Game Theory

In this episode, Sam talks with Danny Leroux from over at The Athletic (and Dunc'd On, and RealGM Radio) about the NBA Trade Deadline that's coming next week. 

They start by talking about Tyreke Evans and his eventual stop. Do they trust him as an asset to acquire for the rest of the season? Does Boston make the most sense? What are some deals that make the most sense for him? 

Then, they talk about the Los Angeles teams. What deals are out there for the Lakers to pursue in order to achieve their dream of two maximum salary slots? What should the Clippers do following the Blake Griffin deal? Should Avery Bradley be one of the best commodities on their roster? What should they do with DeAndre Jordan and Lou Williams? 

Then, they focus on the 76ers. What should the 76ers do? Should they try to acquire Evans? Should they try to get off the Bayless contract by using their first round pick? Also, what do they make of the Nikola Mirotic scuttled deal that would have sent him to New Orleans?

Then, they talk about how the teams with a lot of money in expiring contracts could actually look to be long-term buyers despite their lack of contention this season. Should Dallas or Atlanta try to get some interesting assets? 

Finally, they focus on Cleveland. What is the best set of moves out there for the Cavaliers to pursue? How does the buyout market affect that? 

In this episode, Seerat Sohi joins Sam to talk about the shocking, surprising Blake Griffin trade that occurred on Monday evening. The deal is Blake Griffin, Willie Reed and Brice Johnson for Tobias Harris, Avery Bradley, Boban Marjanovic, a first round pick and a second round pick.

What do they think about the Clippers telling Blake he'd be a lifelong Clipper only to trade him six months later? What is Blake's game like now? What is the fit between Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond? Generally, why are they not a fan of this for the Pistons as Stan Van Gundy tries to save his job? And why does Sam think Tobias Harris is probably the best asset in the deal as he gets massively underrated nationally? 

Then, they chat about the DeMarcus Cousins injury, an incredibly sad moment in this NBA season. Why was the Cousins-Anthony Davis pairing working so well? Why was Cousins so awesome this year? And could this spell the end of the Davis-Pelicans era? 

In this episode, Cole Zwicker joins Sam and talks about a couple of topics. First, they discuss Zion Williamson and his commitment to Duke. What kind of prospect is Williamson? Is he as elite as his reputation purports him to be? Also, what could his NBA future look like, and what does his fit with Duke look like? 

Then, they discuss Sam's updated 2018 NBA Draft Big Board. First, they discuss Sam's move of Deandre Ayton to No. 1 over Luka Doncic. Then, they discuss Mohamed Bamba, and why Sam is a bit lower on the long-armed center. They then move on to the Kentucky guys and discuss some of the better players on the Wildcats' roster who could be one-and-dones. 

Then, it becomes more of a grab bag. Why is Chandler Hutchison sitting at No. 14? What do they think of Arkansas big man Daniel Gafford? Is Killian Tillie a bit overslotted at No. 25? What do they think of Melvin Frazier, Lonnie Walker, Landry Shamet, and Jontay Porter?Finally, Sam asks Cole who the most overrated or underrated player on his board is. 

This episode is sponsored by RXBAR. Go to RXBAR.com/gametheory to get 25 percent off your first purchase. 

In this episode, Sam chats with Dan Feldman from over at NBC Sports about the various NBA news and trade rumors in the NBA. First, they chat about Jason Kidd getting fired in Milwaukee, where Milwaukee goes from here, and where Kidd goes from here. Then, they chat about the report that Kawhi Leonard is unhappy in San Antonio, a very strange situation that neither really understand how to make heads or tails of. 

Then, they chat trades. They go in detail on the Kemba Walker situation, discussing what the Hornets should try to get out of a deal and what other teams should be involved. Then they talk Cavaliers, and discuss whether George Hill, DeAndre Jordan, or Lou Williams are fits. Finally, they chat Lakers, and then discuss what young players selling teams should target in deals. 

This podcast is sponsored by RXBAR, use the code gametheory at RXBAR.com to get 25 percent off your first purchase. 

