Pro Basketball Talk On Nbc Sports Podcast

The first half of the NBA season has gone by quickly, and to celebrate that midpoint it's time to talk NBA Awards, with Kurt Helin and Dan Feldman of NBC Sports giving their picks. Stephen Curry was the early favorite to win MVP, but is he still? Evan Mobley impressed early on, but is he still the Rookie of the Year? Who is the Sixth Man of the year when so many bench players were forced into starting roles? Kurt and Dan get into all of that plus Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and more.

Pacers president Kevin Pritchard backtracked after saying the team needed to "manufacture that real star." After all, Indiana has Domantas Sabonis, who made the last two All-Star games and might be playing even better this season.But is Sabonis really a star?How about Hornets guard LaMelo Ball? Or Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram? Or Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander?On the latest ProBasketballTalk Podcast, Dan Feldman and Rod Beard of The Detroit News play "Star or Not a Star?":

Dec. 15 is viewed as the unofficial start of NBA trade season. Though that date hasn't proven to be particularly significant, it is when most free agents who signed the prior offseason become eligible to be dealt. That opens numerous possibilities.Dan Feldman and Kurt Helin discuss the most intriguing players who can hit the trade market Dec. 15.

Which NBA players who've never been All-Stars are most likely to become All-Stars at some point?Dan Feldman and Patrick Hayes give their top-10 lists.

Ben Simmons told the 76ers he wasn't mentally to play, and they stopped fining him.Where will this détente lead?Dan Feldman and Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia discuss on the ProBasketballTalk Podcast.

The NBA named 76 players to its 75th anniversary team.Time to argue about it.On the latest ProBasketballTalk Podcast, Dan Feldman and Kurt Helin discuss the biggest snubs, surprising inclusions, surprising exclusions, the entire 50 Greatest Players list making it, Andre Iguodala's top-20 endorsement of Kyrie Irving, several other borderline candidates (some in, some out) and players most likely to rise onto the 100th anniversary team:

Who will win NBA MVP?Probably not Luka Doncic. Probably not Giannis Antetokounmpo. Probably not Stephen Curry. Probably not Joel Embiid. Probably not Kevin Durant. Probably not Damian Lillard. Probably not LeBron James. Probably not Nikola Jokic. Probably not James Harden. Probably not Anthony Davis.At minimum, 90% of those predictions will be correct. Far better odds than naming a single player and him winning the award.Rather than take wild shots on single predictions for these wide-open races, Dan Feldman and Kurt Helin challenge each other to find the smallest pools that'll include the correct answer for:NBA championEastern Conference championWestern Conference championMost Valuable PlayerDefensive Player of the YearRookie of the YearSixth Man of the YearMost Improved PlayerCoach of the YearWho had the better picks? Listen to the ProBasketballTalk Podcast and decide.

Steve Kerr is expected to soon be named the USA Basketball head coach to succeed Gregg Popovich, but Kerr's journey to this place  is unlike any other.  Kerr was barely recruited out of high school as a player, ended up becoming a legend at Arizona under Lute Olsen, and went from being a second-round NBA pick to 15 years in the league, five rings, and a black eye from a punch from Michael Jordan.  Kerr's life was not easy — his father was assassinated by terrorists in the Middle East while he was in college — but he also has had some breaks, then took full advantage of them. In this latest PBT Podcast, we talk about all of that with Scott Howard Cooper, the man who literally wrote the book on Kerr, which is available now, Steve Kerr: A Life. 

Magic forward Jonathan Isaac and Wizards guard Bradley Beal said plenty about coronavirus vaccines.As Kent Bazemore showed, there's value in engaging on the topic with people who aren't vaccinated.On the latest ProBasketballTalk Podcast, Dan Feldman and Cassie Scarfone – an infection preventionist and registered nurse in critical care with a masters in epidemiology from the University of Michigan School of Public Health – discuss vaccination within the NBA and the league's coronavirus policies:

Duke legend, basketball Hall of Famer, and now the president of USA Basketball Grant Hill joins Kurt Helin at NBC Sports to talk about a number of topics. that includes picking a new coach for USA Basketball in the next few months, plus what the Hawks need to do to build off last season.

The Bulls added Lonzo Ball – a move highly praised in some corners (including this one) and deeply panned in other corners.The Bulls added DeMar DeRozan – a move highly praised in some corners and deeply panned in other corners (including this one).Dan Feldman and K.C. Johnson of NBC Sports Chicago discuss the Bulls' eventful offseason (which also included signing Alex Caruso and sign-and-trading Lauri Markkanen), Zach LaVine's future with the team and Chicago's larger plan dating back to the Nikola Vucevic trade.

