Hardwood Knocks

Kyle Korver is now a member of the reigning champion Cleveland Cavaliers, because, well, when you root for an NBA team outside Ohio these days, sometimes life isn't.  Justin Rowan of Fear The Sword, Hoops Habit and Press Basketball drops in to talk with Hardwood Knocks about Korver's fit in Cleveland, plus the progression of LeBron James' three-point shooting and the evolution of the Cavaliers' Big Three at large. With the Atlanta Hawks on the verge of entering seller's mode as we near the NBA's February trade deadline, Rowan also discusses the state of the Toronto Raptors, and whether they should go all-in on a trade for Paul Millsap. (We were able to sneak in some Damian Lillard-Portland Trail Blazers talk as well.) As always, be sure to subscribe to and rate Hardwood Knocks on iTunes. You can also find us on Stitcher and BlogTalkRadio (the illustrious host of HWK). Follow Andy (@AndrewDBailey), Dan (@danfavale), Adam (@fromal09) and the show (@HardwoodKnocks) on Twitter.

With the NBA's trade season officially underway, Bleacher Report's Alec Nathan joins Hardwood Knocks to discuss Nerlens Noel's and Jahlil Okafor's situations with the Philadelphia 76ers. Listen as he and Dan Favale try to find new homes for both of Philly's bigs, while also worshiping at the alter of Joel Embiid and talking turkey on what other trades around the league should be pushed through before the February deadline. Is there another team that should consider trading for Evan Turner? Should the Detroit Pistons consider moving Andre Drummond? Can the Phoenix Suns get anything or anyone of value for Brandon Knight?  As always, be sure to subscribe to and rate Hardwood Knocks on iTunes. You can also find us on Stitcher and BlogTalkRadio (the illustrious host of HWK). Follow Andy (@AndrewDBailey), Dan (@danfavale), Adam (@fromal09) and the show (@HardwoodKnocks) on Twitter. Until next time: Shoutout Beno Udrih!

Who is the leader now that Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are all gone? How is Hassan Whiteside doing without having any safety nets around him? Is Goran Dragic balling out now that he's not competing for touches with Wade? Will he be traded? Why is the defense so good? Is a nucleus of Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow and Whiteside worth building around for years to come? Is Dion Waiters actually playing defense? And just how the hell did James Johnson get so good? Bleacher Report's Miami Heat insider Zach Buckley joins Hardwood Knicks to discuss all things Heat. With Miami now one-quarter of the way through its first rebuilding season, we talk about the status quo, whether they have a chance at securing a playoff berth in 2017, and where they go next. You won't want to miss this!

Too much has happened through the first two weeks(ish) of the 2016-17 NBA season. So in this Episode of Hardwood Knocks, Dan and Adam go around the horn, without aim, talking about anything they see fit.  Kevin Durant and Golden State Warriors chit-chat? Obviously. Celebrating Joel Embiid's rise with the Philadelphia 76ers? You know it. Turning a discussion about Tristan Thompson and the Cleveland Cavaliers into a full-blown assault on the concept and subsequent value of "two-way" players? We've got you covered. A rant on the New York Knicks' continued run of seeming incompetency? We've got that, too—along with so, so much more.  

Adam and Dan get together to discuss the Pacific division in 2016-17. How will the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers do this season? Listen for the complete breakdown! As always, you can subscribe to Hardwood Knocks on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and BlogTalkRadio. Ratings and reviews at any of the above spots are greatly appreciated. If you want to follow me on Twitter, I'm @AndrewDBailey. Dan is @danfavale. And Adam is @fromal09. The show can be found at @HardwoodKnocks.

Hardwood Knocks breaks down the NBA's Northwest Division, with a look at the Utah Jazz, Portland Trail Blazers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Oklahoma City Thunder and Denver Nuggets. We start things by talking about the Jazz, an already talented team that got much better this offseason. Then, we move on to the Portland Trail Blazers. After those two teams, all bets are off. It's a free-for-all to try to determine who will finish third, fourth and fifth. As always, be sure to subscribe to Hardwood Knocks on iTunes, follow it on Stitcher or favorite it on BlogTalkRadio. Leave us a rating or review at any of those spots. You can follow me on Twitter @AndrewDBailey. Dan is @danfavale. And Adam is @fromal09.

Where will the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks and Charlotte Hornets finish in the NBA's Southeast Division in 2016-17? That's the question tackled in this episode of Hardwood Knocks, as the crew continues its march through previews for the upcoming campaign. What were the Magic thinking this offseason? Why sign Bismack Biyombo when they already had Serge Ibaka? How will Miami perform in this transitional year? Do the Hornets or Wizards have a higher ceiling this season? And how much different do the Hawks have to play to accomodate for Dennis Schröder and Dwight Howard? As always, you can follow me on Twitter @AndrewDBailey. Dan's @danfavale. And Adam's @fromal09. The show's handle is @HardwoodKnocks. Be sure to subscribe to the show on iTunes or follow on BlogTalkRadio or Stitcher. Leave us a rating or review wherever you listen!

A full preview of the NBA's Central Division for the 2016-17 season. We talk Chicago Bulls, Milwaukee Bucks, Indiana Pacers, Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers. We start with a debate between the Bulls and Bucks. Adam and I both think Milwaukee has the inside track for fourth in the division, which resulted in Dan accusing us of alcoholism. What's better? The known quantities of the Bulls? Or the youth and talent of the Bucks? Then, we move onto the Pacers and Pistons. Adam and Dan both think the Pistons are clearly better, while I see a world in which the Pacers compete for second in the division.  Finally, it's onto the obvious winner of the central (barring catastrophe): the Cavaliers. Will the roles of LeBron James, Kyrie Irving or Kevin Love change at all this season? What's happening with J.R. Smith? And will the Cavs repeat? As always, follow us on Twitter. I'm @AndrewDBailey. Dan's @danfavale. And Adam's @fromal09. Be sure to subscribe to us on iTunes or favorite us on BlogTalkRadio or Stitcher. Ratings or reviews at any of those platforms are much appreciated.

The Hardwood Knocks crew analyzes and previews all five Atlantic Division teams: the Brooklyn Nets, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics. We're going worst to first. There's some debate between Brooklyn and Philly for fifth, but Adam and I beat out Dan's vote for the Sixers. So, we started with the Nets and their amazingly bizarre collection of players. Then, we talked 76ers and all the young talent they have there. How good will Ben Simmons be as a rookie? Can they sort out the frontcourt logjam? And is the all 6'10"-and-up lineup a pipe dream? After Philly, we moved on to Dan's glorious super Knicks. Melo/Porzingis is the best 4/5 combo they can run, but will they? And how much does Derrick Rose hurt in the W/L column. Next, it's the Raptors, who basically just moved laterally this summer. With no real movement either direction, expect Toronto to stagnate. Finally, we talk President Brad Stevens' Celtics and the versatility Al Horford adds to them. As always, you can follow the Hardwood Knocks crew on Twitter. I'm @AndrewDBailey, Dan's @danfavale and Adam's @fromal09. The show's account is @HardwoodKnocks. Follow, subscribe to and rate the show on iTunes, Stitcher or BlogTalkRadio. 

Are there any teams at the Olympics that can play Team USA relatively close? Does Draymond Green's latest indiscretion say anything about him? And are there any Greg Monroe trades out there that make sense? These topics and more are broken down by the Hardwood Knocks crew in Episode 51. We start by talking about how Team USA ran through its pre-Olympic exhibition tour with one 40-plus-point win after another. And through most of the games, it looked like the guys weren't playing anywhere near full speed. So what will it take for a team like Spain or France to make a game competitive in Rio? And are there any countries that could threaten USA in the future? Ben Simmons and Australia maybe? Then, we move on to Draymond Green's latest snafu. Is this just a case of the age of social media blowing everything out of proportion? And finally, we talk Greg Monroe trades. He doesn't appear to be a part of Milwaukee's future plans, but it's not easy to find a suitable trade destination for him. That won't stop us from trying, though. All that and more on this episode of Hardwood Knocks! As always, you can follow us on Twitter. I'm at @AndrewDBailey, Dan's at @danfavale and Adam's at @fromal09. You can follow the show at @HardwoodKnocks. Don't worry, Dan has promised to resurrect trivia there. Be sure to subscribe to the show on iTunes or favorite it on BlogTalkRadio or Stitcher. Leave us a review too!

Which NBA teams had the best offseasons? Which had the worst? Who made understated good moves? And who signed Timofey Mozgov? Andy and Dan are back to break down NBA free agency. The Warriors obviously won the summer (in a landslide), but they weren't the only squad to make significant improvements. We'll run through teams that did well, including the Utah Jazz and Milwaukee Bucks. We also look at teams that that did, well, weird, including the Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks. Plus, just about every team in between. As always, be sure to subscribe to and rate Hardwood Knocks on iTunes. You can also find us on Stitcher and BlogTalkRadio (the illustrious host of HWK). Follow Andy (@AndrewDBailey), Dan (@DanFavale), Adam (@fromal09) and the show (@HardwoodKnocks) on Twitter. Until next time: Shoutout Beno Udrih!

Derrick Rose is off to the New York Knicks, George Hill is headed to the Utah Jazz and Jeff Teague is on his way to the Indiana Pacers. The Hardwood Knocks crew breaks down all of yesterday's deal and so much more in Episode 49. Does Rose help the Knicks at all? And why does his name still conjure up visions of value in the minds of so many fans? Plus, what does Robin Lopez do for the Bulls? After the Rose discussion, we break down the three-team deal that sent George Hill to the Jazz, Jeff Teague to the Pacers and the No. 12 pick to the Hawks. What were the Hawks and Pacers thinking? And was Hill the best player traded yesterday? Finally, we discuss a number of potential deals cooked up by you, the fans. If you want to follow any of us on Twitter, you can find me (@AndrewDBailey), Dan (@danfavale), Adam (@fromal09) or today's guest Alec (@AlecBNathan). Be sure to subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks feed on iTunes or Stitcher and leave us ratings and reviews.

It's the triumphant return of the Hardwood Knocks podcast! Andy and Dan are here to talk you through the first couple games of the 2016 Finals and explore what may happen to the Cleveland Cavaliers after the series is over. How have the Golden State Warriors been so dominant through the first two games of the NBA Finals? Are there any possible adjustments the Cavaliers can make? And if it is a short series, what kind of trades or moves can Cleveland make in the offseason? As always, if you listen to the show on iTunes, leave us a rating or review there. If you listen on Stitcher or BlogTalkRadio, like and follow us. You can follow all the hosts on Twitter. Andy is @AndrewDBailey, Dan is @danfavale and Adam is @fromal09.

Sam Hinkie has stepped down as general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers. So, the Hardwood Knocks crew has gotten together to discuss why he left, what went wrong and what comes next. Did 76ers ownership ever fully buy in to Hinkie's plan? Did they bail too early? How much fault does Hinkie have in all this? And what happens if all these assets Hinkie collected start to pan out? Plus, how about that 13-page letter from Hinkie to ownership? If you want to add your two cents, you can reach any of us on Twitter. I'm at @AndrewDBailey, Dan is at @danfavale and Adam is at @fromal09. Today's guest, Alec Nathan, can be found at @AlecBNathan. And the show's handle is @HardwoodKnocks. Make sure you rate us and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes (https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/hardwood-knocks/id1024389633?mt=2) or favorite us on Stitcher (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/hardwood-knocks-2).

Kevin Durant is a free agent this summer. Did you know that? It's OK if you didn't. It's not like anyone is talking about it or anything. Except everyone is talking about it. Every week there's another rumor. Before every marquee matchup there's another rumor. Rumors, rumors, rumors. Should Durant re-sign with the Oklahom City Thunder? Are any of the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, New York Knicks, Toronto Raptors and Washington Wizards viable threats to whisk him off his feet? Can the Golden State Warriors and San Antonio Spurs be considered favorites to land him if he leaves Oklahoma City? Should Golden State or San Antonio even want to sign him? And, finally, where should Durant ultimately take his talents? Keep it right here with the Hardwood Knocks crew as they tackle these question head on. As always, thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe on iTunes, Stitcher or BlogTalkRadio. Give us a rating or comment on your preferred podcast catcher. You can follow me (@AndrewDBailey), Dan (@danfavale), Adam (@fromal09) and the show (@HardwoodKnocks).