Podcast Summary: Brian Windhorst & The Hoop Collective

Episode: 2nd MVP Straw Poll - Late Surges Enough For New MVP? + Possible Tanking Solution?
Date: February 20, 2026
Host(s): Brian Windhorst ("Wendy"), Tim Bontemps, Tim MacMahon
Producer: ESPN, Omaha Productions

Main Theme

This episode dives into the results and drama of the season’s second NBA MVP Straw Poll, exploring whether late-season surges are shifting the MVP race, and the ongoing controversy surrounding tanking in the NBA—with fresh policy ideas debated among the ESPN insiders.

Key Segments & Insights

1. Pro Basketball Negotiation Competition & NBA Player Discussions

[00:28 – 02:24]

• Brian is in New Orleans for the Pro Basketball Negotiation Competition. Law students simulate contract negotiations for NBA players (e.g., Mark Williams)—a fun window into real-world front office decision-making.
• Conversation shifts playfully toward NBA executives, with Tim, MacMahon, and Wendy ribbing each other about their hypothetical negotiation skills.

Notable Quote:

"I don't get invited to those highfalutin academic conferences. Not sure why Bontemps does either, to be honest with you." — MacMahon [01:46]

2. Tanking in the NBA – Owner Perspectives and Potential Fixes

[02:24 – 07:22]

• Discussion sparked by Matt Ishbia’s anti-tanking stance (“tanking is losing behavior done by losers”), even as his Suns have traded away future draft control—a contradiction Tim and Brian point out.
• MacMahon and Brian debate if tanking is really the marker of “losers,” noting several dynasties have roots in tanking.

Notable Quote:

"There’s some champions who have tanked to become champions. ... I’m not going to the ‘done by losers’ part." — MacMahon [04:06]

• Tim Bontemps introduces his proposed fix for tanking:
  • After a set date (post-All Star break or trade deadline), only wins (not losses) influence lottery seeding—flipping the incentive to win late-season games, engaging fans and players, and avoiding the current malaise among non-contending teams.

Notable Quote:

"If every game counted for wins towards getting a high pick or making the playoffs, you’d have everybody incentivized to be trying these next couple months." — Bontemps [06:26]

3. Second MVP Straw Poll Results: The Breakdown

[08:43 – 47:57]

Format:

• 100 likely MVP voters from all 30 NBA markets and international media.

Notable Results & Commentary (with Timestamps):

11th Place: Anthony Edwards (Minnesota Timberwolves)

• "Most underrated star in basketball" per Tim Bontemps, with discussion about his marketability and charisma.
  [11:15 – 13:23]

10th Place: Tyrese Maxey (Philadelphia 76ers)
9th Place: Jalen Brunson (New York Knicks)

• Both have slipped in the poll due to team performance or injuries.
  [17:25 – 18:52]

8th Place: Kawhi Leonard (LA Clippers)

• Dramatic late-surge, “arguably been the best player the last couple months," but team is below .500.
  [19:12 – 20:18]

7th Place: Donovan Mitchell (Cleveland Cavaliers)

• The Cavs lobby for more media attention.
  [20:18 – 21:04]

6th Place: Jalen Brown (Boston Celtics)

• Up from 10th; received more MVP attention than ever due to carrying the injury-hit Celtics.
  [21:24 – 22:36]

"Before this year, he had three total votes ever in the straw poll... now he’s got a real shot." — Wendy [22:15–22:18]

5th Place: Luka Dončić (Los Angeles Lakers)

• "Loaded" field knocks him down from third, games missed and team defense cited.
• "There’s a blame pie. He can have a slice, but there’s plenty to go around there." — MacMahon [29:09]

4th Place: Victor Wembanyama (San Antonio Spurs)

• Massive leap: Up from 8th; hosts see a “real path” to MVP if the Spurs finish atop the West.
• "If Victor continues to play like he is and the Spurs get past the Thunder and have the best record in the Western Conference, that is a formula for Victor Wembanyama to be MVP." — Wendy [33:54]

3rd Place: Cade Cunningham (Detroit Pistons)

• Compares Pistons' season to 2011 Bulls/Derrick Rose MVP run—a "lunch pail" group led by a relentless point guard.
• "Cade has carried this team to victory after victory… when the games got close, they handed the ball to their point guard." — Bontemps [40:04]

2nd Place: Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets)

• Missed games a concern, but “if he plays every game the rest of the season...he’ll be back up to 100 ballots.” [42:48]

1st Place: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder)

• Still the overwhelming favorite, with 78 first-place votes.
• "He is statistically having a better season even than he did last year. ... His efficiency, shooting 55% from the field is crazy." — MacMahon [43:11]

Points of Poll Drama:

• Eligibility thresholds (games missed) are shaping the tight competition at the top.
• Change in voting patterns: No Giannis for the first time since 2017.
• American MVP hope: Cade and Victor seen as having real late-season chances if circumstances break their way.

4. NBA Tanking: Policy Deep Dive

[55:37 – 62:41]

• Further elaboration on the Bontemps anti-tanking proposal: Use wins after a date certain to determine lottery seeding.
• Hosts run through decades of failed or partial anti-tanking reforms, including the lottery, flattening odds, and the play-in tournament.
• The consensus: Real structural change needs to prioritize rewarding wins, not punishing losses.

"All of these things tend to be focused on trying to de-emphasize losing as opposed to emphasizing winning… The only way to actually change the problem is to change the incentives." — Bontemps [53:33]

• Abolishing the draft? Not happening, per the panel; small market owners would never vote for it.

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• MacMahon’s referee costume:

  • "Technical foul on Wendy. Bitching too much." — MacMahon [09:17]

• On the MVP race:

  • "It’s gone from a two-horse race to more of an open field." — MacMahon [34:38]
  • "If the Pistons have the best record in the league, that is an awfully strong part of an MVP case. Just like if the Spurs end up atop the West for Victor." — MacMahon [53:16]

• On the frustration of tanking:

  • "That sucks. It sucks that we're sitting here talking about that." — Wendy [55:42]

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:24] Tanking debate: Matt Ishbia’s statement & owner contradictions
• [06:26] Bontemps’ “wins for lottery” proposal
• [08:43] Straw poll breakdown begins
• [32:25] Top 4 MVP discussion starts
• [40:04] Cade Cunningham-Bulls comparison
• [53:33] Anti-tanking policies: shift to incentivizing wins
• [55:37] Full tanking reform debate & policy proposal

Tone & Style

Classic Hoop Collective interplay: informative, nerdy, irreverent, and occasionally combative. Banter punctuates hard basketball analysis and league policy wonkery.

For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

• This straw poll is tighter and more open than in recent years, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander holding a large but not insurmountable lead.
• Victor Wembanyama and Cade Cunningham have real MVP paths if their teams finish at or near the top of the standings.
• The tanking debate is intensifying—expect pressure for creative reforms that shift teams' incentives toward late-season winning.
• The episode offers insider anecdotes, playful jabs (MacMahon in a ref jersey!), and excellent breakdowns of league trends for devoted NBA fans.