The NBA held its annual media day for each team this week. Two of the biggest stars in the game, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, had a lot of drama unfold the past couple of seasons and this past off-season. That means, of course, the media is going to ask plenty of questions about it.
Well, let’s just say that none of us are buying what Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving have to say, and it’s time they start proving it for the Brooklyn Nets fans. This team was essentially put together by Irving and Durant themselves in collaboration with Sean Marks and the Nets front office. They even gave the “okay” on Steve Nash’s hiring as head coach.
Kevin Durant explained he’s fine with being back on the team because he knows that he’s such a good player that the Nets couldn’t possibly trade him for any old return. Now, he sets his sights on redemption from the last couple of seasons.
There’s a lot to unpack when it came to Kyrie Irving’s media day interview. He talked about all the money and the big contract that he gave up to not get vaccinated but doesn’t like that it led to a narrative about him not wanting to play basketball. Some felt the way he spoke made it sound like he thought of himself as a martyr as well.
Let us know how you feel about their media day quotes in the video comments below! You’ll find the rest of our thoughts on there as well!
This week on the Atlantic Files, we give our thoughts on the Ben Simmons interview on JJ Redick’s podcast, Ime Udoka’s suspension from the Boston Celtics, the biggest quotes and takeaways from NBA Media Day, and we continue our division preview series with the Southwest Division.
Ben Simmons finally came forward and gave his thoughts and explanations on all of the topics that Philadelphia 76ers fans and NBA fans alike wanted to hear. The topics ranged from the passed-up dunk against Trae Young, to what went wrong in Philly, to working on his shooting in Brooklyn after the debacle in the last 5 seasons. We reacted to our favorite quotes and soundbites of the interview.
The other biggest news coming out of the Atlantic Division was the suspension of Ime Udoka. Boston’s head coach was caught in a relationship with a female staffer and allegedly made unwanted comments toward women in the organization. Everyone who reported on the matter before anything was official, made the situation even messier. Reports said the relationship was consensual but then as more information came out, it sounded like the opposite was true. Now, the Boston Celtics start their training camp in turmoil instead of a team fresh off of a great Finals run with their eyes set on another.
Speaking of training camp and the start of the new season, teams around the league held their annual media day! Fans got to hear their favorite players talk about the upcoming season and any storylines still lingering. Also, we got to see any new players on their new teams. Media day is always exciting as it marks the coming days of a new season with a lot in store! We reacted to our favorite interviews, quotes, and more from this year’s media day.
Then, we continued our annual divisional preview series. This week, the Southwest division is on the docket. Will Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks take the division throne, or will the Memphis Grizzlies stay on top?
Finally, we had our “Whatchu Got” segment that ranged from pumpkin spice to Marcus Jordan getting spotted with Larsa Pippen!
Timecodes: 00:00:00 Intro 00:06:19 Reaction to Ben Simmons on JJ Redick’s podcast 00:33:52 Reactions and takeaways from NBA Media day 00:59:34 Ime Udoka suspended, situation got messy! 01:12:05 2022-23 NBA Southwest division preview 01:27:49 Marcus Jordan with Larsa Pippen now?? 01:30:23 New Redeem team doc teaser with Kobe Bryant 01:36:41 Matisse Thybulle vs Ben Simmons in threes 01:37:38 Are you a pumpkin flavor fan? 01:39:33 Thank you for 200 subscribers!
Every season, each NBA team has been releasing at least one new jersey for the last few years. Some have been alternates, some have redesigned their main jerseys, and others have re-released classics. Either way, there’s normally a new jersey these days with “cool” names like “statement jerseys.”
So, with all of the crazy jerseys, awesome throwbacks that remind us of our childhood, and other jerseys coming out this year, we decided to react to all the ones we hate, love, and everything in between!
As of right now, we have to give the worst jersey of the year to the Utah Jazz. The basic black and highlighter yellow colors are both boring and hard to look at. Why are we making people stick out like highlighters as if they play for Baylor? Come on people, we can do better than that!
The Cleveland Cavaliers, on the other hand, had a great designer work on their jerseys. All three of them use their color combinations to perfection and the alternate jersey looks just as sick. For a team who just got a whole lot better after a blockbuster trade, the new jerseys really fit the direction of the squad.
Check out the clip from our podcast below to see what else we thought on the other jerseys!
This week on the Atlantic Files Podcast, Donovan Mitchell was finally traded and the New York Knicks saga is over. Should the Cleveland Cavaliers be considered a championship team now, Montrezl Harrell heads to the Philadelphia 76ers, Shaq says Kevin Durant is a failure outside of Golden State years, who will the next target be for the New York Knicks, Giannis, Jokic, and Luka all breaking records in EuroBasket, Rudy Gobert flashing improved post game during EuroBasket as well, and our weekly “Whatchu Got” segment!
Trading Donovan Mitchell was an entire saga this off-season. Danny Ainge and the Utah Jazz were holding out for the most draft capital they could get. Finally, they decided to pull the trigger on a non-Knicks deal. The Cleveland Cavaliers swooped in with some more picks and pretty good young players to boot. Now, we might see Mitchell competing for an Eastern Conference Finals title.
Does this trade make the Cavaliers a surefire top-three seed though? Could they even realistically compete for a championship this season?
Now, the New York Knicks have to change their direction of which superstar to target. Which assets are they going to use now to find another disgruntled star? Shai Gilgeous-Alexander may be on the market if the Oklahoma City Thunder continue tanking like they are.
Speaking of players moving teams, Montrezl Harrell is now on his way to Philadelphia. The 76ers have been on the market for a backup big after Andre Drummond left. Especially since Doc Rivers never trusts Paul Reed, Harrell gives them another look behind Joel Embiid.
On Shaq’s podcast, he said that Kevin Durant is essentially a failure outside of his Golden State Warriors days. Is that even fair to say or is it way out of line?
EuroBasket has been moving full steam ahead and some of the NBA’s biggest stars have been showing out. Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo have all been dominating and setting records. Even Rudy Gobert has been flashing an improved post game.
Finally, during our “Whatchu Got” segment, Dennis gives a prepared statement to the commenters on YouTube about Giannis Antetokounmpo, we offer our NBA Finals predictions, and talk about whether we’d pick Cade Cunningham or LaMelo Ball to lead a new team.
Timecodes: 00:00:00 Intro 00:04:27 Donovan Mitchell traded to Cleveland Cavaliers, NOT the Knicks 00:19:19 Are the Cleveland Cavaliers a top 3 seed in the East 00:26:30 The New York Knicks depth would suffer in Donovan Mitchell trade 00:31:10 Who should the New York Knicks target now, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander? 00:36:54 Whose trade package was better, Knicks or Cavaliers? 00:43:28 Rudy Gobert improving post game 00:46:46 Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo dominating EuroBasket 2022 00:50:47 Philadelphia 76ers sign Montrezl Harrell to 2-year deal 00:56:34 Is Shaq correct about Kevin Durant being a failure? 01:04:14 Dennis’ prepared statement about Giannis Antetokounmpo 01:09:05 2023 NBA Finals Predictions 01:12:57 LaMelo Ball or Cade Cunningham to start a new team 01:18:23 Outro
This week on the Atlantic Files Podcast, we take a look at some NBA 2K23 ratings, give our best and worst ratings, predict some ratings, talk about the Patrick Beverley to Los Angeles trade, Gilbert Arenas comments about Giannis Antetokounmpo, John Wall admitting to some very dark days, RJ Barrett’s extension, and the Brooklyn Nets signing Markieff Morris.
NBA 2K23’s release date is fast approaching. The time is coming when everyone sees what all the players’ new ratings are and then the debates begin while everyone throws insults at the game developers who chose the ratings. Since the ratings aren’t officially out yet, we decided to look at the latest ratings from NBA 2K22 and then come up with who we think should be the new top ten in the latest game.
Patrick Beverley was shipped to Utah in the Rudy Gobert trade, but now he’s on the move yet again. The Los Angeles Lakers shipped out Stanley Johnson and Talen Horton-Tucker to bring in Beverley’s services. He even went on TV and said that if the Lakers had him on their team that they would have won the Finals. Time to put those words into existence.
Gilbert Arenas is making his rounds on the internet again. This time, he talked about how Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn’t really understand the game of basketball or understand how to train his body. Seeing as Giannis is a MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Champion, and Finals MVP, those are some interesting words. Is there any truth to them?
John Wall, in an interview, admitted that he was in a very dark place the last few years. His basketball future was up in the air, and that was bringing a dark cloud with it over his personal life. We’re all hoping he gets back to the John Wall we all knew and loved, and hopefully the dark days are a thing of the past.
We had a couple of signings in the last couple of days as well. RJ Barrett inked a nice extension with the New York Knicks for up to $120M and the Brooklyn Nets signed Markieff Morris to bolster their bench unit.
Finally, we revealed a stat that has only been accomplished by Russell Westbrook, Julius Randle, and RJ Barrett in the last ten seasons!
Timecodes: 00:00:00 Intro 00:06:34 Patrick Beverley traded to the Lakers 00:20:01 NBA 2K23 ratings predictions 00:44:26 RJ Barrett signs extension with the Knicks 00:54:05 Markieff Morris signs with the Brooklyn Nets 00:56:57 John Wall talks about dark days in last three years 01:04:06 Gilbert Arenas comments on Giannis Antetokounmpo 01:20:40 Russell Westbrook, Julius Randle, and RJ Barrett have something in common 01:27:10 Outro
By now, everyone knows that Kevin Durant has decided to stay with the Brooklyn Nets. The dramatic, reality show type of situation is finally over and nothing even happened. That leaves three teams fighting for the top of the Atlantic Division the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, and Toronto Raptors.
No offense to any Raptors fans, but Toronto is still one of the up-and-coming teams especially compared to the Sixers and Nets. So we’re going to revisit them another time.
This comes down to the Nets roster vs the Sixers roster. Which one is better from top to bottom?
In Philadelphia, the bench got better through their off-season additions this year. James Harden has been working twice as hard as he finally doesn’t have to rehab an injury and Tyrese Maxey is getting ready to show even more growth in his third season.
On the other side, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are both coming back to Brooklyn. Ben Simmons is looking like he’ll finally be ready to go and the supporting pieces are getting healthier as well. Joe Harris wasn’t a factor at all last season, and he’s been one of the most consistent three-point shooters in the league.
So, which team are you taking? Are you taking the duo of Joel Embiid and Harden or Durant and Irving? Then, are you going to take the Sixers supporting cast or the Nets? This conversation is closer than people think, and it’s also fun for non-Sixers and non-Nets fans.
On this week’s episode of the Atlantic Files, we talk about Kevin Durant yet again as he decides to take back everything and stay with the Brooklyn Nets, the New York Knicks are thinking of including RJ Barrett in a Donovan Mitchell trade, Chet Holmgren might have ligament damage, plus more during ‘whatchu got!’
The Kevin Durant and Brooklyn Nets saga is finally over. After some sort of meeting between Kevin Durant, Steve Nash, Joe Tsai, and Sean Marks, they decided to run it back. Being a fly on that wall would have been something. Either way, this whole drama show was for nothing.
On the other side of New York, the New York Knicks have still been in talks with the Utah Jazz about Donovan Mitchell. RJ Barrett is the latest name that could be included in that haul for Utah. Should the Knicks even consider trading their best asset though? Some think Barrett isn’t even that good in the first place, so why would Danny Ainge want him?
Very disheartening news came out after all of this. Chet Holmgren is now out for the season with a Lisfranc injury. At the time of the recording, the tests weren’t done just yet, but it seemed like it was headed for a season-ending injury. Such an unfortunate way for a player’s season to end in just a pro-am game that didn’t mean anything.
Then, we got to our “Whatchu Got” segment. Topics included who we thought was going to have the biggest breakout season, whether the Denver Nuggets are a Western Conference contender, and which players under 25 have the biggest potential peak!
Timecodes: 00:00:00 Intro 00:05:36 Happy Mamba day! 00:11:19 Kevin Durant is staying in Brooklyn 00:30:08 Should the New York Knicks trade RJ Barrett 00:42:43 Chet Holmgren is out for the season 00:54:01 Who will have the biggest breakout season in the NBA 00:59:21 Are the Denver Nuggets a Western Conference contender 01:04:47 Luka Doncic, Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, Jayson Tatum, and Trae Young, whose ceiling is higher 01:14:42 Outro
Kevin Durant has been one of the hottest news topics of the NBA Off-season so far. After he requested a trade, rumors started popping up everywhere. Tons of teams want a top-five player on their team, that’s not rocket science. As of right now though, the two teams considered landing spots are the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.
We believe the Sixers don’t need Kevin Durant, and it would actually set them back if they made the trade. Time and time again we’ve seen a team mortgage their whole future just for one player, but it hasn’t turned out well for them in the end.
Take the Brooklyn Nets, for example, they put together one of the best trios we’ve ever seen on paper. James Harden, Kevin Durant, and Kyrie Irving should have been a surefire championship team. Any supporting cast would be able to help those three win a ring.
Obviously, that was quite far from the truth. The furthest they got was a second-round exit against the Milwaukee Bucks. Injury reports were always filled, Kyrie Irving was barely playing due to every excuse under the sun, and now it has all imploded.
That’s exactly what brings us to this topic in the first place. Brooklyn’s front office made every move they could to bring the roster together, and that wasn’t enough.
So, Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers think that trading their future and depth away for Kevin Durant is going to bring rings? Injury history with their current stars on top of Durant’s iffy injury status these days does not mix well. Neither does a big three with a terrible supporting cast and bench.
This week on the Atlantic Files, we breakdown the leaked NBA Christmas Day schedule that has three Atlantic teams playing this season, the Brooklyn Nets’ absurd trade offer to the Boston Celtics, Kyrie Irving’s ridiculous contract demands, the NBA retiring Bill Russell’s number, Tracy McGrady ripping Rudy Gobert, whether the Philadelphia 76ers should really consider trading for Kevin Durant, and we debut a new segment!
Leaks were going crazy on Twitter before the NBA finally released the whole schedule. Plus, at the time of this recording, the whole schedule wasn’t released just yet. We saw a sneak peek of the 2022 NBA Christmas Day schedule, so we decided to break down the five games this year. Some are repeats, but we get to see a couple of new faces as well.
In case you haven’t heard, the Brooklyn Nets made an absurd trade offer to the Boston Celtics. They seriously tried to get Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum in return for Kevin Durant. Either they got some bad inside information, or they’re just blindly throwing darts at a board and seeing if it lands a bullseye.
Kyrie Irving, in just as absurd fashion, brought up some contract demands when negotiating with Brooklyn’s front office. He requested to only be on the hook for 60 games at the most including no back-to-backs at all. So instead of deciding not to play in the middle of the season, he’s deciding early on that he’s just not going to want to play the whole time. What a guy!
Bill Russell passed away a couple of weeks ago now, and the NBA decided to honor him. They retired his jersey league-wide, which was an awesome decision by Adam Silver and company.
On Gilbert Arenas’ podcast, Tracy McGrady made some big statements about Rudy Gobert’s work ethic and skill. He ripped into him in a way that a lot of media personalities wouldn’t, but he was spot on with every word!
Finally, we debut our new segment called “Whatchu got?!” Each host brings a topic to debate but they do not share the topic with each other beforehand. It’s fresh and right on the spot. Enjoy!
Timecodes: 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:19 2022 NBA Christmas Day game schedule 00:28:19 Brooklyn Nets trade offer to get Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum 00:35:07 Should the Sixers trade for Kevin Durant? 00:48:01 Kyrie Irving has crazy contract demands 00:53:59 NBA retiring Bill Russell’s number is perfect 00:55:23 Tracy McGrady rips Rudy Gobert’s skill and work ethic 01:00:32 Can Nikola Jokic pass Dirk Nowitzki for best Euro in NBA History 01:04:47 No NBA games on election day, will that help people vote? 01:10:28 Would you rather, Tracy McGrady edition 01:19:53 Outro
The Brooklyn Nets added Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant a few years ago, and they quickly became championship favorites. As everyone knows, they never saw these championship dreams come true, and now Kevin Durant wants out as the Nets also try to trade Kyrie Irving.
A constant question surrounding this team every year is, “What went wrong?!”
Technically, there are a lot of answers to give in response. Players got injured, coaching wasn’t exactly up to par, and specific players continuously didn’t show up for the team.
One of those players is Kyrie Irving. The same one who decided to give up over half of a season just because he wasn’t going to get a vaccine in the midst of a pandemic. While there were plenty of others who also didn’t want to get vaccinated, they did it for the better of their team. Irving, on the other hand, made a stance and left his team out to dry.
Outside of that, we’ve seen him just decide not to play many more times. Also, he’s been quite injury-prone. The last time he played 70 or more games in a season was back in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Irving has always been held in high regard by other top-tier players. His ball-handling skills are some of the best of all time, and he has absolutely lethal scoring ability. Yet here we are waiting for him to actually help carry a team that doesn’t have someone named LeBron James on the roster.
Will Kyrie ever win another ring without LeBron? All signs are pointing to no at the moment. Our own host, Dennis Clausen, seems to think Brooklyn needs a big change if they actually want to compete as well.
