Podcast Summary

The Right Time with Bomani Jones

Episode: Tom Haberstroh on Knicks beating Spurs in NBA Cup final, NBA's injury issue, Warriors failing Steph Curry?
Date: December 17, 2025
Host: Bomani Jones
Guest: Tom Haberstroh (NBA analyst, writer for Yahoo Sports and Tom the Finder Substack)

Episode Overview

In this episode, Bomani Jones is joined by NBA analyst Tom Haberstroh to dive deep into the recent NBA Cup final in which the New York Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs. The conversation explores the evolving importance and stakes of the NBA’s in-season tournament, Victor Wembanyama’s impact and rivalry with Chet Holmgren, the Knicks’ emergence as contenders, the NBA’s growing injury problem—especially with soft tissue injuries—and the turmoil within the Golden State Warriors as they struggle to maximize Steph Curry’s closing window.

The hosts deliver authentic, unfiltered commentary on basketball culture, the league’s attempts to innovate, and behind-the-scenes health crises that threaten the NBA’s long-term product.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The NBA Cup—Raising the Stakes Midseason

• Initial Skepticism to Embracing the Tournament

  • Bomani started as a skeptic: “I didn’t think that you would be able to create stakes around this and I thought the stakes were necessary… But I also think I kind of sort of ignored that. These are still professional athletes… Trophies. It doesn't matter what the trophy is.” (02:16)
  • The games feel more intense, almost like mini playoff games: “It feels like something and I didn’t expect that.” (03:08)

• Prestige, Vegas, and the NBA Cup’s Future

  • Tom notes the break from the 82-game grind and the boost of playing in Las Vegas: “It is an absolute grind… The NBA cup breaks up the season and gives them something with stakes to look forward to and a little bit of respite from the 82-game grind.” (03:26)
  • Amazon Prime’s coverage enhances the event, making it feel “bigger” and direct competition with ESPN.
  • Growing rumors that the NBA Cup finals could leave Vegas for famed college venues (e.g., Cameron Indoor Stadium)—Bomani finds that concept “preposterous… It would feel amateur. This is beneath the standard of the league.” (07:36–08:50)

• Building Tradition

  • The importance of time in building significance: “It takes a generation to build up fans... This is very similar. Take the time, make it such that... the way you do it, summer league.” (10:14)
  • Tom and Bomani agree that “the NBA Cup is awesome; the alternative is just regular season games that nobody cares about.” (11:41)

2. Knicks’ Victory and Victor Wembanyama’s Rivalry with OKC and Chet Holmgren

• The Knicks’ Path and In-Game Strategy

  • Knicks emerging as legitimate finals contenders: “There’s no reason that the Knicks can’t go to the NBA Finals… I don’t have a compelling argument—why not the Knicks?” (20:23)
  • Key to their success: offensive rebounding, especially Mitchell Robinson: “Mitchell Robinson coming off the bench and getting 10 offensive rebounds in 18 minutes and just giving it to Victor underneath the basket.” (20:59)
  • The Knicks lead the league in three-pointers after offensive rebounds: “They have like 20 more three pointers off of offensive rebounds than any other team in the NBA… Clearly that was the differentiator.” (21:55)

• Victor Wembanyama: A Star and a Rivalry

  • Victor “gets it… we need more Victor being spicy with his comments and messy with his comments about ethical basketball… Victor is here for this NBA life.” (14:07)

  • Rivalry with Chet Holmgren is “great theater,” with a history going back to their Team USA vs. France days. (14:07–16:07)

  • Wemby’s emotional performance post-grandmother’s passing: “He was tearing up at the press conference… he found out about [her death] before the game… Victor is playing like he’s doing hero ball on every single play...” (18:28)

  • Notable Quotes:

    • “The best part of that [Thunder] game… was him clapping every time Chet missed a free throw.” – Bomani (16:44)

  • Incredible statistic: “There were zero such shots in the game against OKC when Wemby was near the basket.” – Tom (17:19)

3. The NBA’s Injury Epidemic

• Rampant Soft Tissue Injuries

  • Tom’s reporting: “Two scariest words in the NBA right now: calf strain. We’ve seen more calf strains than we have in a very long time, if ever… Through 20 games… incidence of calf strains up 40% compared to last year. But—the time lost due to these injuries is up by 200%.” (34:41)

  • Harder, faster modern game: “They have to defend 40 feet out now… So much more force on these bodies… A lot of these screens are now being set at half court.” (35:40)

  • “Young” injuries now hitting 23-year-olds: “We’re seeing teams now holding out their guys longer in these calf strains… You saw Jason Tatum tearing his Achilles. These soft tissue injuries are knocking these players out for much longer and stars are not playing nearly as much as they used to.” (37:11)

  • NBA Commissioner Adam Silver is “doing rhetorical sleight of hand” by claiming injury rates are unchanged, but the data shows otherwise. (34:41–38:54)

• Solutions?

