Not even a smile from Tim Hardaway Sr.?
Knicks/Pistons game
Today’s Panel:
First Half
Monologue: Nuggets are a problem (And Mike Malone knows it)
Nuggets are #1 in the league at defending the three. They’re also one of the league’s top 5 defensive teams overall
Mike Malone’s trash talk say a lot about Nuggets?
“They remind me of my own team: Connecticut Sun. It’s a team that plays with an edge and that starts with the top up: the coach. You’re speaking the language of the players and it’s translating to the court. This is a really great two-way team. They’re the team you don’t want to play against, going on the road especially. They’re a two-way threat: Offense and defense” – Ogwumike
“They still have the ability to even get better, They will improve offensively as the season goes along. They are legit and will make the playoffs this year and they came out with that focus from day one” – Windhorst
Lakers rough shooting night a blip or trend?
“LeBron is playing more PG since Rondo went out, his points are going up. Which is basically the way they played in Cleveland, which was him at the center of the offense, distributing the ball. It’s good long-term that he’s back to doing ball-handling stuff because this is how he won MVP awards and maybe they should have realized this in July when they were putting their team together” – Windhorst
“In the short-term, this really hurts because you have people that are not snipers. In the long-term, you want LeBron surrounded by playmakers, 4-5 years from now. Right now, the shooting is really struggling” – Ogwumike
“I would say about this whole Lakers season: It’s really all about next year” – Windhorst
November 28, 1997 – Reggie Miller crossing up…Michael Jordan!
Ringleaders; Is Dwyane Wade master of the circus shot?
Stats; Heat are 0-6 when wearing vice jerseys
Comparisons; Are Zion’s windmills Dominique-esque?
Sincerity; Would you hire this trainer?
Mismatches; Was there anything Ayton could’ve done?
Let’s…
Best all-time ankle breakers on big men:
3) 2016: Joe Johnson on Nurkic
2) 2014: Kemba on Mirotic
1) 2002: Starbury on Yao
Moving on…
NBA to distribute real-time data for in-game betting odds
“What this is really about the NBA trying to get in on the flow of money. They want to force the casinos to buy the official data to give them money. It’s really a way for them to get a cash grab for the fans who are watching this who don’t care about the NBA’s revenue. This is the NBA trying to get their hands in people’s pockets” – Windhorst
Second Half
Brandon Ingram a good fit alongside LeBron?
Both have played more than 400 minutes together
“When LeBron and Ingram play together, they’re basically a .500 team. When LeBron is out of the game and Ingram is playing, Ingram and the Lakers flourish. This whole season was about A: Establishing Brandon Ingram on LeBron as a tremendous duo that you can go forward with for the future. B: Increasing Brandon Ingram’s trade value to the point where you could trade him” – Windhorst
“He is at his best and has been at his best when he’s got the ball. When you play with LeBron, you do a lot of standing and waiting” – Windhorst
“We are sort of picking Brandon Ingram at times as a scapegoat for the entire system. This is the first time LeBron has been surrounded by young playmakers. It’s hard to adjust to that. Ingram is not a spot-up shooter, not creator, but he truly, in essence, is just a mismatch” – Ogwumike
“It’s not play, it’s personality” – Ogwumike
Jimmy Butler on Fultz: “We want him to be great…all the outside noise is just noise”
“I’m a Jimmy Butler-Stan. He’s just a guy I’ve known growing up. He’s a Texas dude, rough around the edges, will fight for what he wants and he got it. It’s working ” –Ā Ogwumike
“We are at the point where were rooting for him. Nobody wants a teammate to succeed more than Jimmy Butler as long as it’s in a healthy environment where everyone is winning. Largely due to him” – Ogwumike
“It is very clear that Fultz is well-liked by his teammates and that fact gives him the best chance to succeed because they are going to pull for him” – Windhorst
Is Thibs saving his job post Butler trade?
“They’re not at their peak. This is what the Wolves were hoping to get” – Windhorst
“When you reclaim the locker room back, that’s what coach Thibodeau finally has” – Ogwumike
“He is comfortable again. Before, he was tentative, he was missing a lot of shots at the rim that he would normally make” – Ogwumike on KAT
“The big thing is that they had to do a deal where they had to have players that would help them instantly” – Windhorst
November 28, 2007 – Tony Parker spinning around, loses control of the ball, but makes the tough circus one handed layup vs the Wizards!
Senior Sneakerhead Insider, Nick DePaula joined the show!
Kicks to Beat Cancer benefiting The V Foundation. Bid now on Ebay.com/ESPN
“It really started out with ESPN talent. Once guys around the league got word of it, they all wanted to jump on board” – DePaula
DePaula checking out TMac’s kicks at his house (which has a gym)!
Kawhi signs sneaker deal with New Balance
“For Kawhi, it’s going to be a lot of pressure. You’re basically the headlining guy, have to reestablish yourself with New Balance. And for them, they could use a little help on social media and that’s something that he hasn’t really shown to have” – DePaula
“This deal is worth more” – DePaula
“He wants to win. I don’t think he has any reasons to leave and for New Balance, they’re willing to give him this deal regardless of where he lands long-term and they’re all behind him” – DePaula on what this shoe deal with New Balance means for Kawhi’s free agency next summer
Hottest holiday sneaker drops, according to Nick DePaula:
Dec. 26: Nike Kyrie 5 “Concepts”
Dec. 1: Adidas N3xt L3v3l
Dec. 8: Jordan 11 Concord
Kemba Walker’s superstar surge by Zach Lowe
Kemba Walker on being a superstar: “I don’t see myself that way”
“He is definitely a superstar. He might be the most explosive threat under the rim, even bigger than Steph Curry in the sense that Steph is great from distance, like the way he gets his threes, he dribbles up and he will just shoot it where you don’t expect. Kemba is having to make each and every read. How have people not blocked his shot yet?” – Ogwumike
“The challenge with him though is: He has not been a difference maker” – Windhorst
“The most important question is: Do you pay him $200M if you’re the Charlotte Hornets and that is when things get difficult” – Windhorst
Top-ranked Girls high school player Haley Jones commits to Stanford
Also…
Paradise HS & Chico HS display unity in first game after wildfires
All but one girl on the Paradise roster lost their homes
The Suns have released Isaiah Cannan (Via The Athletic)
