Dre and Brian return to talk the end of the NBA Cup, if Joel Embiid is MVP, how Harden is doing on the Clippers, a couple of NBA scandals and feuds!

We're back to talk:

The Phoenix Suns

How Nikola Jokic and Tyrese Haliburton are generational MVP talents this season.

The Minnesota TImberwolves finally being good!
The Rookie of the Year race with Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembenyama

Our thoughts on the NBA Cup aka the in-season tournament with some design advice from Brian.

The Golden State Warriors, of course.

Shout out to @AtomicNBA on X!

We're thrilled to have special guest Scott Williams on the podcast today. Scott is a fifteen year NBA veteran and three time title winner. Scott is on to discuss his book "Through the Fire: A Memoir of Trauma and Loss, Basketball and Triumph."

• We talk Scott's time at UNC with Dean Smith and how he overcame major tragedy including domestic abuse.
• Scott's time in the NBA and what it was like playing with MJ, Iverson, and LeBron
• Why Scott is the ultimate answer for the coolest (nerdiest?) NBA game Immaculate Grid.

You can find Scott at

• ScottWill42 on Instagram
• Scottwilliams1767 on TikTok
• and at his site https://www.scottwilliamsbasketball.com/

We're back after three weeks! The NBA started right after we recorded this, so a lot to discuss including:

• The 76ers and Clippers and if they should pull the trigger for James Harden
• Has Dre joined the Wembanyama hype train?
• Is Boston the favorite?
• The Grizzlies and how fast predictions fall apart.
• The Warriors look good but do they have weaknesses?
• Will the Phoenix Suns have an amazing offense?
• Can Ben Simmons make a comeback?
• Will Chet and the Thunder impress this year?

We even end with a hypothetical question about if playing time in the NBA matters for injuries!

Enjoy!

The slumber of the offseason is over! We discuss the major Damian Lillard trade and follow up trades. Meaning we go over, in depth:

• The state of the Portland Trail Blazers
• The state of the Milwaukee Bucks
• The state of the Phoenix Suns
• The state of the Boston Celtics

 Broadcasted live on Twitch -- Watch live at https://www.twitch.tv/nerdnumbers

We talk:

• Anthony Davis' big contract.
• The demise of the PAC 12
• ESPN getting directly in the sports betting arena
• Rank over 130 NBA Nicknames!

Thanks to:

• Basketball Reference - https://basketball-reference.com
• Thomas Neumann - https://therookiewire.usatoday.com/li...
• Pat Heery - https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articl...
• Brady Klopfer (https://twitter.com/BradyKlopferNBA) - https://www.sbnation.com/nba/2022/12/...
• Howard Fear (https://twitter.com/hsfear)
• "Regular American" (https://twitter.com/Bot_From_Russia)
• Logan Trent (https://twitter.com/TheLoganTrent) 

We're back! We discuss:

• The Jaylen Brown and Kristaps Porzingis signings in Boston and why both are bad, but Boston will likely still be good.
• Briefly about Bronnie and how sports has a sad history of risk, even to the young and healthy.
• We review a list of 101 NBA Nicknames (https://therookiewire.usatoday.com/lists/greatest-nicknames-in-nba-history/ thanks Thomas Neumann!) and prepare for a fun Tier game in a few weeks.

We're back to talk:

• NBA Free Agency and why contract analysis is difficult -- unlike player evaluation.
• Damian Lillard's current saga in Portland
• Every, if not most, important free agency signing as of 7/11/2023. Some highlights:
  • Austin Reeves
  • Haliburton vs Sabonis
  • Brook Lopez
• Why Andre Drummond's sentiment that being a good teammate in attitude matters, really, his stats just aren't as important as others in terms of pay in the NBA.

We're back we talk:

• The NBA Finals and Dre's firsthand account of the Nuggets' historic win.
• The Chris Paul Trades, why the Suns and Wizards are who we thought they were, and the Warriors are light years ahead again.
• Why Bradley Beal and Devin Booker don't make sense next to each other.
• How the Warriors did well "drafting" Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis and how Mike Dunleavy has the right expectations.
• How the Celtics and Grizzlies lost the Kristaps Porzingis trade, and why it's harder to tell than you think.
• We're meh on the John Collins and Rudy Gay trade.
• Some top level NBA Draft thoughts, sorry, no real in-depth analysis here!

