NBA Coach of the Year Mike Brown visits 48 Minutes

0:00 ... Ross introduction for episode #90, dedicated to Drew Gooden. 0:33 ... Ross live Bet Online commercial read 1:10 ... Bruce's opening comment is on his friend JA Adande, who was named the winner of the 2024 Curt Gowdy Media Award by the Basketball Hall of Fame over the weekend at the All Star Game.  He tells a story of JA's interview with Kobe Bryant on ESPN's NBA Coast to Coast during Kobe's final season that featured a very special moment. 3:01 ... World B's opening comment is on a touching moment involving LeBron James and NBA journalist Jeff Zilgitt at All Star Weekend. 4:27 ... Ross's opening comment is on Damian Lillard's successful weekend in Indianapolis which will hopefully jump start Milwaukee's season as we hit the stretch run starting on February 22nd. 6:14 ... The Brooklyn Nets have fired head coach Jacque Vaughn but Bruce feels that general manager Sean Marks is the one who should have been fired.  World B understands that the Nets have been in a tailspin but many of their losses came against top shelf teams, so management's expectations might have been really unfair.  Ross pointed out that the front office might have thought Ben Simmons was more capable than he appears to be and that Vaughn may have been unfairly blamed for his struggles. 11:12 ... Ross feels that Cam Thomas was an outspoken critic of Vaughn and World B feels like Thomas is a remorseless gunner who should not have as much influence as he may have. 12:25 ... Ross begins the discussion of All Star Weekend with a recap of the Rising Stars Game and the Skills Challenge. 13:23 ... The Dunk Contest was next and Mac McClung impressed everyone with his athleticism and creativity.  Bruce was underwhelmed by the rest of the Slam Dunk Contest and would like to see it become a smaller player's (6'5" and under) competition since seeing smaller guys dunk would be more fun.  However, everyone agrees that Victor Wembanyama should be allowed to compete as the lone exception if the 6'5" rule is ever implemented.  World B points out that the Dunk contest needs bigger names competing.  Jaylen Brown was the biggest name this year and everyone was impressed that he chose to compete. 18:54 ... As for the 3 Point Shootout, Damian Lillard won it but it was overshadowed by the "Steph Curry vs Sabrina Ionescu" 3 Point challenge.  The guys want Sabrina and Caitlin Clark to be in the Men's 3 point Shootout next year. 21:31 ... Sabrina vs Steph was the highlight of the weekend and the respect between the two was really impressive. 23:33 ... The All Star game itself was a total joke.  Since the NBA scrapped Elam Ending this year, they lost the chance for some real excitement as the game devolved into a glorified layup line.  Bruce then tells a story he heard from ESPN's Tim Legler about a former teammate who never played much, but kept track of his points in the pregame layup line.  Ross and World B agreed the Elam Ending should return.  World B was irate about the fact that the players didn't care about the game, so why should the fans? 26:52 ... Damian Lillard was named MVP of the game but everyone agreed that it should have been Tyrese Haliburton. 29:11 ... The guys liked the LED floor and hope to see it again, but not for regular season games.  maybe just for All Star weekend and possibly for the in-season tournament games. 29:56 ... Ross and World B discuss whether LeBron James will really want a farewell tour after James was asked about it over the weekend. 31:13 ... Ross and Bruce discuss Jayson Tatum meeting Larry Bird for the first time even though Tatum is in his 7th NBA season with the Celtics. 32:59 ... Ross begins the second half with a discussion of teams the guys expect to peak at the right time.  Bruce likes Phoenix.  World B wants to see if the Clippers and Timberwolves can do it.  Ross feels the Warriors are capable of peaking at the right time.  Bruce also feels like Sacramento could very well have a strong "closing kick." 36:33 ... Players to watch?  Bruce wants to see Khris Middleton get healthy because Milwaukee become a threat to win the east if he does.  World B hopes Julius Randle and OG Anunoby can regain their health so the Knicks can put their best team on the floor and see what happens.  World B wants to see Damian Lillard step up too. 39:07 ... Ross wants to see if LeBron James has a burst left as the Lakers struggle to make the postseason field. 41:30 ... Bruce's final thought is on Scot Pollard, the 6'11" former player who needed and received a heart transplant on Friday. 43:06 ... World B's final thought is on the Golden State Warriors and how they're much improved as we approach the stretch run. 45:25 ... Ross teed up a brief discussion on Draymond Green joining TNT's alternate broadcast over the weekend in the wake of his "issues" this season.  That discussion segued into some thoughts on how Adam Silver's postgame comments on the court certainly made it appear that he was not happy with how the All Star Game looked to the public. 48:29 ... Ross's final thought is on the "48 Minutes Live" Playback.TV game on Thursday night at 9:00pm ET between the Hornets and the Jazz. 51:00 ... Ross says goodbye ... TRT 51:16

