Welcome back to another episode of The Atlantic Files! In today’s show, we’ve got an exciting lineup of topics to cover, including the results of the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery, the latest NBA mock drafts, swirling trade rumors involving star players Trae Young and Dejounte Murray, and an update on the ongoing action in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. Join us as we delve into the latest news, rumors, and insights from the world of basketball. Let’s get started!
2024 NBA Draft Lottery Results: We kick off the episode with a breakdown of the results from the 2024 NBA Draft Lottery. With the draft order now set, teams are gearing up to make their selections and add promising young talent to their rosters. We analyze the implications of the lottery results for teams at the top of the draft board and discuss potential draft strategies.
2024 NBA Mock Drafts: Shifting our focus to the upcoming NBA Draft, we explore the latest mock drafts and projections for the top prospects in the 2024 draft class. From potential lottery picks to sleeper selections, we analyze the players expected to make waves in the NBA and discuss their fit with various teams.
Trade Rumors Surrounding Trae Young and Dejounte Murray: Next up, we delve into the swirling trade rumors involving star players Trae Young and Dejounte Murray. With speculation mounting about potential trade destinations and package deals, we examine the likelihood of these blockbuster trades and discuss the potential impact on the teams involved.
2024 NBA Playoffs Update: Turning our attention to the postseason, we provide an update on the action-packed 2024 NBA Playoffs. From thrilling matchups to standout performances, we analyze the latest developments and storylines shaping the playoff landscape. With teams battling it out for a shot at the championship, we discuss the key factors influencing playoff outcomes.
Timecodes: 00:00 Intro 03:12 2024 NBA Draft Lottery, Mock Drafts 23:17 Reports on Trae Young and Dejounte Murray 33:51 2024 NBA Playoffs updates 47:26 Outro
The NBA Playoffs and Play-In Games are in full swing, and fans across the world are excited to see their favorite teams compete for the championship. Two of the teams in the spotlight this year are the Atlanta Hawks and the Los Angeles Lakers. In this episode, we’ll take a look at the past and present of the Atlanta Hawks, recap the NBA Playoffs and Play-In Games, provide predictions for the postseason, and discuss some of the off-court drama involving NBA players.
I. Atlanta Hawks: Past and Present
The Atlanta Hawks franchise has a rich history that dates back to the 1940s, but they have yet to win an NBA championship. Despite this, the Hawks have made several playoff appearances in recent years, including this year’s Playoffs. The Hawks are led by Trae Young, who is widely regarded as one of the best young players in the league. Young has been instrumental in the Hawks’ success this season, averaging 25.3 points and 9.4 assists per game.
II. NBA Playoffs and Play-In Games: Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Lakers
The Play-In Games were introduced to the NBA this year, and they have already provided some thrilling matchups. In the Eastern Conference, the Atlanta Hawks faced off against the Miami Heat in a tense battle. The Hawks emerged victorious, thanks in part to Trae Young’s 25-point performance. The Hawks will now face the Boston Celtics in the first round of the NBA Playoffs.
The Los Angeles Lakers have also had an eventful season, with several injuries and lineup changes. Despite this, the Lakers managed to secure the seventh seed in the Western Conference and earned a spot in the Playoffs. In their recent game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Lakers came out on top, with LeBron James leading the charge with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists.
LeBron James has been a force to be reckoned with in the NBA Playoffs throughout his career, with four championships to his name. James has won a total of 172 playoff games, which is the most in NBA history. The Lakers will face the Memphis Grizzlies in the first round of the Playoffs, and fans are eagerly anticipating another dominant performance from James and the Lakers.
As for predictions, it’s anyone’s guess who will come out on top this year. The Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, and Milwaukee Bucks are all strong contenders, but the playoffs are known for producing unexpected upsets and breakout performances. One player to keep an eye on is Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies, who has been making waves with his electrifying play.
III. Off-Court Drama: Kyle Kuzma and Spencer Dinwiddie
In addition to the on-court action, there has been some drama brewing off the court involving NBA players Kyle Kuzma and Spencer Dinwiddie. The two players have been engaged in a feud on social media, with Dinwiddie calling out Kuzma for his lackluster performance on the court. It’s unclear what sparked the feud, but some speculate that it may have to do with Kuzma’s recent breakup with model Winnie Harlow.
IV. Coaching Changes in the NBA
This year has also seen several coaching changes in the NBA. The most high-profile of these changes was the firing of Nate McMillan from the Atlanta Hawks. Other coaches who were let go include Dwane Casey of the Detroit Pistons and Stephen Silas of the Houston Rockets.
There has been some discussion about whether there is discrimination among NBA coaches based on their race. In the 2020-21 season, only seven out of 30 NBA head coaches were Black. This has led to some criticism of the NBA and calls for more diversity and inclusion in coaching positions. Now, head coaches seem to be trending toward fewer white candidates as more and more coaches get their first shot with teams at all different points of competition level.
The NBA Playoffs and Play-In Games have provided fans with plenty of excitement and drama this year. The Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Lakers are both in the mix, with the Hawks looking to make a deep playoff run and the Lakers hoping to defend their championship title. Off the court, there have been some interesting developments, including the feud between Kyle Kuzma and Spencer Dinwiddie and the coaching changes across the league. Regardless of what happens, fans can look forward to a thrilling postseason full of surprises and standout performances.
Timecodes: 00:00:00 Intro 00:06:44 Atlanta Hawks vs Miami Heat play-in game 00:29:49 Los Angeles Lakers vs Minnesota Timberwolves play-in game 00:42:28 Toronto Raptor vs Chicago Bulls Play-In game preview 00:49:43 Oklahoma City Thunder vs New Orleans Pelicans play-in game preview 00:50:18 Spencer Dinwiddie and Kyle Kuzma beef 01:07:14 Dwane Casey and Stephen Silas no longer head coaches 01:09:08 Are NBA coaches getting fired due to race? 01:28:14 Lakers or Hawks, who is more likely to pull off an upset 01:30:01 Remember this guy? 01:36:03 Outro
On this week’s episode of The Atlantic Files, Rui Hachimura has been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, Shannon Sharpe beefs with the whole Memphis Grizzlies team, Kyrie Irving tries to keep the Brooklyn Nets afloat, Dejounte Murray airs some grievances against the San Antonio Spurs, Stan Van Gundy makes some points about player health today, and the Atlantic is leading the East! That plus much more!
Rui Hachimura was shipped away from the Washington Wizards after he voiced his feelings about wanting to play more for a bag of peanuts. Kendrick Nunn and a few second-round picks were all it took to get the Lakers an upgrade at the forward spot. The big question will be whether or not he sees more playing time and actually improves from it.
In case you haven’t hear about it yet, Shannon Sharpe got into a yelling match with Dillon Brooks and the Memphis Grizzlies when he was sitting courtside at one of their games. He kept saying that Brooks didn’t want the smoke and by the way he acted, it sure seemed true. Sharpe is not the type of guy to mess around with.
Dejounte Murray went on the All The Smoke Podcast and talked about his time with the San Antonio Spurs and his relationships with Coach Popovich and Tony Parker. Some of it was a surprise, but the parts about Parker seemed to fit the narrative from players that have played with him before.
Then, Stan Van Gundy took to Twitter to ask about the current era’s health issue and why medicine hasn’t evolved enough to keep guys from getting hurt. He pointed out how there are many more small injuries holding guys out and how there are even some big ones that take people out for a whole season. Kevin Durant seemed to agree and we do too.
Finally, the Atlantic Division is leading in the Eastern Conference. Are they the true kings of the East? Kyrie Irving is trying to keep the Brooklyn Nets afloat with Durant sidelined and the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers just keep on rising to the top.
Timecodes: 00:00:00 Intro 00:08:38 Shannon Sharpe fights with Dillon Brooks and the Grizzlies 00:22:33 Rui Hachimura traded to the Los Angeles Lakers 00:34:14 Dejounte Murray’s comments about the Spurs and Tony Parker 00:53:28 Stan Van Gundy’s comments about player health 01:05:07 Is the Atlantic Division King of the East? 01:24:32 Choose one: Fast food and desserts 01:28:24 outro
This week on The Atlantic Files, we preview the Southeast Division where Dejounte Murray looks to help the Atlanta Hawks get back to deep playoff runs, Blake Griffin signs with the Boston Celtics, the NBA Preseason is underway, Oklahoma City and Houston traded a bunch of players, the Toronto Raptors are monitoring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s situation, and we take a look at the annual GM survey from the NBA!
A lot of depressing rosters have made their home in the Southeast division over recent years. The only team that really was a championship threat was the Miami Heat. This time around, there are still a few depressing rosters, but both the Heat and the Atlanta Hawks look like they could make some noise! Dejounte Murray found himself move from a tanking situation to a contender, so can he help Atlanta get back to the Conference Finals?
Blake Griffin is officially staying in the Atlantic Division! After playing with the Brooklyn Nets last season and then not getting another offer, he found his home in Boston. The cleanup crew just got even better for the Celtics. Griffin is bringing his charge drawing abilities on top of his high effort in all of his bench minutes. Yet another sneaky good addition from Brad Stevens and company.
The NBA Preseason is officially underway! We’ve seen the Phoenix Suns lose to an NBL team, the Philadelphia 76ers blowout the Nets without most of their starters, and so much more. We gave our top observations and takeaways from the games that have been played so far.
In trade news, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets swapped a bunch of bench players so that the Thunder could get under the tax line. A couple pieces of the trade have already been waived, so this really has no effect on the day-to-day talent of each team.
Rumors are now swirling that the Toronto Raptors and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are starting to form a link. The Raptors are reportedly keeping tabs on the situation in Oklahoma City just in case Gilgeous-Alexander doesn’t want to wait for this tank job to finally end.
Finally, we take a look at the survey that’s done by all of the NBA’s General Managers. They answered a ton of questions about the current state of the league and even some predictions for how the season is going to turn out. We gave our thoughts to the best and worst answers.
Timecodes: 00:00:00 Intro & Dennis’s dungeon 00:07:09 2022-23 NBA Southeast Division Preview 00:39:03 Observations from the NBA Preseason 00:54:32 Blake Griffin signs with the Boston Celtics 00:56:08 Toronto Raptors are monitoring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 01:03:23 Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets trade 01:04:58 Reactions and thoughts on annual NBA GM Survey 01:28:12 Outro
By now, everyone who follows the NBA probably has seen the video of Dejounte Murray throwing the ball at Paolo Banchero after hitting him with a spicy fake and self-alley-oop. A lot of people took away the thought that Murray isn’t humble or that he isn’t ready to lead any sort of team in the NBA. Here at The Atlantic Files, we took this a different way!
Murray has constantly been an underrated force at point guard. The San Antonio Spurs teams he’s been on have constantly scrapped just to try and make a play-in game due to the lack of talent that was surrounding him. Their next best players after Murray were the likes of Derrick White, Keldon Johnson, and Jakob Poeltl. In as deep of a conference as the West is, a team like that is not going very far.
Fast forward to today. Murray is now on his way to Atlanta to team with Trae Young. This summer he looks like he’s been unleashed. He’s been extremely confident, he’s having fun with all sorts of things he’s doing like bouncing a ball off of a defender’s head, and people seem to have an issue with that.
Dejounte Murray is no head case, he’s showing everyone what he’s bringing to Atlanta and how this team is going to be a legit contender.
Paolo Banchero, on the other hand, got his welcome to the NBA moment early. The background of this whole beef makes Banchero seem a little shady in the friendship department, but that’s something for them to figure out.
Banchero will undoubtedly be in the Rookie of the Year race, but Orlando Magic vs Atlanta Hawks games just got that much more entertaining!
On this week’s episode of The Atlantic Files, Kevin Durant issued an ultimatum to Joe Tsai and the Brooklyn Nets, tampering investigations are underway for the Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks, Dejounte Murray and Paolo Banchero have beef, players standing out in pro-am’s and workouts, and we talk about our 30-team fantasy basketball league!
Another chapter in the Kevin Durant and Brooklyn Nets saga is being written before our eyes. Durant met with Nets Owner, Joe Tsai, and issued an ultimatum. He said he has to fire Steve Nash and Sean Marks if they want to keep him. The same guy that vouched for Nash in the first place now wants him fired otherwise he still wants to be traded. He really wants to make sure his legacy goes further into the dumpster now.
We joked around a few weeks back when there were tampering rumors for the New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers, but now these tampering investigations are actually happening. Jalen Brunson and PJ Tucker are the two signings mainly being investigated, but if only second-round picks are the only things up for grabs as punishment, then why even carry out this whole investigation? It’s all pointless in this day and age.
In case you haven’t seen it yet, Dejounte Murray and Paolo Banchero are in a full-blown beef. There seem to be some background parts of it that no one has heard or seen, but it blew up at a Seattle Pro-Am game and now Atlanta Hawks versus Orlando Magic games just got that much more entertaining. Everyone talked about the NBA being soft, now we got an up-and-coming player going right at a rookie, and people are calling him crazy. Let’s bring beef back!
Finally, Alex and Dennis are in a 30-team fantasy basketball league. It’s very involved with salary caps, and auction drafts, and it’s also a dynasty league on top of everything! They give their initial thoughts on the league and show their teams as well.
Timecodes: 00:00:00 Intro 00:06:10 John Collins, Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle, poor showings in Pro-Ams 00:19:24 Kevin Durant gives Joe Tsai & Brooklyn Nets an ultimatum 00:33:32 Tampering investigations started on New York Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers 00:41:29 Dejounte Murray and Paolo Banchero already have beef! 00:48:04 30-team fantasy basketball league thoughts 01:08:49 Answering viewers questions about Kyrie Irving and the Nets 01:16:40 Outro
