With the NBA regular season winding down, Ric Bucher dives into the most complicated MVP ballot he can remember — and explains why this year’s race is far messier than a simple Shai Gilgeous-Alexander vs. Nikola Jokic debate. Ric makes the case for why voters are facing a legitimate five-name traffic jam, with Victor Wembanyama, Jaylen Brown, Cade Cunningham and Luka Doncic all forcing their way into the conversation. He also explains why the NBA’s 65-game minimum is doing exactly what it was supposed to do.

Then Ric shifts to college basketball and the speculation connecting Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan to North Carolina. Ric explains why that rumored move says more about the Bulls’ future than Donovan’s — and why returning to college coaching in the NIL-transfer portal era is nowhere near as attractive as it used to be.

Also: Ric previews why the Lakers may be more dangerous than critics want to admit as the postseason approaches.

Time Stamps:

0:00 Intro, Ric’s new book The Secret to Being Coachable and where to find all United WeCast shows

2:00 New Air Club sponsorship mention

3:05 Why this year’s MVP ballot is a nightmare for voters

4:13 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s case gets even stronger

5:05 Nikola Jokic’s historic statistical argument

6:09 Why the 65-game minimum is working

7:28 Victor Wembanyama’s MVP-worthy impact and future as the face of the league

9:46 Jaylen Brown’s surprising MVP ballot case

12:37 Cade Cunningham’s late push into the race

14:03 Luka Doncic and the Lakers’ surge complicate everything

15:50 Why Billy Donovan to North Carolina doesn’t add up

19:41 How NIL and the transfer portal changed college coaching forever

22:40 Why old-school blue blood advantages no longer guarantee success

23:24 Outro and why the Lakers may be tougher than expected in the playoffs

Hashtags:

#OnTheBall #RicBucher #NBA #MVP #ShaiGilgeousAlexander #NikolaJokic #VictorWembanyama #LukaDoncic #JaylenBrown #CadeCunningham #Lakers #BillyDonovan #NorthCarolina #CollegeBasketball #UnitedWeCast

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/bucher-and-friends.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.