20 Feb 202451min

0:00 Intro 1:12 Bruce introduces special guest Amin Elhassan 2:14 Amin’s love for Star Wars explained! 5:00 The New York Knicks won the NBA Trade Deadline, are they now a top team out East? 9:03 Amin shares the 3 issues he’s noticed with the Milwaukee Bucks this season 12:50 The 2 benefits to the Phoenix Suns trade for Royce O’Neale 14:33 Amin shares his perspective on Gordon Hayward joining the Thunder 18:33 The significance of Xavier Tillman joining the Boston Celtics 22:44 Amin sounds off on the Chicago Bulls standing pat at the trade deadline 27:48 Spencer Dinwiddie joins the Lakers, will he make a big impact? 30:47 Which teams does Amin have his eye on for the stretch run of the season? 33:25 Reflections on Bill Russell with Amin 40:56 The crew discuss their favorite Super Bowl commercials with Amin 43:41 Has the term dynasty been devalued? 48:01 Ross ends the show getting Amin’s pulse on Scoot Henderson

13 Feb 202452min

0:00 ... Hello and Welcome 0:30 .. Bet On Line Commercial Read 1:20 ... Bruce's opening comment is on Marcus Smart's return to Boston on Sunday and how much love he was shown by Celtics fans. 2:30 ... World B's open is on the Charlotte Hornets and what an embarrassment they are. 4:44 ... Ross's open is on the odd situation that involves new Bucks coach Doc Rivers and his assignment as the Eastern Conference All Star coach. 7:01 ... The first quarter this week deals with the All Star reserve snubs.  Bruce feels Joel Embiid should be replaced by Kristaps Porzingis.  World B doesn't feel that Embiid and Julius Randle necessarily should be replaced by other bigs. 8:44 ... Ross goes through the reserves and asks if Jalen Brunson should be a starter instead of Damian Lillard. 9:55 ... Bruce felt Trae Young might be considered a snub but he liked the guards who were named as reserves and feels all of them are more deserving that Young.  World B disagrees and makes a compelling case for Young and wonders if Trae should be there instead of Jaylen Brown. 13:27 ... Ross feels that Scottie Barnes of Toronto would be a worthy replacement for Randle up front. 14:45 ... Bruce feels that the worst snub out west was Karl-Anthony Towns making it while Domantas Sabonis did not.  Ross agrees with Bruce. 16:30 ... World B doesn't feel that "games played" should be a deciding factor in selecting All Stars and feels like De'Aaron Fox is a worse snub that his teammate Sabonis.  Bruce felt Fox was a "mini snub," but feels that Steph Curry, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker are all more deserving. 20:18 ... World B wants the NBA to make the All Star rosters include 15 players instead of 12. 21:50 ... The second quarter is all about the smoking hot Cleveland Cavaliers (14-1 in their last 15 games) and how they are racing up the standings and could be second in the east by All Star weekend. 23:03 ... Ross gives credit to Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen for keeping the team on a winning run despite injuries to Darius Garland and Evan Mobley. 23:41... World B is really impressed at how the Cavs have made up so much ground in a short time as they continue their rise in the east. 24:58 ... Bruce discusses how Allen and the Cavs defense are dominating and allowing them to grind out wins on the road. 25:58 ... The third quarter is all about the New York Knicks and their 15-3 hot streak since January 1st.  World B is impressed but not really surprised but feels the team needs some more offensive players to help out Jalen Brunson. 29:36 ... The addition of OG Anunoby really made a difference and in spite of his recent injury, the team continues to win games. 30:56 ... Ross shares his feelings about how Donte Di Vicenzo has been a real difference maker for the Knicks with his scoring and toughness. 32:40 ... Bruce is impressed with the Knicks rebounding and how they finish defensive possessions by controlling the boards.  As is the case with Cleveland, their defense allows them to win on nights where they don't score a lot of points. 34:28 ... The fourth quarter features trade talk and everyone agrees that the Chicago Bulls need to clean house and look to the future. 36:45 ... World B feels Andre Drummond will likely be traded and also feels that Buddy Hield of Indiana could be moving on at the trade deadline.  World B feels like the Charlotte Hornets need to also clean house. 38:35 ... Ross thinks Miles Bridges and Nick Richards ought to be moved.  He also wonders what is up with the Pistons and Alec Burks?  When Burks is on the court, the Pistons are competitive.  And while he has trade value, the Pistons young core needs to experience some winning basketball in order to grow and not develop bad habits. 41:52 ... NBA writer Marc Stein floated a Bobby Portis for Grant Williams deal between the Bucks and Mavs but Ross is dead set against the proposal. 43:27 ... Stein also reported that Malcolm Brogdon wants to stay in Portland and his presence could go a long way in helping rookie Scoot Henderson develop. 45:44... Ross's "Best Bets" are back this week with his player prop bets that you should consider. 47:06 ... Bruce's closing thought is on Joel Embiid who is having an MVP caliber season but will be disqualified from winning the award due to his injuries. 49:09 ... World B feels that the explosion of scoring should not cause panic and result in rule changes that will reduce scoring.  He feels the game is fine as it is. 51:11 ... Ross has an exciting announcement about the new Playback.TV platform where our 48 Minutes crew will interact with audience members as we watch a live game together on NBA League Pass.  It's a great way to share the viewing experience with smart hoop fans and your friends on this podcast.  Our first game will be Thursday February 8th at 10:00pm ET as we watch the Nuggets vs. Lakers together with you. 55:05 ... Bye and see you soon TRT 55:18

