Hardwood Knocks: An NBA Podcast

Dan is joined by Adam Mares (@Adam_Mares) of DNVR and the All NBA Show with Tim Legler to break down the 2026-27 Denver Nuggets. Subscribe to the DNVR Nuggets Podcast AND the All NBA Show on YouTube. TIMESTAMPS⤵️

0:00 - INTRO
2:07 - Takeaways from last season
5:57 - The Peyton Watson trade return
13:02 - Nikola Jokic’s commitment
14:54 - Christian Braun’s importance
20:17 - More players bringing up the ball
24:30 - Cam Johnson’s role
25:39 - DeMar DeRozan’s fit
30:00 - Denver’s ball pressure and offensive rebounding
34:13 - Alpha Diallo and Trevon Brazille
36:00 - Cam Whitmore, Bryce Hopkins and Ryan Nembhard
41:13 - Do the Nuggets have enough depth?
43:22 - Wrinkles in Denver’s rotation
46:34 - Biggest needs
47:55 - Aaron Gordon flying under the radar?
49:09 - Top-10 rotation and weirdo lineups we want to see
52:49 - Nikola Jokic’s MVP case
55:07 - The Dave Joerger arrival
56:08 - PREDICTIONS

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Dan is joined by Caitlin Cooper (@C2_Cooper) of the world-famous “Basketball, She Wrote” blog to break down the 2026-27 Indiana Pacers. Sign up for “Basketball, She Wrote” here: https://www.patreon.com/cw/basketballshewrote. And Subscribe to Caitlin’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@CaitlinCooperBSW. JOIN OUR ANNUAL OVER/UNDER COMPETITION: https://forms.gle/xC3p9vhGyEumrq8H7. TIMESTAMPS⤵️

0:00 - INTRO
1:17 - Lessons from last season 
4:25 - Tyrese Haliburton’s return
11:32 - The Ivica Zubac fit
37:54 - Pascal Siakam’s continued adjustments
42:53 - Impact of Andrew Nembhard’s shot quality
45:56 - Can Aaron Nesmith scale up?
50:38 - Kelly Oubre Jr.’s fit 
55:15 - Obi Toppin’s passing
57:41 - The secondary big man rotation
1:03:01 - Jarace Walker’s role and future
1:10:05 - Johnny Furphy’s return
1:13:11 - Confidence level in the bench
1:16:37 - Most intriguing two-way contract
1:19:34 - Biggest needs
1:20:49 - How will the Pacers approach the possession battle?
1:17:48 - Top-10 rotation
1:23:54 - Go-to crunch-time lineup(s)
1:25:06 - Weirdo lineups we want to see
1:28:35 - PREDICTIONS

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SUPPORT THE SHOW BY PURCHASING HARDWOOD KNOCKS MERCH

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FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL⬇️
TikTok: @hardwoodknocks
Twitter @HardwoodKnocks
Instagram: @hardwood_knocks
Dan's Bluesky: @danfavale
Dan's Twitter: @danfavale
Dan's IG: @danfavale
Grant's Bluesky: @granthughes

BUSINESS INQUIRES⬇️
hardwoodknocks@gmail.com

Dan is joined by Mike Richman (@mikegrich) from Locked On Blazers to break down the 2026-27 Portland Trail Blazers! Subscribe to Locked On Blazers on YouTube. TIMESTAMPS⤵️

0:00 - INTRO
1:24 - Biggest 2025-26 takeaways
2:22 - The Micah Nori hire
5:27 - The Ja Morant trade and fit
10:53 - Ja and Dame
12:01 - Deni Avdija’s role with Ja and Dame
13:26 - Damian Lillard’s return and usage
18:01 - Scoot Henderson’s role and future
20:09 - Portland’s dynamic ball-handling
23:07 - Donovan Clingan’s continued development
26:32 - The secondary big man rotation
29:48 - Yang Hansen’s role and breakdown
31:38 - Toumani Camara, Jrue Holiday and the defense
37:04 - Impact of Shaedon Sharpe injury
38:46 - What is the Blazers’ identity?
40:25 - The Moda Center battle
45:45 - Deni Avdija’s future
48:02 - Biggest needs
51:59 - Scoot Henderson’s future
49:42 - Top-10 rotation
50:15 - Go-to crunch-time lineup
51:05 - Vit Krejci appreciation
51:45 - PREDICTIONS

