J.A. Adande on LeBron passing the torch to AD, superteams, the Knicks & Phil Jackson

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Longtime NBA reporter, columnist & ESPN personality J.A. Adande, who is now the Director of Sports Journalism at Northwestern University, joins Vince Goodwill for a fun conversation that covers parts of the NBA Playoffs but also veers into the philosophy of the game itself.

After talking briefly about the glory days of newspapers as the kings of sports media, Vince Goodwill and (Los Angeles native) J.A. Adande talk about LeBron James taking a backseat to Anthony Davis in the first few games of the 2023 NBA Playoffs and what it means for the future of the Los Angeles Lakers.

They then switch gears to the other L.A. team, the Clippers, and J.A. explains that he roots for teams that took their time and were built gradually and against teams that built their roster overnight through free agency or trades, meaning that he’s rooting against both the Clippers and the Phoenix Suns this year. Vinny doesn’t agree that the Suns deserve J.A.’s ire.

Both guys are bummed about Giannis’ back injury, because this postseason could’ve been the one that catapulted him to the very top tier of all-time NBA players. Talk of injuries in the playoffs does lead to J.A.’s idea that the NBA should get rid of charges all together. Stick around to see if Vince agrees.

While the New York Knicks may be an overrated team, MSG is not an overrated venue, and their success in the playoffs could (finally) lead to some young stars to want to sign with the Knicks in free agency. What does the future hold for this young Knicks team?

Finally, responding to his comments that he was turned off by the league putting slogans on the courts and jerseys during the 2020 bubble playoffs, Vince and J.A. go through some of the public quotes Phil Jackson has said in the past as a sign that we should’ve seen this type of public rhetoric coming.

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