Open Floor: Si's Nba Show

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina pick up the pieces from a wild weekend of basketball to discuss the crumbling Los Angeles Lakers, the streaking Denver Nuggets, and the exciting duel between the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets. What's wrong with Anthony Davis? Did LeBron James return too quickly? Does Andre Drummond even fit? Should Nikola Jokic be viewed as the best player in basketball, not just this year's MVP? Can Giannis Antetokounmpo sustain his monster 49-point effort against Brooklyn across an entire playoff series or will the Nets adjust their defensive approach to stopping him? Would James Harden have made a difference on Sunday? At the end, Michael helps Ben preview his first book, "Bubbleball," which releases on Tuesday. How will the bubble be remembered? What was Ben's writing process like? What are the worst questions he's gotten during promo interviews?   Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina break out their crystal balls in an attempt to handicap the 2026 NBA MVP race. What will the NBA look like in five years? Which types of players will have the inside track on the league's most coveted award? Will any players who are currently 30 or older be in the mix? Will playmaking forwards still dominate the discussion. Once they've set the parameters, Ben and Michael break out their top five lists. Luka Doncic or Zion Williamson? Where should Anthony Davis rank? Do any current rookies like LaMelo Ball or incoming 2022 rookies like Cade Cunningham crack the top five? Can Bam Adebayo be the next Kevin Garnett? Can Ja Morant be the next Derrick Rose? Should Michael Porter Jr. be included among the dark horse contenders? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina search for silver linings during the NBA's pandemic season by highlighting two interesting awards races: Coach of the Year and Most Improved Player. Which criteria should matter more in Coach of the Year: results or overachievement? Will Utah's Quin Snyder and Phoenix's Monty Williams be held back by skepticism about their teams' playoff capabilities? Will Tom Thibodeau carry the day thanks to big-market bias? Does Steve Nash have a case? What about Doc Rivers or Nate McMillan? Who is the League Pass Alert Coach of the Year aka the underrated coach who doesn't get enough attention? Is MIP going to Julius Randle no matter what? Do Zion Williamson and Michael Porter Jr. have cases despite their relative youth? And is Michael crazy for suggesting Joel Embiid deserves a look?  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open with a rundown of the NBA community's response to the verdict in the Derek Chauvin trial. Was this "justice" for George Floyd? What role did current and former NBA players play in ensuring that this prosecution took place? Did the league and its teams strike the right notes in their statements and what were the Oakland Raiders thinking? From there, Ben and Michael shift to a discussion of teams hitting newfound turbulence. Will the Hawks fall into the East's play-in round after Trae Young's ankle injury? Are the Blazers doomed to be passed by the Mavericks and lose control of the coveted sixth seed? The guys wrap with Open Floor Globe suggestions for the NBA Clone Wars, the power of positive reinforcement in coaching players, and our habits towards the referees in pick-up games.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina reflect on Stephen Curry's torrid April by taking a fresh look at the Golden State Warriors guard's place in the MVP, All-NBA and "Best Player Alive" conversations. Then, they shift gears to imagine a world with NBA clones. Could 5 LeBrons beat 5 Durants or 5 Kawhis? Would 5 Zions beat 5 Stephs? What's the ideal combination of clones to form a superteam: 1 LeBron, 2 Durants, 1 Steph and 1 Anthony Davis? Would a Zion/Zion pick-and-roll combination be unstoppable? How do Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic and James Harden factor into this conversation? At the end: Playing matchmaker in the Eastern Conference playoff field. Which play-in candidates should the favorites root for as first-round opponents and which teams are looming as potential spoilers? Can Miami climb out of the play-in round? Will Washington sneak in to make things interesting? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina gather themselves during a storm of NBA news to discuss LaMarcus Aldridge's sudden retirement due to an irregular heartbeat. How will Aldridge be remembered? How will the Nets adjust without him? From there, Michael presents his research findings on Joel Embiid's incredible shooting numbers. Which factors are driving Embiid's shooting and can they be trusted in the playoffs? Will the new-and-improved Embiid be able to win the match-up game in a way that he wasn't able to in postseasons past? Then, the guys discuss whether James Wiseman's injury clarified the Golden State Warriors' goals in the short-term. Can they transform into the Stephen Curry Show as they eye the play-in tournament and are they a sneaky threat if they claim the 8th seed? The episode closes with Ben trying to get Michael to admit that he secretly loves Luka Magic after the Dallas Mavericks' miraculous last-second win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Learn more about your ad-choices at h

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina catch their breath during the dog days of the NBA's regular season to look ahead to the 2021 NBA playoffs. Which players are looming as X-factors in the title chase? Can LaMarcus Aldridge hold up against big centers or will size be the Nets' undoing? Is Bojan Bogdanovic the key to a properly-balanced offense for the Jazz? Can Aaron Gordon transform the Nuggets from very good to great? How heavy will Donte DiVincenzo's load be in Milwaukee's new backcourt? Can Rajon Rondo step forward for the Clippers in ways that Patrick Beverley and Reggie Jackson can't? Is Deandre Ayton ready for primetime? Will Tobias Harris finally show up? Why has less Kemba Walker been more for the Boston Celtics and should that continue? Can the Hawks win a first round series if Bogdan Bogdanovic shows up big?   Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina take stock of the Phoenix Suns after a signature win over the Utah Jazz. Should Chris Paul be an all-NBA selection? Can Devin Booker be trusted in the clutch? Will Deandre Ayton be their playoff X-factor and did his play against the Jazz inspire newfound confidence? Who can the Suns beat in the first round and would drawing the Lakers be their worst nightmare? From there, Ben and Michael break down Kevin Durant's long-awaited return and whether the Brooklyn Nets are as unfairly loaded as their critics like to suggest. They close by looking at the Bulls' future and running through Open Floor Globe reactions to the NBA's best and worst contracts. Do Alex Caruso, Donovan Mitchell, Carmelo Anthony and Trae Young deserve some love? Were Otto Porter and Steven Adams snubbed from the “worst” list? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina open by recapping Baylor's NCAA title game triumph over Gonzaga and discussing Jalen Suggs' strong tournament run. Does Suggs have a shot at being the first pick? Did the NCAA tournament prove its worth from a visibility standpoint compared to the G-League? Then, the guys dig into Suggs' best NBA fits. Should he ride shotgun to Zion Williamson in New Orleans? Take over for Kyle Lowry in Toronto? Enjoy an epic homecoming in Minnesota? Pair with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in OKC? Ben and Michael close by shifting gears to dissect Jrue Holiday's four-year, $160 million extension. Is this one of the NBA's worst contracts? Was it still worth doing? What chance does Milwaukee have to win a title with its new Big 3? Is Jrue Holiday now Milwaukee's version of Tobias Harris?  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina take a look at the NBA's best and worst contracts after the trade deadline and the round of buyout agreements. Who is delivering the most value in the league this year? Should LeBron James be the automatic No. 1? Or should all-stars on rookie deals like Luka Doncic and Zion Williamson top the list? Which veteran all-stars are delivering max production on non-max deals and which former second-round picks are way outperforming their contracts? On the flip side, now that guys like Blake Griffin and Andre Drummond have been bought out, which deals are the league's most onerous? Would you rather have John Wall, Russell Westbrook or Kevin Love? Does Klay Thompson have to be mentioned? How does Tobias Harris, who has had an awesome season, factor into this conversation?  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina analyze the latest buyout moves, including LaMarcus Aldridge to the Brooklyn Nets and Andre Drummond to the Los Angeles Lakers. What roles will Aldridge and Drummond play in the postseason? Which factors influenced their decisions? Does the recent acceleration of buyouts harm small-market teams? Should the NBA institute rules governing buyouts to help limit the flow of veteran players to a select number of contenders? From there, Ben and Michael discuss whether two-way wings were the real winners of the trade deadline before digging into the NBA's tank race. Is OKC headed for a draft lottery dream after shutting down Al Horford? Who needs the number one pick the most? Which team deserves the top pick? The guys close with a look at the MVP race and how best to pitch Nikola Jokic's candidacy to voters.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/priv

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina react to Thursday's NBA trade deadline, handing out their grades for a busier-than-expected day and running through the winners and losers. Were the Orlando Magic smart for pulling the plug? How do Nikola Vucevic, Aaron Gordon and Evan Fournier fit in their new homes? Which aspiring contenders in the West made moves that could tilt the title chase? Will the Miami Heat's many new additions boost them higher in the East standings? Was anyone a bigger loser than the Houston Rockets? Did the Chicago Bulls make a sneaky good play by adding Daniel Theis? Should the Raptors have lowered their asking price to get a Kyle Lowry trade done or was grabbing Gary Trent Jr. enough? Will Portland be willing to pay up to keep Norman Powell or is this a short-term rental only? Will Victor Oladipo's short Houston tenure turn into another example of Player Tanking?  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brand

Ben Golliver and Michael Pina dig into a depressing weekend of NBA injury news concerning LeBron James and LaMelo Ball. How will the Lakers manage without LeBron James and how far will they slide in the standings? Does the high ankle sprain end his MVP pursuit, and which players are the new favorites? Will top teams try to tank down the stretch to avoid the Lakers in the playoffs? From there, Ben and Michael pay a quick tribute to Ball's sensational rookie year by listing their favorite moments and ranking him compared to his fellow under-23 playmakers. The guys close with a discussion of Aaron Gordon's reported trade request and ponder a listener's question about whether the NBA should seek better competitive balance by mandating that each team can only have one all-star or one player on a max contract. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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?  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https:

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? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

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.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: h

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? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy &

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.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redci

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?  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcir