The Wraparound NBA

Sam Esfandiari, co-host of the #Lightyears podcast, stopped by to discuss his darling Dubs, the race for the west, the Nets, the Harden trade and more.

Coach joined Paul on the podcast to discuss the Warriors-Raptors showdown, ask if Kevin Durant is Kevin Love to Steph's LeBron, break down how real the Celtics' resurgence is, as well as have a look at the Bulls meltdown.

Damon Rangoola (@damanr)joined Paul on the podcast this week. Among the things discussed: *The Bucks trade: Part of a grander plan to keep Giannis? *The Houston Rockets struggles, CP3's "decline". *Can the Suns trade for a new owner? *LeBron, the Lakers and adding superstars

Shameek joined Paul on the podcast to discuss drinking NBA player sweat, the Knicks mother-in-law problem, Markelle Fultz and a plethora of assorted nonsense.

*Who is winning the Jimmy Butler trade? *Can the Wolves make the playoffs? *Can the Kings win the 2018-19 championship? Can they sign Kevin Durant in the offseason? Is DeAaron Fox really the league's next MVP in waiting? *Pop versus Kawhi

Justin Rowan joined Paul on the podcast to discuss the Eastern conference. *Is the Bucks start real? Is their defense sustainable? *How good are the Raptors? Do they still have moves to make? *Is Jimmy Butler going to fit in with the Sixers? *What's wrong with the Celtics? *How good is Hawks' rookie Trae Young?

Kyle Madson dropped by the podcast to help Paul unpack the western conference. They hit all the playoff teams in the west, the Wizards falling apart and more.

Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report joined Paul on this episode to discuss a wild night in LA, the Timberwolves, Wizards, early-season MVPs the ROY race and more. As always, if you liked the episode, make sure you rate, review and subscribe.

The Athletic's Jabari Young jumped on the podcast to fill Paul in on the new-look Spurs. How has the culture survived the departures of the Manu and Tony Parker? Is DeMar DeRozan fitting in? How surprising is the emergence of Bryn Forbes? We also take a look outside San Antonio at the Maverick's rookie Luka Doncic.

Dave DuFour, host of the Nerder She Wrote podcast on Count The DIngs, dropped by to discuss the NBA at large. We discussed the Kings, Bucks, Celtics, MVPs, Jimmy Butler's neverending trade-saga and the Irish weather.

Matt Moore joined Paul on the podcast to discuss the opening week or so of the 2018-19 NBA season. Among the topics they hit: *Has MVP Steph Curry returned? *Have the Rockets taken a step back? *How worried should OKC be? *Are the Pelicans as good as their opening three games suggest? *Are the Raptors the class of the east? *How good are the Bucks? All this and more. If you liked the podcast, make sure you subscribe on ITunes or wherever you get your pods.

Big Wos (@BigWos), Brand Ambassador of the Count the Dings Network, joined Paul (@paulheadleyNBA) to preview the eastern conference's biggest stories heading into the season. *Will Giannis be the MVP? *Celtics or the Raptors? *A trip down LeBron-lane *Will Dwight Howard take down the Wizards? If you enjoy the pod, make sure you subscribe, rate and review on Itunes, or wherever you enjoy your podcasts.

Greg Wissinger, editor of the Sactown Royalty and long-suffering Kings fan, joined Paul to break down some of the more interesting questions in the western conference: *Will the Lakers make the playoffs? *Is this the year the Spurs finally fall from grace? *Can the Utah Jazz climb as far as a second seed? *Is Luka Doncic the next Nikola Jokic? If you liked the pod, make sure you subscribe, rate and review!

Dangerous Dave DuFour joined Paul on the podcast to discuss the NBA's best young centers. They also discuss what they're most excited about for the upcoming season.

