The Ringer NBA Show (Real Ones) — February 10, 2026

Episode: Pistons-Hornets Brawl, the NBA’s Loser Mentality, and Daryl Morey's Comments on Jared McCain

EPISODE OVERVIEW

In this episode, hosts Logan Murdock, Raja Bell, and Howard Beck dive deep into a chaotic brawl between the Pistons and Hornets, dissect the “loser mentality” and tanking culture gripping the NBA, and react to controversial comments made by Daryl Morey about Jared McCain. The Real Ones also answer mailbag questions about NBA “what-if” careers derailed by injuries, and the making of a potential team of the 2020s.

The episode is passionate, fun, and irreverent—packed with personal anecdotes, NBA history, and honest critiques about the league’s direction.

1. THE PISTONS-HORNETS BRAWL (02:41–21:15)

Key Discussion Points

• Description of the Incident (03:02–07:00):
  The fight involved Detroit’s Jalen Duren and Charlotte’s Moussa Diabate, an escalating confrontation with shoving and “fake” punches, leading to Miles Bridges and Isaiah Stewart entering the fray.

• Intensity & Old School Comparison:

  • “Not quite a brouhaha like in Raj’s day, but a brouhaha nonetheless.” – Logan (03:02)
  • Raja notes this was unusually intense for the modern NBA, with genuine altercations and bench players entering the court.

• Security and Rule Enforcement (07:00–09:34):
  Howard explains how league rules and security usually prevent these fights from escalating:
  “Teams these days do a really great job between having… a mass security contingent. Right. They’ve got people, an apparatus… but you don’t leave the bench. Cardinal rule, Isaiah Stewart violating it spectacularly.” (06:00)

• Notable/Funny Moments (09:38–12:24):

  • The Hornets' announcer’s comedic play-by-play, openly speculating suspension lengths live.
  • Isaiah Stewart’s caught-on-camera line:
    “You’re not expecting me to stay on the bench? What the fuck was I drafted to Detroit for?” – Isaiah Stewart via Nick Carboni (11:23)
  • Jared Jack acting as “a human shield” to stop Diabate: “There are a few funny moments in that way. But like, God bless Jared Jack.” – Logan

• On the Role of the Enforcer & Team Culture:
  Raja:
  “It’s my job to protect any of these dudes on my team. And that goes a long way… Not just in the locker room, but… as it projects to other teams coming into your building thinking that they can push you around...” (12:24)

  Howard:
  “This is what bonds a team together sometimes… But too many people doing that… you’re not all peacemakers now, you’re, you’re escalators, right?” (13:21)

• Discussion of Suspensions (18:45–21:15):

  • Consensus: Isaiah Stewart likely to get the highest penalty for leaving the bench, with speculation ranging from 5 to 10 games.
  • Adam Silver’s tenure noted as more lenient than David Stern’s era.
  • Each repeated re-engagement in the fracas (“every time you break a tackle and re engage could be a game” – Raja) adds to the likely suspension length.

2. THE NBA’s “LOSER MENTALITY”: TANKING AND ITS EFFECTS (23:20–57:49)

Key Discussion Points

• Current Season Tanking Scenarios (23:20–27:48):

  • Jazz bench Jaren Jackson Jr., Markkanen, and Nurkic in the 4th while leading—a blatant example of “tanking.”
  • Wizards, Nets, and others also starting to shut down players.
  • “Whenever I… go into a season, I can count at least 10 teams that don’t even want to win.” – Logan (24:03)

• Evolution of Tanking Culture (25:10–27:48):

  • Howard: “This is the tanking era… the last 10, 12, 13 years, ever since Sam Hinkie’s process in Philly.”
  • Despite the league’s efforts (flattened lottery odds, play-in), tanking persists due to the incentive structure and a golden draft class.

• Structural Incentives and Hypocrisy (30:13–33:21):

  • Raja: “It’s dangerous… asking someone to not be competitive for stretches of time. And then… want them to be all in.”
  • Playing to lose damages player mentality and is hard to just ‘turn on’ later.

• Impact on Players & Coaches:

  • The psychological toll on players forced to sit when winning:

    • Raja: “If you ain’t out there to win a game, what the fuck are you doing on a court or a field?”

  • Will Hardy’s predicament (“How does that same guy look at a team three years from now and say, all right, fellas, need you guys to buy into winning…?” – Raja, 40:53)

• Reactions to Tanking (Logan & Raja’s Rants):

  • Logan: “Losing is good? What?” (35:21)
  • Raja: “You can’t be the league that does that and then… hold it against a talented college kid because he’s choosing to execute that. He’s following your model.” (44:20)

• Is Tanking Justified by Roster-Building Logic? (Howard, 45:00–47:15):

  • A reverse-order draft inherently rewards losing.
  • “If you’re not a destination team… then tanking in the draft is, is the way.”

