Season 2, Episode 11- Auld Lang Syne

In this week's New Year's themed episode of "Diehlman at Halftime," I discuss:

Highlight: Detroit Pistons
Lowlight: Utah Jazz
Random Stat: De'Andre Hunter having a career year off the bench
Game of the Week: Memphis Grizzlies @ Phoenix Suns

"Auld Lang Beat" by Oliver Massa credit:
Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!):
https://uppbeat.io/t/oliver-massa/auld-lang-beat
License code: JTWST9LYQLCFZWKC

"Aurora" interlude music written by Jeff Kaale
https://uppbeat.io/t/jeff-kaale/aurora
License code: HJ6W88QKKUB00FNS

Intro written by Larry Diehlman

Release date: Monday, Dec. 30, 2024

Chapters

• 0:15 Introduction
• 1:01 Overview of the NBA this Week
• 3:39 Highlight
• 5:27 Lowlight
• 7:21 Random Stat
• 8:54 Game of the Week
• 10:13 Conclusion

Transcript

Introduction: Hello everybody, and welcome to episode #46 of “Diehlman at Halftime,” the NBA podcast that tops all others! I’m your host, Larry Diehlman. If you’re joining us for the first time, welcome abroad. And if you’ve been a loyal listener, welcome back! We have much to get to today and not a lot of time to do it. We have five sections that we’ll get into: a general overview of the NBA this week, and our usual “Highlight, Lowlight, Random Stat, and Game of the Week.”

Overview of the NBA this Week: This comes as a surprise. On Friday, the Sacramento Kings fired head coach Mike Brown after two-and-a-half seasons. At the time of his release, the Kings were 13-18, 12th in the West, and on a five-game losing streak. Brown’s record in Sacramento was 107-88 with a 3-4 playoff record. The Kings missed the playoffs for 16 years before Brown’s arrival in 2022, and he took them to the postseason in his first season. They lost to Golden State in an exciting first-round matchup. Brown was even named Coach of the Year in 2022-23! Assistant head coach Doug Christie will serve as the interim.

There was also another surprise this week. On Sunday, the L.A. Lakers and Brooklyn Nets struck up a deal. The Lakers are sending D’Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis, and three second-round picks to the Nets for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton. The main pieces here are Russell, also known as “DLo,” and Finney-Smith. Russell is a decent guard, but when he’s in a slump, he’s ice cold. Finney-Smith is a wing defender that L.A. could definitely use. Russell’s career has been a rollercoaster. He was drafted by the Lakers, traded to the Nets, traded to the Warriors, traded to the Timberwolves, traded back to the Lakers, and now traded back to the Nets. If the pattern continues, I guess we’ll see him in Golden State soon.

One of the NBA’s Texas teams will have to switch their plans temporarily. Dallas Mavericks superstar guard Luka Dončić will be sidelined with a calf strain for a month. And this after he just got back from dealing with a heel contusion. During the Mavericks’ Christmas Day loss to Minnesota, Dončić suffered a non-contact injury and limped off the court. Dallas is 7-3 without Dončić this season. The Mavericks sit in fourth in a tough Western Conference. He’s a big part of their offense, so we hope to see him back in action soon.

This episode is entitled "Auld Lang Syne."

So, who’s raising eyebrows at the moment?

Highlight: Could we finally be seeing the Detroit Pistons turn over a new leaf? It seems likely. The Pistons are 14-18 and 10th in the Eastern Conference. In recent memory, Detroit has been the joke of the NBA. Their 28-game losing streak last year tied the league record for the most consecutively, and it was the league record for most in a single season! Head coach Monty Williams was fired after one season, despite receiving a six-year contract. Thankfully, things are different now under new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Cade Cunningham is the Pistons’ engine. He gives them 24 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 9.7 assists per game. Each of those numbers, as well as his 0.9 blocks and 36.2% from three-point range are career-highs. In the offseason, the Pistons got Tobias Harris in free agency and Tim Hardaway Jr. via trade. Jaden Ivey, Cunningham’s partner in the backcourt, makes for a solid combo. Detroit even got Ron Holland fifth overall in the draft. Holland skipped college last year and played for the now-defunct G-League Ignite. If Detroit keeps it up, they could skip over the play-in tournament in April. Let’s just say these aren’t the “same old Pistons” anymore. Their next game is on Wednesday, Jan. 1 at 7 p.m. They will host the Orlando Magic.