6 Feb 202455min

0:00 Intro 0:57 Ross introduces special guest Alex Squadron author of “Life in the G” 2:01 What sparked Alex’s interest in writing this book & why he chose the Birmingham Squadron 4:46 Alex on how unique it was to cover a G-League team in their first season 7:02 How big of an impact did the G-League coming to Birmingham have on the surrounding community 9:29 Alex on how grateful he was to have the top players in Birmingham buy into sharing their time/lives 12:12 What was Alex’s big takeaway from his whole experience covering the G-League for a full season 15:22 The major differences between a call up in G-League compared to a call up from minor league baseball 18:19 Alex on how NBA teams reward G-League players with call ups for financial purposes 20:32 What was the biggest challenge Alex faced writing this book 22:13 Covering the G-League season during the Covid outbreak across the league 26:15 Alex’s impression on what it’s like to be a G-League coach 31:24 What adjustment in the G-League stood out to Alex the most 34:32 Alex on the relationship between the NBA Head Coach & G-League Head Coach 37:20 If Alex could make 1 change to the G-League what would that be? 39:51 Live NBA Card Break Challenge 40:24 Tyrese Hailburton 41:55 Jaylin Williams 42:56 Evan Mobley 43:51 Emoni Bates 46:00 Brandon Miller 47:23 RJ Barrett 49:44 Lonnie Walker 53:13 Alex shares where you can purchase his new book: Life in the G

1 Feb 202454min

An EMERGENCY PODCAST was warranted as we got some big news out of Milwaukee today as the Milwaukee Bucks relieved Adrian Griffin of his head coaching duties & already announced the hiring of Doc Rivers!

24 Jan 202425min

0:00 Intro 1:09 Ross introduces former NBA assistant coach & broadcaster Brendan Brown 2:35 Pascal Siakam debuts for the Pacers & Tyrese Haliburton is back. Are the Pacers now a big threat in the East? 5:43 Will Siakam be a difference maker on the defensive end for Indiana? 7:27 Brendan shares his thoughts on Tyrese Haliburton this season 9:19 Are there long-term concerns signing Siakam to a max extension? 11:30 Do NBA International stars tend to prefer smaller markets? 14:05 Brendan provides his thoughts on the Knicks/Raptors trade 19:10 Immanuel Quickley & RJ Barrett’s big adjustments in Toronto 25:34 World B provides his thoughts & concerns on the Knicks bench moving forward 27:08 Ross shares his perspective on why Evan Fournier’s contract could be huge at the trade deadline 27:52 Brendan shares his formula on the Knicks 30:18 The Knicks playoff chances rely on Julius Randle’s play 31:52 Marquee heavyweight NBA matchups from this past weekend! 32:03 Brendan & the crew breakdown the Denver Nuggets/Boston Celtics matchup 34:26 Has Brendan seen any player even somewhat comparable to Nikola Jokic? 37:50 Any concerns with the Denver Nuggets staying healthy? 40:20 Can the Oklahoma City Thunder or Minnesota Timberwolves challenge the Nuggets out West? 45:53 Brendan shares his perspectives on the Minnesota Timberwolves 48:08 Bruce shares a Hubie Brown memory & asks why Hubie’s former players absolutely love him 51:23 Brendan shares his thoughts on his dad’s time as the head coach of the New York Knicks 56:50 Bruce shares another Hubie Brown memory with Dr. Jack Ramsay before asking Brendan to share his definitive story about his father 1:02:06 Is Brendan surprised his father is calling NBA games for ESPN at age 90 & what still drives him?

