Game Theory Podcast

What a crazy week in the NBA. We go into all the league injuries including Joel Embiid and Zach LaVine. We discuss the trade rumor rejections for Dorian Finney-Smith and Mikal Bridges. And of course trade deadline predictions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The 2024 NBA Draft has more questions than answers right now. Sam Vecenie and Bryce Simon break down some of the most burning questions like who's going #1, prospects on the rise, and who's ready to make an immediate impact. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bryce Simon is here for the Sunday podcast on a Monday (thanks NFL) and we're going to talk NBA Trade Deadline that comes next week on February 8. We'll dive deep into the NBA Trade candidates and break down what we think about each siutation, where the best fits are for guys like Dejounte Murray, DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Bojan Bogdanovic, Gordon Hayward, PJ Washington, Quentin Grimes and others. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 2:45 Quick Pistons take on win over OKC 5:35 Dejounte Murray Trade Fits and the Lakers 17:31 D'Angelo Russell and the Lakers, what now? 21:00 Brooklyn for Murray maybe? 24:00 Other Murray Fits 31:00 Bogdan Bogdanovic is very valuable; potential trades? 44:00 Charlotte Hornets potential trade chips; Gordon Hayward, Miles Bridges, PJ Washington 1:00:46 Brooklyn Nets question 1:02:00 More Charlotte Hornets and PJ Washington 1:12:00 Knicks and Quentin Grimes? 1:27:40 Detroit Pistons and Bojan Bogdanovic? 1:35:00 Bruce Brown fits? 1:45:00 Wizards players? 1:51:00 Grab bag of Rockets, Blazers, more

Andrew Schlecht is here to do midseason awards for the NBA this season. Now that every team has played at least 41 games, it's time to dive in and break down where we sit on the NBA Awards as we head into the Trade Deadline and beyond. We'll break down MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year, Rookie of the Year, All-NBA, All-Defense, All-Rookie, Sixth Man of the Year. Then, we'll also talk about the Terry Rozier deal to the Miami Heat, which I've written a deep dive on from both the Hornets and Heat's perspective. Then, we'll also talk Bucks firing Adrian Griffin and bringing in Doc Rivers. 0:00 Intro 4:40 Adrian Griffin fired; Milwaukee Bucks hire Doc Rivers 15:20 Terry Rozier traded to Miami Heat! What does it mean for Miami? 26:20 Great deal for Charlotte, What now for Hornets? 31:30 Victor vs Chet last night! Plus, ROY takes! 49:45 Midseason All-Rookie Picks 56:15 Midseason MVP Top-Five Picks 1:11:35 Midseason 2nd and 3rd Team All-NBA 1:22:45 Midseason Defensive Player of the Year 1:28:45

Bryce Simon joins Sam Vecenie to break down Joel Embiid's historic dominance in the NBA. What he's doing is unprecedented, and we have numbers to prove it. He's been staggeringly good. Then, they break down NBA Trade Deadline news and notes. Dejounte Murray's awesome game-winning run and his impact as the biggest name currently on the market. The Lakers lose to the Nets. Does that finally give them a sense of urgency? The Suns certainly seem like they want to do something. Other potentially interesting moves? CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 2:45 Joel Embiid is HISTORICALLY dominant 5:45 Diving Into Some Joel Embiid Tape 20:15 Stats Behind Joel Embiid's dominance 28:30 65-game threshold for awards is too many 37:45 Trade Deadline News and Notes 37:50 Milwaukee Bucks reach out about Dejounte; why it can't happen 43:00 Other Bucks ideas? 49:00 Why the Nets make sense for Dejounte Murray 1:01:00 Lakers for Dejounte? Can that work? 1:06:00 Other Lakers moves 1:12:00 Bruce Brown moves? 1:21:00 LaVine injury 1:23:00 Suns Trad

Mark Schindler joins the show to break down the Pascal Siakam trade by the Toronto Raptors to the Indiana Pacers. We'll dive deep into what you need to know about Siakam's fit in Indiana, his chances of staying put there in the offseason, and where this leaves the Pacers. Then, we'll talk about the Raptors, what this return of three first round picks means for them, and where their rebuild goes from here. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 0:29 The Pacers Angle of the Siakam Trade 29:22 The Raptors Angle of the Siakam Trade 49:10 Future Raptors Moves? 1:03:51 Overall Trade Deadline Impact League Wide Outside of the Pacers and Raptors 1:18:36 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bryce Simon is here! We're going to chat about the Pistons and Wizards trade involving Marvin Bagley and Danilo Gallinari to open the show. Then, we'll talk Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, the Kawhi Leonard extension and what it means, and we'll close on what it means league-wide. Finally, we close on Jaylon Tyson, our NBA Draft Prospect of the Week CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 3:25 Pistons-Wizards Trade Bagley and Livers plus two seconds for Gallo and Muscala 17:50 A Fun Fake Trade Hypothetical that helps the Wizards, Celtics and Rockets 26:36 Houston Rockets Dive! Why they've progressed this year! 50:16 Atlanta Hawks are a mess 1:03:00 Kawhi Leonard Extension; what makes him so special 1:13:20 How does the Leonard Extension impact the deadline and offseason? 1:21:45 Jaylon Tyson out of Cal is the Game Theory NBA Draft Prospect of the Week! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bryce Simon joins the show to break down the first half of the season from the 2023-24 NBA Rookie class. We'll dive into Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama to start, then Jaime Jaquez with the Miami Heat. We'll also chat Dereck Lively II, Brandin Podziemski, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Cason Wallace, Brandon Miller, Cam Whitmore, Amen Thompson, Ausar Thompson, Scoot Henderson, Bilal Coulibaly, and others. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 2:35 NBA is going to have a two-night NBA Draft! Is this good? 16:35 Who is the Rookie of the Year so far? 19:26 Victor Wembanyama 33:10 Chet Holmgren 44:05 Jaimie Jaquez Jr 53:50 Dereck Lively II 1:02:50 Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis 1:12:50 Cam Whitmore and Amen Thompson (and Rockets) 1:30:04 Brandon Miller 1:35:20 Scoot Henderson 1:42:20 Ausar Thompson and Marcus Sasser 1:46:50 Cason Wallace 1:52:06 Bilal Coulibaly 1:57:55 Keyonte George 2:02:17 Craig Porter Jr. 2:04:20 Isaiah Collier out for next 4-6 weeks 2:11:00 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adc

Danny Leroux joins the show! We're here to dive into the NBA Trade Deadline. What do the Warriors do? What happens with the Atlanta Hawks? What's the deal with Dejounte Murray? Can the Hornets move into seller mode? What teams are looking to make a change? We'll talk about it all and more! We'll start with Ja Morant being out for the season, though, a crushing blow to any hopes the Grizzlies had of getting back into the play-in picture. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 5:35 Ja Morant Out for the Season, What now for Memphis? 19:55 Trade Deadline Intro! 20:57 Chicago Bulls 30:56 Atlanta Hawks 47:10 Golden State Warriors 59:07 Los Angeles Lakers 1:12:53 Sacramento Kings 1:23:35 Washington Wizards 1:28:20 Charlotte Hornets (plus 76ers in there) 1:32:20 Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks, Minnesota Timberwolves 1:32:40 OKC Thunder trade idea 1:35:10 Phoenix Suns, Houston Rockets 1:38:00 Orlando Magic 1:39:54 Miami Heat 1:42:10 Portland Trail Blazers, San Antonio Spurs 1:44:03 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megap

The Toronto Raptors are, yet again, a team in the driver's seat at the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline. Last year, instead of selling like many expected, they actually bought by completing the Jakob Poeltl deal. Now, with a trade of Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett for OG Anunoby already complete, the team is 2-0 since that move and still has Pascal Siakam's impending free agency and potential trade status to deal with, Gary Trent Jr.'s impending free agency, and a roster that looks better, but could still use some work. Samson Folk from Raptors Republic joins us and we break down everything, including me pitching him some wild fake trades. Then, we start the show with the Jonathan Kuminga report and what it says about young players, playing time, the NBA at large, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bryce Simon is here and we're going to talk about five topics across the NBA/NBA Draft today. -First, OKC Thunder. After beating Boston, Denver and Minnesota in the last 10 days, can they just straight up win the NBA title in 2024? -The LA Lakers; What's up with them? How are they 17-17 with LeBron playing extremely well, AD having only missed three games? -First Impressions of the OG Anunoby/Immanuel Quickley/RJ Barrett deal -NBA Draft Prospect of the Week! Jared McCain from Duke! CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 5:06 OKC Thunder deep dive, why are they successful? 28:15 Potential Thunder upgrades at the deadline? 35:00 Can OKC win the title in 2024? 40:32 Wendell Carter, Goga Bitadze and the Orlando Magic big situation 48:00 LA Lakers are 17-17, what's going on? 1:10:35 First Impressions of Knicks with Anunoby? 1:18:09 First Impressions of Raptors with Barrett and Quickley? 1:23:55 Jared McCain, NBA Draft Prospect of the Week 1:39:27 Tyrese Proctor and Kyle Filipowski takes 1:45:15 Outro Learn more about your ad choice