  • Bomani: “It seems somewhat unsolvable because they’re not going to dial back the style of play.” (38:54)

  • Tom’s take: “You cut 20 games from the schedule, that’s how you do it.” (40:20)

  • Players are missing 1 of every 3 games; previously it was 1 of 5. (44:33)

  • Long-term ticket sales risk: “If you take your kid to a game thinking LeBron’s going to play, and he doesn’t, that’s a long-term hit.” (44:13)

  • Notable Quote:

    • “We are at a point of what they call Pareto optimality. Like you are trying to figure out how to make this one thing better without hurting this other thing.” – Bomani (42:53)

4. The Golden State Warriors’ Woes—Are They Failing Steph Curry?

• Ownership Meddling and Bad Roster Moves

  • Owner Joe Lacob's ill-advised direct email reply to a frustrated fan, hinting that “Jimmy is not the problem”—implying issues with coaching and style of play. (49:25)
  • Tom: “Anytime you have owner emails going out in public, not a great look… He wants the Jonathan Kuminga experiment to work. They haven't moved off the Jonathan Kaminga thing… He’s making $22 million a year to be getting DNP-CDs.” (50:08)
  • Warriors stuck between timelines, with older core still delivering but youth movement not paying off.

• Steph Curry’s Enduring Greatness, Limited Support

  • Steph is putting up elite numbers at 38, but the team is mediocre.

  • Quote: “Steph Curry is dropping 48 points in a, in a loss. It can't happen. When you have a guy who's at this stage of his career… that is a problem.” (54:30)

  • Both hosts marvel at constantly underestimating Curry: “He just wipes his ass with every single one [of the doubters], and then holds it up to my face and be like, ‘smell it, smell it.’” – Bomani (56:21)

  • Quote:

    • “Everyone in that organization and everyone in the NBA underestimated Steph Curry. And he is still out here in top 10 in the scoring in the NBA at age 38 is absurd.” – Tom (56:40)

5. The LeBron–Luka–Austin Reaves Lakers, and Trade Scenarios

• Lakers’ Defensive Woes

  • “They gotta do something here because that defense is atrocious. They don’t get back on defense. A lot of it is Luka Doncic...” (59:07)
  • Lakers have slowest rotations, three of the top ten slowest defensive players (Austin Reaves, LeBron James, Luka Doncic). (59:07)
  • Tom predicts “a lot of Austin Reeves trade talks,” noting his skill set is “repetitive” with LeBron and Luka already sharing the ball. (60:32)

• Trade Market Speculation

  • Bomani jokes about Austin Reaves being a fan favorite and “the locals” not wanting to see him go, but Danny Ainge and Utah are likely candidates. (61:47)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "You only give us four stars. I'm inclined to believe you are a hater." — Bomani (00:57, outro)
• “Cameron is the single best place for a college basketball game. Hard stop… But get the fuck out of here, man. No, no, this is preposterous...” — Bomani (07:36)
• “Victor Wembanyama… talking about pure ethical basketball. I was like, yo, Victor is here for this NBA life.” — Tom (14:07)
• “I cry for people who got to live in Utah.” — Bomani (63:36)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• NBA Cup stakes and initial skepticism: 01:35–03:08
• Vegas, NBA legends, and venue debate: 05:29–09:19
• Wembanyama’s rivalry with OKC/Chet Holmgren: 14:07–18:08
• Knicks’ victory and offensive rebounding comeback: 18:08–24:32
• NBA injury crisis and “calf strain” epidemic: 34:41–38:54
• Warriors/Lacob drama & Steph’s diminishing window: 47:35–56:40
• Lakers defense & Austin Reaves trade talk: 59:07–62:15

Flow & Tone

• Discussion is fast, insightful, often humorous and occasionally irreverent, especially when discussing NBA culture and ownership. Bomani’s signature style frames the conversation with honesty and skepticism, while Tom brings deep statistical and medical context alongside analogies and behind-the-scenes reporting.

For New Listeners

This episode provides a rich, honest look at how the league is adapting to new traditions, the ways star power and rivalries are forged, why teams like the Knicks are clicking, and the grim day-to-day reality NBA players and teams face with mounting injury risk. Behind the basketball analysis is a clear love for the game, sharp wit, and a recognition that every new NBA innovation comes with complicated trade-offs. Whether you care about the stats or the stories, this episode has plenty to chew on.