Season 2, Episode 22- Striking Gold

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

Highlight: Boston Celtics
Lowlight: Utah Jazz
Random Stat: Jimmy Butler is 14-1 in Warriors lineup so far
Game of the Week: Washington Wizards @ Portland Trail Blazers

Also, listen to the perspective of our featured guest, Aaron Hook! (Follow him on X and Instagram at @aaronhook_).

"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: Monday, March 17, 2025

Chapters

• 0:15 Introduction
• 1:01 Overview of the NBA this Week
• 4:09 Highlight
• 6:00 Aaron Hook Interview
• 26:11 Lowlight
• 27:41 Random Stat
• 29:11 Game of the Week
• 30:33 Conclusion

Transcript

**NOTE: Full episode transcript is below except the interview**

Introduction: Hello everybody, and welcome to episode #57 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: As we’ve discussed previously, the Dallas Mavericks are having a nightmare season…and it may be getting worse. According to NBA insider Bobby Marks, the Mavericks could likely become the first team in NBA history to have to forfeit upcoming games due to lack of players and salary cap issues! They might fall below the eight-player minimum. Dallas has three two-way G League players on their roster, meaning they can go back-and-forth between the Mavericks and their G-League affiliate, the Texas Legends. Two-way players can only play a maximum of 50 NBA games per season. Two of those three players have under 10 games of eligibility left. The Mavericks also don’t have any cap space flexibility to sign emergency players. They’re under the first apron hard cap by $51,000. In layman’s terms: they’re screwed (although, I might be able to squeeze them into my schedule). They can’t sign players until April 10, which is when the season is basically over. To add more salt in the wound, Dallas is 1.5 games over Phoenix for the last play-in tournament seed. The Mavericks’ best option would be to lose out and miss the playoffs. Just stop the bleeding.

The San Antonio Spurs took another hit this week in the injury department. Star guard De’Aaron Fox, who they acquired from Sacramento at the trade deadline, had season-ending surgery to repair tendon damage in his left pinkie. He’s played through the injury since October, when he suffered the injury in Kings’ training camp. We’ve already discussed the Spurs being without Victor Wembanyama, who has deep vein thrombosis, and head coach Gregg Popovich, who had a mild stroke in November. San Antonio is currently tied for 12th in the Western Conference and 3.5 games out of the final play-in tournament seed.

Finally, it seems like Steph Curry will be busy on and off-the-court. It was announced last Monday that the Golden State Warriors star will be working as an assistant general manager for the basketball teams at his alma mater, Davidson College (located in North Carolina). Curry is the first active player in U.S. major professional sports to take an administrative position with an NCAA team. He’ll work alongside general manager and former Under Armour global sports marketing team member Austin Buntz. Curry’s association with Under Armour is already well known. One of his tasks at Davidson will be starting an eight-figure fund for both basketball programs, with help from his wife, Ayesha, and a few Davidson supporters. Curry is in Davidson’s Hall of Fame.

Since it is Saint Patrick's Day, I figured it would be appropriate. This episode is entitled "Striking Gold."

So, who’s raising eyebrows at the moment?

Highlight: One could argue that some championship-winning teams aren’t “cut from the same cloth” as others. “They got lucky,” fans say. “It’s a Mickey Mouse ring,” said fans in 2020. This isn’t the case of the Boston Celtics. The Celtics are 49-19 and second in the Eastern Conference. Despite teams like Cleveland and Oklahoma City dominating their respective conferences, you can’t overlook the defending champions. The star of Beantown is Jayson Tatum, who’s averaging 27.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. Jaylen Brown’s 22.8 points, among other things, make the tandem deadly. Just last year, Brown was named Finals MVP. Although Kristaps Porziņģis has only played 33 games this season, his presence in the paint cannot be underestimated. Add in defensive guards like Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, and shooter Payton Pritchard, who’s averaging 14.1 points off the bench (the only time in his career putting up more than 10 a night), and you have a ridiculous lineup. Boston is by no stretch guaranteed to hoist another Larry O’Brien trophy in June, but they might be one of the scariest teams heading into the postseason. Their next game is tomorrow, Tuesday, March 18 at 7:30 p.m. They will host the Brooklyn Nets.

Lowlight: The Utah Jazz used to be a fun team. These days... uh, no. The Jazz are 15-53, have the worst record in the league, and they’re on a nine-game losing streak. Ever since Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert were traded, Utah has committed to rebuilding/tanking for the long haul. Lauri Markkanen, who’s in his third season with the Jazz, is the team’s building block. He’s averaging 19 points and six rebounds per game. Helping out Markkanen are players like Walker Kessler, Collin Sexton, and Jordan Clarkson. Kessler leads the NBA in blocks per game (2.4) now that Victor Wembanyama is out for the year, and he’s had a double-double in about half of his games this season. Sexton and Clarkson are reliable scorers, and Clarkson does so off the bench. After all, he was a former Sixth Man of the Year. As of this point, however, I’m not really sure what the direction is in Utah. They have pieces, but they’re nowhere close to true contention. The West is loaded, and there’s little to no room for the Jazz. Are we even sure Markkanen is a number-one option on a championship team? To the draft they go! Their next game is tonight, Monday, March 17 at 9 p.m. They will host the Chicago Bulls.

Interview Segue: To get more insight into our “Highlight” this week, we have our ninth guest on “Diehlman at Halftime” season two. Let’s get into it!

Aaron Hook Interview

Random Stat: Being traded midseason is an adjustment for the players and the fans. The player has to learn a new system and move. The fans might have to be patient to see their new player thrive. Jimmy Butler has fit right in on his new team. The Golden State Warriors acquired the disgruntled Butler from Miami at the trade deadline in early February. Since the trade, the Warriors are 14-1 with Butler in the lineup. And they’re just above Minnesota to avoid the play-in tournament. If you look at Butler just in the box score, his stats have dipped from his Heat days, even with more minutes per game. Butler is converting almost 10% less of his shots and about 14% less on triples. But, his assists and steals are up from earlier this season. In their latest seven-game winning streak, the Warriors are scoring 118 points and allowing 107 points per game with Butler. An 11-point difference! Not bad. Butler and Draymond Green are two players fans classify as “hate to face them, but love them when they’re on your team.” Butler is fiery on the court, and he’s not afraid to express what’s on his mind. While I can’t guarantee the Warriors are going to ride this hot streak to another championship, it’s one heck of a start.

Game of the Week: For this week’s “Game of the Week,” let’s do Washington Wizards @ Portland Trail Blazers. This game is tonight, Monday, March 17 at 10 p.m. “Woah, woah, woah,” I know you’re thinking, “what do you mean Wizards-Trail Blazers?!” In this section, we always cover marquee matchups, so let’s give the not-so-marquee matchups a chance. Washington is coming off two impressive road wins against Detroit and Denver (yes, Washington swept their season series with Denver). Portland is coming off a tough one-point overtime loss to New York and a close win over Toronto. Despite the pain these teams give their fan bases, the player matchups should be interesting. Wizards rookie Alex Sarr dropped a career-high 34 points on the Nuggets on Saturday. He’s one of the foundational pieces in the nation’s capital with Jordan Poole, who stunned Denver near the buzzer on a long triple. Meanwhile, Anfernee Simons, Shaedon Sharpe, and Scoot Henderson give opposing backcourts problems. This game should be evenly matched, given the inexperience across the board. Give me the Wizards 107-102.

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 thank you to Aaron Hook for being our guest this week on the podcast. Remember, you can follow him on X and Instagram @aaronhook_. And don’t forget to spread the word about “Diehlman at Halftime!” See you next time, fellow hoops fans!