48 Minutes: OKC Wins Title, Durant Traded, Lakers Sold, Knicks Drama

0:00 ... Animation and Welcome to the show. 1:08 ... Bet Online live commercial read 1:43 ... Bruce introduces our guest, former Clippers GM Dave Wohl 2:32 ... Dave recalls how the legendary Jerry West called him a pest and he took it as a complement 3:34 ... Dave feels that the Clippers have been hurt by injuries in recent years and adding James Harden has given the team a great new vibe.   Dave also heaps praise on Russell Westbrook for how he has handled his reduced role with Harden joining the team. 6:14 ... Bruce admits he didn't like the Harden acquisition but gives James credit for playing the same style of ball as he did last year in Philadelphia and that is helping the team succeed. 7:01 ... Dave is concerned about the Clippers' upcoming schedule and feels like we'll know if they're for real after 8 or 10 more games. 7:33 ... World B feels Kawhi Leonard is a top 5 MVP candidate at this point in the season. 9:21 ... Ross wonders if PJ Tucker has a future with the Clippers or is a likely buyout or trade candidate later in the season since his minutes have been reduced.  Dave thinks PJ should handle his complaints with head coach Ty Lue and not put them out in front of the public. 11:15 ... Bruce asks Dave if Lue and Russell Westbrook discussed Russ' new role in order to make the transition easier for him coming off the bench.  World B shares info about how Westbrook actually reached out to Lue and offered to come off the bench. 13:47 ... Dave always roots for guys like Russ with that team-first attitude. 14:36 ... Speaking of passionate players, we discuss Draymond Green, who is serving an indefinite suspension.  Dave feels that Draymond is an emotional player and you can't take that away from him and expect him to be the same player. 16:25 ... Dave had Kevin Garnett in Boston, who was really emotional as a player but he learned how to channel it and Draymond could learn something from him. 19:05 ... Dave feels maybe an intervention with some of his teammates might be in order for Draymond. 19:44 ... Bruce will always blame Green for his suspension in the 2016 NBA Finals that cost Golden State the championship and he asks Dave if Draymond is capable of changing his tactics this late in his career. 21:37 ... Ja Morant returns from his suspension this week and there are questions about how he comes out.  Will he try to do too much or will he ease himself back into the first two weeks of action. 23:17 ... The Grizzlies have gotten off to a poor start and making the playoffs (or the play in field) is a long shot even when Morant returns.  Will Ja have continued "off the court" issues? 26:13 ... Dave feels that Ja should no longer have his friends meeting him on the road and that he should be spending time on the road with his teammates. 27:09 ... We discuss teams whose "stock" is up: first we have the Timberwolves 29:33 ... Mike Conley has been a calming veteran presence for the young Wolves team 30:52 ... The Oklahoma City Thunder are another team whose stock is up ... Dave gives a lot of credit to rookie big Chet Holmgren. 32:33 ... Shai Gilgeous Alexander has been incredibly impactful along with other young guys like Josh Giddey and Jalen Williams.  Thunder GM Sam Presti has set this team up for the future with all the assets he has stockpiled.  World B points out how OKC is one of the three most "complete" teams in the league. 37:45 ... We then discuss two teams whose stock is down: first up is the Suns.  Dave feels their struggles go beyond just the injury to Bradley Beal. 39:17 ... Bruce feels the Beal trade was a huge gamble and wonders if the Suns gave up too much to get a guy who has barely played so far.  Dave feels that the jury is out on that question because there's a lot of season left and Beal could still make an impact. 42:06 ... We turn to the Detroit Pistons, losers of 24 straight and Dave relates a story from his first year with the expansion Miami Heat where the team was losing at a clip similar to Detroit.  Dave understands how losing so much takes its toll on a team.  Pistons coach Monty Williams is the right coach for this team since he will stay positive and keep teaching. 44:35... Dave relates a story about when Doc Rivers was struggling as Celtics coach and Danny Ainge publicly backed Rivers and the Celtics won the championship the following year. 46:30 ... The Pistons are a really young team and Bruce asks Dave if the team needs to bring in some older guys.  Dave replies that it depends on the qualities of the guys since you can't just bring in anyone.  They can't just be older guys looking for a paycheck. 50:00 ... The crew discusses the Giannis situation where he and Oscar Tshiebwe battled over the same game ball.  Dave had a couple of good suggestions on how it could have been handled better. 51:30 ... Bruce railed on Oscar because his first NBA basket was a free throw and if he wanted the game ball, he should have made a bucket from the field. 53:45 ... Dave tells a story about his former teammate Calvin Murphy and a legendary on court fight that Murphy had where he knocked out a player who was a foot taller than he was. 56:45 .... Bye until next time