Brian and Dre talk the  NBA Finals, what happened to Boston, Bob Myers exit in Golden State, and Jimmy Butler's attitude. Tune in!

Andrew Sutton returns to talk the NBA Conference Finals with Brian and Dre.

We also talk:

• Doc Rivers firing
• Are the Heat for real?
• Can the Nuggets make the finals?
• Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs.

Brian and Dre return to talk:

• Dillon Brooks plummeting value and foolish trash talk.
• Injuries in the NBA Playoffs.
• Every 2nd Round Series, including optimism for the Warriors - which paid off!

Tune in!

Brian and Dre are back to talk:
De'Aaron Fox and Jaren Jackson Jr. winning the first two NBA awards of award season.

All of the NBA Playoffs, especially the Nuggets and Warriors.

Draymond Green's stomp, and why the NBA's handling of it was already bad, and spoilers, we'll definitely talk how it gets worse.

Also, be sure to check out the Nerd! Podcast with Brian, Dre, and Jeff this week (Brian is a guest host!) to discuss Magic the Gathering. It's found under the Jeff has Cool Fans banner anywhere podcasts are found or at patreon.com/jeffmay.

Thanks!

We're back to talk:

• The NCAA and March Madness' End
• Catlin Clark and Angel Reese's "feud"
• MVPs and why Embiid briefly wasn't deserving and is now the favorite
• Why the Warriors aren't a threat in the playoffs.
• We also break a pack of 1990-1991 Fleer Cards, but the video for that can be found at youtube.com/@nerdnumbers

Podcast Week - BSG, Ted Lasso (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-creativity-education-and-leadership-podcast/id1567287356), and Star Wars CCG ()https://www.patreon.com/jeffmay), oh my!

State of the Western Conference, Including Highlights for

• The Grizzlies
• The Kings
• The Mavericks

Deep Dive on the Denver Nuggets. Boring answer - Jamal Murray doesn’t look 100%

We skip March Madness Bracket talk but highly suggest:

https://twitter.com/DataStrictly and https://twitter.com/TyWillinganz if you want good advice

We discuss why the NCAA is a bad farm system, how the top draft picks aren’t NCAA players, and how players like Zion hurt themselves going to school.

We end Rookie of the Year and why Walker Kessler, currently ranked 4th at NBA dot coms Rookie of the Year race, is ranked 4th, behind two players we say are terrible.

Zach Edey is Brian’s potential Rookie of the Year for next year IF a team has the fortitude to play him.

Some shout-outs to high school basketball squads. Oakland High Basketball - Boys and Girls! And DePere’s Basketball Squad. 

Dre and Brian return to talk:

The current state of the Warriors, and what's gone wrong and what's gone right?

The Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo and some of the frustrating realities about how the NBA is really a big grift for billionaires.

We check in early on the Mavericks/Nets trade. We question if the Nets are making mistakes or if Ben Simmons is more injured than we thought, a running theme.

We also check in a few times on the Portland Trail Blazers and Damian Lillard a few times.

Enjoy!

Holy cow, we go over every major trade at the NBA Trade Deadline including:

• Kyrie Irving for Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith
• D'Angelo Russell and Jarred Vanderbilt to the Lakers
• Kevin Durant to the Suns!
• Josh Hart and Matisse Thybulle for the Knicks and Blazers, in another four-team trade
• Gary Payton and James Wiseman in a four-team trade with the Warriors
• Mason Plumlee to the Clippers

Dre and Brian return to talk:

The Nuggets Finals hopes!

How parity has "Returned to the NBA" and top draft picks have vanished from the top.

Why the trade market may not solve all teams woes.

Why defense remains a hard concept, and what even is defense?

Tune in!

• Find Dave on Twitter and Instagram as @wagesofwins
• FIne Dre on Twitter and Instragram as @nerdnumbers.
• You can check out nerdnumbers.substack.com for show notes, articles, and more! 

On this show, we discuss:

• Why a lot of people do science wrong.
• WNBA and NBA players being underpaid, even adjusting for league revenue.
• How the WNBA and NBA are like different weight classes in boxing.
• What Donovan Mitchell's numbers look like and why he's an MVP candidate.
• Dave Berri, Forbes, and the NBA and how Dave disagreed with them on how WNBA players were paid.
• We also compare writing to golf and gymnastics.

We talk Dre's post on NBA Award Trophies

Why Luka Doncic is the obvious MVP.

Some surprise NBA players like Lauri Markannen and Donovan Mitchell.