The Athletic NBA Daily — Listener Mailbag | Morning Shoot Around

Date: December 26, 2025
Hosts: Dave DuFour, Zena Keda, Ben (S), Esfandiar Baraheni
Theme: Mailbag Special, Listener Q&A, Holiday Vibes & NBA Big Picture Debates

Overview

This episode mixes NBA analysis with holiday cheer as Dave DuFour, Zena Keda, and Ben (S) answer listener questions live from their Discord and YouTube comments. They reflect on Christmas basketball traditions, debate lottery reform and anti-tanking fixes, analyze their favorite new NBA wrinkles, and imagine relocating teams. The tone is lighthearted, with holiday banter, but the conversations get deep into the nuts and bolts of NBA structure and strategy.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. Holiday Warm-Up & Christmas Day Basketball

Timestamps: 02:26–05:04

• The hosts banter about holiday plans and family, with jokes about dealing with rain in California.
• Quick preview of the stacked NBA Christmas Day slate.
  • Zena's excited for the Warriors' “family reunion” and the emotional boost from Klay Thompson's return.
  • Some hosts think five games on Christmas might be overkill, especially with repeat matchups (Spurs-Thunder).
• Notable moment:
  • Zena, on Warriors: “They need a little family reunion. And Klay is the perfect energy to inject into that.” (04:21)
  • Quick reference to Cooper Flagg’s breakout and the rising star rookie narratives.

2. Victor Wembanyama vs. Chet Holmgren "Rivalry"

Timestamps: 05:04–06:17

• The hosts discuss Victor Wembanyama’s dismissive comments on the Chet Holmgren rivalry.
  • Dave reads the quote: “No, I don’t think about that. At least from a basketball standpoint, there’s no comparison.” (05:44)
  • Ben likens it to the iconic Mad Men “I don’t think about you at all” scene (05:31).
  • Panel debates if these are truly “fighting words” or gamesmanship.

3. Listener Mailbag: Favorite Holiday Movie

Timestamps: 06:57–09:25

• Zena: "Mine is 'This Christmas.' Such a good, like, family story... especially in the Black community." (07:00)
• Dave & Ben: "It's a Wonderful Life" is a favorite, also “Die Hard” (declared a Christmas movie).
  • Fun sidebar about how even the violence in Christmas movies gets normalized (08:23).

4. The NBA Lottery & Tanking Problem

Timestamps: 09:25–17:43

A major mailbag segment:

• Ben: Tanking is inevitable for real talent acquisition; points out some teams get lucky (Mavs with Cooper Flagg, Hawks with Zachary), but Wizards need to lose for true star prospects (09:57–10:46).
• Dave: "If you incentivize losing, you're always going to have teams that lose on purpose. Period." (11:12)
• Guests debate reworking the lottery system:
  • Dave suggests flat odds for all non-playoff teams and restrictions on repeat top picks, stressing randomness and parity (12:43–13:16).
  • Ben: Proposes keeping high odds for lowest teams but with restrictions on consecutive top picks, believing bad teams “need to win the lottery” (13:53).
  • Zena: Advocates a formula considering competitiveness (point differential, effort at season end) to reward teams that try, not just those losing by design (15:02–16:16).
  • Consensus: Current system is flawed; need smarter, formula-based, and effort-rewarding lottery.

Notable exchange:

• Dave: “Nobody's tanking a good team.” (11:14)
• Zena: “The league is gonna need to give a star player to every single team over the course of time... but we want to discourage intentional losing.” (14:52)
• Ben: “Once you get eliminated from the playoffs, every win gives you a higher percentage...” (16:19)
• Dave: “Give me competition. Yeah, I don't want to watch 30 point blowouts.” (16:51)

5. Favorite "New Thing" in the NBA This Season

Timestamps: 17:55–23:39

• Dave: “This rookie class has more All-NBA level players than any rookie class I can think of.” (18:44)
  • Highlights Cooper Flagg and Connor Knipple, and mentions Derek Queen’s surprising impact.
• Zena: Celebrates the resurgence of double-big lineups:
  • “I'm loving the size that you're seeing across the league... the NBA is putting some respect on size again.” (20:03)
  • Recalls the Warriors and Rockets driving the small-ball era, but now teams (Cavs, Rockets, Knicks) turning to size and “old school” basketball.
• Ben: Loves the “new look” Knicks, moving faster, more off-ball movement, and a varied offense that might make them the East’s best playoff team.
  • “The Knicks have a finals run in them.” (23:36)
• Mini-tangent: High press/trapping defense is on the way down statistically (23:39) but may resurge in playoffs.

6. Rule Innovations: Stopping the “Hack-a” & Fouling Up Three

Timestamps: 24:39–32:29

• Mailbag Q: Should NBA teams have the option to inbound the ball or shoot two FT after being fouled in the bonus? Could this curb “hack-a” strategies? (24:39)
• Consensus:
  • “Optionality” could add strategic depth; inbounding creates a chance for turnovers but also less FT tedium.
  • Dave: “The inbound is a great way to have more turnovers… I’d rather take the points. Hit your free throws.” (25:28)
• Ben’s G League Proposal: Adopt 'One Free Throw For 2 Points' for fouls, as tested in G League (27:08).
  • “Speeds things up so much ... Maybe the NBA should adopt that.” (27:25)
• Hosts discuss refining late-game fouling rules, possibly making “intentional” up-3 fouls more punitive (e.g. 2 shots + the ball), but recognizing the difficulty of consistently defining intentionality and not overburdening refs/replay.

