Heard Thundering with Brett Dawson

A warm “Howdy, partner” to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon, who joins me this week to talk about the Thunder’s rebuild – where it started, how it’s going and why it’s so far ahead of schedule. Plus, we dig into MacMahon’s recent story revisiting the Shai Gilgeous-Alexander for Paul George trade and examine SGA’s MVP chances.  Episode highlights: 2:50 How Tim viewed this Thunder rebuild, and how it’s compared to his expectations.  15:50: How Josh Giddey fits now and how that might change in the long term.  26:00: MacMahon on his story revisiting the trade that sent Paul George to the Clippers for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.  32:00: Why Chet Holmgren was just what OKC needed… and some trivia about his season that you might not know.  36:30: SGA for MVP? Where he stands now and what he might need to set himself up for a win in the future.  Producer: Jacquelyn Musgrove Creative Director: Michael Lane Social media: Bobby Howard Director of Content: Mike Sherman

Is there a real MVP push in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s immediate future? How much will Gordon Hayward play? And how much do those minutes eat into Josh Giddey’s? Brandon Sowle joins me on this week’s episode to break down all the Thunder’s post-All-Star storylines. Episode highlights: 3:14: Our takeaways from the Thunder at the All-Star break. What’s surprised us most about where OKC is through 54 games.  9:00:The Thunder in awards races. What are Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s MVP chances? Is Jalen Williams a Most Improved Player candidate? Has the Rookie of the Year ship sailed for Chet Holmgren? Is Mark Daigneault the Coach of the Year favorite? 22:15: The Josh Giddey of it all. How much is the defensive strategy on Giddey gumming up the Thunder’s offense? What do the numbers say? How much does Gordon Hayward address the problem? 33:45: Should Gordon Hayward start? 44:45: Where does the Thunder finish in the Western Conference standings? Producer: Jacquelyn Musgrove Creative Director: Michael Lane Social media: Bobby Howard Director of Content: Mike Sherman

With the NBA trade deadline looming, Jon Hamm joins me to talk about the state of the Thunder, the pecking order of the team’s playoff rotation and what kinds of pieces OKC might need to add if it’s looking to deal.  Producer: Jacquelyn Musgrove Creative Director: Michael Lane

It’s only January and the online discussion of the NBA Rookie of the Year race already is exhausting. To cut through all the side-choosing, Matthew Tynan — who’s covered the Spurs and the NBA at SB Nation, Bleacher Report and The Athletic and now writes about San Antonio at matthewtynan.substack.com  — joins me to talk rationally about Chet Holmgren, Victor Wembanyama and whether playing on a good team matters more than putting up big numbers.  Producer: Jacquelyn Musgrove Creative Director: Michael Lane Social media team: Michael Martin, Bobby Martin Director of Content: Mike Sherman Subscribe on Youtube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | Amazon Music

This week, Minnehaha Academy in Minneapolis will retire Chet Holmgren’s high school jersey, and it got me thinking about what it must have been like to see Chet play in those formative days. There’s a story there, and in Minnesota nobody tells a story like Chip Scoggins. The award-winning columnist from the Minneapolis Star Tribune joins me to talk about the days when people told him he had to go see the skinny kind from Minneahaha — and what he saw when he did.   Show highlights (02:39) Scoggins remembers the first time he saw Holmgren and thinking "What in the world? I had never seen anything like this." (9:21) Scoggins noticed Holmgren's toughness from the start. "You're not going to bully him." (10:55) Holmgren's high school days were "a traveling circus." (20:30) Comparisons with Kevin Durant when it comes to their frame and skill. Producer: Jacquelyn Musgrove Creative Director: Michael Lane Director of Content: Mike Sherman Guest information Chip Scoggins on Twitter:  https://twitter.com/chipscoggins Minneapolis Star-Tribune: https://www.startribune.com/chip-scoggins/6370598/ Related stories Chet Holmgren’s dunk sends the stat geeks down a rabbit hole:  https://selloutcrowd.com/okc-thunder/2023/12/29/chet-holmgrens-dunk-sends-the-stat-geeks-down-a-rabbit-hole/ How the Thunder’s Chet Holmgren is adjusting to physical play and thriving at center:  https://selloutcrowd.com/the-latest/2023/11/24/how-the-thunders-chet-holmgren-is-adjusting-to-physical-play-and-thriving-at-center/ More from Brett Dawson Website: https://selloutcrowd.com/ Personal website: https://brett-dawson.com/ Twitter: www.twitter.com/selloutcrowd_ | www.twitter.com/bdawsonwrites Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/selloutcrowdcom/ Sellout Crowd on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Sellout-Crowd Subscribe to Brett Dawson Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Brett-Dawson Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/38Bc4NlKdHEoFeVMcDsRiC?si=45f310fa4e5c411e&nd=1 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/heard-thundering-with-brett-dawson/id1707909462 Amazon Music https://selloutcrowd.com/the-latest/2023/11/24/how-the-thunders-chet-holmgren-is-adjusting-to-physical-play-and-thriving-at-center/