dauster of NBC Sports joins Kurt Helin to talk Duke's trio of superstars, plus other names to watch in this coming draft, including Gonzaga's Rui Hachimura, Oregon's 7'2" Bol Bol, Kevin Porter out of USC and many others.

Philadelphia has won 8-of-9, coming together quickly after the Jimmy Butler trade. The All-Star guard brings them floor spacing they were missing on offense, he certainly can defend, and the man loves to be the guy closing out games with the ball in his hands — something the 76ers needed. But even with all that, do the Sixers see themselves as contenders in the East right now, or do they need another piece? Serena Winters of NBC Sports Philadelphia, the sideline reporter for Sixers games, joins Kurt Helin from NBC Sports to discuss all that, how Joel Embiid is playing like an MVP, how Landry Shamet is what this team needed, and much more. There is also Markelle Fultz talk (although this was recorded just before the news on his shoulder injury broke).

The Utah Jazz are confounding this season. Nearly everyone went into the season picturing a top 3 team in the West, but a quarter of the way into the season the Jazz are the 14 seed at 11-13, with a middle-of-the-road defense and a bottom five offense. Donovan Mitchell has been flat to start the season after a phenomenal rookie campaign. The Jazz defense has been good but not dominant when Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert is on the court? And what happened to all the shooting. Tony Jones of The Athletic joins Kurt Helin of NBC Sports to discuss the growing pains in Utah, the tough schedule to start the season, and how the Jazz can turn it around and still be a playoff force.

We are 20 games into the NBA season — no more talk of small sample sizes, we have enough data to start drawing conclusions. What teams have surprised us? Boston, Utah, Houston... how worried should we really be about them? Is Sacramento for real? Are teams still ramping up the pace this season? Then there is awards talk: Giannis Antetokounmpo for MVP? LeBron James? And is it Luka Doncic or Deandre Ayton for Rookie of the Year. Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman from NBC Sports get into all of that plus take reader questions and comments on these topics in the lastest PBT Podcast.

Jimmy Butler is in Philadelphia. Carmelo Anthony is in Houston, but not for much longer. And the Lakers have Tyson Chandler and a three-game winning streak — there is never a dull moment in the NBA. Kurt helin of NBC Sports welcomes in Eric Pincus, who covers the Lakers for Bleacher Report plus is a salary cap expert you have seen on NBA TV, to talk about it all. The pair talk about what the Sixers need to do next to capitalize on their window with Butler, are there landing spots for Carmelo Anthony, and then a deep dive on the Lakers: What is the team doing right? Does Lonzo Ball fit with LeBron James? What about Brandon Ingram? And who is the next big star the Lakers will be able to add to their mix?

The Portland Trail Blazers are hot out of the gate: 9-3, including a big win over Milwaukee (which turned around and beat Golden State), with the third best net rating in the league and Damian Lillard playing like an MVP candidate. But I hear what you're saying, "We've seen this movie before and it ends in a first round exit." What is different this time around? Have the Blazers matured and are they ready for the next step? Kurt Helin of NBC Sports put those questions to Dane Delgado of NBC Sports Northwest — where he does the fantastic video breakdown series — and the answer, oddly enough, is that Evan Turner (and Zach Collins) can be part of a different outcome in Portland this year. Kurt and Dane also tackle your questions on what is going on with the Thunder to start the season, how big a disaster are the Wizards, and who else should be mentioned in the too-early MVP discussion.

The Sacramento Kings have been the biggest positive surprise in the young season, a 6-4 start that includes wins over the Thunder, Grizzlies and Heat. This is now De'Aaron Fox's team and the Kings are running — the second fastest pace in the NBA, and that has become their identity. With Buddy Hield running to the arc and knocking down threes, and Willie Cauley-Stein rim running, the Kings have become a solid team that puts pressure on its opponent. Can it last? Kurt Helin of NBC Sports welcomes in James Ham of NBC Sports Bay Area to talk about the fast start, what's working, why the Kings will not be tanking, and why you should expect the Kings to be active at the trade deadline.

