Finding The Seams is the only weekly basketball podcast that focusses on the jump from college to the pros and from NBA roster spot to stardom — what it takes, how it’s done and who is ready to make it. Your hosts, longtime basketball analyst Ric Bucher and NBA champion Brendan Haywood, will tell you which college players have NBA potential and dive into the battles on every NBA team that decide who gets run and who is on the bench waving a towel.
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LeBron's $4 Million Bargain Comes With a Price — Plus the NBA's Most Overrated Contender?
Is LeBron James worth the distractions that come with him—even at $4 million? Ric Bucher and NBA champion Brendan Haywood disagree over LeBron's latest controversy involving Joel Embiid and broadcaster Mike Breen.
The debate doesn't stop there. Brendan questions whether Alperen Sengun's game can ever translate to championship basketball, makes a bold prediction about Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball in Minnesota, and explains why Utah's Darryn Peterson could surprise the NBA.
Plus: early impressions of AJ Dybantsa, Caleb Wilson and Paolo Banchero, the Ja Morant–Damian Lillard experiment in Portland, and why NBA players often gain weight during the season.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Introduction and what preseason games actually reveal
03:15 – Darryn Peterson and Utah's surprising potential
05:00 – Peterson, Keyonte George and the Jazz's leadership question
08:15 – AJ Dybantsa's scoring potential in Washington
10:05 – Why Chicago is bringing Caleb Wilson along slowly
11:42 – Paolo Banchero's new role and Orlando's expectations
15:20 – Anthony Edwards and LaMelo Ball: NBA's best backcourt?
18:00 – Can Minnesota's new lineup work in the playoffs?
20:00 – Brendan predicts a top-three Western Conference finish
20:40 – Why Houston's roster construction worries Brendan
22:35 – Alperen Sengun's game is “funny money”
24:10 – LeBron, Joel Embiid and the Mike Breen controversy
26:00 – Is LeBron worth the distractions at $4 million?
30:35 – What Brendan watches for in preseason roster experiments
31:30 – Ja Morant, Damian Lillard and Portland's backcourt dilemma
34:00 – Should Portland experiment before changing its lineup?
37:10 – The questions NBA players hate answering
38:00 – Why NBA players lose weight in the offseason—and gain it back
40:45 – The most ridiculous question Brendan has heard from the media
42:05 – Final thoughts
43:22 – Outro
#FindingTheSeams #NBA #LeBronJames #JoelEmbiid #HoustonRockets #AlperenSengun #AnthonyEdwards #LaMeloBall #JaMorant #DarrynPeterson
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26 Sept 2026
Wemby Is One Move Away From Breaking the NBA — Plus the League’s Best Players, Coaches & Teams
With NBA training camps arriving, Ric Bucher and Brendan Haywood debate the league’s best—and what could change the hierarchy this season.
Brendan explains why today’s lighter training camps may actually contribute to injuries before he and Ric pick the NBA’s best backcourt, frontcourt, coach, offensive and defensive players, and organization. They debate SGA vs. Jokic and Luka, what separates stars from superstars, and whether Steph Curry should ever consider leaving Golden State.
Plus, Brendan identifies the one move Victor Wembanyama needs to become nearly impossible to stop—and why adding it could mean “it’s over for the league.”
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Welcome to Finding The Seams
00:53 – Old-school vs. modern NBA training camps
03:38 – Are lighter workloads contributing to injuries?
07:12 – Who has the NBA’s best backcourt?
10:54 – Best frontcourt and the Bam Adebayo debate
13:22 – What separates stars from superstars
17:26 – Gilbert Arenas, Kobe and irrational confidence
20:06 – Best NBA coach: Daigneault vs. Carlisle
22:05 – Why coaches and front offices must be aligned
25:30 – Steve Kerr and Golden State’s changing dynamic
28:35 – Should Steph Curry ever leave the Warriors?
33:00 – Would leaving Golden State change Steph’s legacy?
