Open Floor: SI's NBA Show - TopPodcast.com

Latest Episodes:

Bucks add P.J. Tucker, the perils of drafting a big Mar 18, 2021

Show notes

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open with an extended discussion of the Milwaukee Bucks' trade with the Houston Rockets for P.J. Tucker. How does Tucker fit with Milwaukee on offense and defense? Was the price fair? Does Milwaukee have a shot at the No. 1 seed? From there, the guys check in on the Rockets' rebuilding plans and the Miami Heat's trade for Trevor Ariza. Do the Rockets have more deadline moves coming? What does their future hold with Victor Oladipo? How much does Ariza have left in the tank? The guys close with a preview of the top NBA prospects in the NCAA tournament and a look back at the relative success of guards and big men selected near the top of recent drafts. How good does a big need to be these days to warrant a top-five selection given the NBA's evolving style of play?

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BONUS: Jack McCallum on Kobe Bryant, LeBron James & the Redeem Team Mar 17, 2021

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Ben Golliver is joined by special guest Jack McCallum, a former NBA writer at Sports Illustrated, to discuss season two of his podcast series: "The Dream Team Tapes: Kobe, LeBron and The Redeem Team." What were Jack's first impressions of covering a young Kobe Bryant and a young LeBron James? How did Jack track down Phil Jackson for an interview about Bryant? Who emerged as the alpha dog of the 2008 USA Basketball team? Were they destined to win gold or is that revisionist history? Would the original Dream Team beat the 2008 and 2012 Olympic teams? Why was Mike Krzyzewski the right coach for the job? Ben and Jack close by discussing Jerry Colangelo's role as one of basketball's great powerbrokers and then run down the 2021 Hall of Fame finalists to decide which players deserve induction: Chris Bosh, Paul Pierce, Tim Hardaway, Ben Wallace, Chris Webber, Michael Cooper and Marques Johnson.

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Making the case for trade deadline moves Mar 15, 2021

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With little buzz building before the March 25 trade deadline, Ben Golliver and Michael Pina try to decide which bigger names should actually be moved. Ben makes the case for 10 players to be traded and Judge Pina renders his verdicts. Why are the Wizards clinging so desperately to Bradley Beal? Have the Raptors officially reached the point where they need to pull the plug on Kyle Lowry? Should Brooklyn cash in Spencer Dinwiddie for a piece that could help them win the title? Do the Sacramento Kings need to sell high on Harrison Barnes? Would anyone actually bite on Al Horford's contract? Is it time to free Nikola Vucevic from Orlando? Has Devonte Graham become expendable in Charlotte? Do Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram fit with Zion Williamson on the Pelicans? Who has more trade value: Victor Oladipo or Norman Powell?

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NBA Trade Deadline preview Mar 11, 2021

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Ben Golliver and Michael Pina are back from the All-Star Break and ready to look ahead to the March 25 trade deadline. But first: they reflect on the one-year anniversary of the NBA's March 11, 2020, shutdown due to the pandemic. From there, they dig into Brooklyn's addition of Blake Griffin and ask whether LaMarcus Aldridge and Andre Drummond should become Nets too. What will Griffin bring to the table for Brooklyn? How should Aldridge's time in San Antonio be remembered? Ben and Michael then zoom back to discuss whether they expect an active trade deadline, and whether financial losses incurred during the pandemic will influence team decisions. Which teams should be buyers, which teams should be sellers and which teams really, really need to make a move? They close with thoughts on Meyers Leonard's $50,000 fine for using an anti-Semitic slur and whether this will mark the end of his NBA career.

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Recapping All-Star Weekend with 20 burning questions Mar 08, 2021

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Ben Golliver and Michael Pina recap the 2021 NBA All-Star Weekend by answering 20 burning questions. Does the Skills Challenge need to be fixed or dumped? Was Stephen Curry's Three-Point Contest title the highlight of the night? What grade did the Slam Dunk Contest deserve? Did Anfernee Simons deserve to win? Was the Dunk Contest's new final round format a success? How big of a disaster was the contact tracing news about Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons? What were the three most memorable moments of the All-Star Game? Was Giannis Antetokounmpo a deserving ASG MVP selection or did Damian Lillard and Stephen Curry get snubbed? What will next year's All-Star Game look like? After Ben and Michael selected their own All-Star teams last week, whose group performed better on Sunday? Most importantly, was the All-Star Game worth doing this year despite the player complaints?

