Podcasts and Videos

[plonden]

I listen to a lot of podcasts, and not just about basketball. In terms of NBA podcasts, I've checked out most of the big names. I'm interested in other recommendations. Here's a rundown on my favorite basketball podcasts.

REGULAR ROTATION

Grantland Sports - The Lowe Post
It should come as no surprise to anyone who reads his Grantland pieces, Zach Lowe's podcast is the gold standard for NBA podcasts. He's got great guests, ranging from other NBA analysts and writers (Stein, Arnovitz) to current and former NBA players (most recently JJ Redick to discuss the DeAndre Jordan saga a.k.a. emoji-gate) to current and former coaches (JVG). Plus, the production quality is top notch. This is by far my favorite NBA podcast, and it's not even close.

The Starters
The Starters release their regular show in podcast format. It's the most frequently released show. Skeets, Tas, Trey, and Leigh have great chemistry. The guys are funny and keep it light-hearted. They cover most of the main storylines in the NBA. The downside is that if you follow the NBA closely you won't hear a lot of new information. The podcast is actually just a replay of the TV show, which, unfortunately, means that you miss out on any of the visual stuff--graphics, videos, and the like. Also, I usually skip the end of the week show, the Drop, which is made specifically for the podcast. It's pretty long and features a couple of other guys who aren't on the main show. I also dislike the goofy stuff they do on the Drop, like Tweet of the week and Pun Gun. I'd probably listen to it if I had unlimited time.

Insider Sports
This is the newest NBA podcast that has made its way into my regular rotation. I've only actually listened to two episodes so far, but I'm already looking forward to the next episode. It appears the podcast does not have a regular host. Instead, it rotates among the regular contributors to Basketball Insiders. The most recent episode featured Steve Kyler and Eric Pincus, who is a CBA expert/capologist. It looks like they put out a couple of one-hour episodes per week.

ESPN: Bill Don't Lie / The B.S. Report with Bill Simmons
These were great pair of NBA podcasts with great guests, assuming you can handle Bill's Celtics homerism (I'm fine with it; he's at least up-front about it). But, they've been on hiatus since Simmons got unceremoniously canned. I'm sure Simmons will restart something similar wherever he lands. I'll definitely be tuning in.

BENCH WARMERS

NBA A to Z
I just found this one. It features Sam Amick, among other hosts. It's been pretty good so far, but the production quality is fairly low. It's honestly kind of distracting. But, the most recent episode featured an interview with Spurs Assistant Coach Becky Hammond, who I realize may not be so popular on the boards tonight. It was really good. It made me decide to give this podcast a few more listens before I make my decision.

The Russillo Show
Honestly, I haven't listened to any of these yet. But I used to love Ryen Russillo's NBA Today podcast back in the day. Russillo's old podcast used to be the gold standard. From looking it over, I don't know how long I'll give it though. Russillo's podcast covers all sports, not just the NBA. As a guy who only follows one sport, this is a huge--likely insurmountable--drawback for me.

Bright Side of the Sun
Surprisingly, I haven't listened to the Bright Side of the Sun podcast much. I listened to a couple of episodes earlier in the summer. And I cut it out of the rotation. But, I've resolved to give it another go before I decide whether to put this back in the rotation or send it down to the D-League.

D-LEAGUE

Grantland Sports - Jalen & Jacoby
Honestly, I loved Jalen Rose when he played for the Suns. But I hate his podcast. Jalen speaks with such an odd affectation. I can't get over it. I also don't like the bromance between Jalen and Jacoby. I really, really tried to like this one. But I just can't.

Grantland Sports - NBA After Dark
They seem to have good guests. But, I found the hosts to be rather dull and uninteresting. I gave up on this one after a couple of episodes.

[bwgood77]

Great to know. I've listened to some. Post any really good podcast links here after you hear them so all of our fans can just click and listen since I imagine most of us don't have the time to scour these sites to see what is the latest. But definitely a good OP to allow people to check them all out on their own as well.

[plonden]

Jared Dudley is on Zach Lowe's most recent podcast. I'm only halfway through with this one. Dudley talks about how his trade to the Wizards went down. He mispronounces Kelly Oubre's name (several times). Dudley mentioned the Suns in passing, and it sounds like he had some preliminary discussions with Phoenix brass as a possible trade destination. It'll be interesting to see where he ends up next season--he's an unrestricted free agent.

