Season 3, Episode 25- Derailed

In this week's episode of "Diehlman at Halftime," Larry and Chris discuss:

Jaden Ivey released by Bulls after anti-LGBTQ comments and religious remarks
Luka Dončić and Austin Reaves to miss end of the regular season with injuries
Regular season awards predictions
Game of the Week: Denver Nuggets @ San Antonio Spurs, Sunday, April 12, 2026

All music written by Larry Diehlman

Release date: Monday, April 6, 2026

Transcript

Introduction

Overview of the NBA this Week

SPEAKER_02 0:15

Hey guys, and welcome to episode number 96 of Dielman at Halftime, the NBA podcast that tops all others. I'm your host, Larry Dielman, joined by my co-host Christy Pietro. If you're joining us for the first time, it's great to have you. And if you've been a regular listener, welcome back. We have a lot to cover today and not a lot of time to do it. We'll look at a general overview of the NBA this week and then discuss some important topics across the association. Let's get to our content for the week. Probably one of the biggest stories in the NBA this week came out of Chicago. Jaden Ivy was released by the Bulls last week over anti-LGBTQ comments and multiple religious remarks as well. Jaden was a former top five draft pick, and he was recently traded from the Pistons, and since then it's been all downhill. Just a lot of stuff with like religious and anti-LGBTQ remarks. And he even questioned Steph Curry's religion, saying if he's a Christian, and do Curry, LeBron James, and Michael Jordan's rings matter on Judgment Day, which kind of went out of nowhere. Chris, I don't know what is going on with Jaden Ivey, and I've seen a lot of people say that hopefully he gets some help because these are just comments that obviously just come out of nowhere. Obviously, we're all for certain viewpoints and you know trying to be inclusive with everybody, but this just came out of like left field. I don't even know like where to start with this.

SPEAKER_00 2:28

Yeah, this is as ugly as it gets um for a situation uh for a player. But the biggest thing that needs to be addressed in the in this whole storyline are these outlandish claims of hypocrisy and censorship that are you know swirling around regarding this situation, including ones made by Ivy himself. People are saying you can't be Christian in the NBA, you can't have your own opinion in the NBA, you have to conform to the NBA's woke agenda to stay in the league unless you're Anthony Edwards. Anthony Edwards is allowed to be homophobic because he averages 30 points per game. Ivy was not cut for being a Christian. He was cut because he is losing his mind. If you put on any of these Instagram live meltdowns, there's a lot of them, it won't take you long to see that that he is not stable like whatsoever. He is acting completely erratic. A player in his right mind is not gonna go around the locker room asking media members if they've had premarital sex. He said that his own family has cut off communication with him. Your family doesn't stop talking to you because you're just a Christian standing on your faith. Your family will stop talking to you if you're just completely going off the rails mentally. That's what warrants a communication cutoff of that magnitude. And let's be real, Ivy was probably not even going to make this roster next season, regardless of how he feels about you know the LGBTQ. People need to stop acting like this is some young star that was crucified for his faith. Jaden Ivy at this point of his career is a fringe rotation player who is made of glass and is completely spiraling mentally. It should not be a surprise that he was cut regardless of what he believes in. And apparently, this was also the final straw in the firing of their uh vice president of basketball operations and their general manager. So I think Bulls fans should be pretty thrilled about this. Um, but yeah, the the this was just a a super ugly and and sad situation for Ivy. He clearly needs help. Like, like he is not in his right mind. Again, he he is just being totally erratic. And again, it has nothing to do with the comments he's making. Like, you know, like I I think a lot of NBA players or athletes in general like don't even disagree about some of the stuff he says, or you know, even more so don't think he should be punished for saying these sort of things. But I don't believe he was punished for just being a Christian or just you know, saying whatever he said about Pride Month. He is acting totally beside himself, he's unraveling in front of our eyes. It's clearly not healthy the way he's talking and presenting himself. It's not good. He needs help. You know, that there's if if you're a Christian and and you know you're standing on your faith and and preaching the gospel, like do your thing, like you're entitled to do that. But this is clearly way more than that. If you've heard him talk for 10 seconds, you would realize that this is more than just a guy standing on his faith. So um it's it's just a just a such a wild situation uh late in this season. Hope Ivy gets the help he needs. Uh, I think he clearly needs it. Yeah, just just just a really ugly situation overall.