Sam, Esfandiari, co-host of the Light Years podcast, jumped on the podcast this week. Together, he and Paul broke down the top five young guards in the NBA (Under 23). Among the players discussed were Lonzo Ball, Donovan Mitchell, Jamal Murray, Ben Simmons, Devin Booker and more. If you enjoyed the podcast, remember to like and subscribe on itunes or wherever you get your pods.

Ben Golliver, Sports Illustrated writer and co-host of the Open Floor podcast, jumped on the podcast this week. Together, he and Paul break down the top five power forwards under 23 in the league today. Julius Randle or Dario Saric? Can Aaron Gordon ever break through? Plus, we discuss the past, present and future of Giannis Antetokounmpo.

A breakdown of the Cavs-Pacers drama, Russell Westbrook's redemption half against the Utah Jazz, The Raptors, The Pelicans match-up with the Warriors and more.

James Herbert of CBS Sports jumped on the podcast to break down the first two days of the 2018 NBA playoffs. Among the things we discussed: *The wild finish to Wolves/Rockets *The Bucks' offense *Are the Cavs really in trouble *Can Paul George repeat his crazy game 1 performance *The Raptors breaking their game 1 curse *Do the Sixers have a real weakness? *Can Dame and CJ bounce back in game 2?

Friend and renowned basketball expert John Looney jumped on the podcast to breakdown the entire league. Topics include: *His beloved Dallas Mavericks *How vulnerable are the Warriors *Should the Bucks hold on to Jabari Parker *Will OKC and the Timberwolves hold up in the postseason *The Cavs' trade history and championship chances *MVP

Cole Zwicker, founder of the Stepien, and the dangerous one jumped on the podcast to give me the lowdown of the top prospects in the draft. Should teams be looking for fit or upside? Is team-defense the big inefficiency to be exploited by smart GMs? How good is Trae Young? A terrific and inforrmative episode.

Tony East, host of the Locked On Pacers podcast, jumped on to discuss the Pacers' surprising season. Can the team win a playoff round? What does the future hold? We also disagreed on who will come out of the east, and discussed the entire playoff bracket. Finally, we dipped our toes into the murky world of Lonzo Ball discussion...

Kelly Scaletta joined me for today's podcast discussing the Timberwolves' insane signing of Derrick Rose, the Rockets' championship hopes, as well as the rest of the West playoff race.

Dave and I discussed our shared love for the Toronto Raptors. How real are the Raptors? Are they finally a threat to escape the east? We also discuss the Sixers, Bucks, Pacers, Wizards and Pistons. Finally, I rant about how much I don't care about tanking.

Jared Dubin jumped on the podcast to discuss his latest piece on the Houston Rockets, the rookie of the year race and New York City NBA. NOTE: Please excuse the audio quality for Jared. I'm still getting used to my new microphone.

Dave and Paul delve into the teams that stayed pat at the deadline, including the Raptors and Clippers. We also talked the Cavs big moves, team-building and the playoff race.

Dave and Paul jumped on periscope to take questions and discuss what's going on around the league. The Cavs, injuries, the Blake Griffin trade and more.

Coach Nick jumped on the podcast to discuss: *Will the Timberwolves's 3rd ranked offense translate in the playoffs? *Is Karl-Anthony Towns underused? *What's going on with Markelle Fultz? *League MVP and ROY discussion *Kevin Love trade ideas

Jeff Garcia, host of the Locked On Spurs podcast, joined Paul on the show to discuss rumors of tension between the Spurs and injured star Kawhi Leonard, as well as our picks for the western conference all-stars (reserves and starters).

Max Lederman (of NBCS Boston) dropped by the podcast to discuss the bombshell news of Jason Kidd's firing, our eastern conference all-star picks (starters and reserves), as well as potential drawbacks of a mythical Anthony Davis trade and the future of the Boston Celtics.

Dave jumped on the pod to discuss IT's first game back, tribute videos, Paul Pierce's legacy (and how he would fare today), plus plenty of our usual ramblings and digressions.

