Today, after maybe being a little harsh in talking about the weather, I—Henry—note that you should subscribe to TrueHoop because David is a real basketball professional working in media—rather than a real media professional working in basketball. It started with this Tweet, from friend of the show Chad Ford. Yup! Before the draft. when everybody thought Mobley and Barnes were the third-, fourth-, or fifth-best prospects, TrueHoop subscribers learned that David would take Evan Mobley with the fir...
Oct 25, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Today on BRING IT IN, TrueHoop’s David Thorpe and Jarod Hector giddily and wildly overreact to the first few nights of games. * David is betting Daryl Morey has a good trade up his sleeve to handle the Ben Simmons mess. * Jarod gets very enthusiastic about rookie Evan Mobley, who David called a unicorn a months ago. * David says there’s a limit to how much better a team can get in the postseason, and so the season establishes the starting floor. Right now, he thinks Nets are below sea level. REC...
Oct 22, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Today on BRING IT IN TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott and David Thorpe chop up some preseason data and note that the Warriors took a ton of 3s, and hit a ton of 3s … and barely had a top ten preseason offense. Now that Giannis has a title from owning the paint, more teams with top talent seem, perhaps, to be OK shooting 30ish 3s a game instead of 40ish or more. It’s an interesting early signal. And, Henry, David, and Jarod discuss David’s projected win totals for every NBA team . RECENT BRING IT IN EPISO...
Oct 18, 2021•1 hr 2 min
On Friday’s BRING IT IN TrueHoop’s David Thorpe and Jarod Hector talk Kyrie, why the Bucks can repeat, Rudy Gobert and much more. * Judy loves David’s Fireside Chat show Raising Winners , but she thinks there’s one piece of terrible advice he keeps giving her. * Hearing Kyrie Irving talk about his current situation makes David feel queasy * Jarod is glued into Memphis’s progress this season. RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES: * MONDAY October 11, 2021 Jarod crushes the dreams of swim parents everywher...
Oct 18, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Preseason essentially means nothing, but it’s still fun to see that the Bulls’ new backcourt is killing it, that very big man Boban Marjanovic is leading the league in points per minute, and that Mo Bamba appears to have turned over a new leaf. Also, the Lakers remain old, the Heat are interesting, and Jarod crushes the dreams of swim parents everywhere. RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES: * FRIDAY October 8, 2021 Celebrating 75 years of the NBA , who would complete the NBA 50 team? * MONDAY October 4,...
Oct 11, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Today on BRING IT IN, TrueHoop’s David Thorpe and Jarod Hector talk about the state of the NBA this preseason. * Celebrating 75 years of the NBA, who would complete the NBA 50 team? David thinks Jokic already belongs on the list. * The distraction that is Kyrie Irving’s vaccine refusal. Maybe they don’t need him. * The high stakes game of chicken Ben Simmons is playing. RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES: * MONDAY October 4, 2021 TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott and David Thorpe dig deep into the Ben Simmons si...
Oct 08, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Today on BRING IT IN, TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott and David Thorpe dig deep into the Ben Simmons situation—What is the real problem? Is this limbo period harmful to the rest of the 76ers’ roster? How good are the 76ers without Ben Simmons? What is the solution? But all that came after a speed round of: * What did we learn from the Nets’ crushing the Lakers in the preseason’s first game? * The Pacers’ injuries that mess with one Simmons trade option. * Don’t count on the Clippers to rush Kawhi back. ...
Oct 04, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Today on BRING IT IN, TrueHoop’s David Thorpe and Jarod Hector discuss personal choices about vaccination intersecting with public health. * The side effects of “dumb jock” syndrome. * Is Bradley Beal’s case for refusing vaccination compelling? * David disapproves of one of the NBA’s new foul rules changes. He thinks it’s important to punish defensive players who jump when they’re not supposed to. * Kevin Durant or Zion Williamson for MVP? RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES: * FRIDAY September 24, 2021...
Oct 01, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Today on BRING IT IN, we have TrueHoop Coachspeak. (This is where we let David geek out, using basketball terms that might alienate my mom. Pretty sure today’s episode has at least one “DHO.”) TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott and David Thorpe spoke with Todd Ramasar, the founder of Life Sports Agency , and the agent to the likes of Baron Davis, Pascal Siakam, Josh Primo, Thomas Bryant, and one of David’s favorite players, Kevon Looney. * Todd has long dedicated a ton of resources to offseason player deve...
Sep 28, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Today on BRING IT IN, TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott and David Thorpe are joined by Jarod Hector on location at Nets media day—and we wonder what Kevin Durant is saying to Kyrie Irving about vaccinations. (Also, check out this excellent story about anti-vaxxers in the NBA.) * David lists his eight contenders for the title. * If David Stern were still commissioner, don’t you think the NBA would have a tougher, clearer vaccination policy? * Is hoarding cap space to sign free agents a dead strategy—becaus...
Sep 27, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Today on BRING IT IN, TrueHoop’s David Thorpe and Jarod Hector talk about what one subscriber said was a need to purify the Timberwolves franchise in the waters of Lake Minnetonka. * Jarod and David talked about how the league suffers when there’s petty or salacious scandal in the management ranks. * David on the human tragedy of Ben Simmons. He thinks it’s borderline sadistic how he’s been treated. * What are the chances that John Wall gets traded? RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES: * FRIDAY Septembe...
Sep 24, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Today on BRING IT IN, TrueHoop’s Jarod Hector, David Thorpe, and Henry Abbott discuss the huge alligator patrolling David’s neighborhood, sensational “journalism,” John Wall, and: * How did David’s article about Ben Simmons trade scenarios explode on Twitter? * Who’s not vaccinated in the NBA? And why does Jarod think this is similar to condoms? * They discuss Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s belief that “OGOAT” is a better discussion than GOAT. RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES: * MONDAY September 13, 2021 Apol...
Sep 17, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Today on BRING IT IN TrueHoop’s David Thorpe asks Henry Abbott about his in-depth, multi-part TrueHoop series on Apollo Global, the NBA, and Jeffrey Epstein. (Last week there was a post about Hitler !) What the hell is going on? And then … is there possibly a way to, in this same episode, discuss potential Ben Simmons and Bradley Beal trades? RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES: * FRIDAY September 10, 2021 The short list of teams with a real chance at a title . * FRIDAY September 3, 2021 Parakeets and t...
Sep 13, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Today on a BRING IT IN, TrueHoop’s David Thorpe and Jarod Hector discuss: * The teams that Vegas is overlooking (Suns!) and overrating (Celtics!). * Chris Webber’s career, and why his whole Michigan team should be in the Hall. * The short list of teams with a real chance at a title. RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES: * FRIDAY September 3, 2021 Parakeets and the magical power of Klutch . * MONDAY August 30, 2021 Co-founder and president of Overtime, Zack Weiner talks about creating a “superleague” for ...
Sep 10, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Today on BRING IT IN TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott, David Thorpe and Jarod Hector brought back NINE BY NINETY, where they get 90 seconds each to rapid-fire cover nine topics. At one point we discussed parakeets, and: * The magical powers of Klutch. * NBA players won’t be forced into vaccines. * Texas is loco. * How to become Kyle Lowry. * The Ben Simmons showdown. * David’s idea: Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons for Bradley Beal. RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES: * MONDAY August 30, 2021 Co-founder and presid...
Sep 03, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Today on BRING IT IN, TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott and David Thorpe spoke with the co-founder and president of Overtime , Zack Weiner. He talks about creating a “superleague” for the next generation of elite basketball players, compensating players as early as 16. It’s opening this fall in Georgia. It’s a real option unlike any before, with its own school, 24 of the best players in the world, an arena designed to look good on video, and not just payments but equity for high-school aged players. RECEN...
Aug 30, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Today on a BRING IT IN, TrueHoop’s David Thorpe and Jarod Hector discuss: * David says the Hawks will win a title , and have decided to rename Kevin Huerter “Red Mamba” instead of Red Velvet. * Jarod and David think the MLB is better than the NBA at utilizing the minor leagues to train its major league players. * Jarod asked David to put on his “Ted Lasso” hat and address where Ben Simmons belongs. * The NBA gets grades on social culture/activism issues. RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES: * MONDAY Aug...
Aug 27, 2021•1 hr 2 min
TrueHoop kicks off a project for the new year: TrueHoop Coachspeak. This is where we get into the nitty gritty of the X’s and O’s (and learn why it’s better not to use actual X’s and O’s anymore—initials are better). The first guest of Coachspeak isRyan Pannone, David’s close friend and head coach of the Birmingham Squadron, the New Orleans Pelicans G-League affiliate. He’s coached in Israel, Germany, China, and Slovakia, and is the head NBA Development Coach at David’s Pro Training Center. Some...
Aug 23, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Who’ll be dominating the NBA in five years? You know about Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson, and Ja Morant, but today on BRING IT IN David Thorpe has some more to throw at you . * Devin Vassell can barely shoot but—hear David out—has a component of Kevin Durant’s game that makes his future as a scorer interesting. * Tyrese Maxey has the chance to be a big Kyle Lowry. * The favorites in each conference. (We call the show Fridays with Jarod, and after some bad wifi, for a few seconds it was literally ...
Aug 20, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Today on BRING IT IN TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott, David Thorpe, and Jarod Hector ponder: What can we learn from the summer league? Amazingly, there’s a player David loves more than Scottie Barnes. And the big takeaway is there are a ton of very talented players. They discuss: The Rockets, Evan Mobley, Luke Garza, Jonathan Kuminga, Desmond Bane, Devin Vassell, Bol Bol, TYRESE MAXEY, Obi Toppin, Payton Pritchard, Pat Williams, Ben Simmons, Team USA, the Nets, the Lakers, Kevin Love, Kawhi Leonard and ...
Aug 16, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Today on BRING IT IN TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott, David Thorpe, and Jarod Hector talked about Henry’s latest piece on the new Netflix documentary on the Malice in the Palace and the winners and losers of free agency this season. RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES: * MONDAY August 2, 2021 TrueHoop on Team USA’s odds of winning gold. * FRIDAY July 30, 2021 They had a big old NBA draft, the Wizards and Lakers’ huge deal, Thorpe’s draft review, and a phone call from Damian Lillard. * MONDAY July 26, 2021 David...
Aug 06, 2021•1 hr 2 min
Today on BRING IT IN, TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott and David Thorpe talk about Team USA’s odds of winning gold and then take a deep dive into NBA free agency. RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES: * FRIDAY July 30, 2021 They had a big old NBA draft, the Wizards and Lakers’ huge deal, Thorpe’s draft review, and a phone call from Damian Lillard. * MONDAY July 26, 2021 David on Team USA’s loss to France in the Olympics . * FRIDAY July 23, 2021 It’s a party! After all those months of lockdown , Jarod Hector, Aden...
Aug 02, 2021•1 hr 1 min
They had a big old NBA draft, the Wizards and Lakers’ huge deal, Thorpe’s draft review, and a phone call from Damian Lillard. RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES: * MONDAY July 26, 2021 David on Team USA’s loss to France in the Olympics . * FRIDAY July 23, 2021 It’s a party! After all those months of lockdown , Jarod Hector, Adena Jones, and Henry Abbott gather in person at Judy’s house—with David Thorpe on Zoom from Florida, for a special BRING IT IN. * MONDAY July 19, 2021 Tom Haberstroh wonders if De...
Jul 30, 2021•1 hr 2 min
The U.S. men’s team opened the playoffs with a dispiriting loss to France. The French team is good. And big—a particular weakness of the American roster. But … isn’t an American team with multiple incredible defenders, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, and Jrue Holiday supposed to beat France? David watched every second and has all kinds of thoughts: * Starting two non-shooting bigs together made like easy for Rudy Gobert, who wanted to camp out in the paint. So long as that was the ca...
Jul 26, 2021•1 hr 1 min
It’s a party! After all those months of lockdown, today Jarod Hector, Adena Jones, and Henry Abbott gather in person at Judy’s house—with David Thorpe on Zoom from Florida, for a special BRING IT IN. * Does how you win a championship matter? * What’s going to happen to Dame? * David’s plan to make the Nets champions. * Can the Lakers put together a deal for a great player? * What’s the Jazz do if they can’t keep Mike Conley? * What’s the offseason mission for the Celtics, Warriors, Mavericks, an...
Jul 23, 2021•1 hr 1 min
Matt Sullivan brought his deep journalism experience (The New York Times, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Esquire, Bleacher Report) to the Brooklyn Nets locker room. When he was new, he told Kevin Durant that he didn’t care much about basketball—can you imagine that? But Durant went for it, as did most of the team, and Can’t Knock the Hustle is 350 fascinating pages of what resulted. What did Kobe Bryant teach Kyrie Irving about how to be a teammate? It’s in here. A fascinating conversation with Jar...
Jul 23, 2021•47 min
Today on BRING IT IN TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott, David Thorpe, and special guest Tom Haberstroh wonder if Devin Booker made choices that defied The Art of War and set the stage for Jrue Holiday’s series-altering steal late in Game 5. AND: What might prove to be the most important five minutes in Bucks history. RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES: * FRIDAY July 16, 2021 Damian Lillard, the Blazers, and the Blazers’ rape investigation. * MONDAY July 12, 2021 Henry Abbott and David Thorpe break down Giannis’ ...
Jul 19, 2021•1 hr 2 min
TrueHoop readers and BRING IT IN listeners know David Thorpe has been talking about the Bucks’ good title chances all season. When Giannis shifted his attack in the middle of conference finals, David published a story saying this Giannis can win a title, and he picked them to , so long as Giannis was healthy. After the Bucks stumbled out of the gate against the Suns, David could see a way the Bucks would turn it around , and then documented a new wrinkle to the Bucks’ offense with the potential ...
Jul 18, 2021•40 min
Today on BRING IT IN TrueHoop’s Jarod Hector, David Thorpe, and Henry Abbott discuss Damian Lillard and the Blazers , the Blazers’ rape investigation, and Henry’s TrueHoop article called “Shenanigans.” Also: * How good is Devin Booker? * What can we expect from Jrue Holiday in the Finals? * Why David doesn’t believe Giannis left the bench to tinkle. And more. RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES: * MONDAY July 12, 2021 Henry Abbott and David Thorpe break down Giannis’ insane Finals so far. * THURSDAY Jul...
Jul 16, 2021•1 hr 2 min
We are on Clubhouse immediately after every game of the Finals. Need an invite? Respond to this email with your name and phone number. By the end of the game, Giannis was soaring like an eagle to block a mega high-altitude alley-oop from one of the tallest players in the league. The Bucks are back, tied 2-2 in a series that seemed hopeless just a few days ago. But, the Bucks still have concerns. Early in Game 4, David Thorpe started texting. “Something is wrong with Giannis. Really wrong. He’s b...
Jul 15, 2021•45 min
