Shot Tower

The Shot Tower pod breaks down all the most interesting trades—including Nets/76ers, Kings/Pacers, Mavs/Wizards, Spurs/Celtics, and Heat/Thunder. Jalen and Michael also discuss the many reunions brought about by those trades—particularly James Harden and Daryl Morey (see "Reunited" by Peaches and Herb).   Yaron Weitzmen article about the Nets/76ers trade: https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nba/james-harden-ben-simmons-trade-inside-story-behind-the-deal

As we reach the trade deadline, the Shot Tower crew breaks down the real-NBA and fantasy-NBA implications of the trades so far—including the LeVert trade between the Pacers and the Cavaliers; why the Cavaliers won the Harden trade last season (and not the Rockets or the Nets); and the trade between the Clippers and the Trailblazers to get the Blazers under the luxury tax. As an afterthought, we discuss why the Lakers and Jazz are doomed and should apologize to their fan bases. 

The Shot Tower crew talks about the joy of Klay Day, Stephen Silas and his love for KPJ, the historic offensive rating of the Jazz, all the trades we want to see, and Lebron's statistical milestone.

The Shot Tower pod chops up the trades that will happen, the trades that should happen, and the trades we would most like (or not) to see—including new homes for Jerami Grant, Denis Schroder, Ben Simmons, Gordon Hayward, and most of the Trailblazers.

The Shot Tower crew discusses all of the nuances of Steph Curry's brilliance while watching him claim the all-time three-pointers made record from Ray Allen. Jalen Eutsey (@jaleneutsey) reads his Steph Curry inspired persona poem, Confessions of a Golden State Warrior, and sheds some light on the events and media referenced in the poem. The development of the NBA's youngest stars, including Cade Cunningham, LaMelo Ball, Ja Morant, and Anthony Edwards are analyzed. 

The Shot Tower crew welcomes Sandra Marchetti (author of Confluence) to discuss her excellent poems about basketball and the Chicago Bulls, writing about baseball and other sports, her Chicago fandom, and bonding with her father over sports. Check out Sandra's poem "Winter Wednesday" at HeadFake Hoops: https://medium.com/head-fake/winter-wednesday-810c140e134b Andrew Forbes book "The Utility of Boredom: Baseball Essays": https://bookshop.org/books/the-utility-of-boredom-baseball-essays/9781926743691  

The Shot Tower crew reconvenes to discuss the Isaiah Stewart and LeBron James dust-up, playoff outlooks for the Warriors, Lakers, Suns, Nets, Bucks, and Heat, and whether or not a Ben Simmons trade can save the Sacramento Kings from themselves. 

The brilliant Seth Partnow visits the Shot Tower pod to discuss his excellent new book, The Midrange Theory: Basketball's Evolution in the Age of Analytics. We discuss how understanding analytics can deepen fandom for and appreciation of this beautiful game, as well as the midrange theory itself, how media influences viewing, how steals can be a predictor of NBA success, 2-for 1s, some of the numbers behind the Bucks signing Brook Lopez, why some good players aren't as good in the playoffs, and the many pitfalls of the draft.

The Shot Tower crew gets into some early season trends, including Seth Partnow's analytic examination of the slow start for NBA offenses, the new Wilson basketball, the physicality of the Miami Heat, the sweet-shooting Warriors, the immaculate 76ers, the youth movements in Detroit and Houston, fantasy surprises and disappointments, and the age-old question—two for the tie or three for the win. 

The Shot Tower crew welcomes special guest John Wilmes of RealGM (@johnwilmeswords on Twitter) and we discuss the fiasco in Philadelphia, the new-look Bulls, the young Pistons, Thibs and minutes, and our hopes for the new season.

The Shot Tower roster previews the wide-open Western Conference with special consideration for the Suns, Lakers, Jazz, Warriors, Clippers, Mavericks, Grizzlies, and Rockets. 

The Shot Tower squad previews the Eastern Conference with special emphasis on the Nets, Bucks, 76ers, Hawks, Heat, Knicks, Hornets, & Pistons.

Terry Horstman's (@terryhorstman) beautiful essay about Dwyane Wade and Prince at Flagrant Magazine, what it's like to be a Minnesota Timberwolves fan for your entire life, follow-up on the Timberwolves coaching hiring and firing, the terrible timing of the Lloyd Pierce firing and Travis Schlenk's culpability, and the all-Prince NBA starting five.

