The Pure Hoops Quick Hitters

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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Mike Wise has a new favorite team: the Mexico City Capitanes. Since Mike moved to Mexico City, he's fully embraced the local G-League team that has yet to play a game in Mexico due to COVID restrictions. There are some cool stories and cool names on the team and Mike shares some of the best ones.

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Scottie Pippen's new book is coming out on November 9th. But Scottie has been in the news lately for other reasons. While he hasn't been Michael Jordan's teammate since 1998, he still has some beef with the GOAT. In this Quick Hitter from The Mike Wise Show, Mike and producer Bruce Bernstein examine the Scottie/MJ dynamic and lend some perspective to Scottie's feelings and whether they believe Scottie's feelings are justified.

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Now that gambling is a business for the league and its gaming partners, what essential information does the league and its teams need to disclose in order for fans to be well-informed before they put their money on a game. Otto Strong, Aaron Berlin, and Bruce Bernstein discuss issues like injuries & load management, and how they can impact the point spreads in subtle ways. Does the league owe its betting fans the best information available?

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Davion Mitchell helped lead Baylor to the NCAA Championship last season and is a rookie for the Sacramento Kings. He also happens to be good pals with Buckets, Boards, & Blocks co-host King McClure from their time as teammates in Waco. Davion's nickname is "off night" because the people he guards generally have an off night. Mitchell's defense is turning a lot of heads around the NBA and King and Monica discuss his impact on a young and improving Kings team.

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The season has returned and so has the Catch & Shoot 2.0 podcast! In this week's Quick Hitter our guys Aaron Berlin and Otto Strong discuss all the drama that's taken place between Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers ....and where does each side go from here.

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Mike Wise and Bruce Bernstein examine the issues surrounding Kyrie Irving's decision to not be vaccinated against COVID-19 in spite of the effect it's having on the Brooklyn Nets.

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In this quick hitter from the fourth and final episode of the Mike Wise Show's four part series on the North Carolina Basketball Family, Tar Heel legends George Karl, George Lynch, and Matt Doherty have some laughs with Mike and co-host Bruce Bernstein over a story that Tar Heel legend Sam Perkins tells about Coach Karl when they were together with the NBA's Seattle Sonics. As our panelists listen to Sam tell the story, they're all laughing at the utterly ridiculous situation George put himself in.

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In this quick hitter from part three of the Mike Wise Show's four part series on the North Carolina Basketball Family, Tar Heel legends George Karl, George Lynch, and Matt Doherty explain to Mike and co-host Bruce Bernstein how Coach Dean Smith's leadership style held everyone accountable, but instilled discipline and values that have served all of the family members well.

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The Los Angeles Lakers have been busy the last two weeks, trading for Russell Westbrook and signing Carmelo Anthony, Trevor Ariza, Dwight Howard, Kendrick Nunn, Wayne Ellington, Kent Bazemore, Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk in free agency. But with a roster currently holding eight players 30 or older -- and five who are 35 or older -- is the Lake Show set for another NBA Title run? Our guys Aaron Berlin and Otto Strong break it down.

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In this quick hitter from part two of the Mike Wise Show's four part series on the North Carolina Basketball Family, Tar Heel legends George Karl, George Lynch, and Matt Doherty explain to Mike and co-host Bruce Bernstein why the bonds between Carolina players and staff that were created in Chapel Hill when they were teenagers have endured for generations.

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