NBA To Fix Tanking? Celtics Most Intriguing Team in NBA? + Draymond Drama Continues
Brian Windhorst is joined by ESPN’s Tim Bontemps and Tim MacMahon to discuss the NBA brainstorming measures to combat tanking including how viable various solutions are to actually be put into place. Then, the guys talk if the Celtics could remain dangerous enough this season to make a return for Tatum make sense and how much that could impact the rest of the league. Plus, the Pelicans find some success and drama makes headlines for Draymond Green and Steve Kerr. Finally, the guys break down the Christmas Day games they are most excited for.
Timecodes:
0:00 Intro
1:10 Potential for new anti-tanking measures
5:11 Explaining the 3 possible options
15:46 How can you incentivize winning all season?
23:25 Celtics finding footing this year
27:30 Can Boston be dangerous this season? + Tatum return?
38:37 Finally some success for the Pelicans
43:34 What Christmas games are we most excited for?
50:56 Draymond Green & Steve Kerr Saga
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35 Comments
Merry Xmas everybody!
Them Christmas lights are distracting me 😂 😂
Lmk when you talk about the Spurs beating the Thunder again 😂
How would this solve tanking? If the wizards get an even worse pick this yr they’re going to be tanking again next yr
The NBA just announced that they have hired the lawfirm of Cochran, Kardashian, Bailey, Dershowitz and Scheck to invesigate NBA tanking. The "Dream Team" has it under control. If it doesn't fit….etc
Always amazing to me when folks talk about the Celtics and don't spend time giving the FMVP the type of credit they'd give other great players.
“Is this team the favorite in the east” and it’s literally any team that’s not the pistons. I get windy is a Cavs/ohio guy but the lack of pistons talk is weird
Ive been waiting for the Tanking convo. How these teams keep getting high picks, they wont be able to pay everyone in a few years.
Tanking exists in every sport. The jets haven’t made the playoffs in 16 yrs. Not really sure why the nba is so obsessed with this topic
The Celtics have had one number one pick in their history. It was in the 50’s.
“There has to be some mechanism for a bad team to improve”. There is, it’s called promotion or relegation but it also means loss of earnings etc so that’s a non starter for an American sports organisation. Let’s address the elephant in the room, eh lads
MacMahon you fake tough guy
The NFL has a better system of socialism than the NBA.
I would reach out to the Pelicans and see if you could make a trade happen for Hawkins and Missi for Simons
The Pistons disrespect is not surprising yet still infuriating. 24-6
The only way to get rid of tanking is getting rid of the system that gives the best players in the draft to the worst teams…which the NBA will never do.
Easy to stop tanking: The first team NOT to make the playoffs gets the #1 pick on down. Fixed
happy holidays
The best way to get rid of tanking is to reverse the order of the odds. Having the teams that just missed the playoffs get the best odds in getting 1st pick kills tanking. It would remove the incentive to lose and punish teams that traded away good players for picks. I would abolish draft protections in general. It is idiotic to allow teams to place protections on their pick. Thank god the NFL doesn't follow this nonsense.
Peyton Pritchard MIP? 😂😂😂
The quote of the show, Brian Windhorst "I can review a buffet" Now that's a statement, stay true to yourself Windy
"I can review a buffet"
Draymond to Pistons?
I dont get how you "put the toothpaste back in the tube" on pick protections.
Why does there HAVE TO be a path for bad teams to get good? The teams should HAVE TO be well run and try to win games to get good. The Wizards haven't been the to the conference finals since the 70s. They had the No. 1 pick in 2001 and 2010. Their failure is their fault.
When you bring Tim Bontemps on you sacrifice control of the podcast and off, he goes whether we like it or not.
Jaylen Brown MVP without a doubt! Give him his flowers you fools!
96 here
Sucks to suck
Garbage Pail?
Think they are underselling Simons value to this Celtics team. After an up and down first ~month, he's been very consistent off the bench and the defensive effort is there. His price tag is going to come wayyyy down going into next season and could be a very affordable piece going forward. I just don't see a team trading a building block type big for him this yr…
We needed this pod rite after the okc n san game😢
Move the draft lottery to New Year’s Day. If players can play on Christmas, executives can work January 1st. Let a handful of teams tank early instead of having the entire league quietly tank the second half of the season. The In-Season Tournament already helps keep the first half competitive, and an early lottery would add even more chaos by rewarding slow-start teams and blowing up draft-odds certainty. After that, front offices pivot to trades and waivers, everyone goes all-in, the play-in actually matters, and you get more underdogs advancing — which is the whole point.
The underrated part of a New Year’s Day lottery? Draft hype goes nuclear. Nothing about eligibility or scouting changes — but now March Madness comes with real stakes: fans already know which team owns which pick, and the Player X → Team Y debates run for months. That’s free marketing, better college ratings, nonstop NBA storylines, and zero downside to the evaluation process. You're welcome.
Happy Xmas, amigos!
just have an equal chances lottery for all teams. They'll really juice things up.