The crew talks about Chris Finch’s surprise hiring in Minnesota, the Brooklyn Nets rounding into form, James Harden playing a more team-friendly style, Jaden McDaniels’ breakout potential, and NBA Top Shot—the blockchain-backed digital trading card system developed by Dapper Labs. Gotta love #thisleague.

Players speak out about the All Star game, Draymond speaks out for better player treatment, the amazing Jae'Sean Tate, and a big trade in Scorekeeper.

The crew is joined by Andrew Kelly (@andlankell) to talk all things Hawks—Trae Young’s ceiling, De’Andre Hunter’s progress, Cam Reddish’s stagnation, Kevin Huerter’s secondary playmaking, and a list of potential trade and free agent targets. They also take a look at some of the leagues exciting young (fantasy) players—LaMelo Ball, Immanuel Quickley, Keldon Johnson, Théo Maledon, and Nickeil Alexandar-Walker.

The usual crew of Michael Kimball (@MichaelKimball), Kyle Stine (@kjstine), and Jalen Eutsey (@jaleneutsey) get together in week 6 of the NBA season to discuss the surging Denver Nuggets, with particular focus on Michael Porter Jr’s impressive performances; the Brooklyn Nets steadying themselves after back-to-back surprising losses to the Cleveland Cavaliers; and Jerami Grant and Bam Adebayo continuing their breakout seasons.

The crew gets together with David Smooke to talk about the “Jarrett Allen trade” and all of the attending real and fantasy-NBA fallout for James Harden, Caris LeVert, Victor Oladipo, Taurean Prince and their respective teams, the Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers. We discuss the string of short-sighted cost-cutting decisions from Tilman Fertitta that lead to the recent mass exit out of Houston. The crew also talks about the Cleveland Cavaliers handling of the Kevin Porter Jr situation, the hot start for the New York Knicks and Thibs being Thibs. Finally, an unexpected knock-down drag-out argument over Cole Anthony’s value and potential in both the real and fantasy-NBA.

In a tumultuous week in and around the NBA, we come together to reflect on the role the league and players have played in recent politics and the worsening coronavirus situation that has postponed several games. The Pelicans' playoff situation, the Grizzlies' perseverance, and the never-ending Thunder enter the discussion. And Trae Young and John Collins get a surprise comparison to Kyrie and Dion Waiters.  

The crew is joined by Micah Wimmer to discuss the best current basketball writers, best sports books, the defining traits of today’s NBA superstars, and how the basketball internet has helped develop their fandom. They take a look at Russell Westbrook’s legacy and the war of words between Kyrie Irving and NBA media. The conversation closes with a nostalgic look at the fever dream that was the 2015-16 Steph Curry and Golden State Warriors season and the Philadelphia 76ers quietly strong start to the 2020 season.

The crew talks about the wild ups and downs of the early season and what they mean for fantasy managers. The high highs of the Brooklyn Nets, the low lows of the Detroit Pistons, and the extreme highs and lows of the Clippers and Sixers. Darius Garland hitting his stride for the undefeated Cavs. Plus some surprise fantasy values we're seeing on the waiver wire: Terrence Ross, Rudy Gay, Cole Anthony, and the biggest of all, Garland himself. We can't help but talk Harden trades, and we take some time considering the struggling Warriors. Will it be variance for them, too, before a solid season? Only time will tell. 

After a flurry of fantasy drafts for our various leagues, the guys on Shot Tower reflect on trends: the ebbs and flows of auction drafts, players who were overdrafted, and picks that might be sneaky values. We follow up on our discussion of rookies and recap how they were valued in the draft. And with the NBA kicking off, we make some predictions on conference finals matchups and the teams most likely to meet in the Finals.

All fantasy all the time. The Shot Tower crew sits down with the amazing Stan Son (fantasy NBA writer for Razzball, DraftKings, and RotoBaller) to talk about draft value, overdrafted players, drafting rookies, pace, punts, H2H benchmarks, and the fantasy implications of recent trades. We talk about rookies LaMelo Ball and Killian Hayes, the Sixers and Celtics as they played live, the fantasy ripple effects of Giannis's recent max extension with the Bucks, potential fallout from the inevitable James Harden trade, Stan's hometown favorite and NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers, and a little scenario involving Lebron, Steph, Kyrie, and KD. 

