Barker and Basketball

We'll call them the ageless stars because right now Steph Curry, Kevin Durant and a few others couldn't care less if they are 35+. #nba #basketball

Where did Ryan Rollins come from? I look up and he's averaging 16.7 PPG, shooting the hell out of it and is looking almost like Milwaukee's second best player. Now that's a bit much but as a clear Most Improved Player leader or at least top 2, who knows what he can become.

Hats off to Zach LaVine, not only for the journey that he's been on in the NBA but for, at the time of recording, averaging 29.5 PPG on 50/40/90 splits.#nba

Wemby has come out this season and looked stupidly good. His Spurs are 4-0 and his averages are 31 PPG, 13.75 RPG, 4.75 BPG - that's all you need to know. And the fact that he's making the most ridiculous plays happen at 7'4, that too.

The season is here so it's only right to force myself to predict the award winners before the season begins. Yes some may be obvious but there are some wildcards in here as well.

The offseason always has plenty of moves but these are the players who when I look at them and their new team I think, you know what, that's great for both sides.

Nobody expected the Pacers to make the Finals just like nobody is expecting these teams too either. It's a long shot, but I wanted to have fun the conversation and see which underdog Eastern Conference teams I thought could make a strong Playoff push.

Ja Morant's comeback, Luka the MVP, when will the old heads start to decline? The season is here and I have 8 storylines I find the most interesting at this very point in time.

After winning her 4th MVP in 8 seasons I need to know if A'ja Wilson is the GOAT because from my knowledge and from reading her achievements all before the age of 30... I don't know how you beat that.

The Golden State Valkyries, the best WNBA expansion team ever. You can't argue the facts. First expansion team to make the Playoffs in year one and ALSO, they broke a league wide attendance record... awesome stuff.

What's next for Devin Booker? He's been the alpha, the man on his team, he's tried the stacking with stars, now he's back as the number 1 guy in Phoenix and I want to see him thrive.

I'm hearing people talking up Nikola Topic, the man who hasn't played a single NBA game, as a potential Sixth Man Of The Year candidate and that caught me completely off guard, so I had to research him more.

Los Angeles is always a 'happening' place. Especially with LeBron, Luka, Harden, Kawhi and now Bradley Beal. I'm fascinated what this season looks like for both the Lakers and Clippers.

Paige Bueckers. She just moves differently out there. Her art form. Her mid range. Her personality off the court - does everyone, even opposition members like her? It sure feels that way.

Yes I know Kobe Bufkin but do I REALLY know Kobe Bufkin? No, so as part of a different kind of episode I dived into who Kobe is and his situation in the league right now.Injuries, 3PT shooting, an aggressive Summer League - they are some talking points.Let me know if you enjoyed this kind of Case Study episode.

Damian Lillard is wired differently then most superstars. Loyalty, even to a fault, and I respect it so much. He's back with the Trail Blazers and Chris Paul is back as a Clipper as well. I talk about the two separate homecomings and why I am a fan of both.

I'm here in Las Vegas witnessing the beauty of the Summer League with all that it is so I wanted to talk about my favourite moments, plays, players... all of it, so far as we are 4 days into the 11 day tournament.

Everyone expected Paige to be a stud from the word go but an All-Star in year one? That's impressive. Also I can't help myself, I'm diving into the Angel Reese conversation and giving her some love plus, my favourite underrated rookie... Sonia Citron.

As a Utah fan I am stoked. Ace Bailey could be anything, Walter Clayton Jr. seems like a stud already. Job well done Jazz.

There's only one technical winner and that is the Thunder but what Indiana did deserves a mountain of respect. Nobody thought they'd do this and to see how it ended with Haliburton's injury was tough to watch.

We’re in the middle of the Finals now. Teams are starting to not like each other, we’re tied at 2-2, call it a tie game and we’re heading to the fourth. These are the 3 things that stand out to me about games 1 through 4.

Forget the Tyrese Haliburton conversation, let's celebrate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's greatness on a night in, night out basis.

What will it mean if Indiana continue defying all the odds and walk away with the trophy? Haliburton's legacy, Turner's loyalty. Plus, what will it mean if OKC win? Let's talk shop.

The Thunder’s defense just completely destroyed Minnesota in game 5. They’re young but they are proving it simply does not matter right now. That plus the conversation about Anthony Edwards and what level he is at with the “next face of the league?” question.

Every series in the Playoffs is different and my mind is questioning whether New York need to rely more on KAT and less on Brunson in order for them to make this an actual series for Indiana. Maybe Brunson doesn’t need to be superman anymore.

"Basketball is fun" were the words Tyrese Haliburton said after his team came back from 20 points down in just 2 minutes 35 seconds and then finishes it (sort of) with the famous Reggie Miller choke celebration at MSG.

I reacted in real time (think audio notes while I'm watching the game) to what OKC and the Wolves served up in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. It quickly became highly Cason Wallace themed followed by marvelling at SGA's relentless pressure offensively.

Forget talent for a second, what about health? At a glance, the healthiest teams remain and it's a survival of the fittest.Curry goes down, Cavs were hobbled and now Tatum does his achilles? Injuries remain one of the worst parts of sport but they are reason as to why you have to be lucky, and healthy, to win the championship.