Only six games into the NBA season, Tyronn Lue is unemployed, fired as the coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. That was a quick trigger but it brings up some questions: What direction does Cleveland go now? Will Lue get another shot as a head coach somewhere? What other coaches are on the hot seat early this NBA season (think Washington and Oklahoma City)? Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports delve into all of that, plus take on your questions covering Ricky Rubio's slow start (again) and other early surprises around the NBA early this season.

The NBA has been impossible to ignore the first week of the season — and not just because players are spitting on each other and throwing punches. Pace and scoring are way up, some teams — Denver, Milwaukee, even Detroit — have been very hot, and a couple of teams we thought would be good have stumbled. Keith Smith from Real GM and Celtics Blog joins Kurt Helin of NBC Sports to talk about their early season impressions, and take questions/comments from listeners on Twitter. That means the Sacramento Kings and Atlanta Hawks even get some love. The Thunder defense... not as much love.

Will James Harden repeat as MVP or will someone else — LeBron James, Anthony Davis — grab the award away from him? Luca Doncic and DeAndre Ayton seem to be the favorites for Rookie of the Year, but could Trae Young or Jaren Jackson Jr. push their way into the conversation? Who will win Coach of the Year? Is Jamal Murray a guy to watch for Most Improved Player? Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports discuss all the major awards plus get into playoff predictions. Can Charlotte sneak into the final playoff slot in the East or is Detroit going to take that? Are the Spurs going to miss the playoffs in the West for the first time in 22 years? And are the Warriors a lock to win it all? (Hint: They are not.)

It's a Finals or bust season for the Celtics, who last won a title in 2008 but now are not only the favorite in the East but also are seen as maybe the team in the league with the best shot to dethrone the Warriors. They have the coach in Brad Stevens, the system, and the talent with Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and the overlooked Al Horford. A. Sherrod Blakely, who covers the Celtics for NBC Sports Boston, joins Kurt Helin of NBC Sports to talk all things Celtics, from the rough preseason through the high expectations and what Boston needs to do to reach them. That includes finding ways to keep everyone happy on one of the deepest teams in the NBA. There's even a little Anthony Davis trade talk thrown in.

We know what teams the league wants you to watch and has put all over national television — Golden State, Boston, Houston, Philadelphia. But what teams should you be watching? What teams are fascinating and will draw the NBA Twitter/League Pass crowd. Keith Smith of Real GM and Celtics Blog joins us to talk about all the teams we'll be watching — yes the Lakers and their circus are on the list, but so are the Nuggets, Hawks, Pacers, Jazz, and even the Kings, among others. This is a great time to be an NBA fan and these are the teams with some real buzz — and some real interesting questions about them — heading into the season.

What the hell is going on with the Jimmy Butler trade? That's been the big topic around the league for a week now, and it was the big topic when we asked you for questions to do a mailbag podcast. Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman from NBC Sports dive into the topic of Butler's trade, where he lands, what teams should and will offer — will Miami put Josh Richardson in a deal? — and how nervous teams should be about that max contract Butler wants next summer. The pair also delve into questions on Philadelphia, Orlando, and who will the three worst teams in the NBA be this season?

Last season Victor Oladipo burst on the scene, making the leap from solid rotation player to All-NBA level star who could score and defend, and he dragged the Pacers up to being a solid playoff team with him. The Pacers were the surprise of the NBA, which leads to the question: Can they do it again? More than that, how can they take a step forward? Kurt Helin of NBC Sports talks with J. Michael of the Indy Star about the Pacers and their key role players — Myles Turner, Tyreke Evans, Thaddeus Young and more — and what has to happen to move this team into the top three or four of the East. The pair also discusses the East a little, including whether Toronto is for real, and how big a threat will Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks be.

Can any team beat the two-time defending champion Golden State Warriors this season? Maybe, although the Warriors will need to participate in their own downfall, one way or another — an injury to Stephen Curry or Kevin Durant, the lack of regular season focus finally catching up with them, or maybe they become too focused on free agency the next summer. Mark Medina of the San Jose Mercury News, and host of the Planet Dubs podcast, joins us to break down how Steve Kerr will work to keep that downfall from happening, how he will keep this team focused, what DeMarcus Cousins means to the roster, and what it will take for the Warriors to three-peat — and what can trip them up.