Pound The Rock

After a brief tangent on Jaylen Brown's record-breaking extension, the Rose Garden Report's Sean Highkin joins the show to discuss the ongoing Damian Lillard saga in Portland and Miami.

The NBA got it right when it comes to how to format an in-season tournament. Plus, we check in on Atlanta and Dallas. Are the Hawks ready to go all-in? Did Dallas improve enough to keep Luka Doncic happy?

We break down the trade requests issued by Damian Lillard and James Harden, why neither player may be able to get where he wants to go, how the Blazers are doing right by Dame no matter where they send him, why the Raptors make sense as a Lillard destination, and why returning to Philly might be the best outcome both Harden and the Sixers can hope for. Then, with the dust mostly settled on free agency, we discuss some of our favourite and least favourite deals, featuring the Lakers, Pacers, Kings, Rockets, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Raptors, Pelicans, and Suns.

On this post-draft episode, we try to figure out what Hornets GM Mitch Kupchak is trying to say, before digging into how the seven teams that made draft-day trades involving active NBA players made out. Breaking down the Celtics, Grizzlies, Wizards, Warriors, Mavericks, Kings, and Thunder.

We dive into the implications of the Suns-Wizards blockbuster, including how Beal fits in Phoenix, whether this was the best move the Suns could've made, why trading Deandre Ayton might not make sense, the challenges the Suns face in filling out the roster and fortifying their defense, a depressing rebuild ahead in Washington, the Wizards as a cautionary tale, the problem with the supermax, and more.

In this post-Finals episode, we dig into how the Nuggets won the franchise's first NBA championship and why Denver looks poised to reign supreme again, where the Heat go from here after another Finals loss in the Jimmy Butler era, and a closing note - or parting shot - on Joel Embiid.

With Cash back from Denver, we break down the first two games of the Finals, which resulted in a split after Miami's rousing Game 2 win. We hit on how the Nuggets' defense fell apart, how the Heat's offense helped make that happen, the impact of the Kevin Love adjustment, adjustments both teams can make moving forward, and much more.

With Cash en route to Denver for the Finals, old friend William Lou rejoins the show to discuss Nick Nurse's fit with the 76ers, what Adrian Griffin might bring to the Bucks, and why running it back is a perfectly reasonable path for the Celtics. Then we look ahead to Nuggets-Heat, with a particular emphasis on how Miami might go about trying to defend Denver.

We dig into the seesawing East finals, breaking down how the Celtics clawed back from the brink to force a Game 6 and wondering what the rest of the series might look like. Then we laud the Nuggets for a spectacular run through the West playoff bracket, before assessing the Lakers' strange but successful season and examining the choices they have to make this offseason.

We break down draft lottery night, in which the Spurs landed the No. 1 overall pick and the right to select yet another generational big man. Then we break down a wild Game 1 of the West finals between the Lakers and Nuggets, before diving into the latest in the Ja Morant saga, fraught offseasons for the Sixers and Suns, and the Celtics-Heat rubber match

With all four conference semifinals still active after five games, we break down our favourite storylines and biggest takeaways from each series and from this round as a whole, including the ever-evolving pick-and-roll dance between Steph Curry and Anthony Davis, the mismatch-hunting going on in Celtics-Sixers and Lakers-Warriors, the state of LeBron as a scorer, how the Nuggets are defending the Suns, the incredible play of Jalen Brunson, and how the Heat are finding different ways to win.

The Grizzlies have had enough of Dillon Brooks, Joel Embiid finally wins MVP, and we dig into some of our early second-round observations.

We break down what could be the final two games of a chaotic and unpredictable first round, reflect on the ends of the Clippers' and Cavaliers' seasons while pondering what's next for both teams, and finally break down the Bucks' catastrophic collapse, wondering if their season should indeed be deemed a failure.

The Bucks, Grizzlies, and Cavs must all win three straight to stave off elimination, while De'Aaron Fox and Joel Embiid become the latest stars to be slowed by postseason injuries.

On our second episode this week, we dig into the implications of Nick Nurse's ouster in Toronto, wonder if officials in Brooklyn doled out a makeup flagrant-2 call to the Sixers, and break down how the Warriors got back in their series against the Kings while playing without Draymond Green in Game 3, before dissecting three more first-round series in progress: Cavs-Knicks, Suns-Clippers, and Nuggets-Wolves.

Injuries throw an early wrench into the NBA playoffs - and fuel a debate on charges - while Draymond Green gets himself ejected from a playoff game (again), the Heat and Lakers steal huge road wins, and the Kings and Sixers hold serve at home. Plus Joel Embiid can't get Nick Nurse out of his head.

We catch up on the playoff race heading into the final weekend of the regular season, while also making our picks for every major NBA award and all three All-NBA Teams.

We discuss what we like and dislike about the NBA's new collective bargaining agreement, then select our All-Defensive Teams.

We check in on the perpetually confounding Timberwolves, who were finally hitting their stride before losing Naz Reid to a fractured wrist just three games after getting Karl-Anthony Towns back. Then we dissect the hugely disappointing Mavericks, who are 7-14 since acquiring Kyrie Irving and at real risk of missing the West play-in entirely. And in an even more depressing development, we discuss the news that Ben Simmons has been shut down for the remainder of the season after playing just 42 underwhelming games for the Nets.

Paul George is out, Ja Morant is in, and we dive into the Eastern Conference playoff picture with conversations around the Celtics, 76ers, Cavaliers, Heat, Nets, and Bulls. Plus can the finally healthy Timberwolves make their move? And is Lauri Markkanen having the most shocking season ever?