The NBA is officially BACK and we've got plenty of thoughts about the first week of game action. 

 

(And for further reading, check out Scott's notes column on the league's opening days!)

It's not going to happen again....I hope.

Scott and Eric empty their notebooks on all 15 Western Conference teams ahead of the upcoming NBA season.

Which players, coaches, and cultural figures had the most profound impact on the style and structure of the NBA? Scott called up fellow Humble Sons of the Rust Belt Danny and Jesse Poljak (shoutout Oak Park Court) to talk basketball revolutionaries earlier in the week, and the debates were intellectually on par with those heard in Paris salons circa 1789. 

 

(Note: apologies for the substandard audio quality in the first 35ish minutes; we had some WiFi/connectivity issues that were sorted out for the second half of the episode.)

Houston GM Daryl Morey kicked off an international maelstrom last Friday by tweeting his support for the pro-democracy protestors in Hong Kong: the Chinese Basketball Association terminated its work with the Rockets, Chinese NBA digital rights holder Tencent blacklisted the team from broadcasts, and the NBA finds itself under fire from politicians, analysts, and fans for seemingly bending to the Communist Party's authoritarian demands with its official statement last night. We waded into the controversy in the first half of tonight's podcast—and lament the NBA's decision to put profits ahead of human rights—before pivoting to a much more lighthearted discussion of over/unders, title odds, MVP chances, and prop bets. 

#StandWithHongKong

Last week, The Athletic broke a story that Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie is planning to form a corporation that will securitize his three-year, $34.36 million contract into a "digital investment vehicle" that investors (possibly you!) could purchase shares in. Our reactions were the same as yours: (1) what? (2) how exactly is this going to work? Fortunately, Eric's good friend and former classmate (#AMDG) Doug Bajan—AKA Dougie Fresh—has gotten deep into the cryptocurrency and digital finance worlds in recent years, so we turned to him to break it down for us. Tune in for a fascinating discussion about Dinwiddie's innovative venture!

After a late-summer recess, Eric, Elizabeth, and Scott re-join the airwaves to catch up and talk shop. On the agenda: the U.S. national hoopers finish 7th at the World Cup (seriously), the Lakers sign [checks notes] Dwight Howard to fill their vacant center role, Kobe's admittedly brilliant potshot at Shaq rekindles a legendary feud, The Atlantic explains why White Claw's popularity represents a national surrender, DeMarcus Cousins' NBA days might be numbered following his recent arrest, and more.

 

P.S. A very special shoutout to Close Friend of the Pod Hannah Sherman for completing the United States Navy's Officer Development School! We're very proud of you (and you're killing those all-white unis)!

In what depending on your perspective could be either the best or the worst podcast ever released under the ShotTakes banner, the Jersey Shore crew re-convenes to debate the most important words ending in "-ability" or "-ibility," reflect on (read: mostly complain about) their respective law school experiences, reveal which major opinions they've flip-flopped on over time, and generally bloviate about everything but the NBA in their ongoing quest to make the world safe for takes. If you pass on this one or tune out early....we won't hold it against you.

We back! Scott, Eric, and Kyle are bringing the takes from the Jersey Shore this weekend as they tackle the NBA....and other stuff. Tune in for a preview of the 2019-20 NBA schedule, some lamenting over DeMarcus Cousins' terrible injury luck, Draymond Green's $100 million extension, the NCAA's (rescinded) bill of attainder against Rich Paul, and more.

The summer lineup of Scott, Ryan, and Jesse is back for a freewheeling edition of ShotTakes. Inspired by The Art of the Take (Scott's new favorite podcast), we opened with a rundown of our favorite takes of the week—thanks to Kendrick Perkins for the bulk of the #content. Then, we pivoted to sneaker corner to evaluate Giannis's inaugural signature Nikes (mixed reviews), weigh in on Zion joining Jordan Brand (#TheBrotherhood weeps), and reminise on our all-time favorite basketball shoes (#OGShox4Life). Finally, we reacted to ESPN's offseason survey of 20 NBA coaches, executives, and scouts, who had some....interesting thoughts on the transactions of the last month (spoiler: somebody really likes Tomas Satoransky). Tune in!