The Utah Jazz had equal-best odds to land the number 1 pick in the Draft Lottery and instead landed the fifth overall, so what do the Jazz do with that pick? I discuss potential names and what I like about each.

This was a superb brand of NBA basketball. Denver and OKC had a bit of everything in Game 3 and yes it was close the whole way which helped but I have many reasons why it was so enjoyable.

It comes down to defense a lot of the time for role players and Mikal Bridges was awesome in the clutch today for the Knicks in game 1 vs Boston. Elite level steals to win the game and just another reminder that guys like him, Alex Caruso and Jalen Williams are so key for Playoff teams to win games.

OG Anunoby's series vs Detroit has got me thinking about how good he really is. Could he be the best two way wing in the Playoffs? My heart says Butler, Kawhi and Jaylen Brown but he's up there.

Jalen Green is learning what life as a offensive star in the Playoffs is really like with his struggles, plus the Bucks collapse resulting in Tyrese Haliburton's Dad crossing the line with Giannis.

It's easy to view coming second as a "failure" but Dyson Daniels should be more than happy with doing so in Defensive Player of the Year voting. Yes he fell short of a goal (I'm sure) but doing what he did as a 22 year old in his first season for Atlanta was terrific.

Exaggerating contact, where do you stand? It's a big part of the game and watching Jalen Brunson today had me (and many others) frustrated with it.

The NBA Playoffs began today and my headliner was Cade Cunningham and the Pistons heading to MSG. It was a mixed bag for Cunningham but the Playoffs stage is a perfect test for the up and coming star. Him, Russell Westbrook being Russell Westbrook and Kyle Kuzma's baffling line as a starter for Milwaukee has my attention.

The Play-In Tournament began with Jimmy Butler and Steph putting on a post-season show vs Memphis as the energy is high around the Warriors once again. Shoutout to Quinten Post and Wendell Carter Jr too who's names I did not expect to be talking about today.

The Playoffs are a wonderful time of the year to really get an appreciation of what players bring to their team. Here's my list of favourite's I'd want on my team at this time of year and they include some younger guys like Evan Mobley and then some older, hit and miss guys in Dillon Brooks.

From 6 points a game in his rookie season to the face of the Portland Trail Blazers this season, Deni Avdija's rise has been one of my favourite things to watch.Plus I think the time has come. The MVP may finally get to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander but I am still absolutely torn as Jokic is averaging a 30 point triple double.

March Madness took over my day and this podcast. Firstly Walter Clayton Jr from Florida introduced himself to me and I was instantly a fan. Secondly Cooper Flagg and the rest of the Duke team had me up and about for their Final Four clash with Houston and it resulted in a drama-filled loss.

It's March Madness (In April, obviously) and there's a Dukee other than Cooper Flagg who has my attention. Kon Knueppel or should I say baby Devin Booker? I also want to work out who is REALLY leading the NBA Rookie Of The Year Race.

You don't truly miss something until it's gone right? I missed chatting basketball and the storylines surrounding it so after some months on the sidelines I am back behind the microphone.Here's a reset on this pod, with a better, unedited (that's right) version coming at you.I'm here to simply enjoy the game and enjoy talking about it.

I love it when a Freshmen starts strutting his stuff on the college basketball scene and there's two right now in Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey that I can't get enough of. Their stars are rising, their profiles are rising, but they both seem like really level-headed kids with a big future. Check out Taylor Rooks' interview with them both as well.

Kevin O’Connor’s latest podcast sparked this question in my mind… can you win the MVP while being a one-sided player only? More specifically, is Luka Doncic good enough offensively to make up for his lack of defence? And can he win MVP like this? It’s a great discussion.

Bilal Coulibaly looks like a stud in year two and he’s got some helpers with him. Alex Sarr, Kyshawn George, Bub Carrington - these are the new ‘Wiz Kids’ and that excites me, as it should you.

Just sit back and admire what Chet Holmgren and Paolo Banchero are doing right now. Chet's a walking 20 and 10 with OKC starting off 3-0 and Paolo just had a near 50 point triple double which included 37 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists at the half. In the words of the Orlando commentator, what in the world is going on.

We are just 2 games into LaMelo Ball’s season but he’s acting different. His flow, talent, confidence - it’s an absolute joy to watch already and I hope it continues. Aggressive Anthony Davis tickles my fancy as does Cade Cunningham’s opening games and Ja Morant looks like Ja Morant once again.

Opening night is here and that is headlined by the biggest, most marketable star there is right now in Anthony Edwards. Before we go full regular-season mode I wanted to talk about Dalton Knecht, Ace Bailey and some puzzling comments Andre Drummond made that I actually respect.

The NBA regular season is almost here so I want to know: Can Ja Morant be better than before? How many years of great LeBron do we have left? Who will be considered the new face of the league once it’s done? 

After watching one game of Houston Rockets preseason basketball I am very into their roster. Amen Thompson hello, Cam Whitmore hello, the progression of Jalen Green and Sengun, Reed Sheppard - there's a lot to like here so, how far can they actually go? Who knows but their lineup is fun.