The NBA Trades podcast is back. This edition of the show features a conversation with former Seattle Supersonics president of basketball operations/general manager Bob Whitsitt.  We discussed how Bob got his start in sports business as an intern with the Indiana Pacers. He worked his way up to become VP of Marketing for the Kansas City Kings in 1982. After angling for a basketball operations position, he eventually ended up joining the floundering Seattle Supersonics and owner Barry Ackerley. Bob started his Sonics tenure with six trades in six months. We delved into his process for rebuilding the Supersonics with some key trades and draft decisions. Eventually, we got into the end of the Tom Chambers, Dale Ellis, Xavier McDaniel trio and the new era with Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp. We then discussed everything up to the rise of the Supersonics as an NBA power, and his eventual split with the Sonics after issues with Ackerley. Bob also discussed various players including Payton, Kemp, Sam Perkins, Derrick McKey, Detlef Schrempf, Benoit Benjamin, Dale Ellis, etc. We also spoke at length about the risky decision to hire George Karl.  Download Episode 18

The dog days of the NBA offseason are ending and this edition of the NBA Trades podcast finishes up a strong offseason. Guest Anthony Canton and I discuss the trades that happened during the 2016 offseason and what it means for the teams and players involved. Topics included the Derrick Rose trade, Serge Ibaka trade and the three-team deal between Indiana, Atlanta and Utah.  Download Episode 17

This new episode of the NBA Trades podcast features our first NBA player. Big man Frank Brickowski came on to talk about his career and some of the trades that happened throughout his 13-year playing career. In this episode, Frank and I discussed how he became interested in basketball, his playing career overseas and all of the trades that involved him during his NBA run. Topics include where he was when he found out the eventual-world champion Los Angeles Lakers traded him at the deadline, his run with the Spurs and Bucks, and his battles with Dennis Rodman. Download Episode 16

This recent edition of the NBA Trades Podcast is a conversation about the Mid-’90s Golden State Warriors featuring former San Francisco Chronicle beat writer David Steele.  In this episode, David and I talk about the Golden State Warriors post-Don Nelson and Chis Webber. We talked about Latrell Sprewell, Chris Mullin, Joe Smith and Tim Hardaway and the fall of the Warriors from one of the more talented teams to a cellar dweller. Some important topics include Latrell Sprewell’s feud with Tim Hardaway, Joe Smith’s rookie year, the day of Sprewell’s choking of coach P.J. Carlesimo, as well as other tidbits. A big point was also looking at how Golden State is run as an organization now and how it’s a very attractive destination compared to how the franchise was viewed around the league under Chris Cohan. Download Episode 15

It’s playoff time, but the NBA Trades Podcast is still running. This edition of the NBA Trades Podcast features former Orlando Sentinel Magic beat writer Tim Povtak.  This podcast touched on the recent 30-for-30 by ESPN covering the birth of the Orlando Magic. Tim and I discussed Orlando’s start as an expansion franchise, the Penny Hardaway draft night deal for Chris Webber, Shaq & Penny, and the eventual fall of the Magic. Download Episode 14

The NBA Trades podcast returns with special guest Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. Beck covered the Knicks for the New York Times when the Knicks acquired Carmelo Anthony and the Nets acquired Deron Williams in the same week. The two stars came in with decorated backgrounds, but their tenures in New York have been shaky. Howard and I talked about the trade when it happened, and also the affect the trade had on both franchises throughout the past few years. We also spoke about winners, losers and surprises from this week’s trade deadline. Download Episode 13

Episode 12 of the NBA Trades podcast happened on an executive decision. This episode features a conversation with former Hawks general manager Pete Babcock. He’s currently a college scout for the Cleveland Cavaliers and has previously worked for the Denver Nuggets and Atlanta Hawks. Pete and I discussed trades from his Hawks tenure including the Steve Smith and Grant Long for Kevin Willis deal, trading Dominique Wilkins to the Clippers for Danny Manning and trading Doc Rivers to the Clippers. We also spoke at length about running a franchise, negotiations, Dikembe Mutombo, Steve Smith and some of the other characters he dealt with during his time in the NBA. Download Episode 12

On this Black Friday, the NBA Trades podcast delves into the career of Stephon Marbury. I spoke with Anthony of AC’s Spotlight about the Knicks, Suns, Nets, Timberwolves, and Celtics point guard. We also covered point guards of Marbury’s era, why teams played better after trading him, and why today’s guards are so much more efficient than the point guards of the post-Jordan era. Follow Anthony at @ACSSPOTLIGHT95 and check out his site AC’s Spotlight. Thanks for tuning in! Download Episode 11

The NBA Trades Podcast is back and this episode features a discussion with NBA.com writer and former LA Times Beat Writer Scott Howard-Cooper.  Scott and I discussed the ‘90s Los Angeles Lakers which was the team he covered from 1993-98. We looked at a few trades like the Cedric Ceballos-Robert Horry trade as well as the trades that started the Kobe & Shaq era in Los Angeles. We spoke at length about the drama in Los Angeles that included Magic Johnson becoming head coach as well as Magic coming out of retirement.  Topics also included the addition of Shaquille O’Neal, Cedric Ceballos’ trip to Lake Havasu, Nick Van Exel bumping a referee, 1-2-3 Cancun, and Kobe’s airball bonanza in 1997 and more. You can follow Scott on Twitter @SHowardCooper and read some of his recent work at NBA.com. Download Episode 10

This week’s edition of the NBA Trades Podcast went to the origins of the Jail Blazers. This episode features a discussion with Portland Tribune columnist Kerry Eggers about the Portland Trail Blazers from 1999-2004.  The podcast covers Portland’s build to the 59-win 1999-2000 team. This involves the trade of Isaiah Rider and Jim Jackson to the Hawks for Steve Smith as well as the deal to bring Scottie Pippen over from Houston. We spoke about Portland’s run to the NBA Conference Finals in 2000 and the shocking Game Seven against the Lakers that ended their season. We then ran through some of the incidents that led to Portland’s fall from title contention as well as the trades that ravaged the franchise. This includes the trades of Jermaine O’Neal to Indiana and Brian Grant to Miami as well as the many suspensions and infractions that earned the players in Portland the name of the “Jail Blazers.” Eggers covered the Blazers as a beat writer and columnist for multiple years with the Oregonian and Tribune. He has also written a book with Clyde Drexler about the Blazer guard’s career as well as a book recapping Portland’s run to two NBA Finals appearances in the early ‘90s. We also spoke a little bit about the current Blazers projections for the upcoming season as well as Kerry’s start in journalism. Follow Kerry on Twitter @kerryeggers Download Episode 9