No Dunks – December 3, 2025

Episode: “Clippers Cut CP3, Breakout Players, OKC's Motivation w/ Pierre Andreessen”

Main Theme / Purpose

This episode brings Pierre “Peewee the Plug” Andreessen (from Numbers on the Board/Teed Up Podcast) into the No Dunks circle for a wide-ranging NBA discussion. The crew dissects the shock Chris Paul/Clippers separation, identifies breakout NBA players a quarter into the season, explores the ever-more impressive Oklahoma City Thunder, discusses the future of teams like the Hawks, and celebrates their guest’s rise in the sports media world. Listener interactions, friendly roasting, and some deep NBA nerdery (including Pierre’s unmatched collegiate hoops trivia knowledge) make this an engaging primetime basketball pod.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Chris Paul’s Abrupt Clippers Exit

[03:00–10:00]

• Breaking News: Clippers cut Chris Paul (CP3) in the middle of his “farewell tour,” announced via a 3am social media post from Chris himself, with the official team statement trailing afterward.
• Reaction: Panelists are collectively baffled and disappointed, unsure whether CP3 wanted out or if he was scapegoated for a disastrous start (5–16) despite being a third-string guard.
• Insight from Pierre Andreessen:

  “I’ve been baffled with the Clippers the whole season…but the Chris Paul move was very weird…I’m still fiening for more info before I start to speculate, which I have no problem doing by the way.” (03:37–03:57)

• Transparency Critique: Pierre and Skeets agree the lack of specifics in the team’s statement is disrespectful to both CP3 and the fans.
• What’s Next for CP3?
  • Pierre sympathizes with fans hoping to see CP3’s farewell and speculates:

    “I wouldn’t mind if Chris Paul was petty and went to the Lakers…He should be able to go out on a better behalf than a three o’clock in the morning release.” (09:21–09:58)

2. NBA Breakout Players, Team Surprises, and Awards Race

[10:48–18:56]

• Breakout Player Picks:
  • Jalen Johnson (Hawks): Pierre’s first choice for “breakout” and potential first-time All-Star. Jalen Duren (Pistons) is a runner-up.

    “To see him kind of emerge in a time where the Hawks were struggling…he’s looking like a first time all star, potentially all NBA...” (10:48–11:55)

  • Jalen Duren: Praised for his growth; both are “borderline locks” for All-Star consideration as per Pierre.
• Most Improved Player Race:
  • Nikhil Alexander-Walker (Hawks): Surging into MIP contention, with a scoring leap and efficiency increase.

    “The scoring numbers for Nikhil Alexander-Walker have like doubled…got more efficient. That’s probably…one of the tighter award races here through the quarter mark of the season.” (17:19–17:36)

  • Other Mentions: Deni Avdija (Wiz), Jalen Duren.
• Atlanta Hawks Dilemma:
  • Without Trae Young, Atlanta aren’t worse, and the panel discusses the plausible trade scenarios and whether he can re-integrate or needs to be moved in the off-season.

    “This is like almost a death sentence for stars for the team to thrive without them…” (12:52–13:49)

• Other Pierre “Victory Lap” Calls:
  • Jalen Johnson again, Spurs being set for a rise (before Wemby’s injury), Celtics continued strength, the Knicks (“looking real good”), and the Raptors showing unexpected fight.

3. The Surging Oklahoma City Thunder: Motivation & Historic Start

[45:30–54:44]

• Headline: Thunder improve to 21–1 with a win over the Warriors, still flying slightly under the national media radar.
• SGA’s Leadership:

  “He scored 38 points and took over down the stretch… Even in these close games, you’ve got the MVP, one of the best clutch shooters in the game.” (47:18–52:17)

• OKC Depth & Motivation:
  • SGA, Chet Holmgren, and Jalen Williams all shine in crunch time.
  • Panel discusses if OKC can challenge for 70+ or even 74 wins, echoing the 2015–16 Warriors.
  • Thunder’s championship motivation is underscored as SGA “takes it personally” and the team is even-keeled (“They just, they're so even-keel and they'll get there to the end…” – Tas, 54:25).
• OKC’s X-Factor:
  • Depth means they could withstand injuries better than most juggernauts, but SGA’s singular brilliance in close games is still irreplaceable.

4. Pierre’s Personal NBADom: Knicks Fandom, NBC/Peacock Move & Media Life

[23:01–38:29]

• Origin Story: Pierre, a Chicago native, explains his Knicks passion:

  “I grew up thinking I was going to the NBA…The next best thing was the Knicks. I would create myself in NBA 2K…It wasn’t jumping on a bandwagon, they sucked! …And then they got good and had some of my favorite players.” (23:13–24:19)

• NBC/Peacock Move:
  • Pierre gushes about the increased work, energy, and “surreal” moments (including visits from Chicago Sun-Times, seeing Michael Jordan at work, and parent approval!).

  • “Just being on NBC is surreal... The NBC move is like the thing that got my parents. They were like, oh, oh, this is real.” (29:02–30:16)

5. High-level Nerdery: Pierre’s NCAA to NBA College Quiz

[36:33–41:11]

• Game Segment: The crew quizzes Pierre on obscure and new NBA players’ colleges. He flexes deep NCAA knowledge, rattling off schools for Daniss Jenkins, Naquan Tomlin, Mo Gueye, etc., missing only the deepest cuts.

