On today's show, we continue our NFL previews looking at a loaded east. The AFC East boasts one of the most dominant teams of the past few years, albeit one that has fallen short in the Playoffs, as the Bills look to live up to high expectations behind a healthy Josh Allen. But all the attention is on New York, as the new look Jets, complete with Aaron Rodgers as their first franchise QB since Joe Namath, try to live up to the hype with all of their young talent, guys like Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Quinnen Williams. Meanwhile, the Dolphins are loaded on both sides of the ball, but the challenge will be keeping Tua upright in the pocket. And you can never count out the Patriots as long as Bill Belichick is still at the helm, and that defense is looking downright scary. In the NFC East, we have the powerhouse Eagles returning a lot of starters and looking for another Super Bowl win behind Jalen Hurts. And the Cowboys are always at the center of attention, and this could very well be their year behind a great defense and offensive line, but the hype always seems to be greater than the product on the field so we'll see if this year is any different. Meanwhile, the Giants might not be able to repeat their Playoff appearance from last year, and some regression is expected, while the Commanders look to be on the rise, but unless Sam Howell surprises everyone, they might not be ready to make a Wild Card run just yet. So sit back, the NFL season is just around the corner and we're breaking down how it's all unfolding, next on the Roundup Podcast so let's get rolling . . .

8:00 - AFC East Previews: Bills

24:23 - Jets

35:40 - Dolphins

46:41 - Patriots

58:30 - NFC East Previews: Eagles

1:13:24 - Cowboys

1:23:32 - Giants

1:30:32 - Commanders

On today's show, we continue our NFL previews by going up north. The NFC North will be up for grabs, as the dominant team of the past 10 years, the Green Bay Packers, retool after losing franchise anchor Aaron Rodgers in the offseason, and this will be the first time in over 20 years that they don't have a Hall of Fame QB. The Lions look set to take over, with the Vikings expected to come back down to Earth after over achieving last year, and the Bears continuing to rebuild. The AFC North on the other hand could see any of its teams make the Playoffs, and boast two legit Super Bowl contenders, as the Bengals just keep getting better and the Ravens appear ready to finally make a championship run. But the Browns and Steelers could be wild cards, both literally and figuratively, with both teams looking talented enough to impact the Playoff race. Most likely, we'll only see one team emerge from the NFC North, but could we really see three Playoff teams out of the AFC North? So sit back, the NFL season is just around the corner and we're breaking down how it's all unfolding, next on the Roundup Podcast so let's get rolling . . .

9:20 - NFC North Previews: Lions

16:59 - Packers

23:32 - Bears

34:19 - Vikings

41:55 - AFC North Previews: Bengals

49:32 - Ravens

58:39 - Browns

1:07:32 - Steelers

On today's show, we answer the question, are you ready for some football with a resounding "YES!", as we begin our NFL season previews. We're starting at the bottom, with what we expect to be the divisions that have the least likely chance to put a representative into the Super Bowl, and that would be the AFC South and the NFC South, and then, as we get closer to opening kickoff on September 7th, we'll go through each and every division. This isn't to say that there isn't anything worth getting excited about in the South of each conference; on the contrary, these divisions have the best rookie QB prospects in the league, with Anthony Richardson, Bryce Young, CJ Stroud and Will Levis all set to make their NFL debuts this season. And it's not to say that there aren't any exciting teams in these divisions, with the Jaguars finally becoming truly competitive, the explosive offense we could see from the Falcons, and a Texans team loaded with young talent. It's just that, big picture, no one really expects to see a true contender emerge from the South just yet. Plus, as promised, baseball is back here on the show, and I am finally going All Around MLB to highlight and contrast the best teams from both the AL and NL, as well as offer my comprehensive list of the most exciting under-26 year old hitters in baseball. So sit back, the NFL season is rapidly approaching and we're breaking down how it's all unfolding, next on the Roundup Podcast so let's get rolling . . .

5:52 - All Around MLB: Contrasting the first place Braves and Orioles

18:37 - The best young hitters 26 years old and under

26:22 - FIBA World Cup and Team USA

38:54 - NFL season previews: Jaguars

51:24 - Titans

59:08 - Colts

1:04:52 - Texans

1:12:04 - Saints

1:19:27 - Falcons

1:27:36 - Panthers

1:31:58 - Buccaneers

On today's show, we return from our summer hiatus to transition from NBA coverage to the upcoming NFL season, in addition to recapping what we've been up to over our break. As we shift our focus from the hardwood to the gridiron, we still have some catching up to do on the hoops front, as far as what we saw during Summer League and what we think of all the moves our Warriors made in the offseason, and then we'll move on to some first impressions on the impending NFL season. Over the next month we'll start to get into our NFL season previews, but today, for the most part, we're forgoing our usual in-depth analysis for a more conversational angle, just kind of easing back into the flow of the show with some more general observations, as well as breaking down our summer vacations, including a brief discussion on some of the sports documentaries we've seen recently, including the Steph Curry documentary Underrated, the Netflix series Quarterback, and Goliath, Showtime's 3 part mini series about Wilt Chamberlain. I know, not the usual hard hitting sports talk you've come to expect from this show, but even with the hoopers hitting the beaches for their vacations and football players working in training camp, we've still got a lot to talk about. So sit back, it's the post-NBA and pre-NFL doldrums and we're breaking down how it's all unfolding, next on the Roundup Podcast so let's get rolling . . .