19 Des 202357min

0:00 ... Open animation ... episode #80 honors the great NFL player Cris Carter 0:30 ... Bet OnLine live commercial read 1:00 ... Bruce's opening tip is on Zion Williamson and how Stephen A. Smith shredded him for his lack of conditioning and Bruce takes Zion to task for his lackluster performance against the Lakers in the NBA Cup semifinal game on Thursday. 3:12 ... World B sounds off on the Suns "Big Three" and the excellence of Devin Booker. 4:44 ... Ross calls out the problems in Milwaukee and wonders if the "new guy" might be leaking locker room business to a favored reporter. 5:55 ... The Lakers are the winners of the very first NBA Cup and the guys share their thoughts on the tournament and how LeBron James and Anthony Davis led the way while Myles Turner had no answers for the Lakers' bigs in the championship game. 9:41 ... What changes should take place prior to next season's tournament.  The point differential rule was something all the guys want to change.  Commissioner Adam Silver likes the crazy colored courts, so they'll be back next year.  Ross suggested "winning quarters" might work better than point differential. 13:01 ... Bruce thinks the banner the Lakers plan to hang at Crypto.com Arena is going to look like something out of a high school gym.  World B wonders if the Lakers can carry the momentum from winning the tournament forward into a very difficult stretch of games. 15:05 ... As we hit the end of the first quarter of the season, the guys discuss their surprises and disappointments from the team and individual perspectives.  Minnesota and Orlando top everyone's list of surprise teams. 19:00 ... As for disappointing teams, Golden State is Bruce's pick and World B's as well.  Klay Thompson and Draymond Green have been particularly disappointing.  Ross' disappointing team is his beloved Milwaukee Bucks. 22:29 ... Bruce asks Ross if he feels new coach Adrian Griffin is in trouble.  Ross says the clock is ticking. 24:28 ... Bruce's surprise player is Aaron Nesmith of the Pacers.  World B feels Devin Booker has been a surprise because of his playmaking success this season.  Ross likes 19 year old Dereck Lively of the Mavs as his guy. 27:59 ... Bruce's disappointing player is James Harden of the Clippers, whose scoring numbers have now gone down in seven straight seasons while his assist numbers are his worst in 10 seasons.   World B's guy is DeMar DeRozan, whose shooting has been the worst in the league.  Ross is down on Blazers rookie Scoot Henderson as his most disappointing player. 31:28 ... With December 15th fast approaching, the guys discuss trade rumors and who might be dealing.  The Knicks, Bulls, and Pacers might be making moves.  Bruce thinks DeMar DeRozan might be a good fit with the Lakers but is down on DeRozan's teammate Zach Lavine who has never impacted winning on any of his teams.  Ross feels the Raptors might be willing to trade OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam and simply hit the "reset" button. 36:14 ... Bruce does the Classic Card Challenge with his teammates and marvels at their ability to say intelligent things about five former players each with no preparation time. 44:31 .... Ross shares his "Best Bets" for Wednesday night parlays. 45:46 ... Bruce's final thought is on Mark Cuban and why the former Mavericks owner should run for President of the United States.  He wouldn't be the first reality show star to run for President. 47:15 ... World B's final thought is on the In Season Tournament and why it worked so well.  He praised the players for taking it seriously and felt that was the reason it succeeded. 48:42 ... Ross' final thought was on how the Phoenix Suns' "in arena" DJ did a great job helping the Suns by blasting techno music and annoying an opposing coach. TRT 50:05