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Officiating complaints, small-market bias, All-Star preview Mar 04, 2021

Show notes

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina dig into the Utah Jazz's extended criticism of the officiating during their loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday. Are the refs out to get the Jazz? Do their complaints about the officiating reflect frustration over the skepticism they face over their playoff chances? Do these comments deserve substantial fines and will they come back to haunt Utah? From there, Ben and Michael name their first-half MVPs, discuss Lloyd Pierce's firing and conclude that the entire league is ready for a break. Which players (LeBron James) and coaches (Chris Finch) need the break more than anyone else? To close, Ben and Michael preview the Slam Dunk Contest field -- Obi Toppin, Anfernee Simons and Cassius Stanley -- before making their picks for the Skills Challenge, Three-Point Contest, Slam Dunk Contest and All-Star Game MVP.

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The Open Floor's NBA All-Star Mock Draft Mar 01, 2021

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Ben Golliver and Michael Pina pick up sides for Sunday's NBA All-Star Game. Ben serves as Kevin Durant and Michael serves as LeBron James, and they go through selecting their starting lineups and all-star reserves. Should LeBron and KD draft the best overall players or the most entertaining players? Does it make sense to load up a team with two-way talent or creative ball-handlers? Is there enough room for Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic, James Harden and Damian Lillard on the same roster? How much should age factor into this year's picks given the elder statesmen in the mix? How many snubs would have been picked over Julius Randle and Zach LaVine in this draft? And who will be the dreaded last player selected? When it's all over, the Open Floor Globe must decide the winner: Michael's Spirit of St. Louis or Ben's Coney Island Hot Dogs?

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Lagging Lakers, The Jazz machine, All-Star snubs Feb 25, 2021

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Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open with a rundown of their biggest beefs with the 2021 NBA All-Star selections. Was Khris Middleton robbed? Was Devin Booker a worthy injury replacement for Anthony Davis? What about Bam Adebayo? Did the coaches "Do it for the Gram" with this year's selections? From there, they shift to a discussion of the Utah Jazz's blowout win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. On a 1-10 scale, how likely are the Jazz to win the title? How should the Lakers respond in the wake of their losing streak without Anthony Davis? What are the telltale signs of fatigue for LeBron James? From there, the guys double back to take listener reaction to the Timberwolves' firing of Ryan Saunders and close with a more detailed comparison of the 2020 Nets' offense to the 2017 Warriors' attack.

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Bonus episode with Haley O'Shaughnessy: All-Star snubs, Nets makeover, NBAstrology Feb 25, 2021

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Ben Golliver welcomes special guest Haley O'Shaughnessy of Blue Wire Podcasts for a bonus episode. Ben and Haley open with a discussion of her new podcast, "Spinsters," and then break down the biggest All-Star snubs. How would they handle being snubbed publicly? Which players got the short end of the stick this year? What does Khris Middleton have to do to get some respect? From there, Ben and Haley shift gears to brainstorm ways to help the Brooklyn Nets win over new fans. Do the Nets need to re-brand? Should Michael Pina finally forgive James Harden and embrace the Brooklyn bandwagon? Then, it's time for a deep dive into the world of NBA astrology. What can "signs" tell us about LeBron James, Rudy Gobert and Reggie Jackson? At the end, Haley gives Ben a customized astrology reading and offers advice to become a better person and media member based on the results. You can hear Haley and her co-host Jordan Ligons "put a new spin on the NBA" on their new podcast "Spinsters." Listen and subscribe here.

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Rethinking the Nets, Fixing the Celtics, Firing Ryan Saunders Feb 22, 2021

Show notes

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina check in with the Brooklyn Nets, who are on a six-game winning streak and have started to win over some skeptics, including one Open Floor Globe member. After wins over the Lakers and Clippers, is Michael still sure that Brooklyn's defense will be a fatal flaw? Is it possible for James Harden to get appropriate credit for his recent work given his ugly exit from Houston? From there, they shift gears to the .500 Boston Celtics and their catastrophic collapse against the New Orleans Pelicans. Does Boston have a path to a third star? What should they do with their trade exception and should they part with future picks to land Harrison Barnes? Can any buyout candidates help balance their rotation? Ben and Michael close with a discussion of the Minnesota Timberwolves' decision to fire Ryan Saunders. Why did Saunders have to go now? Was it shady to line up Toronto Raptors assistant Chris Finch as his replacement so suddenly and did David Vanterpool deserve a shot? What constitutes a successful season for Minnesota now?

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