Timestamps

7:35 - FIBA and Team USA

13:21 - The enduring legacy of Michael Jordan

17:07 - NBA Summer League takeaways

36:49 - Premature Warriors' hype

1:02:25 - Hard Knocks, intriguing NFL team improvements heading into the season & the Netflix series Quarterbacks

1:34:15 - Steph in Underrated and Wilt in Goliath

On today's show, NBA Free Agency got off to a frenzied start, with the top names flying off the shelf on some hefty price tags as teams collectively spent over a billion dollars in total contracts on Day 1 alone, but even as the spending slowed down over the holiday weekend, Summer League tipped off, so we have a lot to catch up on. Yeah, we saw seven 9 figure contracts given out, a few at $40+ million per year, but the names of the players who got the big UFA money hardly include an All Star appearance among them. But a lot of the big money went to guys like Kyrie, Draymond and Middleton who anticlimactically all ended up just resigning with their current teams. From here we just watch as teams fill out their rosters with bargains and move on to Summer League, which tipped off Monday, and the biggest thing I need to remember as I tune in to watch Wemby and Brandon and Chet and Scoot and the Thompson Twins is that these games mean nothing, the results mean nothing, the stats mean nothing, they're barely even real competitive basketball but they are enjoyable for NBA heads like us and if you watch for the right things, like positioning, playmaking, presence and other intangibles, you might take something away from the games. But mostly, they're just for fun. So sit back, it's the NBA, all NBA and nothing but the NBA, Offseason Edition, and we're breaking down how it's all unfolding, next on the Roundup Podcast so let's get rolling . . .

6:40 - What are Dame & Harden's actual trade values?

18:10 - Warriors' moves (obligatory homer segment)

26:24 - Free Agency: Blatant overspends

37:46 - Rockets' huge improvement to mediocre; are there any truly terrible teams in the West anymore?

42:16 - Free Agency: Best values

45:06 - Mavs' cap manipulation rounds out roster nicely

49:15 - How much did Lakers really improve?

55:08 - Suns fill out bottom half of roster on Day 1 of Free Agency

59:03 - Bucks get creative to stay together and add Beasley, Kings sign Euro-League MVP

1:05:10 - Summer League watch list

On today's show, only 2 weeks removed from the coronation of Jokic and the Nuggets, the landscape of the NBA has already shifted significantly, and we have a lot to catch up on. We all know by now that the NBA offseason holds a special place in the hearts of hoops fans, how the machinations and movement fascinate a segment of fans who rarely even actually watch the games. It's probably one reason why NBA/Reddit is the single largest sports community on the site and NBA Twitter goes viral so much, but there is no doubt; the NBA never sleeps. Less than a week after the Finals ended, we got a potentially massive Bradley Beal deal that could alter the balance in the West, but the Suns know they're taking a gamble; Beal can only be boom or bust in this situation and they've become the next in a succession of theoretical teams for us to speculate on until we actually see them play. Next up was one of the most unlikely of unions, as long time Golden State nemesis CP3 became a Warrior, to the vocal chagrin of many Bay Area faithful, but yours truly? I'm all in. Then it was on to Victor's big day, as the NBA world welcomed the newest chosen one to the Association but found a few minutes to acknowledge Scoot and Brandon and the Thompson Twins as well. And now it's on to the free agent signing period starting June 30th and Summer League starting July 3rd as the summer season pushes on. So sit back, it's the NBA, all NBA and nothing but the NBA, Offseason Edition, and we're breaking down how it's all unfolding, next on the Roundup Podcast so let's get rolling . . .

8:23 - "Unholy union" of CP3 and Warriors?

38:41 - Suns' Beal gamble

50:56 - NBA Draft: Wemby expectations

1:01:51 - Brandon Miller's red flags, Scoot's intangibles, Thompson Twins' upside

1:11:52 - Cam Whitmore, Dereck Lively, Jordan Hawkins, Jaime Jaquez,

1:18:07 - Trayce Jackson-Davis and Warriors' plans, Dunleavy a liar?, Free Agency questions, and second apron complications