12 Des 202350min

0:00 Intro 1:34 Bruce introduces our special guest Monica McNutt 3:04 Monica shares her thoughts on the NBA In-Season Tournament 4:34 The In-Season Tournament courts, Monica provides her insight on the full picture 7:18 What sense has Monica gotten from NBA coaches on the in-season tournament 8:26 New York Knicks at Milwaukee Bucks Quarterfinals Matchup Preview 10:01 Phoenix Suns at Los Angeles Lakers Quarterfinals Matchup Preview 12:30 Lakers starting to get healthy with key reserves rejoining the team to help AD & LeBron 14:48 Is Monica surprised how well the Suns are playing with their own health issues? 17:36 All things New York Knicks with Monica who also works for MSG Network 18:11 Are the New York Knicks a 50 win team this season? 20:18 Monica on Mitchell Robinson’s development this season 22:15 Does Monica have any concerns with the Knicks lack of perimeter shooting? 24:26 Monica shares something we might not know about Mitchell Robinson 26:06 Has Jalen Brunson’s impact in New York surprised Monica? 28:34 A discussion into Monica’s journey 29:01 Monica on who has had the biggest impact on her career 32:47 Monica on her mindset as she embraced the grind as she worked towards where she is today 35:35 What it was like for Monica growing up in the DC/Baltimore area with its rich basketball history 39:13 Monica shares what it’s been like working with Doc Rivers at ESPN 41:18 Word Association with Monica 41:29 Richard Jefferson 41:52 Walt Frazier 42:57 Patrick Ewing 43:42 JJ Redick 45:34 LeBron James 47:22 Ross’s Best Bets

