In this episode of On The Ball, Ric Bucher unloads on the NBA’s most uncomfortable truths: why “tanking” is getting harder to justify, why a rumored Trae Young-to-Washington deal would be less about basketball and more about money + leverage, and why the supermax era is changing (maybe forever). Ric also tackles the loudest Warriors debate—why fans coming for Steve Kerr are missing the point—and explains what Steph’s late-career reality actually means in the new salary-cap NBA.

Then Ric turns his attention to LeBron’s podcast positioning, the optics of “the league is moving away from ISO” while playing next to Luka, and the awkward self-mythmaking that comes with the exit ramp of a legend. Finally, a fascinating tell from All-Star voting: the NBA’s next “face” may be foreign, and Ric names the frontrunner.

Time stamps

00:00 — Intro: “Cooking with gas” + where to find Ric

01:32 — Mission statement: angles you won’t hear anywhere else

01:39 — Making every NBA game matter + the tanking problem

02:43 — Trae Young traded to the Wizards?! Why this is a financial play

04:20 — The $229M supermax that Atlanta wouldn’t offer (and why)

05:33 — Why the league can’t hand out max deals “like candy” anymore

06:50 — Trae’s real issue: stats vs impact, defense, and locker-room gravity

08:10 — What the Hawks actually need (and why bigs are the problem)

09:45 — Anthony Davis to Atlanta? Buyer beware + the Luka trade hangover

12:58 — Why Ric is bullish on Cooper Flagg as a culture-setter

17:25 — Warriors corner: the anti–Steve Kerr crusade (and why it’s galling)

21:12 — Lacob pressure, Kerr extension talk, and Steph’s real decline curve

23:03 — The Jimmy Butler move: what it fixed—and what it didn’t

24:13 — Why small-ball “wrinkles” are necessity, not stubbornness

27:17 — Kuminga: effort, role acceptance, and why it may be over

29:32 — Jordan Poole reality check (and what his market might be)

31:18 — LeBron’s “ISO is dying” take: why now, and why it reads self-serving

36:39 — All-Star voting clue: the NBA’s next “face” may be a foreign star

37:26 — Ric’s bet: Wembanyama as the future consensus face of the league

37:52 — Wrap-up + trade season ahead

#NBA #NBATrades #TraeYoung #WashingtonWizards #AtlantaHawks #CJMcCollum #SteveKerr #GoldenStateWarriors #StephenCurry #JonathanKuminga #LeBronJames #LukaDoncic #AnthonyDavis #CooperFlagg #VictorWembanyama #NBASalaryCap #NBASupermax #OnTheBall #RicBucher #UnitedWeCast

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Nikola Jokic goes down with a knee injury — and suddenly the volume spikes to kill the NBA’s 65-game minimum for MVP and All-NBA eligibility. Coincidence? Or the latest example of the league (and its loudest voices) trying to rewrite the definition of greatness in real time?

In the first On The Ball episode of 2026, Ric Bucher explains why the 65-game rule shouldn’t be rescinded just because a superstar might miss out. Awards aren’t about who we think should win based on peak moments, reputation, or “what he’d do if healthy.” They’re about who actually delivered over a full season — and availability has always been part of the job.

Ric revisits why the rule was created (hello, load management), why voters needed a clear benchmark, and why removing it would encourage exactly what fans hate: rewarding partial seasons while pretending it’s the same as dominance over 82 games. He also calls out the shifting standards in NBA media, the growing subjectivity of awards voting, and the obsession with making everything “perfect” — even when perfection creates new injustices.

Plus: Ric makes the case that we should be expanding eligibility rules, creating one to deem who is eligible to be an All-Star.

