The age-old debate of which player should be considered than the other despite playing in different eras continues! This time around, we’re talking about the best European to play in the NBA. Nikola Jokic is quickly making his case, but the one to pass is still Dirk Nowitzki.
During the latest episode of our podcast, Mike’s ‘Whatchu Got’ topic was based on Nikola Jokic. He asked what Jokic had to do to become the best European of all-time to play in the NBA.
Usually, this is an absurd question because of how great Dirk Nowitzki’s legacy is, but in terms of Jokic and even Luka Doncic, it’s a fair question. Nowitzki’s 20 seasons with the Dallas Mavericks and plethora of accomplishments is a hard resume to beat.
Jokic now has two MVPs under his belt, some historical stat lines, and a few playoff runs. He’s one of the best big men in the last decade or so already and is constantly in the conversation among the top seven players in the league.
Yes, we know it’s still quite early in his career to make a judgment right now. What we can do is go off of his body of work and try to predict if he can keep that pace up.
What do you think, will Nikola Jokic ever pass Dirk Nowitzki as the best European player of all time? Plus, could Luka Doncic pass both of them?
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
This week on The Atlantic Files Podcast, Nikola Jokic was unofficially named NBA MVP for the second time in two seasons, Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo have their legions of fans back them up, Almost all of the NBA Playoffs series are tied 2-2, dirty plays and technical foul discussions, Rudy Gobert vs Shaq, JJ Redick’s awesome rant on ESPN, and the Sacramento Kings hire Mike Brown as their newest head coach.
Based on a Woj report, Nikola Jokic will reportedly go back-to-back for league MVP. The big debate now is whether or not he deserved it over Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo. Jokic had himself a historic season, and the MVP race was one of the closest in recent memory!
The NBA Playoffs are rolling in full force. Most of the series are tied at 2-2 and each one has been very exciting. Lower seeds are grabbing themselves some big wins, and the newer generation of the NBA is really showing its face. Who will move on to the respective Conference Finals and who will flame out?
So far this postseason, there have been a lot of flagrant foul reviews and a lot of talk about dirty plays and scary fouls. Dillon Brooks received a flagrant two and he even got suspended for his foul on Gary Payton II. Ever since then, a lot has been brought up about “the code” of basketball.
Recently on social media, Rudy Gobert commented saying he would lock up Shaquille O’Neal in his prime. This is one of the most laughable statements to have ever been sent into the atmosphere. Are we sure that Gobert wasn’t drunk when he said this?
If you haven’t seen it by now, make sure you go watch JJ Redick’s awesome rant on ESPN when talking about Draymond Green and the undertones of the media. He called out a lot of talking heads that are holding on to very old ways of thinking and we agree with his sentiment!
Finally, the Sacramento Kings have found themselves a new head coach. Mike Brown, the current assistant for the Golden State Warriors will take over head coaching duties next season. They got a great one in Brown, now for the rest of the staff and roster!
Timecodes: 0:00 – Intro 2:02 – NBA Playoffs analysis from Conference Semifinals 35:17 – Did Nikola Jokic deserve the MVP this season 50:40 – Rudy Gobert thinks he could lock up Shaq 53:28 – Sacramento Kings hire Mike Brown 1:01:02 – JJ Redick makes great argument on ESPN
On this week’s episode of the Atlantic Files Podcast, Joel Embiid continues to be called a foul merchant as the Philadelphia 76ers roll through the Toronto Raptors, Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics took game one over the Brooklyn Nets with a buzzer-beater, the NBA Playoffs are in full swing, and some of the regular season awards have been handed out and some questionable finalists have been announced!
On top of the big topics this week, we recorded our live reactions to the Celtics vs Nets and Sixers vs Raptors games as they went on during the time we were recording!
Toronto Raptors fans, players, and even coaches have all been complaining about foul calls against the Sixers. Joel Embiid and James Harden have gone to the line quite a bit through the first two games and of course that must mean there’s a conspiracy. Embiid ended up hitting a game-winning three and took more jumpers than the first two games as the Sixers still won. So what’s the excuse now?
In the other Atlantic matchup, the Boston Celtics are now up 2-0! Jayson Tatum hit his own game-winning shot in game one and then Kevin Durant absolutely disappeared in game two. Mike had to drop off the podcast to focus on the game as it was slipping through the Nets’ fingers before our eyes.
Devin Booker injured his hamstring in a game where the New Orleans Pelicans stole a game on the road. Now he’s out for two games in New Orleans and the Pelicans’ chances all of a sudden skyrocketed compared to what they were before. Could they pull off the upset?
Marcus Smart was named Defensive Player of the Year and was the first lead guard to get the award since Gary Payton. Is he the most deserving of the award, or should Mikal Bridges or Rudy Gobert have won?
Finally, Nikola Jokic got ejected and his Denver Nuggets were blown out in the first two games against the Golden State Warriors. It seems like he’s going to be named the MVP, but his MVP ways aren’t helping the team win any games in the playoffs so far.
Chapters: 0:00 – Intro 2:10 – Marcus Smart wins DPoY 7:06 – Live look and reaction of Boston Celtics vs Brooklyn Nets Game 2 11:51 – Devin Booker injured, can New Orleans win 20:15 – Live look and reaction to Philadelphia 76ers vs Toronto Raptors Game 3 25:47 – Tyrese Maxey and Jordan Poole snubbed for MIP 35:11 – Check in with Nets vs Celtics 38:14 – Nikola Jokic ejected and blown out by the Warriors 41:41 – Should the Utah Jazz blow it up and restart 45:52 – Another check-in with Nets vs Celtics 46:27 – Nick Nurse and Raptors complaining too much
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
This week’s episode of the Atlantic Files is a spicy one as we talk about the rumored Ben Simmons for Jaylen Brown trade, Nikola Jokic and Markieff Morris fighting, Kyrie Irving still not getting a change for the vaccine mandate, plus some quick-hitter topics about the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors.
First of all, the thought of a Wrestlemania type of fight between the Jokic brothers and the Morris brothers sounds like some amazing television. If you haven’t seen the video of the little spat that Jokic and Markieff Morris had, then you should go check that out and come right back. Nikola Jokic’s even made their own Twitter account to reply to Morris’ tweet about noting that Jokic pushed him when he turned his back. We’re getting our popcorn ready for this one!
Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that there were apparently trade talks between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics. Those talks were centered around Ben Simmons and Jaylen Brown and included Marcus Smart, Robert Williams, and picks. Everyone knows that a haul like that would be way too much for Simmons. Would a Brown for Simmons straight-up trade make any more sense? Brad Stevens might want to get a little crazy in the front office, who knows!
After a bunch of big man injuries, the New York Knicks are starting to slow down from their hot start in the first week or two of the season. Julius Randle is delivering every other game, and the rest of the team is very inconsistent. We know the team will be in playoff contention, but how far can they really go with this version of the team?
Finally, Pascal Siakam made his return from injury this week. For a return from a lengthy absence, it wasn’t a bad game by any means! Now that he’s making his way back to full force, it begs the question of whether or not this team is destined for the playoffs. They’ve played very well without him, now they add his talent, and this team could really surprise a lot of people,
Timecodes: 0:00 – Intro 1:35 – Nikola Jokic and Markieff Morris kerfuffle 20:38 – Ben Simmons for Jaylen Brown trade 38:00 – Kyrie Irving still waiting on a vaccine mandate change 51:08 – Are the New York Knicks good enough to truly compete? 57:38 – Pascal Siakam returns, playoffs for the Toronto Raptors?
