Month / January 2024

by Alex Fischbein

Doc Rivers Coming Back To Haunt Us | TAF302

On episode 302 of The Atlantic Files, Doc Rivers reportedly is the leading candidate to take over the Milwaukee Bucks head coaching vacancy after Adrian Griffin was fired, Terry Rozier was traded to the Miami Heat for Kyle Lowry, Joel Embiid asserts his dominance over Nikola Jokic and the NBA, and is trouble brewing for the first-seed Minnesota Timberwolves?

In the biggest news going around the NBA, Doc Rivers is returning to the NBA sidelines as a coach instead of a commentator. It didn’t take too long for him to get the itch to coach again as the Milwaukee Bucks fired Adrian Griffin after the team started the season with a 30-13 record. Rivers was reportedly helping out in a consulting format, but that will lead to an actual coaching job now.

The other biggest news is probably that Terry Rozier has finally escaped the Charlotte Hornets and was traded to the Miami Heat for a first-round pick and Kyle Lowry. Rozier brings a scoring point guard who can actually get out on the floor without being on the injury report 24/7. Hopefully, the rest of the team can now stay on the floor.

Joel Embiid had quite the week. He destroyed Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, then went on to become the ninth player in NBA history to drop 70 points in a game. If he wasn’t the leader for MVP before, he’s definitely at the top of the ladder for every outlet now. This is Embiid’s world and we’re just living in it.

Finally, the Minnesota Timberwolves tried to get the ball to Karl-Anthony Towns on the same day that Embiid scored 70 so that he could beat his point total. The issue is that Towns only scored four points in the fourth quarter and the team ended up losing. Then, head coach Chris Finch ranted in the post-game press conference about the immature play from his star forward and the lack of defense from the team. Yikes!

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:36 Trip to South Carolina and NBA Threads
00:15:15 Terry Rozier traded to Miami Heat
00:30:39 Coach Finch rips the Minnesota Timberwolves
00:41:43 Doc Rivers takes Adrian Griffin’s job with Milwaukee Bucks
00:58:06 Joel Embiid vs Nikola Jokic
01:16:06 Final thoughts and outro

by Alex Fischbein

Pascal Siakam To The Indiana Pacers ft Dmitry Bergen Of Loose Ball Boys | TAF301

On episode 301 of The Atlantic Files, Dmitry Bergen of the Loose Ball Boys podcast joins the show! The Toronto Raptors have been in active talks with the Indiana Pacers surrounding a Pascal Siakam deal, the Washington Wizards dropped a player for allegedly stealing from Target, Erik Spoelstra signs a contract extension after divorce, and coaches going off on NBA referees.

First and foremost, we get to know Dmitry and how the Loose Ball Boys podcast first started. We also go over how he became a Brooklyn Nets fan and his love for basketball in general. Then we get into the real meat of his story by talking about favorite foods, Richard Jefferson encounters, and more.

The big basketball news is obviously Pascal Siakam getting traded from the Toronto Raptors to the Indiana Pacers. We go over how it changes the Pacers’ outlook for this season, especially since they had to give up Bruce Brown in the process. Three first-round picks are a lot for a guy who isn’t guaranteed to re-sign. Also, how is the Toronto Raptors rebuild going at this stage?

Then, we get into the weird news that starts with coaches ripping into NBA referees and huge disparities in free throws. A lot of the time it’s the bigger market team getting the calls and these coaches are absolutely sick of it. To be honest, we’re getting tired of it too!

Finally, Ryan Rollins was allegedly waived for stealing things from Target on multiple occasions. It allegedly was even the same exact Target every time. Then, at the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s Erik Spoelstra getting a contract extension right after his divorce was finalized. That’s Heat culture right there!

FOLLOW THE LOOSE BALL BOYS!
https://www.youtube.com/@looseballboys
https://www.threads.net/@looseballboys
https://open.spotify.com/show/6WMG7LjdCmc0p5Y8KgnDfd
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/loose-ball-boys/id1669640653?ign-itscg=30200&ign-itsct=lt_p

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:23 Dmitry Bergen on his Nets fandom and start of Loose Ball Boys
00:14:00 Russian women, Threads, and fast food
00:37:45 Pascal Siakam traded to the Indiana Pacers
01:04:57 NBA Coaches disagreeing with refs
01:13:19 Ryan Rollins waived for allegedly stealing?!
01:21:25 Erik Spoelstra finalizes contract after divorce
01:30:24 Random closing thoughts and outro

by Alex Fischbein

OG Anunoby, RJ Barrett, and The Knicks ft Scott “The King” Engel | TAF300

On episode 300 of The Atlantic Files, we’re joined by a special guest, Scott “The King” Engel. He’s an FSWA Hall of Famer, Senior Writer at The Game Day and RotoBaller, Fantasy Writer for seahawks.com, and a Sirius XM Fantasy Sports Radio host. We talk about OG Anunoby moving to the New York Knicks for RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley, the Memphis Grizzlies’ plan with Ja Morant out, the Philadelphia 76ers with Joel Embiid’s injuries, and the initial 2024 NBA All-Star voting returns.

Scott Engel has been in the fantasy sports writing business for over 20 years and is one of the industry’s pioneers. We go over how he got into journalism, his favorite athletes of all time, and how he began playing fantasy sports. Engel gives a lot of great nuggets of information and talks about some of the people he’s met along the way.

Then, we got into the OG Anunoby trade and how he’s fared with the New York Knicks so far. Anunoby has been a great fit and the team has gone undefeated since he joined the starting lineup. Do the Knicks need to make any more moves to be serious title contenders?

On the flip side, RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley joined the Toronto Raptors and took another step in their young careers. Is this the best place for their development? Also, we talk about a potential Pascal Siakam trade and how the Raptors will go about building for the future with Scottie Barnes.

Finally, we go over the initial voting returns for the 2024 NBA All-Star game. We talk about those who have been snubbed, some surprise names, and why fans can’t ever get it fully correct when it comes to voting the right guys into the game. Also, are there any good All-Star games anymore in any of the major sports?

Check out Scott Engel’s work!
The Gameday – https://thegameday.com/author/scott-engel/
RotoBaller – https://www.rotoballer.com/author/scottetheking
Seahawks.com – https://www.seahawks.com/news/fantasy-insider/

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:01:58 Scott “The King” Engel joins the show
00:11:49 Scott Engel talks New York Mets and baseball fandom
00:15:33 Dr. Pepper Zero vs Coke Zero and favorite food
00:25:50 OG Anunoby and the New York Knicks
00:49:49 RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, and the Toronto Raptors future
01:03:28 2024 NBA All-Star voting returns
01:12:41 Closing thoughts