The Ringer NBA Show — "Way Too Early 2026 NBA Player Awards"

Date: August 28, 2025
Hosts: Howard Beck & Michael Pina

Overview

In the depths of NBA offseason malaise, Howard Beck and Michael Pina inject some heat into the late August news drought by making their “way too early, way too spicy” picks for all the major 2026 NBA player awards. With EuroBasket failing to capture their attention, the duo lays out painstaking ground rules to ensure picks go beyond obvious favorites, aiming instead for unconventional, plausible “Scoville scale” candidacies—think jalapeño (spicy) to Carolina Reaper (insanely spicy). The result is a lively, occasionally absurd, but always insightful discussion full of roster speculation and sleeper predictions. Before diving into awards, the hosts riff on NBA owner drama, notably with Suns’ Matt Ishbia and the fallout from Mark Cuban’s Mavericks sale.

Notable Opening: NBA Owner Antics

[00:58-13:49]

Matt Ishbia (Suns)

• Beck and Pina roast Suns owner Matt Ishbia for his lack of self-awareness after firing off a defensive tweet about the latest low ESPN projections for the Suns.
• Quote (Beck, 01:51):
  “He saw that ESPN had ranked the Suns very low...and he decided to quote-tweet it with the following—‘I'm not worried about what the so-called experts think... We’re focused on making our fans proud by playing great as a team.’”
• Pina categorizes NBA owners: those disengaged vs. the “egomaniacal hands-on” types—naming Ishbia as his “least-wanted owner” from a fan’s perspective.
  • Quote (Pina, 02:57):
    “The lack of self-awareness with this quote... everyone thought you would be good, and you were terrible...you took Kevin Durant off your team and you extended Devin Booker for no reason.”
• Beck credits Ishbia for at least “course correcting” after the failed “super team” era but notes the owner still can’t help but make things weird publicly.

Mark Cuban & Mavericks Sale

• Discussion of Mark Cuban's regret over the process of selling the Mavericks and the NBA’s apparent discomfort with gradual ownership handoffs.
• Quote (Beck, 08:44):
  “Mark Cuban still owns a piece of [the Mavs] and still loves and lives and dies with everything they do...but it’s his fault for selling to the wrong folks.”
• Pina points out parallels between the Mavs’ poor approach to both the ownership sale and the Luka Doncic trade, lamenting how owners sometimes “cling to power that doesn’t exist” after a sale.

Methodology & Rules for Award Picks

[13:49-17:00]

Constraints

• No picking 2025 award winners/runners-up or current top-3 favorites from oddsmakers.
• Picks must be plausible, but not too obvious (“not Luka for MVP, duh”).
• “Spicy” = Jalapeño (5000 Scoville), “Insanely Spicy” = Carolina Reaper (2.3 million Scoville).

Format

• Each host picks a “jalapeño” (spicy) and Carolina Reaper (insanely spicy) candidate per award.
• Not “predictions”—more fun, creative speculation.

Skip “Clutch Player of the Year” — “It’s not real.”

(Pina, 14:59)

MVP Picks

[17:00-27:47]

“Jalapeño” Picks

• Michael Pina: Paolo Banchero (ORL) [17:00]
  • Sees a Cade Cunningham-esque leap; Magic defense + key roster additions elevate him.
  • “…I foresee his efficiency going way up…winning, good stats, efficiency. I think he’ll be a candidate.”
• Howard Beck: Cade Cunningham (DET) [19:19]
  • Pistons poised for possible top-4 East finish, Cade’s statistical versatility/contribution.
  • “He should put the Pistons in position to be top four, and Pistons should put him in position to get into the conversation.”

“Carolina Reaper” Picks

• Pina: Kevin Durant (HOU) [21:36]
  • At 37, still dominant; if Rockets are best in West, Durant becomes narrative/core reason.
  • “If you are the best player on the best team, you get consideration. That’s how it goes with voters.”
• Beck: Joel Embiid (PHI) [24:33]
  • Health caveat, but was MVP recently and put up crazy numbers the next year pre-injury.
  • “…when healthy, big fat asterisk, absolutely is an incredibly dominant player…”
• Runner-up “spicy” names considered: Anthony Edwards, Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson.

Coach of the Year

[27:47-39:34]

“Jalapeño” Picks

• Pina: Erik Spoelstra (MIA) [28:14]
  • Heat seen as a “down” team, but roster ready for creative Spoelstra magic; post-Butler reset.
  • “…all about expectations…they can exceed a lot... people will be looking to give Spolstra credit in the form of some hardware.”
• Beck: Rick Carlisle (IND) [29:46]
  • Pacers lose Halliburton and Turner, expectations bottomed out, but Siakam/Matherin/etc. enable Carlisle to “overachieve—again.”

“Carolina Reaper” Picks

• Pina: Charles Lee (CHA) [33:15]
  • Hornets are a “mess,” but some intriguing young guards/rookies and East is bad.
  • Picks on upside if lamelo/Miller/Sexton all click; “kind of want to put my flag in the sand here.”
• Beck: Nick Nurse (PHI) [35:57]
  • If the “dark horse” Sixers are top-4, Nurse gets credit for reviving chaos.
  • “If Embiid has stayed healthy...Nick Nurse comes storming right back into Coach of the Year conversations...”
• Honorable mention picks: Chauncey Billups, Mike Brown, Mitch Johnson (SAS).

Rookie of the Year

[39:34-51:43]

“Jalapeño” Picks

• Pina: Derik Queen (NOP) [43:14]
  • Has the ball, plenty of opportunity in tanking New Orleans, team needs him to succeed after an “embarrassing” draft trade.
• Beck: Ace Bailey (UTA) [45:43]
  • Jazz will pump minutes and shots into him as pure scorer on aimless roster.