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SUPPORT THE SHOW BY PURCHASING HARDWOOD KNOCKS MERCH

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FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL⬇️
TikTok: @hardwoodknocks
Twitter @HardwoodKnocks
Instagram: @hardwood_knocks
Dan's Bluesky: @danfavale
Dan's Twitter: @danfavale
Dan's IG: @danfavale
Grant's Bluesky: @granthughes

BUSINESS INQUIRES⬇️
hardwoodknocks@gmail.com

Dan is joined by Will Griffith (@WillofThaPeople) and Tony Xypteras (@TonyXypteras) from The Kings Herald to break down the 2026-27 Sacramento Kings. Subscribe to their podcast, The Kings Herald Show, that also features Jerry Reynolds on both Apple and Spotify. TIMESTAMPS⤵️

0:00 - INTRO 
2:12 - The Kings’ offseason approach
5:26 - Scott Perry’s vision for the roster
9:01 - How will the Kings handle the vets?
12:35 - Early impressions of Darius Acuff Jr.
21:55 - What’s next for Keegan Murray?
28:00 - Will Ben Simmons make an impact?
29:44 - Maxime Raynaud breakdown
32:38 - Emmanuel Sharpe breakdown
34:32 - Dylan Cardwell breakdown
37:40 - Nique Clifford breakdown
39:19 - Alex Karaban breakdown
41:43 - Daqwon Plowden breakdown
42:29 - Sacramento’s offensive identity under Doug Christie
49:21 - The Kings’ season is a success if…
52:00 - Biggest needs
55:16 - Defensive strengths
56:09 - Top-10 rotation
59:52 - Go-to crunch-time lineup
1:01:58 - Weirdo lineups we want to see
1:03:10 - PREDICTIONS

JOIN OUR ANNUAL OVER/UNDER COMPETITION

SUPPORT US ON PATREON 🫶

SUPPORT THE SHOW BY PURCHASING HARDWOOD KNOCKS MERCH

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL⬇️
TikTok: @hardwoodknocks
Twitter @HardwoodKnocks
Instagram: @hardwood_knocks
Dan's Bluesky: @danfavale
Dan's Twitter: @danfavale
Dan's IG: @danfavale
Grant's Bluesky: @granthughes

BUSINESS INQUIRES⬇️
hardwoodknocks@gmail.com

Dan is joined by Andrew Claudio (@AndrewJClaudio_) from Knicks Film School to break down the 2026-27 New York Knicks! SUBSCRIBE TO KNICKS FILM SCHOOL ON YOUTUBE. SUPPORT KFS ON SUBSTACK, TOO: https://knicksfilmschool.substack.com/.

0:00 - INTRO
1:24 - Covering the Knicks’ title run
17:01 - Impact of Mike Brown
20:45 - Appreciating the Knicks’ run
23:10 - Mitchell Robinson’s exit
26:20 - Andre Drummond’s fit
29:21 - The final big-man spots + playing small
34:30 - Karl-Anthony Towns, Josh Hart and Deuce McBride extensions
44:53 - KAT as the offensive hub
49:36 - Josh Hart’s shooting
51:35 - Mikal Bridges’ half-court rim pressure + Jalen Brunson’s shot distribution
55:21 - Will the Knicks manage workloads?
59:22 - Development of Tyler Kolek, Mohamed Diawara, Tyler Nickel, Pacome Dadiet
1:05:43 - Biggest needs and the Knicks’ place in history
1:06:46 - Top-10 rotation, crunch-time lineups and the INFAMOUS MEETING
1:10:20 - Weirdo lineups we want to see
1:15:04 - PREDICTIONS

JOIN OUR ANNUAL OVER/UNDER COMPETITION

SUPPORT US ON PATREON 🫶

SUPPORT THE SHOW BY PURCHASING HARDWOOD KNOCKS MERCH

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR YOUTUBE CHANNEL

FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL⬇️
TikTok: @hardwoodknocks
Twitter @HardwoodKnocks
Instagram: @hardwood_knocks
Dan's Bluesky: @danfavale
Dan's Twitter: @danfavale
Dan's IG: @danfavale
Grant's Bluesky: @granthughes

BUSINESS INQUIRES⬇️
hardwoodknocks@gmail.com