23 Jan 20241h 9min

0:00 ... Welcome to 48 Minutes episode #85 which honors Baron Davis, who wore that number twice. 0:33 ... Bet Online live commercial read 1:05 ... Bruce Bernstein's opening comment takes Chicago Bulls fans to task for booing the late Jerry Krause in front of his widow at last week's Ring of Honor ceremony. 3:18 ... World B. Freer's opening comment concerns how the new rule requiring players to appear in at least 65 games might affect postseason awards. 5:27 ... Ross Geiger's opening comment praises how the NBA has used the sport to help honor the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the national holiday each January. 6:38 ... The Utah Jazz are playing great ball and are one of the surprises of the league. 8:50 ... The Jazz traded Donovan Mitchell to Cleveland last season and two of the players who joined Utah (Lauri Markkanen and Colin Sexton) have sparked the team.  Team President Danny Ainge is improving the Jazz just as he improved the Celtics. 16:30 ... Bruce points out that while Utah isn't the greatest free agent destination, it has always been a place that International stars are very comfortable. 17:14 ... The guys discuss the top four teams in the west and compare and contrast the "Big Four." 18:05 ... The case for the Minnesota Timberwolves 21:13 ... The case for the Los Angeles Clippers 28:25 ... The case for the Oklahoma City Thunder 30:47 ... The case for the Denver Nuggets 35:01 ... Everyone predicts which team will win the western conference championship. 37:05 ... Key guy returning to the lineup: Joel Embiid's impact 39:39 ... Key guy returning: LaMelo Ball 41:41 ... Key guy returning: Jimmy Butler 43:56 ... Key guy returning: Draymond Green 46:21 ... Key guy returning: Bradley Beal 48:52 ... Three Man Weave: Dame Time in Milwaukee 50:39 ... Three Man Weave: Pistons deal Marvin Bagley III to Washington. 53:09 ... Three Man Weave: Cleveland getting its act together. 56:26 ... In Bruce's Closing Comment, he calls Russell Westbrook our for his hypocrisy 57:37 ... World B's closing comment asks some thoughtful questions about the criteria for the "Most Improved Player" Award. 59:15 ... Ross concludes with a tribute to rookie GG Jackson of Memphis whose days in ther G-League may soon be over. 1:01:00 ... Ross says goodbye TRT 1:01:15

17 Jan 20241h 1min

0:00 Intro 1:23 Bruce introduces special guest B.J. Armstrong 3:57 The Warriors dynasty is fading in Golden State 7:57 Could the Warriors dynasty have lasted longer with better draft selections? 12:54 Are the LA Clippers a contender in the Western Conference 15:26 Are the reigning champion Denver Nuggets still the team to beat in the West? 18:16 Is now the right time for the Oklahoma City Thunder to make a trade? 22:50 B.J. Armstrong on Victor Wembanyama 26:00 B.J. Armstrong on the New York Knicks & recent OG Anunoby trade 29:27 Where does B.J. rank the New York Knicks in the Eastern Conference 32:32 Are the Boston Celtics “The Team” to beat this year? 35:10 Do the Milwaukee Bucks have enough time required to adjust & make an NBA Finals run? 38:16 Life as an NBA Agent with B.J. Armstrong 40:31 As a former player what does B.J. offer his clients that other agents that didn’t play can’t? 43:41 Is there an aspect of the NBA agency side that B.J. wasn’t aware of as a player? 48:56 What was Ron Artest like as a rookie in Chicago? 51:11 The relationship between players/coaches with NBA officials these days 52:52 B.J. on the atmosphere playing for the dominant Chicago Bulls & then moving on to other teams 57:15 B.J. on being an absolute legend in the video game NBA Jam

9 Jan 20241h