Rookie Check In + Sam Amick on NBA Gambling Scandal

Summary

The Athletic NBA Daily – Episode Summary

Episode: Rookie Check In + Sam Amick on NBA Gambling Scandal
Release Date: October 27, 2025
Hosts: Dave DuFour, Zena Keita, Esfandiar Baraheni
Guest: Sam Amick (The Athletic Senior NBA Insider)

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Overview

This episode dives into early red flags from the NBA’s opening week, standout rookie performances, and a deep-dive discussion with Sam Amick on the recent NBA gambling scandal involving high-profile figures. The hosts blend analytical breakdowns with sharp banter while assessing how team construction trends and the gambling saga are shaping the league’s narrative.

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Key Discussion Points

1. Early Red Flags From Opening Week

Timestamp: [01:39]–[08:34]

• Lack of Ball Handling Guards

  • Zena Keita opens by highlighting the consequences of NBA teams prioritizing long, switchable wings over traditional ball-handling guards.
    • “Teams are really struggling…you need someone to be able to calm it down. And I'm looking at teams like Dallas, Houston, Indiana, the Warriors’ second unit…” (Zena Keita, [02:43])
  • Pace is up for every team, requiring more control in transition and halfcourt scenarios.

• Offensive Struggles for Specific Teams

  • The Houston Rockets’ lack of a reliable point guard is limiting offensive flow. Amen Thompson’s shooting limitations are impacting spacing (Dave DuFour, [03:52]).
  • The Indiana Pacers and Dallas Mavericks are plagued by guard injuries and lack of depth.
  • Overreliance on certain players (Kevin Durant in Houston, Brandon Ingram in Toronto, Paolo Banchero in Orlando) without coherent playmaking around them.

• Statistical Evidence

  • Orlando’s low number of assisted field goals and Ball movement are highlighted as particular concerns (Zena Keita, [07:47]).

Notable Quotes:

• “Dribbling the basketball is important to create.” (Esfandiar Baraheni, [05:04])
• “Paolo Banchero has three assists through three games and eight turnovers. He is also shooting 39% on twos. He is consistently bailed out every defense…” (Esfandiar, [06:18])
• “Paolo’s shot diet stinks and it has stunk.” (Dave DuFour, [07:02])

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2. Rookie Check-In: Early Standouts

Timestamp: [08:34]–[14:06]

• Cooper Flagg (Dallas Mavericks)

  • Overcomes a tough start to show high playmaking ability (“Four assists, no turnovers…” – Dave, [08:48]; “He is the full package in terms of a wing guy who can create...” – Esfandiar, [09:07])
  • Athleticism and alley-oop passing already translating.

• VJ Edgecombe (Philadelphia 76ers)

  • Impressed with scoring and unexpected passing (“Game two, by the way. 18 and eight assists. I. I didn't realize he was such a good passer…” – Dave, [10:23])
  • Emergence as a foundation piece in the backcourt with Tyrese Maxey.

• Dylan Harper (San Antonio Spurs)

  • Immediate impact off the bench; adds to a deep guard rotation.
  • Spurs’ core is drawing comparisons to their Tim Duncan era rebuild (“...three drafts in a row…the Wimby draft and Dylan Harper pick, man, they're set up for another run…” – Dave, [11:53])

• Cedric Coward (Memphis Grizzlies)

  • Electrifying start: 19 PPG while shooting 70% from three through the first week (“I'm calling it, I'm booking it. This guy can be a star in this league, especially if he shoots 70%.” – Esfandiar, [13:45])

Memorable Moment:

• Playful banter over Edgecombe’s nickname possibilities.
  • “Well, it's either the Edge or the Comb. And I don't know if the Comb instills fear…” (Dave, [11:42])

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3. The NBA Gambling Scandal: With Sam Amick

Timestamp: [17:21]–[29:13]

• Scandal Overview

  • FBI investigation centers around Chauncey Billups (Blazers coach), Damon Jones (former NBA player), and Terry Rozier (Miami Heat).
  • Allegations include rigged high-stakes poker games stealing ~$7 million (“Chauncey Billups…he's facing really significant jail time…people are pretty stunned by the allegations.” – Sam Amick, [19:15])

