21 Questions with Dave DuFour, including Steph, the Warriors, Nets, Suns, Wizards, first-time All-NBA guys, DeMar DeRozan, Tyrese Maxey and much more!

Game Theory Podcast

The 21 Questions Covered:

1. Are the Golden State Warriors the NBA title favorites?
2. Fact or fiction? From the mid-point of last year onward, Stephen Curry has been the best player in the NBA
3. It seems like there is a consistent outrage economy right now surrounding the Brooklyn Nets. The Brooklyn Nets are also 11-5, and currently tied for the first place in the Eastern Conference. How do we feel about the Nets right now, and do we think something is off or that they're fine?
4. The Phoenix Suns are on a 10-game winning streak and look like a buzzsaw again because of Chris Paul. Are we ever going to see someone like Paul again? A small point who lasts into his late 30s and dominates games in this way.
5. How are the Washington Wizards doing this?
6. Which team of the following are you most panicked about? Milwaukee, Boston, Atlanta
7. We're about one-fifth of the way through the season. Who is the team that decides at the deadline that it's time to break up some of their core and make a big trade that acts more as a "seller."
8. Okay, the obligatory three minutes that every podcast must do on Ben Simmons. It feels like this thing goes through cycles of pressure, and that the pressure has been ratcheted down again. A deal isn't close now, but do we think Simmons finishes the season as a Sixer, and what is a potential move that actually makes sense?
9. But speaking of Simmons, the 76ers have a burgeoning star right now in Tyrese Maxey. How has Maxey gone about making this leap into looking like the point guard of the future for the 76ers?
10. The closest team to you for the last couple of years has been San Antonio, so you've gotten a close look at DeMar DeRozan when everyone seemed to tune the Spurs out. Do we think that like, people just weren't watching how good he was last year? Why do people seem to be surprised that he's been as great as he's been in Chicago?
11. The hardest team for me to figure out in the NBA right now is the Dallas Mavericks. They are 9-5. Ostensibly, they're winning games. They are also below the league average in both offense and defense, have a negative point differential, and Luka Doncic hasn't quite worked his way back into the peak of his powers. Are you buying or selling the Mavericks long-term?
12. The Clippers are 9-6 and holding steady without Kawhi. Is there a more important player to his team in the NBA right now than Paul George?
13. Who is the most fun team in the NBA, and why is it the Memphis Grizzlies?
14. Who is the least fun team in the NBA right now, and why is it the New Orleans Pelicans?
15. Every season since 1991, there have been at least two players who have never made the All-NBA team make the team for the first time. Who are your picks for those two players this year?
16. Every year since 2006, there has been at least one new player to make the All-Defense team int he NBA. Who is your pick among players that have never made All-Defense?
17. The Lakers are 25th in offensive rating, and are only 8-8 despite playing the fifth-easiest schedule thus far in the league. Do we think the problems expand beyond "no LeBron James" for the Lakers, or is it just a matter of getting him back and starting to roll?
18. The Nuggets have no Michael Porter Jr. and no Jamal Murray. They are shooting 30 percent from 3. How in the world does this team still have a winning record?
19. How do we think the Neil Olshey inquiry ends following the "fair and independent review" of the workplace environment that he has fostered since running the Trail Blazers?
20. The Cavs are starting to come back down to earth with losses to Boston, Brooklyn and Golden State. Do you believe it's important for them to compete this year, or is it fine if they are still a year away given that they seem to have found the actual organizational centerpiece in Evan Mobley?
21. Have you accepted Pokuism, the belief that Aleksej Pokusevski is your basketball lord and savior?

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