Season 2, Episode 23- Transfer of Power

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

Highlight: L.A. Lakers
Lowlight: New Orleans Pelicans
Random Stat: Josh Giddey was two steals shy of a quadruple-double
Game of the Week: Memphis Grizzlies @ Oklahoma City Thunder

Also, listen to the perspective of our featured guest, Sam Prince! (Follow him on X and Instagram at @samtheprince14).

"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 24, 2025

Chapters

• 0:15 Introduction
• 1:00 Overview of the NBA this Week
• 3:35 Highlight
• 5:06 Lowlight
• 6:58 Sam Prince Interview
• 16:13 Random Stat
• 17:53 Game of the Week
• 19:01 Conclusion

Transcript

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

Introduction: Hello everybody, and welcome to episode #58 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: Going once, going twice. Sold! The Boston Celtics are about to be under new ownership. Symphony Technology Group managing partner Bill Chisholm has agreed to purchase the Celtics for $6.1 billion! This price tag will surpass Josh Harris’ $6.05 billion purchase of the Washington Commanders in 2023 for the most paid for a North American sports franchise. It also surpasses the record for a control stake in an NBA team of $4 billion by Suns owner Mat Ishbia. Boston business leaders Rob Hale and Bruce Beal Jr. are part of Chisholm’s group, with Hale being a current Celtics shareholder. The deal is set in two parts, where Chisholm would acquire at least 51% of the team pending the NBA board of governors’ approval. This could potentially come in the summer. The Celtics are under current ownership group Boston Basketball Partners, LLC, led by Wyc Grousbeck and Steve Pagliuca. Chisholm asked Grousbeck to stay on as CEO and owner for the next three seasons.

The Philadelphia 76ers could be one step closer to the offseason. Forward Paul George is being shut down for the remainder of the regular season, and this could result in the rest of the general season too. George recently had injections in his left adductor and left knee. With the 76ers plummeting in the Eastern Conference standings, it might just be a formality. He’s had multiple ailments throughout his first season in Philadelphia. With him and Joel Embiid’s injuries, this season has been a disaster. George signed a four-year, $212 million deal with the 76ers last summer.

Finally, the New York Knicks might be getting one of their stars back from injury soon. Jalen Brunson, the team’s star point guard, is expected to be sidelined with an ankle sprain through late March or early April. This was according to NBA insider Shams Charania. But, the Knicks are hopeful Brunson can play a few games before the postseason starts. Head coach Tom Thibodeau said his star is out of his walking boot and doing light shooting. Brunson has been out since March 6.

This episode is entitled "Transfer of Power."

So, who’s raising eyebrows at the moment?

Highlight: Big-market teams always attract the attention of fans and media alike, especially when they’re title favorites. This statement is always true with the L.A. Lakers. The Lakers are 43-27 and fourth in the Western Conference. L.A. has been floating around the play-in tournament in recent years (and most fans point the finger at former head coach Darvin Ham). However, since the Lakers stole Luka Dončić from Dallas, their championship aspirations are high. With the Purple and Gold, Dončić is averaging 26.9 points, 8.7 rebounds, 7.9 assists, and 1.8 steals per game. LeBron James is still putting up LeBron numbers at 40 years old. Don’t be surprised if he does this at 50...okay, maybe not. But still. Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura are great options for the Lakers. While Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes aren’t going to replicate the production of Anthony Davis, who was traded for Dončić, they’re serviceable. Although L.A.’s current injury report has James and Hachimura on it, it shouldn’t be a concern as they get ready for April. James and Dončić lighting it up in the playoffs? Grab your popcorn, ladies and gentlemen! Their next game is tonight, Monday, March 24 at 7 p.m. They will be on the road to face the Orlando Magic.

Lowlight: If you look at the NBA standings right now and pick out teams that should start planning for next season, the New Orleans Pelicans should be near the top of that list. The Pelicans are 19-53 and 14th in the West. It’s been a tough year for the Pelicans, with injuries being a cause. However, when they’re healthy, Zion Williamson is the star in the “Big Easy.” Williamson is putting up 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per night. Dyson Daniels, who was traded to Atlanta in the Dejounte Murray deal, and who’s also in the Defensive Player of the Year running, said of his former team: “That organization’s cursed. Every year, there’s something new. I’m happy I’m not there anymore…There’s something down in that water down there or something.” Oh my. At the trade deadline, New Orleans pulled the plug on the Brandon Ingram experiment. Ingram, who was seeking a max contract extension, was shipped to Toronto. The Pelicans have a decent core of CJ McCollum, Herb Jones, Trey Murphy III, and Jose Alvarado. But, it’s hard to gauge their ceiling with their issues at staying healthy. New Orleans only has 10 games left in their season, including tonight. Let’s see if they can provide optimism for their fan base. Their next game is tonight, Monday, March 24 at 8 p.m. They will host the Philadelphia 76ers.

Interview Segue: To get more insight into our “Highlight” this week, we have our 10th guest on “Diehlman at Halftime” season two. Let’s get into it!

Sam Prince Interview

Random Stat: Getting a double-double in basketball is quite common, especially in points and rebounds for big men. Triple-doubles, while rarer, have become common with players like Russell Westbrook and Nikola Jokić. Quadruple-doubles are almost unheard of. However, one player came awfully close to a quadruple-double on Saturday. Against the L.A. Lakers, Chicago Bulls guard Josh Giddey had 15 points, 10 rebounds, 17 assists, and eight steals! Two more steals would’ve given him the milestone. Only four players in NBA history have recorded a quadruple-double: Nate Thurmond (1974), Alvin Robertson (1986), Hakeem Olajuwon (1990), and the most recent one, David Robinson (1994). It’s been 31 years since Robinson’s. That should tell you all you need to know about how rare it is. Giddey has flirted with triple-doubles throughout his time in the NBA, averaging 13.9 points, 7.4 rebounds, and six assists for his career. In fact, he has 24 double-doubles and four triple-doubles this season alone. After three seasons in Oklahoma City, Giddey was traded for Alex Caruso. Despite going from a championship contender to a play-in tournament team, it’s good to see Giddey get solid reps on a young Chicago squad. Maybe one of these days, he can become player #5 on the quadruple-double list.

Game of the Week: For this week’s “Game of the Week,” let’s go with Memphis Grizzlies @ Oklahoma City Thunder. This game is on Thursday, March 27 at 8 p.m. This will be a clash of two of the best teams in the Western Conference, even though Memphis is 16 games behind Oklahoma City in the standings (to be fair, Houston is second in the West and 13.5 games behind the Thunder). Oklahoma City has been solidifying themselves as the team to beat in the postseason, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. They’ve already locked up the top seed in the conference. Despite Memphis’ Ja Morant being sidelined with a hamstring issue, the Grizzlies have stayed afloat in his absence. Jaren Jackson Jr. and Desmond Bane will make sure of it against the Thunder. Oklahoma City should get Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren back from injury soon... and they’ve been dominating without them. I’ll go with the Thunder 116-106.

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 Sam Prince for being our guest this week on the podcast. Remember, you can follow him on X and Instagram @samtheprince14. And don’t forget to spread the word about “Diehlman at Halftime!” See you next time, fellow hoops fans!