• League Reaction and Broader Context

  • Conversations around the pervasiveness of gambling in the NBA—prop bets, advertising saturation, and potential for increased corruption.
  • David Aldridge’s piece is referenced, connecting tanking culture to an environment conducive to corruption (“Tanking in and of itself is…for all intents and purposes, could you see…people want to make changes?” – Dave, [20:24])
  • Adam Silver previously warned about the dangers of player incentive-based prop bets.
  • The NBA is not expected to break ties with gambling operators but will likely tighten up injury reporting procedures and regulations (“Prop bets, I think, get cleaned up…injury reporting…has got to go by the wayside, because that is where there's a lot of potential for nefarious betting activity.” – Sam Amick, [21:02])

• Impact on NBA Narrative

  • Despite thrilling on-court performances (multiple double-OTs, 50-point games, Steph Curry’s 42-point night, Wemby’s dominance), the gambling scandal is overshadowing basketball.
  • “I've gotten more texts from people who aren't huge, you know, casual basketball fans about the Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, Damon Jones situation than I did about Steph Curry…” (Dave, [23:11])
  • Both Sam and Dave lament the distraction from a genuinely exciting start to the season (“It really is too bad how much it’s overshadowed a lot of the good action…” – Sam, [24:00])

Memorable Quotes:

• “This relationship with the gambling companies is not going away. It's filling their pockets. Everybody benefits from that.” (Sam Amick quoting Draymond Green, [21:29])

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4. Week One Takeaways & “Takes Check”

Timestamp: [26:29]–[29:13]

• Sam’s Takebacks and Double Downs

  • Overestimated preseason Clippers; after a dominant showing against Kings, they stumbled out of the gate vs. Utah.
  • Still believes Denver and OKC are the class of the West, with Warriors looking like potential 1A after early returns.

• Warriors’ Outlook

  • Warriors appear rejuvenated, Steph Curry is defying age, and experience could give them formidable playoff upside (“They could probably beat anybody…if they're healthy…” – Dave, [28:12])
  • Warriors’ losses to young, tough teams attributed more to schedule (rest, age) than blueprint flaws.

• Western Conference Watch

  • Injuries to Luka Doncic (Mavs) and a long injury list for the Pacers could shift expected standings quickly.

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Paolo Banchero’s struggles:
  “This is, it's not much change from, from last year to this except maybe like a little less passing from, from Powell.”
  – Dave DuFour ([07:02])

• On rookie buzz beyond Cooper Flagg:
  “We could go down the list of all these rookies that have been bright spots and not just casual bright spots. Bright spots with swagger…”
  – Zena Keita ([10:45])

• On gambling’s shadow over the league:
  “When these things were being talked about…there's gambling advertisements on screen while they're talking about it.”
  – Dave DuFour ([19:51])

• On Wembanyama’s MVP-caliber performance:
  “At this rate, WEMBY averaging 33.3 points per game, 13.3 boards and a stout six blocks a game. Dave, that's pretty good.”
  – Sam Amick ([24:00])

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Red Flags from Week 1: [01:39]–[08:34]
• Rookie Check-In: [08:34]–[14:06]
• Gambling Scandal w/ Sam Amick: [17:21]–[29:13]
• Takes to Double Down or Retract: [26:29]–[29:13]

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Tone & Personality

Discussion is energetic and analytical, balancing sharp basketball insight with quick, humorous exchanges (frequent jokes about rookie nicknames, team predictions, and league personalities). The hosts’ chemistry keeps the episode moving briskly, even during serious coverage like the gambling scandal.

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In Summary

The episode provides a rapid-fire yet nuanced look at both on-court trends (struggles from teams lacking true point guards, rookie surprises) and pressing off-court controversies (gambling scandal), making it valuable listening for any NBA fan tracking both the sport’s evolution and its challenges. Sam Amick’s segment adds depth on the league’s response to crisis, while the hosts’ rookie rundown offers optimism for future NBA stars.

Transcript

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[Dave DeFore]

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[Zena Keda]

Good.

[Dave DeFore]

Morning and welcome to the NBA Daily presented by eBay. I'm Dave DeFore here with Zena Keda and Esperaheny. Coming up. It's early, but we've already seen some red flags. We're going to talk about those, the rookies that have shown out. We're going to highlight those guys. And then I sit down with Sam Amick and discuss the gambling situation that's happening around the NBA and how it's overshadowed an incredible start to the season. Good morning, everybody. Good morning, guys. Official Monday after games. You know, we had a bunch of games on Sunday actually. Pretty good slate. Got to see some of the people and teams that we're going to talk about today. And I know that it's only been, what, five days since the NBA season started, Even though it feels like five years, especially if you work in the front office. I've already seen some red flags. What about you guys?

