The Ringer Nba Show

The Ringer's Chris Vernon and Kevin O'Connor discuss Blake Griffin's durability and decreasing dunk numbers (6:00), Nerlens Noel vs. Jahlil Okafor (15:00), and Cheick Diallo's surprising rookie season (23:00). Then, Chris and Kevin draft their top-five Christmas wishes for the rest of the NBA season. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Chris Vernon is joined by The Washington Post's Tim Bontemps to discuss who gets credit for the new CBA (5:00), the details on designated veteran player contracts (12:00), the new max contract (19:00), the addition of two extra roster spots (30:00), the unchanged one-and-done rule (39:00), and Chris Paul and LeBron's final max contracts (42:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Chris Vernon and Kevin O'Connor discuss the foundation of footwork (6:00), the Daryl Morey effect on offense (10:00), James Harden's greatest skill (20:00), potential first-time All-Stars (25:00), Grizzlies-Warriors (35:00), and the highest-scoring game in NBA history (44:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Chris Vernon is joined by Trey Kerby of NBA TV to discuss Wednesday night's Warriors-Clippers game (3:13), the Cavs humiliating the Knicks (13:58), Tom Thibodeau's struggles in Minnesota (28:58), and the success of 'The Starters' (34:48). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Chris Vernon and Kevin O'Connor celebrate the first quarter of the NBA season by handing out awards, including MVP (17:00), then they talk Joel Embiid's Rookie of the Year bid (25:00), Gregg Popovich vs. Quin Snyder for Coach of the Year (28:00), the plethora of Most Improved options (34:00), and whether anyone can top Klay Thompson's 60-point explosion (40:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Chris Vernon and Yahoo Sports senior NBA writer Chris Mannix discuss the state of the MVP race (5:00), Sean Kilpatrick's breakout game (12:00), the Clippers-Nets fiasco (16:00), the Celtics' struggling defense (24:00), the impressive Pistons backcourt (28:00), and the best plan for the Grizzlies post-Mike Conley injury (32:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Chris Vernon and Kevin O'Connor discuss Russell Westbrook's triple-double standard (5:00), decide which teams are out of the playoff picture in each conference (15:00), pick three guys who are better than their stats suggest (22:30), and break down Kevin Love vs. Klay Thompson(38:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Chris Vernon and Kevin O'Connor discuss Giannis Antetokounmpo's historic statistical feat (6:00), tanking advice for the Kings (14:00), Mark Cuban vs. Chandler Parsons (19:00), Kawhi Leonard's improved shooting (31:00), Evan Turner's poor start in Portland (40:00), and the expected changes in the upcoming CBA (44:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Chris Vernon is joined by USA Today's Sam Amick to discuss Marc Gasol's Conor McGregor dance (6:00), the Clippers' "strength in numbers" model (12:00), Klay Thompson's numbers returning to normal (16:00), the D.C. catastrophe (20:00), the impact of a Boogie trade on Kings fans (28:00), and Phil Jackson's "posse" comment (37:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Chris Vernon and Kevin O'Connor discuss overarching themes and intriguing developments 10 games into the season, including the Clippers' bench play (5:00), the issue with high-usage players (12:00), Luke Walton's Lakers (18:00), Willie Cauley-Stein's trade value (22:00), Malcolm Brogdon's impressive rookie season (33:00), DeMar DeRozan's improved scoring (38:00), and the Timberwolves' surprisingly good offense (42:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Chris Vernon welcomes Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post to discuss Stan Van Gundy's rant, God Shammgod's influence on Harrison Barnes (4:42), the toughest competition for the Warriors in the West (11:40), and five teams that need to worry (25:14). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Chris Vernon is joined by the Denver Nuggets' Mike Miller to discuss what it's like to be a veteran on a young team, joining LeBron James and the Heat (7:50), his days as a Cav (17:05), and his future in basketball (28:15). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chris Vernon welcomes Shea Serrano to discuss tonight's meeting between the Warriors and the Thunder, bench celebrations (31:10), and Shea's experience going away to college (35:20). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Juliet Litman welcomes Michael D. Ratner to the show to discuss his new mockumentary series 'The 5th Quarter’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9ch7TuWRbo). Then they speak with a few stars from the show — the Lakers’ Metta World Peace (5:54), Courtney Lee of the Knicks (22:46), and the Grizzlies’ Chandler Parsons (32:28) — to talk about their experiences in front of the camera. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Chris Vernon brings on NBA writer Zach Harper to run through the early-season story lines and determine if Russell Westbrook's ridiculous tear will continue (6:00), if Anthony Davis can continue to score 50-plus and still lose (15:00), if the Sixers are better than the Magic (20:00), if the Bulls are for real (25:00), if the Warriors are taking a step back (35:00), and if Kawhi Leonard can become a top-three player in the Association (40:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chris Vernon and Jonathan Tjarks discuss the Warriors loss, the weird Grizzlies win over the Timberwolves (8:52), monster numbers from Anthony Davis (25:32), and the Lakers' new life without Kobe (35:35). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Chris Vernon and Kevin O'Connor celebrate the kickoff of the NBA season by selecting their top storyline for all thirty teams. Topics include: the Warriors' dominance (4:00), Doc Rivers's need for creativity (6:00), Boogie's ideal coach (10:00), What is Harrison Barnes? (13:00), Anthony Davis's eliteness (19:30), Emmanuel Mudiay's leap (22:00), Oladipo's scoring ability (26:00), How good is Dante Exum? (30:00), Danny Ainge's many assets (33:00), Sixers potential with Embiid and Saric (37:00), LeBron as an underdog (44:00), Drummond's defensive struggles (46:00), Kemba Walker's shooting clip (51:00), Winslow's opportunity in Miami (54:00), and Brad Beal’s massive contract (57:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Chris Vernon is joined by former ESPN analytics guru and current Memphis Grizzlies vice president of basketball operations John Hollinger to discuss developing his formula for PER (8:00), working for a franchise vs. covering a franchise (21:00), the importance of making smart personnel decisions (30:00), and the upside of the Grizzlies this season (38:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Chris Vernon is joined by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey to discuss the growth of analytics in sports (6:00), handling criticism of team chemistry (14:00), his beef with Charles Barkley (18:00), the additions of Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson (26:00), and potential NBA rule changes to increase pace of play (30:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Ringer's Chris Vernon and Jason Concepcion discuss why the Timberwolves are the top hipster team this season (6:00), Chandler Parsons's Instagram (11:00), the longest-tenured players on one franchise (15:00), the promising Bucks (22:00), Devin Booker's trash talk (26:00), Boogie's playoff chances (36:00), Embiid's media availability (40:00), and Dwight Howard's smile (44:00). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices