The Full 48

The Coach, David Thorpe, is back talking about his return to True Hoop, his new venture, The Pro Training Center, and lots of NBA action! David runs down his surprises (both good and bad) so far in the season, and they include the Milwaukee Bucks, the Indiana Pacers, and the Washington Wizards. He runs down "bust, not or too-soon-to-tell" on Kevin Knox, Andrew Wiggins, and Lonzo Ball. He talks about average coaches versus elite coaches, fan code of conduct and zero-tolerance (in relation to Russell Westbrook's altercation with the fan in Utah), how NBA owners are much like Bobby Axelrod from the TV show "Billions," and why all basketball fans should be worried about the Lakers and LeBron James.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jason Lloyd, the Editor-In-Chief of The Athletic in Cleveland, joins to talk about the disaster that has become LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. How did things break down so quickly, and can anything be done to salvage the season? How much of this rests on the Lakers rookie front office (Magic Johnson and Rob Pelinka)? Who can they potentially sign this summer to help LeBron (Jimmy Butler, Anthony Davis, Kris Middleton, Kyrie Irving)? What will happen to the city of Cleveland if Kyrie Irving does in fact move to LA (burn baby, burn)? And will any of this Lakers debacle have an impact on LeBron's legacy at the end of the day?

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Detroit Pistons Assistant GM (and former Spurs and Knicks player), Malik Rose, talks about the Pistons' surprise season, the return of Reggie Jackson, Blake Griffin's leadership skills, the spark plug that is Ish Smith, old school scouting versus new school analytics, concern for players in today's "age of anxiety" and the role that social media plays in that, and what it truly takes to win a championship. Malik also evaluates his skills as a player and how that would translate to today's game, and remembers the temper-tantrum tirade by a former Spurs teammate that resulted in a destroyed locker room in Cleveland, and bat incidents of another kind during his time in San Antonio.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Former Sacramento Kings shooting guard turned current Kings commentator, Doug Christie, knew by game 10 that the Kings had a special team this year. He speaks to the talent and chemistry of the starting roster, why he's so high on De'Aaron Fox and Marvin Bagley, how youth and inexperience may challenge a Kings play-off run, and why Coach Dave Joerger deserves more recognition and credit than he's currently receiving. Doug also recounts his time as a player with the Kings, and what it was like traveling with Vlade Divac and Peja Stojakovic, their rivalry with the Lakers, controversial game 6 of the 2002 Western Conference Finals, and that pre-season off-court, full-on brawl with Rick Fox.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sam Amick from The Athletic joins for a live podcast complete with audience Q&A at the end! Sam and Howard discuss the MVP race and why Sam believes it's between Paul George, Gianna Antetokounmpo, and James Harden (and not Nikola Jokic), the Milwaukee Bucks run, the Lakers crisis vs the Celtics crisis, the great Anthony Davis question, the Sacramento Kings' turnaround, and the hype surrounding Ben Simmons.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

True Hoop is back! Original founder, and former ESPN writer, Henry Abbott relaunched the revolutionary, independent, all-things basketball new media company in newsletter form with plans to grow to video and podcasts! He does talk about that, but he also offers thoughts on poorly run NBA teams, why competitive balance cannot be affected or achieved with any existing tools, player empowerment and team accountability, tanking, the crisis of the 3-point shot, the possibility of adding 4-pointers, and the Tim Donaghy gambling scandal.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NBA legend and Hall of Famer, Rick Barry, remembers his own All-Star Game experience in 1967, reveals what prevented him from playing for the Boston Celtics at the end of his career, and explains the importance of coaching and playing the game properly. He also comments on Anthony Davis' situation, why Kevin Durant leaving the Warriors would be a mistake, and why he firmly believes that nobody will beat the Golden State Warriors in 7 this season.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

NBA Legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar remembers a couple of his favorite All-Star Game moments, has some thoughts on athlete activism and NBA age limits, explains why there's really no GOAT debate when it comes to Michael Jordan and LeBron James, and thinks James Harden gets a bad rap! Kareem breaks down the comparison between his former teammate Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook, the similar career situation Kareem shares with Anthony Davis, and some of the players he enjoys watching today. He'll also tell you where and how you can score a piece of memorabilia from his career!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Michael Lee, Senior NBA Writer for The Athletic, returns for the Second Annual Full 48 All-Star Weekend Wrap-Up! Howard and Michael break down what made this year's All-Star game different, why the 3-point contest won the weekend, the lack of audience enthusiasm, the "dud" of a dunk contest, and Kevin Durant as All-Star MVP and his all-time rank in the NBA. They also discuss the drama surrounding trade rumors and tampering speculation, league policy regarding teams benching players, LeBron and the Lakers chasing the 8th seed down the stretch, the Anthony Davis list, and why Red Vines beat Twizzlers any day of the week.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Rachel Nichols, host of ESPN's The Jump, joins Howard to talk about the televised All Star draft, LeBron's "tampering", an All NBA award, what winning MVP really means, the Knicks and Kristaps Porzingis, Kevin Durant, free agency, supermax contracts, and her recent, hilarious sit-down with Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.