Jonathan Macri from Knicks Film School joins the show to break down the surprising OG Anunoby trade to the New York Knicks earlier on Saturday. The Knicks move Immanuel Quickley, R.J. Barrett and a second round pick to the Raptors for Anunoby, Malachi Flynn and Precious Achiuwa. How does this deal make sense for the Knicks? What works for the Raptors here? We'll break it all down! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bryce Simon is here and we're talking about five topics again across the NBA -The Cavaliers have lost both Darius Garland and Evan Mobley to long-term injuries. What now? -What do the Knicks do now with Mitchell Robinson out while Jalen Brunson is on fire? -Coby White breakout for the Bulls! -The Clippers keep rolling following the James Harden deal. -Kings Check-in; Fox continues hot streak, more CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro/Zach Edey and Donovan Clingan take 5:00 Cleveland Cavaliers playing well without Garland and Mobley! 16:00 Cavaliers Future and What their next moves are 28:45 The New York Knicks Post-MitchRob Injury plus Brunson Breakout 38:00 Why Dejounte Murray or other non-No. 1 options don't make sense for NYK 51:35 Coby White and the Bulls! The White Breakout! PatWill playing better! 1:06:25 LA Clippers are rolling. Why the Harden trade is working and why Kawhi is balling 1:15:34 A Sacramento Kings check-in; Why the Kings are still fine even with recent losses 1:29:55 Outro plus a genius Will Wade to Wes

Bryce Simon is here to break down five NBA topics as we head into the new year. -Pistons lose 27 straight, have to talk about it. -Phoenix Suns are struggling. What's up there? -Why don't people believe in the Milwaukee Bucks? -Ja Morant back! -Luka for MVP? CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 6:10 The Pistons lose 27 STRAIGHT GAMES 22:30 The Pistons need to move on from Troy Weaver 35:49 The Phoenix Suns; Is it time to hit the Panic Button? 51:45 Dallas Mavericks strong run and if Luka Doncic can win MVP 1:03:49 Why don't people believe in the Milwaukee Bucks? 1:15:30 Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies are BACK 1:27:20 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bryce Simon joins the show, and we do Western Conference Overreactions for the first quarter of the 2023-24 NBA season! We talk about five topics: CHAPTERS:  0:00 Intro 1:55 The Warriors are Cooked and Need to make a TRADE 16:04 The Timberwolves are the best team in the NBA 27:15 The Los Angeles Clippers finish ahead of the Suns in the standings 43:55 The Thunder make the Western Conference Finals 55:17 The Spurs have done wrong by Victor Wembanyama to start the season 1:10:40 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bryce Simon joins the show, and we do Eastern Conference Overreactions for the first quarter of the 2023-24 NBA season! We talk about five topics: CHAPTERS:  0:00 Intro 2:50 The Celtics need more depth to win the title and have to make a trade 16:52 The Raptors should blow up their roster 26:57 The Pacers can make a legit playoff run and Haliburton makes first team All-NBA 40:30 The Cavs’ core doesn’t work as presently constructed as a legitimate contender and is running out of time 56:50 The Knicks are genuinely dangerous still and can make an Eastern Conference Finals appearance.  1:08:45 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bryce Simon joins Sam Vecenie to preview the NBA Trade Deadline. The unofficial start of NBA trade season is typically December 15, as a significant portion of the league becomes eligible to be moved after signing as free agents in the summer. What players can you expect to move? Who is potentially on the block? Will the Raptors blow it up with OG Anunoby and Pascal Siakam moving? Will the Bulls blow it up with Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan moving? Can the Warriors make a move? Can the 76ers make their in-season swing? We'll talk about all that and more as we preview teams first, then players that could be available. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 4:20 Draymond Green smacks Jusuf Nurkic. What are you doing man? 10:58 Cam Whitmore Watch! 13:31 Trade Deadline Primer Intro 13:59 Atlantic Division -- Celtics, Knicks, Nets, Raptors, 76ers 25:50 Central Division -- Bulls, Pacers, Cavaliers, Bucks, Pistons 33:35 Southeast Division -- Heat, Hornets, Magic, Wizards, Hawks 40:50 Northwest Division -- Nuggets, Wolves, Thunder,

