The Boys are back with their updated Box Out Banter Tier Lists for the Western Conference.

First they pay their respects to the great Elgin Baylor who passed away yesterday at the age of 86. Go look at the basketball reference page. The numbers are comically great.

Then they go into the tiers in the Western Conference. They explain why the Lakers are still in their own tier despite an injury-plagued year from Anthony Davis and now that LeBron is out indefinitely with a high-ankle sprain. They also explain why they both have the Suns ranked over the Jazz, and what reservations they have about the Jazz come playoff time.

Then they get into another sardine can in the West with all the play-in teams. Can Luka make some noise to move his team into the next tier? Are the Thunder more likely to get into the play-in than the Pelicans? Can Jokic and Murray mash their way to the conference finals again?

And of course one team that was projected to be a playoff team to start the year, is now in the "LOL" tier, with the T-wolves and Kings.

The All-star game was uneventful for the most part but the break gave Jordan and Chris time to update their tier list for Eastern Conference teams. They talk about why the Nets are the clear favorite in the east even though they are the 2nd seed. What moves can Philly make to put them at the same level as the Nets? Can the Bucks make a sneaky push for the 1 seed?

Then they go to the Sardine Can at the 4 through 13 sports in the conference. Do the Celtics have a trade to make? Do the Raptors belong in the Celtics/Heat tier? What does a health Pacers team look like? Why does a Nikola Vucevic trade to the Hornets peak Jordan's interest? Bulls or Wizards?

And much more.

Yesterday's incredible YouTube video on LeBron's greatest peak from Thinking Basketball (Ben Taylor, please check out his work) got the boys thinking about which version of LeBron they think is the best/their favorite. Then they talk about two crappy teams that fired their head coaches after giving them situations that set them up to fail. Why wasn't Lloyd Peirce given enough time with the Hawks? Why is Glenn Taylor still the awful owner of the Timberwolves?

Then its on the the 4th seeded (holy shit) New York Knicks and the incredible season from Julius Randle, RJ Barrett's weirdly consistent/inconsistent play, and the coaching job Thibs has done.

Then they talk about the 2020 rookie class, and quelling the thirst of boomer desires to play 90's brick ball in the post.

The first B.O.B All Star Selection episode is here!!

Before that the boys jump into some Dragon Ball stories (you read that right), a little Pelicans talk (we can not stop talking about this weird team), and the all-of-a-sudden streaking Brooklyn Nets.

Then they give their NBA all-stars picks. Jordan does not understand why Luka Doncic was voted as the starter over Dame, and he explains why he chose Ben Simmons as an all-star reserve. Chris also introduces the first "props" segment on the podcast because they have some crow to eat.

The boys are back! The podcast starts off with an open-ended question from Chris about picking your pickup team based on how players look. Then they get into the whats happening with the Boston Celtics (delicious), the Western Conference, the Jazz accession to contender status and the east elite.

Also Jordan wonders if we really should be THIS SURPRISED that this rookie class is really good.

Its a quarter of a way through the NBA season and Chris and Jordan play a little stock up and stock down on NBA teams. They talk about why they are buying all the Heat stock despite their injury/covid-19 ravaged season, and Bam Adebayo's progress. Then they talk about why the Utah Jazz have been on absolute fire and what their chances of a deep playoff run are.

Then they get into stories of their pickup hoops days. A hefty Gilbert Arenas cooked Chris in pickup and Jordan talks about how he was Kurt Rambis'd by his own father while going up for a layup.

Also, Joel Embiid has been the MVP so far...OK BYE!

It's honestly still hard to believe, but today is one year since the death of Kobe Bryant. Jordan and Chris spend the first 40 minutes of the show talking about what they remember on that day, what they were doing when the news broke, their reactions, great Mamba moments, how Kobe shaped Chris as a Laker fan, and Kobe's historical imprint on the game.

After that Chris has a burning question he's been dying to ask Jordan....what the hell is Ben Simmons as a player and what is going on with him this year?

Also, Jordan asks a poignant question of his own......

Wtf Pelicans and Wizards????

The realities of COVID-19 have come for the NBA and Chris and Jordan touch on that and its future impact on the season.

They also go over:

Jordan and Chris talk about the weirdness of the NBA season so far, and they also talk about Steph Curry's legacy defining (sarcasm) 62 point game against the Portland Trailblazers. Then they wonder if they should feel more optimistic about Klay Thompson returning close to form after seeing how KD and John Wall have looked post Achilles surgery.

Then they go into some young players who have taken leaps so far, why the post-up is still fun to watch and then they reminisce about their favorite players they watched growing up. Tracy McGrady and Gilbert Arenas highlights anyone?