Opening:
Host:
Primary panelist:
Rotating Panelists:
Zach Lowe
Guests:
Rockets GM/Sloan Sports Analytics Conference co-founder, Daryl Morey
First Half Hour
Relationship with Joel Embiid?
“It’s awesome, especially with your franchise players. Guys that you know are going to be around a while. It makes for a great team environment” – Pierce on relationships between owners and players
“For me, it’s completely authentic. I love Joel. He’s like a brother” – Rubin
Willing to spend to keep 76ers core together?
“He’s [Elton Brand; Sixers GM] got ownership fully behind him. This is a guy who should be executive of the year” – Rubin
How did you become involved with criminal justice reform?
“I got myself and others and we put $50M into this of our own money. We hired Van Jones to run the reform alliance and were focused on getting at least a million people out of the system in the next 5 years. The criminal justice system is fundamentally broken. When you see a real negative, you got to turn that into a positive” – Rubin
“If it wasn’t for the NBA, the Sixers, Meek Mill would still be in prison today” – Rubin
Helping Dream Chasers: Social Justice with Meek Mill and Michael Rubin (Moderated by Rachel Nichols)
Zach Lowe’s 10 things I like and don’t like
Does Harden’s 58-point performance give him MVP edge?
“Have you seen our team? We have nobody available. We’ve had guys in and out. James said ‘I’m putting this team on my back. I’m in my prime. Were going to win this title'” – Morey
“If James Harden does not win the MVP this year, he may go down in history as one of the greatest 2nd place vote-getters of all-time” – Pierce
“You have to win and be amazing” – Morey
“Giannis would win [MVP]” – Lowe
“One of the most underrated players of all-time. He was carrying those Minnesota teams to 50 wins that had no business winning 50 games” – Morey on Kevin Garnett
How important are midseason roster tweaks?
“People want to play with us. You got to give a lot of credit to James Harden, Mike D’Antoni and Chris Paul. D’Antoni allows me to gamble and go after players that may be haven’t fits other places and he’ll figure out how to fit them in. I credit our environment” – Morey
March 1, 2011 – Dwyane Wade with the lob to LeBron James will finishes it hard with the one hand vs the Blazers!
Second Half Hour
Time for Celtics fans to panic after 4-game losing streak?
“There’s some major concern here” – MacMullan
“It’s very concerning for the simple fact: This team has expectations. You don’t just turn in on come February/March and think that you’re just going to get to the Finals” – Pierce
“The Celtics and their fans should be concerned. It’s a full blown crisis” – Lowe
Jayson Tatum already too good to trade?
“There’s no way I’m putting Jayson Tatum in any trade scenario. Even for Anthony Davis. You need that great perimeter player. Compete for a championship. I don’t think your point guard is your most important player” – Pierce
“If you don’t put Tatum in a deal, I’m not sure you got enough stuff” – Lowe
“My sources have told me that what we heard, the Lakers offer, may not be true” – MacMullan
“When they are playing at their best, they are still the best team in the East. But it just doesn’t happen enough for me to buy in” – MacMullan
Answer to Jump Trivia question…
31,059 (As of March 1); next closest player, Trae Young; next closest Rockets player, Chris Paul
Tributes; Anyone know if the ball lies?
Staying down; Is D-Wade just trolling all of us now?
Steve Buscemi; Does Collin Sexton have crazy eyes?
Hope; Donovan Mitchell shut the door on the Nuggets
Moving on…
KD’s comments good or bad news for Warriors?
“This speaks to me that maybe basketball isn’t the most important thing to him. There’s so many other things in life for Kevin Durant and he’s finding that out. In my era, basketball was everything for us. He’s growing up and finding himself” – Pierce
“You can’t tell me that you don’t care about nothing that drives him or he doesn’t have a chip on his shoulder, that’s inconsistent with his behavior on social media, the way he lashes out with media people. Glass half-full: I applaud him for that. Glass half-empty: I don’t firmly believe that’s 100 percent his mindset” – Elhassan
March 1, 2002 – Kenyon Martin (Nets) over Dikembe Mutombo for the posterized dunk!
Third Half Hour
Should NBA consider shortening season?
“The world’s changing. The people in it are changing. The NBA is going to need a more compelling regular season product going forward if it doesn’t want end up as a blockbuster video/ The regular season is kind of dull. In terms of just getting the product to be more saturated, I want to make it more meaningful. I want games in which players are healthy, games in which players are rested and which their motivated where the matchups seem a little special, where there’s just a better sense of playoff feel to the regular season product” – Arnovitz
“It should be shorter for the simple fact that you probably take away a lot of resting guys that don’t really need rest” – Pierce
“I’ve talked to [actual NBA] owners who say 70 games is right” – Arnovitz
Suns fans get free beer after missing chance to meet Josh Jackson
Fined $20,000 for missing the event
“What about the kids that couldn’t drink beer?” – Pierce
“As a kid, as a fan, I wouldn’t be able to get a beer. What’s the make up for that kid who brought the stuff [For Jackson to sign]” – Pierce
“We saw Devin Booker’s comments. This is a sick franchise right now. There’s not a lot of accountability, not a lot of pride in sort of organizational culture and cohesion. They need help. They need an organizational reset” – Arnovitz
How much impact could Suns next GM have?
Trust The Timeline!
Per 98.7 FM (in Phoenix), they are starting a new search for a GM. James Jones, the current interim GM, will be considered a candidate
“There’s a leadership void there right now. What is the plan?” – Arnovitz
“Ownership needs to allow this executive team to do it’s job. They need to be empowered to make personnel decisions, they need to be empowered to hold people below them accountable and beef up their scouting staff” – Arnovitz
“There’s no leadership [in Phoenix]” – Pierce
“James Jones is a very popular around the league. A lot of players like the idea of going to a place where he is involved in management. But he has to be empowered” – Nichols
Answer to Jump Trivia question…
PG leading league in real plus-minus
Bird: Something (Might be Everything)
“If he wasn’t at the top of the list, he probably wouldn’t be an MVP candidate”
Pierce: Nothing
“There’s no numbers that can tell me that I need it to see it”
KD & Draymond being the most efficient pick-and-roll combo
Pierce: Something
“I wouldn’t have guess that. I would have thought James Harden and Clint Capela”
Bird: Something
“It’s not that surprising when you think about it because you have two guys who can both handle the ball, create. Either way, something good is going to happen”
Harden having the most deflections per game
Pierce: “That’s huge. When you get that many deflections throughout the course of a game, you’re most likely playing great defense”
Bird: “Deflections is something every team talks about. I look at it the same way as turnovers”
Bucks leading league in defensive and net efficiency
Bird: Everything
“If you’re leading in both those categories, their record speaks for itself”
Pierce: Everything
“Defense usually translates to a team that’s a contender that should be in the Finals”
March 1, 1996 – Shaq (Magic) dunking on Shawn Bradley (Sixers)!
Dinwiddie returns
Spencer Dinwiddie returning vs Hornets
“At one point in the season, if we said there was going to be an all-star from the Nets, a lot of people say Spencer Dinwiddie is going to be that guy. He’s been tremendous for them” – Elhassan
Bagley out
Marvin Bagley III out 1-2 weeks (knee); 5 games
“That’s a huge impact. This guy is having a great year. You hate to see that” – Pierce
Frye’s finale
Channing Frye hints at retirement on IG
“One of the all-time great teammates, great guys that I’ve ever been around” – Elhassan
LeBron challenges teams to attach him on defense? (Via Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports)
“We know that LeBron isn’t the defensive presence he once was. He’s getting older. Teams are going to attack him. He’s preserving his energy because he’s playing so many minutes” – Pierce
“He’s conserving energy for something more important” – Elhassan
How much longer can Lakers go without Lonzo?
Team announced he needs another week to recover from his ankle injury (bone bruise complication)
“This is huge. He’s clearly their best perimeter player, defensively. Offensively, he’s really good at pushing the pace and moving the ball without having it stick to his hands. They have enough to make this playoff push without him” – Elhassan
“Lakers don’t have enough [without Lonzo]” – Pierce
More dunks in Bucks/Lakers game: Giannis or entire Lakers team?
Pierce: Entire Lakers team
Elhassan: Giannis
Woj: Pau Gasol agrees to buyout with Spurs, intends to sign with Bucks
“It’s a great signing. Not for the things he can do on the court, though. The knowledge he can give them, the talks he can have in the locker room, getting their mind right for the playoffs, a guy who’s a champion and understands the process” – Pierce