On today's show, it's a wrap, with another NBA Finals in the books, and the 2022-2023 season ends with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets as our NBA champions. The Nuggets' Playoff run was impressive, with only 4 total losses as they rolled through the postseason with never a series in doubt, and today we're looking at what makes them a deserving champ. With the spotlight shining brightest, Nikola Jokic was dominant throughout, and regardless of the chatter, he's dominant whether he scores OR passes, as evidenced by his 30 point near triple double average in the series, but what the numbers don't show is how the entire flow of the Nuggets offense runs through him and how he anchors the defense down low. And we have to mention Jamal Murray, largely forgotten while injured over the past few years, we saw once again how this guy can impact a Playoff series. As for the Heat, hard to knock a team that wasn't even supposed to be here. This was the first series this Playoffs that the Heat were ever down in and they were never able to recapture the magic that got them here. Jimmy Butler carried as much of the load as he could on an injured ankle, and did a respectable job but we never got to see Playoff Jimmy this series. In his stead, Bam stepped up and had a few huge performances, but ultimately, star power can't carry the Heat like it does the Nuggets. This series hinged on the role players for Miami and when the threes are falling, the Heat can be almost unstoppable, but as we saw, they weren't, and by the end of GM 5, after four more desperation misses from deep as the game slipped away, I think even Miami had to admit that Denver was the better team. In an authoritative title run, an MVP gets his ring, a franchise gets it's first title, and I think most reasonable people could agree that we have a worthy champion. So sit back, it's the NBA, all NBA and nothing but the NBA, Finals Edition, and we're breaking down how it's all unfolding, next on the Roundup Podcast so let's get rolling . . .

On today's show, we're getting ready to dig into a rather appetizing NBA Finals matchup for us basketball nerds, while acknowledging that at the same time, Heat/Nuggets might not have the appeal of Lakers/Celtics to the NBA League Office, nostalgia-buffs and casuals. But we have a 2 time league MVP making his first Finals appearance, and he legit has a title-worthy Nuggets team behind him. Jamal Murray made his name in the Bubble before suffering a serious injury, but we could see a super-star turn for him this series, and with Michael Porter Jr, KCP, Bruce Brown & Aaron Gordon leading the role players, they're obviously big time favorites. But don't count out the Heat, never count out the Heat, especially after they dispatched a 1 seed, a 2 seed and a 5 seed as the underdog just to get here. To say they're overachievers is an understatement; their best player is just a fringe star player by the numbers, while in a big game, Jimmy Butler can turn into an all-time great, but I'm worried about an injury to his ankle. Bam Adebayo is his co-star on the Heat, another player whose contributions on the court belie the statistics, and beyond that, it's all about Heat Culture reclamation projects like Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin and Duncan Robinson staying hot shooting the rock. It may not be the Finals you wanted, but it's the Finals true NBA fans deserve. So sit back, it's the NBA, all NBA and nothing but the NBA, Finals Edition, and we're breaking down how it's all unfolding, next on the Roundup Podcast so let's get rolling . . .

On today's show, we were all set to put a wrap on these Conference Finals and move on to the Joker vs Jimmy but the Celtics had something to say about that, taking Game 4 in Miami to avoid the sweep, and in doing so, created for themselves an almost ideal comeback situation, as well as the most probable scenario for a Heat collapse. So we postponed the pod til after GM 5 back in Boston; since we were almost giving that one to the home team, it made sense to wait and see what would happen. And now here we are, the Celtics clawing back to 3-2 heading back to Miami with some momentum and the Heat maybe questioning themselves, and then, if all breaks right, a GM 7 back in Boston. The Celtics have been a shell of what they were in the regular season while the Heat have played out of their minds for a month now, and the possibility of these trends correcting mid-series here is intriguing, even if it's a long shot. So while we have the potential for a series in the East, the Western Conference Finals was more of a referendum on Nikola Jokic as a dominant force. For a sweep, we had more drama than you'd expect, with 3 close games that the Lakers might have won, but in the end, neither AD or LeBron had enough. The Nuggets are going to their first Finals, Jokic has lived up to some of his MVP expectations and we're just waiting to see if they're playing Jimmy or the Jays. So sit back, it's the NBA, all NBA and nothing but the NBA, Playoff Edition, and we're breaking down how it's all unfolding, next on the Roundup Podcast so let's get rolling . . .

On today's show, we're done moping after watching our Warriors take an absolute thrashing in a clinching Game 6 with the Lakers, we're ready to look ahead to the Conference Finals and wrap up Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs, and I'm wondering which fan base took their team's Conference Semifinal exit the hardest. Warrior fans are coming off a title year so they're out, we have nothing to complain about, but Suns' fans legit believed KD could put them over the top, SIxers' fans have waited out the process for a long time and had to believe that in his MVP season, Embiid would lead them to the promised land and Knicks' fans, well, Knicks' fans can't be convinced that Julius Randle couldn't carry them to a ring. As for the winners, we end up with some unlikely seeding matchups, with a 7 seeded Lakers at the 1 seed Nuggets, and the 8 seed Heat at the 2 seed Celtics, but before we preview these series, we're wrapping up the Conference Semifinals, with an extended post-mortem on our Warriors. So sit back, it's the NBA, all NBA and nothing but the NBA, Playoff Edition, and we're breaking down how it's all unfolding, next on the Roundup Podcast so let's get rolling . . .