We talk about five teams that made move in hopes of getting a taste of the playoffs—the Hornets, Hawks, Suns, Pelicans, and Wizards.

Recap the top draft picks and early free agency signings from the Pistons, Sixers, and Heat. Also touch on the Oklahoma City Thunder's offseason because there is zero NBA business at the moment that Sam Presti doesn't have a hand in—#TrustTheProcess reborn. Hope springs eternal for these Pistons fans!

The full gang is back together again. Kyle Stine, Michael Kimball, and Jalen Eutsey discuss the top 2020 NBA draft prospects as well as the way these prospect are covered and talked about in the media, especially LaMelo Ball. The group lists the players they like in the draft, where they'd like to see the draft's best players wind-up, and even throw out a few blockbuster trade options. Kyle questions who's more to blame for the fall of the Houston Rockets, James Harden or Russell Westbrook?

In this episode we review the 2020 NBA Finals up to this point, detailing the adjustment dance Frank Vogel and Erik Spoelstra have undertaken and highlighting the strong play of Jimmy Butler. We dive into Heat Culture, Mamba Mentality, and the irksome experience of watching your favorite team battle with one of the game's most inevitable, all-time great players (LeBron James). We give the Los Angeles Lakers their due credit and preview what should be a bright future for the Miami Heat.

David Smooke rejoins the pod to discuss the 1977 NBA Finals between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Philadelphia 76ers. We explore the ABA/NBA merger, including some of its lesser known backroom deals. We map out Julius Irving's journey from the Nets to the 76ers and detail the intertwined histories of the Blazers and 76ers. We discuss the style of play from both teams, the way the game is shot and broadcast, and assert a link between developments in broadcast technology and the NBA's stylistic developments. 

The season wrap up of the Scorekeeper fantasy basketball league and the re-start of the real NBA as the world turns toward positive social change.

During the first season after the NBA/ABA merger, the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers faced off in the Western Conference Semifinals. David Thompson scored 40 points in this game, the third of the series, but Bill Walton's all-around brilliance and the Blazers depth ultimately won out. The Blazers went on to win the NBA Finals, the first and only title for Jack Ramsay and his colorful 70's chic outfits. In this episode, we discuss Walton's impressive passing, Lionel Hollins' verve, positional archetypes, David Thompson's demons, and the funk origins of ABA nicknames. We compare the NBA and ABA aesthetics', touch on some of the ABA's whacky history, and our guest, David Smooke examines how the three-point line is actually a constraint that allows for greater freedom.https://www.nytimes.com/1976/05/27/archives/aba-trophy-returns.htmlhttps://deadspin.com/how-to-lose-everything-and-get-some-of-it-back-1833665975 

"Artistic ability, imagination, body-flow, and fan response"—this was the judging criteria for the 1976 ABA Dunk Contest, the first major dunk contest in history. This contest gave us Dr. J's renowned free-throw line dunk and spawned decades of free-throw line dunks from Michael Jordan, Clyde Drexler, Brent Barry, Vince Carter, and most recently, Zach LaVine. In this episode, we dive into the history of the dunk—an act that was rebellious and subversive from its origin. We outline the dunk’s creative and aesthetic evolution, from its first cage-hanging iteration in 1910 to Derrick Jones Jr. in the 2020 NBA Dunk Contest. We re-examine the NCAA’s dunking ban—which robbed David Thompson of countless highlights—and the racial tensions which may have led to the ban. We journey backwards in time, dissecting the 1976, 1985, 1988, 2016, and 2020 Dunk Contests.

Is the NBA's most storied moment a bad game? Were we so caught up in the hype and drama of The Last Dance, in awe of MJ's accumulated greatness and the finale of the Bulls dynasty, that we didn't notice that the players were beset by injuries and fatigue, the game was plodding, the refs missed crucial calls, and the Bulls made a game plan of illegal defense? Join us as we revel in chipping away at the aura. We talk the triangle, Dennis Rodman and Karl Malone facing off in a WCW tag-team main event, the Bulls' iconic intro music and pregame theater, Skip Bayless in his early days as a Bulls sportswriter, whether Walter White has something of Michael Jordan in him, and how despite all the ugly parts of the game, MJ was still transcendent. 

We draw a line from our present moment back to Game 6 of the 1963 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers—Bob Cousy's final game—and think about how much the game has changed from its inception to 1963. We reflect again on Dave Hickey's seminal basketball essay, "The Heresy of Zone Defense," as we consider the NBA's rules changes, spikes in popularity, and an improved broadcast product, while also looking back at the barnstorming teams of the 1920s and the leagues that came before the NBA, with teams that moved from city to city, and sometimes, like the leagues themselves, even folded before basketball caught on as a popular sport.We should give a shout out to some sources, which were helpful in contextualizing this game:Hickey, Dave. "The Heresy of Zone Defense." Air Guitar: Essays on Art and Democracy (1997): 156-157.Neal-Lunsford, Jeff. "Sport in the land of television: The use of sport in network prime-time schedules 1946-50." Journal of sport history 19, no. 1 (1992): 56-76.Sarmento, Mario R. "The NBA on Network Television: A Historical Analysis." PhD diss., State University System of Florida, 1998.Staffo, Donald F. "The Development of Professional Basketball in the United States, with an Emphasis on the History of the NBA to its 50th Anniversary Season in 1996-97." Physical Educator 55, no. 1 (1998): 9.

We are joined by writer and field reporter Louis Keene (Unstatable) to chop up the Rockets vs. Supersonics, Western Conference Semifinals Game 6, a losing team (the Sonics) making it to the Western Conference Finals, the Twin Towers of the Rockers, the Sonics as an early iteration of today’s NBA game, Hakeem Olajuwon’s early greatness (even though the announcers don’t quite see it), Dale Ellis as Lamar Mundane, how you better pass Tom Chambers the ball, pre-Eurostep NBA, the sadness of Ralph Sampson missing free throws, and how basketball is an unending source of joy.For more on the discussion, check out:Louis Keene, Unstatable https://unstatable.substack.com/people/4182638"Tom Chambers: The First Free Agent” https://www.nba.com/suns/history/impact-tom-chambers-and-unrestricted-free-agency#"Ellis Sets 3-Point Record as Sonics Defeat Clippers" https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-04-21-sp-1321-story.html "Dale Ellis: 'I'm the Best Shooter of All Time'" https://www.slamonline.com/archives/dale-ellis-im-the-best-shooter-of-all-time/

The End of Showtime: Magic's 20 assists, Kareem's last playoff win, Byron Scott goes off, the shooter Tom Chambers, Klay's dad shows up, short shorts and long socks, Kevin Johnson and the young Suns get up and down, and how this game was the beginning of the great run for the Pistons.

In a period of social distancing and with the NBA season currently suspended, we bring the pod back online remotely for some much-needed community and basketball connection to discuss one of NBA.com's classic games: the Orlando Magic at the Charlotte Hornets on November 9, 1994. We talk about how the players played, how the game looked and sounded, and what it all tells us about where the NBA was coming from, with the tail end of Robert Parish's career and Michael Jordan's first retirement, and where the league would go, with the seeds of Steph's game already appearing in Dell Curry's three-point shooting and with the more immediate rise of Shaq to his soon-to-be championship dominance. 

NBA birthdays and carpools, buyout season, Scorekeeper fantasy league predictions, and NBA playoff predictions.

The best all-star game ever; the amazing Elam ending; Dave Hickey's "The Heresy of the Zone Defense" (rules that liberate versus rules that govern); and the controversial dunk contest.https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a30668419/kobe-bryant-dead-at-41-obituary/ http://classes.dma.ucla.edu/Winter18/289/dave-hickey-the-heresy-of-zone-defense.pdf https://theathletic.com/1609152/2020/02/15/about-that-elam-ending-a-qa-with-its-creator-nick-elam-about-strategy-and-gameplay/ https://open.spotify.com/episode/465i6XS7z5jOUorqRkyt5g  

More minutes for Wood, Sekou, and Maker; Drummond making Thompson fantasy irrelevant; DLo’s numbers go up and Wiggins becomes Harrison Barnes; Marcus Morris becomes a sell high; the cratering fantasy value for Robinson III, Burks, Korkmaz, and maybe Thybulle; Martin getting minutes in Charlotte.

The 4-team, 12-player trade involving Covington, Capela, Beasley; DLo to the Timberwolves and Wiggins to the Warriors; Marcus Morris to the Clippers (playing keep away from the Lakers); the sad end to Andre Drummond career in Detroit; the Sixers get some wing depth; and Miami gets Iggy and Crowder while the Grizzlies add Winslow to the young core.