Hey! Sam Vecenie is going live to answer YOUR QUESTIONS about the 2024 NBA Draft! Send off some questions ahead of time, and I'll answer as many as I can live on the show! Already, we'll be talking about guys like Isaiah Collier, Kyle Filipowski, Reed Sheppard, Donovan Clingan, and more! CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 1:20 Isaiah Collier and Bronny James, G, USC 8:00 Kentucky, Aaron Bradshaw, Reed Sheppard 24:10 UConn, Donovan Clingan, Tristen Newton 32:32 Nikola Topic, G, Mega 40:24 Ryan Dunn, F, Virginia (plus some Pacers stuff) 46:00 Raptors stuff, plus should teams try to convey draft picks in 2024? 51:49 Biggest faller top-15 54:03 Evaluating Upperclassmen, who can find success? 58:47 Garwey Dual, G, Providence 1:00:08 Robbie Avila, Indiana State 1:01:37 Oklahoma City Thunder Trade Stuff 1:03:54 Jarin Stevenson, F, Alabama 1:05:23 Malik Mack, G, Harvard! 1:08:23 Otega Oweh, W, Oklahoma 1:10:03 Aday Mara and what makes Sengun, Jokic, Sabonis special 1:11:26 Andrej Stojakovic, Jaylon Tyson, Hansen Yang, Ajay Mitchel

Andrew Schlecht joins Sam Vecenie and they pick who the NBA Award race winners would be through the first quarter of the season. They'll dive into MVP, All-NBA, Defensive Player of the Year, All-Defense, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, and more. Apologies on the audio for the first minute, had the wrong audio setting. It fixes literally right after the intro. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 3:38 Bucks, Bobby Portis confront coaching staff after IST loss 8:25 Tyrese Haliburton and the Pacers are unstoppable 14:32 Zion Williamson's, what up there? 22:13 AWARDS 23:30 MVP, First Team All-NBA Jokic, Giannis and Embiid 33:20 Haliburton vs Shai for No. 3 or 4? 39:45 INSANE Haliburton stats 46:00 Second Team All NBA: Luka, Tatum, LeBron, KD, Steph, Fox 56:55 Third Team All-NBA Fox/Steph, Edwards, Maxey, Booker, PG, Trae 1:02:10 DPOY? Rudy Gobert vs Anthony Davis 1:09:15 All-Defense Suggs, Caruso, Mobley, Shai, Brooks, Herb, Jaren, Bam, more 1:17:55 Rookie of the Year? Chet vs Wemby plus Jaquez 1:25:45 All Rookie 1:31:50

Bryce Simon is here to join Sam to break down a group of players that will be incredibly important to their team's title race moving forward. We'll talk about players on the Lakers, the Pelicans, the Pacers, the Warriors, the Rockets and the Bucks, and explain how those teams have looked recently and why those players are so important to each team's hopes moving forward. CHAPTERS 0:00 Intro 5:10 Indiana Pacers, their defense, the In Season Tournament, and where they go from here 26:00 Andrew Wiggins and the Warriors 37:00 The Lakers and Austin Reaves 44:28 Jalen Green and the Houston Rockets 55:03 Trey Murphy and the New Orleans Pelicans 1:04:10 Khris Middleton and the Milwaukee Bucks 1:11:30 Others, including Jaime Jaquez, Dereck Lively, Bojan Bogdanovic and Terance Mann Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices