This podcast episode is free. If you’d like to receive more content like this and access to all of The Finder’s content and participate in the comments, become a paid subscriber. The NBA 82-game regular season is just around the corner. Balls are bouncing. Lineups are forming. Ideas are flowing. Friend of The Finder Nate Jones, an NBA agent and ent…

Early this week, I texted Kirk Goldsberry to invite him onto the pod and talk about his awesome new book, HOOP ATLAS: Mapping the Remarkable Transformation of the Modern NBA. He was in. He had one request. Can we get Brandon Payne on too? YES. A man of many talents, Goldsberry is a professor of Sports Analytics at the University of Texas and has wo…

You might have seen the Patrick Mahomes stat that went viral this week. The man behind that stat, Neil Paine, joins us this week at The Finder. An old colleague from the ESPN days, the whip-smart proprietor of Neil’s Substack talks about using numbers to do premium storytelling, his final days at the now-defunct The Messenger, Denver’s altitude as …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.tomthefinder.com After Kyrie Irving dropped 44 on the red-hot Knicks, we had to run it back with Brandon Payne. Stephen Curry’s longtime trainer Brandon Payne couldn’t wait to talk about Irving’s array of shot-making, creativity and space creation. What struck me about Irving is how …

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.tomthefinder.com Victor Wembanyama celebrated his 20th birthday by melting candles and melting minds on Thursday. 27 points, 9 rebounds and 5 blocks in just 26 minutes against Milwaukee Bucks’ frontline of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez. The numbers don’t do his performance ju…

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.tomthefinder.com Stephen Curry dropped 36 points on Tuesday night against Orlando with a couple shots that made its way through socials. Since y’all seemed to love the Steph moonball video we did, I sent out the Brandon Payne bat signal. He’s been Stephen Curry’s skills trainer and s…

One of my favorite people (and a favorite to so many others in the NBA universe), my friend Travonne “Tray” Edwards joins the pod at a very … let’s say transitional time in my life. The copywriter at top ad agency Weiden-Kennedy / author of two books / confidante to NBA stars / Count The Dings co-founder / social media expert / Compton native / ama…

This week’s guest is ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky, a former NFL quarterback and terrific TV analyst for ESPN NFL Live and Monday Night Football. He’s also bff’s with my older brother Chuck. This week on the pod, we discuss: * Why don’t pro athletes play two sports anymore? My recent piece on Bo and Deion. * Why specialization and year-round youth sports is …

I was going to wait a bit before I launched a podcast on The Finder. And then on Tuesday, ESPN went ahead and announced ESPN The Sportsbook! Kinda. I had lots of questions so I asked my two industry buddies/gurus to hop on — the Bens. Ben Fawkes — formerly of ESPN Chalk, the gambling section of ESPN.com, and VSiN — came to us from Vegas to share hi…

Wondering where Habershow went? They boarded the pirate ship with Meadowlark Media. Subscribe to Basketball Illuminati now Tired of agenda-driven basketball talk that only offers glimpses of the truth? Wish there was a place you could get the full picture? Basketball Illuminati offers you salvation. Go behind the scenes with insider analysis previo…

Amin and Tom break down the ramifications of the CJ McCollum trade, what it means for the future of the organization, how Damian Lillard will handle the breakup, and Tom's Trivia indicates how much of an outlier the pairing has been in NBA history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices This is a public episode. If you…

Tom and Amin are joined by just another kid from Akron, Rachel DeMita, to discuss her celebrity game resume, Shaq's life advice, the shell game that is the college recruiting process, H-O-R-S-E strategies, Barberton's famous fried chicken, and so much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices This is a public episod…

Amin and Tom discuss the white on white basketball crime plaguing the league, John Stockton's big numbers, James Harden's alleged dissatisfaction with Brooklyn, Daryl Morey's most desired target for Ben Simmons, Grant Hill's Sprite Commercials, and the most ejected players in recent NBA history. All facts and sources credited to Ballsack Sports. Le…

Tom and Amin discuss Frank Vogel's chair temperature, his lack of contract extension given other coaches with his resume, and what it means about his relationship with GM LeBron. Then they step in the way back machine to look at who the biggest losers in NBA history snapped their losing streaks against. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podca…

Tom and Amin discuss Chauncey Billups' glowing comments about Kyrie Irving, the subtle differences between skill, talent and IQ, the latest addition the MVP conversation, Point Guard tiers, the plight of Russell Westbrook, and finally a walk down memory lane to the magical 90-91 Denver Nuggets squad. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastc…

Amin and Tom discuss the futility of monthly player awards, the return of Kyrie and Klay, the Warriors crowded rotation, Josh Giddey becoming the youngest to record a triple double, and Kevin Porter Jr's antics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other su…

Amin and Tom tackle the ongoing soap opera that is the health and safety protocols in the NBA, Nate McMillan's history of getting fined, the invention and instant popularization of the hardship 10 day contract and Kareem's criticism of LeBron's meme posting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices This is a public episo…