• Broader Damage to NBA's Product & Culture:

  • Young fans could turn to other sports: “They’re just going to be like, oh, this is weak. Like the player that I want to see… they’re not coming because they’re sitting on the bench.” – Logan (47:15)
  • “As a league, you are… setting a poor example in that. And it has trickled down.” – Raja, re: influence on youth/high school basketball (48:18)

• Suggested Remedies (38:15–39:26):

  • Logan proposes escalating penalties for repeat tanking beyond fines—e.g., loss of second-round picks.
  • Raja notes it is “ridiculous” to escalate punishments for teams who spend to win, but not those who intentionally lose.

• Why the League Might Not Change (Howard, 56:31):

  • The NBA’s media rights deals and revenue growth have insulated it from the consequences of tanking—for now.

Memorable Quotes

• “It’s just a complete loser mentality, man.” – Logan (33:21)
• “Maybe some people can, but it’s a dangerous thing to play with that, asking someone to not be competitive for stretches of time.” – Raja (31:08)
• “We have gotten the human element out of this league.” – Logan (55:34)

3. DARYL MOREY’S COMMENTS ON JARED MCCAIN (51:07–55:34)

• Context: Daryl Morey, in discussing a recent trade, remarked, “we sold high on McCain,” reducing the player’s value to a commodity in public.
• Hosts’ Reaction:
  • Logan: “That was such a whack thing to say… he should be ashamed of himself, bro.” (51:38)
  • Raja: “It was whack… and it speaks to the analytical era that we’re in and how we look at these players as numbers and… we’ve gotten the human element [out].” (52:25)
• Front Office Mentality vs. Player Reality:
  • Raja recalls experiences in Cleveland’s front office where “we’re just assigning Howard Beck as a player that Raja knows 1C… It was really sterile, if you will.” (54:57)

4. MAILBAG: INJURY “WHAT-IFs” & TEAMS OF THE DECADE (58:21–68:23)

NBA Injury Hall of Fame (59:46–63:20)

• Question: Name NBA players whose careers would have reached “all-time great” status but were derailed by injury.
• Hosts’ Picks:
  • Derrick Rose, Grant Hill, Brandon Roy, Penny Hardaway (consensus)
  • Others mentioned: Bill Walton, Tracy McGrady (debated), Michael Redd, Greg Oden, Yao Ming, Sean Livingston, Gilbert Arenas, Antonio McDyess
• Debate: Whether certain stars (e.g., T-Mac, Larry Bird) truly fit the “derailed” criteria.

Team of the Decade? (63:20–68:23)

• Question: Will the 2020s produce a clear “team of the decade”?
• Context: No repeat champions so far; lots of parity.
• Howard’s Analysis:
  • Points to 1970s parity as precedent.
  • Believes this parity is by the NBA’s design, citing rules (apron, cap) meant to prevent dynasties.
  • Thunder and Celtics closest to carving out dominance, but unpredictable events could stop any would-be dynasty.
  • “There’s a good chance we do exit the 2020s without a team of the decade, and it would be the first time since the 70s. But this is what the league wants. They engineered it this way.” (67:49)
• Raja: Agrees—the era of one-team dominance may be over by design.

5. NOTABLE QUOTES & MEMORABLE MOMENTS

• On Stewart’s "enforcer" mentality:
  “You told me I could have a team with an enforcer… or a team that didn’t have that. Give me the team with it.” – Raja Bell (15:17)
• On league tanking approval:
  “You don’t get to be the fan that accepts that and then… be incensed when your star sits on ticket night.” – Raja (50:06)
• On media rights cushioning criticism:
  “The league’s making more money than it’s ever made before… And I would just say on some level it insulates them. Not in a healthy way.” – Howard Beck (56:31)

6. PODCAST TONE & STYLE

• Tone: Candid, opinionated, irreverent, with sharp criticism for league hypocrisy and systems.
• Language: Often informal, conversational, peppered with humor, sarcasm, and occasional strong language.

7. TIMESTAMPS FOR MAIN SEGMENTS

• 02:41 — Pistons-Hornets brawl breakdown, security, team culture
• 09:38 — Hilarious and memorable brawl moments
• 12:24 — The role and necessity of NBA “enforcers”
• 18:45 — Predictions on suspensions and penalties
• 23:20 — Tanking in the NBA and its widespread impact
• 30:13 — The psychological and career impact of tanking
• 33:01 — Rants on the NBA’s loser mentality
• 35:47 — Justifications for tanking & the NBA’s incentive structure
• 38:15 — Can the NBA fix tanking? Penalty proposals
• 47:15 — The trickle-down effect of tanking on sports culture/youth
• 51:07 — Daryl Morey’s McCain comment, player commodification
• 58:21 — Mailbag: NBA’s “injury what-ifs”
• 63:20 — Mailbag: Is a “team of the decade” still possible?
• 68:23 — Show wrap-up and upcoming content notes

8. FINAL REMARKS

• Episodes will continue around All-Star Weekend, with live content from LA, including Logan and Howard judging the NBA G League Dunk Competition.
• The overall theme is a clear-eyed critique of how the NBA is evolving—sometimes for the better, sometimes not—and how that affects players, coaches, and fans alike.

Summary by The Ringer Podcast Summarizer Bot | February 2026