The Cavaliers shortchanged their final year of title contention with LeBron James by not trading the Nets pick. Then, they undercut their rebuild before it even began by giving Kevin Love a massive contract extension.Since those highly consequential era-ending and era-opening blunders, Cleveland had been mostly quietly rebuilding.Until this year.This summer, the Cavs drafted Evan Mobley No. 3, re-signed Jarrett Allen to a five-year, $100 million contract, gave Lauri Markkanen a $67 million contract and surrendered Larry Nance Jr. in a sign-and-trade and traded for Ricky Rubio.On the latest ProBasketballTalk Podcast, Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com and Dan Feldman discuss those moves and some the Cavaliers haven't (yet?) made: trading for Ben Simmons (by including Darius Garland or otherwise), trading Collin Sexton, extending Sexton, buying out Love.

Ben Simmons, seeking a trade from the 76ers, is threatening not to report to training camp. Joel Embiid is tweeting about it. Other teams are trying to entice Daryl Morey with their not-so-great offers.How did Philadelphia get here?Dan Feldman and Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia discuss Doc Rivers' infamous comment about Simmons, the Simmons-Embiid dynamic and of course Simmons trade talk:

Were the offseason trade rumors around Pascal Siakam legitimate, or was it just a lot of media speculation gone wild? How did Alabama guard Joshua Primo vault up to the No. 12 pick and surprise pundits? NBC Sports' Kurt Helin asked the agent for both men, Todd Ramasar, about all that, plus they talk draft prep for players, some Thomas Bryant, and even a little Baron Davis.

Damian Lillard remains with the Trail Blazers – for now.Ben Simmons remains with the 76ers – for now.Bradley Beal remains with the Wizards – for now.On the latest ProBasketballTalk Podcast, Dan Feldman and "Built to Lose: How the NBA’s Tanking Era Changed the League Forever" author Jake Fischer discuss the offseason's lingering star drama and, of course, tanking.

Draymond Green and Kevin Durant made major waves in their recent Bleacher Report interview.On the latest ProBasketballTalk Podcast, Dan Feldman and Monte Poole of NBC Sports Bay Area discuss:Fallout from Green's and Durant's comments in Golden State, especially with Bob Myers and Steve KerrGreen's infamous blowup at DurantWhen Durant decided to leave the WarriorsWhether Golden State can bridge the gap between its veterans (Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson) and young players (James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody)Why the Warriors didn't make a big trade or use the mid-level exceptionCurry's four-year, $215 million contract extensionGreen's 3-point shooting

Giannis Antetokounmpo conquered the NBA on his own terms.How did he climb from poverty in Greece to leading the Milwaukee Bucks to a championship? Mirin Fader chronicled Antetokounmpo's journey in her new book: “Giannis: The Improbable Rise of an NBA MVP."On the latest ProBasketballTalk Podcast, Dan Feldman and Fader discuss:Antetokounmpo's upbringing in Greece, particularly as he approached the 2013 NBA DraftHow Antetokounmpo handled his rookie year, when Milwaukee was awfulWhy Antetokounmpo is so loyal to the BucksThe racism Antetokounmpo has facedWhat the Mavericks should expect from former Bucks coach Jason KiddCavaliers No. 3 pick Evan Mobley, an exciting prospect with a unique perspectiveWhy it didn't work with Andre Drummond and the Lakers and whether he'll fit better on the 76ers

Dan Feldman and Nate Duncan of the "Dunc'd On" podcast discuss 24 superlatives from the NBA offseason:Best offseasonWorst offseasonBest signingWorst signingTeam that improved most for next seasonTeam that declined most for next seasonTeam that improved most for 2022-23 and beyondTeam that declined most for 2022-23 and beyondSigning that will produce most value in Year 1Signing that will produce least value in Year 1Signing that will produce most value in Year 2Signing that will produce least value in Year 2Signing that will produce most value in Year 3Signing that will produce least value in Year 3Signing that will produce most value in Year 4Signing that will produce least value in Year 4Signing that will produce most value in Year 5Signing that will produce least value in Year 5Best fitWorst fitBest player to sign for less than mid-level exceptionBest player to sign for minimumSigning that creates most complications for his teamBest free agent remaining (besides Kawhi Leonard)

The Wizards are trading Russell Westbrook to the Lakers. Five NBA draft lottery picks were stunning. Plenty of other picks were surprising, including two highly ranked players slipping into the second round.Dan Feldman and Kurt Helin analyze a wild night in the NBA:

I publish an NBA draft board each year.But I also also start the process relatively late. Though I watch college basketball throughout the season, I don't drill down into the top prospects until the draft is approaching. As a result, my impressions don't always match the draft experts who track players for years coming up.Experts like Chad Ford (whom you can read here and listen to here).On the latest ProBasketballTalk Podcast, Ford explains what I'm missing on some of the prospects where I differ from the apparent consensus – if there even is an apparent consensus:Alperen SengunScottie BarnesJonathan KumingaJalen JohnsonZiaire WilliamsJT Thor