[TASTIC]

You have basically the EXACT same list I have plonden! Same order too - I can't stand Jalen and Jacoby anymore, Jalen thinks he's family with EVERYONE and that he's called all these moves/trades etc (he's probably hitting .200) and Jacoby is just his token whipping boy/hype man. They had some funny stuff back in the day but egos have taken that pod over...

I also listen to Hardwood Paroxysm - they've just done a great 3 part breakdown of the 50 greatest players ever, with the guy who runs ProHoops - worth a listen.

I use to listen to Short Corner Pod with Paul Shirley as well, but that got cancelled.

I listen to the odd fantasy NBA one as well but don't all that often. I've been on a couple of Red Rock Basketball's podcasts and talked fantasy with the guy who runs it, he's a good bloke.

ESPN Lockdown is another relatively new one, Amin seems to be the main guy and if you can tolerate him, they have some decent guests on there and usually only 40-45mins long.

Simmons has been picked up by HBO, I really hope he has a pod cos even though a lot of people dislike him, I think he's a real fan of the NBA and his knowledge is amazing. Great books too.

[aIvin adams]

one i discovered recently is 'In All Airness' subtitled a history of michael jordan era nba

basically two dudes going thru what's happened in the NBA that week... in 1986.

and sometimes there are good guests. cpl weeks ago it was ced ceballos and he was talking about his dunk contest etc.

pretty cool

[plonden]

Former Nets Assistant GM Bobby Marks is on the most recent Dunc'd on Basketball. Marks is a CBA/cap expert. He provides some really interesting inside perspective on free agency, trades, and cap management. He also talks about how he worked his way up from interning with the Nets to becoming the assistant general manager.

[plonden]

I also listen to Hardwood Paroxysm - they've just done a great 3 part breakdown of the 50 greatest players ever, with the guy who runs ProHoops - worth a listen.

I use to listen to Short Corner Pod with Paul Shirley as well, but that got cancelled.

I listen to the odd fantasy NBA one as well but don't all that often. I've been on a couple of Red Rock Basketball's podcasts and talked fantasy with the guy who runs it, he's a good bloke.

ESPN Lockdown is another relatively new one, Amin seems to be the main guy and if you can tolerate him, they have some decent guests on there and usually only 40-45mins long.

Simmons has been picked up by HBO, I really hope he has a pod cos even though a lot of people dislike him, I think he's a real fan of the NBA and his knowledge is amazing. Great books too.

I just subscribed to HP. I've only listened to one episode so far. It seems like there is a wide variety of podcasts contained within the HP umbrella. I'll check out ESPN Lockdown, but I generally don't care for Amin. I'm sure Simmons will resume podcasting once he settles in at HBO. Blatant homerism aside, I loved the Book of Basketball.

[plonden]

one i discovered recently is 'In All Airness' subtitled a history of michael jordan era nba

basically two dudes going thru what's happened in the NBA that week... in 1986.

and sometimes there are good guests. cpl weeks ago it was ced ceballos and he was talking about his dunk contest etc.

pretty cool

That sounds really interesting. I'm going to check it out.

[plonden]

Mark Cuban on Zach Lowe's podcast. Among other things, Lowe and Cuban talked about team-building. It's actually very relevant to the discussion in the treadmill thread. Most interestingly, Cuban talked about the risks involved in tanking to draft a superstar.

[batsmasher]

Seth Partnow's most recent podcast on HP was really good, where he discussed coaching philosophies with the Ultimate coach. Just makes you even more envious of what Pop has done with the Spurs.

I don't listen to BSoTS even though it's my favourite Suns site because I can't stand Jim. Maybe things have changed and I should give it another go soon.

[plonden]

On the Big Podcast with Shaq, Kobe and Shaq discuss their drama in Los Angeles before Shaq got traded to the Heat. It's really interesting. You can tell that they have mutual respect for each other. They both confess to being hot-headed and immature when they were younger. But although both claim to not hate the other person, it doesn't sound like they have any relationship these days. This is a must listen for those who were big NBA fans 10-15 years ago and remember the media hype surrounding the Kobe and Shaq drama, which Shaq characterized as simply workplace beef.

[plonden]

I also listen to Hardwood Paroxysm - they've just done a great 3 part breakdown of the 50 greatest players ever, with the guy who runs ProHoops - worth a listen.

I finally got around to checking this one out. I really like the content and the premise/angle. My only beef has been the production quality. The levels are usually so off. One guy is super loud. And I basically can barely hear the guest. But I'm sticking it out with this one. Thanks for the recommendation.

ESPN Lockdown is another relatively new one, Amin seems to be the main guy and if you can tolerate him, they have some decent guests on there and usually only 40-45mins long.

I've been checking this out as well. It seems to have a rotating host list. I am not a fan of Amin, but otherwise I like the podcast so far. I need a few more episodes to really get a read on it. As expected from ESPN, great production quality.

Simmons has been picked up by HBO, I really hope he has a pod cos even though a lot of people dislike him, I think he's a real fan of the NBA and his knowledge is amazing. Great books too.

Not sure if you saw this or not.
[tweet]https://twitter.com/BillSimmons/status/635831035859636224[/tweet]

[TASTIC]

I also listen to Hardwood Paroxysm - they've just done a great 3 part breakdown of the 50 greatest players ever, with the guy who runs ProHoops - worth a listen.

I finally got around to checking this one out. I really like the content and the premise/angle. My only beef has been the production quality. The levels are usually so off. One guy is super loud. And I basically can barely hear the guest. But I'm sticking it out with this one. Thanks for the recommendation.

ESPN Lockdown is another relatively new one, Amin seems to be the main guy and if you can tolerate him, they have some decent guests on there and usually only 40-45mins long.

I've been checking this out as well. It seems to have a rotating host list. I am not a fan of Amin, but otherwise I like the podcast so far. I need a few more episodes to really get a read on it. As expected from ESPN, great production quality.

Simmons has been picked up by HBO, I really hope he has a pod cos even though a lot of people dislike him, I think he's a real fan of the NBA and his knowledge is amazing. Great books too.

Not sure if you saw this or not.
[tweet]https://twitter.com/BillSimmons/status/635831035859636224[/tweet]

Nice find on Simmons - knew he'd left but didn't know he had a pod coming out soon, awesome!

If you like Seinfeld, there's a FANTASTIC pod with Zack Lowe and the Blazers GM Neil Olshey, I was laughing throughout the whole Sein quiz!

[plonden]

If you like Seinfeld, there's a FANTASTIC pod with Zack Lowe and the Blazers GM Neil Olshey, I was laughing throughout the whole Sein quiz!

I heard that one as well. Olshey is a Seinfeld gangster. I've seen basically every episode of Seinfeld but I could not have answered many of those questions.

[batsmasher]

If you like Seinfeld, there's a FANTASTIC pod with Zack Lowe and the Blazers GM Neil Olshey, I was laughing throughout the whole Sein quiz!

I heard that one as well. Olshey is a Seinfeld gangster. I've seen basically every episode of Seinfeld but I could not have answered many of those questions.

He also allowed Portlandia to film an ep with the team so he's a g in my books.

[TASTIC]

If you like Seinfeld, there's a FANTASTIC pod with Zack Lowe and the Blazers GM Neil Olshey, I was laughing throughout the whole Sein quiz!

I heard that one as well. Olshey is a Seinfeld gangster. I've seen basically every episode of Seinfeld but I could not have answered many of those questions.

Yeah he got 4-5 more than me, though I got a couple he didn't.

Weird how you remember some things and completely forget other stuff.

My best mate and I did an 8hr road-trip and watched Seinfeld there and back, was epic.

They're so right that George is the key character and he changes completely from the start.

Going to have to binge watch that again me thinks...

[plonden]

Howard Beck on the Lowe Post Podcast. They primarily discuss the Shaq and Kobe beef on this one too. Beck was a beat reporter in Los Angeles during the whole saga. He provides really interesting perspective on the situation. It's a nice compliment to hearing Kobe and Shaq talk it out earlier this week on Shaq's podcast. Also, there is a little Suns tidbit. Beck talks about how at one point Phil Jackson wanted Kobe off the team. He wanted to trade Kobe to Phoenix for Jason Kidd and Shawn Marion. That would have been wild. I remember hearing rumors about that but I did not know that it was ever seriously on the table or seriously considered by the Lakers.

[plonden]

There's a couple of interesting Suns podcasts that were released this past weak. First and foremost, there's Red Rock Fantasy Basketball's season preview for the Suns. This one features our very own TASTIC as the guest Suns expert. Second, there's an episode of A Podcast to Be Named Later dealing with the Markieff Morris situation.

[garrick]

NBA/ESPN lockdown used to be better when Bruce Bowen was on but I personally kind of lost interest when Amin became the main host.

For me its hard for me to find time to listen to a 30-40 minute podcast but once the season starts up I will start tuning in more often.

[bwgood77]

Any good podcasts lately?