Lakers' Injury Troubles

SPEAKER_02 5:50

Yeah, asking media members if they've you know had fornication was definitely an eye-opening headline to see that. But yeah, I think this is clearly a case of somebody needing help, and you don't need a situation like this in the locker room. Now, the Bulls aren't making the playoffs this season, but this is something they just want to kind of push out of the locker room. Now, it would be a problem, and you would have cause for concern if, I don't know, you know, Anthony Edwards went to the microphone during a press conference and says, you know, Jesus loves me, and they caught him the next day. That'd be cause for concern. But but if Jaden Ivey's just going on Instagram live or whatever and and spewing comments and especially, you know, anti-LGBTQ propaganda, then that kind of that gets a little ugly. So Jaden Ivey hopefully gets the help he needs. And this could be like a John Morant situation. Now, John Morant was different. That was with guns and stuff, but clearly he needed to seek help, and this is different for Jaden Ivey. So it'll be interesting to see what happens with him if Adam Silver gets involved in any way and if he can find a new team soon. This episode isn't titled Derailed. So who's raising eyebrows at the moment? All right, let's go over to the Los Angeles Lakers. I know in the early part of the season we said that we weren't going to talk about the Lakers in every episode, but this is one that needs to be discussed and badly. The Lakers low-key might be screwed. The Lakers were dealt a double injury blow this week with Luka Doncic and Austin Reeves being out for essentially the remainder of the regular season and the season in general with the playoffs being next week. Luka is seeking treatment over in Spain to expedite his return from a grade two left hamstring injury. Austin Reeves, meanwhile, is out for the regular season with a grade two left oblique muscle injury. So the Lakers are 50 and 28, tied for third in the West with the Nuggets. And Chris was over at the crib yesterday with me, and we were watching the Lakers Mavericks game, and we saw the Lakers take a six-point L to Cooper Flag and the soon-to-be eliminated Dallas Mavericks on Easter Sunday. And it's pretty bad for the Lakers right now. When you have a 41-year-old LeBron James, Chris, I think we might just start seeing a zero dark 30 LeBron as they transition to the playoffs. For those of you that don't know what zero dark 30 means, it's basically when LeBron shuts off social media and focuses on the playoffs to try to win those championships. It was more so when he was leading teams and not so much now where he's just like a supporting character. I think you kind of have to unveil that now with the the roster they have, and you know, JJ Reddick still so new to this team in his second year and not having Luka Doncic, who's the leading scorer in the league, not just the Lakers, the league. And LeBron, here's the thing. In Dallas on Sunday, LeBron dropped 30 points, nine boards, and 15 assists, and they still lost. And he's 41 years old. The Lakers' final four regular season games, they have three of four at home, which is good. They host the Thunder, they're at the Warriors, and then they host the Suns and the Jazz to close things out of this 82-game stretch. Essentially, with these two injuries, it might be season ending, and Chris, it might take the season for the Lakers with them.

SPEAKER_00 9:32

Yeah, this is a total gut punch for them. Um, they they were really looking like they were starting to come into their own late in this season. They were playing much better defensively. They were getting probably the most consistent effort from the team we had seen all season, and they lose their two best players, honestly. And for a team that is so reliant on their star players being such a shallow roster, this is the nail in the coffin that their season is over. And as confident as I am, I still feel a bit uneasy because I just wrote off LeBron James, but I'll stand on it. I think they're done. Um, like you said yesterday, LeBron drops 39 and 15 and they and they still lose to a tanking Mavericks team. You know, I think they were shallow enough even with their three best players, all healthy. And, you know, they were they were playing so well, um, even with those guys healthy, that I I still I still didn't even really believe in them in the playoffs. But, you know, with with those two out, like it's it's officially wraps. Um, like you said, yeah, Luca's going to Europe to try and accelerate this, but I honestly fear that would be a bit of a waste of time uh given what I think their chances are even with a fully healthy team. So, you know, just pack it up, Luca. You know, book the flight to Cabo, man, get your reservations ready. The season's cooked. You know, I really just didn't like this team's prospects, even with Luca and Austin Reeves, who are their two best players who they were so reliant on. And, you know, without them, like it sucks, but it it's it's it's over for them. But I I will say I think a zero dark thirty LeBron like crazy playoff run where he pulls off an upset like single-handedly against the Nuggets or something in round one. Like, could you imagine that would be so cool as like a like a final hoorah for LeBron James and the NBA just pulling off a massive upset and leading a bad Lakers team outside of their top players to like a crazy playoff run as the number one option? Uh that would be super cool. So I'm honestly kind of hoping for that. I I hope their season's not over because that would be super cool. But um, yeah, I think this is the nail in the coffin. They're their their season is over. They're probably gonna lose in four, maybe five games in the first round of these playoffs.

SPEAKER_02 11:51

This looks like 2018 Cavs all over again. LeBron leading a team. Now, this time he's got like Jake LaRavia, Luke Kennard, Jackson Hayes, and Rui Hachimore. It might not be as bad as when he was on the Cavs with Kevin Love and Kyle Corver and Tristan Thompson. Tristan Thompson. I mean, uh, it might not be that bad, but I don't know, man.

SPEAKER_00 12:13

I don't know. It's there I I think I think those those two groups are pretty comparable, and obviously LeBron's not what it used to be.

SPEAKER_02 12:21

When Kyle Corver is on the NBA finals graphic next to like Kevin Durant, that's not a good thing. So right now at the Lakers, as I just said, they are the three seed tie with the Nuggets. Right now, you're looking, assuming everything stands, the playing teams like barring anything crazy should stand. You're looking at the first round, either being the Nuggets, Rockets, or Timberwolves, potentially. The Suns are in seventh. They're three games behind Minnesota for that sixth seed. I'd say Denver, Houston, Minnesota is one of your likely options. And uh yeah, I'm not really confident about any of those matchups for the Lakers. The Rockets with, you know, Kevin Durant, they got a strong team over there. The Nuggets, I mean, come on now. It's Nicola Jokic we're talking about. Minnesota with Anthony Edwards and their their strong core. So yeah, not too confident to see what the Lakers can do. And this is just, you know, and when you have somebody like Luka Doncic, you rely on him so much, and then when he's out, then what? I hope JJ Reddick has a backup plan or you know, just hope zero dark thirty LeBron comes out of hibernation.

SPEAKER_00 13:32

There ain't no backup plan for this, dude. When Jackson Hayes the plan is to is to is to pray to your LeBron shrine and hope that he regresses five years in age.

SPEAKER_02 13:43

When Jackson Hayes is getting considerable playing time, just cancel the season.

SPEAKER_00 13:47

Yep, wrap it up. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 13:49

Yeah, we'll see uh Lakers dealing with some injuries, and maybe they'll get a couple wins to end the regular season, but those injuries might have just tanked their season.

SPEAKER_00 14:05

So with the regular season wrapping up and our NBA awards, of course, being a regular season award, we're gonna go over our picks for the uh awards this season. Uh not necessarily predictions, more so who we would give each award to. And we want to do this now, especially considering how uh we're not gonna have too much time to talk about this during the playoffs because we will be talking about the playoffs. So, with a few games left in the regular season, we're gonna jump the gun a bit and do our 2026 NBA awards. Let's start with the most valuable player here, Larry. As host, I'm I'm gonna give this honor to you to start with your MVP here.

SPEAKER_02 14:47

Why, thank you. For the most valuable player, I don't think it's even necessarily a contest, or at least it's more so of a kind of obvious selection. I'm gonna go with Shea Gilgis Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder. And if you need a one-sentence reason why, best player on best team, that's pretty much all there is to it. He dropped 47 points recently on the Pistons, who are the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, despite the fact that Cade Cunningham is getting over a collapsed long Shea, career highs in assists per game and field goal percentage. And he's doing this too without Jalen Williams at full strength. Jalen Williams has only played about 32 games this season, and he was out for most of that really white hot start they had. You know, obviously this isn't the Jalen Williams of last year. He's been he hasn't been like last year, where it's just like they were just killing everybody last year, and Jalen Williams has been battling injuries, which obviously sucks for Oklahoma City, but Shay just continues to just be Shay. These last couple years, it's been Shay and Jokic the entire time. Jokic has had an injury this year, which has kind of tanked his chances of you know going for that fourth MVP. Shea just has continued to improve. He's a you know, he's a great mid-range shooter. He gets to the free throw line. I know a lot of people call him a free throw merchant, but he's just that good and far and away just continues to lead by example in this conversation. I believe he just hit a game winner on the Nuggets, too, which like battle of MVPs or at least MVP caliber teams, doing that pretty much would help with your chances. So I will go with SGA to claim a back-to-back.

SPEAKER_00 16:37

SGA is the MVP. He's averaging 31, 4, and 7 a steal, almost a block, uh shooting just below 67% true shooting. True shooting accounts for two pointers, three pointers, and free throws. It's a measure of how efficiently a player is scoring overall. So again, he's shooting 67% true shooting. The league average is roughly 59%. This is one of, if not the most efficient season from a high volume score we have ever seen. And it's not just a shooting. Out of the top 25 possession per game leaders, Shay's averaging the second least turnovers per game among them, and the third most points created per game among them. Points created being the points you score and the amount of points scored off of your assists during a game. Luka Doncic is second in points created per game, just above Shea Gildis Alexander, with double the amount of turnovers as Shea, and only shooting slightly above average true shooting percentage at 61%. Of the top ten leaders in true shooting percentages, there are nine centers and one Shea Gildis Alexander. Um he also should be the runaway clutch player of the year. He's averaging six and a half points in the clutch this year, which leads the NBA by far. And maybe as the coldest game winner of the season against the Nuggets, like you mentioned. Uh, I thought that was the moment he snatched the MVP. Uh he had a step back three, he had another isolation step back three in the end of regulation in the same game. He simply just has a total, absolute control of the offense. He's the best and most efficient scorer in the league, he's the best and most efficient playmaker in the league, he's a plus defender, he's the clutchest player in the league, he has one of, if not the deepest, scoring bag in the league, he's the best player in the league on the best team. Shea's the MVP. So, with that being said, let's hear your depoy, Larry. This one should be a bit easy, I think.

SPEAKER_02 18:44

We will go with the man who was born in France, and that is Victor Weminyama of the San Antonio Spurs. Mr. Weminyama is the only player in the league averaging at least two blocks per game, and he's averaging 3.1. So he like nobody else is averaging two and he's averaging three, which is just incredible. Victor Weminyama can simply guard the paint and the perimeter. Like, if if he's in the paint and you're about to hit an open three, you have to be afraid that he's just gonna jump out of like like it's just gonna be one of like the monsters from Space Jam with like the extended arm, and and you're just thinking it's gonna get blocked every time. You have to be afraid if you're a shooter on the perimeter. It's it's insane that he can just reach that far. Seven foot four in height, eight foot roughly, with a wingspan. He just causes havoc on both sides of the floor. He can just completely change your offensive mindset. And Chris and I were discussing yesterday that Victor Weminyama is probably going to be the defensive player of the year or at least the runner-up for the next decade. He is just that good. And, you know, we just talked about with Shay being a great defender or plus defender, and you know, he can get steals, and Victor Weminyama could just get blocks like there's no tomorrow. I he doesn't even have to jump really. Like it's more like when, you know, if you're in elementary school and you're getting like bullied on the playground, and if a tall bully is just holding up like your, I don't know, your lunchbox or something, or you know, if you have a playing with a ball or something, and the bully can just stand there with the ball, and the kids just jumping trying to get it, and he's just standing there mocking you. That's pretty much what Wembin Nauman does. He can just stand there, block a shot, even if you try to float it over him and just kind of laugh in your face. So he is just such a plus asset for the Spurs. There was a reason why he was one of the most hyped up prospects of all time. There's a reason why if you're the Spurs front office, you probably fell out of your chair when you realized you got the number one pick that year. So Victor Wembanyama is my defensive player of the year.

SPEAKER_00 20:55

Wemby is the defensive player of the year. I mean, I thought I was confident about Shay. I do feel very confident about Shay. I might be ten times more confident about Victor Wembanyama winning this award. He won't go home empty-handed here. A lot of people think he should uh be the MVP. Uh not for me, not for Larry, but but but he won't go home empty-handed. He'll he'll snatch up the depoy. He will win the award. He's averaging three blocks per game. He's averaging four blocks per game in his last 20 games. The Spurs allow nine less points per hundred possessions with him on the floor compared to off. He might be the only player in the league where players are outright afraid to shoot when he's on the floor. Not just aware of him, like straight cowering in fear. Like, like there's a lot of great defenders in the NBA right now where you know you're aware of them being on the court, and especially if they're guarding you, like you know, you really gotta tighten up and protect the basketball. But I mean, we see like multiple instances a game of players being within a A 15 foot vicinity of Victor Weminyama and like just outright hesitating and passing the ball up when he's near. And you know, like that there's there might not be anyone in NBA history where you can say that about um he he is a one-of-one defensive player, like truly, like we have never seen anything like this before. Like you said, uh should should probably win depoy for the next decade. Uh and that that might be a bit a bit conservative, but regardless, he'll get his first one here. He is the defensive player of the year.

SPEAKER_02 22:34

What's interesting too, and for those of you that know YouTube, NBA 2K, shout out Chris Smoove. And Chris Smoove once said, or I don't know if he coined the term or just whatever, he made it famous. There's a thing called whoever offense, and basically what whoever offense is, the way that he describes it, whoever that player guards is going to score, basically saying you're barbecue chicken on defense. Victor Weminyama is the complete opposite of whoever offense. He like as Chris said, just everyone is just afraid to get blocked or just pommeled by Victor Weminyama.

SPEAKER_00 23:11

Alright, so let's transition here to our rookie of the year. It's probably the first race where we have some competition. And honestly, maybe the most competitive race um here between Cooper Flag and Con Kanipple. So uh Larry, let's hear you, Rookie of the Year.

SPEAKER_02 23:27

Hey, we have to give some we have to give VJ Edgecombe some credit. Currently a plus VJ.

SPEAKER_01 23:31

Currently a plus 50,000 in the betting odds.

