Season 2, Episode 12- 180 Degrees

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

Highlight: San Antonio Spurs
Lowlight: Golden State Warriors
Random Stat: Karl-Anthony Towns averaging most rebounds for 25-points-per-game scorer since Moses Malone
Game of the Week: Oklahoma City Thunder @ Cleveland Cavaliers

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

Intro/outro written by Larry Diehlman

Release date: Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2025

Chapters

• 0:16 Introduction
• 1:01 Overview of the NBA this Week
• 4:17 Highlight
• 6:04 Lowlight
• 8:16 Random Stat
• 10:01 Game of the Week
• 11:58 Conclusion

Transcript

Introduction: Hello everybody, and welcome to episode #47 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: There’s trouble in paradise for the Miami Heat. Jimmy Butler has officially requested a trade. The Butler drama in Miami has been an ongoing saga. We discussed a few weeks ago how NBA insider Shams Charania said Butler was open to a deal, but his agent denied it. On Christmas Day, Charania reported the 35-year-old preferred a trade before the trade deadline. Heat president Pat Riley countered the next day by saying the team was not seeking a trade. This week, the trade request came through. Then, on Friday, the Heat suspended Butler for seven games for “conduct detrimental to the team.” The National Basketball Players Association, or NBPA, called the suspension “excessive and inappropriate.” They added that they’re filing a grievance to challenge it. What a ride for the Heat. Butler has been the heart and soul of the team since his arrival in 2019. Wherever he goes, he’ll make an impact.

Speaking of which, the NBA announced punishments for the brawl at the end of the Rockets-Heat game last Sunday, Dec. 29. Near the end of the game, as the ball was being inbounded, Miami’s Tyler Herro and Houston’s Amen Thompson wrestled each other to the ground. Players and coaches raced over to prevent the scuffle from going any further. Both teams faced ejections. For Houston, Thompson, Jalen Green, head coach Ime Udoka, and assistant coach Ben Sullivan were tossed. For Miami, Herro and Terry Rozier were ejected. What’s funny is that Rockets guard Fred VanVleet was tossed a few moments earlier for accidentally bumping into the referee. The referee took it as intentional. Yeah. Regarding Miami’s punishments, Rozier was suspended for one game. Herro was fined $25,000. For Houston, Thompson was suspended for two games, Green was fined $35,000, and Udoka was fined $50,000. Emotions get the best of players from time to time. We’re all human. Thankfully, we don’t see any incidents like the infamous “Malice at the Palace” between the Pacers and Pistons anymore. Go watch it on YouTube if you need a visual.

Finally, the Chicago Bulls will retire Derrick Rose’s jersey next season. Rose played eight seasons in Chicago before bouncing around the league. With the Bulls, he became the youngest MVP in history at 22 years old. However, an ACL tear in the 2012 playoffs derailed his career. While he was still a capable scorer later on, his pre-ACL explosiveness was never the same. Rose retired in September after being waived by the Memphis Grizzlies.

This episode is entitled "180 Degrees."

So, who’s raising eyebrows at the moment?

Highlight: Picture this: a young team making a sneaky run in climbing the standings, especially with a superstar on the roster. I’m talking about the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs are 18-18 and 10th in the Western Conference. After a stretch of 22 straight postseason appearances, San Antonio has missed the playoffs for the last five years. But, they might be aiming for a comeback. Victor Wembanyama is the guy in San Antonio. He’s averaging 25.6 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists, one steal, and four blocks per game. Against the Nuggets in back-to-back contests on Friday and Saturday, Wemby averaged 27.5 points, 20.5 rebounds, and three blocks! There’s a reason this man has “Alien” as a nickname. Even though Chris Paul is nearing 40 years old, he’s still a reliable point guard. Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson have been constants for San Antonio in recent years. Stephon Castle has been quietly making a Rookie of the Year campaign. And don’t forget the Spurs are under the direction of interim head coach Mitch Johnson. Gregg Popovich is still recovering from a stroke he suffered in November. If they can hover around the seventh or eighth seed in the play-in tournament, that would be a good first step in the Spurs’ development. Their next game is tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 9:30 p.m. They will be in Milwaukee to play the Bucks.

Lowlight: Stop me if you’ve heard this one. A team that probably wasn’t going to make a deep playoff run starts the season strong before falling back to reality. Hello, Golden State Warriors. The Warriors are 18-17 and tied for eighth in the West with Minnesota. They’ve had an interesting season, given they opened 2024 with a 12-3 record. Sharpshooter Buddy Hield looked like the second coming of Klay Thompson for five minutes. The clock struck midnight. They acquired Dennis Schröder from Brooklyn a few weeks ago. His numbers with his new team…yikes. Golden State is led by longtime guard Stephen Curry. Curry, who will be 37 in March, averages 22.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. Veterans like Draymond Green and Andrew Wiggins are still there. Green can be a “glue guy” for handling the ball as a forward and his defense. Wiggins can give you about 17 points per game. Golden State is leaning into the youth movement with players like Trayce Jackson-Davis, Jonathan Kuminga, and Brandin Podziemski. Nonetheless, even Curry stated that his team is “very mid.” He and Green aren’t in their 20s anymore. We’ll see if Golden State can pick things up or if they’ll make calls at the trade deadline. Their next game is tonight, Tuesday, Jan. 7 at 10 p.m. They will host the Miami Heat.

Random Stat: Sometimes, a change of scenery is all it takes for an athlete to put up a career-high. And if your name is next to a Hall-of-Famer, that’s a plus. New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns is averaging the most rebounds per game by a 25-points-per-game scorer since Moses Malone. Malone’s last time averaging 25+ points and having the most rebounds per game was in 1981-82. He averaged a career-high 31.1 points and a league-leading 14.7 rebounds. This was the year before he was traded from Houston to Philadelphia, earning him a championship with the 76ers. Towns is scoring 25.3 points and grabbing 14 rebounds per night, the latter of which is first in the NBA ahead of Sacramento’s Domantas Sabonis. Towns is putting up a career-best 11 defensive boards per game (the only time in his career with double digits in that category) and three offensive rebounds, which is third-best. Towns’ rebounding numbers were below double digits in his final seasons with the Timberwolves. This was most likely due to Rudy Gobert’s presence. There’s only so many rebounds to go around! However, outside of rebounding, Towns has made a great impact in a Knicks’ uniform. New York is near the top of the Eastern Conference. As for Minnesota in the West... uh, not really. It’s good to see Towns moving the needle for the Knicks’ title hopes.

Game of the Week: For this week’s “Game of the Week,” let’s try Oklahoma City Thunder @ Cleveland Cavaliers. This game is tomorrow, Wednesday, Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. Holy cow, this game could be a barnburner. In the first of two contests between Oklahoma City and Cleveland this season (with the other being next week), they enter as the top seed in their respective conferences. Oklahoma City is on a 15-game winning streak. Cleveland has won 10 straight. Somebody’s streak is snapping tomorrow. The schedulemakers gave the Thunder a particularly brutal stretch of games. Over the weekend, they beat the Knicks and the Celtics. Then, this game against Cleveland. Then, the Knicks again. Ouch. Despite Chet Holmgren still sidelined with injury, the young cores of these teams will still be on display. For Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland have detonated on opponents all season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams are the lightning to Oklahoma City’s Thunder (get it?). If we’re going purely on favorites as of now, is this a possible Finals preview? You never know. I’m taking the Cavaliers 121-118. 

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!” See you next time, fellow hoops fans!