MLK Day reigns as the best regular season day of NBA basketball, NBA Indigenous Night, the Jazz rising in the West, the Lakers and Rockets moving in different directions, another boring trade, the most boring superteam in the NBA (the Bucks), the Sixers working over the Celtics, Kemba's terrible Lebron losing streak, and the Irving/Erving saga with the Nets.

Jeff Teague returns to the team that drafted him to give Trae Young the backup the Hawks need. Sekou Doumbouya arrives, and Pistons fans build big hopes while the franchise continues to waffle about a rebuild. Jarrett Culver earns an update, even before the Wolves now look to increase his run after the trade. And we remember David Stern for all he did for the league—the good, the bad, and the ugly. For daily updates and commentary, check us out on Twitter @shottowerpod!

The Miami Heat continuing to surprise, the Dallas Mavericks' historic offense and Rick Carlisle's analytics rant, Lebron James's 9000th assist and the athlete of the decade, when to pick up NBA players as they become fantasy relevant (Michael Porter Jr. and The Crucifix), and the last two playoff spots in the West. Happy New Year's to everyone! And from Rome, buon anno a tutti!

The Sixers turn it up against the Bucks. The Clippers swipe another one away from the Lakers, as a Patrick Beverley swipe raises questions about the out-of-bounds reviews at the end of games. James Harden still can't beat the Warriors. The Nuggets see a potential trade piece light them up and have to be thinking hard about bringing Jrue up to the Rockies. All that and more. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all of our listeners!

Dave Chappelle and the Lakers genius series, Carmelo and Paul George finding their form, waiver wire pickups and fantasy player comparisons in Scorekeeper, Trae Young and short NBA players leading their teams to championships, the Dallas Mavericks and data-based player rotations, end-of-quarter miracle shot attempts, the proposed in-season tournament, postseason play-in games, and reseeding the conference finals, and giving thanks to the NBA.Music credit: Frequency Decree, "Sometimes," https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Frequency_Decree

Carmelo Anthony’s first appearance with the Portland Trailblazers, Paul George’s return to the court, the most-hated NBA teams in America, Doc Rivers getting T’d up by his son Austin Rivers, James Harden’s performance in cities with excellent strip clubs, the renaissance of LeBron and the Lakers, Andrew Wiggins fulfilling his promise, tough calls on fantasy-NBA keepers, Markelle Fultz starting and the Orlando Magic’s new “juice” uniforms, Victor Oladipo as Thingamajig on The Masked Singer, Kendrick Nunn and sports writers cherry-picking statistics, the Philadelphia 76ers growing issues, and a last thought on the Milwaukee Bucks.   Music credit: Frequency Decree, "Sometimes," https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Frequency_Decree

Taking stock of teams steadily on the rise and precipitously on the decline: the Miami Heat and the rise of Kendrick Nunn, the Philadelphia 76ers length and some unexpected depth, the Phoenix Suns playing a real point guard, the many different Dallas Mavericks lineups and the transcendent play of Luka Dončić, the Los Angeles Lakers disappointing season opener and immediate turnaround, the Golden State Warriors and the Chase Center curse, the Orlando Magic’s and the problem at point guard, player-specific incentives in contract extensions, the beginning of the Los Angeles Clippers-Lakers rivalry, why Joel Embiid is undefeated on Twitter, James Harden’s terrible 3-point shooting percentage, the massive production of Andre Drummond and Malcolm Brodgon, and a quick run-down on the Scorekeeper fantasy-NBA league.Music credit: Frequency Decree, "Sometimes" https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Frequency_Decree

Talking Warriors, Clippers, Kings, Lakers, and Suns. Music credit: Frequency Decree, "Sometimes" https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Frequency_Decree

Talking Nuggets, Blazers, Jazz, Thunder, and Timberwolves. Music credit: Frequency Decree, "Sometimes" https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Frequency_Decree

We're rodeo road tripping with the Rockets, Spurs, Mavs, Grizz, and Pelicans. Music credit: Frequency Decree, "Sometimes" https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Frequency_Decree

We're back with the second half of our can't-get-enough preview of the Southeast. Music credit: Frequency Decree, "Sometimes" https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Frequency_Decree