[Esperaheny]

Oh, yeah, yeah. I wish I had one of the those like red flags to just throw.

[Dave DeFore]

Like you're, you know, like in the NFL.

[Sam Amick]

All right, guys, so what, what have.

[Dave DeFore]

You guys seen so far that that is alarming.

[Zena Keda]

I'll start and I think it's going to Go right into what s you might have also seen. But the lack of ball handling guards we are now seeing what were the repercussions of the NBA prioritizing over priorit. Long athletic wings that can switch one through five that can create their own shot. This is all great. They're awesome in, you know, going downhill in open court. But when you're talking about someone that has to handle ball pressure one on one, someone up your jersey and being able to amidst the chaos, set the floor, teams are really struggling. Something I looked up about this. Right now, the pace of the NBA is up two possessions for every team than it was a year ago. So that means everything is faster. There's faster offense, faster transition. Everything is at a different pace. So you need someone to be able to calm it down. And I'm looking at teams like Dallas, I'm looking at teams like Houston, the Indiana Pacers, the Warriors second Union. I mean you can go down the list of teams across the association that are lacking guards to set the floor in the half court. That is a big red flag.

[Dave DeFore]

Houston yet to win a game. You know, oh, and I'm saying it like it's been a long time but. But their offense s like they had. They struggled last year in the half court. Yeah, we're seeing them right now. There's no table setter. You know, a men's lack of shooting is. Is really causing issues because the defense can sag off him. Cuts down on driving lanes and passing lanes and all these other things. I mean it does seem as if guard play is kind of at a premium right now.

[Esperaheny]

Absolutely is to that Rockets point. Like they are becoming very reliant on Kevin Durant and Amend Thompson to create a lot of what they need to to get downhill. But then outside of that, it's like Shangoon post ups, Changun dribble handoffs is what they're leaning into. Which. Yep. Which. Which can get you into like a decent offensive rating. But overall they need someone who can set the table. And I think, look, it's. There's no question that injuries have hurt the Pacers who have no guards now. Injuries have hurt the Mavericks who have no guards right now and the Rockets with Fred Vanvliet. But we are seeing, like you said, Xena teams deprioritizing guards and guys who can just dribble. Dribbling the basketball is important to create.

[Dave DeFore]

You gotta have. You gotta go sign a guy. Like you've gotta go find a minimum guy. I mean Russell Westbrook got signed by the Kings but he could have been a pickup for some one of these teams just to get 100%. Yeah.

[Zena Keda]

Yep.

[Esperaheny]

I'll give you guys my red flag. Okay, so there have been some new faces in new places, right? You think of like you guys said, Kevin Durant with the Houston Rockets, Brandon Ingram with the Toronto Raptors. Paolo, Ben Caro, Desmond Bain, Orlando Magic, that new group together, they have not gone well. All three of them have not gone well. And it's clunky. It's again, we're five days into this thing but my red flag kind of goes to all of them. The Rockets, the point guard issue is big. They're over reliant on Kevin Durant. The Raptors, their starting lineup has not figured out how to play together yet. I asked Dark or Yakovic. They are still working through the kinks of things. Their defense does not make sense to how that team wants to play every single night. And then the Orlando Magic and I look at Paulo Bankero who the table is now set for him to have a really good season. Set for Franz Wagner to also have a really good season. You have a 40% three point shooter playing next to you.

[Dave DeFore]

Tell me how.

[Esperaheny]

Paolo Benchero has three assists through three games and eight turnovers. He is also shooting 39% on twos. He's 4 of 20 on long mid range jump shots. He is consistently bailed out every defense that he's played so far this week. And again, it is early but they have to figure this out. I kind of want to just jump on the court and be like, Paulo, this is Desmond. Desmond, this is Paolo. You two are teammates. So it's been really frustrating to watch the Magic because you thought that they could break out of the habit of being a bottom 10 offensive team, right? So far, red flag. I am not sure they can do that this season.

