NBA A to Z with Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt

One of the surprise teams early on in the NBA season is the Los Angeles Lakers. USA TODAY's Sam Amick caught up with first-year coach Luke Walton about the good start and the outlook. Walton talks about how the team has belief that they can compete, something they haven't done in a few seasons. One of the reasons, they discuss, is how he relates to a young group of players. They talk about the energy at Staples Center as Lakers fans are excited for this team.

NBA A to Z guys Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt give their analysis of the early days of the NBA season. Are the Golden State Warriors overrated? Are the San Antonio Spurs underrated? What to make about the furious start to Russell Westbrook’s season? For the first time in a long time, there is a reason to watch the Philadelphia 76ers. Then, the Chicago Bulls, are they for real? They talk about everyone from LeBron James to Dwight Howard and what we could expect from some of the top players in the league moving forward.

Minnesota Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau joins Sam Amick to talk about his new team. They discuss how talented the young T'Wolves are, led by Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins and the outlook for their development. The coach tells Sam that he has mapped out the entire season's worth of practices and days off. A notorious workaholic and hard-driving coach, Thibodeau has apparently mellowed since his days in Chicago. They talk about what the coach did in his year off and how that helped him in this new season. Later in the show, Sam catches up with Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns to talk about how things have changed for the team since Thibodeau's arrival.

Memphis Grizzlies guard Mike Conley joins USA TODAY's Sam Amick at a recent workout to talk about being the highest paid player in the NBA. They also talk about how strong the Western Conference has become and the changes in the Grizzlies for this season. Sam then chats with Brad Allen, executive chair of Next VR, a company that will be working with the NBA to show games in virtual reality this season.

The NBA A to Z guys Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt break down who they think will win the individual awards. Names like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard are out there for most valuable player going into the season, and the guys give their pick on who takes it. They break down who wins coach of the year, there are a lot of good candidates for this award as well -- Brad Stevens, Steve Kerr, Gregg Popovich, Ty Lue ... but who wins? They also chat about defensive player of the year, sixth man and rookie of the year. Let us know if you agree.

You've done your homework, studied all the analytics and are ready for your fantasy basketball draft. But all things being equal, who should you take No. 1? Josh Lloyd from Basketball Monster and the Locked on Fantasy Basketball podcast joins USA TODAY's Kevin Spain to tell you. They break down the top five players, go over some positions, give you the sleepers and where you take them, and tell you some guys to avoid.

The NBA A to Z guys Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt break down each conference, looking at what teams win the divisions and who emerges to make it to the Finals. The guys then pick who they think will win the NBA Finals. Before they get into that, they discuss Jeff's upcoming cancer surgery, something he has talked about on a personal blog and one that folks around the NBA have heard about.

The A to Z guys Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt look ahead to some of the issues that could define the 2016-17 season, starting off with the dominance of the Golden State Warriors in a preseason game against the Los Angeles Clippers. They talk about how the NBA will be involved in some of the social issues and Sam’s interview with Andre Iguodala. They also hit some of the early injuries to Ben Simmons and the sad situation that is Chris Bosh and his blood clots.

Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry sits down with USA TODAY’s Sam Amick to discuss how that Game 7 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals will drive him this season. He recalls what it was like after losing that final game and how he tries to keep from taking it home. He talks about what he thinks of his team’s signing of Kevin Durant.

Now that the Olympics are over, where do guys who have been successful in international play but not in the NBA go from here? USA TODAY's Sam Amick, who covered the games, discusses what's next for DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings and Carmelo Anthony of the New York Knicks with USA TODAY's Kevin Spain. They talk about how USA Basketball performed in the run up to the gold medal. They also discuss how Kevin Durant got some quality time with new teammates Klay Thompson and Draymond Green.