Timestamps

00:00 — Intro: “Cooking with gas” / welcome to On The Ball

00:31 — Ric’s platforms + book tease: the value of being coachable

01:32 — First pod of 2026: thank you + what’s changing the show today

02:03 — The new flashpoint: NBA’s 65-game rule + Jokic injury fallout

02:55 — Jokic vs SGA: how the MVP race shifts

03:16 — Why Ric disagrees with eliminating the rule

04:12 — Why the NBA instituted 65 games: load management + voter clarity

05:07 — The voting problem: who has ballots now (and why it matters)

06:35 — Why 65 games is “etched in stone”

07:23 — The old standard: playing 82 used to be the flex

08:03 — “Perfect” officiating vs reality: the replay obsession analogy

09:20 — The hard truth: injustice happens — that’s sports (and life)

10:08 — Injuries, modern training, and why the real issue isn’t awards

11:07 — Why changing awards rules dodges the real problem

12:32 — Supermax + health: should durability matter?

14:02 — Awards aren’t for “who we think”: they’re for who proved it

14:40 — The Bill Walton precedent: MVP with 58 games (and the controversy)

16:45 — The fear: rewarding stars for half-seasons

17:26 — Standards eroding: media, mentorship, and the “old head” dilemma

20:28 — Social media pedestal culture + rule changes for entertainment

21:25 — Why removing 65 games diminishes awards

22:12 — Ric’s counter: eligibility rules for All-Star voting instead

22:52 — LeBron + All-Star weekend: honor him, don’t gift him a spot

25:05 — Emotional policy-making is bad policy

25:47 — What’s next: boosting competition, addressing tanking

26:54 — Outro

#NBA #NikolaJokic #MVP #AllNBA #LoadManagement #NBAMedia #OnTheBall #RicBucher #BasketballPodcast #UnitedWeCast

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The NBA loves a fairytale ending — legends riding off into the sunset with one last ring. But the reality is harsher: aging championship stars can become a “poison pill” for franchises, locking teams into oversized salaries, outdated roster-building, and stalled player development.

In this episode of On The Ball, Ric Bucher breaks down why it’s so difficult to break up a title-winning core — and why the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors are the latest examples of teams paying the price for loyalty while still selling championship expectations.

Ric also explains why the best organizations make the cold-blooded pivot before the clock strikes midnight, the role fans and media play in keeping “one more run” alive, and how teams end up stuck when the window closes but the payroll doesn’t.

00:00:35 – Where to find Ric (FS1/Fox Sports Radio) + new book on being coachable

00:01:18 – Holiday delay + why Christmas Day set up this episode

00:01:49 – The “poison pill” problem: aging champions and marquee teams

00:02:14 – Why breaking up a championship core is so hard

00:03:11 – History lesson: teams that waited too long to turn the page

00:03:38 – Loyalty is fine… if you’re honest about expectations

00:05:02 – The hidden cost: money, roles, roster, coaching, and marketing built around stars

00:06:02 – Why “contend + develop” usually doesn’t work (Warriors example)

00:06:48 – What real transition looks like (Wade → LeBron, Duncan → Kawhi)

00:07:52 – Fans, connection, and the business of keeping “the guy”

00:09:45 – Media vs fan reality: why we get it twisted about “upgrades”

00:11:31 – Booker/Suns as the blueprint for “glimmer of hope” economics

00:15:26 – The “glimmer” sidebar + players who sell hope without June basketball

00:16:53 – Why it’s different when the star actually won a ring

00:17:41 – The ruthless move: trade the star before midnight

00:18:42 – Recent examples of teams doubling down on aging stars

00:19:12 – Bill Walsh trading Joe Montana: the blueprint

00:20:19 – Which current GMs will actually make the hard pivot?

00:21:52 – Teams that missed the window: Lakers/Warriors/Clippers (and why it matters now)

00:22:39 – Lakers roster-building problem around Luka + payroll realities

00:23:20 – Warriors payroll trap: Steph/Jimmy/Draymond math

00:25:17 – Why re-signing Draymond locked in the old identity

00:25:50 – Klay nostalgia vs reality + the real mistake

00:26:22 – Wrap-up + teaser on tanking/competition solutions next episode

Follow Ric Bucher:

X / Instagram / Threads / Bluesky: @RicBucher

#NBA #Lakers #Warriors #LeBronJames #StephenCurry #JimmyButler #DraymondGreen #NBATalk #NBAAnalysis #OnTheBall #RicBucher #UnitedWeCast

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