SPEAKER_02 23:34

Never say never. Sorry, Valdez Drexel, but I have to go with Cooper Flag of the Dallas Mavericks. So either Chris is going to agree with me or take Khan Knippel. We'll see in just a few moments. Cooper Flag is a it's it's weird. He's an obvious choice for being a top rookie, but he's also kind of not with the way that Khan Knippel has been playing. Yesterday against the Lakers, the broadcast brought up a stat that's pretty eye-opening. Cooper Flag has scored the most points in a two-game span as a rookie since Wilt Chamberlain. Now, Wilt did this like a hundred times just because he's Wilt Chamberlain. But Cooper Flag getting a stat, and I've said this a hundred times on this podcast, and I'll probably say it a thousand more times. Whenever you're in a stat or you're being compared to Wilt Chamberlain, you're doing something right. Cooper Flag is just such an aggressive score early in his career against the Lakers yesterday. He was just cooking, he he was just taking everybody to school. Cooper Flag obviously is the face of the Dallas Mavericks franchise post-Lukka Doncic, and now with Anthony Davis out of the way, too, and Kyrie Irving coming back from an injury next year. Cooper Flag clearly has the keys to this offense, and we're gonna continue to see him grow in many facets, and you know, the fact he's averaging 20 points per game right now, it's only gonna go up from there. So Cooper Flag, I think, should be the rookie of the year. Khan Knipple has a very good chance as well being just under 20 points per game, and he's a great three-point shooter. Cooper Flagg really isn't a sharp shooter at this point in his career, but never say never.

SPEAKER_00 25:12

My rookie of the year is also Cooper Flag. I hate to say it because Khan Knippel is truly having a special rookie season. But dude, I think last night he snatched Khan's chain, bro. I mean, 45 points. But he's averaging 21, 7, and 5, a block and a steal this year. He's the clear number one. The Mavericks run through 19-year-old Cooper Flag. He has the three highest scoring games for a teenager in NBA history. That is ridiculous. Over his last 10 games, he's averaging 27, 7, and 6 with one block and two steals. The major flaw in his case is the efficiency. He's just below 30% from three this season. Whereas Khan Knipple, his sole competitor, is having an outrageously efficient season. He's made the most threes in the NBA this year, shooting 43% on them. He's already one of the best shooters in the league with a stat line that's you know really not that far off from Flags. Um and Khan is is far from just a shooter. He's he's the clear number two and one of the NBA's best offenses this season. But I think the breaking point is if if I swapped Khan's role and Flag's role, if if if they if if Khan was all of a sudden the number one option in Dallas, I don't think it would look as pretty. And and believe me, like Khan is is far from just a beneficiary of the Hornets offense and his role, but I think Flag is having just as good of a season generally in a role where much more is required of him. Flag is a more capable player, he has the higher ceiling, he has the mold of a superstar, and I think undoubtedly will reach that status pretty soon here. And I do think people have gotten a little lost in the the whole role thing. I think a lot of people want to put Flag above Khan just because he has more responsibility within the offense, which you know it kind of boils down to how you define the award. I think there's a strong argument that Khan is just having the better season, and it really just kind of boils down to how much you value their roles and how much you bake in their roles to that discussion. And I I think people maybe do it a bit too much, but uh I I think very late in the season, uh, with some of these wild performances we've seen just very lately from Cooper Flag, I think this has been just enough to put him above Khan, despite the efficiency flaws, and and and I'm gonna have this him stealing this one at the buzzer from Khan Knipple. Cooper Flag is my rookie of the year.

SPEAKER_02 27:56

All right, Chris. So who is your sixth man of the year? There are some quality candidates this year, but who are we going with this time?

SPEAKER_00 28:04

It's an interesting race. Kelden Johnson is a big favorite right now, and I really disagree that it's such an over race. Like, like I really think there's a lot of capable players in this race, and then a lot of guys who are who are deserving of the award. But he is my sixth man of the year, Kelden Johnson. He's like the glue of this Spurs team, who is maybe the best team in the NBA, you know, below OKC in the standings, but I mean they're three and one against OKC. So you know, can you really confidently say that the Thunder are better than the Spurs? I don't think so. So he's the glue of a championship contender. He has unmatched hustle, he's averaging 13 points per game, he's shooting 37% from three, 61% true shooting percentage, that's above average in the league. He's efficient, he's averaging over five rebounds per game, almost two of them being offensive, only being six foot six. And that is exactly the type of player you need on a winning basketball team. And I kind of think that that is the essence of this award. I don't really agree that it should just go to the you know highest scoring bench player in points per game. I feel like that's kind of lazy. I I feel I feel like the essence of the six man of the year award is you know, who do you want coming off the bench, keeping everything together, being a winning basketball player, just just a you know, being an example bench player. And and that is exactly what Keldon Johnson is. You know, he screams when he dunks, he gets everybody hyped up, he's diving all over the floor, uh, he can even create when needed. Um he's a plus defender, he's an incredible rebounder for his heightened position. So I'm gonna go with him as my sixth man of the year here.

SPEAKER_02 29:50

Chris, do you scream when you dunk?

SPEAKER_00 29:52

I would if I could, Larry. I'd be I'd be screaming from the mountaintops if I could dunk a basketball.