Lowlight: Remember when the Utah Jazz were a steady playoff contender? Not elite, not terrible, but steady? Utah is still steady…at underachieving. The Jazz are 7-23, 14th in the West, and on a three-game losing streak. With many of the teams in the West reloading, there’s hardly been any room for Utah to thrive. Nonetheless, Lauri Markkanen is the star in Salt Lake City. He averages 19.7 points and 6.5 rebounds per night. The Jazz have solid guards in Keyonte George, Collin Sexton, and former Sixth Man of the Year Jordan Clarkson. Center Walker Kessler is second in the NBA behind San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama in blocks per game (2.8). Taylor Hendricks, one of Utah’s rising stars, unfortunately suffered a season-ending injury after three games. He had a fractured fibula and a dislocated ankle. But, it’s been a long and slow process for the Jazz overall. Ever since former head coach, and current Atlanta Hawks head coach, Quin Snyder resigned, the Jazz have been under the direction of Will Hardy. Despite winning 37 games in Hardy’s first season in 2022-23, Utah’s winning percentage has declined. Even with their respectable amount of cap space, it’s probably difficult to persuade players to live in Utah. Their best bet for the future is to make the play-in tournament. Utah’s next game is tonight, Monday, Dec. 30 at 9 p.m. They will host the Denver Nuggets.

Random Stat: Some players are meant to be in the starting five. Some are meant to be reserves. Atlanta Hawks forward De’Andre Hunter may have found his role with the bench unit. He’s averaging career-highs of 20.6 points, 50% shooting, and 45.2% from downtown. Additionally, it’s Hunter’s first 20-points-per-game season and the first one where he’s hitting over 40% of his triples. He leads all bench scorers in the NBA. In four of his last six games, Hunter has dropped 25 or more points! Oh, and Hunter’s doing all of this in a career-low 28 minutes per night. Although the Philadelphia native has usually been a starter throughout his career, he’s come off the bench in all but two games this season. The 27-year-old was the fourth pick in the 2019 draft by the Lakers, but he was rerouted to the Pelicans and then the Hawks weeks later. The work of Hunter and his teammates hasn’t gone unnoticed. Atlanta is fifth in the East, and they’ve won four straight. In recent years, the Hawks have had good depth at the forward position, and Hunter is no different. It’s good to see Hunter carve out a new role for himself on the only team he’s ever known.

Game of the Week: For this week’s “Game of the Week,” let’s go with Memphis Grizzlies @ Phoenix Suns. This game is on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at 9 p.m. Ignore the Suns’ sub-.500 record for a second. This should be a good game between hoopers. It’ll be a battle between Ja Morant and Jaren Jackson Jr. vs. Phoenix’s big three of Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and Bradley Beal. This will be the first of four meetings between the two squads. After Tuesday’s matchup, the next two meetings will be in February. The last will be in March. Memphis is doing well in their last 10 contests, posting a 7-3 record. Phoenix is 3-7 in their previous 10. If you want to look at the records based on venue, the Grizzlies are 8-7 on the road. The Suns are 10-7 at their home, Footprint Center. So, it’s not that much of an advantage for either side. Memphis’ Taylor Jenkins will go against Phoenix’s Mike Budenholzer in the coaching battle. Give me the Grizzlies 119-112. 

Conclusion: Well, that’s all the time we have for today. If you haven’t already, make sure to follow me on social media. I have two X (or Twitter) accounts and two Instagram accounts. The podcast accounts are under @Diehlman_NBA for both X and Instagram. My personal X account is @LarryDiehlman18, and my personal Instagram is @mr_sports18. They’re also in the description on Buzzsprout, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. And don’t forget to spread the word about “Diehlman at Halftime!” I’d like to wish all my listeners a Happy New Year! See you next time, fellow hoops fans, and see you in 2025!