NBA Podcast: Western Confererence Round-up

Phil Naessens had a bunch of us SB Nation goons on his show this week. It was a really Western conference-y podcast. Mavs Moneyball, Blazers Edge, Welcome To Loud City, and SLC Dunk all got in on the action. (Also the Memphis Flyer newspaper). So we have you covered for Memphis Grizzlies, Portland Trail Blazers, Dallas Mavericks, and Oklahoma City Thunder news! While I got to go one on one with Phil the other day to talk about the Utah Jazz -- he had me on as a guest to talk about NBA coaches.

And really, it just became an experience where we talked about Scott Brooks. I think many NBA fans feel like Brooks was shielded by his great players (which is a benefit of having a great scouting department and great GM). Winning absolved being bad at his job. Do the wins count as a feather in Brooks' cap, or should we attribute them to the front office? Now that a lot of those players are injured this year (again, not Brooks' fault) he is being exposed.

As Enes Kanter fans (or supporters, or creepers) we do take an interest in all of this. The 23 year old is having some success on a team fighting for the playoffs. Brooks, though, still remains to be as ineffectual as always. No Kevin Durant, no Serge Ibaka, Russell Westbrook being out for stretches . . . if Jerry Sloan can get to 42-40 starting trash, why is Scotty having trouble with this roster?

Essentially, Brooks is Tyrone Corbin with a better group of players. Or am I wrong about that? Listen to the entire NBA podcast here at Phil's site, or just listen on below.

Thanks Phil for having us all on the show, it's a lot of fun! My part starts around the 9 min mark. Sorry for the ranting.