The time has come for the Annual Draft Mega Pod! Dan and Rikki lead the pod with a conversation about general draft strategy and an explanation of how they came up with their own big boards. Then they go through their Top 20 prospects, along with a mock 1st Round at the end of the episode. Keep an eye out for our live pod on Thursday night during the draft. A replay will be released in the days to follow.

The Tough Watch Podcast

2021 NBA Draft MEGA POD!!!!!

In this episode Dan and Rikki discuss a couple of fake trades for Ben Simmons and Collin Sexton, which leads to a broader discussion about the misguided direction of the Cavs Organization.  In the back half we discuss the upcoming NBA Draft prospects. This is an appetizer before the main course which will come shortly before the draft. Keep your eyes out for the NBA Draft MEGA POD!!

Trade Candidates and NBA Draft Preview

The Tough Watch is back for a late season matchup between the Wolves and Jazz. We start with the Jazz and discuss their title chances, followed by a deep dive on the Wolves and their performance since the hiring of Chris Finch along with the potential for Anthony Edwards to alter the course of the Wolves future. We finish with our thoughts on the title contenders and the current state of the play in tournament teams.  

Timberwolves Vs Jazz (4/24/2021)

This is a return for both of these teams to the Tough Watch Pod and two teams headed in vastly different directions. This episode leads with a discussion about the Knicks. Julius Randle continuing to surge, is RJ Barrett the answer going forward? And what to do with Mitchell Robinson!? The 2nd half is centered around the Pistons. Did Jerami Grant know what he was getting into? Are the Pistons already screwed when it comes to Killian Hayes? And what player should the Pistons target in the upcoming draft? Check back next Sunday when we cover the Friday night game between the Pacers and the Magic.

Knicks Vs Pistons (4/3/2021)

This is the first appearance of the year for both of these teams on the Tough Watch Podcast, but certainly will not be the last. In an uneventful blowout the Kings took care of business at home against the newly rebuilding Rockets. Dan and Rikki discuss the upcoming trade deadline and how it could shape these two rosters and then dig in to the developmental stage of each team and what needs to be done moving forward. Check back next Sunday when we cover the Saturday night game between the Warriors and Grizzlies.

Rockets Vs Kings (3/11/2021)

Following a slightly different format, Dan and Rikki go back in time and review the decisions and transactions made since both of these organizations changed over their front office. The first half of the pod covers the Hornets since April 2018 when Mitch Kupchak was hired as GM and the 2nd half goes over the Wolves since the May 2019 hire of Gersson Rosas. Check back next Sunday when we cover the Thursday night game between the Rockets and Kings.

Hornets VsTimberwolves (3/3/2021)

There was an offensive EXPLOSION in Dallas on Friday night and Dan and Rikki break it all down in this weeks episode. We discuss the current stage of development for both teams, the current roster construction and how it contributes to winning, and the career outlook for the stars of both teams. Near the end of the pod there is also a discussion of the 18/19/20 drafts.

Pelicans Vs Mavericks (2/12/2021)

In this episode Dan and Rikki check in on the Tough Watch teams and update the team list for the upcoming episodes. The bottom 16 teams in the standings are covered in rapid fire fashion. Spoiler: Stick around till the end for 5+ minutes on the Timberwolves. Certainly not to be missed!Check back next Sunday when we cover Friday nights game between the Mavs and the Pelicans.

Tough Watch Check in (Team List Update)

Dan and Rikki breakdown a two game series between the Hornets and Raptors. Topics include the player development machine in Toronto, the contagious play style of the Hornets, the upcoming recovery of the Raps, and is Lamelo Ball clearly the best player from the 2020 Draft? Stick around till the end to hear about the Harden trade and the developing pattern of star trades.Check back next Sunday when we cover the two game series between the Grizzlies and Blazers.

Hornets Vs Raptors (January 14th/16th)

With the Thunder and Knicks off to surprisingly hot starts, it seemed like a good time to check in and make their matchup the Tough Watch of the week. From the Knicks side we discuss the emergence of Julius Randle, the impact of Thibs, and discuss the pending Mitch Robinson contract situation. From the Thunder side we go over the purpose of this season, the short term vs long term rebuild strategy, and get our first SGA check in. We will be back next Sunday to discuss the two game series between the Hornets/Raptors.

Thunder Vs Knicks (1/8/2021)

Is this Cavs 4-2 start a mirage? Does Atlanta have the best offense in the league? Is Cam Reddish the next Paul George?! All these questions and more are answered in this weeks episode of the Tough Watch podcast.Dan and Rikki discuss the key takeaways from the January 2nd matchup between the Cavs and Hawks. Check back next Sunday for Thunder/Knicks!

Cavaliers Vs Hawks (1/2/2021)

The Tough Watch of the week is BACK! Dan and Rikki watched the opening game between the Pistons and Timberwolves and discussed the young players and key takeaways from each team. Check back next Sunday for Cavs/Hawks!

Pistons Vs Timberwolves (12/23/2020)

The final pod before the season starts, Dan and Rikki cover the over/under projections for all 30 teams. 4 minutes was allotted for each team. They start in the West and move to East. The case for both the over and the under are made for each team along with the projections of where each team will finish the season. Check back next week for the 1st Tough Watch pod of the regular season!

Over/Unders (Season Preview)

In part 2 of the Tough Watch 25 Dan and Rikki cover numbers 1-13 on their annual list. Number 1 on the list may be obvious but there are some definite surprises thrown in. Next week will be our final pod before the NBA regular season tips off. It will be our annual Over/Under win totals pod. We will cover all 30 teams and give our thoughts before games begin.Full length episodes can now be found on Youtube at the link below. Video clips and more to follow over the course of the season.https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC30gsW6fFf_LzMT3O5E6pKw

2020/2021 Tough Watch 25: Part 2

This is the 2nd Annual Tough Watch 25. Dan and Rikki rank the top 25 players from the 2017/2018/2019 NBA Drafts. This series has two episodes and this week we cover number 25-14. The list begins with John Collins and ends with Marvin Bagley. Listen to the full episode to get the remaining names on the list!Check back next week for episode 2 covering 1-13.

2020/2021 Tough Watch 25 (Formerly 25 Under 23)

Each week Dan Radtke and Rikki Giambruno will watch an objectively tough match-up in the NBA and use that as a spring board to talk about the respective teams, how they got there and where they are going. They watch these games so you don’t have to! It’s The Tough Watch podcast!

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The Tough Watch Podcast

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