156: Harden in good spot with Sixers, Knicks embarrass themselves again, Villanova is team to beat in Big East, Beijing Olympics fiasco, and more!

In today's podcast: John discusses two of the biggest trades of the past NBA trade deadline, such as the Brooklyn Nets sending James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for a package that included Ben Simmons & Seth Curry,  and a six-player blockbuster trade between the Sacramento Kings and Indiana Pacers that sent Domantas Sabonis to Sacramento and Tyrese Haliburton to Indiana. Also, in perhaps the most exciting night of the NBA regular season to date, the Nets overcame a 28-point deficit to defeat the periled Knicks at Madison Square Garden without stars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant, LeBron James took over for the Lakers in a fourth quarter comeback victory against the Jazz, and Monte Morris drained a 3-point buzzer beater for the Denver Nuggets to sink the Golden State Warriors on the road. John explains why the Knicks should NOT fire head coach Tom Thibodeau and why Nikola Jokic is in the MVP discussion. Then, he discusses the balance of power in the Big East, Big 12, and ACC conferences in basketball as tournament season heats up, and why Villanova is the team to the beat in the Big East, and why there are three teams in the Big 12 that should seriously consider national championship aspirations. Plus, John talks about the report that Duke's athletic department wanted to hire Harvard head coach Tommy Amaker to succeed Mike Krzyzewski at Duke and why it says something about Jon Scheyer as he prepares to coach Duke next season. Finally, he discusses why the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing have proven to be a disaster, especially both the living conditions for the athletes and the International Olympic Committee's handling of Russian figure skater Kamila Velieva's failed drug test and how it relates to Russia's state-sponsored drug program.