  “You got me. You got me. University of California, Riverside. Never even heard of it.” (39:07–39:12)

6. More NBA Musings & Roundup

[57:36–66:24]

• Other Standouts:
  • Celtics hold off Knicks, led by Jaylen Brown’s scoring explosion (42 points). Debate on the “Jalen” All-Stars.

    “He actually started like garbage…That to me is like, oh, yeah, that’s a guy, that is a superstar. Proving his point.” (58:06–63:25)

  • Raptors outlast Blazers, with Scotty Barnes starring.
  • Harrison Barnes the “unsung” MVP for the Spurs.
  • Tyrese Maxey’s huge second half for the 76ers.

7. Injury News & Real Talk: Zion Williamson’s Future

[74:11–78:56]

• Update: Zion has a grade 2 hip adductor strain, out at least three weeks.
• Panel’s Take:
  • “Time to move on.” – Kenny.
  • Pierre bluntly notes his value “has never been lower.”
• Front Office Realism:
  • Skeets questions if Zion might become a trade fallback for New Orleans, but the panel laments his likely declining value.
  • General consensus: It’s over; the Pels need to usher in a new era.

8. Gallinari Retires & Tallest Volume Shooters Ever

[80:19–86:34]

• Gallinari (“the rooster”) retires after 14 NBA seasons.
• Classic moments (Melo trade, Denver years, sneaky athleticism), plus a trivia question: Which 6’10”+ players have hit more NBA threes? (Dirk, Durant, Kevin Love, Rashard Lewis, Peja).

• “He was more athletic than you might think…He looks like Robert De Niro, I think that’s important.” – Kenny (81:46–81:48)

9. Memorable Quotes & Moments

Key Quotes (with Timestamps & Attribution)

• Pierre on the Clippers’ CP3 move:

  “...We can no longer have things like this happening and be so vague, in my opinion. And I think fan bases deserve more as well…Making these random in the middle of the night moves with such vague statements is kind of frustrating.” (03:55–05:10)

• Kenny on Chris Paul’s Clippers legacy:

  “Maybe Chris Paul's the second best, first best Clipper ever. Him and Blake Griffin and both of their tenures with LA have ended really poorly…This was supposed to be a celebration…and now it’s just a weird, weird ending.” (06:08–06:41)

• Pierre on player development and future stars:

  “The Spurs were really set to do something special...I hate seeing tall players with the injuries. Like, it scares me. And so anytime I see anything with Vick, I think further than just the season.” (18:58–20:05)

• Trey Kirby (Kenny) on Zion:

  “Time to move on. Yeah, trade him for anything, literally…How Many different versions of a team have there been built around Zion Williamson. How many different administrations?…If he gets healthy, like, you might look like fools…but I wouldn’t bet on it at this point.” (74:17–75:29)

• Tas on the Thunder’s greatness:

  “They literally could [set the wins record]…now, their depth showing up…How many guys have to be injured for that team to really expect them to lose?” (49:26–50:56)

10. Fun, Games, and Banter

• Who’s the Best Hooper?

  Pierre: “It’s me. In my mind, ’cause I know all of them, it’s not even a question...These other three guys haven't even played varsity basketball. To me–there's not even a conversation." (32:16–33:25)

• Raising the Roof & NBA’s Playful Side: The guys reminisce about classic celebrations and inject humor throughout (like the OKC “cup win doesn’t count for regular season” scenario).
• Pierre’s Media Pinch Me Moment:

  “Just being on NBC is surreal. Oh, yeah…That was a—we've been with so many companies…The NBC move is like the thing that got my parents. They were like, oh, oh, this is real.” (29:02–30:16)

• Quote on Basketball Style:

  “I play more of that way, getting guys involved. But I do secretly love like a guy that just doesn’t care about being double-teamed…” (35:44–36:04, Pierre)

Notable Segments & Timestamps

• Clippers Cut Chris Paul: 03:10–10:00
• Breakout Players & MIP Race: 10:48–18:56
• Knicks Fandom/NBC Transition: 23:01–30:14
• Pierre College Trivia Segment: 36:33–41:11
• Thunder/Historic Start/Motivation: 45:30–54:44
• NBA Roundup/Celtics-Knicks, Raptors, Spurs: 57:36–66:24
• Zion Injury Reacts: 74:11–78:56
• Gallinari Retirement/Trivia: 80:19–86:34

Conclusions/Summary

This No Dunks episode, bolstered by Pierre Andreessen’s infectious energy and hoops knowledge, delivered:

• An authentic, impassioned critique of NBA front office opacity (especially around aging legends);
• Sharp, original analysis on the Thunder’s historic start and team-wide motivation;
• Spotlights on a new generation of breakout stars in Atlanta and Detroit;
• Media industry tidbits and comedic asides that bond the basketball community;
• A healthy dose of basketball nerdery and trivia, keeping both hardcore and casual fans fed.

The tone is tight-knit and irreverent, but ready to break down the on-court action or dig into NBA organizational drama at a moment’s notice. Pierre “Peewee the Plug” Andreessen shines as a peer and a student of the game, building camaraderie with the No Dunks crew and audience alike.

For Listeners Who Missed It:

• You’ll catch up on the latest NBA drama (CP3, Zion, OKC’s rise).
• Be entertained by deep player/award debates, spontaneous games, and all-time NBA/college trivia.
• Take away a bundle of memorable moments, inside jokes, and sincere takes on basketball culture and media.

No Dunks continues to set the daily NBA podcast standard for insight, chemistry, and fun—especially with guests like Pierre who “embody basketball and friendship.”