Podcast Summary: The Ringer NBA Show – "Resetting the Eastern Conference and Rethinking the 65-Game Award Rule"

Date: January 2, 2026
Hosts: Howard Beck and Raja Bell
Episode Theme:
A deep-dive reset on the Eastern Conference landscape as 2026 begins, plus a nuanced debate about the controversial 65-game eligibility rule for NBA awards in light of recent high-profile injuries.

Main Themes and Purpose

• Eastern Conference Midseason Reset: Analyzing the latest standings, tiers, surprises, and what’s next for East teams as the playoff race heats up.
• The 65-Game Rule for Awards: Examining how the new rule (requiring players to appear in at least 65 games to be eligible for major awards) impacts the MVP and All-NBA races, especially with injuries to stars like Nikola Jokic.
• Recent News Nuggets: Reacting to Anthony Edwards' early exit during Minnesota's loss and Denver’s injury crisis.
• Outlooks on Team Chemistry, Player Health, and the Contender Race: Honest, detailed conversations rooted in on-court experience and insider perspective.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Quick News Roundup and Culture Moments

• [00:26] New Year’s Resolutions on Presence and Parenting
  Both hosts exchange heartfelt personal goals on being present with family.
  • Howard Beck: “We should all be downloading those apps that just, like, negate everything on the phone...”
  • Raja Bell: “If I could find a way...I pride myself on being present, but I would like to be even more so.”

2. Timberwolves Turmoil: Anthony Edwards' Locker Room Exit

• [02:17] Minnesota’s Blowout Loss and Team Reactions ([03:48])
  Anthony Edwards leaves for the locker room mid-game after being benched.
  • Raja Bell: “That would always put up some red flags... Provided they’ve moved on the next day, we typically would move on the next day.”
  • Howard Beck: “Teams are going to give everybody a little bit of latitude...there's a little bit of grace that someone like him is going to be given, not just because he's a star, but because people understand...this is a time of year, around the holidays. Everybody's a little on edge.” ([05:19])

3. Nuggets Injury Crisis and "Next Man Up" Myth

• [06:08] Jokic, Aaron Gordon, Christian Brown All Out; Jamal Murray Must Step Up
  The “next man up” cliché is challenged.

  • Howard Beck: “That’s great, coach, but the next guy who has to step up ain’t Nikola Jokic.” ([07:00])
  • Raja Bell: “It does become next man up...but you’re not gonna get the same production that you got out of Allen Iverson or Steve Nash or Nikola Jokic...We weren't the same team [without Amare], but...we were able to kind of withstand.” ([08:01])

• [10:43] Jamal Murray’s Opportunity

  • Raja Bell: “He could take a huge step in the minds of a lot of people in terms of what his legacy is, if he's able to keep them viable...not just in Jokic’s absence, but in the rest of the team [being out].”
  • News: Jokic may be out closer to six weeks (unofficial). Game/award impact discussed.

4. The 65-Game Award Rule Debate

• [13:48] Should Injured Stars Be Disqualified from MVP/All-NBA?

  • Howard Beck: “As a voter, I want the latitude to decide, especially in the extreme case of if somebody comes in at exactly 64 games...and a guy who played 65 or 66 is clearly the inferior player...” ([15:54])

  • Raja Bell: “I’m torn on it...I know why it’s in place...but it sucks. It sucks for all of those guys...”

  • Quoted injuries to Jokic, Wembanyama, Giannis possibly impacting the race.

  • Suggestion: Consider allowing injured stars third-team All-NBA or some asterisk/exception.

    • Raja: “I'm good with tinkering...there should be something. I just don't know how you do it.” ([20:52])

  • Howard: “The idea was: incentivize both the player...and the team...to keep them out there. So the voting part...is almost just an unintentional consequence.” ([18:21])

Resetting the Eastern Conference Standings

5. Tier-by-Tier Breakdown ([21:32], deep dive at [26:01])

a. Irrelevance Division

• Indiana Pacers (6–28)
• Washington Wizards (8–24)
• Brooklyn Nets (10–21)
• Charlotte Hornets (11–22)
  → Tanking, expected struggle, or uncertain direction.

b. Treadmill of Mediocrity

• Milwaukee Bucks (14–20)
• Atlanta Hawks (16–19)
• Chicago Bulls (16–17)
  → Stuck, play-in hopefuls, or underperforming vs expectations.

c. David Byrne’s “How Did I Get Here?” Division

• Cleveland Cavaliers (19–16)
• Miami Heat / Orlando Magic (both 19–15)
• Philadelphia 76ers (18–14)
• Toronto Raptors (20–15)
• Boston Celtics (21–12)
  → Teams with unexpected placements—over or underachieving, with futures unclear.

d. No Caveat Contenders

• New York Knicks (23–10, 2nd)
• Detroit Pistons (25–9, 1st)
  → The true class of the East, facing off soon.

6. Surprises and Notables

• [26:01] Raja Bell: “Boston...I would have had them in maybe the second level...where I thought I'd see them. Maybe I should apologize to Jaylen Brown & Co.”
• Cleveland’s underwhelming rise, Philly’s better-than-expected resilience.

