The Athletic NBA Daily – April 10, 2026

Episode: NBA Player Poll MVP with Sam Amick
Hosts: Dave DuFour, Sam Amick, Esfandiar Baraheni (“S”)
Main Theme: Key NBA storylines in the final week of the regular season, player poll MVP results, and the latest on team turmoil and coaching hot seats.

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into the major NBA storylines as the season hits its home stretch, focusing on Joel Embiid’s unfortunate appendicitis, the tension-riddled situation between Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, speculation around coaching changes across the league, and the results of The Athletic’s annual NBA player poll—specifically the MVP vote, with insider detail from Sam Amick.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Joel Embiid’s Appendicitis & Impact on the Sixers (03:30–06:37)

• News: Embiid had emergency appendicitis surgery and will likely miss the season.
• Impact: The Sixers’ playoff hopes are considered all but dashed. The hosts discuss the “freak luck” nature of this incident, distinguishing between recurring injury issues and sheer bad breaks.
  • Quote – Sam Amick (04:11):
    “No pun intended, Nick Nurse, is that I felt like I had it in my mind that appendicitis is pretty routine and it is not—the pain was pretty high ... the idea that you would be coming back anytime soon to do the types of things that Joel Embiid does is not very likely.”
• Personal Connection: Sam shares his wife’s experience with appendicitis—as “someone who played nurse”—emphasizing how difficult recovery is even for non-athletes.

2. Giannis and the Bucks: Drama, Trades, and Playoff Fallout (06:37–12:17)

• Context: Ongoing friction between Giannis and the Bucks, particularly over being held out while healthy enough to play.
  • Quote – Sam Amick (07:37):
    “Part of why we continue to hear it is because Giannis is, for lack of a better way of putting it, just really pissed that they're holding him out … bucket list basketball items, like playing with your brothers.”
• Trade Rumors: Leaks of potential trade offers (notably from the Miami Heat) are discussed, with speculation on when and where Giannis might be moved.
• Fan Perspective: The hosts believe Milwaukee fans won’t turn on Giannis even if he’s traded after all he’s done for the franchise.
  • Quote – Sam Amick (10:33):
    “I have a very hard time thinking that the City of Milwaukee is going to turn on Giannis.”
• Coaching Situation: Doc Rivers seems poised to exit but is technically still under contract. Sam suggests Doc may be shifted into an advisory role to preserve his pay.
  • Quote – Sam Amick (12:05):
    "If he wants that money, you know, they're going to have to find some sort of agreement."

3. Around the League: Coaching Hot Seats (12:24–19:52)

• Portland: Tiago Splitter is doing well but uncertain to keep the job.
• New Orleans: James Borrego, similarly, has done a solid job but has an uncertain future.
• Orlando: Jamal Mosley is under scrutiny after underachieving post-trade for Desmond Bane.
  • Quote – Sam Amick (13:05):
    “Mosley's an interesting one because...there has been a lot of smoke around him for quite some time…that one is one that people are watching closely.”
• Cleveland: The James Harden trade helped, but there’s pressure on the Cavs to make a deep playoff run.
  • Exchange (14:44–16:43):
    Dave questions if a conference finals exit would endanger the coaching staff; Sam notes the turnaround since Harden's arrival but acknowledges higher expectations.
  • Quote – Sam Amick (16:43):
    “31 and 12 since that start. They're a very good team. Do I see them knocking off, you know, OKC or San Antonio in the Finals? Probably not…But yes, coaching wise, I think, you know, they need to make some noise for sure.”
• Sacramento: Doug Christie’s coaching tenure questioned after a late-game foul controversy, though Sam notes much of the Kings’ struggle is roster-related and not solely coaching.
  • Quote – Sam Amick (19:28):
    "I have no idea if he can coach because... They just have been such a mess as they try to reshape this roster and are off to a pretty slow start doing it.”
  • Memorable Moment (19:36–19:59):
    Dave & Sam compare taking over the Kings to being handed a dog's leash without warning: “This dog, it might run away. It might do his business on your leg. You don't know what's going on.”

