Welcome to the Hoops Before Homework podcast where your hosts, Leander Wallace and Josh Balta, talk all things NBA. These two high school teachers and coaches will make you think outside the box while laughing like you are a kid again as only great teachers can. Whether it's a deep dive on the career of Wilt Chamberlain or just a discussion about life, your hosts will have you never wanting to miss an episode. After all, hoops should always come before homework!
entertaining, great.
Listeners of Hoops Before Homework that love the show mention: next, content,The guys are back to overreact! After just two weeks worth of games, what's better than a few over-reaches and bold takes? The Nets were being crowned Eastern Conference Champs after just two games and now, as Leander puts it, "not a playoff team." The Raptors have been slow out of the gate. Will they continue to struggle early on? Luka and the Mavs? Jimmy? And of course, what is an episode without BRCNBA talk?
Leander and Balta reveal their pre-season NBA predictions of Finals matchup, MVP, ROTY, and more. BRCNBA League Commissioner, Jon Menna, joins the guys to give his takes on the season as well, while giving an in-depth pre-season review of BRCNBA's upcoming 6th season.
Leander, Balta, and the Bobblehead join up to talk the 2020 NBA Finals. The guys debate whether LeBron made the right basketball play be passing to Danny Green, the Heat's chances of pulling off a miracle comeback, Jimmy Butler's rise, and include a BRCNBA segment that has been much requested.
Host Joshua Balta is joined by none other than the Bobblehead, Dylan Marlar to discuss the Clippers collapse, Balta gives his heartfelt apology to Lakers Nation and more importantly, Lebron James. Conference Finals Preview is discussed, and Lebron's greatness is discussed in length. KD and Steph even make an appearance.
The guys break down recent playoff action! Can the Bucks and Raptors come back from down 2-0? Do the Rockets or Nuggets have a chance in their respective series against the Lakers and the Clippers? Nash in as Nets HC. Balta gives us his top 5 rank. Rapid Fire.
The guys are back and talking Playoff Basketball! Are the Lakers in real trouble? Can the Bucks re-kindle pre-shutdown glory? Draft Lotto went down last night and Balta's Hornets came away with the biggest climb of the evening, yet his BRC-NBA fantasy league dreams of owning the number one spot were shot. Balta gives his pre-playoff picks while seeing that his pick of OKC over HOU is in serious jeopardy. Leander argues that Dame is outside of the top 10 while Balta could not disagree less.
The NBA is back and so are the guys from Hoops Before Homework! The season started with a BANG (insert Mike Breen) and so your hosts jumped right in breaking down the biggest games from the restart: Pels/Jazz, Clips/Lakers, Blazers/Grizz, Bucks/Celtics. Leander hits Balta with an untimely pop quiz in true English Teacher fashion: Who started for the Wizards? How about those new look Nets? Rockets/Mavs may score 400 combined, Balta steals Leander's YouTube TV subscription, Will you be watching Kings/Magic this weekend?
On this episode Leander goes in on Balta for doing something he said he would never do...get a dog. Leander doesn't stop there. He calls the new pup "ugly." The guys discuss the impact of longevity versus peak when taking legacies into consideration. Cavs version of Shaq makes an appearance! The players have arrived in Florida and have plenty to say about their living conditions. We discuss those and declare our affinity for free food! Many fantasy leagues nationwide have called the season off, but not ours! Did we mention that we believe we have the best league in the country? The guys also offer strong candidates that we believe will be crucial to a mini-postseason run.
The guys discuss the return of the NBA being as real as ever despite the rising COVID numbers in Florida. Also, have you considered how to break into the "bubble" in Florida? Well, the guys lay out their plan to do exactly that! Legacies are discussed in depth as Leander lays out which superstars (Harden? LeBron? Giannis? Kawhi?) will benefit the most from winning a title. Finally, we must know... would you choke if you had the chance to make a layup for 50k in front of 22,000 fans?
Host Leander Wallace makes his return to the show following the birth of his son and goes head on with negative Giannis takes that occurred during his absence. The guys talk the now "infamous" "Kyrie Call" and its possible implications. Disney has released a list of the amenities that players will have at their disposal in Orlando, but one sticks out above the rest. Balta apologizes for prior statements on Nikola Jokic, and the two teachers take you to math class discussing Vegas' odds on each team hoisting the O'Brien trophy.
Former LSU and NC State standout Ralston Turner joins the show to talk about everything from pickup ball's unwritten rules to LeBron James to the recent deaths of unarmed African Americans. Is doubling in pickup okay? Should NC State's coaching staff have laid off of BeeJay Anya's lefty hooks shot? Is the G-League better or worse than power 5 college basketball? You can find all the answers in this episode. Ralston and the guys cap the episode off by getting serious and discussing the tragic deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd.
The guys talk about the proposed 1-16 seeded playoff format, and how it will affect each team. Leander thinks Paul Pierce has a beef with LeBron and is allowing it to cloud his judgment, and both hosts believe Kendrick Perkins is flat out wrong about the Harden vs Steph debate. History class is in session as Tommy Kearns is the subject of today's lesson.
Balta and Leander close out The Last Dance, and each give their thoughts on Jordan's place all-time. Leander reminds everyone just how bad the 98-99 season truly was once it resumed. Jordan and LeBron's accomplishments and place in all-time debates are discussed, and Balta tells you why Draymond Green is nothing more than a 3-Musketeers Bar (yes, you read that correctly). Leander tells you why the Memphis Grizzlies will be NBA champs within three years.Links:Jack McCallum article: https://vault.si.com/vault/1997/03/10/a-cut-above-more-than-ever-it-seems-no-team-can-catch-the-bulls-is-that-good-for-the-nba90's Reunion Video: https://youtu.be/yy3S4vBu18U
In this episode, your hosts are joined by three members of the much talked about BRC fantasy league. The guys discuss the beginnings of the league and how it transformed into a full-fledged imitation of the real NBA collective bargaining agreement. Each member discusses their thoughts on this year's NBA draft as well as LaMelo. Jon tells why the Nets bleak history will soon change, Dylan says LeBron James is reason enough to believe the Lakers will win the title, and Ed lays out his 6-step plan for the Knicks to win it all in 2023!
The guys wonder if James Harden's feelings are hurt by not being included in the superstar phone call. Both Leander and Balta have a problem with George Mikan being included in ESPN's top 40 players of all time, and class is in session as today's content is History 101 and a rule that we bet you didn't know about! George Karl gets hammered for making two major errors in the '96 Finals.
On this episode of Hoops Before Homework Balta tells of the tragedies of being a Hornets fan, the guys discuss the sham that is MVP voting, and the biggest takeaways from The Last Dance episodes 5-6. Leander tells the world why the Brooklyn Nets can win a championship in another edition of "Hear Me Out."
Your hosts introduce themselves and jump straight into their takeaways from "The Last Dance."