Sheridan Hoops Radio

What to make of the Pacers' come-from-behind vicory over the Miami Heat on Tuesday night. Well, for starters, it provided some validation for Indiana after their scintillating start to the season. showing that they have the goods (and the composure) to compete with the two-time defending champs. But when will REAL validation come? How about a week from now when the two teams meet in Miami? In this interview on the Big O show on AM640 in Miami, Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops discusses how much of a threat this version of the Pacers are to the Heat -- especially given the upgrades Indiana made in the offseason, but with the caveat that the return of Danny Granger could be a good thing or a bad thing now that Paul George has become to go-to guy in the rotation. Other topics covered include the Rudy Gay trade, a gang member with face tattoos, and the effects of drinking too much cough syrup. Enjoy.

Folks in Toronto are ecstatic that the Raptors have ridded thmseves of Rudy Gay, who has gone from a cherished franchise cornerstone in Memphis (way back in January) to a --  how shall we say? -- ball-stopping bum who couldn't shoot 40 percent in Toronto. But he will be joining a Sacramento Kings team that needs a go-to perimeter scorer to alleviate some of the defensive pressure on DeMarcus Cousins, and a Kings team that now gets to elevate Isaiah Thomas, who leads all NBA bench players in scoring, into the starting lineup. The Kings will be paying Gay a ton of money to try to get themselves out of the Western Conference basement, but you have to give them credit for trying.  In Toronto, meanwhile, foks are wondering who is next on Masai Ujiri's trade list. The safe pick is Kyle Lowry, who is on an expiring contract and can be replaced by Greivis Vazquez, one of the four players acquired by Toronto in today's seven-player deal. More on the trade in this interview with TSN Radio in Toronto.

We have had Paul George and Kevin Durant atop the first two editions of the SheridanHoops.com MVP rankings, and a new edition is coming out Wednesday. Who is No. 1? You'll have to wait and see, but a hint is given in this interview with Gordon Monson and Jake Scott on 1280 The Zone in Salt Lake City, where the topics of discussion included the Jazz defeating the Bulls to tie Milwaukee in the win column in Tankapalooze, the sorry state of the No. 27 and 28 New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, and the newly secured future plans of the Los Angeles Lakers after they signed Kobe Bryant to a two-year contract extension.  Does this mean they will trade Pau Gasol?

Not much is going well for the New York Knicks, who are heading into a back-to-back against the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers. So what can be done about it? Is Steve Mills capable of making a deal that will turn this season around? Will Iman Shumpert be traded? (More details in this column.) Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops discusses with Seth Everett of Fox Sports Radio, and he does not paint a pretty picture.

It is never a good thing to have a zero in your record at this point of the NBA season -- unless, of course, that zero is in the loss column. For the Utah Jazz, that goose egg is in the win column -- and nobody wants to be the first team to lose to them. So as tough as things have already been, they are about to get tougher for Tyrone Corbin's young team. That topic, and plenty more from around the league, discussed in this podcast with Gordon Monson and Spence Checketts of "the Big Show" on 1280AM in Salt Lake City.

Amid all of the controversy in Miami over the Miami Dolphins hazing scandal, former NBA player Danny Schayes discusses the locker room culture of professional sports -- and exactly how politically incorrect it can be. A lively discussion with the folks at AM740 in Orlando.

There is a lot of excitement in the Bay Area regarding the Golden State Warriors, who are atop the Western Conference alongside the San Antonio Spurs -- their opponent tonight in a nationally televised game. (The Warriors are 5-point underdogs, which seems a bit much for me. I also like the over 204 -- not that I am wagering or anything.) The missing link for this team has been Andre Iguodala, whose offense has been spectacular for a team averaging more than 110 points per game. Is he the type of missing link that could lead the Warriors our of the Western Conference and into the NBA Finals? My answer is revealed in this interview with Guy Haberman on 95.7 The Game in the Bay Area. 

Folks are not panicking in Miami just because the Heat are not atop the Eastern Conference standings. But they are taking a closer look at the Indiana Pacers, who entered Wednesday night's game against the Chicago Bulls as the last remaining unbeaten NBA team. Heat fans remember that the Pacers took the Heat to seven games, and they realize that Indiana's new, deeper roster is going to make the Pacers a much tougher out next spring -- especially if a Game 7 is played in Indianapolis instead of Miami. That was the main topic of discussion on this appearance I made on the Big O show on AM640 in Miami on Wednesday evening, but we also spanned the league, too, and talked a little Houston Rockets -- and how they exemplify the new NBA under the changed collective bargaining rules. If you have a guy like Daryl Morey running the show, you can go from basket case to legit contender in a less than a year.

Back in 2008, I covered the U.S. Olympic team in Beijing, where Jason Kidd was the No. 1 point guard, Chris Paul was No. 2 and Deron Williams No. 3 -- but it was a close contest between CP3 and DWill. They were considered equals then, but Paul is already having the type of season that shows why he has grown into the better player -- and why he is the more popular of the two (Blake Griffin as a running mate helps). Plenty on that and more from around the NBA, including the lack of an extension for Gordon Hayward and the strong start by the Indiana Pacers, in this podcast with Gordon Monson and Spence Checketts of 1280 The Zone in Salt Lake City.

The Indiana Pacers have the bst record in the NBA, 2-0, after defeating the New Orleans Pelicans and the Orlano Magic. So my suggested plan is working perfectly for them. IN our massive season preview package, I picked the Pacers to win the championship but said they MUST have homecourt advantage for a possible Game 7 against Miami. Only way they can do that is by making Miami chase them throughout the season. So far, so good. More on Indiana, plus a look around the league in this podcast with 1070 The Fan in Indianapolis.

It is frightening how important the Memphis Grizzlies' season opener is to their prospects for the 2013-14 season -- and yes, that is a Halloween reference. The ghosts of last May will be visiting again when the Spurs, who swept the Grizzlies 4-0 in last year's Western Conference finals, will be the opponent. With a win, the Grizzlies can build a level of confidence that can carry them through November -- if not longer. With a loss, the Dave Joerger era gets off to an inauspicious beginning.  Memphis made a nice pickup in the offseason by getting Kosta Koufos from the Denver Nuggets, adding a nice piece to what was already an imposing front line -- an advantage they will ned to exploit against the smallish Spurs. Also, keep an eye out for the 3-point shooting of Jarryd Bayless. As we all know, a lack of 3-point shooting was the Grizzlies Achilles heel for the past two seasons. More on tonight's best game -- and a review of the Bulls-Heat game from Tuesday night -- in this interview with Eric Hasseltime of ESPN 92.9 FM in Memphis.

Yeah, baby. We waited all summer for this night to arrive, and the fun doesn;t end until the middle of June ... at which time the fun begins anew with the strongest draft class since 2003 and the most star-studded free agent market since 2010. In the meantime, can the Miami Heat "three-peat?" Who is their strongest challenger -- Bropoklyn? Indiana? And how good will the Houston Rockets be now that Dwight Howard is aboard. My answers are contained ion this podcast with Jon Stashauer of NBC Sports Radio.

Ever heard of the Skirvin Hotel in Oklahoma City? It is haunted, and a good number of NBA players have reported paranormal activity while staying there. You know what else in Oklahoma City is haunted? The Thunder. And you know why? Because of the James Harden trade. That haunting will carry into the upcoming NBA season, and the Thunder will be nowhere near the top of the West, Chris Sheridan of SheridanHoops.com says in this podcast with Sam Mayes and Colby Daniels of 107.7 The Franchise in OKC.

The Memphis Grizzlies got themselves a gook backup center, retained Tony Allen at an affordable price, had Jamaal Franklin fall into their laps inn the 2nd round and acquired the rights to Greek_American point guard Nick Calathes from Dallas. Calathas has a $1.2 million contract with a Russian club, but with a $500,000 buyout. He needs to decide by Friday where he plans to play, and the #Grizzlies are waiting with a three-year offer. Want to know more about this high IQ backup point guard? I have some Calathes stories to tell that you won't hear anywhere else in this interview with Erik Haseltine of ESON92.9 in Memphis. Enjoy: 

Knicks coach Mike Woodson likes to use Carmelo Anthony as his power forward. We learned that much last year. So it should be safe to assume that Metta World Peace will be the Knicks' starter at small forward, correct? Well, it's never that easy with Woodson, who never settled on a set rotation throughout last season -- even in the Knicks' final game of the playoffs when Amar'e Stoudemire and Jason Kidd spent the final 24 minutes watching from the bench. Woodson has a logjam at the 4 spot, with no set role as of this point for either Stoudemire or Andrea Bargnani. The best guess is that one of them is going to be the 7th man and one will be the 8th man -- although that might force Bargnani to play out of position at small forward, where he would be even more of a defensive liability than he already is. S