NBA 2k23, Patrick Beverley, Los Angeles Lakers, Atlantic files

NBA 2k23 ratings & Patrick Beverley trade | TAF241

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

Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets, 2022 NBA Free Agency, Atlantic Files

Kyrie Irving is not dependable | The Atlantic Files Ep234

This week on the Atlantic Files podcast, Kyrie Irving caused a lot of drama and rumors surrounding the Brooklyn Nets, John Wall is heading to Los Angeles, Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook are both staying put, and an NBA Free Agency preview!

Before any of the NBA Free Agency officially kicked off, we already have some trades and news of opt-outs coming in. John Wall is one who is working on a buyout with the Houston Rockets and apparently has also decided to go to the Los Angeles Clippers. It’s been a very long time since we’ve even seen Wall play an NBA game, so teaming up with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard should be very interesting.

Bradley Beal opted out as well, but he’s expected to sign a five-year supermax with the Washington Wizards. Also, Russell Westbrook is staying put as he opted in to his option with the Los Angeles Lakers. Beal’s part is a little surprising due to all of the rumors about him being traded. The longer and bigger contract is probably a little more difficult to actually trade. Westbrook, on the other hand, is quite expected. Now the Lakers have to figure out if they want to just use him as a scapegoat again or actually trade him for some supporting pieces.

The big topic of this week’s episode is Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets. There were tons of conflicting rumors that said Kyrie is either looking for a sign-and-trade or he’s staying in Brooklyn. A rumor that came out of the mess was that the Nets thought Kyrie was not dependable and that apparently upset Kyrie. News flash, anyone can see the amount of games he’s played in Brooklyn and realize that he is the farthest thing from dependable!

Finally, we preview the rest of the 2022 NBA free agency and all of the potential free agents that could be moving teams this off-season. A lot of quality role players are on the market and the championship contending teams could be making tons of trades and signings!

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:02:31 Kyrie Irving is the least dependable on the Brooklyn Nets
00:16:04 John Wall heading to the Los Angeles Clippers!
00:26:31 Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook staying put
00:41:28 2022 NBA Free Agency Preview

Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets

Kyrie Irving returns then leaves | The Atlantic Files Ep208

On this week’s episode of the Atlantic Files, Kyrie Irving finally returns and then leaves on the Covid list, Covid makes its rounds in the NBA with more postponements, teams are signing ten-day hardship contracts, and John Wall is still waiting to be moved somewhere other than Houston.

By now, it’s not a secret that the Brooklyn Nets have finally decided to bring back Kyrie Irving for everything other than home games. He can still practice and can play games anywhere but Brooklyn. Just as he was coming back, however, he landed on the Covid list with what seems like over half of the NBA. So, just as fast as he was announced to return, it was announced that he’ll have to wait longer.

The other question regarding the return of Kyrie Irving is whether or not it’s that ethical of the team to do so. He continued to decide not to get the vaccine even though the city required it for him to play. Now, they bring him back and decide it’s ok that he’s only available for half of the games even though his teammates could really use the help at all of the games. Plus, they are still in first place in the East anyway.

This brings us to the fact that Covid’s latest mutation is making its rounds through the league yet again. Games are being postponed, Christmas Day games could look like a shell of what they were expected to be, and people are talking about putting a pause on the league. Would a pause on the league even help? Adam Silver and other executives don’t seem to think so.

Vaccines, boosters, quarantines, and health and safety protocols continue to be the biggest buzzwords. These have been quite an exhausting couple of years.

On a different note, we still have a player in Houston that’s not-so-patiently waiting to get out of there. John Wall requested out a while ago now, but the Rockets haven’t seemed too eager to make any kind of move. There are plenty of teams that could use a point guard, but obviously, the contract is the hardest part of any deal. He is owed a very large chunk of money. Which team should even go for him?

Stay safe everyone!

Timecodes:
0:00 – Intro
1:48 – Kyrie Irving is returning to the Brooklyn Nets
16:58 – Should the NBA pause the league
22:10 – 10-day hardship contracts are giving guys a shot
28:00 – Which team should go for John Wall
37:23 – Domino’s pizza makes some good food