In-Depth Team Analyses & Notable Quotes

Boston Celtics Without Tatum

• [27:11] Roster Holes, Jaylen Brown as Leading Man
  • Howard Beck: “Jaylen Brown is showing everybody everything I think he always believed, but maybe nobody else did. Everybody thought of him as the...Pippen to Tatum’s Jordan...But Brown for the course of an entire...almost half season now has become the leading man.” ([29:38])
  • Raja Bell: “Is what the Celtics are doing sustainable? ...I'd like to think...with the roster you laid out there...they become more like the team we thought they were going to be...But that would be disrespectful...”
  • On possible Tatum return: Both agree the medical risk/benefit would be hard to assess, weighing short windows against player health ([34:26], [36:13]).

Cavaliers: Still a Threat?

• [41:16] Howard: “They have been the classic on paper team for the last several years...when the lights get too bright, they fade a bit.”
• [41:16] Raja: “I don't think it's run its course. I don't see any red flags...They’re still a threat in the Eastern Conference.”

Sixers: “Cautiously Optimistic”

• [47:09] Howard: “There's a disconnect between [Embiid’s] production and the appearance of him...He just doesn't really leave the floor...But all that said, Embiid’s last six games: 29 points a game, eight rebounds, four assists.”
• [48:58] Raja: “Cautiously optimistic. If I’m a Sixers fan...They could be very, very dangerous.”
• [49:55] Howard: “If you told me [Embiid’s] trending back toward...a top five player...we can then start having that conversation about whether they’re in that [top] tier.”

Knicks and Pistons: The Real Contenders

• [51:27] Howard: “Is this a two-team race to win the East?”

• [51:27] Raja: “Yeah, right now I think it is. Completely different in makeup...[but] both those teams are the class of the Eastern Conference.”

• Knicks Concerns:

  • Mitchell Robinson’s health is a wild card. “He's had a rough go.” ([55:07])
  • Howard: “I feel like they need another defensive-minded big as an insurance policy and also just for the non Mitchell Robinson minutes.”
  • Knicks praised for adding offensive depth, diversifying creation, and maintaining strong bench production.

• Pistons’ Growing Pains:

  • Key bigs injured (Jalen Duren, etc.), Ivy inconsistent, youth still a question in playoffs.
  • Howard: “If these teams meet in the playoffs, I think it’s another outstanding series...I think it’s a two team race [right now].”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Jokic’s MVP DQ:

  • Raja: “If he's able to do that...this would be a huge statement from him to the league about who he is as a player.” ([10:43])
  • Howard: “Jokic isn't going to miss the 65-game mark because of load management. That dude never misses games unless he's legit hurt.” ([15:54])
  • Raja: “There are people much smarter than me that would come up with some sort of asterisk ability...even if you had a sub all-NBA for injured guys.” ([20:52])

• On Boston’s Grit:

  • Raja: “You get a tough ass team every night. You get somebody that's going to scratch, claw, bite and that means something to me.” ([29:38])

• On Knicks’ Offensive Evolution:

  • Raja: “Not as easy as it sounds for Mike Brown to get the ball moving...and still allow Jalen Brunson to have it in his hands in a way that lets him be him. Kudos to them for figuring that out.” ([58:11])

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:17] – Timberwolves Anthony Edwards locker room exit: Team culture impact
• [06:08] – Nuggets injury woes and “next man up” myth
• [13:48] – Deep dive on the 65-game rule debate
• [21:32] – Full Eastern Conference reset begins
• [27:11] – Celtics’ Jaylen Brown emergence, post-Tatum injury
• [41:16] – Cavaliers state of play
• [47:09] – Sixers’ cautious optimism and Embiid’s return to form
• [51:27] – Pistons-Knicks as East’s true contenders; playoff outlook

Real One of the Week ([59:47] - [62:43])

• Raja Bell: Trinidad Chamblys, Ole Miss QB ("just a complete gamer like performance last night against Georgia.")
• Howard Beck: Kevin Durant for Magic Johnson Award and perfectly mic’d trash talk:
  • “That’s a trash ass, Ms. Wolf.”
    (KD gets hit in the face by a wild three-pointer; Beck credits both KD and the microphones.)

Summary Takeaways

• The Eastern Conference is a tangle of surprise overachievers (Celtics, Raptors), injury-fueled underperformers (Cavs), and two clear frontrunners (Pistons, Knicks) with the Celtics lurking if Tatum returns.
• The 65-game rule, meant to curb load management, now threatens to exclude deserving, injured superstars from awards, prompting heated debate about fairness and possible exceptions.
• From “next man up” fallacies to delicate playoff windows and health considerations, the episode blends insight, humor, and a healthy dose of skepticism about NBA team building and award politics.

For those who missed the episode:
This breakdown delivers a full state-of-the-East diagnosis, pokes holes in league clichés, and takes a nuanced stance on award eligibility—salting the insights with personal tales and classic NBA gallows humor. If you want to know not just who’s rising and falling, but why, and what should change going forward, this pod brings the goods.