[Dave DeFore]

I, I will say this one of the big changes I would, I would consider if I were them, is more Goga, less Wendell Carter Jr. I think his passing and his shooting would create some space. But Paulo's shot diet stinks and it has stunk. He has hit, he's been a good tough shot maker at times, but he's not like a particularly good shooter. He's a little bit of a black hole. I mean you just mentioned three assists in three games. For a guy who has the ball that much, it's just not going to work. Like he is not a heliocentric guy. They don't want to have a heliocentric off. I don't know what offense they actually want to have. True. But what's happening right now, to me, it's, it's, it's more of the same. This is, it's not much change from, from last year to this except maybe like a little less passing from, from Powell.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah. And. And what's so funny is that as I was looking at my red flag, I noticed that, yes, Houston and Dallas were in the bottom third for a lot of things, particularly unassisted field goals. Whether it's two, the lack of assists from secondary, assists, ball movement in the, in the half court. Orlando was actually in that category too. They have a lot of unassisted field goals. They're not moving the ball around and making sure. And they're lacking playmakers. It's one thing to get a safe pass across. It's another thing to get a pass that's going to get a bucket across. And that is something we're not seeing in Orlando.

[Esperaheny]

I will say it's been a week work in progress. All three of these teams that I mentioned, the Rockets, Raptors, Magic, they have a chance to be better work on things. But right now, now, I don't know. New face is not looking good.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, speaking of flags, let's talk rookies. Cooper flag. We got to see him. Have a good game on Sunday. S against your Raptors. Your Raptors. They're going to win 48. They're still going to win 48.

[Esperaheny]

Well, no, now they're going to win 47.

[Dave DeFore]

Okay, they're now going to win 47. Flag on Sunday. Look, I know he had a rough start, right? Like you start out against Victor Women Yama and you're gonna get cooked. But I thought he looked really great even in that sort of lead playmaker role. Four assists, no turnovers, which the turnovers have been bad for him in the first two games.

[Esperaheny]

Yeah, he is. He was one of the best lob passes alley OOP guys in college. He is completely translating that over to what he's doing for Dallas so far. You're right, the ball pressure, the ball handling has not been the greatest. And I think that's putting a lot of pressure on him to like actually be the point guard for this team. To your point earlier, Zena, but when he's been able to actually pass the ball and get downhill, he's been awesome next to Derek Lively and Anthony Davis. Also, his athleticism is just out of this world. It doesn't make sense the way that he's able to leap defensively to shoot the gap in certain moments. He had this crazy dunk on Sandro Mamo Kailashvili today where you could see the full wingspan of what he did. Look, he is the full package in terms of a wing guy who can create for you in a pinch. I don't know if the context the Mavericks have right now is the best to give him the numbers, but even in that type of context tonight, 22 points, knocked down a couple threes, made some passes. So it was. It was a really breakout performance for Cooper.

[Dave DeFore]

When I was doing my Sixers preview with Tony Jones, he. He said Vijay Edgecombe has superstar potential.

[Zena Keda]

Yes.

[Dave DeFore]

I didn't know I was unfamiliar. And his first game was eye opening. Game two, by the way. 18 and eight assists. I. I didn't realize that he was such a good passer. Guy is powerful, fearless. The Sixers kind of have stumbled on another golden guy. Like, it's crazy.

[Zena Keda]

Honestly, I kind of love the fact that we over indexed on Cooper, flag being the star of this rookie class, because it makes performances that we've seen out of Vijay Edgecombe, out of Dylan Harper, out of Trey Johnson, Cedric Cower. Like, we could go down the list of all these rookies that have been bright spots and not just casual bright spots. Bright spots with swagger, bright spots that can be the pillars of teams moving forward. And Vijay Edgecomb is exactly that. I literally asked my Blue sky followers, like, what's going to be the name? We. We had Allen Iverson. You know, he had his name as the answer and excuse. Wait.

[Esperaheny]

Yeah, Allen Iverson was the answer.

[Zena Keda]

We had Allen Iverson as the answer we had. You know, Joel Embiid named himself the Process. And I was like, what's going to be V.J. edgecombe's thing? The fact that he plays so hard, he's so gritty, he's got this confidence about him in the backcourt with Tyrese Maxey, someone came up with the Edge and I was like, I like that. I like that.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, it's either the Edge or the Comb. And I don't know if the Comb instills fear in your opponents. It doesn't say as.

[Esperaheny]

How about just VJ Guys, VJ is a good nickname too.

[Dave DeFore]

I love it. But what if we go VJ but V E E J, you know, like. Like the old MTV VJs. Maybe he's super into music, maybe he gets a Beats sponsorship, but VJ Edgecom has been really great and effective at scoring. Also, I want to shout out Dylan Harper coming off the bench for the spurs. And I mentioned this after game one to Jared Weiss, I said, hey, do the spurs have a dear and fox problem? Because they have all these guards. And the truth is, as Xena just talked about you, there's no such thing as too many ball handlers. There's no such thing as too many guys who can shoot, who can get to the basket. And Dylan Harper has made me think that the spurs have now just. I mean, this is three drafts in a row, but in particular the Wimby draft and this Dylan Harper pick, man, they're set up for another run just like they had with Tim Duncan. This is pretty incredible when you look at the talent that they've got and compare it to like the season right before Wemby got there where it just felt like they didn't have anything. I mean, it just really fast turnaround Dylan Harper. I don't know this. I think there's a dear. A dear and fox problem. Like how are you going to make them fit?

[Esperaheny]

So is that your red flag?

[Dave DeFore]

Wow. I don't know if it's a red flag. I'm more just excited about Dylan Harper.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah, absolutely. And he crashes the glass. I mean, yeah, I love that Kellen Johnson and Victor Romyama gave him his flowers in the post game press conference afterwards. He's already endearing himself onto his teammates. And just being a guy that's going to move the needle for you, especially at the end of games. He's in clutch moments already and I.

[Esperaheny]

Love that for him.

[Dave DeFore]

S question for you is, is Cedric Coward going to shoot 70% from three for the season or what? 19 a game, shooting 70% from the field, 72% from three for a Memphis Grizzlies team that has needed a guy like this as long as the team's been in Memphis?

[Esperaheny]

100%. Look, how long, how many times have we heard, the Grizzlies should go after Kevin Durant. The Grizzlies should go after Jimmy Butler. The Grizzlies should go after Cam Johnson. Well, they have their star wing now in Cedric Coward. I'm calling it, I'm booking it. This guy can be a star in this league, especially if he shoots 70%.

[Zena Keda]

I love it.

[Dave DeFore]

All right, guys, stick around after the break. I talked to Sam Amick about Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, Damon Jones and Steph Curry. Unrelated.

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[Dave DeFore]

The NBA had an amazing opening week from multiple double overtime thriller games. 50 point games. Steph Curry was ridiculous. Had a 42 point game against Nicole Jokic even though Aaron Gordon had 50. I mean it's just been really good basketball, but covering up a lot of that has been the gambling saga. Here to talk about it, Sam Amick, our senior national NBA insider writer over at the Athletic. You're, you're in Sacramento right now, I should say for the folks watching on YouTube, it's why it looks like you're in an office building or, or like Batman's basement. How's it going, Sam?

[Sam Amick]

Good to be with you, buddy. Yes, here from the beautiful media room at Golden 1 Center. Might have some company here coming through at any given moment. We got Lakers kings on this Sunday afternoon. But glad to be with you.

[Dave DeFore]

Give me the latest on Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, the NBA and this FBI investigation into this gambling ring.

[Sam Amick]

So it hasn't advanced too much from the other day when the FBI obviously held its press conference and you know, slash kind of, you know, entertainment production, they rolled out the details of the investigation. They obviously highlighted the involvement of the three guys with NBA ties. Chauncey Billups, head coach of the Blazers, Damon Jones, former NBA player, a friend of LeBron James, and then certainly Terry Rozier with the Miami Heat. So, yeah, I mean it's, it's a serious situation. It's one that, you know, like I wrote on our site the other day, for this to come within the same two month stretch, you know, that the Clippers scandal, you know, that unfolded with the salary cap circumvention allegations there, it's just a really challenging time for the league. But in terms of this latest development, first and foremost, you know, not that, you know, there are degrees of peril here for these different individuals.

[Dave DeFore]

Right.