Memorable exchange:

• Zena: “All of it, I think, needs to have some level of a risk component to it. Some sort of strategy of assessing the risk.” (25:40)
• Dave: “Why is the coach having to do multiple jobs?” (31:48)

7. Relocation & Rebranding NBA Teams

Timestamps: 33:13–38:49

• Mailbag Q: If you could relocate two teams, which and where?
  • General agreement: The Pelicans are the weakest candidate for current NBA cities.
  • Brooklyn Nets, LA Clippers also mentioned as possible relocations due to city market saturation.
  • Dave: “Pelicans and probably the Hornets. No one’s fighting for you, New Orleans.” (34:29)
  • Zena (NC native): “Absolutely not” to moving the Hornets (34:17).
  • Consensus: Washington (Wizards) deserves a team; the Pelicans are most expendable.
• Potential New Cities:
  • Seattle as the favorite, Vancouver, Kansas City, Louisville, and a possible Utah/New Orleans team-name swap.
  • Dave: “If Vancouver came back, they’d get the Grizzlies name. Memphis should be the Hustle.” (36:32)
  • Fun Fact: There are, in fact, pelicans in Salt Lake, Utah (37:05).

8. Holiday Wishes & Final Thoughts

Timestamps: 38:49–43:47

• Mailbag Q: Finish the sentence: All I want for Christmas...
  • Ben: A healthy back for Jakob Poeltl (39:05)
  • Zena: “No more soft tissue injuries…they're killing momentum...” (39:49)
  • Dave: Jokes that no one wished for world peace, but earnestly wants an “85-point game” or “Steph Curry to hit 15 threes” — something to “make me giggle” on Christmas Day (40:21).
• They reflect on the joy of shocking trades (“Give me another jaw-dropping trade, like Luka to the Lakers!”), the fun/disruption of big NBA stories dominating media (42:10), and the emotional rollercoaster for fans involved in franchise-altering moves.

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Lottery Reform:

  • Dave DuFour: “If you incentivize losing, you're always going to have teams that lose on purpose, period.” (11:12)
  • Zena Keda: “Let’s reward competitive nature…maybe raise your odds if you actually tried and just lost.” (16:01)

• On Rookie Class:

  • Dave DuFour: “This rookie class has more All-NBA level players than any rookie class I can think of.” (18:44)

• On NBA’s Evolution:

  • Zena Keda: “I’m loving the size you’re seeing... putting some respect on size again.” (20:03)
  • Ben: “The Knicks have a finals run in them. This is the best team in the Eastern Conference.” (23:36)

• On Rule Changes:

  • Ben: “The pace of a G League game is so different because of the one free throw rule. Maybe the NBA should try it.” (27:08)
  • Dave: “Why is the coach having to do multiple jobs?” (31:48)

• On Team Relocation:

  • Dave DuFour: “The Pelicans…no one’s fighting for you. Brooklyn and the Clippers, why do you need two teams in the same city?” (34:29)

• On NBA Holiday Spirit:

  • Dave DuFour: “All I want for Christmas? I want Steph Curry to hit 15 threes. I want something to make me giggle.” (40:21)
  • Zena Keda: “All I want for Christmas is no more soft tissue injuries. They're killing momentum and storylines.” (39:49)
  • Ben: “All I want for Christmas is Jakob Poeltl to get a new bionic back.” (39:05)

Episode Timeline

| Timestamp | Segment
|-------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:26–05:04 | Holiday banter; Christmas Day NBA slate previews | | 05:04–06:17 | Wemby vs. Chet, “no rivalry” quote and context | | 06:57–09:25 | Favorite holiday movies — “This Christmas”, “It’s a Wonderful Life” | | 09:25–17:43 | NBA lottery, tanking, parity, proposed reforms | | 17:55–23:39 | Favorite new NBA things: rookies, lineups, Knicks, tactics | | 24:39–32:29 | Rule change debates: Hack-a, late-game fouling, G League FT innovation | | 33:13–38:49 | Relocation: cities most deserving, team rebranding fun | | 38:49–43:47 | All I want for Christmas... NBA wishes, healthy players, wild trades |

Tone & Style

• Friendly, candid, humorous. The panel deftly switches from deep strategic NBA talk to lighthearted holiday stories and joking among friends.
• Interactive: Live listener questions from Discord and YouTube steer the show.
• Insightful but accessible: Even when discussing technical issues like lottery reform or rule tweaks, the explanations stay clear for casual and hardcore fans alike.

Summary

This mailbag episode is an NBA aficionado’s blend of fun, food for thought, bold predictions, and playful debate. The hosts field creative listener questions spanning league structure, competitive integrity, basketball evolution, and the spirit of NBA as holiday tradition. They offer candid opinions on lottery fixes, award this rookie class near-historic stature, and air dreams of wild trades or memorable Christmas Day shows. The community feel and willingness to challenge norms make it a lively and thoughtful episode.

Useful for: NBA fans, new listeners wanting a feel for the show’s vibe, or anyone curious about the league’s evolving landscape—on and off the court!