Tim Bontemps

Trust me, I like him a lot, and was surprised he wasn’t playing more earlier this year. There’s just only so many spots. Like I said, if they pick up that option for next season I will be pretty surprised if he’s not on it.

I really like Keon, I just like Nickiel a little more. Can pretty much guarantee he will be on the team next year if he’s on that team option.

This ending of Wolves-Grizzlies has been awesome.

'You cannot intimidate Pat Riley': What we're hearing on the Butler-Heat stalemate Jimmy Butler wants to be traded. Miami boss Pat Riley says no. We have the latest intel on the simmering Heat saga, plus why one active team has more trades to make.

New ESPN story: “You cannot intimidate Pat Riley.”

The stare down between Riley and Jimmy Butler that will dominate the NBA for the next month, the streaking Cavs, a look at the trade market & more in this week’s trip around the NBA with Windo.
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Moving D’Angelo Russell now decreases the chances of the Lakers making a big move this year. But, as we’ve talked about a lot, it’s unclear any big salary moves will be happening at all. So to get a useful player for him (albeit one who has slipped defensively) in DFS for him is a good move for LAL.

What a start to the Christmas Day NBA slate:

— Knicks win behind 41 from Mikal Bridges and some absurd play from Josh Hart late

— Victor Wembanyama goes for 42-18-4-4 in his Christmas debut, falls just short of Wilt’s record of 45

Just a tremendous back-and-forth game right down to the end.

I said on the pod I believe the top three is locked in barring a wild change. I only think Luka has a realistic chance to break into it, but we shall see.

I would say it’s a pretty biased fan perspective. Also, all of these players are deserving candidates. Ranking one first and one fourth shouldn’t be taken as an insult when they all have real cases.

No, I think Jokic pretty clearly deserved to win. I had Luka second and Shai third, but think you could easily have flipped them (as they were in the overall ballot).

Ha. His rim numbers have gotten much better as the season has progressed, and he’s been great, though I do have concerns about their defense overall (and still would have Brunson above him in MVP discussions).

The major takeaway, for me — as discussed on today’s Hoop Collective with MacMahon and Windhorst — is that there’s a very clear top 3, and unlike in past years I think it’ll be very difficult for anyone else to break into it.

Choosing between them, though, is going to be excruciating all year.

Hello, Dan.

Ha. You ain’t lying, buddy.

NBA MVP straw poll, and why the Cup final led to nearly 30 changed votes Who has the early edge in the MVP race? Tim Bontemps takes the pulse of the league with a vote that mimics the official ballot.

Might as well debut here on a big day: Straw Poll Day!

Here’s the first MVP Straw Poll of the 2024-25 campaign, which is shaping up to be a contentious three-horse race between very deserving candidates — and saw a big shift after Tuesday’s NBA Cup final. Thoughts?

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