5 Des 202348min

0:00 ... Show open and introductions ... the Evan Scott episode (#78) 1:05 ... Bet Online Live commercial read 1:48 ... Bruce's opening comment on Draymond Green's latest selfish antics 4:23... World B's opening comment is on Mark Cuban, who is selling his stake in the Mavericks after owning the team since 2000. 6:10 ... Ross' opening comment is on the Houston Rockets, who are much improved but still winless on the road. 7:32 ... World B gets us going in the first quarter with a breakdown of the Orlando Magic, who are riding an 8 game win streak behind Paolo Banchero and a very deep bench. 9:43 ... Bruce points out that the Magic have owned the Celtics since last season winning  four of their last five meetings. 11:20 ... Ross loves Cole Anthony coming off the Magic bench and describes him as a "Bucket."  Ross also has praise for Jalen Suggs. 13:57 ... Mo Wagner has really found a great role coming off the bench for the Magic after bouncing around his first three years in the league. 15:06 ... The LA Clippers are imploding and suffered a terrible loss on Monday when they lost to Denver, which was without its top three players (Jokic, Gordon, and Murray). 16:28 ... Russell Westbrook has been negatively affected by James Harden's return.  He's coming off the bench and averaging under 10 points a game. 18:53 ... Ross is stunned by how poor the ball movement is for the Clippers and feels they need a better offensive system. 20:00 ... World B explains how no team in the NBA runs as many iso plays as LA and they also make fewer passes per game than any other team. 21:37 ... Bruce says LA lacks chemistry, is an old team, and does nothing particularly well.  Bruce also believes Clippers owner Steve Ballmer was behind the Harden deal and forced GM Lawrence Frank to make the trade for marketing reasons. 22:50 .... The Phoenix Suns are on fire behind Kevin Durant and Devin Booker.  World B feels Booker is going to be in the MVP discussion and is a true difference maker. 25:07 ... While Book struggled on Wednesday in their loss to Orlando, "Kevin and Devin" are combining for 60 points a game and Booker's return to the lineup has made KD's life easier.  Bruce also has love for Grayson Allen, who has filled while Bradley Beal has been injured.  Ross agrees 100% on Allen. 28:17 ... Eric Gordon has also been huge in his 16th NBA season for Phoenix averaging nearly 15 a game while shooting over 40% from downtown. 30:35 ... In our "Three Man Weave," we size up the Minnesota Timberwolves after their big win over OKC on Monday.  Rudy Gobert had a big game and the Wolves really dug in on defense in the second half.  Minnesota overcame the loss of Anthony Edwards, who missed the whole 4th quarter and had two great performances off the bench from Naz Reid and Troy Brown Jr. 35:06 ...  Ross wants to see more from Jalen Williams, who was a solid rookie last season but who has struggled early in the season for the Thunder.  World B wonders if the arrival of Chet Holmgren has negatively affected Williams' development. 37:55 .... In the second topic of the Three Man Weave, the Pistons are a total mess.  Coach Monty Williams' job is not in jeopardy but he might need to shake up his lineup to motivate some of the players who are lacking the ability to battle out there.   The Pistons can't shoot and that's a problem. 43:00 ... The final element in the Three Man Weave concerns the Spurs and Victor Wembanyama.  He's great, but his team stinks.  Bruce compares Spurs coach Gregg Popovich to Bill Belichick of the New England Patriots.  When Belichick lost Tom Brady he wasn't such a great coach anymore and when Pop lost Tim Duncan he had the same issue. 46:06 .... Ross shares his "best bets" as he sizes up the four quarterfinal games in the "In Season Tournament"  which take place next Monday and Tuesday. He likes the Celtics over the Pacers and the Knicks over the Bucks in the east.  Ross likes the Kings over the Pelicans and the Suns over the Lakers out west. 48:35 ... Final Thoughts ... Bruce feels Gregg Popovich was out of line for telling the Spurs fans not to boo Kawhi Leonard last week. 50:31 .... World B has praise for Russell Westbrook, who has turned his image around as a member of the Clippers after a bad experience with the Lakers. 51:31 ... Ross comments on the Chris Paul beef with referee Scott Foster.  If Foster said something about one of his kids, as CP3 alleges Ross feels the league needs to step in and change something involving the two men. 53:33 .... Ross says goodbye ... TRT 53:52

30 Nov 202353min

0:00 Intro 1:11 Bruce introduces our special guest in ESPN’s Dave McMenamin 2:17 Does Dave still hangout with fellow Syracuse alum Carmelo Anthony? 2:58 Dave puts LeBron in some historical perspective 5:54 Austin Reaves removed as a starter, will it stay that way in the Lakers lineup? 8:38 Dave shares a glimpse of what Anthony Davis is like behind the scenes 11:56 Cam Reddish seems to have found a home in LA, who on the team has helped him find his stride? 15:09 Dave on D’Angelo Russell’s preseason comments about looking up to Derrick White 18:45 Dave’s insight on Lakers Head Coach Darvin Ham 23:13 Zach LaVine trade rumors & why his name is tied to the Lakers 27:26 Word Association with Dave! 33:32 Three Man Weave! Starting with the red hot Sacramento Kings 36:22 Thunder continues to roar with Oklahoma City 39:14 Phoenix Suns had a great weekend in Utah, but Brad Beal is out for a while 42:05 A Bucks/Celtics Heavyweight Matchup Game Preview 48:10 Best Bets: The top NBA game picks for this week’s action! 49:33 Bruce shares his final thoughts on LaMelo Ball’s neck tattoo 51:54 Ross provides an update on the NBA’s In-Season Tournament standings 53:36 Ross & Bruce discuss their In-Season Tournament thoughts so far

21 Nov 202356min

0:00 ... Opening Animation and Welcome 0:24  ... Episode #76 honors Shawn Bradley, who wore that number during his career 0:39 ... Bet Online live commercial read 1:16 ... Bruce's opening tip on James Harden and the tough start to his Clippers career 2:47 ... World B's opening tip is on Stephen Curry, who is playing great ball but needs some help 4:10... Ross' opening tip is a question to Bruce and World B on how they felt about Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla's challenge against the Raptors when his team was leading by 27 points with 3:00 left last Saturday.  Everyone thought it was kind of lame. 6:46 ... World B's Team of the Week is the Dallas Mavericks, who are winning close games and exceeding expectations 7:46 ... Bruce's Team of the Week is the Houston Rockets, who have won 6 straight games behind center Alperin Sengun 8:59 ... Ross' Team of the Week is the Portland Trailblazers who are remaining competitive despite playing a lot of guys with "zero" name recognition and without their two starting guards. 10:36 ... Bruce's Team of the WEAK is the LA Clippers, who are having major chemistry issues 11:32 ... World B's Team of the WEAK is the Washington Wizards, who are just dreadful on defense and on the boards. 13:30... Ross's Team of the WEAK is Milwaukee, who are driving Ross to pull the old panic button out of his desk drawer. 14:50 ... Bruce is concerned about Khris Middleton, who is playing fewer minutes and struggling offensively. 16:24 ... The Minnesota Timberwolves are rampaging through some very good teams behind Anthony Edwards and a very rugged defense. 23:12 ... The Philadelphia 76ers are rolling in the east behind Tyrese Maxey and reigning MVP Joel Embiid.  World B feels they're the best team in the league.   25:01 ... Maxey has been unleashed since Harden moved west ... 32:07 ... We start the "Three Man Weave" with the odd situation where the Golden State Warriors are struggling at home but crushing it on the road.  This is in stark contrast to last year's team that was 33-8 at home and 11-30 on the road. 38:10 ... The next element in the Three Man Weave concerns Tim Hardaway Junior's candidacy for the 6th Man of the Year Award in Dallas.    He's tied for 3rd in the league with 3.5 "threes" per game. 40:30 ... The final element in the Three Man Weave is on CJ McCollum and how his absence has hurt the New Orleans Pelicans in the area of leadership as well as scoring. 43:38 ... Ross' "Best Bets" features underdogs who are good bets to cover the point spread on any given night. 45:12 ... Bruce's final thought is on Kelly Oubre Junior and how angry hs is that Oubre was injured by a hit and run driver. 46:42 ... World B's final thought is on the Chicago Bulls and head coach Billy Donovan ... World B wonders if his preseason prediction on Donovan's job status will come to pass. 48:24 ... Ross takes aim at Zion Williamson in his final thought and thinks Zion needs to start "buying in" and not complaining about the situation he thinks he is in. 49:19 ... Bye until next time TRT 49:34

14 Nov 202349min

0:00 Intro 3:02 James Harden could learn a thing or two from Josh Dobbs in the NFL 5:32 The New Orleans Pelicans lose their leader CJ McCollum to some unfortunate news 6:44 Ross shares which rookie he’s enjoyed watching the most so far this season 7:47 Victor Wembanyama’s hot start with the San Antonio Spurs 16:10 Phoenix Suns stumbling out of the gates while dealing with key injuries 21:49 The Boston Celtics continue to be a Juggernaut 29:53 Three Man Weave: NBA Storyline Edition! 30:00 CP3’s successful adjustment to joining the Warriors 33:13 The 76ers are now 5-1 without James Harden 38:09 The Grizzlies start the year 1-6 on the season 45:37 Ross provides his Best Bets! 5 players to keep in mind for your parlay & prop bets 47:21 Bruce gives us James Harden’s debut stat line & shares his thoughts on this Clippers group 49:14 World B absolutely roasts Jordan Poole for his final thought 51:17 Ross raises one final question to Bruce & World B to get their thoughts on the new In-Season Tournament courts

7 Nov 202353min

0:00 ... Animation and hello ... James Harden is now a member of the LA Clippers 0:52 ... Ross summarizes who went where and what assets were exchanged between the 76ers and Clippers 1:11 ... Bet OnLine live commercial read 1:48 ... Bruce's initial reaction was to wonder if this trade was more of a Steve Ballmer marketing move than a Lawrence Frank/Ty Lue basketball move. 2:26 ... World B feels that the Clippers took a big swing that will get them closer to a championship 2:55 ... Ross says LA is now "all in."  He feels Ty Lue will find a way to make this deal work. 3:40 ... Bruce feels that Robert Covington has come full circle from his days in Philly as a member of the bottom feeding "trust the process" teams and is now on a Philly team this is far better.  Marcus Morris is a Philly native who also returns to his hometown at age 34 4:35 ... Ross thinks Morris will play some quality minutes for the Sixers 4:58 ... Ross points out that the Clippers have very few homegrown guys on the roster but will be competitive in the loaded Pacific Division.  He adds that Sixers GM Daryl Morey did well in the deal. 6:30 ... World B feels Morey is definitely looking ahead by dumping salary in this deal, but is concerned that Joel Embiid might have another wasted season while in his prime. 7:39 ... Bruce on whether the Sixers are better or worse off without Harden.  He liked some of the role players Philly acquired but realizes that they'll take a step backward in the short term before using the newly acquired draft assets to hopefully get immediate help for Embiid. 9:23 ... World B wonders if Morey is the guy to make the right deals that will help convince Embiid to not demand a trade. 10:57 ... Ross will be interested to see how Morey uses the draft assets and he felt Morey got a good haul for Harden.  Ross thinks maybe the Sixers will try to get some of new coach Nick Nurse's former Toronto guys in a deal. 11:58 ... World B is a huge fan of Pascal Siakam and feels if Philly can get him, they are a major threat in the postseason. 12:36 ... Bruce is not a fan of this deal for LA and questions Harden's commitment to winning, but he  does like PJ Tucker coming to LA.  However, Bruce is wary because it's an aging team with recent injury troubles and Harden is also old and has been injured in recent years. 14:00 ... Can Russell Westbrook and Harden co-exist?  World B feels Russ can adapt to having a "ball dominant" Harden next to him on the court.  Harden can still have a positive impact as he showed last season. 16:31 ... The guys all like PJ Tucker in LA because both LeBron James and Kevin Durant are now in the same division as PJ and both of those stars have nightmares about him guarding them. 17:19 .... Bruce has a couple of quick thoughts on Harden.  He dislikes his style, thinks he has little impact on winning, and is a fantasy league stud because he fills up a box score.   Bruce praised his work last season but wonders if it was a mirage.  James wants to be paid for his past achievements but he forgot that the NBA is also a business and aging stars have a limited market for their services if they want max money. 18:57 ... Ross thinks Harden's presence might take some heat off Kawhi Leonard if the Clippers underachieve moving forward. 19:25 ... World B feels like Harden gives Ty Lue enough flexibility to rest some of his other older players.  But Harden will be judged by his playoff performance in LA. 21:26 ... Bruce sizes up the Clippers and Sixers' playoff prospects but doesn't think LA will finish higher than #5 in the west.  He feels Philly will finish somewhere between 3-6 in the east. 22:24 ... World B feels Philly is still a playoff team, but a badly diminished one.  World B likes the Clippers' prospects for this season. 23:26 ... Ross agrees the Clippers have more talent than the Lakers and feels they'll be stronger moving forward and could be a conference finalist.  Ross feels that Morey needs to make a deal to help convince Embiid to stay in Philly. 24:49 ... Ross says goodbye

31 Okt 202325min