In this episode, Sam chats with Rob Dauster from over at NBC Sports and does something a little bit different. Typically, he has people on who scout college basketball solely for the purpose of breaking them down as NBA prospects. Instead, in this episode, Sam chats with Rob about NBA Draft prospects from the perspective of someone who writes full-time about college basketball and evaluates players for that purpose.

What does he think of Marvin Bagley? Then, there is a long discussion about Trae Young, the system he operates in, how great his numbers are, and what Oklahoma's scheme tells about what his best fits will be in the NBA. Next, they chat about Mohamed Bamba, and whether or not they trust him at the next level. 

Then, we move on and chat about the Kentucky prospects. What does Rob think about Kevin Knox, Shai Alexander, Hamidou Diallo, and more. We also get into a discussion on Kentucky's best lineups. Finally, we chat about some of the prospects Rob thinks are undervalued by draft people. 

In this episode, I chat with good friend of the program Cole Zwicker and we finally do what we've been foreshadowing for the last two months: we argue about Marvin Bagley III. I give the case for Bagley, and why he's worthy of a top-three pick in the draft. Cole gives the case against and discusses why he thinks NBA teams will have issues fitting him into their roster due to his limitations. 

Then, we chat about my updated 2018 NBA Mock Draft over at The Athletic, talking about some of the players who have moved up or down my board over the course of the last month. 

In this episode, I chat with Michael Pina from over at Vice Sports about three different topics. First, we chat Cavs-Celtics from Wednesday night, and then do a deep dive on each team. What do we think of Cleveland? How did the Isaiah Thomas addition the night before against Portland affect them? Do we trust their defense? Do they need another wing? How does Kevin Love fit? Why has Jae Crowder been so bad? A lot of pretty important questions to figure out. 

Then, we chat about the Celtics? Do we think they are realistic contenders for the East? Why has Marcus Morris been so bad? Do we think the defense is stabilizing? How much does their length help them on defense? Then, we chat about Al Horford at length, and discuss why he's been a top 10 player in the NBA for me this season. 

Finally, we chat about the race for the No. 1 overall pick. With eight teams within three wins of each other, and 10 teams within five losses, what should losing teams' priorities be going forward? How do they decide on their goal? 

This is a pilot episode for a podcast Reags from over at Barstool and I have wanted to do for a while. It's a college basketball picks podcast! This is not a tout podcast, but rather a way into analyzing what's going on with teams around college basketball. In this episode, we chatted about Bonzie Colson's injury, UNC-Florida State, Virginia-Virginia Tech, Kentucky-LSU, and Clemson-Boston College, then at the end give two picks that we really like. 

Any feedback on the concept would be terrific. We're looking to see if this is something we should continue on its own feed, something we should tweak and change, or something that is worthwhile. One note: the sound quality in this episode is not perfect, as Reags was in a McDonald's parking lot. We've adjusted and it'll get better heading into the future. 

Thanks for listening, and we hope to hear from you. -Sam and Reags

In this start of the year podcast, Cole Zwicker and I look back. We talk about what things we learned about the NBA Draft evaluation process in 2017, and how we're improving our process for the 2018 draft. We then talk about what we screwed up and why (in other words, how did we miss on Kyle Kuzma and some others?). 

Then, we chat some about the forwards in the 2018 NBA Draft class, including some risers that have been interesting so far in Chandler Hutchison, Keita Bates-Diop, and others. 

In this episode, I chat about the Lakers' organizational situation, the Kentucky-Louisville game, and Luka Doncic. 

First, Trevor Lane of Lakers Nation comes on to chat about the Lakers. Particularly, we chat about Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson, and the strange situations involving both of them. Are the Lakers doing the best job they can at creating a positive organizational culture in Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka's first full year? What do we make of the way the organization has messed with Randle's minutes this year despite his strong play? What are he and/or Jordan Clarkson worth in a trade? 

Then I chat with Cole Zwicker about the Kentucky's domination over Louisville? How great was Shai Alexander? What do we make of Hamidou Diallo's dominance on the break versus his struggles in the halfcourt? Do we like P.J. Washington? Finally, we finish on Luka Doncic's unbelievable season. What makes him so good? Is he an underrated scorer? What teams are his best fits in the NBA? 

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