Game Theory Podcast

Adam Spinella joins the episode to break down a few things. First! We chat about the Tyler Herro extension and why extensions will look pretty wild over the next couple of weeks. Then, we chat about the Larry Nance and Steven Adams extensions, and if extending bigs at lower cap hits still have value.Then, we move to Warriors preseason stuff, talking about James Wiseman and Pat Baldwin particularly, and how they've looked early on.The biggest part of the episode, though, will be previewing guards in the 2023 NBA Draft. Diving deep into guys like Nick Smith, Scoot Henderson, Keyonte George, Cason Wallace, Terquavion Smith, Tyrese Proctor, and returnees like Caleb Love, Mike Miles, Marcus Sasser, Tyrese Hunter, and some breakout candidates coming back to college. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Danny Leroux joins the show to break down the NBA Trade Market in the preseason. We dive deep into some of the players that could move throughout the season, but also talk about how rare it is that we enter the season with seemingly few stars available. But we also talk about Jae Crowder, Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Jakob Poeltl, Myles Turner, Deandre Ayton a bit, D'Angelo Russell, Harrison Barnes, and plenty others that feature on the mid-tier starter/high-end starter market. But first, we dive into a Victor Wembanyama breakdown, as Danny was in France and got to see the potential 2023 No. 1 overall pick in person this week. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Sam chats with James Edwards from The Athletic about NBA Media Days. We scanned across the league and found all of the important, newsworthy things that happened over the last 24 hours so you don't have to. Those items include: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is not on the trade block; The Suns don't seem to be in an awesome place; Zion Williamson looks jacked again; the Lakers have some things to figure out; The Nets have some things to figure out; The Celtics found out about Ime Udoka on Twitter like everyone else; Myles Turner understands that a trade could happen; Draymond Green and Jordan Poole haven't extended yet, but are comfortable going into the season without them; and MUSCLE WATCH 2022. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Adam Spinella joins the show to dive deep into some NBA news and notes. First, we chat briefly about the Ime Udoka suspension in Boston. Then, we move to the Bojan Bogdanovic trade to Detroit, and why more teams should be willing to make moves like this. Then, we jump into Jae Crowder's trade request, and the C.J. McCollum and Dean Wade extensions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, I chat with the 3 Man Weave, our favorite college basketball analysts here at the show, to break down the upcoming season in conjunction with the release of The Almanac, a new college basketball online magazine that will go on sale next week.We chat in-depth about the changing tides within college basketball and whether the changes are good. How college basketball has continued to stylistically diverge from the NBA, and why we're cool with that. And then we get into teams. Who are our title favorites? Who are the best forthcoming teams? Who are the most underrated teams? What coach do we trust most when it comes to in-game adjustments and getting the most out of his team? In this year of the big, who is the best one? Who is the most underrated one? Who will break out? Which teams are we most interested in seeing perform this year? And finally, our favorites for national player of the year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Adam Spinella joins Sam Vecenie to do two things. First, we break down what was the best Victor Wembanyama offensive game that I've seen, a 34-point early season game against Hapoel Holon. We explain the context behind the game, and explain what made us so excited about Wembanyama's terrific performance. Then, we do what might end up being a new segment on the podcast for an hour: Prospect Wars. After a fun tweet from Nate Jones asking who would you take long-term between Anthony Edwards and Scottie Barnes, Spins and Sam came up with five other matchups that would be fun to dive into and breakdown, answering the question: who would you rather have long-term between these two players:Anthony Edwards vs Scottie BarnesTyrese Maxey vs Tyrese HaliburtonEvan Mobley vs Zion WilliamsonFranz Wagner Vs Jabari SmithDesmond Bane vs Josh GiddeyKeegan Murray vs Pat Williams Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's time for one of our favorite yearly episodes here on the podcast, our win total over/unders with Robby Kalland. Using BetMGM's odds, we chat with Robby and dive deep into every NBA team's over/under win total in the Eastern Conference. We also make it abundantly clear which ones we actually like, and the other ones that we will stay completely and utterly away from because they're good numbers.Hawks: 46.5Celtics: 56.5Nets: 51.5Cavs: 47.5Hornets: 36.5Bulls: 44.5Pistons: 28.5Pacers: 24.5Heat: 49.5Bucks: 53.5Knicks: 39.5Magic: 26.576ers: 50.5Raptors: 46.5Wizards: 35.5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's time for one of our favorite yearly episodes here on the podcast, our win total over/unders with Robby Kalland. Using BetMGM's odds, we chat with Robby and dive deep into every NBA team's over/under win total in the Western Conference. We also make it abundantly clear which ones we actually like, and the other ones that we will stay completely and utterly away from because they're good numbers. But before we do that, we spend 25 minutes breaking down why the NBA's decision to fine and suspend Robert Sarver for one year is insufficient.Here are our numbers that we used for the over/unders.Mavericks: 48.5Nuggets: 50.5Warriors: 53.5Rockets: 23.5Clippers: 51.5Lakers: 45.5Grizzlies: 49.5Timberwolves: 48.5Pelicans: 45.5Thunder: 23.5Suns: 53.5Blazers: 39.5Spurs: 23.5Kings: 34.5Jazz: 24.5 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Cole Huff sometimes lets the people forget that he was a professional basketball player, but he's now a writer for The Athletic and a variety of other platforms. He chats with Sam about NBA Awards odds coming into this preseason. MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player, and Sixth Man of the Year are all covered, with some thoughts on who we think is going to have a killer year entering the season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the second part of this two-part episode, Sam is joined by Coach Spins and they chat about a couple of topics. First, they chat about Bronny James, and why they think he is actually underrated as a player. Colleges should take a really strong look if he's serious about considering that pathway.Then, Mark Cuban suggested adding a third and fourth round to the NBA Draft. Adam and Sam break down what that would look like, and whether or not we think it's possible or even likely. Also, how would can you make it work if the decision comes down in order to make it work? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The first part of a two-part NBA Draft-centric episode! In this first part, Spins and I chat about the forthcoming Scoot Henderson vs. Victor Wembanyama matchup that has been set for October 4/6 in Las Vegas. What should we be looking for in this game? When was the last time we saw this kind of 1 vs. 2 matchup in the preseason? A deep dive into an incredibly fun NBA Draft matchup.Then, we break down this past week's OTE vs. Mega matchup in Serbia that saw three potential first round picks face off against one another. Amen and Ausar Thompson for OTE vs. Nikola Djurisic for Mega. Who played well? Who showcased some small concerns about their games? What did we take away from what might be the most important scouting game of the season for the Thompson twins?Finally, we take some questions, including answering "Should the Lakers do a Buddy Hield-Myles Turner deal or a Bojan Bogdanovic and Mike Conley deal?" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, in conjunction with the Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony this coming weekend, Adam Spinella joins Sam Vecenie to break down how many Hall of Famers are currently in the NBA in 2022. We dive deep into some of the weirder, stranger cases like Kyle Lowry, some of the more strangely polarizing ones like Dwight Howard, and some of the future stars and what they'd have to do in order to reach that standard, such as Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell and others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Adam Spinella joins Sam Vecenie and they break down everything to do with the blockbuster NBA trade that sent Donovan Mitchell to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji, as well as Cleveland's 2025, 2027, and 2029 unprotected first round picks in addition to pick swaps in 2026 and 2028. Is this too much for Mitchell? Should Cleveland be going all in at this point? Is Cleveland now a top-three team in the East? Where does this leave Utah? And where does it leave the Knicks after the RJ Barrett extension earlier this week? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, I chat with Adam Spinella and we break down the young cores in the Western Conference. In this episode, we dive deep into the Grizzlies, Warriors, Rockets, Thunder, Spurs, Wolves, Pelicans and others. Then we chat a bit about cooking and movies, and we call it at a brief two hours. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Alex Schiffer from The Athletic joins the show to break down a few things. First, Chet Holmgren is out for the season and we are sad. Then, we chat about the Patrick Beverley for Talen Horton-Tucker trade, and why it makes sense for everyone across the board. Finally, we chat about Alex's area of expertise, with Kevin Durant deciding to stay in Brooklyn instead of continuing to seek a trade. We are actually, genuinely excited for this Brooklyn Nets team! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, I chat with Adam Spinella about who has the best young core in the Eastern Conference. We dive deep into the Magic, Pistons, Cavaliers, and Pacers, as well as chat a bit about the Raptors, Wizards, Hawks, Hornets, and others. We break down all of the young guys on those teams, then decide which core we'd most want to build around moving forward. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Athletic's Jovan Buha joins the show and we break down where the Lakers stand now in the offseason. LeBron James has signed his extension. Russell Westbrook is still on the roster. Where does the team go from here? What does the team's current closing lineup look like? Where do they sit in the Western Conference hierarchy? All that and more for one of the most fascinating, active teams in the league with one of the people who knows the Lakers best. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Adam Spinella AKA Coach Spins joins and we chat about a few different team-building constructs within college basketball. First, we ask the question: Do recruiting rankings matter? We discuss the ways in which they're dissected and talk about what matters and what doesn't within them.Then, we chat about team-building in general in college basketball today. Do you focus on the transfer portal or recruiting? How does NIL factor in at this point? How should coaches worry about continuity versus flexibility with roster spots? A lot of complicated factors heading into basketball at this point.Then we do a mailbag, and prospects of the week, including a rant about the Pittsburgh Pirates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Matt Pennie joins the show for the FINAL time and we explain what's going on and what has prompted this sad change. Additionally, we announce the new addition to the Game Theory family, Adam Spinella of Coach Spins fame!Then, I bring Coach Spins in, and we talk about two things: first, we focus on the Kevin Durant to the Celtics rumor that emerged early this week. Then, we dive into G.G. Jackson's decision to reclassify and attend South Carolina for the 2022-23 season, thus making him eligible for the 2023 NBA Draft. What is his game? How valuable does he project to be in the SEC this season? And why we both really love his defense. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is focused on two topics: Donovan Mitchell and Russell Westbrook. Fred Katz has covered both of these topics extensively, so he joins to dive in. First, we chat about Mitchell and how the Jazz-Knicks trade talks are probably a bit more complicated than they would appear on first glance. Then, we focus on a simple question: should the Knicks be willing to go all-in for Mitchell?Our second topic is Russell Westbrook, a fascinating conversation about a player who, for my money, has been the most interesting NBA player of his era. Inscrutable and non-communicative, yet undeniably productive, Russ has now been moved around a ton and just recently parted ways with his long-time agent. Where does Russ's career go from here? Should it continue with the Lakers, or go on elsewhere? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices