NCAA SWEET 16 Matchup Quick Hitters: Virginia Tech vs. Duke

Happy Holidays to everyone. While we still navigate the unknown as it relates to Covid and the NBA, we at Catch & Shoot 2.0 still felt we should hand out some presents to NBA players, coaches, fans, etc. To help out, our hosts Aaron Berlin and Otto Strong called on some special friends to assist with the gift-giving. Among those receiving gifts included Klay Thompson, Joel Embiid, DeMar DeRozan, Anthony Davis, Zion Williamson, Stephen Curry, Ben Simmons and ...you!

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It all seems clear that the 76ers will move Ben Simmons at some point to continue to build around Joel Embiid in its quest to win a championship, but what potential moves make sense for both Simmons and the team? Can they get top-dollar for Simmons? Is it more advantageous to trade him before this season's deadline or in the off-season? Questions to be answered, for sure, and Locked on Sixers podcast host Serena Winters attempts to do just that in a lively discussion with our Aaron Berlin and Otto Strong. Check it out!!

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A recent article by The Athletic's Eric Nehm described how the game of two-time league MVP and NBA Champion Giannis Antetokounmpo has evolved. Rob Peterson, the Sr. NBA Editor for The Athletic, and a Wisconsin native, takes us even further in the Greek Freak's journey from going all out all the time to learning how to slow down and break down plays. In his discussion with our Otto Strong and Bruce Bernstein, he describes how Giannis is able to dominate the game by involving his teammates and without always having to score.

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Greg Anthony of Turner Sports has a really thoughtful discussion with Mike Wise about the Kyrie Irving situation in Brooklyn. While many observers blame Kyrie (who has declined to be vaccinated against COVID) for abandoning his teammates, Greg cites several other factors in the situation that will definitely make you think twice about who is to blame for Kyrie's absence from the Nets.

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The Chicago Bulls are off to a surprising start to this NBA season, and Zach LaVine's game is a big reason why. Four-time NBA Champion Will Perdue, now the Bulls TV Studio Analyst for NBC Sports Chicago, explains how a conversation with Gregg Popovich while playing for Team USA at the Olympics changed parts of LaVine's game, becoming a more willing defender and sacrificing some of his scoring game for the betterment of the team. Perdue also tells our Aaron Berlin and Otto Strong how LaVine has deferred some of the leadership role on the team to DeMar DeRozan.

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Over 1700 players entered the NCAA's Transfer Portal this off season of college basketball. College hoops expert Howie Schwab joined the Catch & Shoot 2.0 podcast this week, and he tells our Aaron Berlin that while he's not a fan of the amount of players who entered the portal or the effect it had on teams who lost players to it, he does see how it has generated interest in the sport. He also gives us some teams that have used the portal to their benefit (like St. John's and Kentucky).

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Quinton Mayo is a keen observer of the Washington Wizards and has great takes on the team's early season success. In this Buckets, Boards, & Blocks Quick Hitter, Quinton joins Monica McNutt and King McClure for a discussion on whether the team's hot start is sustainable over the course of 82 games and the postseason.

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Despite off-the-court issues for the team's owner, the Phoenix Suns keep winning. A big credit for that is the leadership of their point guard, future Hall-of-Famer Chris Paul. The Arizona Republic's Duane Rankin joined our Bruce Bernstein and Otto Strong and goes into great detail on how and why Paul has been more than a coach on the floor for the Suns... which includes him joining the coaches' huddle from time-to-time.

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Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors is a two time NBA Most Valuable Player and a three time NBA Champion. At the age of 33, he is playing some of the best all around basketball of his career. Mike Wise welcomes Matt Steinmetz, who has covered the Warriors since 1996 for an examination of Curry's greatness as a player and as a person.

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Scottie Pippen's new autobiography, Unguarded, was released this past Tuesday, November 9th, and co-author Michael Arkush joined our Aaron Berlin and Bruce Bernstein to discuss the feelings of Pippen towards some of the other staples of the Bulls Dynasty of the 1990's: Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson, and Jerry Krause. Arkush tells us that while Pippen wasn't necessarily friends with any of them off the court, he had great respect for all of them from a basketball standpoint.

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