Main Panel:
Guest (Second Half Only):

First Half
Monologue:
Legacy of David Stern?
Discussion:
The NBA world mourning the loss of David Stern:
David Stern enabled the surge in the NBA’s worldwide popularity as much as any player on the court & sent the game around the world. He had a passion for the game, for the league, & for the players that we’ve all loved & enjoyed. He will be missed,but not forgotten @NBA pic.twitter.com/O0tO922VAJ
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) January 2, 2020
Very sad day for basketball. We saw David Stern a lot in the 90s and I found him to be kind, thoughtful and almost always the smartest person in the room. He was an innovator who helped grow our sport into a global game and his impact will never be forgotten. RIP, Commissioner. pic.twitter.com/FzlJwnJmrK
— Scottie Pippen (@ScottiePippen) January 1, 2020
RIP David. You always said you made me and you were absolutely right . You were a friend, mentor and administrator of the largest donut fund ever. You are missed. pic.twitter.com/RYACDOj9ii
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) January 1, 2020
David Stern was such a history maker. When I announced in 1991 I had HIV, people thought they could get the virus from shaking my hand. When David allowed me to play in the 1992 All Star Game in Orlando and then play for the Olympic Dream Team, we were able to change the world.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) January 1, 2020
I can not put into words what the friendship of David Stern has meant to me but many others. He changed so many lives. David was a great innovator and made the game we love what it is today. This is a horrible loss. Our hearts are with Dianne & their family. RIP my friend. @NBA pic.twitter.com/mbnneqm18s
— TheBillRussell (@RealBillRussell) January 1, 2020
The game changed in so many ways under David Stern’s leadership and vision. He demanded the best of everyone because he gave it himself. #Respect Thank you Commissioner. RIP 🙏🏾 pic.twitter.com/veT9GQfrdC
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) January 1, 2020
Your legacy is what you stood for & what lessons you leave to those left behind. David Stern I’m so thankful for the impact you’ve had on my life and the opportunities you gave all of us in the WNBA. You leveled the playing field long before it was “the thing to do”Rest In Peace
— Candace Parker (@Candace_Parker) January 1, 2020
OTD in 2003 – Rookie, Amar’e Stoudemire with the nasty one-handed poster dunk on Brian Skinner (Sixers)!
Seen improvement from Fultz as a point guard?
Recorded 8 assists in 22 minutes vs the Wizards
Should Jarrett Culver show more respect to elders?
Mitchell Robinson: 11-11 FG vs Blazers (leads NBA in FG%)
Tied the Knicks record for most makes without a miss
Should we put more pressure on Oubre to enter dunk contest?
Sunday night vs the Lakers:
2 weeks ago when he appeared on The Jump:
“I’m more of an in-game dunker. I like dunking on people. I’m good on the dunk contest” – Oubre Jr.
“I’ll take his game dunks all day” – Barnes
“He’s expanding his game” – McMenamin
Why does this keep happening to Aron Baynes?
Baynes also had an altercation with Matt Barnes back in 2015:
“He wasn’t going to out tough me” – Barnes
Let’s…
2015 playoffs – Blake Griffin
2018 playoffs – Giannis Antetokounmpo
2018 playoffs – Joel Embiid
Encouraged or discouraged by Lakers vs the Suns?
They were up by as many as 36 points vs the Suns (who got it as close as 7 points late in the 4th quarter), but only won by 10
“Pretty discouraged. Discouraged by Frank Vogel’s rotation. He ran LeBron and AD long minutes in the 3rd quarter, hoping to rest them the entire 4th quarter. His bench unit had already given confidence some confidence to the Phoenix starters, they couldn’t keep it going, and then they had to bring back LeBron & AD. That was shortsighted by Frank” – McMenamin
“It happens. They let their foot off the gas. That second unit needs a little bit of help. But I’m not discouraged at all. These are the dog days of the season” – Barnes
Follow-up question from Amin:
David Stern was a complete force of nature by Adrian Wojnarowski
Second Half
Remembering David Stern discussion (Cont’d):
Zion: “If it was up to me, I would have been out there 2 weeks ago”
Zion’s NBA debut imminent?
“No. Sometimes as athletes, we have to be protected from ourselves. This is probably one of the most anticipated debuts in how long? I’m glad that the [Pelicans] staff is taking their time with this. There’s definitely no rush” – Barnes
“I’m just really glad that they were smart enough to tell him that he can’t until they want him to” – Yates
“When he does play, they don’t have to worry about him chasing wins. You can just manage his minutes to have him in a context of an NBA game get better, get his body right and if you got to pull him, you don’t have to worry about him trying to win a game for the playoff race” – McMenamin
“What I’m hearing is that he’s physically feeling good, but they need to address the issues that he had before” – Elhassan
Better fit for Darren Collison: Lakers or Clippers?
Considering a return to the NBA to play for either the Lakers or Clippers (Per Woj)
Discussion:
Think Sixers lack accountability?
Lost to the Pacers by 18 points on New Year’s Eve
“This says to me that they all miss Jimmy Butler Philadelphia. Accountability is what Jimmy G Buckets brought to the table when it came to dealing with young players, how veterans were approaching the game, that was his core strength as the guy in your locker room” – Yates
“To me, tone-setter and Jimmy Butler was that guy. At practice, Embiid said, ‘We need to be comfortable outside our comfort zone, including sometimes if there’s space on the floor, we need to be comfortable shooting it'” – McMenamin
“It’s leadership. It’s what the question mark on this team has always been. They don’t have a leader. What Josh said is on point, but say it to your team” – Barnes
Confidence
Zach LaVine on playoffs: “I think we should be right in that hunt”
Bulls are 2 games out of 8th place in the East
Go Spurs Go!
Were we too quick to bury the Spurs?
Knickstape
Knicks 3-game win streak a ray of hope?
They are 6-6 under interim head coach, Mike Miller
Bigger threat in East: Heat or Raptors?
McMenamin: Heat
“The defensive identity for this Heat team when they really go after teams is a little bit stronger”
Barnes: Heat
“Their young core is very talented, they have one of the best leaders in the game [in Jimmy Butler] and they play hard. They’re going to be a tough out”
“The cool thing about these two teams: They’ve both had dealt with injuries and kept winning even so” – Elhassan
Nuggets at Pacers
Are we paying enough attention to Nuggets?
Discussion:
NBA All-Star first fan returns
Surprised that Luka is the leading vote getter?
“Shoutout David Stern. This was his vision: Globalizing the game. Not surprised at all [that Luka is the leading vote getter]. He’s taking the league by storm” – Barnes
“He’s a ton of fun to watch. It’s an international voting process, it isn’t just domestic votes” – McMenamin