39:01 – Jokic vs. Luka: NBA’s best offensive player
42:00 – Wemby: NBA’s best defensive player?
43:22 – SGA as the league’s best all-around player
45:00 – The one move Wemby still needs
48:22 – Why OKC is the NBA’s model organization
50:04 – Outro
#FindingTheSeams #NBA #VictorWembanyama #SGA #NikolaJokic #LukaDoncic #StephCurry #Warriors #Thunder #RicBucher #BrendanHaywood
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5 Sept 2026
Clippers Get the Hammer, Kuminga Gambles Millions on Himself
Did the NBA just cripple the Los Angeles Clippers — or is their supposed “death sentence” being wildly overstated?
Ric Bucher and NBA champion Brendan Haywood clash over the fallout from the league’s punishment of Steve Ballmer and the Clippers, whether losing first-round picks really condemns the franchise for years and why the Kawhi Leonard side of the scandal may ultimately be the most revealing part of the story.
Brendan argues the Clippers could be irrelevant for years, while Ric reaches back to the Minnesota Timberwolves’ Joe Smith scandal to explain why history suggests the punishment may not be as devastating as it looks. They also debate whether Adam Silver went far enough with Kawhi, how David Stern might have handled the same situation and the uncomfortable reality that NBA business has always operated with a certain amount of gray area.
Then the conversation turns to Jonathan Kuminga — and a gamble that could cost him tens of millions. After reportedly passing on far richer opportunities, Kuminga lands in Minnesota on a short-term deal designed to send him back into free agency next summer. Brendan doesn’t just question the money; he questions the fit alongside Anthony Edwards and explains why the Lakers might have been a much better destination.
Was Kuminga guilty of “pocket watching”? Can he rebuild his value, or is he headed toward the same cautionary territory as Dennis Schröder and Nerlens Noel?
Finally, Ric and Brendan examine Jalen Duren’s contract standoff with Detroit and why the NBA’s new financial reality means players may have to stop assuming a bigger payday is always waiting somewhere else.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Welcome back to Finding The Seams
01:13 – Did the NBA give the Clippers a “death sentence”?
03:00 – Why the Kawhi evidence forced the NBA to act
06:00 – Clippers vs. the Joe Smith-era Timberwolves punishment
09:00 – Could the scandal actually help Steve Ballmer recruit stars?
12:00 – How long could the Clippers really be irrelevant?
15:00 – Should Ballmer fight the NBA — and did Kawhi get off easy?
18:00 – Cap circumvention, endorsement money and NBA player perks
21:00 – The NBA’s unavoidable gray area and appearance of integrity
23:27 – Jonathan Kuminga’s stunning financial gamble
24:24 – Why Brendan hates Kuminga’s fit in Minnesota
27:00 – “Pocket watching”: why Kuminga should’ve taken the money
30:00 – Brendan’s own contract lesson and the new NBA financial reality
33:00 – Why Kuminga’s game may fit the Lakers better than Minnesota
36:00 – “Be a star in your role” — the lesson Kuminga hasn’t learned
38:10 – Jalen Duren wants $40M; Detroit is holding at $35M
39:20 – What Austin Reaves understood that Duren needs to understand
40:16 – Jalen Brunson, the hard cap and why every dollar matters
41:50 – Is next summer’s free-agent market really as rich as advertised?
42:39 – Brendan’s message to Duren: Take the $35 million now
43:50 – The Latrell Sprewell lesson and the danger of turning down millions
44:24 – Keaton Wagler and Brendan’s early scouting call
45:26 – Closing thoughts and what’s next for Finding The Seams
#NBA #FindingTheSeams #LosAngelesClippers #Clippers #KawhiLeonard #SteveBallmer #JonathanKuminga #Timberwolves #AnthonyEdwards #JalenDuren #Pistons #Lakers #NBAFreeAgency #NBANews
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2 ratings
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