4. The Athletic’s NBA Player Poll – MVP Results (23:07–30:46)

• Overview: More than a third of NBA players participated, the largest ever. The poll’s results are being rolled out over weeks; MVP is first.
  • Quote – Sam Amick (24:09):
    “We ended up polling more than a third of the NBA. The most responses that we've ever had. It's in the 160 plus neighborhood. All Anonymous...the MVP is a really good place to start.”
• Result: Oklahoma City’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Shea) was the overwhelming MVP choice with twice as many votes as the next closest player.
  • Quote – Sam Amick (24:45):
    “...the winner is none other than Oklahoma City's Shea Gilgeous-Alexander. It was not particularly close. Roughly twice the votes for Shea than any other candidate.”
• Runner-Up: Nikola Jokic (Denver).
  Next tier: Jalen Brown, Cade Cunningham, Luka Doncic.
  Victor Wembanyama was 6th despite recent noise.
• Analysis: Shea received praise for being a true two-way player.
  • Quote – Dave Dufour (29:00):
    “Not enough is said about what Shae Gilgeous-Alexander does on the defensive side of the ball. ... He does play a lockdown defense. … He’s had a very complete season, both sides of the ball.”
• They also debate the defensive bonafides of Brown, Shea, and Wembanyama, noting the impact of team context and that Wemby’s net rating swing is “just wild.”
• Future Poll Questions Teased: Which team will win the title? More “spicy” categories to come.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sam Amick, on Embiid’s bad luck (04:11):
  “It is not [routine]. The pain was pretty high … I’m confident saying, you know, it's a pretty serious procedure. And the idea that you would be coming back anytime soon to do the types of things that Joel Embiid does is not very likely.”
• Sam Amick, on Giannis/Bucks (07:37):
  “Giannis is ... really pissed that they're holding him out.”
• Dave Dufour, on the Kings coaching mess (19:36):
  “He was handed the Kings the same way somebody hands you the leash to their dog when they have too much stuff... How can you expect him to do a good job under these circumstances?”
• Sam Amick, on the player poll (24:09):
  “This is just an absolute heavy lift marathon of an undertaking. But one of my favorite projects that we do… We ended up polling more than a third of the NBA.”

Timestamps by Segment

• 02:17 – Show open, Embiid’s appendicitis injury status
• 03:30 – Sam Amick’s insight into severity of appendicitis for athletes
• 05:34 – Discussion of Embiid’s injury-prone narrative and Sixers’ fate
• 06:37 – Giannis/Bucks relationship breakdown and trade rumors
• 10:33 – On whether Milwaukee fans will turn on Giannis
• 12:05 – Doc Rivers’ uncertain future, possibility for advisory role
• 13:05 – Coaching hot-seat discussion (Mosley, Borrego, Splitter)
• 14:44 – Cavs coaching and “win-now” pressure post-Harden trade
• 16:43 – Cavs as a legit contender but needing deep playoff run
• 19:28 – Kings/Christie coaching confusion, foul incident explained
• 23:07 – Introduction to the Player Poll MVP
• 24:09 – Sam Amick gives context to the size and format of the poll
• 24:45 – Shea Gilgeous-Alexander named the players' MVP
• 30:46 – Preview of upcoming player poll topics

Tone and Style

Relaxed but insightful; hosts mix sharp NBA analysis with moments of humor and banter, especially when discussing coaching chaos and the absurdities of NBA drama. Sam Amick brings in-the-room reporting, and the roundtable is conversational and engaging.

Useful for Who?

This summary is ideal for NBA fans wanting a distilled, comprehensive, and colorful account of the league’s late-season drama—injuries, turmoil, and shifting pecking orders—plus a uniquely revealing look at players’ perspectives on this year’s MVP race, without slogging through ads or preamble.