SPEAKER_02 29:58

Yeah, Chris usually coax me at the park. But yeah, I'm gonna go with Keldon Johnson too for sixth man. Not averaging career highs or anything, but he definitely knows his role on the bench in San Antonio. He's had experience as a starter actually, averaging over 20 points a game, and that was when the Spurs were kind of transitioning out of the Greg Popovich era, you know, getting out of this 22-year playoff streak, you know, kind of getting out of there. They were just testing different lineups. I think it was pre-Wemby, obviously. And he transitioned to the bench, and now, you know, you might not be setting the world on fire, but he definitely knows his role. And yeah, I mean, it's good to have a nice balance at forward, too. The Spurs are definitely guard heavy with De'Aaron Fox, Dylan Harper, Stefan Castle, and obviously Wemby at center. So uh definitely provides a nice balance at forward, as you said, six foot six, and still grabbing some great rebounds. So I will go with Keldon Johnson for sixth man of the year.

SPEAKER_00 30:58

All right, my most improved player is Nikhil Alexander Walker. This is another tight race, but I feel pretty convicted about this one, whereas I didn't feel super good about Keldon Johnson. Um, you know, I still have him winning. I feel the best about him compared to the other guys in the race. But Nikhil Alexander is not the favorite for this award, but but I think he should be. Uh he's averaging 21-4-4 a steal, and he's shooting 39% from three this season. He's shooting 46% from three over his last 20 games, and he is really blossoming in a similar way to his cousin, Shea Gilgis Alexander. Um, he's he's really starting to fill out as a high volume scorer and shooter for the Hawks. He's not only thrived in the absence of Trey Young, but I think he's become a better player. Might be a hot take, but I I honestly don't really think so. Um he he's a great defender, he's a disruptive defender, eons above Trey, and I think he scores a lot more efficiently uh efficiently than Trey did. And, you know, I don't think he just caps out as a highly efficient role player. I I think he could be an all-star next season and at least a core piece of a contending team moving forward. Um, this is a really, really good basketball player. Like, this is no longer the role player we knew Nikhil Alexander Walker as for a long time in the league. He is really starting to blossom um into a big time player, and he's my most improved player.

SPEAKER_02 32:23

So I'm gonna go with Nikhil Alexander Walker as well. Wow, okay. I know we keep copying each other on everything, people.

SPEAKER_00 32:29

I wasn't expecting that.

SPEAKER_02 32:30

People, we did not compare notes, just saying NAW averaging 20 plus points per game this season for the first time in his career, and the first time he's over 10 since 2022. Second leading scorer on the Hawks after Jalen Johnson. And he and he's just turned himself into a valuable starter on a potential playoff team. The Hawks right now are two games out of the playing tournament, not in the play-in tournament. They're currently the fifth seed, and they hopefully are gonna try and hold on to that. So Nikhil Alexander Walker is my most improved player. He's just really been a great asset for them ever since coming over from like Minnesota and Utah. And being a cousin of Shea Gilgis Alexander, I think the Alexander family is gonna be very happy with some of these award winners. So yeah, might have two of them. Yeah, definitely. We'll see how this works out for that.

SPEAKER_00 33:21

Alrighty, sort of round out our award picks for this season. I'm gonna take another underdog here. My coach of the year is Joe Mazzula. I expected this undermanned Celtics team this year to be fighting tooth and nail for, I don't know, maybe an eight seed. And they are handily the second seed in the East this year. Um, the fact that they're so good after enduring so much rust or turnover, probably the most out of any contending team coming into this season, and also missing their best player for like 80% of the season. I that that's insane to me how good they were able to be this season. And again, with so much turnover and and you know, missing your best player. I mean, I attribute that to Joe Mazzula. He establishes a culture and and and he lives it. I mean, you see it when he talks. I mean, he he never phases in the way he approaches the game and approaches his life, honestly. Every answer you hear is consistent with how he wants his team to play. And, you know, that's something I really respect and and I and I think it um I think it really stands out. And again, when you have a team that has gone through so much um changes personnel-wise, and that is enduring injuries, that kind of consistent, strong voice is so important for a team like that, a team going through issues like that. Um, and it cr clearly proved to work. Again, the Celtics were, you know, I think pretty clearly the second best team in the East this year. I think they're closer to the Pistons than they are to maybe the third best team, the New York Knicks or the Cleveland Cavaliers. I think they're right there with Detroit. So I I mean, honestly, I think they're arguably the best team in the East after going through everything they have this season. JB Bickerstaff is the favorite for this award, and I think that's fine, and he's totally deserving. The Pistons continue to make leap after leap uh without many additions to the roster, and I think that speaks very highly to Bickerstaff, but I just think that given all he had against him and all the Celtics had against them this season, Missoula has done the best job relative to their expectations. So, rounding up my award rule here, I'm giving coach of the year to Joe Mizzo, and I'm excited to see if we finally disagree on one of these.

