Tag / lamelo ball

by Alex Fischbein

Eastern Conference Preview, 2024-25 NBA Award And Season Predictions | TAF319

Welcome to episode 319 of The Atlantic Files! We’re back with a full court of NBA goodness, just in time for the 2024-25 season to tip off. This week, we’re breaking down three divisions, giving our early predictions for the season’s biggest awards, and discussing all the latest from week one of NBA action. If you’re ready to get hyped for hoops, you’ve come to the right place. Let’s jump into it!

2024-25 NBA Atlantic Division Preview: Battle for the East

We kick things off with a preview of the Atlantic Division, where rivalries are brewing, and every team has something to prove. The Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers are once again expected to be the big dogs, but don’t sleep on the New York Knicks or the Brooklyn Nets, who could both make some noise. Plus, the Toronto Raptors are looking to bounce back with a new head coach and fresh energy. We break down each team’s strengths, weaknesses, and what it’ll take for them to emerge as the division champs.

Southeast Division Breakdown: Can the Heat Stay Hot?

Next, we shift our focus to the Southeast Division, where the Miami Heat are looking to keep their fire burning after a deep playoff run. But they’re not the only ones with high hopes; the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic both have young stars ready to make a leap. The Washington Wizards, meanwhile, are still figuring things out post-Bradley Beal, while the Charlotte Hornets hope that their offseason changes can finally lead to some consistency. We dive into all the teams and assess who could be this season’s sleeper.

Central Division Preview: Who’s the King of the Midwest?

The Central Division is stacked with intriguing storylines, from the Milwaukee Bucks‘ new-look lineup to the Cleveland Cavaliers’ ongoing rise. The Chicago Bulls are hoping to make noise with their star power, while the Indiana Pacers continue to build around their young talent. And then there are the Detroit Pistons, aiming to take a significant step forward with Cade Cunningham leading the charge. We break down each squad’s potential and predict how this division might shake out.

2024-25 NBA Awards and Playoff Predictions: Who’s Taking Home the Hardware?

It wouldn’t be the start of an NBA season without some bold predictions! We share our picks for the MVP, Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and more. Plus, we take a stab at predicting which teams will make the playoffs and who could be in for a deep run. Are we riding the hype train for Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs, or do we see a seasoned veteran reclaiming the MVP throne? Tune in to find out!

News and Notes from Week 1: Early Surprises and What to Watch

The first week of the NBA season always brings some surprises, and this year is no different. We cover the top stories from week one, including standout performances, unexpected struggles, and key injuries. Which teams look like they’re hitting their stride early, and who’s already showing signs of trouble? We’ve got the insights you need to keep up with all the action.

Timecodes:
00:00:00 Intro
00:03:56 Southeast Division Preview
00:28:23 Central Division Preview
00:40:47 Atlantic Division Preview
00:56:28 NBA Awards and Playoffs Predictions
01:12:44 Outro

Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons, LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

LaMelo Ball or Cade Cunningham, who’s a better centerpiece of a team?

Take some time right now and live out a dream that a lot of basketball fans have. Become a fake General Manager for a startup NBA franchise. There’s one single condition: you have to choose between either Cade Cunningham or LaMelo Ball to lead your team.

LaMelo Ball has been a dynamic point guard even since his high school days, so it was no shock when he came into Charlotte and brought the same flair. In just his second season in the NBA, he already made an All-Star game after he put up 20.1 points, 6.7 rebounds, 7.6 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He also made players around him look even better like Miles Bridges, PJ Washington, and Jalen McDaniels.

On the other side of things, Cade Cunningham was no scrub in his first season in the league. He essentially was thrown into the fire and expected to lead a terrible team right away. The Detroit Pistons haven’t been a good team in what feels like ages. 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.6 assists, and 1.2 steals per game is nothing to make fun of. He had a little rough start to the season, and then put up a great 21/6/5 stat line post-all-star break!

Age wise, the two of them are actually only about a month apart. LaMelo Ball just turned 21 and Cunningham is turning 21 at the end of September. So, that brings the question, who are YOU taking to lead your new team?

Donovan Mitchell, trade, cleveland cavaliers, Atlantic files, podcast
by Alex Fischbein

Donovan Mitchell is finally traded to Cleveland | TAF242

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

Joel Embiid, Nikola Jokic, MVP, Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets
by Alex Fischbein

Joel Embiid vs Nikola Jokic for MVP | The Atlantic Files Ep212

On this week’s episode of the Atlantic Files, we talk Joel Embiid or Nikola Jokic for NBA MVP, who should get their first NBA All-Star appearances, Talen Horton-Tucker’s trade interest, our biggest surprises from the first half of the NBA season, and some predictions for the second half.

One of the biggest conversations lately has been Joel Embiid against Nikola Jokic for the best big man in the league along with who deserves the MVP. We took a look at the top-three candidates that are widely recognized as Embiid, Jokic, and Giannis Antetokounmpo right now. Which big man would you take to start your team and who do you think deserves MVP so far this season?

Now that the 2022 NBA All-Star voting is done, it’s time to set our sights on who should be getting their first-ever All-Star appearance this year. Names like LaMelo Ball, Darius Garland, Fred VanVleet, and Miles Bridges all enter the mix in this conversation. Will we see any sort of surprises like Andrew Wiggins becoming an All-Star starter?

Over in Hollywood, the Los Angeles Lakers are not enjoying this season so far. They’ve failed to even come close to their lofty pre-season expectations and now they’re exploring all sorts of trade markets. The current one is for Talen Horton-Tucker. They’ve quickly found out that there isn’t too much interest in trading for their coveted young guard and now they’re left scratching their heads. Which team do you think should trade for him?

Finally, we take a look at the first half of the NBA season and talk about what were the biggest surprises of the season so far. Teams like the Charlotte Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies have both been surprising, but did anything else stand out? Also, we take a look ahead and give some predictions for the rest of the season yet to come.

Timecodes:
0:00 – Intro
1:46 – Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, or Giannis Antetokounmpo, who should be MVP
16:13 – Which players should get their first NBA All-Star appearance
22:56 – The trade market for the Los Angeles Lakers and Talen Horton-Tucker
31:54 – Surprises from the first half of the 2021-22 NBA Season and predictions for the second half

Boston Celtics, Jayson Tatum
by Alex Fischbein

The Atlantic Files Ep201: Boston Celtics are crumbling

This week on the Atlantic Files, the Boston Celtics are crumbling as we speak, Scottie Barnes and the Toronto Raptors are on a hot streak, and all of a sudden the Charlotte Hornets, Washington Wizards, and Chicago Bulls are at the top of the East.

First of all, the Boston Celtics have plenty of time to not crumble and get themselves back together. Marcus Smart called out Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown for hogging the ball, especially at the end of games. He said it’s something that they’ll definitely learn from and they’ll get back on track. This sounded more like something he’s been trying to tell them behind closed doors for a long time and since they weren’t listening he finally said something to the press.

Then there’s James Harden and the Brooklyn Nets. Harden hasn’t looked like his usual self until just recently. He finally started attacking the rim, hitting his usual step-back jumpers, and wreaking havoc in the lane. A lot has been said about him being out of shape due to rehabbing during the off-season on top of the fact he’s getting used to the new foul rules. Does anything need to change on the Nets front to make sure they succeed without Kyrie Irving?

Another Atlantic team is surprising a lot of people at the moment. The Toronto Raptors have hit a little stride early on in the season. Scottie Barnes, OG Anunoby, Fred VanVleet, and Gary Trent Jr. have all been improving and showing some great offensive flashes on top of a pretty fun defensive system to watch. This team is fun and they’re finally playing like it!

Finally, we have the Chicago Bulls at the top of the East along with two surprising teams. Both the Charlotte Hornets and Washington Wizards were not supposed to be this high in the standings at all. Which of these two teams are the most for real? LaMelo Ball might actually be a real MVP candidate which is a scary thought!

Timestamps:
0:00 – Intro
1:15 – James Harden doesn’t look right
8:20 – Scottie Barnes and the Toronto Raptors
19:00 – Chicago Bulls are top of the East
29:00 – The Boston Celtics are crumbling and Marcus Smart is calling people out
40:30 – Who is an actual playoff team, Charlotte Hornets or Washington Wizards?