The Lead

Carmelo Anthony scored 25 points and hauled in 8 rebounds last night in an emphatic win over the Bulls. After more than a year away from the NBA, the aging superstar signed with the Trailblazers last Tuesday amid much fanfare. Considered one of the best players of his generation, Melo has earned a reputation for prioritizing himself over his team. The Athletic’s Frank Isola joins us to talk about the missteps of Melo's career, to question some of the criticisms, and to look at what lies ahead.

Read one of Frank Isola's recent columns about Carmelo Anthony:

https://theathletic.com/1383404/2019/11/16/isola-if-melo-makes-it-back-to-msg-he-deserves-warm-welcome-hell-get-as-much-as-kp-didnt-deserve-what-he-got/?source=theleadpodcast

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After two concussions last month (and five in his career), wide receiver Brandin Cooks is back in the lineup for the Rams on Monday Night Football. But The Athletic's Rich Hammond wonders, should he be? Rich joins us to discuss how, with the help of an outside neurologist and his wife, Cooks made the decision to return to playing football so quickly.

Read Rich Hammond's column about Brandin Cooks:

https://theathletic.com/1399339/2019/11/21/brandin-cooks-is-coming-back-from-another-concussion-but-should-he/?source=theathleticpodcast

Check out The Athletic's "The 2010s: Decade in Review," featuring the best NBA, WNBA and college hoops teams and players from the past ten years:

https://theathletic.com/tag/the-2010s-decade-in-review/?source=theathleticpodcast

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Christian Pulisic has scored five goals in his past three Premier League games for Chelsea, including a hat trick last month against Burnley. There has been a lot of buzz around Pulisic since he became Chelsea’s third most expensive signing in January, and questions about how good the 21-year-old American really is. The Athletic's Liam Twomey joins us to explain how Pulisic is now turning some skeptical Brits into believers.

Read more of Liam's coverage of Chelsea FC:

https://theathletic.com/author/liam-twomey/?source=theleadpodcast

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Cocaine and molly have become the drugs of choice in the NHL in recent years, according to a new report from The Athletic's Katie Strang. She joins us to explain why these particular drugs have become popular among hockey players and what the league is and isn't doing to combat substance abuse. We also hear from retired NHL player Daniel Carcillo who dealt with substance abuse issues for years.

Read Katie Strang's story about drug use among NHL players:

https://theathletic.com/1324841/2019/11/05/the-secret-everybody-knows-drugs-like-cocaine-and-molly-becoming-more-popular-in-nhl/?source=theleadpodcast

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Rising hoops star RJ Hampton made a bold decision earlier this year. He turned down scholarship offers from top schools and moved to New Zealand to play in the NBL, the pro league in Australia and New Zealand, to help him prepare for the NBA. The Athletic’s Dana O’Neill traveled to Auckland to find out why Hampton made that choice, how his life is going over there, and whether overseas play might become a real alternative to college hoops.

Read Dana O'Neill's story about RJ Hampton:

https://theathletic.com/1346721/2019/11/04/im-taking-that-risk-all-access-with-r-j-hampton-as-he-tries-to-find-success-in-new-zealand/?source=theathleticpodcast

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Saints linebacker Demario Davis believes in a hands-on approach to social activism. The New Orleans star has handed out water in Flint, fought for bail reform in New York, and traveled to both sides of U.S.-Mexico border to give out blankets and backpacks. And, earlier this year, he helped bail out an ICE detainee. The Athletic's Katherine Terrell joins to explain how Davis's transformation into athlete-activist has grown out of his faith and his own history with the law.

Read Katherine Terrell's profile of Demario Davis:

https://theathletic.com/1284297/2019/10/11/they-just-gave-me-back-my-life-inside-what-fuels-demario-davis-humanitarian-efforts/?source=theleadpodcast

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After the NFL invited Colin Kaepernick to a private workout last week, there were disagreements about how it should be conducted. On Saturday, Kaepernick turned the tables at the last minute by canceling the NFL event and announcing a workout on his own terms. The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue was there and she joins us to give an insider account of how the chaos of the day unfolded, what it was like inside the stadium, and what could happen next with Kaepernick.

Read Jourdan Rodrigue's story about the Kaepernick workout:

https://theathletic.com/1384295/2019/11/17/colin-kaepernick-cuts-through-a-chaotic-day-to-deliver-a-solid-workout/?source=theleadpodcast

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Indiana Pacers guard Victor Oladipo has some serious pipes. The two-time NBA All-Star sings in the locker room, sings on the court, and has won the NBA Talent Challenge the past two years. Many people also believe Oladipo is a contestant on one of the hottest -- and strangest -- shows on television: The Masked Singer. The Athletic's Scott Agness grabs his magnifying glass and walks us through the clues suggesting Oladipo is, in fact, the man behind the creepy mask.

Read Scott Agness's full breakdown of the case here:

https://theathletic.com/1353459/2019/11/07/breaking-down-the-clues-to-victor-oladipo-being-thingamajig-on-the-masked-singer/?source=theleadpodcast

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Hockey commentator Don Cherry, a Canadian icon, was fired this week over comments he made about immigrants during a television broadcast. Cherry, whose "Coach's Corner" segment has been a staple of Hockey Night In Canada for more than three decades, has a long history of making inflammatory remarks. The Athletic's Sunaya Sapurji joins to explain why this controversy was the last straw for Cherry.

Read Sunaya Sapuri's take on the Don Cherry controversy:

https://theathletic.com/1366564/2019/11/11/its-time-to-say-goodbye-to-don-cherry-and-his-xenophobic-ways/?source=theleadpodcast

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A new investigation by The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich has revealed that the Houston Astros used a high-powered camera to steal other teams' pitching signs during the 2017 season, the year they won the World Series. Major League Baseball is now investigating the matter to determine who within the organization knew about the scheme. Rosenthal joins us to talk about their report, exactly how the Astros were cheating, and what all of this could mean for the team and the league.

Read Ken Rosenthal and Evan Drellich’s story on how the Astros sought a competitive edge:

https://theathletic.com/1363451/2019/11/12/the-astros-stole-signs-electronically-in-2017-part-of-a-much-broader-issue-for-major-league-baseball/?source=theleadpodcast

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