[Sam Amick]

But Chauncey Billups, you know, having been allegedly part of these rigged poker games that, that, that, you know, that took roughly $7 million from a bunch of different folks who didn't know that they were getting schemed like, you know, he's, he's facing really significant jail time. And so first and foremost, before we even get to all the league implications or what it means for the NBA. You know, I got a guy in Chauncey with a tremendous professional reputation. A lot of people are on league who care about him and who are pretty stunned by the allegations, you know, and then again the two other guys as well. So just a crazy time in the league.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

I mean, and again, it's the pervasiveness of sports gambling. You know, we see it every single place. I mean, when these things were being talked about on some of the, the broadcast partners, you know, there's gambling advertisements on screen while they're talking about it. And I will say I want to point people to. David Aldrich wrote a great piece discussing how tanking actually contributes to an environment that makes it easier for these sorts of things to happen. In talking to people in the last week, Sam, like, are you hearing around the league, whether it's people that you talk to from teams or with the front office of the actual NBA itself, do you think that this is going to create a sort of a tide to change the relationship that the NBA has with some of these sports gambling companies? And maybe even just, I mean, the parlay stuff is where it really does seem to be very extreme. But tanking in and of itself is essentially, you know, you're shaving points, right? Like, you're going to play worse players. You're, you know, you're going to do these things and, and quote, unquote, lose on purpose. You're not throwing the game necessarily, but you are, for all intents and purposes. Could you see, like, are you hearing that, that people want to make changes?

[Sam Amick]

No, not just yet. When it comes to things like tanking, having, certainly the prop bets and Adam Silver had been on record before this scandal broke about wanting to kind of, you know, narrow that window of what constitutes an allowable prop bet. And let's not have players who are going to be incentivized to do something, you know, unseemly. The Jonte Porters of the world who are not making big bucks. And John Tay, of course, you know, was already pled guilty and was in the background of this investigation as well. But, you know, the same accusations. So prop bets, I think, get cleaned up from there, at least for now. Dave, I would probably, you know, highlight what Draymond Green had to say the other night after the warriors game, which is that this relationship with the gambling companies is not going away. It's been, you know, it's filling their pockets. You know, it. It raises the bri. Everybody benefits from that. And, you know, in that respect, I don't see it changing. But, you know, they're going to obviously have to tighten things up. And I think the other specific area to look at is injury reporting. And that window of time, that soft spot from when a team has clarity on whether or not a guy's going to go and it actually gets reported or the fuzziness about reporting. You know, the Sixers are kind of notorious for, you know, fudging their injury report. That type of stuff has got to go by the wayside, because that is where there's a lot of potential for nefarious betting activity.

[Dave DeFore]

And by the way it does seem as if some of these sports books have actually told the NBA when they've detected anomalies, and that's how some of this has actually worked itself. Like where the NBA. Correct. John Tay Porter situation. Yeah. Okay, so again, you wrote this piece the other day, and you talked about how the scandals are just obfuscating a great start to the NBA season. I mean, last year, and we talked about this a lot this summer. Last year was one of the best seasons I've had covering the NBA when it comes to the quality of the basketball, the enjoyment from night to night, you know, just the competitiveness. And then we got that great playoff. This week has been a continuation of that. I mean, we got game eight of Thunder Pacers the other night. You know, it has been a really great start, and I do think it's been lost. I've gotten more texts from people who aren't huge, you know, casual basketball fans about the Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier, Damon Jones situation than I did about Steph Curry. Victor Wembanyama, by the way, being the one thing that has universally been just overwhelmed with text messages about was every time somebody sees Victor do something, I get a text. But what. What is. Like, what's the favorite. Your favorite thing from opening week? Again, you've been to all these games. You've been out there and all this stuff. What's the best thing you've seen?

[Sam Amick]

Well, first of all, since you mentioned the. You YouTube crowd, I don't know why I suddenly look like I'm in the heavens with the. The lights coming across the screen. Yeah, we got a little bit of a glare. Yeah. All good. It has been. It really is too bad how much it's. It's overshadowed a lot of the. The good action, but not all of it. You mentioned Wemby. If I got to pick one. I think watching Wemby unleashed is. Is just bonkers. I tried to pull it up here. You know, fun with numbers. I. I know it's only three games, but, you know, at this rate, WEMBY averaging 33.3 points per game, 13.3 boards and a stout. What do we add, six blocks a game? Dave, that's pretty good. I. Yeah, I think if he kept that up, he would probably be in the thick of that MVP race. And like, to me, you know, small sample size. Yes. But Victor, I think announcing that he is going to be in the top five this year as a. As an elite player very possibly is. Has been fun to watch. I don't even know where to start from there. I've been around the Warriors a fair amount. Steph being 35, almost 36, you know, doing what he's.

[Zena Keda]

Earth.

[Sam Amick]

I'm sorry, 37.