“Carolina Reaper” Picks

• BOTH: Igor “Dioman” Jomán (BKN) [47:07, 49:08]
  • Beck: “Damn you, this is the first time we’ve overlapped!”
  • Both hosts are tentatively excited for the offbeat, creative playmaking he brings to a barren Nets roster; upside is the flash.
  • Quote (Pina, 47:07):
    “He was my favorite player in the draft in his class...he will have free reign to play how he played in college.”
• Others considered: Yong Hanson, VJ Edgecombe (PHI).

Sixth Man of the Year

[51:43-65:15]

“Jalapeño” Picks

• Pina: Lonzo Ball (CLE) [52:58]
  • Back healthy, impacts game beyond scoring; “Swiss army knife” off the bench, especially on defense.
• Beck: Jordan Clarkson (NYK) [55:15]
  • Fills much-needed bench scoring/playmaking role; “on a team with expectations and great talent around him... more efficient/effective this year.”

“Carolina Reaper” Picks

• Pina: Kristaps Porzingis (ATL) [58:43]
  • May start at center, but could be insanely impactful if he comes off bench, stays healthy, and Hawks are top-4.
• Beck: Reed Sheppard (HOU) [61:07]
  • Quiet rookie year, but Rockets need guard depth; could blossom as a microwave scorer/playmaker.
  • “…not a ton of reliable guards on this roster. It seems like the Rockets want to give him every opportunity to shine.”
• Honorable mentions: Caris LeVert, Jonathan Kuminga (wherever he lands), T.J. McConnell.

Most Improved Player

[65:15-79:43]

“Jalapeño” Picks

• Pina: Jabari Smith Jr. (HOU) [66:42]
  • Coming on strong, more efficient with KD as mentor/model; ready for leap.
  • “…he will benefit greatly from having Kevin Durant…on a winning team, assuming he starts, gets big minutes…”
• Beck: Scoot Henderson (POR) [68:35]
  • Narrative bounce-back after tough rookie year, now with vet mentors Jrue Holiday and Chauncey Billups.

“Carolina Reaper” Picks

• Pina: J. Huff (IND) [73:53]
  • Ascends from fringe to starting center, gets opportunity vacated by Turner; could rack up quirky three-&-D numbers for plucky Pacers.
• Beck: Ryan Rollins (MIL) [77:36]
  • Bucks lack a clear guard behind Dame; Rollins could step in, generate unexpected box-score impact.

Defensive Player of the Year

[79:43-88:19]

“Jalapeño” Picks

• Pina: Scottie Barnes (TOR) [80:38]
  • Insanely versatile, Raps could make defensive leap; advanced stats love him.
  • “…incredibly versatile, can guard all five positions…a lot of defensive responsibility this year…”
• Beck: Amen Thompson (HOU) [83:22]
  • Still young but already elite; engine of Rockets’ top-5 defense.
  • “…only a handful of guys…just watch this guy play defense. He cares to an insane degree...”

“Carolina Reaper” Picks

• BOTH: Ausar Thompson (DET) [86:11, 88:19]
  • More advanced than Amen on defense, especially as a perimeter stopper; if Pistons are competitive, voters will take notice.
  • Quote (Pina, 87:13):
    “There’s a world where he’s recognized as the best perimeter defender in the league as early as next season…”
  • Beck emphasizes scouts insist Ausar is “better than his brother” on that end.
  • Quote (Beck, 88:19):
    “He was just a fucking killer and absolutely impressive down the stretch.”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Matt Ishbia’s Ownership:

  • “I could go on and on and on and on [about Suns’ weirdness]... I’m glad that it feels like they’re semi on the right path, sort of.”
    —Pina, 03:27

• On Award Picking Rules:

  • “Notes to the aggregators, by the way. These are not actual, like, prediction-predictions. Chill out and leave us alone.”
    —Beck, 15:01

• On Spicy Scale:

  • “Our spicy pick is the jalapeño...The insanely spicy pick: the Carolina Reaper. Because I love saying Carolina Reaper.”
    —Beck, 15:43

• Entertaining banter on deep sleeper picks:

  • Pina: “This is definitely not going to happen for a variety of reasons, but I’m going with Kristaps Porzingis for Sixth Man...”
    —58:43

• On the length of the podcast:

  • “Here it is, 90 minutes of content on August 28th with absolutely nothing happening in the world. You’re welcome, people.”
    —Beck, 89:50

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:58 — Suns’ Matt Ishbia owner talk
• 08:44 — Mark Cuban’s Mavericks sale
• 13:49 — Awards methodology and rules
• 17:00 — MVP picks (“jalapeño,” then “Carolina Reaper”)
• 27:47 — Coach of the Year picks
• 39:34 — Rookie of the Year picks
• 51:43 — Sixth Man of the Year picks
• 65:15 — Most Improved Player picks
• 79:43 — Defensive Player of the Year picks
• 88:19 — Final thoughts, Ausar Thompson DPOY case

Tone & Style

The episode is rich in dry humor, friendly roasting, occasional sports-nerd stats, and honest skepticism. Both hosts lean into the speculative and playful nature of the exercise, with no pretensions to serious prediction. They gamely dissect why each candidate could—just maybe—land some hardware, emphasizing unlikely, under-the-radar, or narrative-driven arcs. The episode’s spirit celebrates deep cuts, NBA weirdness, and the futile art of August “pre-prepicking,” all while staying light, sharp, and accessible for fans.

Summary

This episode delivers a buffet of creative, fan-friendly NBA speculation, with Beck and Pina going deep on plausible (and sometimes implausible) future award scenarios… just when NBA content was running dry. The blend of in-jokes, stats, and speculative analysis—plus plenty of memorable quotes—makes it an invaluable catch-up for those seeking early storylines and sleeper hype headed into 2026.