SPEAKER_02 35:36

And you are correct. We do, there will be a disagreement.

SPEAKER_00 35:40

Finally.

SPEAKER_01 35:41

So my coach of the year is Joe Mizzunovkin.

SPEAKER_02 35:45

Um, so I was going to originally say JB Bickerstaff with his work with the uh the pistons. Whoa, not JB Bickerstaff either? No, no, no, no, no, no. Hold on. Okay. I was going to say JB Bickerstaff just because, you know, the Pistons have just been dominant this year. They are the clear number one seed. Obviously, with Cade's collapsed lung, things have been a little dicey recently, trying to, you know, trying to get him back as soon as possible. But it's like, you know, they were good last year too, and it was kind of like a process. So I'm going to go with somebody who has really just turned a franchise around, and that is Charles Lee of the Charlotte Hornets.

SPEAKER_00 36:23

Interesting. I love that.

SPEAKER_02 36:25

So Charles Lee, ironically enough, was a Celtics assistant coach back when they won the title a few years ago. He has clearly dragged the Hornets from laughing stock to a true contender. The Hornets last year were 19 wins. 19. And this year they're over 500. I believe right now they're sitting at 43. So you're talking about an over 20-game differential in terms of wins. Khan Knipple has been a true rookie of the year threat to Cooper Flag and is already a great three-point shooter. You see it every other, every other week. Oh, Khan broke another record, con this, con that. And I think he's hit the most threes as a rookie. Beating out Steph Curry is always great. I mean, the volumes are bigger these days than when Steph was a rookie in 2009. But the the Hornets have been on a different level. They are no longer the Hornets. You look at the schedule and say, ah, you know, free win today. That's great. But the Hornets are just another great team. I don't think this year they're going to do too much. They might not even escape the playing tournament next week. We don't know, obviously, until we get to that point. But it should be a great progression in the future to see what the Hornets can do. And maybe now that they've done something, maybe free agents will want to go to them. Maybe rookies and draft picks will just be they'll be proud to be in Charlotte. They don't want to be like, oh my gosh, get me on the first flight out of Charlotte. No, they they see it as a respectable sports city and a team now, obviously led by Lamello Ball. So Charles Lee will be my coach of the year pick. He probably will not get it. I'd I'd expect JB Bickerstaff to get it. I think Missoula is a is a good pick too to get it. You never know. Maybe maybe even Mark Dagnol to the Thunder could get it just because they've been consistent, but gotta give some love to Charles Lee.

Game of the Week

SPEAKER_00 38:14

That's a that's a that's an awesome pick. I love that. He he is, I mean, I think he's asserted himself as a you know upper echelon coach in the league, and you know, watching the Hornets really blossom this year after, you know, they always they've they've had young talent for a while now, but I'm really seeing them come into their own, especially with the addition of Khan Knippel and the you know record-breaking historic season he's having. Yeah, big shout out to Charles Lee, a Joe Mazzula disciple. So we may have finally disagreed on on an award, but uh we we we we weren't really too far off when you think about it. They're they're uh they're probably similar coaches. Just uh, you know, obviously different coaches, but but for uh they're probably for for two different coaches, they're probably as close as they get. So yeah, I'm I'm I'm excited to see we disagreed, first of all, and I'm even more excited to to to hear that that pick. That that's a fascinating pick, and I really like that. So um so yeah, that that about wraps up uh our awards for this NBA regular season. Not too much disagreement between me and Larry. Um, we'll see how the real awards shake out, probably a bit differently than ours. You know, I could see Khan Knippel winning the rookie of the year, I could see maybe Jalen Duran winning most improved. Uh, I think JB Bickerstaff will probably win Coach of the Year. We'll probably both be wrong there. Uh so it'll be fun to see how this shakes out. But but that wraps it up for our Dilma Not Halftime 2026 NBA Award Picks. For our game of the week, we are going to the last day of the regular season for this one in a very highly anticipated um rematch from their awesome duel just a couple of days ago. The San Antonio Spurs versus the Denver Nuggets, Victor Wembinyama versus Nikola Jokic. What an incredible game these two teams just had. Went to overtime. We saw Wemby block Jokic early in the game, and and Jokic looked a bit stunned, but then um in overtime, Jokic hits a picture perfect fadeaway right over the fingertips of Victor Weminyama. Those fingertips were probably 12 feet in the air, and Jokic slotted the ball just above them, perfectly switched it. They they pull off a two-point win in overtime versus San Antonio. Wemby was pissed. Uh Jokic Jokic was happy. It was just an awesome game. It was so fun to watch. It was so fun to see. Maybe two of the best centers of all time going at it here, and we're gonna get another taste of it here on the last day of the regular season, uh, Sunday, April 12th here. Hopefully, we're still in a position where these two teams are fighting for seeding so we don't just see them rest their players, because uh I would love to see these guys uh go at it full strength again, full effort, full intensity. The first matchup was so much fun, it was so competitive between those two. Seeing Wemby pissed after the game just just really got me amped because he he is just such a lovable player, like he cares so much about winning basketball games, and not that that's rare anymore, but but it's it's very much appreciated, you know, when you see that type of behavior from a player, when you when you see them really caring. And and you know, when Wemby is probably the player at the top of the league that exemplifies that the most. So it was really cool to see those two get real competitive with each other. But I'm gonna go with San Antonio in this game, you know, again, kind of speaking back to to Wembinyama's competitiveness. Um Spurs might be the best team in the league um in regards to who I want to come back after a bad L. You know, losing does not sit well with them. And you know, you could probably say that about any team at the top of the league, but um, you know, they they really thrive off the energy Wembinyama plays with. You know, Wembinyama is obviously an incredible talent, but again, that care he has for the game and that that disgust he has with losing, it rubs off on the entire team. They went three and one versus the Oklahoma City Thunder this year. Again, I like their odds in a big comeback game, maybe better than any team in the league. And they're spearheaded by maybe the most competitive guy in the NBA right now, Victor Wembenyama. So I'm gonna go with Wemby and the Spurs to get their get back here. I'm gonna go with the Spurs 128 to 120 and getting their revenge here in the final day of the regular season.

Conclusion

SPEAKER_02 42:46

Yeah, definitely a great game to end the regular season in that prime time slot in preparation for the play-in tournament, and obviously the playoffs start later next week. As Chris said, you know, the Nuggets just beat the Spurs at home in overtime last Saturday, 136-134. Definitely a high flyer. And this is a game of MVP candidates, obviously, being Shea Gilgit's Alexanders to lose, but Jokic and Wemby always at the top of the MVP race. In that matchup last week, Nikola Jokic had 40 points, eight rebounds, and 13 assists. Victor Weminyama, 34 points, 18 boards, seven assists, and five blocks, because of course he did try and just stuff the stat sheet any way possible. The Spurs right now, 59 and 19, second in the West. The Nuggets, as we said earlier, 50 and 28 and tied for third with the Lakers, and they're on an eight game winning streak. And the way that it's going right now with the Spurs and the Nuggets, the NBA actually just released today, Monday. They released the postseason seeding possibilities. Now, what these are is basically The breakdown of all the possibilities where a team could fall in the playoff race. So, for example, the Detroit Pistons in the East locked up the number one seed, so they cannot fall below that. In the Western Conference, nobody has claimed a number one seed, but the only two teams that are able to, based off record, are the Thunder and the Spurs. So they released all the possibilities of where teams could fall in the one through ten range. And the Spurs can either go one or two. They cannot go below two. They are still eligible to capture that number one seed, but the Thunder currently have the edge in the standings. They are three games ahead of the Spurs. The Nuggets can go anywhere from three to five. So right now they are tied with the Lakers, and they are one game ahead of Houston for that number five seed. There's still plenty of room for them to kind of shake things up, and this one will definitely be coming down to the wire. You never know. This could be the difference between a home playoff game or being on the road for the Nuggets. And could be a favorable matchup to an unfavorable matchup, or vice versa. A lot of possibilities there. So I'm gonna go, of course, because Chris and I have agreed on everything today, but I will continue that trend. I'll go with the Spurs 123-120. I think it'll be a very contested battle like it was the other day, and just a great matchup. And you never know, depending on how the playoffs shape up, this could honestly be a playoff matchup. You never know. Grab your popcorn. This should be a good one. Well, that's all the time we have for today. If you haven't already, make sure to follow the podcast accounts Chris and me on social media. The three podcast accounts on Instagram, TikTok, and X or Twitter are under at Dialman at half. My personal ex and Instagram are at Larry Dialman. Chris's personal ex and Instagram are at Chris Dippy. All seven handles are in the description on BuzzSprout, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Remember, although you can find Dialman at Halftime on major podcasting platforms like Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, and YouTube, the main podcast website is on Buzz Sprout. The website URL is Dialman at Halftime.buzzsprout.com. Feel free to send a comment by using the Send Us a Text button located in each episode's bio. With the exception of Apple Podcasts, the text option is available on Buzz Sprout and all of the major platforms. Your comment could end up in the fan mail section of the Buzz Sprout website. And don't forget to spread the word about Dealman at halftime. Remember, we are four episodes away from episode number one hundred of the podcast. Very exciting times coming up soon. And today's episode was the final episode of the regular season. So starting next week, it'll be all playoffs until the end of the season. Next week will be a special edition. Chris and I will unveil our entire playoff brackets, including the playing tournament. So stay tuned for that. We can't wait to unveil them and see if you guys agree on our picks. See you next time, fellow hoops fans.