Game Theory

In this episode, Sam Vecenie chats with Vice Sports' Michael Pina about the NBA offseason that is about to come. First, they start with Kawhi Leonard, chat about how potential trades involving him, and how he affects the rest of the process for LeBron James and maybe even Paul George. Then, they get into unrestricted free agency, chatting about some of the players they're most interested in tracking this summer. Finally, they finish on the restricted free agency class, including Marcus Smart, Julius Randle, Dante Exum, Jusuf Nurkic, and more. 

In this episode, I chat with Jeff Goodman from Stadium and Chris Stone from Sporting News about the NBA Draft. First, Jeff and I chat about some of the key storylines leading into the draft, from trade discussions to the recruitment, background, and development of some of the best prospects in the draft, including Deandre Ayton, Michael Porter, Mitchell Robinson, and more. 

Then, I chat with Chris Stone about the difficulty of mocking this draft just 26 hours from draft night. What do we think of all the trade talks, what do we think of the Kings, Hawks, Grizzlies, and more. 

In this episode, Cole Zwicker joins Sam Vecenie and chats about the Warriors' remarkable team, then what happens after the Warriors. What does the NBA look like when the Warriors' run finally ends? Are we entering an era where the league will conform back to big men based off of the talent entering the league?

Then, they chat about Bryan Colangelo's collars and the absurdity of the situation, and Deandre Ayton seeming to be the next No. 1 overall pick. 

Finally, they chat about the restricted free agency market. They break down Clint Capela, Aaron Gordon, Jabari Parker, Julius Randle, Marcus Smart, Dante Exum, Zach LaVine, and many more. 

In this episode, Sam Vecenie is joined by Cole Zwicker where they discuss many levels of basketball. First, they break down the Cavs-Warriors series, and discuss potential defensive adjustments for Cleveland in addition to Cleveland's rotation. Can the Cavs do anything to make a comeback?

Then, they delve into the Celtics Jaylen Brown and Mohamed Bamba rumors. Why this makes no sense for Boston, and why the Mavs should take such a deal if offered (even if the venerable Tim Cato already said they would not). 

Finally, the bulk of the podcast is spent breaking down Deandre Ayton. They discuss him for an hour, going over his strengths and weaknesses, and delving deep into what makes him such a special -- if incomplete and somewhat controversial -- prospect. They discuss his production, his scoring, his jump shot, ball-handling acumen, rim protection, ability to defend the perimeter, and overall instinct level, in addition to discussing the overall upside or downside of his game. It's a legitimate discussion where we go back and forth, disagreeing on many aspects of the Arizona prospect's game. 

In this episode, Cole Zwicker joins the show to chat about everything that happened in a totally bananas Game 1 in the NBA Finals. From LeBron's legendary performance, to JR's legendary gaffe, we break it down from all the angles for 45 minutes.

Then, we chat a bit about Bryan Colangelo, and how the 76ers basically have to fire him at this stage. Finally, we break down the biggest and most important decisions of the 2018 NBA Draft Deadline. Kevin Huerter, Donte DiVincenzo, Jontay Porter, Omari Spellman, and more. 

In this episode of the podcast, Sam is joined by Dieter Kurtenbach where they discuss the burners. Specifically, the (ALLEGED) burners of 76ers general manager Bryan Colangelo, according to a terrific and fascinating article by The Ringer and Ben Detrick. What do we think happens? What the hell is this story? How? Why? It's the most internet story of the 2018 year!

Then, they break down the 2018 Finals in a somewhat coherent manner, mostly shouting at one another about how the Cavs could win one or two games. 

In this episode, Tony Jones from the Salt Lake Tribune joins Sam Vecenie and chats about the NBA Playoffs, covering the Utah Jazz, and some NBA Draft stuff. 

First, they break down what they've seen so far in the NBA, chatting before the Game 7s of the Conference Finals. Did the Conference Finals save what has been a relatively non-compelling playoffs? Is this LeBron run the best playoff run we can remember? How underappreciated is Klay Thompson all-time, and how good has Draymond been on defense in this playoff run? 

Then, we chat about Tony's year covering the Jazz. What do we think happens with the Jazz this offseason, what with all of their contract situations and trade flexibility? We also talk about the first year covering Donovan Mitchell, and getting to banter back and forth with legendary shit-talker Joe Ingles everyday. 

Finally, we chat about the NBA Draft, where I ask Tony a barrage of questions. Who is the best player? Who is the best big man? Is he a Michael Porter fan? Who is the best point guard in this class? Who is the most underrated player? Who is the most overrated player? 

In this episode of the podcast, Sam Vecenie chats with Cole Zwicker about the exceptional Game 4 Houston played against Golden State on Tuesday night. That leaves the series 2-2. We do a deep dive on how Houston weathered the storm and beat them, then chat about the Warriors and how they missed Andre Iguodala. What do we think happens going forward? 

Then, a quick discussion about the Cleveland-Boston series before Game 5 tonight. Mostly, we chat about how Boston could potentially adjust on defense, then talk about the Tristan Thompson adjustment. 

Finally, we do an in-depth breakdown on Michael Porter Jr. What makes him such an elite level prospect? Why, despite missing most of the year at Missouri, is he considered a potential top-five pick? 

In this episode, Sam Vecenie is joined by Cole Zwicker to break down everything that happened at the 2018 NBA Draft Combine. From the measurements to the five on five, they pick some winners and losers from the event, discuss the forthcoming decisions of guys like Josh Okogie, Tyus Battle, and Kevin Huerter, and chat about the measurements of some of the elite players in the class. 

Also, does Mo Bamba have longer arms than any human alive?

In this episode, Sam Vecenie chats with Cole Zwicker to break down everything we saw at the NBA Draft Lottery, breaking down prospects and chatting about fits and needs of every single team in the lottery. They go in the order of the draft, breaking down each team: Phoenix, Sacramento, Atlanta, Memphis, Dallas, Orlando, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, Charlotte, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, and Denver. 

Then for 20 minutes, they preview the NBA Draft Combine. What should folks be looking forward to? What players should we be paying attention to? Also, does the NBA Draft Combine actually matter, or am I just going to Chicago to eat Lou Malnati's? Or at the very least, what matters most at the NBA Draft Combine?