Fixing the NBA

2.14.26 Raj Sharan dives deep into NBA All-Star Weekend 2026, and social media is doing what it does best: complaining. But All-Star Weekend is NOT the NBA's biggest problem. Not even close. Everyone has a list of grievances: tanking, load management, too many 3s, flopping, officiating. You saw the negative momentum building all week—Raj had a field day with it, and even KD’s comments about the game itself felt defeatist. The Root Cause is STAKES. Think about the NFL or College Football. Why do we care about a random Week 4 game or a high-stakes rivalry? Because every game feels like life or death. Even the NFL preseason is massive because it leads to something that matters. In the NBA, the regular season is an 82-game marathon where 20 teams essentially make the post-season. The stakes couldn't be lower. Why would players give 100% effort in February when the rewards for doing so are minimal? The NBA Cup? We make fun of it because it still doesn't matter in the grand scheme. If we want better basketball, we have to make the games mean something. Switching gears to the gridiron. We are one year out from Super Bowl 61 in LA, and the Jacksonville Jaguars just made a chess move. The Jags plan to play Travis Hunter as a full-time CB and part-time WR. Year two with Liam Coen and Trevor Lawrence? Jacksonville is in the driver’s seat in the AFC South. Plus, Kyler Murray could be on the move this off-season and why he could be the next Sam Darnold IF he ends up in the right situation. And in Dallas? Ian Rapoport says the Cowboys will franchise tag George Pickens and might move him for a 2nd round pick. Is he worth it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices