Today on BRING IT IN TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott, David Thorpe and Jarod Hector brought back NINE BY NINETY, where they get 90 seconds each to rapid-fire cover nine topics. At one point we discussed parakeets, and:* The magical powers of Klutch.* NBA players won’t be forced into vaccines.* Texas is loco.* How to become Kyle Lowry.* The Ben Simmons showdown.* David’s idea: Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons for Bradley Beal.RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES:* MONDAY August 30, 2021 Co-founder and president of Overtime, Zack Weiner talks about creating a “superleague” for the next generation of elite basketball players. * FRIDAY August 27, 2021 Jarod asked David to put on his “Ted Lasso” hat and address where Ben Simmons belongs.* MONDAY August 23, 2021 TrueHoop kicks off a project for the new year: TrueHoop Coachspeak, where we get into the nitty gritty of the X’s and O’s.* FRIDAY August 20, 2021 Who’ll be dominating the NBA in five years?* MONDAY August 16, 2021 Amazingly, there’s a player David loves more than Scottie Barnes.* FRIDAY August 6, 2021 Henry’s latest piece on the new Netflix documentary on the Malice in the Palace and the winners and losers of free agency this season.* MONDAY August 2, 2021 TrueHoop on Team USA’s odds of winning gold.* FRIDAY July 30, 2021 They had a big old NBA draft, the Wizards and Lakers’ huge deal, Thorpe’s draft review, and a phone call from Damian Lillard. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.truehoop.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on BRING IT IN, TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott and David Thorpe spoke with the co-founder and president of Overtime, Zack Weiner. He talks about creating a “superleague” for the next generation of elite basketball players, compensating players as early as 16. It’s opening this fall in Georgia. It’s a real option unlike any before, with its own school, 24 of the best players in the world, an arena designed to look good on video, and not just payments but equity for high-school aged players. RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES:* FRIDAY August 27, 2021 Jarod asked David to put on his “Ted Lasso” hat and address where Ben Simmons belongs.* MONDAY August 23, 2021 TrueHoop kicks off a project for the new year: TrueHoop Coachspeak, where we get into the nitty gritty of the X’s and O’s.* FRIDAY August 20, 2021 Who’ll be dominating the NBA in five years?* MONDAY August 16, 2021 Amazingly, there’s a player David loves more than Scottie Barnes.* FRIDAY August 6, 2021 Henry’s latest piece on the new Netflix documentary on the Malice in the Palace and the winners and losers of free agency this season.* MONDAY August 2, 2021 TrueHoop on Team USA’s odds of winning gold.* FRIDAY July 30, 2021 They had a big old NBA draft, the Wizards and Lakers’ huge deal, Thorpe’s draft review, and a phone call from Damian Lillard.* MONDAY July 26, 2021 David on Team USA’s loss to France in the Olympics. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.truehoop.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on a BRING IT IN, TrueHoop’s David Thorpe and Jarod Hector discuss:* David says the Hawks will win a title, and have decided to rename Kevin Huerter “Red Mamba” instead of Red Velvet.* Jarod and David think the MLB is better than the NBA at utilizing the minor leagues to train its major league players.* Jarod asked David to put on his “Ted Lasso” hat and address where Ben Simmons belongs.* The NBA gets grades on social culture/activism issues.RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES:* MONDAY August 23, 2021 TrueHoop kicks off a project for the new year: TrueHoop Coachspeak, where we get into the nitty gritty of the X’s and O’s.* FRIDAY August 20, 2021 Who’ll be dominating the NBA in five years?* MONDAY August 16, 2021 Amazingly, there’s a player David loves more than Scottie Barnes.* FRIDAY August 6, 2021 Henry’s latest piece on the new Netflix documentary on the Malice in the Palace and the winners and losers of free agency this season.* MONDAY August 2, 2021 TrueHoop on Team USA’s odds of winning gold.* FRIDAY July 30, 2021 They had a big old NBA draft, the Wizards and Lakers’ huge deal, Thorpe’s draft review, and a phone call from Damian Lillard.* MONDAY July 26, 2021 David on Team USA’s loss to France in the Olympics.* FRIDAY July 23, 2021 It’s a party! After all those months of lockdown, Jarod Hector, Adena Jones, and Henry Abbott gather in person at Judy’s house—with David Thorpe on Zoom from Florida, for a special BRING IT IN. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.truehoop.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TrueHoop kicks off a project for the new year: TrueHoop Coachspeak. This is where we get into the nitty gritty of the X’s and O’s (and learn why it’s better not to use actual X’s and O’s anymore—initials are better). The first guest of Coachspeak isRyan Pannone, David’s close friend and head coach of the Birmingham Squadron, the New Orleans Pelicans G-League affiliate. He’s coached in Israel, Germany, China, and Slovakia, and is the head NBA Development Coach at David’s Pro Training Center. Some topics:* Ryan watches 5-10 hours of game film a day—including almost every moment he’s a passenger in a car. Why? * Why he doesn’t spin the whiteboard around anymore.* How new Pelicans coach Willie Green is like Ted Lasso.* What he loves about Naji Marshall, Jarrod Uthoff, and Amare Stoudemire.* How he is preparing for the G-League season.RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES:* FRIDAY August 20, 2021 Who’ll be dominating the NBA in five years?* MONDAY August 16, 2021 Amazingly, there’s a player David loves more than Scottie Barnes.* FRIDAY August 6, 2021 Henry’s latest piece on the new Netflix documentary on the Malice in the Palace and the winners and losers of free agency this season.* MONDAY August 2, 2021 TrueHoop on Team USA’s odds of winning gold.* FRIDAY July 30, 2021 They had a big old NBA draft, the Wizards and Lakers’ huge deal, Thorpe’s draft review, and a phone call from Damian Lillard.* MONDAY July 26, 2021 David on Team USA’s loss to France in the Olympics.* FRIDAY July 23, 2021 It’s a party! After all those months of lockdown, Jarod Hector, Adena Jones, and Henry Abbott gather in person at Judy’s house—with David Thorpe on Zoom from Florida, for a special BRING IT IN.* MONDAY July 19, 2021 Tom Haberstroh wonders if Devin Booker made choices that defied The Art of War and set the stage for Jrue Holiday’s series-altering steal late in Game 5. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.truehoop.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Who’ll be dominating the NBA in five years? You know about Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson, and Ja Morant, but today on BRING IT IN David Thorpe has some more to throw at you. * Devin Vassell can barely shoot but—hear David out—has a component of Kevin Durant’s game that makes his future as a scorer interesting. * Tyrese Maxey has the chance to be a big Kyle Lowry.* The favorites in each conference. (We call the show Fridays with Jarod, and after some bad wifi, for a few seconds it was literally Friday with just Jarod.)* How much should players work on skill development vs. play basketball? Some players need to play way more. And a special subset shouldn’t play in the summer at all. * Draymond Green, TV host.RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES:* MONDAY August 16, 2021 Amazingly, there’s a player David loves more than Scottie Barnes.* FRIDAY August 6, 2021 Henry’s latest piece on the new Netflix documentary on the Malice in the Palace and the winners and losers of free agency this season.* MONDAY August 2, 2021 TrueHoop on Team USA’s odds of winning gold.* FRIDAY July 30, 2021 They had a big old NBA draft, the Wizards and Lakers’ huge deal, Thorpe’s draft review, and a phone call from Damian Lillard.* MONDAY July 26, 2021 David on Team USA’s loss to France in the Olympics.* FRIDAY July 23, 2021 It’s a party! After all those months of lockdown, Jarod Hector, Adena Jones, and Henry Abbott gather in person at Judy’s house—with David Thorpe on Zoom from Florida, for a special BRING IT IN.* MONDAY July 19, 2021 Tom Haberstroh wonders if Devin Booker made choices that defied The Art of War and set the stage for Jrue Holiday’s series-altering steal late in Game 5.* FRIDAY July 16, 2021 Damian Lillard, the Blazers, and the Blazers’ rape investigation. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.truehoop.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on BRING IT IN TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott, David Thorpe, and Jarod Hector ponder: What can we learn from the summer league? Amazingly, there’s a player David loves more than Scottie Barnes. And the big takeaway is there are a ton of very talented players. They discuss: The Rockets, Evan Mobley, Luke Garza, Jonathan Kuminga, Desmond Bane, Devin Vassell, Bol Bol, TYRESE MAXEY, Obi Toppin, Payton Pritchard, Pat Williams, Ben Simmons, Team USA, the Nets, the Lakers, Kevin Love, Kawhi Leonard and more.RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES:* FRIDAY August 6, 2021 Henry’s latest piece on the new Netflix documentary on the Malice in the Palace and the winners and losers of free agency this season.* MONDAY August 2, 2021 TrueHoop on Team USA’s odds of winning gold.* FRIDAY July 30, 2021 They had a big old NBA draft, the Wizards and Lakers’ huge deal, Thorpe’s draft review, and a phone call from Damian Lillard.* MONDAY July 26, 2021 David on Team USA’s loss to France in the Olympics.* FRIDAY July 23, 2021 It’s a party! After all those months of lockdown, Jarod Hector, Adena Jones, and Henry Abbott gather in person at Judy’s house—with David Thorpe on Zoom from Florida, for a special BRING IT IN.* MONDAY July 19, 2021 Tom Haberstroh wonders if Devin Booker made choices that defied The Art of War and set the stage for Jrue Holiday’s series-altering steal late in Game 5.* FRIDAY July 16, 2021 Damian Lillard, the Blazers, and the Blazers’ rape investigation. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.truehoop.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on BRING IT IN TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott, David Thorpe, and Jarod Hector talked about Henry’s latest piece on the new Netflix documentary on the Malice in the Palace and the winners and losers of free agency this season. RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES:* MONDAY August 2, 2021 TrueHoop on Team USA’s odds of winning gold.* FRIDAY July 30, 2021 They had a big old NBA draft, the Wizards and Lakers’ huge deal, Thorpe’s draft review, and a phone call from Damian Lillard.* MONDAY July 26, 2021 David on Team USA’s loss to France in the Olympics.* FRIDAY July 23, 2021 It’s a party! After all those months of lockdown, Jarod Hector, Adena Jones, and Henry Abbott gather in person at Judy’s house—with David Thorpe on Zoom from Florida, for a special BRING IT IN.* MONDAY July 19, 2021 Tom Haberstroh wonders if Devin Booker made choices that defied The Art of War and set the stage for Jrue Holiday’s series-altering steal late in Game 5.* FRIDAY July 16, 2021 Damian Lillard, the Blazers, and the Blazers’ rape investigation.* MONDAY July 12, 2021 Henry Abbott and David Thorpe break down Giannis’ insane Finals so far. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.truehoop.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today on BRING IT IN, TrueHoop’s Henry Abbott and David Thorpe talk about Team USA’s odds of winning gold and then take a deep dive into NBA free agency.RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES:* FRIDAY July 30, 2021 They had a big old NBA draft, the Wizards and Lakers’ huge deal, Thorpe’s draft review, and a phone call from Damian Lillard.* MONDAY July 26, 2021 David on Team USA’s loss to France in the Olympics.* FRIDAY July 23, 2021 It’s a party! After all those months of lockdown, Jarod Hector, Adena Jones, and Henry Abbott gather in person at Judy’s house—with David Thorpe on Zoom from Florida, for a special BRING IT IN.* MONDAY July 19, 2021 Tom Haberstroh wonders if Devin Booker made choices that defied The Art of War and set the stage for Jrue Holiday’s series-altering steal late in Game 5.* FRIDAY July 16, 2021 Damian Lillard, the Blazers, and the Blazers’ rape investigation.* MONDAY July 12, 2021 Henry Abbott and David Thorpe break down Giannis’ insane Finals so far.* THURSDAY July 8, 2021 Henry Abbott and David Thorpe talk about winning the Finals. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.truehoop.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

They had a big old NBA draft, the Wizards and Lakers’ huge deal, Thorpe’s draft review, and a phone call from Damian Lillard.RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES:* MONDAY July 26, 2021 David on Team USA’s loss to France in the Olympics.* FRIDAY July 23, 2021 It’s a party! After all those months of lockdown, Jarod Hector, Adena Jones, and Henry Abbott gather in person at Judy’s house—with David Thorpe on Zoom from Florida, for a special BRING IT IN.* MONDAY July 19, 2021 Tom Haberstroh wonders if Devin Booker made choices that defied The Art of War and set the stage for Jrue Holiday’s series-altering steal late in Game 5.* FRIDAY July 16, 2021 Damian Lillard, the Blazers, and the Blazers’ rape investigation.* MONDAY July 12, 2021 Henry Abbott and David Thorpe break down Giannis’ insane Finals so far.* THURSDAY July 8, 2021 Henry Abbott and David Thorpe talk about winning the Finals.* MONDAY June 28, 2021 The Bucks’ commanding position, how to play with a banged up Trae Young, life without Kawhi, Chris Paul’s snake dribble, and more. This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.truehoop.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. men’s team opened the playoffs with a dispiriting loss to France. The French team is good. And big—a particular weakness of the American roster. But … isn’t an American team with multiple incredible defenders, Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, Jayson Tatum, and Jrue Holiday supposed to beat France? David watched every second and has all kinds of thoughts:* Starting two non-shooting bigs together made like easy for Rudy Gobert, who wanted to camp out in the paint. So long as that was the case, the U.S. offense would depend on hitting long jumpers, which often—but not always—works. * Popovich stubbornly kept up a switching defense, which gave France an identity to pick their preferred matchup and pound the paint—at times with three bigs. * With Bradley Beal on the roster things would have been different.Also, before you lecture Team USA about Hero Ball, understand that Popovich’s personal basketball journey, well before the NBA, begins with life as an intense and gritty defender and role player who was one of the last players cut from Team USA when politics led the team to pick more famous and high-scoring players instead. “He’s never forgotten it,” his close friend R.C. Buford told Jackie MacMullan a few years ago. That said, there’s all kinds of reasons for hope. * Kevin Durant at center might be incredible for this tournament.* Damian Lillard looked nervous, and passed in moments he would normally shoot. That won’t last. * With a bit of rest, Khris Middleton could become an incredibly important player.* Few if any rosters can frustrate Team USA in this exact way.RECENT BRING IT IN EPISODES:* FRIDAY July 23, 2021 It’s a party! After all those months of lockdown, Jarod Hector, Adena Jones, and Henry Abbott gather in person at Judy’s house—with David Thorpe on Zoom from Florida, for a special BRING IT IN.* MONDAY July 19, 2021 Tom Haberstroh wonders if Devin Booker made choices that defied The Art of War and set the stage for Jrue Holiday’s series-altering steal late in Game 5.* FRIDAY July 16, 2021 Damian Lillard, the Blazers, and the Blazers’ rape investigation.* MONDAY July 12, 2021 Henry Abbott and David Thorpe break down Giannis’ insane Finals so far.* THURSDAY July 8, 2021 Henry Abbott and David Thorpe talk about winning the Finals.* MONDAY June 28, 2021 The Bucks’ commanding position, how to play with a banged up Trae Young, life without Kawhi, Chris Paul’s snake dribble, and more.* FRIDAY June 25, 2021 Jarod Hector on how money affects players.* This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.truehoop.com/subscribe Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices