Court of Opinion

The Miami Heat have lost their fire and gone cold as of late losing their last 4 straight games. The losses have boiled over, as shown by the public spat between Jimmy Butler, Udonis Haslem, and Erik Spoelstra. Is there a cause for concern in Miami? The Brooklyn Nets get Kyrie Irving back after Eric Adams reverses the vaccine mandate. What are the Nets’ chances of winning the title with Kyrie back?The top 4 teams in the Eastern Conference are within 0.5 games of each other for the top spot. Where do these teams finish the season?Jordan Poole and Tyrese Maxey have been playing great for the Golden State Warriors and Philadelphia 76ers as of late. The two young guards have elevated their play and have similar stats. Which player ends up having a more successful career?Eric pleads his case on why the Los Angeles Lakers don’t have to worry about making the playoffs, why the Knicks don’t need to blow it up, and why the Suns may not win it all this year. Court is in session.

Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets), Victor Oladipo and Markieff Morris (Miami Heat), Draymond Green (Golden State Warriors), and Kristaps Porzingis (Washington Wizards) all made their returns. Who has had the best return?LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers), Jayson Tatum (Boston Celtics), Kyrie Irving (Brooklyn Nets), Ja Morant (Memphis Grizzlies) all put up 50+ piece nuggets. Who was most impressive?Luka Doncic is leading the Dallas Mavericks to a top 4 seed in the Western Conference. Will they make it out of the first round?Mike delivers the verdict on several of the Lakers’ cases and decides whether Marcus Smart (Boston Celtics) is guilty of being a dirty player.

All-Star Weekend came and went. Stephen Curry made history, the Dunk Contest disappointed, and the city of Cleveland wins the day.James Harden makes his Philadelphia 76ers debut and has come out hot. Are they now title favorites?Ja Morant keeps dropping jaws setting yet another career high. Is he better than Derrick Rose ever was?DeMar DeRozan is having the best season of his career, is he DeMVP?Eric pleads a case for why Los Angeles Laker fans are right to boo and why Zion Williamson is not a detached teammate.

Luka Doncic scores a career high, LeBron James becomes the all-time leading scorer, Josh Giddey of the Oklahoma City Thunder becomes youngest to post back-to-back triple doubles. It was a busy week in the NBA, we give you the recap on everything that went down.The trade deadline is done and James Harden is on the move again. We cover all the last minute deals and analyze who won at the deadline.All-Star teams have been picked and Kevin Durant was as petty as advertised. Between him and LeBron, who picked the better team, and who gets Kobe Bryant All-Star MVP?Arbitration cases to be heard:Ben Simmons vs. Joel EmbiidKevin Durant vs. James Harden

The NBA trade deadline is upon us and dominos have started to fall. Domantas Sabonis, CJ McCollum, and Tyrese Halliburton are all on the move. Who wins these deals?The Rising Stars Challenge teams have officially been drafted. Which coach drafted the best/worst team?The Brooklyn Nets have lost 9 in a row and are seemingly in trouble. Will Kevin Durant returning solve this team's problems?The Boston Celtics have won 6 in a row and have suddenly caught fire. Are the Celtics a team to watch out for in the NBA playoffs?Mike gives the verdict on whether the Portland Trail Blazers are wasting Damian Lillard's career, the Brooklyn Nets should consider trading James Harden to the Philadelphia 76ers for Ben Simmons, and whether LaMelo Ball should have been chosen to be a fill in as an NBA All-Star.

The NBA 2022 All-Star starters were announced this week - who were the biggest surprises? Biggest snubs? The NBA Rising Stars were announced with a new format this year. There will be 4 teams battling instead of 2 and 4 G-League players get to show out against NBA talent. Which individual player will have the best showing at the event?Two teams in the west are streaking - and no, not that kind of streaking. The Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors continue their league dominance with 11 and 7 consecutive wins, respectively. Who has the more impressive streak? Whose streak is more likely to end first?The NBA trade deadline is approaching and it is suspiciously quiet. We expect to have some Woj-bomb and Sham-wows shortly. Who is the most likely to get traded and who is staying put?Mike pleads his case on why Shaq was wrong to say the Brooklyn Nets have reasons to be on their losing streak, why the Toronto Raptors are going to ride their young core into the playoffs, and why Rajon Rondo may be right about Darius Garland being the best closer in the game.

Steph Curry is in the middle of the worst shooting slump of his career and with Draymond Green out the Warriors have hovered around .500 their last 10 games. Should the Warriors be concerned?With the leading early MVP candidates either injured or slumping the NBA MVP race is wide open. Who are the leading candidates now?The Dallas Mavericks are suddenly hot and 5th in the West. Are they more than a first round exit?Eric gives the verdict for why Grayson Allen was not guilty of intentionally injuring Alex Caruso during a matchup between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Chicago Bulls, and why Kyrie Irving was in his right to argue with Cleveland Cavaliers fans.

The Miami Heat keep polishing diamonds in the rough. Will the emergence of unexpected talents combined with the return of established players cause rotation issues?The injury bug is back and it is biting the top NBA contenders in the league. With 3 contenders expecting to lose key players for several weeks, which team will be impacted most?The Atlanta Hawks and Los Angeles Lakers have the current longest losing streaks in their respective conferences. Which team has more to worry about?Unheralded picks have been showing some all-star potential this year. Which young player under 25, that was a non-lottery pick (picked after the 15th pick) is playing best?Arbitration cases to be heard: Magic Johnson vs. Los Angeles LakersDevin Booker vs. Toronto Raptors mascot (The Raptor)

10-day contracts are being handed out left and right. Which if any 10-day players has made the biggest impact?Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson both make their returns. Which player had the better debut?Bol Bol was traded but then he wasn’t. Cam Reddish gets traded to the New York Knicks and reunites with RJ Barrett. The Grizzlies have suddenly won a franchise best 10 in a row and are sitting at 3rd in the Western Conference. Are they real contenders or just a nice surprise?Mike gives the verdict on whether Giannis Antetokounmpo is guilty of being too polite and whether Julius Randle is guilty of letting his frustrations get the best of him.

DeMar DeRozan has hit back to back game winners and has the Chicago Bulls rolling. Was the media wrong about him being washed?Trade SZN has begun with Rajon Rondo getting shipped to the Cleveland Cavs. What sort of impact will he make?Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving are both making their NBA returns. Who will have the bigger impact for their team?Trae Young sets a season and career high for points. His effort wasn't enough against Anfernee Simons career night. Who has a better chance to sneak into the playoffs the Atlanta Hawks or the Portland Trail Blazers?Mike pleads a case for why Draymond Green is the real MVP, Ja Morant is the best PG, and Jimmy Butler's injuries aren't as bad as they seem.