Dangerous Dave DuFour came by to talk about Michael Beasley's insane night against the Celtics, the eastern conference playoff picture, the new-look Raptors and the Houston Rockets. We also talk about our own NBA pet peeve: the concept of athlete loyalty (Kobe, Dirk and more).

Jacob Goldstein dropped by the podcast to discuss his ranking of the NBA's under 23 players for Nylon calculus (link below). We discussed all of the league's premier up-and-comers, his method, players likely to exceed their ranking and more. Plus, who is the fairest unicorn of them all? https://fansided.com/2017/12/19/nylon-calculus-projecting-top-23-nba-players/

The Ringer's Jonathan Tjarks stopped by the pod to discuss how Chris Paul has looked as a Rocket, Kawhi Leonard's eagerly anticipated return, the NBA's most improved player and more.

Greg Wissinger, editor of the Sactown Royalty, jumped on the podcast to give the lowdown on the Kings young players. Also discussed: *Can the Utah Jazz keep winning in the face of a mounting injury crisis? *What's going on in Memphis? *The impact an Anthony Davis injury could have on the Pelicans *The Timberwolves, Russell Westbrook and more

Dangerous Dave DuFour stopped by to talk about the exciting rookie class, Lonzo Ball's floor, the Pelicans playoff chances, MVP and more.

James Herbert, NBA writer for CBS Sports, joined Paul on the podcast. They discussed the Toronto Raptors offensive overhaul, the spiraling Clippers, Kyrie Irving's MVP case and much more.

Dave King, editor of the Bright Side of the Sun, came on the pod to discuss his beloved Phoenix Suns. We talked about Devin Booker's development, the explosive start to the season, the team's young bigs, the Lonzo Ball skirmish and more.

Ben Golliver, NBA writer for Sports' Illustrated and co-host of the Open Floor podcast, came on the podcast to answer some key questions from around the league. Can the Pistons maintain their torrid pace? How does the Bledsoe trade affect the Bucks' ceiling? Plus, Kristaps Porzingis, the Pelicans and more.

Grant Afseth (of Indianasportscoverage.com) jumped on the podcast to discuss the hot start Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis have had, the Pacers pace and playing style, rotation issues with Myles Turner back in the line-up, who really won the Paul George trade and much more.

Sam Esfandiari, notorious twitter roaster and co-host of the "Light Years" podcast, jumped on to give Paul the run down of all things in the bay. Are the Warriors on auto-pilot? Is Draymond's behavior worrying? How can the defense improve? All this and more on a great episode.

Dangerous Dave DuFour jumped on the podcast to break down the first few days of games. We touched on Boston, the Cavs, Thunder, Rockets, Clippers and Wolves, as well as Giannis' MVP case and the Chris Paul injury.

We talked about Gilbert Arena's publicity stunt with Mia Khalifa (3.15), Joel Embiid's contract (10.00), potential playoff changes (16.30), Kyrie Irving trolling the city of Cleveland HARD (21.00), My rant on small markets crying (24.00) and Steph Curry's foot fetish (28.00).

Roland Lazenby, writer of the definitive biography of Michael Jordan "Michael Jordan: The Life", joined Paul on the podcast to talk about superstar egos, team-building, leadership. Just how fragile are NBA superstars? Is the Durant situation unprecedented? How much of a bully was Michael Jordan in the lockerroom?

In the very first episode of the NBA Sideshow, our new show where bullshit matters and RPM doesn't, Paul and Eric break down: *Lavar Ball's drastic decision to homeschool son LaMelo *Michael Beasley's ongoing status as a national treasure (8.03) * Eric's undying love for Taylor Rooks (10.16) *Facebook conspiracy theorists (13.30) * Steph Curry's athleticism (15.15) * NBA rappers, Lonzo Ball, Dame Dolla and Jaylen Brown (18.14 * Tweaks to the NBA Allstar game (24.00)

Josh Eberley joined the pod to help Paul break down the Southwest division: *What is the Houston Rockets defensive ceiling? *How well can CP3 work off the ball? *Is the Boogie/Brow experiment doomed already? *What options do the Pelicans have on the Wing? *Can Kawhi Leonard continue to grow? *How damaging is Pau Gasol's contract? *Can Gasol and Conley drag the Grizzlies to the playoffs once again? *Can the team get anything out of Chandler Parsons? *Should Dirk move to the bench for the Mavericks? *How motivated is Nerlens Noel?

Nick Sciria (Nylon Calculus, BBALL BREAKDOWN) joined the podcast to break down the Northwest division: *How well to the Timberwolves pieces fit together? How much will spacing be an issue? *Can Paul Millsap shore up Denver's defense? How will "He who shall not be named" fair this season? *Can Nurkic continue his stellar play in Portland? How damaging was their off-season? *Will OKC capitalize on their influx of talent and shooting? Or will Westbrook-ball continue to reign supreme? *How far will the Jazz fall sans-Gordon Hayward? Can Rubio keep the offense out of the bottom 3rd of the league?

Oliver Maroney, Big3 podcaster and all-around twitter NBA superstar, joined Paul today to breakdown: *Can the Magic dig themselves out of the hole they're in? *Can Kemba Walker maintain his torrid shooting pace? *How long will the Hawks re-build be? *Was the Heat's 31-10 second half a fluke? *Will the Wizards bench continue to be a problem?

Duncan Smith, Pistons' expert and NBA Twitter HOFer, joined Paul on the pod to talk: *His beloved Pistons *Whether Stan Van Gundy Is on the hotseat (12.36) *Are the Chicago Bulls the worst team in basketball? (16.37) *How far will the Pacers fall in Paul George's absence? What is Myles Turner's ceiling? (23.30) *Are the Bucks anything close to a 50 win team? (34.00) *Can the Bucks someday challenge the Warriors? (42.20) *Lastly, how will IT recover from his injury, and can he replace Kyrie Irving in the Cavs system? How will they use him? (45.40)

James Holas jumped on the podcast to help Paul preview the Atlantic division. Among the points they hit: *Is Brooklyn still a bottom three team? How much will the departure of Brook Lopez affect the on-court product? *Is the process over for the Sixers? How much of an impact can rookies Ben Simmons and Markelle Fultz make? Can JJ Redick maintain his torrid shooting percentages away from point-god Chris Paul? *Are the Knicks finally ready to move on from 'Melo? Where exactly does Porzingis rank among the league's unicorns, and how much has his progress been hindered his first few seasons? *Can DeMar DeRozen add a three-pointer, and how would expanding his range alter his team's ceiling? Will the team continue to churn out wins in a depleted eastern conference, or are they a regression candidate? *Are the Boston Celtics now the title-contender they've threatened to be for all these asset-plush years? How much will the departures of Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder and IT affect the squad?

Paul commences his NBA preview series with the Pacific division, along perennial guest Dave DuFour. Among the questions they ask: *Is a Lonzo Ball-Brook Lopez combination really enough to secure the Lakers almost 10 extra wins like Vegas projects? *Will the Clippers maintain the playoff streak they began with Chris Paul? Or will the new squad struggle to maintain standards? *How will the post-Boogie Kings fair with a full training camp? How will the rookies perform? Can they score the ball enough to avoid worst in the division status? *What kind of impact can a third-year Devin Booker have? *Are the Warriors anything less than invincible? All this and much more!

Busy preparing for his upcoming nuptials, Paul found thirty minutes to record a solo-podcast on some of Twitter's raging NBA debates. His ramblings include: Has Kevin Durant already surpassed Kobe as an all-timer? Who is the superior defender of the two? Where does Kobe rank over the last two decades? Which of the following players should the Cavs target in a Kyrie trade; Jayson Tatum, Josh Jackson, Kristaps Porzingis or Jamal Murray? Paul's favorite Kyrie trade (his own).