[Dave DeFore]

36. Yeah.

[Sam Amick]

Yeah, he was 37. It's Draymond and Jimmy are the 35 year olds, but Steph just killing it. And, you know, they know they dropped that game in Portland, but even in that game, he showed out offensively. That's always a great thing for the NBA, especially when LeBron is on the shelf because of his sciatica. That's exciting. I mean, you mentioned OKC doing their thing, the double OT games, the Rockets finding their way without Fred Van Vliet. I mean, how about the undefeated Milwaukee Bucks? Dave DeFore, you know, like, how about Giannis doesn't need to go anywhere, you know, and it's only 2 0. But it has been a lot of fun. And as a final thought on that question, I did chuckle when I wrote the column. I wrote, and I kind of honestly shared that, like, the news of that day was so kind of overwhelming from a job standpoint, that I was at the warriors game, but mentally I was not at the warriors game. I literally did not notice that Aaron Gordon was on a heater until he hit his eighth consecutive three. But some of the commenters were like, man, if you're not going to make good use of that seat on press row, then, you know, then I'll do it. What's wrong with you? So it was almost to see the fans saying, all right, you might have been distracted by all the controversy, but I think a fair amount of the fans were not, and they did enjoy the week.

[Zena Keda]

Yeah.

[Dave DeFore]

You have any takes that you want to back off of after the first week, or do you have any that you want to double down on? Okay, let me hear them.

[Sam Amick]

The first one is in this very building. In the preseason. I walked out of here like a Clippers spokesman, telling everybody how great they looked when they put a beating on the Kings. And it was just preseason, but the way they did it, you know, talking to some of the guys afterwards, I even wrote about a little lighthearted moment when James Harden was leaving after the game. And I said hello to him real quick, and I said, man, you guys look pretty good. And he smiled and he's like, man, we don't even have Bogey or Brad yet, because Bogdanovich and Beal were still out. So they were flexing a little bit at that time. And then, my gosh, for them to go do what they did against Utah and just lay an absolute egg. And I know they got the W in game number two, but they just have not looked quite as good as I thought they might be in the preseason. So. Curious to see where they take it. You know, I guess takes to double down on, you know, I don't know what this isn't. The Denver situation is interesting. Like to see them drop that game to the warriors was not an indictment of Denver at all. But it was kind of a, I think maybe an early sign that it. Maybe it really is going to be just okay seeing everybody else, you know, and even a team like the warriors being up into that kind of one a tier that maybe, you know, we didn't. That we thought was going to be just Denver, Houston, Minnesota.

[Dave DeFore]

Right. Yeah. The warriors are mine. I was too low on them and. And now that I'm. I mean, you know, we all just at some point age catches up to Everybody except for LeBron James and Steph Curry apparently. And what did you make of the Portland game?

[Sam Amick]

I didn't watch it that closely but.

[Dave DeFore]

Well, I will say this. They're going to struggle because they're older and they're going to. They're going to rest their guys on back to backs and I think that some of this is going to be just the way that they handle the roster. They will drop some games like that. But Portland's young and like tough. Like it's not like they lost to a bad team. So you know, I think that they're going to be better, I think come playoff time if they're healthy. That's scary because of the corporate knowledge the rest that they're going to have in the playoffs. I mean they could probably beat anybody. I mean OKC is, you know, they are looking like the favorites, I mean big time.

[Sam Amick]

Well, and it's just another thought real quick on the west, you know, as I sit here for this Kings Lakers game, the Lakers have got to be careful because now they got news that Luca is going to be out for at least a week.

[Dave DeFore]

That's right. And you know we got that today Sunday.

[Sam Amick]

Yeah. And so nothing serious but you can drop a handful of games with him out because obviously still no LeBron and you know, you look up and you're already trailing a bit in the west and it's just so loaded that that's pretty challenging.

[Dave DeFore]

Yeah. And I think Indiana Pacers probably got to. Got to look out for a similar situation. The injury report is a mile long right now and that they got their pick so that could be maybe, maybe this, this team that we thought might be scrappy and kind of in the mix for the playoffs might not be so. All right, guys, go and read Sam over at the Athletic. Sam, I'm gonna let you get to this Kings Lakers game, which I'm guessing is going to be a thriller. Guys, thanks for listening. Thanks to Xena and S for joining me earlier in the show. Thanks to Sam Amick. I'm Dave Dufour. This has been the NBA Daily. Thanks for waking up with us.

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